The bonds of family

4

"Ark!" Rebekah tried to move to her twin but Klaus stood in front of him. She stopped in her tracks. "You bastard!"
"That's right. Keep the insults coming."
"I have this, now." She held up the stake. "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?"
"I did not want you dead. I wanted you to run."
"Liar! You wanted revenge."
"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."
"Where is Marcel now, hmm? I thought he loved you, and yet he left you trapped in here with me." He scoffed, as he sauntered tauntingly to her. "You against me. It's hardly a fair fight, is it? I mean, perhaps, if Marcel were here, you'd stand a chance, but I expect he's already found another girl. No doubt younger and prettier."
"You take joy in other people's pain, and then you wonder why I hate you." She said backing away, as he continued to stride over, leaving Arkyn to writhe in pain.
"Yes, and that hatred led you to do what you did. Admit the truth. Admit you wanted me dead."
"I wanted you to run, that is all, despite your delusions."
"Arkyn lies suffering, and I will allow you to help him. All you have to do is admit it." He pressed.
"You're insane."
"Yes! Yes! I am a vicious, heartless monster, and so you summoned Mikael to kill me. Admit it."
"It's not true."
"You know what you did. Admit it."
"I didn't."
"You wanted me dead! Admit it."
"Maybe I did." She said softly, before realising she'd spoken aloud. "Nik-" Klaus looked hurt and broken, his worst fears confirmed, and stabbed her with the white oak stake. Hearing his sister gasp in pain, Arkyn found the strength to overcome the pain he suffered and pulled out the blade. He sped over, seeing Rebekah with the stake in her chest. He pulled the stake out of her and sped at Klaus, angrily, shoving him against a tomb, aiming the stake at Klaus's chest.
"Ark-"
"I have refrained from using this stake on you for a century, but you're never going to change."
"She's not dead." Klaus stopped him and Arkyn froze. "You really think so low of me?"
"Is that so hard to believe?" He got off, dropping the stake. "God, I can't deal with you. We never know what's going to set you off. Your temper tantrums, and your paranoia- it's maddening."
"Arkyn-" Arkyn shook his head as Klaus broke off and knelt down by his sister. Klaus was right, she wasn't dead. He sat by her side, until she woke up, as Klaus left them alone. When she revived, she sat up, hugging him.
"Hello, brother." She smiled.
"Hello, sister."

They sat together for a little longer before Arkyn stood, helping his sister up. She looked uncertain as she walked in the direction Klaus had. Arkyn leaned against another tomb as Elijah approached him.
"You're hurt." He said.
"I'm fine."
"What happened?"
"What does it matter?"
"Arkyn, I'm sorry."
"Well then, I guess that makes everything okay."
"Far from it. When you helped Katerina, I was upset. Even a little jealous. I wanted to be her hero. I wanted to save her life, but you beat me to the punch."
"Everything I told Katerina, I compelled away. I didn't tell her Klaus was hunting her, she found out. Yes, maybe I diverted you and Klaus, gave her a chance to run. And after she turned, maybe I did help her hide and run from Klaus. She was my friend, of course I would help her."
"After she turned, she turned to you for help. Not me."
"And your ego couldn't handle that?"
"I was wrong."
"Yes, you were."
"I was angry and Niklaus was angry so we took it out on you."
"You made me suffer. For decades, I was stuck between life and death, paralysed and dying over and over and over again. Standing by and letting it happen was one thing, but you helped him." Arkyn walked away from his brother.

He stood at the gate, listening to Rebekah and Klaus's conversation. Eventually she joined him, leaving behind Klaus. She wrapped her arms around him and he hugged her back, the two of them both needing comfort.
"Thank you, Arkyn." She said. "For coming."
"You're my family, Bex."
"How's Lex?"
"Same old Lex. I think the clean break was good for both of us."
"I'm glad. And Xavier?"
"He's doing well at college. We go up to visit him every now and then." He shrugged.
"Marcel said he met you. A couple summers back."
"Yeah. I was with- with Bonnie."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Well, you were daggered and I didn't really care much for your New Orleans past to spill into my present. Then you were undaggered and, I'll be honest, I don't like him. So I didn't say anything, then there was the whole Mikael thing, then you were daggered, then there was mother.." he trailed off.
"You don't know Marcel."
"I've heard enough. And he did try to threaten me." Rebekah looked away and he sighed as his phone began to rang. "It's Lex." He told her, answering.
"Please tell me you're on your way back." She groaned.
"Not yet. Everything okay?"
"I am about five seconds away from sneaking out of the window."
"What's going on?"
"Her magic lessons suck!"
"Hand the phone over to Ruby."
"No! Then she'll know I tattled."
"She's your grandmother!"
"Just help me get out of this, would you?"
"Alexis, it's the middle of the night. Why aren't you asleep?"
"Ruby thinks the cover of the night is the best setting for certain spells. I think she just wants to teach me while you're away."
"It's a school night. Tell her you need sleep and get to bed."
"With pleasure. But please be here by afternoon."
"Promise." He hung up.