chapter twenty-four,

to the dining room, deciding that she'd been away long enough for her uncles to stop talking about Tatia. She walked past the room where the coffins all sat peacefully, once again itching to pull the daggers out of her family's chests.

As she stepped back into the dining room, she was shocked to see Damon standing next to the table, annoyance clear on his face. "I'm gonna get some air," he said, walking past her and out of the room.

"Let me deal with this." Elijah followed him out.

"What did you do?" Marian asked her uncle pointedly.

"I simply told him that if we leave, you leave as well," he answered. Marian gulped. She'd known that she would be leaving for a while, but was she ready now that she'd started talking to her friends more? Was she ready now that Damon had told her how he really felt about her?

"All this talk has made me thirsty," Klaus said. He looked at one of the servants, beckoning her forth. "What do you say Stefan? Can I interest you in a little after-dinner drink?" He bit into her neck, drinking from her until she fell to the floor, dead. "Delicious," he commented. "Aged to perfection."

Marian grimaced. "That's disgusting." She'd never gotten used to watching her family—or anyone for that matter—drink someone's blood. Her uncle only smiled at her.

"Well, I guess the only reason you agreed to this evening, Klaus, is to drive a wedge between me and my brother," Stefan announced.

"Oh no, you're doing that well enough on your own. Because of Elena, you're gonna lose your brother and you'll only have yourself to blame," Klaus said with an amused smile. Marian turned her head, seeing Damon and Elijah re-enter the room.

"What do you say, Klaus?" Damon asked. "It's time for you to put something on the table. We've made our offer, now you counter."

"What?" Marian asked. Damon gave her a look. Be quiet, it said.

"Okay. I offer Elena's future happiness," Klaus said. "You see, what she needs right now is to be rid of you lot. And to fall in love with a human, maybe that nice football player, you know the blond one?"

"Matt Donovan? Really?" Damon said.

"Yeah, why not? They'll marry, live a long and fruitful life, and pop out a perfect family."

"And continue the Petrova bloodline. Every few hundred years, you'll have a new doppelgänger to drain and never run out of hybrids, right Klaus?" Stefan added.

"Consider it a small return on my investment in her wellbeing. See, after you hand me back the coffin, I'll ensure her safety for the rest of her natural life. You know it's what's best for her." Klaus walked over to Stefan. "So, what do you say Stefan, hmm? Do we have a deal?"

"What are you doing?" Damon asked as his brother walked towards the hybrid, grabbing his hand.

"Nice try, Klaus," Stefan said. "But no deal."

Marian gasped in horror as Klaus broke Stefan's arm and leg, pushing his hand into the fireplace. It started to burn. Damon tried to rush forward only to be pushed against a wall by Elijah.

"What are you doing?" Damon exclaimed. "Stop!"

"Now, bring me my coffin before I burn him alive," Klaus threatened.

"I'll get it," Damon said, defeated.

Klaus nodded to Elijah. "Go with him, brother. You keep him honest. And when you return, I will make good on my promise to you and I will hand over our family."

"What the hell is in that coffin?" Marian muttered, lifting her arm to use her magic to try and pull Stefan's arm out of the fire.

"Go ahead and kill me. I know you'll do it when he brings the coffin," Stefan forced out. Marian pushed further, eventually forcing Klaus to push his hand away from the fireplace.

"You really have given up, haven't you?" Klaus realised. "Where's the fight? Where's the ripper?" He pushed Stefan challengingly, who pushed back.

"Stop it!" Marian huffed in annoyance. Suddenly, she crumbled to the ground, a sharp pain stabbing through her heart. She felt as if she couldn't breathe, her uncle and Stefan falling silent as she choked on air.

Klaus rushed to her side, leaving Stefan behind him. "What's wrong?" he rushed. "What's happening?"

"I—I don't know!" she gasped, panicking.

"Breathe, Marian," he ordered.

The girl was confused; she'd felt this pain numerous times before, both when her father had been daggered and undaggered.

She slowly felt her heart rate slow down, her body accepting more air as she struggled to breathe less. She said nothing as Klaus stood quickly, seeing Elijah and Damon walk back into the room with the other female servant, carrying a tray. Marian stared in disbelief at Elijah as she saw that there was a cloth covering the tray. He refused to look at her.

Damon however looked down at her both confused and concerned, having heard her yelp from the other room.

Klaus faltered. "Elijah ... why haven't you left?"

"Where are you manners, brother? We forgot dessert," Elijah said coolly, lifting the cover from the tray. Marian's heart skipped a beat when she saw two daggers lying on it. She'd been right; the pain she'd felt was because Kol had been undaggered.

"Oh my God," she whispered in disbelief, looking up at Damon. He sent her a small smile.

"What have you done?" Klaus asked in horror.

"What have you done? You see, I've learned not to trust your vulgar promises, Klaus. We're doing this on my terms now."

The girl's heart stopped when she saw her father step into the room, his hair slightly messy. His face held pure anger as he walked forward, glaring at his brother.

"Kol," Klaus choked.

"Long time, brother." Marian barely noticed when her uncle appeared, stabbing Klaus through the hand with a dagger, ignoring his brother's cries not to, nor did she care when Rebekah stabbed him with her own dagger, for in front of her was her father, and she could barely comprehend anything else.

Klaus fell back into Kol's arms as Rebekah pulled the dagger out, being restrained as Elijah looked toward the Salvatore brothers. "You're free to go," he said. "This is family business." Marian felt a tug on her sleeve. Looking up, she saw Damon gesturing for her to follow him. He and Elijah had spoken about this and agreed that it could be too dangerous for her to be there when her family was seeking revenge. "The girl stays."

Kol's grip on his brother faltered as he looked to see who his brother was speaking to, his eyes widening as they landed on his daughter. She looked different, younger, but she was still his.

"Marian?" He pushed Klaus towards his angry sister, his arms hanging by his side. She smiled, rushing towards him, pulling him into a tight embrace. "Marian?" he said again. He hugged her tightly before placing a kiss on the top of her head. "Marian." He couldn't help but say her name over and over, each time with an increased sense of joy, afraid that it wasn't real and was only a dream.

"It's me," she sobbed into his chest. She couldn't believe it. "I'm here."

...

Marian stayed with her father, holding his hand as each of the Mikaelson siblings stood around the dining room. She was afraid that if she let go, he'd disappear, unaware that he worried about the same thing.

"I like what you've done with the new place, Nik," Rebekah remarked, throwing a vase harshly into a painting.

"I wanted it to be for all of us," Klaus said through his teeth. "A place we could all call home. A place we could all be a family. None of us would ever have to be alone again." He looked up at Marian pleadingly. She looked to the floor.

"Well you're right, none of us will be," Elijah said.

"You're staying behind," Finn announced.

"We're leaving you, Nik. Right after I kill that doppelgänger wench, then you will be alone. Always and forever." Marian looked up at Rebekah, shocked at the hatred her aunt was displaying.

"Marian?" She closed her eyes, the sound of his voice breaking making her feel guilty. She didn't know that any of this would happen, but she'd go along with it if it meant she could be with her father.

"You," she began, trying to find the right words. "You tore our family apart because you were afraid that they'd leave you when you knew they wouldn't. What did you think was going to happen?"

"You took me away from my daughter for almost one hundred years," said Kol. "You don't deserve to be around her anymore."

"If you run, I will hunt all of you down," Klaus threatened. Marian jumped at his sudden change in attitude. Kol's hand tightened around hers.

"Then you'll become everything you hate," Elijah said calmly. "Our father." A chill went down Marian's spine.

"I'm the hybrid!" shouted Klaus. "I can't be killed! I have nothing to fear from any of you."

"You will when we have that coffin," Elijah responded.

Marian's head turned quickly at the sound of the doors opening behind them. She froze in shock as a woman walked through it and towards them.

"Mother?" asked Rebekah in disbelief.

She walked toward Klaus. He avoided looking at her, Marian noticed.

"Look at me!" she demanded. Klaus obliged. "Do you know why I'm here?"

"You're here to kill me," her son said, tears in his eyes.

"Niklaus, you are my son and I am here to forgive you." Esther turned around to face the others. "I want us to be a family again."

Kol took Marian's hand, pulling her away from the room. As happy as he was to see that his mother was indeed alive, he couldn't help the resentment he held for her overwhelm him. Esther had been a good mother to him and had always kept him safe from Mikael's wrath, but she had also taken away his magic—his identity—and for that, he couldn't forgive her.

"What are you doing?" Marian asked him, confused.

"I can't be in there any longer," he told her. Not only had his mother betrayed him, but his siblings had forced him and his daughter apart. He was glad of their plan to split and go their separate ways; that way he would get to spend much more uninterrupted time with her. Marian nodded after a moment. "How are you? What have I missed? Elijah only told me of his plan and something about Mikael being dead."

The witch looked down, slightly embarrassed. "I... killed him," she muttered.

"What?" It wasn't that he hadn't heard her—his enhanced hearing had made sure of that—it was that his daughter had always been so reluctant to bring death upon any creature.

"He almost killed Nik," she explained. "And he was all I had." Hearing her voice break slightly forced Kol to pull her forward, hugging her tightly.

"I'm so sorry," he said. "I never should've tried to make that dagger. It was stupid and reckless—"

"It's okay," Marian told him.

"But it got you killed."

She took a deep breath. "But I'm here now," she said slowly. "I'm alive and healthy and happy that you're finally back here with me after all this time."

Kol frowned. "What year is it?" he asked, pulling away from her. Marian had totally forgotten that he had no idea what time he'd been reawakened in. "By the looks of your clothing, I've been in that blasted box for at least fifty years."

"October twenty-first," Marian said. "Two-thousand-and-ten."

"Bloody hell!" Kol exclaimed, rubbing his hands over his face. "Nearly a hundred years!"

"But you're back now," she said softly, trying to calm him down. She placed a hand on his. "And we're together." A smile slowly found its way onto his face.

"And just in time for your birthday."

Marian grinned. "I couldn't ask for a better gift."

*internally squealing* eeeeeeekkkkk!!! this is the longest chapter yet! and omg i'm so excited for the kol and marian content it's gonna be so cute!!!

part ii:

tvd s3, e13, ""

wc: