FINN, YOUR BROTHERS ARE WHORES.

THE GROUP OF FRIENDS ALL STOOD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WOODS, determined looks on their faces. Stefan dropped a duffle bag full of twelve wooden stakes made from the sign of the Wickery Bridge, which Rebekah and Kol burned down while Laiken had been out cold from killing Elena.

"You're sure Lake is unlinked from them?" Damon asked, looking sharply at Bonnie.

The witch nodded. "She and Enzo won't be harmed if the Mikaelsons are."

"Klaus has always been one step ahead of us, but now we have the advantage. We're all armed and they are all linked, meaning we only need to kill one of them. We need to seize the best opportunity, which means we need to prepare for every opportunity," Stefan instructed.

"Scenario number one," Damon said, rushing to Caroline and moving her over. "You get to play Klaus."

"Okay," Caroline said with a frown.

"Rebekah is our target so we distract her and catch her off guard. To do that we need to keep Klaus separate and occupied," Stefan said. "Thankfully, he's already like that with Laiken around."

"Witchy, we need you to play Rebekah. We use the quarterback to distract her. Just keep her talking," Damon told them.

"How?" Matt asked in disbelief. He didn't have that much faith in himself.

"Act interested. She's lonely, desperate."

"Clearly," Caroline muttered. "She slept with you."

Bonnie surpassed a grin, wishing Laiken were there as she'd have loved to make fun of Damon. But they couldn't let her in on this secret if they wanted to protect her.

Damon just rolled his eyes. "Beefcake holds Bombshell. I come up from behind her," he said, pulling Bonnie's arms behind her. "Grab her arms like this."

"Ow!" she snapped as Stefan came up with a stake, imitating stabbing her in the heart.

"Gives me time for one shot," he said. Then he looked around at everyone. "Got it? Good. So we all have one stake, we keep it hidden and we look out for any opportunity we have."

"No last-minute attacks of pity for any of them," Damon said, looking to Caroline.

The blonde just huffed and crossed her arms. "It's just... can't this like, kill Lake?"

"She's right," Jenna said with a frown. "They're her soulmates. I can't imagine how much this will hurt her even if she doesn't die."

"She has Enzo. She's not going to die," Stefan said, sounding so sure even if he wasn't. "Look, she's in danger the longer she's around them. This is to keep her safe."

"But what about keeping her happy?" Bonnie questioned.

"We all care about Laiken. She's the most important thing right now," Damon said. "And a group of Originals is the last thing she needs."

"Exactly," Stefan said. "So, we have twelve stakes, twelve shots at killing one Original. We can do this. Alright, let's try another scenario. Jenna, grab a crossbow. Matt, you play Klaus."

☽︎

Laiken was in a good mood as she waltzed down to the kitchen in the mansion, hearing nearly everyone gathered there. Finn was making her breakfast, and her other mates were waiting on her.

"Good morning," Laiken greeted brightly, entering the kitchen. She went to Enzo first, who was the closest, and kissed him on the lips.

"Morning, Gorgeous," he grinned, pleased with the greeting.

Then she moved to the side and let Kol duck down to steal a kiss, making her laugh. "Darling, you look radiant this morning."

She rolled her eyes and moved toward Klaus. "I'm in my pajamas, Kol."

"And what a glorious sight it is," Klaus said with a cheeky smile, eyeing the way the white fabric of her tank top hugged her chest. Then he kissed her sweetly. "Hello, love."

With a smile on her face, she skipped over to Finn, who was icing a tray of cinnamon rolls. But he was all too happy to pause and bend down to kiss Laiken, sighing happily against her mouth.

Finally, Laiken moved along to Elijah, who'd been reading his morning paper and waiting patiently. She slid on his lap, loving how he wrapped his arms around her. Then he looked at her expectantly, only for her to place a kiss to the underside of his jaw.

Some of the others snickered, knowing Elijah was the only one who hadn't gotten to kiss her yet — but that was more so his fault as he'd never initiated one. But it was safe to say he was irritated after the lack of affection, no matter that she was perched on his lap. He held her a bit tighter, feeling a tad bit more possessive than usual.

"So, what's the plan for the day?" Laiken asked, tearing into a cinnamon roll as Finn set a plate in front of her.

"Whatever you'd like to do, Darling," Kol said, staring at her lovingly. "Though I quite like the idea of lying in bed all day, wrapped in each other's arms."

Klaus scoffed and flicked Kol's ear.

"Hmm, I think I know," she said, a glimmer in her eyes. "I'd like a date." Silence fell over the males, making her grin grow. "And I mean a really good one, because Enzo really knocked it out of the park as my date to the Miss Mystic Falls competition. We danced and made out and everything."

It only took seconds for chaos to erupt, all of her mates arguing over who would get to take her on a date. Even Enzo was joining in despite taking her on multiple dates. He just wanted time with her.

Clearly amused, Laiken grabbed her cinnamon roll and headed to the living room with hopes of seeking out Rebekah. However before she made it, she heard the doorbell ring, so she took it upon herself to answer it. After setting her cinnamon roll on a table in the foyer, she opened up the door, seeing a very pretty red-haired woman who stood tall over her.

"Hi," Laiken greeted, forcing a smile on her face. It wasn't like the Mikaelsons got a lot of visitors, and Laiken knew this woman wasn't a resident of Mystic Falls. "Can I help you?"

"I see they've already got themselves a compelled little servant girl," the woman said, rolling her eyes. "I'm here to see Finn Mikaelson. Show me to him."

Laiken narrowed her eyes at the woman. "And just who is wanting to see him?"

"Tell him Sage is here. He'll want to see me," she said confidently. "Go along now."

Laiken huffed, the fairly foreign feeling of jealousy filling her — she knew exactly why this woman wanted to see Finn. So, she shouted for him, not daring to take her eyes off of Sage.

"Finn, Baby! You have a visitor!" she yelled, knowing he'd hear.

In an instant, he was by her side, not even looking at the door. Finn smiled down at Laiken, reaching for her hand, which he brought to his lips. "I love it when you call me that."

Laiken hadn't taken her eyes off Sage, smirking wickedly as realization struck Sage. "Finn," she said, her mouth hanging open.

Finn glanced at her and had to do a double take, realizing that Sage was still alive after nine hundred years. "Sage," was all he could manage to say. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard your wretched, monstrous brother finally removed you from your box," she said with a hopeful smile. "I knew he would eventually. I waited for you."

"Do not call my brother a monster," he said, instantly feeling a need to defend Klaus, which surprised Sage greatly — and Klaus, who was listening around the corner with the rest of Laiken's soulmates. "And I'm sorry, Sage, but I do not wish to see you."

"But my love—"

"I am not your love," he cut her off, sliding an arm around Laiken.

Sage's eyes followed the movement, fury taking over her features. "I suppose this is my replacement? She doesn't look like much. I suspect one of your brothers will drain her dry if I don't do it first."

A low growl escaped Finn's throat, who rushed at Sage and pushed her up against the wall. "Threaten my mate again, and I'll put an end to your lengthy existence," he threatened, which made Laiken's mouth fall open. He was always so composed and gentle with her, so to see him so rough surprised her.

Not that she hated it.

"M - Mate?" Sage asked in disbelief, her eyes falling on Laiken again. "That's not possible."

"I can assure you that it is," Laiken said, crossing her arms.

"But Finn, I love you. I waited for you!" Sage cried. "Please, do not choose this human over me."

"I never asked you to wait for me," Finn said, shaking his head. "Now, go before I decide to let Niklaus kill you for your comments about him and our mate."

Sage's eyes went wide. "Our?" she repeated. Then she shook her head. "She's done something — a spell or an enchantment. Finn, just come with me—"

"Finn's busy," Laiken cut her off. "He's got a hot date with me, so do what he said and get lost."

Sage sputtered for a moment, but as soon as Klaus came around the corner, the threat in his eyes clear, she was gone, leaving them alone once again. Laiken huffed and then turned to Finn.

"I'm so sorry about her—"

Laiken cut him off by grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him down into a rough kiss. He was pleasantly surprised, his hands finding her waist as he deepened the kiss. He let out a groan when she sucked harshly on his bottom lip before pulling away breathlessly.

"What was that about a date?" he asked hopefully, making her smile.

"Well, I figure you've been hiding away in this house for long enough. Time to show you the modern world."

☽︎

The date lasted all day. Laiken dragged Finn all over Mystic Falls, showing him everything and anything — ice cream, a movie theater, the arcade. And in return, he'd point out landmarks from when he lived there long before he was a vampire. Both thought it was rather funny that both had attended bonfires at the same place at the falls. Some things never changed.

By the end of the night, they ended up at the Grill. Laiken was excited to introduce him to more delicious foods, as he was taking a liking to cooking. He particularly loved the hamburger served though he also liked Laiken's chicken fingers that she let him try.

"We've gotta get drinks," Laiken said, grinning as the waitress came closer.

Finn peered at her. "I may not know much about this time, but I do know you are not old enough to order alcohol."

"Oh, that, my beautiful mate, is why you're going to compel her," she said, grinning mischievously at Finn. "C'mon. Two shots of tequila. Everyone in your family is an alcoholic, so I know you'll love it."

As she flashed her eyes at him, Finn gave in. And soon, two shots were sat in front of him. But before he drank it, Laiken explained that there was a correct way to do it.

"Do what I do," she instructed.

Since she was sitting beside him instead of across from him in the booth, she opted to hold his hand out and pour a bit of salt on the back of his hand. He swallowed thickly as she licked it off his skin before downing the shot. Then she grabbed one of the limes that came with it, sucking on it.

"Now your turn," she said, handing him the saltshaker with a giggle.

"You are a little minx," he said in his natural tongue, making her furrow her eyebrows in a way that he loved.

Then Finn grabbed her hand and put the salt on her wrist. She was given a taste of her own medicine as his warm tongue lapped over her skin before he took the shot, making a face as he did so.

"Happy now?" he cringed as she handed him the lime, which he quickly sucked on. She just laughed at him. "I'm truly awed by the evolution of mankind."

"Wait until I show you what modern music sounds like," she said, suddenly picturing Finn in a club, looking quite out of place. "Oh, and the dancing, of course."

"Of course," he smiled.

She leaned against his shoulder and sighed happily. "I'm gonna show you this whole beautiful world."

Finn grabbed her hand on top of the table, intertwining their fingers. "And everything in it will pale in comparison to your beauty."

"Cheesy," she teased, trying to ignore how her cheeks heated up. Then Matt passed by the table, taking their empty glasses. "Can we get two more shots, please, Matty?"

"Yeah, cool," he said, smiling nervously at her. "I'll let your waitress know."

"So," Laiken then said, glancing at Finn. "You turned Sage?"

Finn nodded sadly. "It was... a moment of weakness. I thought she was the love of my life. But now I know that what I felt for her — it's nothing in comparison to the way you make me feel. I'm only sorry that I didn't wait for my true soulmate."

"Finn," she said softly, "your brothers are whores—" He laughed loudly as she called them such. "Don't ever feel bad about loving someone before you met me. I even had boyfriends before Enzo came into my life. That's just how life works. But I'm happy I have you all now."

"I detest the thought of you with some teenage boy who doesn't deserve you," he muttered, kissing her forehead.

"Here you go," Daisy, their waitress said, placing the two shots.

"Thanks," Laiken said politely, sliding Finn's toward him. Then she raised her shot glass to Finn, deciding to not let him lick salt off her again — it'd get her thinking about his tongue in other places. "To seeing the world."

"To seeing the world with you," Finn said, clinking his glass against hers.

Laiken downed the beverage with no problem, but Finn quickly spit it back up and began choking. She looked at him with wide eyes, not knowing what was going on.

"Finn, what is it?" she asked, getting concerned. He wasn't coughing like someone who could't handle their liquor.

"Vervain," he choked out.

He looked up and spotted Stefan, who was walking out the side door. Realizing that he was responsible, Finn went after him, Laiken following. Outside, in the alley, Stefan was hiding around the corner. He moved to stab Finn with a stake, but Laiken was quickly, shoving him out of the way. Finn grabbed Stefan by the neck and threw him down, the stake clattering to the ground.

"Finn, the stake!" Laiken said as it rolled down the stairs. Even though it couldn't kill him, she still didn't want him hurt. Besides, if they staked him while they were linked, Enzo would die.

Finn reached the stake, but then Matt burst out the back door. He shot Finn in the stomach with a crossbow, making him groan and fall over. Laiken went to stop him, but Stefan grabbed a hold of her and covered her mouth.

Matt then grabbed another stake and stabbed it directly into Finn's heart. Stefan let Laiken go and disappeared quickly, not staying as she screamed and dropped to the ground.

"No!" she shouted, crawling to Finn. She cradled his head as it turned grey. She knew he'd be awake soon, but somewhere, Enzo was dying. She could feel it in her chest. "No, no, no."

But then suddenly, Finn's body caught on fire just as Mikael's had when he was stabbed by the white oak. Laiken stumbled back, hardly able to see through her thick tears as she realized what was happening — realized why they'd made a move at Finn. They had a white oak stake, and now, all the Mikaelsons would die.

"No, Finn, no!" Laiken shouted, her vision blurring around the edges. Her chest seemed to seize, and Laiken felt like she couldn't breathe. She tried to crawl to Finn's burning body but found her limbs weren't working. Her whole body was shutting down.

She was dying right alongside Finn.

"I hear—" Laiken choked, blood coming out as she cried. She wanted so badly to drift off, but she couldn't. She wouldn't let this be the end. "I heard a rumor..."

She couldn't hear it echo around her.

"I heard a rumor," she said again, her voice trembling, "that all the Mikaelson siblings were alive."

"I heard a rumor that nothing could kill them."

Her eyes fell shut just as the fire around Finn died out. He gasped, air filling his lungs once again. Finn coughed and rolled over, pressing his head to the concrete as he gathered his wits. Then he turned and spotted Laiken, slumped against the wall.

He rushed to her side and cradled her head gently, wiping away the blood that trickled from her nose. Only to grow more concerned when it began to leak from her eyes as well.

"Laiken? Laiken, wake up!" he shouted, holding her closer. "Wake up!"

Finn's breathing picked up and over the sounds of his oncoming panic attack, he heard something. Or rather the lack of something.

A heartbeat.