Family Above All

4. Lost and Found

No pairing

*New original characters created by Jazmine F. via FF.net. Thank you!

**I will take requests for next chapter. What should happen to Rebekah? Share your thoughts in the comments.

"Clothes make a man. Naked people have little or no influence on society." -Mark Twain

Mikaelson Mansion

Mystic Falls, Virginia

March 22, 2012

Night

Sage heard the sounds from the hallway and looked at Finn in alarm.

"Do not fret, my dear. Those are just my brothers. They can be a bit rowdy at times. Plus, Niklaus discovered he has a son," Finn shared, lighting the wood fire place in his new bedroom.

"Ah, that is nice," Sage said, smiling at the crackling fire and looking around the room. "It's beautiful here. At least your brothers have good taste."
Finn stood, walking over to firmly shut and lock the bedroom door. "It's a bit fancy for my taste and odd looking, yet the last I recall we were living in a manor house in Spain. The animals shared the great hall and it was quite pungent."

Sage noticed that this room was wood paneled and much simpler than the rest of the house. It had a rustic feel to it, but everything was clearly expensive.

"How can you forgive them so easily? I mean, so many years. I don't even know how it is you speak this tongue!" Sage replied hotly. Though the room was warm, she pulled her cashmere shawl around her tightly.

Finn turned to her and wrapped her arms around her. He smelled her hair and couldn't identify the scent. It was sweet, like the apple blossoms in the spring maybe.

"I have to forgive them. I have a confession of my own to make. For the last few centuries, on and off, I would awaken. At times, it was for a few hours or weeks," Finn started.

Sage gasped in horror, asking, "How? You were daggered by a witch's foul magic, right? How is that possible?"

"I do not know. I fear my body was still asleep. I could not move nor rip out the afflicted dagger, yet my mind was there. I could hear, but not speak. So for centuries, on and off, I listened. I heard my family argue and rage and even enjoy themselves floors above where Niklaus hid my coffin. Oft times, Niklaus would come down and speak to me, especially when he put Kol to sleep with his accursed daggers. He would talk to him, explain his fear of Mikael coming for them. At times, he put Rebekah in a box. I heard him weeping and asking her for forgiveness," Finn explained.

"But they left you in there so long, my love. I tried to find you, but I feared they would kill me and we would both be doomed," Sage protested.

Finn sighed and pulled away to pace.

"I heard the fear in Niklaus' voice. I realized that he had the right to fear my leaving. I had little affection for him or sympathy. You see, Mikael, though a brute, never subjected the rest of us to his vitriol, like he did Niklaus when we were human. Unlike Elijah and the others, I never lifted a finger to help Niklaus. I just stayed in the shadows to protect myself. I always adored my mother, but I realized she was just as guilty in not protecting him," Finn went on, his eyes resting on the fire. "I was the eldest, I should have tried to...do something. Yet I never did, I never stood up to Mikael or even Mother. Then, when we were turned, they all disgusted me. I would have run off with you or tried, but I lacked the will. Can you forgive me?"

Finn turned to Sage and looked into her bright, green eyes.

"There is nothing to forgive. The fault of this lies with your parents. Mikael spent his whole vampire existence trying to undo the spell. One of the witches I hired believed that you are all linked with your sire lines. So, there is a very good chance that Mikael would have slaughtered you all to wipe all vampires from the Earth," Sage said gravely. "I don't know if that is true, but perhaps your family knew this?"