Tainted | Finn Mikaelson

Chapter 7

Finn was silent behind her.

It was strange, hearing only his breathing. She walked ahead, peeking back ever so often to make sure that he was still there.

"Saint Roch No. 1, The Delphine tomb," Katya announced when they got there, waiting patiently on the side as Finn went in.

She allowed herself to eavesdrop, which was easy, because Finn hadn't cast a Silencing Spell.

"Mother?" said Finn, approaching the place where Esther had presumably holed up. "I thought for sure I'd find you dead. I've come to save you."

"I knew you would, my sweet child," said Esther. There was a scuffling sound, and Finn breathed out, "No."

"Finn, please!" said Esther. "I fought it for as long as I could. Look at me! I am still your mother! I-I'm sorry, I was just so hungry..."

"You're a hypocrite," Finn snapped. "You speak of purification, of cleansing the souls of our family, and yet you caved to temptation instead of standing with your principles! It was your morality, Mother. Your conviction, that hardened me! That's why I stood by you. That's why I fought for you! I would have done anything for you. My mother. She who gave me life. But now... I see you and I can feel only disgust."

Katya jumped back as Finn stormed out of the tomb, leaving Esther wailing and begging for him to come back. He continued to walk right out of the Cemetery, and Katya slowly followed behind, discreetly holding her phone up to text Klaus, informing him that Finn was not happy.

Finn suddenly caught her arm, startling her and making her nearly drop her phone. "You continue to report back to him as if you owe him anything."

"He and Hayley are just concerned, is all," she muttered, tucking her phone back into her pocket.

He faltered. "Do they believe you to be in danger?"

"Yeah, somehow, I think they do," said Katya sarcastically. "I did just get pinned to a wall by your father, aka the Vampire Who Hunts Vampires. He tried to kill Hayley when she was pregnant and temporarily on the Other Side."

Finn shook his head. "I would never hurt you. That's the sort of thing a vampire would do."

"Oh, wonderful, looks like some of what I said did go through your thick skull. And—" she held up her hand when he made to argue, "don't even try to say you don't have a thick skull. You're as stubborn as they come."

"You are annoyingly and ridiculously insistent on matters that don't even concern you. Perhaps you're the stubborn one."

Katya scoffed. "I'm sorry, does this really not concern me when your mother tried to prepare my body for someone else? Maybe I just value my free will a lot, Finn. It wouldn't kill you to do the same."

"I value your free will, which is why I haven't hexed you for all that you've said and done—"

"I'm talking about your free will. You can't be your mother's errand boy forever. Look at her! She didn't even last five minutes before she fed, Klaus told me. Everything she's taught you, everything she preached, was forgotten in seconds when it came to a choice between life or death. She chose to become a vampire. She chose to become part of that miserable species she's tried to destroy several times. Maybe you should reevaluate what the hell you're doing with your life before you start saying I'm being annoying and ridiculous when I'm simply trying to get you to see that your mother is in the wrong. Your siblings want to work with you, Finn. Why are you so against that? Seriously, help me understand why you can't even try to hear them out?"

"You wish for me to get along with them," said Finn scathingly. "That will never happen. I would not do it for you, nor for anyone—"

"That's the point, Finn. You're always doing things for other people. You kept a secret for your mother. You stuck with your siblings even when you didn't want to because you didn't want to abandon hope that they'd be more understanding of your point of view. You can't spend your life fulfilling others' expectations.