The Other Mikaelson- Book 2

Chapter XXVII

"I'm taking out that blade," Rebekah said, looking at her sister gasping in pain on the ground.

"You'll have to kill me first, and now you hold the means to do so. Why not finish what you started a century ago?" Klaus asked.

"I did not want you dead. I wanted you to run."

"Liar! You wanted revenge."

"You drove me to betray you, and now you want to twist it and make it worse so you can justify killing me instead of accepting your own fault? All I did was love your friend! You could've been happy for us, but instead, in your paranoia, you feared losing us both. And, because of that, you did. There is no one else to blame, Nik. Only you."

"Where is Marcel now, hmm? I thought he loved you, and yet he left you trapped in here with me. You against me. It's hardly a fair fight, is it? I mean, perhaps, if Marcel were here, you'd stand a chance, but I expect he's already found another girl. No doubt younger and prettier."

"You take joy in other people's pain, and then you wonder why I hate you."

"Yes, and that hatred led you to do what you did. Admit the truth. Admit you wanted me dead."

"I wanted you to run, that is all-- despite your delusions."

"Keira lies suffering, and I will allow you to help her. All you have to do is admit it."

"You're insane."

"Yes! Yes! I am a vicious, heartless monster, and so you summoned Mikael to kill me. Admit it."

"It's not true."

"You know what you did. Admit it."

"I didn't."

"You wanted me dead! ADMIT IT!!!!"

"MAYBE I DID, NIK-"

Shocked she actually admitted it, Klaus grabbed the stake from her and stabbed her in the stomach. A few moments later, she held it as he sat on a grave nearby.

"You missed my heart," Rebekah said.

"Perhaps I did. Or, perhaps I never meant to kill you. Perhaps I just wanted you to feel a fraction the fear I felt when Father came for me."

"Do you yourself know the truth?"

"I know this. You accuse me of being evil, and yet you are the one who conspired to kill your own blood."

"You made our lives a living hell. You tormented us."

"I love my family-- You, Keira, Elijah. I loved all of you," Klaus walked over the Rebekah. "I know I can be difficult, but I did not make myself this way. It was Mikael who ruined me."

A tear fell from Rebekah's eye. "He ruined me, too. That's what you forget. Centuries later, each of us is broken. You with your anger and paranoia, me with my fear of abandonment, Elijah refusing to show affection and masking it with morality, and poor Keira," she looked over at her sister. "She dedicates herself to everyone but herself."

Klaus looked over at her for a moment.

Another tear fell on Rebekah's cheek. "We are the strongest creatures in the world, and yet, we are damaged beyond repair. We live without hope, but we will never die. We are the definition of cursed. Always and forever."

Klaus paused, before walking over to Keira and punching into her chest. She screamed in pain again, and Klaus pulled the blade out. "There. Now we're even."

After curing him, Klaus sat with Elijah on one side of the cemetery while Rebekah and Keira sat on the other.

"We're still trapped in here. Whatever you're going to do to me, do it now," Rebekah said.

"You said our father ruined us," Klaus replied. "And I can't help but wonder, what if his father ruined him?" A gust of wind blew the gate to the cemetery open as the moon began to rise. "The barrier is down."

"I know you hate me, but what's done is done," Rebekah said.

"What's done is never done. It remains within us, a story we tell ourselves so we know who we are. Vicious father, a bastard son, and the sister who betrayed him. Perhaps it's time for a new story. What is it you want, Rebekah?" Klaus asked quietly.

"Same things that I've wanted since I was a child. I want a home. I want a family. I want someone to love me, and I want to live," Rebekah said as all her siblings looked at her.

"Then go. Go far away and never come back. We are far too damaged to remain together, less a family now than a volatile mix of ingredients. New Orleans will be mine. I will raise my child here in the city you took from me. No doubt, Elijah and Keira will choose to stay, but you? Sister, you are free," Klaus said. Rebekah looked at her other siblings for approval, and they both nodded. Then she got off her grave, and started walking off into the night. Elijah got up and followed, leaving the other two sitting in awkward silence.

Keira got up and walked towards Klaus. He looked suspicious for a moment, before she hugged him.

"I'm sorry, ok?" she said quietly. Klaus nodded and hugged her back.

~~~~

Keira walked into Klaus's room. She knocked, and he did say to come in, and then she found Genevieve in lingerie and Klaus, with only pants on, digging through his closet.

She turned away. "Ok, I did not need to see that."

"Spoken like a man who's made peace with his demons," Genevieve said.

Klaus put a shirt on and buttoned it up. "My demons are dead, or chased off."

Keira glared at the witch and held out her heels. "Yes, apart from the one lingering monster with whom you share a bed. I trust you can find your clothing and the door?"

Genevieve stood up and left, and Klaus looked at Keira, annoyed.

"You do recall that woman tortured our sister?" she asked.

"She also revealed the truth about our sister's treachery," Klaus replied.

Keira glared at him. "And as a consequence, Rebekah is gone forever."

"A desire which she apparently harbored for quite some time!"

"Niklaus, it has been a month. Now, I feel our sister's loss as deeply as you. But, you must stop distracting yourself with this ridiculous behavior and channel it into some kind of action."

Klaus grabbed a paintbrush and walked over to his easel. "Why must I, exactly?"

"Because over the course of Marcel's tenure, the city grew accustomed to having a king. You wanted this throne. Now, you must accept the responsibility that accompanies that," Elijah said, walking in as well.

"Apologies, but I'm rather ensconced in other pursuits."

Elijah snatched his paintbrush from him. "If you can so easily neglect your home, I wonder what will become of your daughter. Have you forgotten what it was like to live beneath the threat of violence? We must work together, Niklaus. Let's make this city whole again."

"Perhaps it is too broken to mend," Klaus took his brush back. Elijah sighed.

"If you won't do anything, I will."