OH, GOD, I CAN'T BELIEVE I TOOK THIS AWAY FROM YOU. YOU'VE BEEN WAITING A THOUSAND YEARS TO KILL HIM.

[ 3.09 ]

THINGS HAD GOTTEN TENSE after Klaus left Mystic Falls for the second time. Rebekah was running around and doing everything possible to get on everyone's nerves — Caroline yelled at Lottie for an hour after she let her on the cheerleading squad.

"Okay, but Dana is dead, so we need to fill the opening," Lottie had told her, sighing heavily. There was no way she could please everyone. But the others were starting to pick up on the fact that Lottie would take Rebekah's side more often than not. The girl was her new roommate, after all.

It didn't stop with Rebekah fitting into their lives. The night at the high school, Klaus had compelled Stefan to turn his humanity off, making him kind of a dick. They discovered that a sire bond was created between Tyler and Klaus, meaning the new hybrid would do anything he asked of him. A spell went wrong and the ghosts of all the dead supernatural creatures in town became visible. That led to Mason Lockwood — after torturing Damon a bit — showing them a set of tunnels that ran under the Lockwood property.

Finn and Kol knew the tunnels.

What they didn't know about were the drawings that marked a thousand-year-old story. The story of how Klaus killed their mother. Kol took the news the easiest, as he didn't much care for their mother. But Finn went on a rampage, wishing more than anything that he could hit things — mainly Klaus. And Elena revealed this information to Rebekah too, who broke down sobbing in Lottie's living room over the information.

And the icing on top of the horribly messed up cake? Mikael, who'd been magically desiccated in some crypt in North Carolina, was now awake and apparently in Mystic Falls.

Kol came from spying at the Boarding House looking genuinely worried. He told them about how Stefan called Klaus and convinced him that Mikael was daggered so that they could lure him to town and kill him with the white oak stake that Mikael had. Rebekah was even in on the lie, letting her momentary anger get the best of her.

"Lottie, you need to leave town," Finn told her, looking around her bedroom and spotting necessities. "I don't want you anywhere near Mikael. If he gets even a hint of what you mean to Klaus, he'll—"

"I'm not leaving, Finn," Lottie said, shaking her head. She grabbed her phone and began dialing Klaus' number. "They don't know that I know. I can warn him."

Except, Lottie couldn't warn Klaus because he didn't answer her call. It made her groan in frustration and throw the phone on her bed. "What's so important that you can't pick up and let me save your life?" she shouted at the phone.

"Plotting the murder of our last living parent," Kol said casually. Then he moved to Lottie's side. "With our father now in play, Klaus will not risk making contact with you unless he's close enough to protect you. He's doing the right thing."

"But I need to know he's okay," she said quietly.

"You'd know if something was wrong," Finn reminded her. "Once Niklaus is in town again, you can warn him. The others won't even think of keeping you away from him because there's no way for you to know this plan. Kol and I will take turns watching our father's every move. I may be furious at Niklaus for killing Mother, but not even I would go to our father."

"Anymore," Kol muttered. It earned a glare from Finn, so he quickly put his hands up in defense. "Right. We agreed to not talk about that."

"Talk about what?" Lottie asked with a frown. There were still a lot of stories she hadn't heard from the brothers — a thousand years was a lot to cover, after all.

Finn shot Kol a pleading look, clearly not wanting to talk about whatever it was. "Perhaps another time, Darling," Kol told her after a moment. Finn visibly relaxed. "After all, you've got to focus on getting ready for the Homecoming dance."

This time, Lottie wasn't a chaperone for the dance. Last year's Homecoming Queen got sick with the flu, and so as the Queen from two years ago, Lottie would be crowning the new one. Caroline called her frantically at eight in the morning, begging her to appear at the event last minute. So, Lottie was going to throw on the dress from her senior year and be there long enough to appease Caroline, who did not run for Queen, surprisingly.

"I'm assuming Bekah is getting ready at the Boarding House," Lottie said while sitting at her desk and pulling out makeup.

"I think she wants to keep an eye on father," Kol said. "Now that he's here, now that Klaus has been called... when the time comes, I think she'll regret it."

"I hope so," Lottie mumbled sadly. "Or he might never forgive her."

☽︎

It took almost two hours to finish her hair and makeup for Homecoming. It was all Kol's fault though. While Finn was monitoring the situation with Mikael, Kol stayed behind and took every opportunity to distract Lottie, either with a dumb joke or a riveting story that had her forgetting she was meant to be applying shimmering eyeshadow.

To Kol's credit, the only reason he was trying to distract her was because they didn't want her going to Homecoming. With Mikael roaming around town and having no idea when Klaus would appear, the brothers didn't want Lottie to leave the house. And if they could physically stop her, they would've.

"Okay, Caroline should be here in thirty minutes to pick me up, so I should get—"

Lottie was cut off by her doorbell ringing. She groaned, figuring that Caroline showed up early. After throwing on her bathrobe, she rushed downstairs to tell Caroline and Bonnie to wait while she finished getting ready.

But the girls weren't on the other side of the door. Given that the sun was going down, she almost didn't spot the matte black box that was on her porch. She quickly gathered it up and went back into her house.

"People sure love leaving things on your doorstep," Kol noted. A small, paranoid part of him was worried that Mikael found out about Lottie from Stefan and sent her something threatening — was this what Klaus felt like all the time?

"It's a dress," Lottie said, her eyes going wide as she pulled the lid off. She instantly picked the garment up to examine it. It was a sort of champagne-pink color. The corset bodice with a sweetheart neckline was a bit sheer, and the skirt flared out at the waist. Gold flowers were weaved into the fabric. "It's beautiful."

"Note," Kol said, peering inside the book. He was frustrated that he couldn't pick it up, flip it, and read it himself. So, Lottie did it for the both of them.

Save me a dance, love.

"It's not signed," Lottie said, frowning. "You think it's from Klaus? Could he get to Mystic Falls from Portland so quickly?"

While it was possible considering Klaus could compel himself a private plane ride anywhere, Kol was still cautious.

"It could be. Or it could be from my father or Stefan or Rebekah," he listed off. "Don't wear it. In fact, just put on those tiny little pajamas with the strawberries on them. Have a night in."

Lottie rolled her eyes playfully even though Kol wasn't in a playful mood. "Kol, this is a gorgeous dress. I'm wearing it. I'll look so pretty."

"You always look pretty, and your other dress is nice too," he informed her, crossing his arms.

"But now Care won't call me an outfit repeater."

"Yes, because that's much more important than not wearing a dress sent to you by a potential murderer," he muttered sarcastically.

"Technically," she said, holding the dress against her body to gauge the fit, "all four people it might be from is a killer. So, it was definitely sent to me by a murderer."

"Now's not the time to be cute, Darling."

Lottie sighed and moved to stand chest-to-chest with him. Her fingertips brushed right through his in as comforting a gesture as she could manage. "Kol, my little menace to society—"

"Pet names won't flatter me at the moment," he said, rolling his eyes.

"I don't know how, but all of us will make it through this. And I believe that Klaus can survive Mikael," she said softly. "And please try to take some deep breaths and calm down. I got a dress — I wasn't marked for death."

"It'd better be from Niklaus," Kol said, finally giving in.

"I hope so too. He has immaculate taste if it is."

☽︎

It was a bit comical as Lottie and Caroline entered the Lockwood mansion and their jaws dropped in sync. Bonnie was also looking around in surprise.

The gym flooded last minute, and Tyler offered to move Homecoming to his home. And with only an hour's notice, the house was transformed into a perfect party venue. The house was packed with partygoers — Lottie wasn't sure if all of them were high schoolers. There was food and alcohol as well, which definitely didn't come from the snack table at the gym.

"How did he plan a better party than me so fast?" Caroline asked in disbelief. It was almost insulting to her. Then she looked out the open door that led to the gardens. "What? Is that a band outside?"

"How'd they get a stage so quickly?" Lottie asked, tilting her head.

"Who are all these people?" Bonnie questioned, looking around at the unfamiliar faces.

"This is weird!" Caroline muttered. Then she began searching the room. "Where is Tyler?"

"Um, I guess I'm gonna go check the crowning situation," Lottie told her before slipping away.

Though the setting was certainly different from the high school gym, everything would still go according to schedule. Lottie was standing with a freshman named Ron who had the King and Queen crowns with him. It was while they were waiting for the band to take a break that Finn appeared at Lottie and Kol's side.

"Father's here," he said with a grim expression. "As is Klaus, somewhere. This is his doing. And Katerina is posing as Elena, though Mikael isn't aware."

"Fantastic," Kol grumbled, rolling his eyes. Then he looked pointedly at Lottie. "Go home."

She simply raised her eyebrow defiantly, knowing he couldn't make her. If he could do something about it, she probably wouldn't have gone against their wishes. But if Klaus was here, she had to find and warn him.

And it turned out that finding him would be easier than she thought.

As the band ended the current song, a very familiar man stepped on stage. Klaus looked perfect in a suit and with a pleased smirk on his lips. The crowd cheered for him, which confused Lottie — because why would high school students be cheering for a random man? But truthfully, the people in the crowd didn't look like teenagers.

Were they hybrids?

"Good evening, everyone! I wanna thank you for being here with me to celebrate. It's been a long time coming!" Klaus announced. Then his head turned to the side and he spotted Lottie at the side of the stage with a look of surprise on her face from seeing him. "Now, I believe it's time for the Homecoming Court to be announced."

Everyone cheered excitedly as Lottie and Ron made their way onto the stage. As they were going up the steps, Klaus was going down them. He reached out and brushed his knuckles against the back of her hand in a fleeting touch before they parted.

Lottie worked on autopilot mode as she announced the King first, followed by the Queen. She spouted off nearly the exact same speech from her year of winning. The whole time, she was searching the crowd of hybrids and students, trying to find Klaus again. But he was off, probably tormenting the locals with no idea about his father lurking in the shadows.

When the whole process was over, Lottie pushed through bodies as politely as she could, trying to find her mate.

"He's just finished threatening Katerina while thinking she was Elena," Kol said after searching the crowd away from Lottie. If she was insisting on staying, then he and Finn wanted her at Klaus' side. "He should be embarrassed that she fooled him."

"You can rub it in when he undaggers you," Finn said. They had a whole list — that they asked Lottie to write — of things to hold over their sibling's heads one day. They were still pissed at Elijah for the incident with the coins at the coffee house. And Kol would be making fun of Rebekah for dating a psychotic ripper Stefan Salvatore of all people. Finn was definitely gonna stab Klaus for the whole killing their mother and lying about it thing.

Lottie turned and started toward the direction Kol came from. But a hand suddenly grabbed her wrist and spun her around quickly. With Mikael roaming around, she went to scream on instinct, but it died out when she saw that Klaus was the one to grab her.

"Klaus," she said, relief washing over her. "You're back."

"I just got in today," he informed her. "And what I want now is that dance I asked you to save me."

A few seconds earlier, the band began playing a slow song. So Lottie nodded almost shyly, feeling her cheeks heat up as Klaus' hands fell on her waist, pulling her close. She rested her hands around his shoulders and neck as they began to sway gently.

Before speaking, Lottie glanced around and managed to spot Katherine and also Stefan. Damon and Mikael were somewhere around too, undoubtedly. With the vampires near, she had to be careful. The slow song wasn't nearly loud enough to cover up her revealing that Mikael was awake.

"You look beautiful tonight, Lottie," Klaus complimented, looking her over with a fond expression.

"You look handsome," she told him while smiling from his compliment. "The suit is nice."

"Ah, want to shape me into another Elijah?" he questioned with a teasing tone. Though a secret, insecure part of them that had always been jealous of his older brother was wishing he hadn't even brought him up.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I want you to be you, Klaus, not your brother."

Hearing that warmed his heart. Even with Elijah daggered in a coffin, Klaus was jealous. He knew Lottie would always love them both, and one day soon — like, tomorrow if he could kill his father — then he'd have to share his time with her.

"You left," Lottie said softly after a quiet moment of dancing and looking into each other's eyes. "I know why, but you didn't say goodbye."

"And I spent every moment away wishing that I had said goodbye," Klaus admitted.

Lottie bit her lip, and Klaus' eyes followed the movement. "I missed you," she admitted in a quiet, almost whining voice. Klaus pulled her closer so that their chests were touching. "I know I shouldn't've missed you but I did. And I'm happy you're back even if it's not for a happy reason."

"But it is a happy reason, love," Klaus told her, the corners of his lips turning up. "All my troubles are behind me."

It was subtle as Lottie shook her head, but Klaus caught it. His jaw tightened, realizing she couldn't say much while they were out in the open.

"Have you seen Rebekah?" Lottie asked, acting casually. "She was supposed to come with Matt and was really excited. I helped her pick out her dress."

"No, I've not spotted her but I've been looking," Klaus said. He feared that something happened to her involving his father. "I don't think she's here or else the Homecoming Queen would no doubt be dead."

Lottie smiled at that. "I think that's why Bekah picked a red dress specifically."

"Of course, it was," he said, managing an amused smile.

Then the slow song came to an end, and Lottie took a small step back from Klaus. People clapped for the band before the next song began. And it began with an incredibly loud drum solo.

Lottie took the chance and stepped away again, only to act as if she was tripping. Klaus caught her instantly, holding her up in his arms. She leaned up, her lips brushing his ear.

"He's not daggered. Elena is Katherine. Stay inside," she warned quietly. Klaus tensed even more at her words and his hold on her tightened.

"How clumsy of you," he murmured, careful with his words. Klaus was expecting Mikael to jump out of the crowd. "Perhaps we should go to the house. The ground is more even there."

"No, take her home!" Finn all but shouted in frustration. And he was convinced that if Klaus took the time to talk to a therapist just once in his thousand years, he was convinced Klaus would make better decisions when it came to literally every aspect of his life.

Klaus didn't take Lottie home. And with hardly any notice, he sped them inside with his super speed. Lottie clutched onto him tightly and gasped, not expecting to move so suddenly. They were alone in the study on the bottom floor. Once her feet were back on the ground, Lottie took a step back and swatted Klaus' shoulder.

"I hate vampire speed," she complained with a huff. "We could've walked."

"I'm not risking it," he said stubbornly. "What do they have planned?"

Lottie shook her head. "I don't know exactly. They haven't involved me, but I know Mikael is awake, but he may not know it's Katherine. And I — Nik, I'm scared for you," she admitted, her eyes watering for a moment. "It sounds like he has a weapon that can kill you, but I thought you couldn't be. I was kind of taking comfort in that fact, actually."

"My father has the last remaining piece of white oak that can kill an Original," Klaus explained, being honest with her. "He's been hunting me for a thousand years. This is not the first time he's found me, Lottie. Do not cry for me — not yet."

"Okay," she said while wiping at her eyes, careful with her eye makeup. "What do you want to do about it?"

Klaus smirked at that, more prepared than ever to face his father. "Let him come to me. If they have a plan, they can give it their best shot. For now, I shall enjoy my evening with your lovely company. I need to make amends for not saying goodbye to you."

"Oh, I figured you've suffered enough," she said, grinning. "You did miss the Sexy Suds Car Wash, after all."

"That is certainly a tragedy."

☽︎

"You're not very good at this game."

"I'm doing my best, Tony!" Lottie said, pouting. "It might also have to do with the fact that, oh, I don't know, he's a thousand-year-old hybrid with superior capabilities."

"Or you're just... not good at beer pong, love," Klaus said, amusement lacing his tone.

A few of Klaus' hybrids were playing beer pong in the living room, enjoying the party. While watching, Lottie noted that she'd never played the game. That led to Klaus unfairly challenging her, which she thought was cruel. Though Klaus was going easy on her — he knew Lottie didn't particularly enjoy the taste of alcohol and he wasn't trying to get her drunk. It was more for the experience.

"You're a meanie," Lottie noted, crossing her arms.

"You know, I've been called lots of things, but I think that cuts me the deepest," he said teasingly while placing his hand to his chest. "Let me show you how it's done."

Instead of sinking another shot, Klaus walked to the other side of the table, standing behind Lottie. She couldn't help but suck in a breath as he adjusted her hips while pressing up against her. He coaxed her arms out of the crossed position before placing a ping pong ball in her hand. Lottie let him control all of her movements, her head momentarily swimming from his closeness. He guided her hand back before moving to throw the ball, which bounced off the table once before landing in a cup of beer.

Lottie spun in his arms and grinned up at him while wrapping her arms around his neck. "That means you have to drink."

Klaus scoffed playfully at that. "I think I should get a pass considering I made the shot."

"No passes," she said, shaking her head.

After she unwrapped her arms from around him, Klaus went back to his original position at the table. He made a big show of drinking the cup of beer. Then he shot Lottie a wicked smirk, looking as if he was planning something.

Before she knew it, a ball landed in one of the four remaining cups in front of her. And before she had the chance to pick it up and drink it, another ball came and then another, each dropping into a cup at a supernaturally fast pace. Lottie looked at him in disbelief, watching as his proud smirk grew.

"Meanie," Lottie muttered under her breath.

Just as Klaus got in position to make the winning shot, one of his hybrids named Mindy approached. "You have a visitor."

"Well, tell my visitor I'm on the brink of victory here," Klaus said, grinning at Lottie.

"He said his name is Mikael," she informed him.

Klaus' grin morphed into a look of frustration and he threw the last ping-pong ball into the cup. "Then we mustn't keep him waiting. Move everyone out back. I'm gonna have a little chat with my dad. Tony, you know what to do," he ordered. All of his hybrids broke off and went in different directions, clearly prepared for what was about to happen.

Lottie took a step, but Klaus was in front of her instantly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Stay here. I'll collect you when this is finished."

She opened her mouth to protest, but he was already gone. After a moment, she shook her head and took off, ignoring how Kol and Finn were yelling at her in frustration. Lottie kept close to the wall and eased to the front of the house. There, she found Klaus standing in front of the open door, facing off with a man that must of been Mikael — she could see some resemblance to both Finn and Elijah in some of his facial features.

"Hello, Niklaus," Mikael said, the threshold of the house keeping him outside on the doorstep.

"Hello, Mikael. Why don't you come in? Oh, that's right. I forgot you can't," Klaus said with a smirk.

They may not have been related by blood, but Mikael's own smirk was nearly identical. "Or you can come outside if you want."

"Or I could watch my hybrids tear you limb from limb." Then a group of hybrids gathered behind Mikael on the front lawn, ready to intervene.

"They can't kill me."

"True," he said, nodding. Klaus raised his hand in the air. "But it'll make a hell of a party game. All I have to do is rub these two fingers together and they'll pounce."

"The big bad wolf. You haven't changed. Still hiding behind your playthings like a coward. You only forget. They may be sired by you, but they're still part vampire. And they can be compelled by me," Mikael told him. Then Mindy walked up behind Mikael and pushed Elena into his arms. But it wasn't Elena, and Klaus knew that. "Come out and face me, Niklaus. Or she dies."

"Go ahead. Kill her," Klaus said, not moving an inch.

"No, Klaus. He'll do it," Katherine said, a tremor in her voice. All things considered, she'd always been good at playing Elena.

"If she dies, this lot will be the last of your abominations," Mikael warned him.

"I don't need them. I just need to be rid of you," he shot back. And that was more true than any of them knew. Even if it was Elena, he'd let her die before letting Mikael get the upper hand.

"To what end, Niklaus? So you can live forever, with no one at your side? Nobody cares about you anymore, boy! What do you have other than those whose loyalty you forced? No one. No one."

As Lottie inched closer, she saw tears in Klaus' eyes. "You're not alone," she said, her voice barely audible. She didn't care if the other vampires could hear her from inside the house.

Klaus swallowed thickly. "I'm calling your bluff, father. Kill her."

"Come outside and face me, you little coward. And I won't have to," Mikael said.

"My whole life you've underestimated me. If you kill her, you lose your leverage. So go ahead. Go on. Kill her. Come on, old man. Kill her. Kill her!" Klaus shouted angrily, a few tears slipping down his face.

It made Mikael scoff. "Your impulse, Niklaus. It has and will forever be the one thing that keeps you from truly being great."

Mikael then stabbed Katherine in the back with a knife, who cried out and fell to the floor. He laughed, thinking he'd ruined things for Klaus.

Then Damon, who was invited into the house, rushed up behind Klaus and grabbed him. He stabbed him through the stomach with the white oak stake. Lottie, who could feel a tight pinch in her own stomach, couldn't help but cry out and run over to them.

Meanwhile, Katherine got back on her feet. Mikael finally realized the girls had switched. "Katherine."

She grinned while holding up two vervain bombs. "Kaboom," she said before throwing them at the army of hybrids.

With a stake in his stomach, Damon got the upper hand over Klaus and tackled him. In the process, they knocked into Lottie, sending her toward the door from the force. She landed a few feet from the threshold. Before Damon could stake Klaus in the heart though, Stefan appeared and threw his brother off the still-healing hybrid.

During all the commotion, no one but Lottie noticed the white oak stake that clattered at her feet.

"Lottie, don't you dare," Finn said quickly. "Run!"

But Lottie was looking at Klaus, who was still struggling to stand on his own. She didn't even think as her hands wrapped around the stake and she turned toward the door. No, she didn't think she was going to attack an Original, but the stake was safe until Klaus could gather his strength.

But timing was a bitch that had a harsh vendetta against Mikael because it was the exact same moment that Katherine lobbed a third vervain bomb, this time at the Original father. He cried out, monetarily blinded, and sped back toward the house, hitting the invisible barrier at the door.

Hitting the white oak stake that Lottie was holding out in defense.

It took all of Lottie's upper body strength to push the rest of the stake through his back and hit his heart — everyone always made that look so easy, but it wasn't. It drew everyone's attention as Mikael burst into flames, making Lottie scream and back up, not expecting that to happen.

The first to actually speak was Kol, who couldn't be heard. And he dramatically dropped to his knees next to Lottie. "Marry me?" Finn rolled his eyes and grabbed Kol's shirt, pulling him back to his feet.

"What the hell did you do?" Damon asked his brother furiously. Mikael's weapon was burning with him.

Klaus finally tore his eyes off his burning father and got to his feet. "He's earned his freedom." Stefan stopped holding Damon down and faced Klaus. He began to undo his compulsion. "Thank you, my friend. You no longer have to do as I say. You're free."

As soon as he was finished, they looked back and saw that Damon ran away. After a second, Stefan did as well, not wanting to stick around and risk things getting worse.

After a moment of silence, Klaus came to Lottie's side and they stared at Mikael's dead body on the doormat.

"Sorry if you wanted to do that," Lottie mumbled, nervously fiddling with the fabric of her skirt. "I just picked up the stake and figured you'd take it once you recovered, but then Katherine knocked him back into it with that grenade thing."

The more Lottie talked and thought about it, the worse she felt.

"Oh, god, I can't believe I took this away from you," she said shutting her eyes. "You've been waiting a thousand years to kill him. I'm so sorry, Klaus. You must hate me."

"Lottie," Klaus spoke up. As he did, he reached for her and placed a hand under her chin, guiding her to look up at him once she opened her eyes again. "I could never hate you."

"He's gonna tell her," Kol whispered, watching his brother carefully. "He's gonna tell her about the soulmate thing."

"No, I suspect he'll wait for Elijah," Finn said, shaking his head.

"Well, since you're not mad," Lottie said, quite relieved about that, "how do you feel?"

Klaus looked back at Mikael's burned body and he smiled. "Free."

☽︎

It was Klaus, not Caroline, that drove Lottie home from the Homecoming dance turned funeral. After dealing with the body and giving his hybrids a few commands regarding the event, he offered to take her. His car was just as nice as Elijah's, Lottie noted mentally — as did Finn and Kol verbally, who were in the backseat. She also knew that Elijah, just like Kol and Finn, was no fan of her bright yellow Jeep. She wondered if Klaus would have the same sentiments.

There were two conversations going on in the car — the one up front was about the damn car wash.

"Did you at least take pictures?" Klaus asked in a whiny tone.

The other was between Kol and Finn in the back seat.

"I just don't understand why he hasn't told her," Kol muttered, referring to the soulmate bond. "If I were in his place, I would not let a second go to waste. I would tell her immediately. We both know he's fallen in love with her over the summer."

"I suspect he doesn't want to rush things or scare her off. And again, I suppose he thinks it's the right thing to do and wait for Elijah to tell her," Finn said, thinking a bit more clearly. Then he frowned in confusion. "Immediately? Brother, we waited four years to tell Lottie the truth of why we were sent to her."

Kol scoffed at that. "She was fourteen, Finn. Yes, we cared about her more than anything, but there was no romantic attraction, obviously," he said, rolling his eyes. "Niklaus is just a pussy."

"Don't use such vulgar language," Finn said, shaking his head in disgust.

"You wouldn't even know it was a bad word in this language if I hadn't taught you," he mumbled, crossing his arms childishly.

Back up front, Klaus was still pouting about missing the car wash event as if he hadn't chosen to leave town on his own. And Lottie only got more amused as the conversation went on.

"If it makes you feel any better, I only wore a one-piece, so you didn't miss much," she said, knowing full well he was only interested in looking at her in a bikini while washing his car.

"Well, in my mind, I'll be picturing a two-piece," Klaus said with a cheeky smirk that had Lottie's face heating up.

"Good luck with that," she said, glancing out the window and watching the town pass by. "Bikini is right up there with underwear in the category of things no one has ever seen Lottie Lancaster in."

"I wouldn't say 'no one,'" Kol chimed in from the back.

"No one but your past partners, you mean," Klaus said automatically.

"No one as in no one," Lottie said, keeping it short. She pretended not to notice how Klaus kept glancing at her while also trying to focus on the road. "People like Wyatt like to spread things just because I don't mind dating multiple people. But even so, none of those people were just... right for me, I guess. That probably sounds silly to someone that's been alive so long, though."

"No, not silly," Klaus told her softly. If only he'd known what it actually felt like after meeting your soulmate — maybe he'd of waited for her. "It's a lovely sentiment."

It was silent for a moment before Lottie cleared her throat, wanting to move on from the topic before it got uncomfortable. "So, what's in store for the hybrid now that you don't have to run? Will you be leaving again?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I think I'd fancy a home here. One with my whole family."

Lottie looked at him quickly with wide eyes. "All of them?"

"All of them," he assured her. "I know you miss Elijah."

"I do," she admitted, her chest aching for him as well. But she didn't want Klaus to think that she preferred his brother in any way. "Just like I missed you when you were on the road on the days you didn't call."

"I missed you as well."

"So," Lottie said casually, trying to hide her excitement. "I know about Lijah and Beks, but who else is among the famed Original family?"

"There are two more of us."

"Tell me about them?" Lottie asked almost longingly. Even with Finn and Kol in the backseat, she would cling to any extra information about them from their brother.

"Well, there's Kol, the youngest of all the brothers. He's... a menace, to be honest," Klaus said, chuckling. "I'd never admit it, but we're the most similar."

"No, we are not!" Kol denied loudly. "Take that back!"

"Though we are similar at times, he's still the one I've had to dagger the most," he admitted quietly. Then he sighed. "I don't take pleasure in doing it to them, even if they think I do. But Kol would go on bloody rampages for days that always drew our father's attention. But now... now, that is not a concern. I just hope he can forgive me for all those times I daggered him. Even if he does, I don't suspect he'll stick around town long enough for you to get to know him."

"Boy, are you in for a surprise," Kol mumbled under his breath.

"And the other?" Lottie asked him. She wouldn't admit it, but she was interested in what he had to say about Finn in particular. It was no secret that his other siblings always thought he was dull, and Kol admitted that none of them ever tried to have him undaggered once in nine hundred years. But her mates never told her the reason that led to him residing in the coffin.

Klaus looked sad for a moment. "The oldest of us all. Finn. It's been so long since I've seen him," he all but whispered.

"It sounds like you miss him," Lottie said softly.

"I do," he admitted.

"Then why haven't you woken him before?"

It took a moment for Klaus to speak again as he gathered his thoughts. Clearly, he didn't like to think about it. "Finn was - he never really accepted what we became after we were turned into vampires. Not only was he horrified by our very nature but he lost the most because of it."

With a frown, Lottie shifted in her seat, fully turning her body toward the driver's seat. This way, she could also see Finn, who was in the seat behind Klaus. He was intentionally refusing to meet Lottie's glances.

"Finn was the only one of us that made it to marriage when we were human," Klaus revealed. "And after we transitioned, there was an incident. He did not kill her, but the damage was done. And soon, my mother was cursing me, and we were fleeing my father, leaving everything and one behind."

The car came to a stop in front of Lottie's home, but she didn't move to get out.

"I can't imagine how hard that must have been for him to go through," she said, eyes glued to Finn's face as he looked down almost shamefully. But she didn't know what he could be ashamed about.

"None of us could imagine, evidently," Klaus went on. He sighed heavily. "I won't lie and say we got along. Of all my siblings, Finn was the one I hardly spoke to. I wasn't the only one, though. We didn't mean to neglect him. And it wasn't until he snuck off to find Mikael with plans to beg him for death that we realized how much pain he was in each day."

Tears welled in Lottie's eyes as she held back a gasp. As it was finally said aloud, Finn disappeared from the car altogether, likely not ready to face Lottie as she learned his darkest secret.

"Elijah and I managed to get to him before he found Mikael," Klaus told her. "We daggered him to keep him subdued. All of us have been too scared of losing him to undagger him. But we aren't running anymore. We can welcome him into the new world and do whatever it takes to help him. And we will show him that just because he's a vampire — a Mikaelson — doesn't mean he's a monster."

Lottie wiped the tears off her cheek, every cell in her body hurting for Finn and what he went through. A part of her understood why he kept it from her, as he likely didn't want to think about those times.

"Nine hundred years is a long time," Klaus whispered more to himself. "Everything will be so new to him — terrifying. We shouldn't have waited so long."

"Nik, you were keeping him alive," Lottie said, finally finding her voice. "It's not the same as throwing a temper tantrum and daggering Bekah over a boy. And here you are, not even an hour after Mikael's death, and ready to undagger him. It shows you didn't do it with any malicious intent."

Klaus nodded, appreciating her comfort. "I suppose you're right." Then he frowned. "And I don't throw temper tantrums."

"Liar," Kol said, scoffing.

"If you say so," she said, managing a smile. "I should go. You've got a lot to prepare for your family."

"I do," he agreed. Then he glanced toward the house. "It seems someone is here. Do you recognize the car in the driveway?"

"That's my car," she informed him, looking at her Jeep. Klaus visibly cringed, thinking that it was incredibly tacky looking. "Isn't it adorable?"

"It's certainly, uh, charismatic," Klaus told her, looking away from the bright yellow car.

"Good job," Lottie said, giggling. "Rebekah said it made her nauseous, and Elijah couldn't even say anything at all."

Klaus chuckled at that, easily picturing his siblings' reactions. "Before you go, just know that I quite enjoyed our time together tonight."

"So did I." Then Lottie leaned across the car and kissed Klaus' cheek gently. "Good night, Nik."

Klaus waited until she was safely inside her house before driving away. Lottie leaned against the door and pulled her heels off while looking at the staircase.

"Is he here?" she asked Kol, who was next to her.

"I'll give you two some time," he replied softly, knowing his brother would be upstairs.

Finn was up in Lottie's bedroom, sitting on the edge of her bed and staring down at his hands. She watched him for a moment, leaning against the doorframe. He knew she was there, and it was a few moments before she moved to sit next to him. Silence followed as he continued to look down, and she stared at the wall.

"I love you so much, Finn," Lottie whispered, tears once again welling in her eyes.

"And I you, ástin mín," he replied lowly. "More than I ever thought possible to love someone. But that does not change what I am."

Lottie sucked in a breath. Yes, Finn was happier. He didn't want to die. But he knew these last five years without having to drink blood was a lie.

"Tomorrow, when we meet, I'm going to show you the world, and it will be lucky to have you in it, Finn Mikaelson."

Finn scoffed and turned to face her. "Lottie, I am a monster," he all but spat. "Look at me."

Lottie watched as his eyes turned and veins appeared under them. She slowly raised a hand and let the pad of her thumb hover just under his eyes, unable to brush against him.

"I think you're rather beautiful," she murmured sadly. "I could look at this face or your other for the end of time as long as it means you're there with me."

Finn's vampiric features slowly faded away. In that moment, he didn't think he'd ever wanted to hold his soulmate in his arms more. "I don't want to have to kill people just to survive."

"You don't have to. You all didn't even know you could compel and heal people with your blood before you were daggered," she reminded him. The snatch, eat, heal, erase path wasn't an option back then. "And vampires like Caroline drink strictly from blood bags. You don't ever have to hurt a human ever again. And I will be there, helping you every step of the way."

"I suspect I'll need your help. In case you didn't know, I come from a very pro-violence family," he said, managing a bit of humor.

"No, I wasn't aware," she joked. Then she sighed softly. "We'll get through this together. Forever and always."

"It's always and forever," he corrected, knowing the vow that he and Kol were excluded from.

"No, it's my vow — and also a Taylor Swift song," she said as an afterthought. "You're all stuck with me and my love for the good parts and the bad parts."

"Stuck with you and your love doesn't sound so bad," he noted softly.

"I'm glad you think so," she said, smiling. "Now, if I'm going to be formally introduced to two very handsome soulmates tomorrow, then I need my beauty sleep."

Also, if she went to bed, she'd get to see them faster.

"I shall count the minutes," Finn said as they got off the bed. "And I can't wait to see the look on our brothers' faces—"

Finn cut himself off and frowned to himself, an odd feeling washing over him.

"What?" Lottie asked, frowning as well.

"Did you feel that?" Kol asked, flashing into the room and looking at his brother. Finn simply nodded.

"Feel what?" Lottie questioned, beginning to worry.

"It was like a pull," Kol said, trying to make sense of it. "Like the opposite of when we were sent—"

His words ceased, and before Lottie's very eyes, Finn and Kol faded completely out of sight. But they reappeared a second later, both looking startled.

"Are you being undaggered?" Lottie asked skeptically. "I don't have that feeling like when Elijah was."

"I think it's magic," Kol said, placing his hands on his chest. "Someone's doing something to our bodies—"

They flashed out for another moment before coming back.

"Our brother?" Finn asked him, his eyes wide.

"No, Nik is just going to undagger you. And not until tomorrow," Lottie said quickly. "Where are you going when you fade out?"

"Nowhere. It's nothing," Finn said, sounding a little fearful. "It's taking us away from you—"

"Finn," Lottie called as he and Kol began to flicker in and out of sight at a faster rate. "Kol! Please, don't go."

"Something's happ — find our bodie — Darling, we—"

Suddenly, Kol was cut off for the last time. The very breath was knocked from Lottie's lungs, and a type of cold settled in her body. A warmth she'd been accustomed to for five years was gone along with them.

"Kol?" Lottie whispered, tears beginning to fall as she pleaded for them to return. "Finn? Where'd you go?"

But there was no response. Finn and Kol were gone, cloaked by a spell meant to hide their bodies from magic in a hastily put-together revenge plot. And because of it, for the first time since she was fourteen, Lottie was alone.