CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
UNTIL FOREVER ENDS

"They say time heals all wounds, but that presumes the source of grief is finite."

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

     "I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye to you."

Those were the first words Henrik said once they had all started following Finn, who had led them straight through the nearest patch of trees. It hadn't surprised any of them to find that Lucien had taken Freya and Vincent to the middle of the forest. That seemed to be where everything in Mystic Falls seemed to happen. Finn had taken the lead, and Elijah was only a step or two behind him. They were both on high alert, not even bothering to pay attention to what Matt and Henrik were saying. Not that they had been saying much. They had taken up the rear of their small group, and even though they were walking fairly close to each other, neither had said a word since they had reunited by the Grill. Henrik kept thinking of things to say, but until that moment, he had been unable to force the words to come out of his mouth. Matt, in comparison, had kept his mouth in a straight line, eyes raking the trees every few minutes but always slipping sideways toward Henrik anyway, as if he couldn't help himself. Henrik pretended not to notice the looks, if only for Matt's sake.

At his words, Matt finally turned his head to look at him, and Henrik breathed a sigh of relief to see that he couldn't see any hostility. Matt had always been easy to read, eyes always clear and open. It was often said that eyes were the windows to the soul, and over a thousand years, Henrik had come to believe it. One just had to know what to look for.

"I get why you didn't," Matt said with a shrug. It seemed forced. Henrik frowned at him, then realized what was wrong. Just because Matt didn't feel any hostility toward him didn't mean he wasn't upset about it. It had been years, but Henrik knew all too well how long something could stick with someone. His own death had been a suffocating shadow for a thousand years, and it wasn't going to stop being one for a very long time. The two situations were entirely different, but that didn't mean the feelings behind them weren't just as valid. Henrik waited in silence, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets and gluing his eyes to Elijah. From the way Elijah was cocking his head, he was listening in on their conversation. Henrik clicked his tongue disapprovingly and narrowed his eyes, sending just enough magic his way to make him get the hint.

With a small wince and a hand coming up to rub at his temple, Elijah straightened his head and quickened his pace to speak with Finn. Henrik, satisfied, turned his gaze back to Matt, who was now watching Elijah with obvious amusement.

"You seem more powerful now," he murmured. Henrik blinked in surprise, not expecting the change in conversation, nor the subject. He opened his mouth, then closed it and blinked rapidly for a moment. His magic had always grown year by year, sometimes by great leaps and sometimes by leaps so little he didn't even notice. He thought over his response very carefully, all the while trying to figure out how much his powers had grown since he had last been in Mystic Falls. It hadn't been by much. He could have done his little trick toward Elijah a century ago. It wasn't hard for him to do.

"I've always been this powerful, Matty," he said at last, once he finally realized the problem. "I just never let anyone see it when I was here." He had never shown off his magic in Mystic Falls, not really. All the big spells he either did in front of his family, or had let Bonnie do. When he had let his magic explode out of him in that classroom, he had been alone, and Klaus had been the only one to know he was responsible for the mess it had caused afterward. The only thing he had done that truly showed his power was when he had almost killed Tyler Lockwood, and Matt hadn't been there to see it.

Thank God he hadn't been there to see it.

"Ethan said that you're finally happy now," Matt said, changing the subject once again. It made Henrik smile knowing that Ethan had spoke about him positively, especially to Matt. He wondered if Bonnie had been there, too. Matt eyed him for a moment, looking suspicious, before he added, "Is that true, or were you lying to make him feel better?" Henrik's small smile broke into a grin. A laugh even followed.

"It's true," he reassured, reaching up to pinch Matt's cheek. Matt immediately leaned away. "I'm as happy as I can be considering everything going on. I would ask how you've been doing, but it's Mystic Falls. No one is happy here." Matt barked out a laugh at that, one with a bitter edge to it that made Henrik aware that he agreed wholeheartedly with that statement. Henrik smiled despite it and leaned into Matt's side.

"I missed you, you know," he murmured after a moment. Their arms brushed as they walked when Henrik pulled himself away from Matt's side. "You were always my favorite." Matt chuckled at that. This time, his laugh wasn't bitter at all, just warm and affectionate.

"You were always my favorite, too," Matt said. Henrik brightened at those words, a grin tugging at his lips. "Don't tell Rebekah." That got a laugh out of him. Henrik was about to respond in a similar way—maybe with an as long as you don't tell Ethan—but broke off when he heard Elijah shout. They had finally reached their destination. Henrik had been so consumed with his conversation with Matt that he hadn't noticed, which wasn't surprising. Simply reaching out with his magic confirmed that there was a cloaking spell over them. Matt raised his gun. Lucien turned, a vial of something dark in his hand. Henrik raised his hand to send the vial flying—he didn't know what it was, and he didn't want to find out—but froze when Lucien twisted behind Freya, an arm locked around her neck.

Henrik froze. He couldn't risk lashing out at Lucien with magic now, not when Freya was in his grasp. He was too quick. With an arm pressed to her throat, he could snap her neck before Henrik's magic had a chance to send him flying. Henrik clenched his jaw when he saw Lucien grin. He looked smug. Henrik's eyes went to the vial Lucien was still holding, then glanced down at the unconscious body of Vincent.

"Just in time for the party, lads!" Lucien said cheerfully, hefting the vial in the air as if he was giving a toast. Henrik resisted the urge to send him flying, eyes flicking to Freya. She looked dazed, pale from blood loss. Henrik could see blood still dripping from her wrists. Henrik eased forward slowly just as Lucien spoke again. "Cheers!" He hefted the vial and drank all the liquid inside, then sighed in satisfaction and let the vial drop. "Let the fun begin! Can any of you get to me faster than I can rip your darling sister's head off? Didn't think so."

Henrik met Freya's gaze. She looked more awake now, even alarmed. The small shake of her head made warning bells erupt inside of Henrik's mind. He opened his mouth to warn Matt, Finn, and Elijah to wait, but he wasn't fast enough. Finn sped over to Matt and used the gun to shoot at Lucien. The bullet ended up going through Freya's shoulder—and right into Lucien's heart. Lucien released her, and she stumbled to the ground. The look on Lucien's face would have been humorous if Freya's small shake of her head wasn't repeating in Henrik's mind. He glanced at the empty vial on the ground as Lucien glanced at the bullet wound in his chest, gray veins already crawling up his neck.

"Oh, you clever bastard," Lucien said. Those were his last words before he fell to his knees, then fell face-first in the dirt, dead. Henrik rushed past him and immediately went to Freya, hands locking around her bleeding wrists. He willed the skin to heal, knowing that she wouldn't want vampire blood when there was still a risk. Henrik didn't feel safe. In fact, with Lucien dead, he felt dread surrounding him. Something had gone horrible wrong in that small little clearing. He could sense it, could practically taste the dark magic tainting the air.

His hands came away from Freya's wrists covered in blood. He wiped them on his jeans and went to check on Vincent next, hand going to his forehead and closing his eyes. He wasn't severely injured, just weak from doing such a powerful spell. He didn't require Henrik to heal him, but he did it anyway, offering a bit of his strength. By the time he pulled away, he felt tired and drained. He took a deep breath and kneeled beside Freya as she came back to herself. He wasn't quite sure he'd be steady if he got back to his feet.

"Where is he?" Freya whispered, blinking slowly. She must have been in shock during the confrontation. Henrik ran a hand down her back and mumbled another spell, the same one he had used on Vincent. A wave of dizziness hit him. He had been using his magic casually all day—opening his bedroom door with a wave of his hand, easing a headache with fingertips to his temple—so suddenly giving his strength to two powerful witches made him feel slightly weaker. He would be fine in a few minutes. Even as he thought it, Freya blinked and turned toward him with a frown, twisting to swat his hand off her back. She could feel what he was doing, and she wanted him to stop. Henrik did.

"That guy?" Matt asked. He had taken a seat on a large rock, fiddling with his gun. He nodded toward Lucien. "Dead." Freya looked at him, then turned her head slowly to look at Lucien's body. Her face went even paler.

"No," she whispered, swaying slightly. Henrik caught her.

"Listen to me," Elijah requested, cupping Freya's face to get her to focus. "It's done. It's over." Freya shook her head. Henrik found himself watching Lucien's body. He still felt wary.

"You don't understand," Freya argued. "He drank the serum. He wanted you to kill him. You helped him take the final step." Henrik's eyes fell on the vial still on the ground. A serum. That was what he had drank. Henrik was about to ask what the serum was when he noticed Lucien's body shift. A moment later, he started pushing himself up off the ground, the gray veins disappearing.

"Shit—" Henrik cursed, gaining everyone's attention. Everyone started when they noticed Lucien getting to his feet. When he turned to face them, Henrik saw that his fangs were larger, longer. His eyes were a dark, frightening red, and the veins under his eyes were blacker, expanding down his cheeks to his jaw. Henrik had been alive a thousand years, had seen countless things that horrified him, yet nothing quite felt like this. It wasn't just that Lucien had risen from the dead. It was the power he could feel emanating from him. He could feel how strong Lucien was now, and he knew immediately that he was stronger than Klaus.

Matt stood from the rock he was sitting on and immediately started shooting. The wooden bullets didn't seem to be doing anything. In fact, Lucien laughed before he proceeded to backhand Matt, sending him flying into a tree. He didn't get up. Everything was going to fast that neither Henrik nor Freya could keep up. They could do nothing but watch in stunned silence as Elijah and Finn attacked Lucien together, only for Lucien to get the upper hand easily.

"Poor show, poor show!" Lucien said. "Come on, gents, you can do better, surely!" He dodged hits from both, sent Finn flying, then sent Elijah to the ground. Henrik heard the air rush out of his lungs and started to rise to his feet, finally gaining his bearings enough. He stopped when Freya clutched at his arm. "What do you think, Elijah? This new power, it suits me, no? I've pondered this. Whom to end first: you or Klaus? I had thought him, but now that I'm here, I think it should be you."

Henrik and Freya both lurched forward then, when Lucien jerked Elijah up and bared his fangs. Finn got to them before they did, stopping Elijah from getting bitten. Unfortunately, Lucien just turned his fangs on Finn instead. Henrik's eyes widened when Finn screamed in pain, as if the bite was the most painful thing he had ever been forced to endure. Lucien then threw him into Elijah, who lost his balance and fell beside Henrik, catching Finn, who had passed out because of the bite. The bite itself was already festering. It looked infected.

It looks, Henrik thought, bewildered, like a werewolf bite.

That was when he noticed Lucien coming at them. This time, his eyes were trained on Henrik. He didn't look smug or gleeful anymore. He looked eager, like he couldn't wait to rip Henrik apart. Henrik didn't pause to think. He threw up a barrier spell so strong that when Lucien walked into it, he flew backward, letting out a startled curse. A moment later, he chuckled and approached the barrier slowly.

"A barrier spell?" he said lightly. "How delicious." He curled his fingers until his hand resembled a claw, then drew it across the barrier itself, emitting a scratching sound that grated at Henrik's ears. Henrik glared as Lucien continued. "I do appreciate a bit of spice being thrown into the hunt. It isn't very fun if the quarry just rolls over and offers its neck, is it?" Lucien sighed dramatically, then rolled his shoulders. "I have waited a thousand years. I can wait a tad longer. I'm going to enjoy making this last a long time."

Then he was gone, as if he had never been there in the first place.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

They drove hard and fast, Elijah taking the wheel and Henrik taking the passenger seat. He kept twisting around to look at Finn in concern. Freya was in the backseat with him, his head in her lap. She kept muttering to him, trying to calm him. Henrik had been right when he thought it looked like a werewolf bite, only now it seemed to be working faster than normal werewolf venom would. Finn was already hallucinating. It was a fourteen-hour-drive from Mystic Falls back to New Orleans. It had taken them the entire day to get there. By the time they were hauling Finn into the compound, it was dark and late into the night, and his skin was feverish.

"Put him down," Henrik ordered after he had cleared the couch. Elijah and Freya gently settled him into the cushions, and Henrik immediately started to try to ease some of his pain until Klaus deemed it time to show his face. He tried to ignore the words Finn was crying out, tried to ignore him begging them not to leave him alone. He couldn't focus on his magic if he was too focused on Finn's words.

"Why is he talking like this?" Elijah demanded. He looked exhausted, shoulders tense. He braced his hands on the back of the couch and looked at Henrik with a haggard expression. Henrik was sure he looked the same.

"It's hallucinations of our betrayal," Henrik whispered, pulling the collar of Finn's shirt away from his neck to take a look at his bite. He wasn't getting any better. "It's his nightmare." No one responded to him, so he continued to ease Finn's pain where he could. Freya was murmuring to him, trying to soothe him through the hallucinations, while Elijah watched on with a pained expression. Kol walked in on them like that, but instead of looking concerned, he looked pleased. Henrik shot him an annoyed look, briefly breaking off the chanting he had been doing under his breath.

"Well, he looks awful," Kol said in a mocking voice. Henrik huffed out an impatient breath and tried to take up his chanting again, but he couldn't focus, not anymore. He sat back on his haunches and rolled his eyes as Kol continued. "Werewolf bite. That's got to hurt, mate. So Lucien's a bloody hybrid now?"

"We don't know what he is," Elijah said, impatient with Kol as well. "His venom seems to work twice as fast." Kol brightened at that, but before he could speak, Freya was.

"That's good," Freya said, trying to keep her spirits up. "Maybe it'll work through his system twice as fast." Henrik hoped so. He didn't like the look of the bite, nor Finn's reaction to it.

"Or it's twice as lethal," Kol commented, voicing the thought that had been lurking at the back of Henrik's mind since he had noticed how fast the venom was working. He had been trying to avoid the thought. "If Niklaus doesn't get here in time, he might die. With a bit of luck..." Freya was on her feet in seconds, and the slap she gave Kol a moment later echoed throughout the entire compound. Kol recovered quickly, though he did hiss at her, his fangs coming out. Freya stared at him in disgust.

"What is wrong with you?" she demanded, voice rising in anger.

"Behave!" Elijah exploded, voice louder than the slap had been. "Both of you!" Henrik winced and ducked his head as if he had been the one scolded. There was a beat of silence, and then there was an amused chuckle as Klaus finally made his presence known.

"Sibling squabbling," he commented. "How familiar. Although, the teams seem to have changed. Someone care to tell me why?" Elijah frowned at him.

"Our brother needs us," Elijah said. It wiped the smile off Klaus's face. He approached the couch slowly and looked down at Finn for a moment. Henrik opened his mouth to tell him to get on with it, but then Klaus bit into his wrist and pressed it to Finn's mouth. Henrik watched with bated breath. He and Freya both blew out huge breaths of relief when the bite started to heal, slumping against each other.

"Thank you, brother," Finn whispered once Klaus had pulled his wrist away. Henrik leaned forward and locked a hand around Finn's wrist, squeezing slightly to offer some sort of comfort. He would've taken Finn's hand, but Freya was already holding one, and the other was closer to Elijah.

"How are you feeling?" Henrik asked, needing to be reassured. He couldn't stop seeing Lucien's face. He seemed so confident that he could kill them.

"I feel..." Finn paused in thought. "...strangely euphoric." Klaus chuckled at that.

"I've been known to have that effect," he joked. Henrik and Freya both let out small laughs, unable to bite them back. Elijah shook his head in amusement, and even Finn let out a small huff at the joke. Kol didn't find it nearly as amusing. He started clapping sarcastically soon after, and their relieved laughter died on their lips.

"What a precious family moment," Kol said bitterly. "Pardon me while I go and gouge out my eyes with a hot poker." Henrik sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I thank even you, Kol," Finn said. "Your little witch actually came through." Kol made a sound and crossed his arms over his chest, practically sulking. Henrik caught his eye and raised his eyebrows. Kol just shrugged his shoulders. "Today, I saw a glimpse of your coveted 'always and forever' and I—" Finn broke off and lurched off the couch. Henrik jumped back, barely avoiding blood that flew from Finn's mouth when he broke into harsh, grating coughs. When he fell back against the couch, Henrik saw that the bite was back, spreading across his skin before his eyes.

"What's happening?" Kol demanded, shooting toward the couch as Henrik and Klaus tried desperately to stop Finn from thrashing. Finn didn't even seem to recognize them anymore. Henrik said his name, repeated it countless times after that, but Finn didn't seem to hear him. "What's wrong with him?"

"His body," Freya whispered, voice cracking. "It's dying."

"No, that's not possible," Klaus said, heated. "I cured him!" Henrik pressed closer and put a hand on Finn's cheek, trying to get his attention. He didn't succeed, though Freya seemed to. Freya leaned forward so that Finn could see her, tears already in her eyes.

"We'll fix this, okay?" Freya asked, squeezing Finn's hand. "We're going to fix this." Freya shot a look at Kol over her shoulder and spit out, "Get my pendant."

"It won't work!" Kol argued. Even though he had been cruel mere minutes before, he now looked just as tense as the rest of them felt. "Davina fused his soul to his body!"

"We've got to try! There's no Other Side, no Ancestral plane if he dies!" Freya snapped. "Get Davina here to undo what she's done!" Henrik climbed to his feet. He found that his hands were shaking, his knees weak. He felt foggy, like he couldn't quite focus. Everything was happening too fast. He wished time would stop so that he could think.

"I'm going to go get my grimoire," Henrik said, turning to head up the stairs. "Maybe I can slow this until Davina—"

"No!" Finn's hand lashed out then, securing around Henrik's wrist and making him freeze. "Don't leave me alone!" Everything was quiet for a moment, and then Henrik slowly lowered himself back into his previous position. Finn's hand left his wrist to hold Freya's again, so Henrik placed his hand over theirs. It was only when he saw Klaus place a hand on Finn's shoulder and saw Elijah take his other hand that the fog around his mind finally seemed to disappear. Finn was dying. Finn was going to die—he was going to die again—and none of them could do anything but watch as he did. Henrik opened his mouth to say something, anything, but nothing came out except for a choked sound. He sucked in a shaky breath and held onto Freya and Finn's hands harder to make up for his lack of words.

When Finn was gone, Henrik immediately turned to Freya and pressed his face into her shoulder. He wasn't sure if it was Freya or himself who started crying first.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Vikings burned their dead on funeral pyres and sent them down open water on a boat. They couldn't do that in such modern times—it would gain too much attention—so they built a pyre in the compound instead. Freya was shaking so badly that Henrik had to burn Finn's body by himself, speeding up the process as much as he could. He wanted it done. When Finn was nothing but ash, they put him inside an urn and proceeded to walk to the nearest bridge that stretched across a body of water. They couldn't give him a traditional funeral, but the least they could do was spread his ashes in the open. Henrik didn't think he would've liked his ashes to stay forever in such a confined space.

Henrik looked down at the urn in his hands once they reached the side of the bridge, trying to think of the appropriate words to say. His family had only ever had two other funerals. One for Esther and one for himself. He hadn't been himself when Esther was buried, and every single other time a family member had died, none of them bothered to say farewells like this. He chewed on his bottom lip, then let out a soft sigh, hands tightening around the urn. The top was already screwed off.

"You didn't deserve what we did to you," he finally said. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Elijah look down as if ashamed. "I hope you finally found the peace you wanted." Those were the only words that came to mind, so Henrik pressed his lips together and scooped up a handful of ashes from the urn and sent them flying over the side of the bridge. He added a small, "Rest well, brother." Then he was passing the urn onto Elijah. He was relieved to have it out of his hands.

"You fought against what time made you," Elijah said solemnly. Henrik couldn't help comparing his brother's words to his own. "You're free now, Finn." He threw a handful of ash, then passed the urn to Kol, who stood in silence for a moment. When he spoke, Henrik almost reached across to smack him on the back of the head.

"I loathed you for centuries," Kol admitted. Henrik bit back a sigh. "Even now, it remains unabated." He paused. "But I know torment, brother, so I hope you somehow find peace in the abyss." He then passed the urn onto Freya. She was silent for a long time. Henrik could hear her choking back sobs. None of them had loved Finn quite as much as she had.

"When you were born," Freya started slowly, "you gave me a gift. You were my first friend." Freya paused to collect herself. "Today, you gifted me my life—and my brothers united, even for a moment. I love you. Always and forever, brother." She threw a handful of ash. When she spoke, her voice hardened. "Until forever ends."

"Just know," Klaus said in a low voice as he threw ash, "that you will be avenged."

After they scattered the rest of the ashes, they walked back home in silence. Henrik's mind was racing. He couldn't quite process the grief going through him. It was unlike any type of grief he had felt before. How did you grieve someone who had seemed like a stranger not even twenty-four-hours ago? Who had actually been dead twice already? Kol had been different. Henrik had spent a thousand years with Kol. He had only spent a handful of years with Finn. He had only cried once that night, and no more tears were coming now.

He felt guilty that he was functional, that he wasn't a complete mess. Which was why, when they arrived home, Henrik went to the study with Freya, Elijah, and Klaus instead of going up to his room. The least he could do was look after Freya, who seemed like she was in a daze. When she curled up into a chair and stared into the fire, he draped a blanket over her and escaped to the kitchen while his brothers talked. He came back a few minutes later with a steaming mug of tea. He crouched by the chair and pressed it into Freya's hands.

"Drink, sister," he murmured. "Please." At his voice, Freya blinked and looked at him. After a moment, she lowered her gaze to the mug in her hands. She frowned at it. "Freya, please. It's just tea. I don't want you to disappear, so drink." She stared at him for a moment, then finally brought it to her lips. After a few sips, her head seemed to clear, because she straightened and frowned at him.

"What is this?" she asked. Henrik shrugged.

"Tea with a kick," he admitted. When she raised an eyebrow, he let out a small huff. "It's not alcohol, I just gave it a little boost with my magic. It helps calm me when I'm restless. Helps me focus." Freya nodded at that, then brought the mug back to her lips. Satisfied that she wasn't disappearing into herself, Henrik finally stood and approached Klaus and Elijah.

"Lucien did all of this to become like his maker," Klaus was saying, "yet my bite cannot kill an Original. What are we up against here, brother?" Elijah shook his head.

"I truly don't know," he admitted. Klaus turned his gaze to Henrik, as if he would know something more, but all of them turned when Hayley appeared in the study doorway.

"I might," she said, stepping inside. "Klaus and I found Lucien's R&D lab full of werewolves. He's harvesting venom, but not to find a cure. He's trying to create a more lethal strain."

"Well, clearly he succeeded," Henrik grumbled. His voice came out sharper than he intended, like he was snapping at Hayley instead of just making an observation. He saw Klaus, Elijah, and Hayley all look at him in slight surprise. He'd been so quiet up until that point that he didn't blame them. He was about to ask a question to get them back on track, but Freya was beating him to it, appearing at his side with newfound energy.

"That must be what he added to the spell to make him whatever the hell he is now," she said bitterly. "He kept boasting about having something that would make him a better Original."

"Klaus is descended from one of the seven original wolf bloodlines," Hayley pointed out. "I'm descended from another. Lucien's venom is derived from all seven packs."

"Giving him a bite that not even Niklaus can cure," Elijah murmured.

"There were two vials of serum," Freya mentioned as Henrik reached up to rub at his temples. His head was pounding painfully, and he wanted to do nothing but sleep. Yet he knew he wouldn't be able to actually sleep that night despite how much he wanted to. "He only drank one. Maybe it's because the spell will wear off eventually and he'll need another dose?"

"Or he made enough for two," Klaus said immediately. At first, it seemed like a throwaway comment, but then he realized what he had said and his eyes widened. He sucked in a sharp breath and looked at Elijah. "Aurora," he whispered, and then both of them were gone. Henrik's head started pounding even harder. With his palms pressed to his temples, he turned to leave the study.

"Where are you going?" Freya asked, suddenly sounding frightened, as if Henrik was about to go after Lucien by himself. Henrik stopped to look at her.

"To my room so I can get to work," he replied. When he saw her questioning look, he shrugged and turned to leave, throwing the words over his shoulder as he went. "I'm going to find a cure for Lucien's bite, even if it's the last thing I do."

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

edited: 6.24.18