For All My Love And Rage |Originals AU

5. Do You Remember?

A/N: I have nothing to say for myself. Life's been crazy. Enjoy! BUT PLEASE VOTE AND COMMENT!

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Mikael should have prepared a speech. One cannot simply rise from the dead and go meet one's children without a speech prepared. But Mikael was never good with words, and besides, he was too busy saving Hayley and Hope, and then bringing Finn, Cami and Davina back from the dead, and then... Well, then he had to prepare himself to cure his other children. There was truly no time to prepare a speech. Still, as he gazed back at his dying Mikaelson siblings, Mikael had a familiar thought: 'Fighting a thousand wars would be easier than fatherhood...' He chuckled, clearing his throat.

"I'm here to help you." he said at last, his face sober and his tone solemn.

"Why?" Elijah asked, his skeptical eyes analyzing every detail of his father's posture. If he had been stronger, he might have figured out Mikael's true intentions. But with the werewolf venom running through his veins and making him weaker by the second, Elijah's deducting abilities were not at their best. Not to mention, a part of him, buried deep in his heart, prayed his father was telling the truth. It was a childish wish, and Elijah knew it. He had fought hard to never let his secret wish out of the cage he made for it in the depths of his heart. But as he stared at his father, his vision blurred as he stood on the edge of death, Elijah allowed himself to have a last foolish and childish thought: he prayed with all the strength he still had, that his father was truly there to save them, just like Mikael had done so many times when they were children...

"Because," Mikael said slowly, gazing out of the window as he measured his words. "You believe Marcel is the one who will bring upon your Downfall..."

"He already has, if you haven't noticed." Kol said, coughing his words out with much effort. He had the same childish dreams as Elijah, but he was much closer to death than his older brother, and foolish dreams did not seem as appealing or possible to him. In his pain, the wildest Mikaelson could not even dream, and the promises of salvation and peace only seemed to worsen his suffering. He was so close to accepting his death, not even the miracle of having Mikael, or more accurately, the version of Mikael who Kol remembered from his youth, the gentle and loving man Mikael once was.

"No. He hasn't. And he won't." Mikael swallowed, turning to face his youngest son. "This is not your downfall..." he said, stepping forward with the determination of a doomed man. "This evil in your veins can be cured, my boy."

"By you?" Kol scoffed, swallowing the foul taste in his mouth. "Last time I checked, father, you had no magical powers besides your uncontrollable rage..." His words were meant to hurt Mikael, but he also needed to say them out loud, to remind himself that the father Mikael once was, the father they all loved was gone forever. In his dying breath, Kol wanted to believe in miracles, but he was too weak and stubborn to think faith would do him any good.

Mikael swallowed, looking down. His son was not entirely wrong. There was a part of him whose only power was rage. For centuries, Mikael allowed that part of himself to control everything in his life. But who could blame him? He heard over and over, throughout his life, that he was a monster only fit for destruction. Even his wife and children believed that was his fate... he came to believe it, too.

But, for now, ever since he woke up on that wretched bridge, Mikael could control the beast within his heart. And he would keep his children safe. He would prove he could be more than a monster.

"You're right, my boy." Mikael said, smiling as he opened his eyes. "I have not been the father you deserved... And I know it's too late for that now..." he sighed, kneeling down beside Kol. "I understand your skepticism... I have done nothing to deserve your trust or your faith... But..." he gave his son a half smile, taking Kol's hands into his own. "Do you remember when you were a little boy, and you wanted to play with the other children after the rains, but you were too afraid to jump over the water puddles alone?"

Kol stiffened, his mouth half opened in surprise. Not only did he remember, but it was also one of his fondest memories of his father and of his father. With those sweet memories playing just behind his eyes, Kol didn't realize the pain of the venom was quickly vanishing.

"You held my hands." Kol said, blinking back tears. "You said you could play with me and hold my hands when I jumped into the puddles. You said nothing and no one—no water puddle—could ever harm me while you held my hand..." Kol tried to keep his voice devoid of emotion. But as the words flew out of his mouth, hot tears flowed down his cheeks.

"It is still true." Mikael said, smiling, as he softly let go of his son's hands. "More so than you know."

"How did you...." Kol said, in awe, finally realizing he was no longer in pain.

"I told you." Mikael stood up, smiling. "I am still your father. I will not let you—any of you—suffer or perish while I still breath." He marched to kneel between Freya and Rebekah.

"Father..." Freya said, gladly taking Mikael's hands. He healed her quickly, smiling and humming the same song he used to sing to her when she was a child. "I knew it in my heart." She said in Old Norse, her mother tongue, as she hugged her father. "I knew you were not the monster they said you had become..."

"I was, my dear. For a long time, I was the monster haunting their nightmares..." he replied in his native language, as he let go of his eldest daughter. "But now I shall be the father you all deserve..." he sighed, turning to his youngest daughter.

"It's a bit late for redemption, don't you think?" Rebekah said, tears running down her face and rage burning in her eyes. "Do you really believe we will forgive you?" she stared at her father, the curse in her veins raging inside her. In that moment, she hated him more than ever, yet she desperately wanted his words to be true.

"No." Mikael shook his head, moving closer to her. "I have not come to ask for forgiveness. Odin knows I don't deserve it..." he laughed bitterly, taking her hands into his own. "I don't deserve your forgiveness, your trust, or your love. But you, my dear child, you all deserve to live free of the shadows of my mistakes..."

Rebekah cried despite her best efforts. As Mikael let go of her hands, Rebekah fell fast asleep, just as Freya and Kol had done. All their wounds and cursed cured and gone, thanks to Mikael. Beside Rebekah, laying half asleep on the cough, Finn smiled softly. The Mikaelsons might survive after all...

"No." Elijah said, his eyes only half opened as Mikael kneeled beside him. "Don't... I won't leave Niklaus..." he said, trying to crawl away from his father. The pain of the venom blinding his vision. "I won't let my brother die. Not by your hand nor any other..." he forced himself up, losing his balance and almost falling down.

"Easy there, my boy..." Mikael said, holding Elijah before he fell. "I will not harm Niklaus. You have my word. I will leave none of you to suffer..." he smiled, softly touching his son's face.

Elijah stared at Mikael, his eyes burning with hot tears. "I want to believe you, father..." he said weakly. The pain and his wounds disappeared so quickly, he had not time to say anything else. His eyes closed despite his best efforts, and Elijah fell asleep in his father's arms, dreaming of a time such a thing was not so unusual, a time when his siblings were all alive and together, and Mikael was a brilliant father...

"Rest now, my boy." Mikael said, laying his son down gently on the cough beside Finn. "When you wake up, all will be right. This family will be safe. I will mend your hearts. I promise." he sighed, gazing at his sleeping children.

From the center of the living room of Lucian's old apartment, sitting comfortably in her crib, Hope fussed, waving her toy horse around to get Mikael's attention.

He smiled at her. "Don't you worry, little one. When you wake up, your father will be home...one way or another." He softly touched her head, putting her back to sleep.

The Mikaelsons laid in their gentle sleep, filled with happy dreams, unaware of how Mikael's words would forever change their futures.