The Key

8

EDITED

Niklaus is finally stirring in my arms as we reach Rebekah and Kol at the end of a separate drainage tunnel that led out of the city.

"You can set me down now, love," Nik says quietly as he moves around in my small arms.

I set him down, and Freya and Elijah continue ahead to tell Rebekah and Kol what had happened.

"You're really here? It's not my mind playing tricks on me again?" Nik whispers as his blue eyes scorch into my own.

I smile up at him, taking his hands in my own,

"I'm here, I'm real. You have me."

I turn and start to pull him towards the car so we can all leave New Orleans, and quickly. We had no idea if Marcel is behind us or not.

"We need to go, everyone in the car," I motion for the siblings to get in the car, but another voice from behind us stops us in our tracks.

"You shouldn't have come back none of you," Marcel booms, speeding to block our paths to the car.

"That's what family does. We fight for each other," I spit back at him, my eyes glowing silver now. I'm ready to tear him to shreds for what he's done to Niklaus.

Marcel eyes me dangerously, 

"Yeah, so I've heard. Though it didn't really work out for me, did it?"

Kol laughs bitterly, 

"Oh, for God's sake, you were never a Mikaelson, get over it. Don't you have a city to run? Vampires to boot out of town?"

Marcel steps forward to attack Kol, but Rebekah quickly blocks his path. They stare each other down for a moment.

"If you want to kill one of us, you'll have to kill us all," She threatens the vampire.

Marcel glares down at her,

"Hey, don't push me, Rebekah."

"Then get on with it. Let's end this once and for all," Rebekah bites back, her tone deadly.

God, I do love the Mikaelsons, I think to myself.

Klaus releases my hand from his and steps towards Marcel,

"That's enough. That's enough, Marcel, you've won. New Orleans was our city once. Now it's yours. For good."

Marcel laughs bitterly, his tone undeniably rude,

"Is the great Klaus Mikaelson accepting defeat? Or is this all just another distraction?"

"Neither. In fact, despite your appalling behavior, I'm offering you a chance at peace. Attempt to kill us all, and you will be making a grave mistake. Any who survived would no doubt return to seek revenge, bringing our enemies back to your city in our wake. And even if you did manage to eliminate us all, one day my daughter would come for you. And her daughter after that. On and on for all your days An endless cycle of violence you will bring upon yourself. Or... Or we leave and we never come back," Klaus offers, his eyes holding nothing but the truth.

Marcel thinks hard for a moment, his face screwed up in concentration before answering,

"After all that time buried in a hole, you still got some nerve. Yeah, well, you stand there with a straight face and try to sell this like it's your choice. But here's the truth. I could kill all of you right now. And tonight I would sleep like a baby. Hell, that's what you would do. You've destroyed more people, taken more lives, ended more families than anyone who's ever lived. All because you can. But here's the other truth. Despite being raised by you people I am nothing like any of you. In fact, I'm proud as hell I'm not a Mikaelson. I beat you all without turning into you. And now you can live the rest of your lives knowing that the only reason that you exist is because I am showing you mercy. Now go. And don't ever come back."