The burdens of family

20

"You want us to do what?" Jonas asked the suited original. The younger original currently lay with his neck twisted at an awkward angle.
"He's already weak with vervain." Elijah tried to convince him.
"He's an original. No amount of aneurysms are going to keep him down for long." Jonas said
"He's got so much vervain in his system, I doubt he could even compel a human. All I need you to do is keep him down while I talk to him. We can't afford to have him interfere with my plans."
"Fine." Jonas said as Arkyn started to wake. As soon as he stood Jonas raised his hand, focusing on making the original hurt as much as he could.
"You don't really believe the vervain makes much of a difference." Elijah turned to Jonas, who shrugged. "Oh please stop, it tickles."
"Arkyn-"
"What was your plan? Torture me into helping you kill Niklaus?"
"No. Jonas is just an insurance policy. He's here to keep you from heading to Mystic Falls."
"Well, your little magic torture- let's call it what it is, there's no need to dress it up in fancy words- won't work."
"It should be enough to at least sting for a few minutes." Jonas said, confused.
"Maybe... maybe you're just not strong enough?" Arkyn teased. Jonas glared and took his son's hand and they both tried the spell together. "That feels like more of a relief. Thanks. Now I think I'll go. Make sure Alexis hasn't killed anyone yet." He shrugged and almost sped away but Elijah was faster and snapped his neck.
"You could've warned us he had a high tolerance for pain." Jonas glared.
"I didn't know." Elijah said. "He's always been the weakest in our family, being the youngest aside from our sister."
"I can't keep him down." Jonas said.
"And I can't be here to keep snapping his neck. Put a boundary spell around the room. That should keep for a while." Elijah ordered and the Martin warlocks nodded before getting to work.
It took an hour for them to finish. Elijah kept snapping his brother's neck, until the room was ready. He waited behind, after telling Jonas and Luka to go.
"Boundary spell? Plotting against one brother, locking up another? What happened to your honour?" Arkyn mocked.
"Like you would know a thing about honour."
"I may hate you all, but I wouldn't kill you."
"But you'd send Mikael to do the dirty work?" Arkyn stayed silent. "I wonder..." Elijah started. "Your tolerance for pain."
"Perhaps your warlock just isn't strong enough?"
"Why do you insist on-"
"Stop trying Elijah. We are not brothers. Haven't been for centuries."
"Deny it all you want, but I am your brother." Elijah said. Arkyn reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
"Amateur move." He said, sending a text. "If you want to isolate me, you don't leave me with my phone."
"You let Mikael try to kill us, yet you're standing in my way."
"You and Klaus leave destruction and waste wherever you step. You want to kill Nik, but you want to use Elena to lure him and kill him. I won't let you kill her in your quest for vengeance. I won't let you kill any of them."
"You're in love." Elijah noted. "I've never seen you this way. Who is it? Alexis?"
"You're a few centuries too late for the brotherly talk."
"And who's fault is that?" Arkyn gave him a look.
"Yours."
"I guess we have different versions."
"Story remains the same. You only ever gave a damn about Nik and Rebekah. That was fine with me, at least Kol looked out for me. But then you all became psychos. That's why I left. Or at least one of the reasons."
"Huh." Elijah scoffed. "You were just as bad as the rest of us. You can look down on us all you want, and pretend all you want but you aren't innocent, brother."
"Don't call me that."
"You're my brother. No matter what you think of me or what I think of you."
"So what is it you plan on doing. Keeping me locked up until you can execute Klaus? Then what, get one of his daggers and put it through my heart again?"
"Join me brother. Help me kill him. You've already made it clear you couldn't care less if he did. You have a week to make your choice." Elijah walked out after his ultimatum.

Arkyn tested his limits. He called Xavier.
"Hey, Ark." Xavier said. "What happened? Your message said to just pack."
"Did you?"
"No."
"Xave, this is important. Elijah's planning on killing Klaus. Which means sometime soon, he's coming to Mystic Falls. Take Alexis and head back to L.A."
"No." Alexis said.
"Lex?" Arkyn asked surprised.
"Sorry, you're on loudspeaker." Xavier explained.
"Arkyn, this is the first time we've ever seen you this happy. Bonnie makes you happy. We're not walking away that easily. You deserve to be happy."
"What Lex is trying to say, though a little too forcefully, is that we'll be fine. Klaus might be an evil creep but we can hold our own."
"I won't risk your lives. You two always come first." Arkyn argued. "So you will pack your bags and you will go home."
"Sorry, Ark. No can do." Xavier denied, and Arkyn ran his hand through his hair.
"Xavier."
"We'll wait for you here."
"Elijah's got witches. They've put me in a boundary spell. My guess is, I'm cloaked too. You won't be able to find me."
"So how are you going to get back?"
"I'll find away." He said determinedly, before softening his voice. "Please. Go back home."
"Sorry, Ark. We can't."