The bonds of family

33

Arkyn headed to the bell tower but found his siblings weren't there. He called Kol who told him where he was. The cemetery.
"Ark." Kol stood up when his brother walked in.
"Well, I haven't abandoned you in a thousand years, I'm not about to now."
"Not counting the three hundred years you've spent away from our family." Rebekah muttered.
"Yeah, minus that." Rebekah caught the look Kol and Arkyn exchanged.
"Wait, what was that?" She asked.
"What was what?" Arkyn asked innocently.
"That look... were you two in touch the whole time?"
"No." Arkyn said.
"Yes." Kol said at the same time.
"Not the whole time." Arkyn shrugged. "Not when he was daggered."
"And I never got so much as a hello?"
"Bex, be honest. What were the chances that you would have told Nik or Elijah that I reached out?"
"I could've kept it a secret." She crossed her arms.
"Would you have?"
"Maybe." Kol snorted. "Maybe not, but this isn't about me. You didn't even let me know you were okay."
"I'm sorry Rebekah. If I ever leave again, I will make sure to let you know I'm alive every so often." Arkyn said. She grinned.
"Good." He rolled his eyes. "So where did you go?"
"I actually talked to Caroline."
"Ugh, not you too. Haven't you learned your lesson with Bonnie? That Mystic Falls lot are a more trouble than they're worth."
"Is Matt Donovan included in that?" He countered and she glared at him. "Besides, Caroline and I are just friends."
"Exactly. Ark's got a girlfriend of his own right here in New Orleans."
"Caitlyn and I are just friends. There is nothing romantic between us."
"Why not? You're her hero, swooping in to save her twice in a matter of months."
"Twice? Who's this Caitlyn?"
"She's Cami's sister, and a friend. Kol doesn't understand the term because he's never had one."
"When was the second time you saved her? I only recall one." Klaus said walking in.
"The first time Ark met her." Kol continued, oblivious to his brother's warnings. "He saved her from-"
"A coffee cart." Arkyn cut in. "It got away from the owner and almost hit her. I pulled her out of the way in time. She likes to tease me about it."
"No, I'm talking about the-"
"Coffee cart. Yeah, I think he gets it. And we don't have time to be standing around like this. Isn't Finn out on the loose right now?"
"We can talk about it later, then." Klaus said and handed over a bag to Kol. "Mystical artefacts and dark objects galore, from my own personal collection garnered over a thousand years." Kol looked through the back, pulling out various objects.
"I wondered where this had gone! Half this stuff is mine!"
"There's more." Klaus ignored him, pulling out a blade and adding it to the bag. He then pulled out his white oak stake.
"You're going to trust me with this?" Kol asked
"Whatever you need." He put the stake in Kol's hand. "Whatever it takes."
"Alright. Let's get started." Kol nodded.

Kol and Rebekah began channelling the dark objects, adding the extra power to Mikael and Esther.
"Los triforce comète." They chanted until Kol's nose began to bleed.
"Kol?" Arkyn called.
"I'm fine, don't worry about me." Kol shook his head. "We're close, we just need something to put it over the top."
"Channel me." Arkyn offered.
"Ark, I can't-"
"Sure, you can. You can't exhaust yourself anymore. You'll die, and I am not going to lose you sooner than I have to. Or at all, if I can help it."
"Take me." Klaus offered, instead. "I am a vampire werewolf hybrid with ten centuries of blood on my hands. Channel me."
"No, Nik-" Kol
"You wanted my trust. Here it is." He picked up the knife and placed it in Kol's hand. "Do not fail me, brother." Kol nodded and grabbed the blade, carving the symbol onto Klaus's forehead. He held hands with Rebekah again, and began chanting. Arkyn watched on worriedly, taking note of the exhaustion on Kol's face. He closed his eyes, channelling as much power as he could. Both Kol and Rebekah yelled in pain with all the magic, until they were thrown back. Arkyn sped to Kol's side.
"Kol!" He called. He heard Rebekah sit up.
"I'm fine too, thank you for asking."
"You're not the one dying because you were cursed by our psycho brother." He said.
"I'm fine." Kol sat up, nudging his brother away, gently. Arkyn ignored him and helped him up. Rebekah moves over to them grinning at Kol.
"You're a genius! You glorious bastard!"
"Well," he shrugged. "I'm a little surprised it worked, myself."
"I'm not." Arkyn smiled at his brother, who  rolled his eyes but didn't bother hiding his grin. All of a sudden, Kol began coughing harshly, backing away from his siblings as he doubled over. Arkyn stepped forward, comfortingly.
"Kol?" He called as he continued to cough.
"Listen. We are not going to let you die. You hear me? Whatever it takes." Rebekah said, confidently.