New Allies and Old Vendettas (The Originals: Season 3 Fanfiction)

Chapter 17: It All Comes Crashing Down

Elijah stepped forward.

'Give us the serum, now,' he said. 'I won't ask you again, Marcellus.'

'My name - is Marcel. And I'm not giving you a damn thing.'

'I can't allow you the means to destroy my family,' Klaus said.

'Your family. Right. Thank you.'

'Klaus, Marcel will betray us. I saw it with my own eyes,' Elijah said.

'I will betray you? I asked, begged for your help, and you left Davina to rot. You put down Lucien because he was coming for you, for you family, but the thing is, you made Lucien. You turned him, taught him, and then abandoned him. And then you blamed Lucien because it's always somebody else's fault. But maybe you were the villains in his story. After all, that is the Mikaelson way, right? Kill, maim, torture, all in the name of family. Always and forever. I used to admire that vow. It gave me back the thing that had been beaten out of me. Faith in those you love. I was a fool. Always and forever is just an excuse to do whatever the hell you want. Maybe... it's time someone put an end to that.'

'You are treading very close to a dangerous decision,' Elijah said. 'I'm asking you to choose wisely.'

'Fair enough.' He unscrewed the cork and went to drink it, but the two of them charged him, and he knocked them back. They got to their feet. 'You can't stop me, Klaus!' Marcel yelled.

'I only meant to keep you from crossing a line you would most certainly regret,' Klaus said, stalking up to him.

'No, you meant to keep your precious upper hand. Don't you get it?  Whatever I have to do, Klaus, I will find a way to hurt you! You will never be safe, not as long as I am alive. You can call me family all you want; I am done being your friend. From this day forward, I am nothing less than your worst -' He stopped, letting out a gasp as his heart was pulled out of his chest. Marcel fell suddenly over the railing of the bridge and landed with a loud splash in the water.

'NO!' Klaus screamed. He turned with horror to see Elijah holding Marcel's heart in his hand.

Klaus stood by the shore, the bridge in the distance, mournfully watching the small fire he'd put up.

'The current took him,' he said softly. Elijah walked up to him.

'Niklaus, I saw Freya's vision,' Elijah said.

'What did you do? I could have talked him down. I could...'

'You could've what? Watched our family's extinction at the hands of Marcel Gerard?'

'He was one of us!'

'He despised us. Yes, he was our friend,' Elijah said, walking up to his brother. 'Yes, he was our family. The moment Davina Claire was lost, he became our foe, and a formidable one at that. He was the leader of the Strix, entrusted with all of our secrets, and then, Klaus, we betrayed him. I had no choice.' Klaus glared at his brother.

'Do you really believe that?' And then his brother turned and walked away.

I sat in our bedroom, when I heard a familar cadence of footsteps, picked up a particular scent. I turned to see the most broken of looks on his face.

'Elijah,' I said softly. He looked around the room, saying nothing. He fell to his knees by the table in the centre of the room.

'Forgive me,' he said brokenly.

'What happened?' I asked. He lowered his head in shame. 'Tell me, please.'

'Marcel. I took his life.' He let out a shaky breath. I walked to him, and he laid his head on my stomach, sobbing bitterly.