Broken Souls

5

Did she feel really stupid for saying such bold things straight to the man's, who could easily kill her, face? Most definitely, but she also felt like it had to be said. It always upset her how the siblings could never get along because of their grudges. However, she would admit, Niklaus was a big factor in all of their problems. He couldn't bring himself to trust anybody, his siblings included. This distrust led to discourse, and the siblings did things to protect themselves against their brother. Not that she condones any of the violent actions against one another.

She merely wished that she could have such a big family. Especially one that cared so much about each other. Below all the hostility she could sense, and hope, that there were pieces of them that wanted to be siblings again; she found herself jealous of the Mikaelsons. What would it feel like to have siblings you loved, and who love you in return? Who would do anything it took to protect you, mourn you when you died?

"And if I decided to play along with this little plan of yours? What would you do for me?" He mused, twirling the glass in his hand, pretending to be entertaining the idea of following her plan. Truthfully, he wasn't pretending at all, but he couldn't just show that to the woman in front of him. She knew nearly everything about him, but he still felt as if he knew nothing about her.

"When I woke up here, discovered where I was, I had no intention of getting myself involved with anyone I'd seen on a television screen," her fingers twiddled with a loose thread she'd found on the arm of the chair she was next to. "However, seeing as I have magic, I suppose I'm involved now. Whether I'd like to be or not... I won't be of much help, but I'll do what I can to help you and your family, Klaus. If you're going to trust anything I say, let it be that."

"Well, then. Shall we get started? If I'm going to wake my siblings, may as well take care of my father first." He spoke causally about killing his father, which didn't surprise Solène. It wasn't the first time she'd heard it, but it stirred up something in the depths of her mind that made her feel uncomfortable.

"I suppose so. Let's go commit patricide and reunite your siblings properly." She shrugged her shoulders, trying to also relieve herself of the uneasy feelings crawling to the forefront of her mind. "Mind if we stop by my place? I'd like to pack some things for the roadtrip." A gasp escaped her lips at a realization. "I was supposed to work today!" Scrambling to her bag, she paused when she saw the muffins sitting on top.

A small smile overtook her lips, and she held out the container to Niklaus who simply raised a brow. "Muffins," she said simply, waiting for him to take them. Once he did, she was back in her bag searching for her phone. Finding it, and a bunch of missed calls and texts, she groaned. "Mind compelling my boss later?" She spoke offhandedly, thinking about how she was going to handle her boss later— hopefully keeping her job in the process.

"Once my father is dead, I don't see why not." His tone clearly carefree and amused at the woman. "Let's be off now. I'll drive."

After a few stops at her apartment, a craft store - at Solène's request, for food and bathroom breaks, the pair was in Charlotte, North Carolina. Pulling up to the cemetery gave Solène another uneasy feeling. She hadn't stepped into one since her last life, yet it still made her uneasy in a different world.

She swallowed the lump in her throat as she quickly pulled out the bag from the craft store. Pulling out the items, she set the glass jar and brush aside while she open a paint pen. While she shook up the paint inside the pen, she met Niklaus' curious gaze. "What do you think you're doing?"

"We can't just leave your father's ashes. Who knows who'll scoop him up and try to bring him back." Her mind wandered to Esther. Damn witch just couldn't stay silent, even though she's been dead over a millennium.

"Alright. Then, what's the pen for?"

A smile pulled on her lips, but she stayed silent. Popping open the pen, she first made sure it worked on the packaging it came in. Carefully, she dragged the tip across the side of the squared glass jar. Niklaus was forced to watch on as the witch hid her work from him until she was finished.

With overwhelming satisfaction, she turned the jar around for Klaus to see what she had written on the side. 'Father of the Millennia' was written neatly in manuscript. Niklaus laughed in not only surprise, but at her small joke. A piece of him grateful for her lightening the mood before he kills the man he believed to be his father for the duration of his human life.

Finding Mikael's desiccated body had not taken long, nor did his death. She was surprised to see a white oak stake sitting between his palms, resting on his chest, but she assumed Abby Bennett had been especially weak after losing her magic.

Solène made small talk to try and ignore the burning corpse lying just a few feet away from her, but she was hyperaware of every crackle and pop of the fire.

With small talk not working, she moved onto a more serious topic. "We should burn the rest of the white oak, Klaus. The Wickery Bridge and its sign, those need to go. Oh, and that little knight you carved? Whittled? The one you made Rebekah as children. That also needs to go, sorry." Her tone turned sheepish as she told Niklaus to burn his gift to Rebekah, but she knew he'd want all of it gone so it was no longer a threat. She couldn't deny that she wanted to same. She saw the Mikaelsons suffer a few times, as she'd rewatch their seasons to see them again, but she wasn't going to do the same with them alive right in front of her... Well, once they were awake, anyway.

"That can all be arranged," Nik nodded, allowing the distraction from his burning father.

"I humbly suggest you get rid of the daggers too. Preferably with your siblings watching. Show them you're serious about mending your bonds with them. That they have no more reason to fear you." His eyes hardened at the reminder of his siblings misdeeds, even his own, against one another. "They love you, you know." Her voice was that of a whisper, like it was a secret Mikael couldn't hear even though he was turning to ashes beside them. "It's hard to show when you all are fighting and plotting all the time, but I promise you it's there." The hybrid's eyes softened at the information, his heart yearning for his family back.

"We will all be reunited soon."