A life in the shadows

48

"What happened between you and your dad?" Matteo asked. He sat next to Siobhan in the middle of the forest, and comforted her before speaking.
"I don't want to talk about him." She muttered and burrowed into him.
"You wanna see Henrik?"
"Can we just stay here, for a little while? Just me and you?"
"Sure." He rubbed her arm comforting her. They sat in silence, just absorbing each others company when Matteo suddenly sat up straight. "Someone's dying."
"Who?"
"Mikael." Matteo paused and looked over to his fiancé. "He's dying."
"I'll bet you it has something to do with Klaus." Siobhan groaned. She sat up and wiped her face of lingering tears. Matteo gave her one more hug, assuring her it'd all be okay.
"Don't give him all the credit. I have no doubt one or both of my brothers had something to do with it."
"Where are they?"
"We're going to have to follow their trail." Matteo and Siobhan flew into the air before trying to sense Klaus and Mikael. Siobhan felt their energies first and flew straight towards them. They arrived at the Lockwood house.
Mikael's body was burning on the ground and Siobhan's eyes were wide. As much as she hated him, she didn't want him dead. He was her father. A pretty crap one, sure, but her father nonetheless. Matteo put his arms around her and comforted her. Klaus looked up and saw them and opened his mouth to say something but Matteo shook his head. Matteo led Siobhan away, and once they were a safe distance, he flew with her in his arms. He took her to the woods. Nature was their escape.

"I don't think I have anymore tears left in me." Siobhan said, a few minutes later. "I think I've used up all that I had in me."
"It'll be okay."
"I hated the man, because he was a bully. He was sometimes a dick to Henrik, as he was to everyone else, but then he'd act like he didn't do anything wrong. And after Henrik died, he just made Esther work to "save" the rest of us. He went crazy, only talking about revenge."
"Maybe so, but he was still your father."
"When I was younger, he was my hero, you know? I thought he could never do anything wrong. He was my dad and he spoiled me, and he was a good dad. But then I grew older and I saw him treating my siblings badly. Abusing them verbally, hitting Niklaus, and I couldn't understand it before, he tried to shelter me, because I was too young. And what pissed me off the most, was no matter how badly he treated everyone else, including Henrik, he didn't treat me the same as them. I was his do over. His chance to have an actual relationship with his kin. My twin brother would be forced to cower under his words, but I would be praised. He even treated Rebekah badly at times. I hated him for it- Finn would tell me our siblings deserved whatever Mikael threw at them. He was older than us, more mature, but he couldn't see what was wrong with what Mikael was doing."
"And now you see the man you adored die, not the man you hated and you can't help it." Matteo said, and Siobhan nodded. "And you don't want Klaus to die like Mikael did, before you get a chance to reconcile with the brother you once loved, right?"
"Stop psychoanalysing me!" She protested. "Let things mean what they mean."
"It's okay to love them, you know? They were your family."
"I feel like I'm betraying Henrik, if I care for Klaus."
"He'd want you to forgive Klaus."
"I still hate him."
"Of course." Matteo squeezed her shoulder.
"Let's go."
"Where do you want to go?" He asked.
"Anywhere." She replied and Matteo nodded, leading her out of the woods on foot. He walked her to the boarding house where his car was parked. He opened the door for her and she went inside. He walked over to the drivers side and got in.

Klaus is pacing the hallway of a semi-furbished house.
One of his hybrids walked in.
"Is there anything I can do?" She asked.
"No, Mindy. Just go about your business."
"Is everything okay?"
"Does it look like everything's okay?"
"Mikael's dead. You destroyed his weapon against you."
"And in doing so, I've further alienated my youngest sister and her fiancé, one of the only men I can call a true friend."
"It was self defence."
"Was it really? I knew it was a lure- Mikael's temporary daggering was bait, and I rose to the occasion."
"Your Father would have probably killed your sister. He's been after your entire family for a millennium." She tried to justify him.
"He would never hurt Silvia."
"She'll come round. Family always does."
"She's hated me ever since I was human. I doubt it." Klaus sighed. "Go, Mindy. You're dismissed."
"Yes, sir." She walked out.
"Wait." He called her back. "Get Tony in here. I have a job for him."