26' Farewell to Storyville

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Kol, Elijah, Rebekah, and Klaus stood trapped in the cemetery. Klaus had a white oak stake in hand as Elijah had Papa Tunde's blade, the two stood protectively in front of the younger sister.

"Rebekah!" Klaus shouts, "Walk away" Elijah tells the hybrid. "Don't move!" Klaus shouts. "Nik" Kol said firmly, he was having a crappy evening but he wasn't about to let Rebekah get killed. "Leave Beks" Kol said looking at his sister.

"I can't. I'm stuck here. Kol he has the white oak stake." Rebekah told her slightly older brother scared and angry. Klaus points the stake in the blondes direction "I brought it for you, sister." he said. "Get out of his sight. Your presence here only serves to anger him. Leave him to us now." Elijah told the youngest. Rebekah nodded and sent a weak smile to Kol and sped away.

Elijah turns back to Klaus, "I'm asking you, brother to brother-we end this nonsense now." he pleaded. Kol knew their brothers anger was too big, but he wasn't letting that stake near Rebekah. "You two would side with that traitor." Klaus said furious.

"We aren't choosing sides." Elijah started "But we won't let you hurt our sister." Kol finished, "We cannot leave this cemetery, brothers. How long do you think you two can defend her?" Klaus asked, he aimed to speed away but Elijah caught him arm throwing him back.

"As long as it takes" Kol told him, "By whatever means" Elijah said.

The brothers spent hours blocking Klaus, Elijah was glad Kol was helping him, but he knew Wanda was out there hurt and Kol longed to talk to her.

"You've been at this for hours. To what end? Niklaus, I know you, and I grew up fighting you. I can't be beaten, nor can I be persuaded. You cannot get past us." Elijah said.

"I could get past you. Although, it might have to be over your dead body. You did stab me with that blade, forcing me to endure hours of unspeakable pain. Perhaps I should direct my rage toward you." Klaus said now pointing it at him, "Nik!" Kol warned.

"You should see yourself- the murderous expression, the self-righteous posturing. You look like father." Elijah told him, Klaus's face flashed angry and hurt "I'm not him. Rebekah's betrayal justifies my anger. His was that of a madman. You were never the recipient of his cruelty. None of you were, not Kol, not Finn, None of you! I think you've forgotten what he was truly like." Klaus said.

"No" was all Kol said, "I have not forgotten." Elijah said. Klaus shared a memory with Kol and Klaus, he stared at them and sped away again only for Kol to catch him this time.

"Nik! We have always done things to anger each other, I have tried hating this family in all my life but I can't, because in the end we still care for each other." Kol said.

"Niklaus, I understand your anger, but I implore you, be better than him. Do what he could not; demonstrate the grace of mercy, rather than this petty cruelty." Elijah pleaded. "You ask me to show mercy to one who has wronged me. You really don't know me at all, do you, brothers?" Klaus told them.

Rebekah appeared again, "Enough. Whatever I have done wrong, my guilt is nothing compared to yours. You want revenge? Fine. But, before you have it, I will look you in the eye and tell you why it was your cruelty and your spite that led us to this." she spat.

Klaus grinned "Go on, then. Speak your piece, and when you are finished, I will grant you the punishment you deserve, even if I have to go through Elijah and Kol to do so." he said.

Klaus, Kol, Elijah, and Rebekah were arguing in the cemetery, Klaus was perched on top a tomb, "Let it begin. The trial of Rebekah Mikaelson." he said.

"What a relief. At least his ego in his check." Rebekah muttered to her siblings. "Just speak your truth. I'll make certain he behaves himself." Elijah told her. "You stand accused of betraying your own blood. How do you plead?" Klaus asks like a judge. Kol rolled his eyes.

"I plead you to shut up and listen." Rebekah snapped, "You summoned our father. You brought him to our home. What possible defense could you have?" Klaus asked her. "I knew he was the only thing that you feared, and I wanted you to run." Rebekah told him.

"Because you hated me." Klaus spat, hurt. "Because you were hateful. You denied me the freedom to love." Rebekah said.

"Oh, so that's your defense. You called Mikael, the destroyer, the hunter of vampires, because I detained you from pursuing some dull suitors." Klaus almost laughed.

"You were cruel and controlling and manipulative." Rebekah told him, and Kol in his own mind agreed. "I was trying to protect you! From imbeciles, and leeches. Not to mention your own poor judgment." Klaus said.

"And what about the one that you loved enough to call friend? Why did you forbid me to love Marcel?" Rebekah asked, Klaus's face turned deadly "Do not mention his name." he grit.

"What has happened to you? I remember the sweet boy who made me laugh and gave me gifts, who loved art and music. I wanted to be just like you. How could you have fallen so far?" Rebekah said, Kol almost smiled at the memory, he was close with his older brothers once.

"You say you despise Rebekah for her betrayal, and yet no one has stood by your side for so long, not even I myself. Perhaps it's you that's forgotten. I remember the day that father caught you whittling little chess pieces with his hunting knife. He beat you so mercilessly and for so long, I actually feared for your life." Elijah intervened.

"So, you would paint her as a loyal sister, but she betrayed me out of lust for Marcel. Perhaps that was why you did it, for love. Perhaps I might temper my rage if Rebekah will admit she was a victim of her own idiocy, that her great love, Marcel, used her to oust this family and to take my city." Klaus said to her.

"Marcel did not manipulate me." Rebekah defended.

"You defend him, and yet you can't help but wonder, what if I'm right?" Klaus said, Kol felt his chest tighten, as if he was in pain. He grunts and clutches his chest. What was that?

"Then why didn't he chase after you when you fled New Orleans? Oh, yes! That's right. He was here stealing what I built!" Klaus yelled. "You want me to renounce Marcel, to beg for your forgiveness? I won't. Marcel is not at fault. I called Mikael." Rebekah said again.

"Bekah-" Kol tried but she kept going.

"I was the one who brought him to New Orleans because of your wickedness! I wanted love and happiness, and you denied me the freedom to have either. Yes, I hated and I was afraid of our father, but he was a lesser evil than you. My bastard brother who loomed over me, threatening me as you are now. I wanted rid of you, and given the choice, I'd do it again!" She angrily shouted.

Klaus lunged at her pushing her against the tombstone, and is about to stake her heart when Kol tackles his brother, slipping the stake out of his grip. When they get back up Elijah stands next to Kol with the blade ready.

"Sister, leave us." Elijah said, "I'm not going-" Rebekah said but Kol cut her off. "Now!" he yelled at her. She leaves and Elijah turns to Klaus, "You wouldn't listen to her, so now you have to deal with us." he said.

The three brothers continue to fight. "So what's it gonna be? You two hold both weapons. Tunde's blade would put me down, but the stake could finish me off for good." Klaus said.

"Well, unlike you brother, I have no taste for fratricide." Elijah said, "And I have other problems I would like to take care of, so killing you didn't make it to my list." Kol said, still thinking about his fight with Wanda.

"Where is your little witch Kol? Mhm, already drove her away?" Klaus provoked. "Niklaus" Elijah warned knowing the girl was a touchy subject for Kol. "Why must you defend her? Rebekah betrayed you, as well, when she brought Mikael here." Klaus said to his older brother.

"Because she is our sister, and because I like to remember her the way that she was before we became what we became." Elijah says and flashes memories of the five siblings into Kol and Klaus's minds.

"My memories serve to make her betrayal more painful." Klaus said. "Can you not then accept some small part of the blame? After all, Niklaus, it was your cruelty that led her to do what she did." Elijah stated.

"Do you not see, Elijah? She didn't mean to chase me off. She wanted me dead." Klaus said angry. "Your wrong" the older Mikaelson said.

"She has always hated me. You know that's true." Klaus said, Kol scoffed knowing his sister always held much love for his cruel older brother.

"You have no idea, do you? You have no idea what she was prepared to do for you. When our sister sees something that she perceives to be an injustice, she can be stubborn, impetuous, and, at times, downright dangerous, and never was this more apparent than the night she tried to kill our father." Elijah reminded him.

"What is this, some melodramatic fiction designed to garner my sympathy?" Klaus snapped, "Rebekah has always loved you Nik, she defended you after the countless times you would stab her in the back. Our sister has made mistakes and falls in love with very questionable people, so yes she resorted to calling Mikael, I don't entirely blame her." Kol defended his younger sister.

"I can" Klaus says and he tries to vamp over to the tomb where Rebekah is hiding but Elijah caught him.

"Are you really going to stand against me? And not with that pathetic blade. You'd just have to pull it out someday, and then I'd hate you as I do her, now. If you want to protect Rebekah, you'll need to use the white oak stake." Klaus told his older brother.

"I won't listen to this nonsense." Elijah said, "Oh, don't pretend you haven't thought about it. You look at me, and you see everything you abhor in yourself. Sure, you dress it up with your fancy suits and your handkerchiefs. You, with your mask of civility and eloquence, you're every bit the abomination I am. Or worse. Go on, Elijah. Go on. Use the white oak stake." Klaus dared him.

Elijah threw the white oak far away, "I'm not so cowardly that I have to kill you, Niklaus, but if I have to make you suffer to protect Rebekah, that is what I will do." he said.

"You see? I knew you couldn't do it. You still cling to the hope that I can be redeemed, and if the bastard can be saved, then maybe there's hope for you." Klaus smirked, he zoomed over to Elijah taking Papa Tunde's knife and plunging it into his chest. Kol's eyes widened and Elijah falls gasping in pain, "There, now you know how it feels." Klaus grinned.

Rebekah steps up next to Kol, "That was supposed to be my line." she holds up the white oak stake "Now, I have this. So I decide who lives and who dies. I'm taking out that blade."

"You'll have to kill me first, and now you hold the means to do so. Why not finish what you started a century ago?" Klaus asked, "I did not want you dead. I wanted you to run." Rebekah said.

"Liar! You wanted revenge." Klaus yelled.

"You drove me to betray you, and now you want to twist it and make it worse so you can justify killing me instead of accepting your own fault? All I did was love your friend! You could've been happy for us, but instead, in your paranoia, you feared losing us both. And, because of that, you did. There is no one else to blame, Nik. Only you." Rebekah said as Kol felt a sudden pull in his chest.

"Where is Marcel now, hmm? I thought he loved you, and yet he left you trapped in here with me." Klaus said.

Klaus removed the knife from Elijah's chest, "Now were even" he said.

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"Can you bring down the barrier?" Marcel asked Wanda who had just came back from the woods, "I can try" she responded.

"Good, because if you don't Rebekah will die." Marcel said, "I'm very aware of that." she said walking over to the cemetery. "Stand back." she told him.

Marcel stepped a few feet back, Wanda conjured up her powers making her eyes glow scarlet red, she attached her hands to the invisible barrier and thrust her power into it, you could now see the barrier that was glowing a violent red.

Inside the barrier, Kol and Rebekah looked up seeing Wanda's red energy. Klaus laughed "Looks like the little witch is taking it down."

Kol was worried about the amount of power Wanda would have to use to bring it down.

Wanda panted and kept her powers steady until the barrier broke, she let go and breathed heavily. She herself was surprised she was able to bring it down.

Inside Rebekah and Klaus argued as Kol felt himself get a headache which was odd. "What's done is never done. It remains within us, a story we tell ourselves so we know who we are. Vicious father, a bastard son, and the sister who betrayed him. Perhaps it's time for a new story. What is it you want, Rebekah?" Klaus finally asked.

"Same things that I've wanted since I was a child. I want a home. I want a family. I want someone to love me, and I want to live." Rebekah said.

"Then go. Go far away and never come back. We are far too damaged to remain together, less a family now than a volatile mix of ingredients. New Orleans will be mine. I will raise my child here in the city you took from me. No doubt, Elijah and Kol will choose to stay, but you? Sister, you are free." Klaus sincerely told her. Rebekah glanced at him once more and walked away.

Kol walked out and saw Wanda there staring at her hands. "Wanda" he softly said, Wanda turned to look at him and had an unreadable expression.

Wanda saw Kol's eyes filled with guilt, but at the moment she didn't care, her mind was filled with voices and it was driving her insane, so with one last glance at the man she loves she walked away.

Kol just stood there completely in pain at the lost look he saw in her eyes. But what the two didn't notice...

Were a pair of eyes watching and lurking.

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