Back in Mystic Falls

12. Mystical Mercantile, Part 1

Pairing: Finn/Elijah-Klaus (M/MM) hand/strap
Fulfilling half of request for babesss There will be a part 2. Thanks for the idea!

"He who will not economize will have to agonize." -Confucius

Afternoon

Tuesday, June 26, 1855

Kol dressed for dinner and woke up Damon and let him get dressed. Finn intercepted Kol in the hallway.

"How is Damon? I fear I was a little hard on him," Finn said in a low voice.

"He had a pretty good skelped arse, I know he felt bad about this morning. He let his magic get out of control a bit. It happens. I almost poisoned myself with hemlock once. I told him some stories from our past. You know, Finn, there were times when you did take a thrashing for the rest of us, you and Elijah," Kol recalled. "I suppose I never remembered it like that before."

"Is that a compliment, Brother? You know there might have been a lot that happened that you do not remember as well as you think you do," Finn smiled.

"Mayhaps, Also, before she turned us, Mother was not the monster we remember her as...But Father? Was he ever not awful?" Kol asked softly.

"I am sorry, Kol. There was a time, before Freya died, when we were still in the Old World...that he was very different. I do not say this to pain you, for I know you never had this, but he was...wonderful. He used to play with us and Kol, he used to...laugh, throw us in the air. Even when we were naughty, he was never cruel, firm, but still...gentle," Finn mused.

"I cannot fathom it, truly," Kol replied. Damon came out of the bedroom. Finn looked him over.

"You alright now, Damon? Did the cream help?" Finn asked carefully.

"Bloody hell, I forgot to put it back!" Kol gulped vamping back into the bedroom.

When he came out with the lotion, Finn gave Kol a stern look. He reminded him, "Enough with the cursing please. And we still have not addressed your eavesdropping."

Kol looked pleadingly at the cream, "Can we not speak of that later? If Elijah finds out I took this without permission, he is going to be angry with me!"

"Go on, Kol. We had enough hidings today, right, Damon? Put it back. Let us retire downstairs. Maybe Rebekah will play the piano for us?" Finn said putting his arm around Damon.

"I thought you said I was restricted to my room the rest of the day?" Damon asked Finn shyly.

"Nay, you were already punished. I was too hasty. Let us go see where the others are," Finn smiled.

"Right. Wonder where my brother is? It is awfully quiet," Damon said suspiciously.

They found Stefan with the Cook in the kitchen baking a cake. He was stirring a large bowl. Kol came in after Damon and Finn, after replacing the cream back in Elijah's study, and laughed to find his brother sitting on the counter.

"Working hard, Stefan?" Damon asked. His rear end was still a little tender, but much better than it had been a few hours before. He was not sure we wanted to sit down just yet, though.

"Oh yeah, Cook needs my help. She cannot do all this stirring without me! If I do a good job, I get to lick the spoon!" Stefan announced joyfully. He pulled out the spoon to show them.

Kol paled, "Bloody hell! That is impossible. It looks like Mother's wooden spoon. How?"

Damon said, "I thought that was just a story!"

Finn added, "Apparently, Niklaus carves them out of wood and then burns them. Luckily, I found them in the burn pile. They are perfectly good spoons, sanded and useful, too good to burn. Our brother is quite the talent."