CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
a broken man

Henrik pressed his lips firmly on mine and we backed into our motel room. Despite there being plenty of rooms available, none of my mates liked the idea of me having a room to myself. Despite having grumbled at their protectiveness, I 100% agreed. There was no way I was going to sleep alone in a seedy motel next the highway. Plus, rooming with Henrik had its perks.

Henrik slammed the door behind us with his foot as his lips trailed down my throat. He hadn't shaved for a few days and I loved the feel of his stubble on my skin. I let out a breathy moan as I tugged on his hair, a silent plea for more.

It seemed that our scheming had gotten us worked up.

Henrik pulled away and I let out a groan of protest. I attempted to pull him back to me and he jumped away from my reaching arms. I pouted and he gave me a cocky grin.

"As much as I'd love to continue, I don't think either of us want to lose our virginities in the same place that people contract STDs." Henrik said, grimacing down at a suspicious stain on the duvet.

"Fair enough," I shrugged, "Plus, the walls are thin here and we have a Mikaelson brother on each side of our room."

"Shit, I forgot about that." Henrik said, looking adorably alarmed, "Do you think that they heard all of that?"

"I can confirm that we did!" Klaus shouted from the other side of the wall and Henrik's cheeks flushed.

"Well, on that note, I'm going to go have a shower." Henrik said, darting to the bathroom as I chuckled at him.

After the bathroom door closed and I heard the shower turn on, I began to pace around the small room, thinking about tonight. The plan was simple but I prayed that it would work. I also prayed that in freeing my other mates, Klaus would stop acting like an asshole. I missed the man I first met before everything became complicated.

An hour later, Henrik and I sat on the bed as we looked out the window. Since magically soundproofing the room would be suspicious, we talked about everything apart from our plans tonight, but our eyes would dart to each other knowingly every time we heard a car pull up at the motel.

"Remember the night you found me?" I found myself bring up as Henrik stoked a finger idly against my leg through the fabric of my trousers. Henrik straightened as his gaze flew to mine. We didn't talk about that day often.

"I remember finding a frostbitten girl who became my everything." Henrik said, nodding softly.

"I was just thinking about everything that happened before that day," I began with a shrug, "I hate what happened to me and I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully move on. But maybe I can learn to accept it? Maybe it was worth all that pain a fear because it led me to you?"

Henrik blinked back tears as he gave me a soft smile. He didn't close the gap between our bodies, knowing that touch did the opposite of help me when I spoke of my past. It was his presence that soothed me, the kind of trust that only time and love could build.

"I hate that we met under those circumstances but I'm so grateful that I found you, Morgana." Henrik told me as he gently tucked a stray curl behind my ear.

Before I could answer, we heard a vehicle turn into the motel car park and our heads turned to the window. A slow smile stretched across Henrik's face as his eyes sparkled. This must be the lorry that he saw following us.

I crept over to the window to get a closer look. I watched the driver get out and my eyes widened as Klaus walked over to him and gave his hand a firm shake. I held my breath as I watched them converse. I scurried away from the window when Klaus turned and made his way back to his motel room.

I caught Henrik's eye and we exchanged a silent message.

First, we'd wait. Then, we'd strike.

***

At 2:00 in the morning, I was wide awake.

Henrik cast a silencing spell as we cracked open our door and hurried down the corridor. I gave him an excited smile, which he returned as we made our way down to the lorry. Neither of us were thinking about Klaus' reaction to our borderline betrayal; we'd cross that bridge when we got to it.

When we reached the back of the lorry, I waited nervously as Henrik muttered a spell to unlock it. My heart stuttered as it opened and my eyes landed on the coffins for the first time. I couldn't believe how close I was to them. Henrik and I stepped into the lorry and we both seemed to notice a fourth coffin. We exchanged a confused look as we walked over to it.

"It's locked," Henrik hissed when he tried to open the lid, "It has a magical seal on it.

He moved onto another coffin and attempted to open the lid. This time, it lifted and I felt my soul sing when I lay my eyes on the sleeping figure inside. Veins covered their gray skin and I let out a whimper when I saw the dagger protruding from their chest.

"Kol." Henrik whispered as he took in the sight of his brother for the first time in centuries.

The pull in my chest was intense as I gently caressed his cold cheek. He was dressed in extremely outdated clothing, which I cracked a smile at.

"Hi Kol," I greeted my sleeping mate with a small smile before looking up at Henrik, "What do we do? Should we just pull it out?"

"I guess?" He said cautiously as his hands gripped the hilt. With a small groan, he tugged the dagger free from Kol's chest before dropping it to the floor.

"How long will it take him to wake up? It took Elijah hours but Kol has been asleep a lot longer. What if that makes a difference?" I asked with concern.

"I'm not sure," Henrik said with a frown, "In the meantime, let's free Finn and Rebekah."

I nodded with a small smile, which dropped as I turned around. Klaus stood at the end of the lorry, leaning casually against one of the coffins. My heart dropped as I took in his icy expression. The man who was meant to love me was currently the villain in my story.

"Did you seriously think that I wouldn't have someone guarding my siblings at all times?" Klaus spat, his eyes fixing on Henrik, "I'd never leave my family unprotected. Rodrigo called me the minute you snuck out of your rooms." He gestured to a big, muscled man standing a small distance behind him.

"We wouldn't have to sneak out if you simply helped us." I said coldly and his gaze snapped back to mine.

"Why do you even want this, Morgana?" Klaus asked, his eyes flashing with anger, "Are three mates not enough? Why do you want my siblings, who are complete strangers to you?"

"Because they are family, and whilst I am rather new to the concept, I am fairly certain that you don't keep your family in boxes." I said in utter disbelief, "Look Klaus, I've never had a family before and suddenly I have a chance to be part of one. It would mean the world to me to finally have a family."

"Waking my siblings isn't going to fix you, Morgana." Klaus spat and my heart cracked a little. Tears sprung to my eyes as I glared at him.

"Don't you dare speak to her like that." Henrik seethed, his voice promising violence.

"I don't need anyone to fix me." I spoke quietly, unable to mask the shake in my voice, "I am perfectly able to fix myself with time. What would be nice, however, is to be surrounded by supportive people whilst I heal from shit you don't even know about."

"Am I not enough?" Klaus stepped towards me, anger flashing in his eyes, "Is this some sick joke to you? Do you want a harem of Mikaelsons to carry out your every whim, is that it?"

"Klaus-" I whispered, a tear running down my cheek as my soul cried out in pain.

"Why don't we find a way to resurrect Freya and then you can have all seven of us!" He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "Hell, why don't we track down our father and you can have him too!"

I flinched, losing my balance and falling against the side of the lorry. I tried to catch my breath but the air just wouldn't come.

"I fucking warned you." Henrik said, pointing a finger at Klaus as he raced over to his brother with malicious intent.

"What on earth is going on here?" Elijah's voice cut through the night air, his eyes scanning the scene before landing on me, "Is Morgana alright?"

He sped over to me, followed closely by Henrik. Black spots danced across my vision and my body shook and breathing continued to elude me.

"Fuck, she's having a panic attack." I heard Henrik say helplessly.

"What do we do?" Elijah asked, his calm facade breaking as he watched me.

"Breath, Morgana." Henrik said, his voice breaking through my panic. I tried but his request seemed impossible.

After what felt like an eternity, the panic faded and I was left with a weary exhaustion. Henrik tucked me to his chest and I could feel his hands shake from where they rested on my back. I looked over his shoulder to see a concerned Elijah, who stroked a hand over my hair, mumbling something to Henrik.

I looked past Elijah to Klaus, who stood at the other end of the lorry in silent horror. Our eyes locked and he instantly broke the connection, running a hand through his hair. Despite the intense anger and hurt I felt, for the first time, I think I finally understood Klaus Mikaelson.

I saw a man who hated the world but hated himself most of all. I saw who he would become if he continued down this road of self destruction.

I finally understood his words to me the first day we met. He had said that I'd finally come to save him. I just wished that he would have let me.

A/N: Oof, sorry to leave it at that! Klaus is going to have to do some serious groveling.