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➳ 51: the devil is damned

KLAUS was on the phone with Elijah, who was still at the safe house with Cami and Hope. While he spoke, Klaus chopped up limes with a knife at the bar. "The wedding works in our favor. Newly-empowered and ruled by Hayley, the wolves will be an asset to our family."

"Yes, assuming you're willing to trust Jackson." Elijah remarked bitterly from the other end. "I must confess, brother-- I'm a little surprised to find that you do."

"Well, my faith in Jackson is a means to an end. If I had simply killed him, Hayley would have turned against me." Klaus held up the knife he was using to chop limes and gestured with it as he talked. "You should have seen the ferocity with which she defended him. It was impressive." He commented with a smirk and Elijah sighed heavily. "That said, I don't take the matter of secrets lightly. Once the wedding takes place and the wolves are forever altered, well, Jackson's fate becomes a little less certain." He said with a smile and hung up the phone before handing a drink off to Ingrid, who was sitting across from him at the bar. "Here try this."

Ingrid took the glass from him and smelled it, wrinking her nose, causing him to give her an unappreciated look. Laughing, she sipped from the alcohol and pretended to smack her lips together. Klaus glared at his wife and tried to take the drink from her. "Ingrid--"

"No, no, no. I'll be serious." She promised in-between stiffled laughs and grabbed the glass. Taking a generous drink from the concoction Klaus had created, she pursed her lips while pondering over her opinion. "It's good, Niklaus. Significantly better than the last one."

Groaning, he snatched the glass from her and threw a hand up. "You're such a snob about alcohol." He growled before taking a sip of his own. He glaced at the contents of the glass and nodded in agreement. "You're right. It is much better than the other but I can make even better. Just wait and see, my love. I'm going to blow you away."

Ingrid looked at him in admiration before laughing and shaking her head. "Alright, darling. Whatever you please."

Suddenly an unfamiliar woman with black hair walked into the room and smiled widely at them. "Hello, Nik." Klaus looked at her, confused, but pretty sure he knew who she was. She smirked and waved her arms up with a flat lipped expression. "I don't suppose you imagined that "always and forever" would lead us to this?"

Klaus gaped at her, clearly shocked, but he eventually smiled happily to see his sister's return. "Rebekah."

Rebekah nodded and laughed with wide eyes. "You absolutely will not believe the week I've had." She groaned and the trio smiled at each other in relief.

Rebekah was standing in one of the upstairs lounges, looking at a painted portrait of herself from centuries prior with a pout. "That is just not my chin, Nik. It was much more delicate."

"The only delicate thing about you, sister, is your ego." Klaus replied with an amused smirk.

"Please. You cannot talk." Ingrid stated with a pointed expression and a scoff.

Rebekah turned to face him with a sarcastic smirk on her face. "Well, placed next to the behemoth size of yours, certainly!"

Then Elijah's voice was heard, revealing that they were talking with him on speakerphone. "Could we dispense with this fascinating dispute for just a moment and return to the subject of our supposed long-lost sister?" He questioned them in a series of emotions.

Rebekah sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "There's not much to discuss, Elijah. She said she was Freya, and then she darted off into the night."

"And you believed her?" Elijah questioned curiously.

"Well, I met the girl in a mystical loony-bin-- she could be anyone telling any lie." Rebekah reminder and paused slightly. "But, she did seem... familiar, somehow."

Klaus threw his hands up, frustrated. "Then how is she still alive?" He then rolled his eyes and sighed as he started to pace anxiously around the room. "A question, as ridiculous as its possible solutions, given this family's annoying predilection for cheating death."

"This family continues to amaze me." Ingrid remarked in a dry tone with a stressed smile.

Rebekah sighed and shrugged once again. "I dunno, Nik, I'm just telling you what she said!"

"Well, did you happen to ask, if by some similar miracle, our aunt Dahlia lives as well?" Klaus questioned stressfully.

"I barely had a chance to process--" Rebekah began to explain but was cut off abruptly.

Klaus interrupted her and clenched his fist, sneering at his sister. "--Because on the list of obvious questions, it would be nice to know if the woman who placed a curse on the first-borns of this family is still breathing air."

"Well, let me just turn back time and do it again to your liking, then!" Rebekah snarled at him in annoyance

"Enough!" Elijah snapped in a stern tone of voice. "Both of you. If she is who she says, we'll find out soon enough. For now, it remains imperative that no one learns of Hope's existence. This has been our salvation thus far."

"Finn is getting close." Ingrid remarked with a terrified look on her face. "And if he figures it out, there is no telling who will be close behind. Especially with Hayley and her mangey pack of wolves constantly under foot."

"I'm certain they won't figure it out and should they and Hayley and her husband-to-be start flapping their gums..." Klaus answered with a sadistic smile. "Perhaps I should take preventative measures and separate him from his head?"

"Take the same measures to the lot of them." Ingrid replied in disgust and waved a hand.

"Jackson will do nothing to jeopardize that wedding." Elijah reminded them in annoyance, defending the werewolf.

Rebekah gasped loudly in confusion and glanced at the with wide eyes.. "Hayley's getting married?!" She questioned and Klaus smiled at her. She then sighed and pretended to pout. "Well, what in hell else did I miss?"

Ingrid sighed heavily as her eyes widened in a expression that read: you haven't the slightest idea.

Klaus answered a phone call and when he hung up, he walked back into the room holding his phone up in the air. "That was Aiden. Finn has Marcel."

Ingrid sat forward in her seat, looking at him in concern. "Is he alright?"

"What? Why?" Rebekah questioned in horror.

"I don't know." He answered them in a frantic manner. "Nor do I know where they are, what they're doing, or what specifically to do about it." He picked up a statue off the mantel and slammed it down against the wood in frustration. "This family makes me want to murder people."

Ingrid chuckled and sat back in her seat, giving him an amused expression. "I think you do that on your own accord, sweetheart."

Suddenly, Kol appeared behind them, looking exhausted and nervous as he entered the room. "I see my timing is as impeccable as usual."

Klaus looked up at him, appalled. "Well, the traitor just thinks he can waltz in here like he's welcome!"

"As gracious as your apology better be, you're still getting one hell of a slap!" Rebekah growled furiously and lunged toward him.

Kol backed away, holding up a hand in front of him and speaking quickly. "Wait! Wait. I understand the irony of what I'm about to say, but I came here because I need your help."

Ingrid narrowed her eyes and mused lowly to herself. "Hmm..." she hummed then smirked deviously. "That is ironic."

Klaus just laughed dramatically, while Rebekah only became more enraged. "Figure out how to do your wicked little body-swap, and then we can talk about help!"

"Look, you don't understand, Nik." Kol said frantically, hoping to reason with his family. "Finn has locked me in this body-- no more jumping. He's put a curse on me, Nik. I am dying."

Klaus raised his eyebrows in amusement and Rebekah crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. Kol laughed bitterly, hurt but not surprised. "You don't believe me."

"Well, of course not." Ingrid remarked with a pointed expression.

Klaus pointed at her and nodded in agreement. "You're hardly the champion of truth-telling."

"Of course, why would a brother expect his siblings to leap to his aid?" Kol questioned bitterly with an eye roll.

Klaus scoffed and smirked condescendingly. "Oh, spare me the pity party, Kol! Your recent actions merit a certain allowance for disbelief."

"Look, I know what I've done!" Kol yelled in frustration and turned to face his sister. "But, I won't apologize for trying to pull one over on you, Bex. You deserved it! But I don't deserve to die! Certainly not at the hands of my own family!"

Klaus yanked at Kol's arm and spun him so they were face-to-face, an unamused expression on his face. "What kind of con are you playing?"

Kol jerked his arm out of his grip and reluctantly met Klaus' gaze. "The kind I hate the most-- the truth."

Ingrid tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow, studying the witch closely. She turned toward her husband and shook her head. "He's telling the truth."

Klaus scoffed and rolled his eyes, not believing anyone in that moment.

Rebekah looked at Kol worriedly and walked toward Klaus. "He's not lying. Even as a boy, Kol never lied once called out on the act. He may play dirty pool, but he's not lying."

Klaus sneered at him before turning away and pacing around the room, Kol following behind him. "Nik, I was helping Marcel for Davina. Finn has got him, he's trying to get a secret out of him, something he thinks Marcel knows about you."

Kol watched with interest as the trio share worried and anxious looks, and he realized that they were hiding something. When Kol made eye contact with Klaus, who gave him a look as though he was inviting him to question him. Kol laughed bitterly and threw his hands up. "He's right, isn't he?"

"Marcel doesn't know anything about anything." Klaus replied coldly.

"Well, if I were you, I'd hope that that's true, because believe me-- Finn has the means to get it out of him." Kol explained to him with a pointed look.

Rebekah and Kol were setting up candles, salt, and herbs on top of a map on a table in the courtyard to prepare for a spell, while Klaus and Ingrid spoke in hushed whispers amongst each other.

After a moment, Kol looked up at them with a suspicious look. "So, what is the secret, anyway?"

Klaus looked away from Ingrid and met Kol's gaze, responding in a bored tone. "The term "secret" implies something only known by those who have earned the right to be aware of it." He then walked toward them with a stern look. "Start the spell."

"Well, it's easier said than done. Finn is channeling the power from our parents." Kol explained and nodded his head toward Rebekah. "He's a lot stronger than something some week-old witch and I can do."

Rebekah gaped at him, offended. "Now, hang on! I may not be trained, but I--" her emotional outburst caused her to accidentally summon a magical wind that blew all of the spell ingredients and candles off of the table. Kol sighed in annoyance and looked at Rebekah, who looked both surprised and guilty by this display of power as she sat on the couch. "Oh, blast." She mumbled in a defeated manner.

Klaus walked toward Kol with his hands clentched into fists. "We need a stronger witch. Call Davina."

Kol immediately stood to his feet and shook his head. "No, no, no, no, no! I--I don't want her to know that I'm sick."

"Then do a better bloody job!" Klaus snarled impatiently.

"I just need time." Kol pleaded desperately.

"You don't have it." Ingrid remarked in a dull tone and snapped her fingers. "So get on it."

Klaus rolled his eyes at the witch and looked at him curiously. "The spell Finn cast to lock you in your body-- do you remember it?"

"Well, I was a little distracted by the murder-y part..." Kol sheepishly admitted then smiled patronizingly.

"If we can use his own spell against him, once he's locked in his body, I can end our collective woes with a brief snap of the neck!" Klaus remarked hopefully and Rebekah smiled knowingly when she realized what he was suggesting. "All I need to do is pull it from your memory."

Kol frantically backed away from Klaus, waving his hands and shaking his head. "Oh, no, no, no! I am not allowing anybody into my mind, do you understand?"

Klaus glared at Kol in annoyance as he walked toward him. "You came into my home, asking for my help. This is it." He explained sternly and Kol looked at him warily. "It's not a request." Klaus then lunged toward Kol and grabbed each side of his head with his hand.

After a moment, Klaus pulled away and glared at him. Kol gulped and laughed anxiously. "See? I'm--I'm guessing, just by the look on your face, that it worked."

Klaus furiously lunged toward him and threw him against the wall, where he smacked his forehead against the corner of the doorway to the entrance and fell to the floor. He looked at his brother in anger and glared at him. "You come simpering for brotherly love, and the whole time you were plotting against me with that damn dagger! You're no better than Finn!"

Kol gaped at him, visibly hurt. "Oh, and you threatening me makes you better than Finn, does it?"

Rebekah sighed in aggravation and stood up, approaching them. "Both of you, just stop it!"

"Rebekah, let it happen." Ingrid said with an amused smirk. "You, of all people, should understand the punishment for betrayal."

Kol quickly stood to his feet and glared at him. "I came to you because you're my family! But, I see whilst you and Ingrid and Rebekah and Elijah are all hanging portraits and sharing secrets, I'm the odd one out! You wanna know where Finn is? You wanna find a way to kill him? Well, you can figure it out yourself!" He cast a pain infliction spell on Klaus that brought him to his knees.

Ingrid sped toward her husband and held him up before he could fall over to the concrete floor. She glanced at her brother-in-law and spoke through gritted teeth. "Stop. Now."

When Rebekah tried to intervene, he cast one on her too, forcing her to sit back down in the armchair. He took advantage of them being incapacitated and rushed out of the compound.

Once they recovered, they all stood up and Rebekah walked toward Klaus while panting for breath. "Your stupid temper will be the end of you one day. Just know that." She snapped then walked out of the room, leaving the hybrids alone.

Ingrid glanced at Klaus in concern and rubbed his back soothingly. "What did you see?" She questioned but when he didn't answer, she furrowed her eyebrows and asked again. "Niklaus, what did you see?"

Klaus shook his head and began trying to call Elijah, who didn't answer. Klaus started yelling into his voicemail as he stood to his feet. "Pick up the damn phone, Elijah! Finn is trying to find Hope!" He snapped in frustration and hung up the phone.

"She's safe! It'll take a hundred witches to break the cloaking spell." Rebekah tried to assured him as she walked back into the courtyard.

"I would've said the same about Mother finding you, and yet, a flock of starlings later, and here we are!" Klaus remarked back in an aggressive tone of voice.

"He won't let him get to her, Nik. But you need to remain calm." Rebekah said, trying to soothe her brother.

"We cannot take that chance, Rebekah." Ingrid remarked sternly and stood to her feet.

Suddenly, Kol stormed into the courtyard and snarled angrily. "Our brother doesn't do calm." He threw a handful of powder into Rebekah's face, which caused her to go limp and fall to the ground.

When Klaus rushed toward him, he held out a hand and cast a spell that made Klaus begin coughing up blood onto the floor while Kol clutched the paragon diamond in his other hand. Klaus groaned in pain, looking at him through involuntary tears. "Stop!"

"Oh, you're angry, are you? Well, join the party, I've been here a thousand years!" Kol yelled in rage as Ingrid sped toward him. Kol realized that he couldn't hold the spell against both of them and turned it toward Ingrid, who fell to her knees and grimaced in pain, clutching her head.

Klaus fell to the concrete and panted heavily, catching his breath as blood dribbled down from his lips. He growled lowly and looked up from underneath his eyelashes. "Let her go."

Kol turned away from Ingrid and glared at his brother, betrayed and angry. "I was building that dagger to protect myself against you, Nik. I'm not the bad guy in this chapter of our family's story! I'm the wronged! I'm the dead, but never mourned, and whilst you got everything that you wanted. I got a family who didn't care if I lived or if I died!"

"Oh, shut up!" Klaus snarled furiously and sped toward Kol, grabbing him in a choke-hold and slamming him against the wall causing Ingrid to be released from the spell. "WE'VE ALL SUFFERED! WE'VE ALL BEEN WRONGED!"

Kol scratched at Klaus' wrist and gasped out for breath. "Go on! Go on, finish it off!" He challenged causing Klaus to look torn. "Go ahead, kill me!"

Klaus glared at Kol for a long moment before finally letting him go and dropping him to the floor. He walked over to Ingrid and helped her up off the floor. "Thank you, love." She expressed her gratitude and brushed off her pants.

Klaus nodded and took a moment to calm himself before speaking incredulously. "I'm not going to kill you, you idiot! Despite your behavior, you're still my brother!"

Kol looked at him in confusion and surprise as he caught his breath. "Yeah, just the one you dagger repeatedly."

"I've daggered all of you, including my own wife! Each for your own good!" Klaus yelled in bewilderment and threw his hands up then sighed and shook his head. "If you don't agree with my motives, fine. I never claimed to be the bastion of temperance! But stop this drivel about being singled out and unloved." He walked toward Kol and kneeled in front of him. "You are a Mikaelson! You're my blood. And I need you. I need you by my side."

"What does it even mean, Nik? Hmm? You talk about family-- family this, family that." Kol remarked with a frown then looked up at him sadly. "I haven't even earned the right to share your secrets, have I?"

Klaus flattened his lips and shook his head. "No. You haven't. But, by all means, brother-- prove yourself. It's not too late." He held his hand out to Kol to help him up and after a moment, Kol took it and they both stood to their feet.

"Finn wants your blood. He promised to heal me if I delivered it." Kol admitted sheepishly in a quiet manner.

Ingrid looked at him in surprise and walked over to join them. "Kol, do you know where he is?" She asked in a dark voice, her eyes narrowed into furious slits.

"You've gotta tell me why he wants it." Kol said sternly, refusing to answer her question until he got what he wanted.

Klaus turned away and faced Ingrid, the couple exchanging obviously unsure looks. Ingrid licked her lips and was about to shake her head but Kol stopped her. "Look, guys, you've gotta trust me for once in your life, and I will stand by your side! I promise." The youngest Mikaelson brother swore emotionally, staring at them in hope.

"You would risk your life to help us?" Klaus asked in surprise as he turned back to look at him.

"I know enough about dark magic to know that I'm hexed." Kol admitted, his voice breaking in fear and sadness, and the brothers both start to tear up. "There's no reversing what Finn's done to me, which makes him a murderer and a liar. And if I'm gonna die, I'll be damned if he gets what he wants."

Klaus turned toward his wife again, swallowing anxiously and communicating with just his eyes. She looked away from him to Kol and paused for a moment before nodding. Klaus looked at Kol and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Finn has been dead to me for a long time. Tonight, I intend to make that official. Help us and then we will share our secret with you."

Kol glanced between them and considered this for a moment. "He'll be in the bell tower of the St. Louis Cathedral." He smiled sadly before grabbing Klaus' arms and putting his hands on either side of his own head. "Go inside my head. Find the spell. Let's finish this." He said in determination.

Klaus nodded and used his vampire powers to dive into his memories causing Kol to scream in pain.

Later on, the four Mikaelsons arrived at the bell tower only to find that Finn wasn't there. All that remained was the table where he worked his spell earlier. Klaus looked around and grew angry at the absence of his oldest brother. "Where is he? Is this a trick?"

Kol licked his lips and glanced around nervously. "He said he'd be here, I swear." He defended, holding his hands up.

"I believe you." Ingrid mumbled with a small smile as she began looking around in curiosity and caution.

They all started wandering around the room and examined the contents for clues. Kol looked at the table covered in ash and ingredients of Finn's spell. "This is the remnant of a spell. Ancient. It's impressive." He praised genuinely.

"Admire its artistry later. Tell me what he set in motion." Klaus demanded harshly.

Rebekah walked up a staircase to get a better vantage point and pointed at something on the table. "Kol, what is that?"

When Kol looked closer, he found a small, burnt piece of wood under a pile of ash. He picked up and held tightly in his hand. After a moment, he cast a spell, chanting aloud. "Sanguinatum planicium. Sanguinatum planicium."

The piece of wood became a whole and unburnt, revealing that it was a Norse rune tiles with what looked like a combination of the "thurisaz" and "gebo" alphabet runes.

"Runic tiles. And what's it mean?" Rebekah questioned in curiosity.

"It's a symbol..." Kol trailed off as he squinted at the tile in confusion. "...For "baby.""

Klaus and Ingrid gave each other significant and terrified looks, which didn't escape Kol's notice. Kol's eyes widened in alarm when he realized what it meant. "That's it, isn't it? Your baby's still alive."

Ingrid began to pace frantically while her hands shook wildly in horror. "He knows about Hope." She remarked in a hollow tone, tears pooling in her eyes. "Niklaus..."

Klaus walked over to her and engulfed her into a tight hug, holding her head with one of his hands. He looked over at Kol, who spared him a sympathetic frown. Had Kol known that Hope was who they were hiding, he wouldn't have pushed so hard.

Rebekah rushed toward them with wide, fearful eyes. "Finn tricked us into running about all day thinking he was looking for a way to find Hope--"

Klaus nodded, cutting her off and finishing her sentence. "--When he knew where she was all along."

A few moments later, Klaus was pacing around as he listened to the phone ringing endlessly.

Ingrid was standing in the corner, chewing on her thumbnail while tapping her foot loudly. Kol walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Indy... I'm sorry."

She snapped out of her trance and opened her mouth to respond but Klaus walked toward them while speaking anxiously. "Cami's not answering."

"Elijah will protect them." Rebekah defended strongly, nodding her head assuringly.

"Finn is channeling both our parents. He's too strong. We need to find a way to sever his link to them!" Klaus yelled stressfully and glanced at Kol with a panicked look. "How do we do that?"

"I can't sever the link." Kol quickly answered then his eyes widened as he had a revelation. "But there is something we can try. It'll take power of our own. And a lot of it."

Rebekah and Kol were in the middle of channeling the dark objects into the link with Mikael and Esther to overpower Finn while Klaus and Ingrid watched closely. "Los triforce comète. Los triforce comète."

After a moment, the witches were jerked backwards. Rebekah looked at Kol worriedly as his nose started to bleed. He looked exhausted and sick but he was determined to finish what they started. "Oh, we're close! We just need something to put it over the top."

Klaus stepped forward with a face of encouragement. "Take us." He offered, motioning between himself and Ingrid while Kol looked unsure. "We are vampire-werewolf hybrids with ten centuries of blood on our hands. Channel us."

Kol shook his head in rejection and began to talk him out of it. "No, Nik--"

Klaus squeezed Kol's arm affectionately and stared him intensely. "You wanted my trust, brother. Here it is." He picked up the knife and placed it in Kol's hand. "Do not fail me."

Ingrid walked toward them and looked at Kol with an emotional expression. "Do it, Kol. Help us save our family. Save your niece." She pleaded with tears in her eyes and grabbed onto his hand. "Please."

He still looked uneasy but he licked his lips and nodded curtly. Ingrid and Klaus then kneeled down in front of him.

After Rebekah nodded at him encouragingly, Kol took up the knife and began to carve the channeling symbol onto both of their foreheads. Kol and Rebekah then gently lied them down on the ground between them, next to the dark objects, and once again linked hands so they could begin the spell. "Los triforce comète. Los triforce comète."

After the spell, Kol and Rebekah were helping Ingrid and Klaus sit up when they woke. Klaus looked over at Rebekah with a hopeful expression. "Ahh. Tell me it worked."

Kol nodded with a wide smile. "We did our bit. I promise, Finn is back to being a normal, regular-strength maniacal bastard." He remarked with a small laugh as Rebekah smiled over at them.

Klaus let out a deep breath he didn't know he was holding and smiled appreciatively. "I know in the last millennium, we haven't always seen eye-to-eye. But, in this moment, I am reminded once again of something Elijah has always said. Family is power." Kol smiled at him and Klaus put his arm around Kol and Rebekah's shoulders as he genuinely expressed his gratitude. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Kol replied kindly, smiling back again him.

"Speaking of Elijah..." Rebekah began to express her concern as she frowned.

Klaus knew what she was hinting at and nodded his head. "He will prevail. Of that, I have no doubt." He then turned to Ingrid and placed a hand on her face. "Our daughter is finally coming home, my love."

---
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