I didn’t know what to think, or what to do. All I knew is that I have to tell my twin. Then I have to protect my former girlfriend from his wrath. Just because I’m mad at her, doesn’t mean I am going to let him kill her. I love her. I don’t understand it, I thought we said no secrets. And why did she want to kill Nik? Sure he’s a pain in the arse, but he is my best friend. He wouldn’t try to hurt her. So, why does she want to hurt him?

At the Compound I hear the sound of things being broken. The second I step through the door, Nik is by my side and I am bombarded with questions. “What happened? Are you okay? Who hurt you? I will skin them with my bare hands.”

“Mikael is alive. The Ancestors used Davina to bring him back. She wants to kill you.” I told him, my voice emotionless as I try to block out all of the bone infesting pain that I am feeling. “Oh, and she has him on a leash as well as the white oak stake.”

“I will kill her!” He roared in anger. I grabbed him by the neck and sped him against a wall.

“You will not move a hair out of place on her.” I glared at him, my Hybrid face coming out as I held him in my grip. He struggled but I only tightened my grip on his neck, using my body to pin his to the wall. He couldn’t move.

“She brought Mikael back!” My twin snarled at me in disbelief, his own Hybrid face coming out.

“I know that!” I snapped at him. “It’s over between us. Now, I can survive in a world without her by my side, but I can’t live in a world without her.” I snarled back and he pushed me of him, making me fly through the Compound.

“What about me?” He roared in outrage. I got up and sped to him, seeing the worry and fear in his eyes. “What if she decides to make good on her threat and she sends Mikael to kill me? To kill you?”

“Is this really about me or your sense of self-preservation?” I challenged, raising my eyebrows with my hands on my hips.

“It’s about that little witch of yours that is out of control!” He spat at me and before I knew it, I was speeding forward and hit him in the jaw.

“That was for throwing me across the courtyard.” I punched him again, blood sprouting from his nose. “That was for insinuating that I control Davina. I don’t control her, I’m in love with her. There is a big difference.”

“If you love her so much, why are you here?” My blonde brother snarled at me, his eyes glaring. If I was anyone else, it wouldn’t have been spotted. It’s been present in his eyes since the day Davina and I started dating. The fear of me leaving him for Davina.

“Because you are my twin. My best friend. My gossip buddy. And I have loved you a whole lot longer than I have her. Just like you have me. Now, Niklaus, I will stand by your side if she comes for you but make no mistake, I will never forgive you if you harm her.” I told him, my voice softening, but still stern enough for him to know I'm serious, as I walked to him. He looked at the ground for a long time, then he lifted his head and our identical blue eyes locked. A smile tugged at his lips.

“Always and Forever?” He asked, his voice seeming less like the monstrous Klaus Mikaelson everyone knows and more like the Niklaus I protected when Mikael wanted to beat him. I grinned softly at him.

“Always and Forever.” I promised, wrapping my arms around him and hugging him tightly.

“Now that we’ve cleared up that Niklaus, and I assume the rest of us as well, is not allowed to touch Davina, can you please tell us what you wanted tell me but wouldn’t divulge over the phone?” Elijah asked from behind us and I rolled my eyes, pulling away from him just in time to see Nik rolling his eyes as well.

“It would seem that our mother is back from the grave as well.” Nik informed me and I scoffed.

“The hits just keep on coming.” I muttered and flicked my tongue arcross my teeth. “Is this how our life is going to be from now on, peace and quiet for a six months then a whole lot of shit again?” I asked with a roll of my eyes.

“It would seem that way. Now, can we please get on with the plan to get the stake back? I’d like to have the weapon that can destroy us back in our hands before we go up against mother.” Elijah told us, the distaste for our mother clear in his voice.

“I don’t know. Usually I just threaten to get people to agree to my terms. That is, unfortunately, completely out of the question in this case.” My twin said with a fond grin in my direction. I stuck my tongue out at him.

“Yes, whatever shall you do without being able to use excessive force, Niklaus?” My dark haired brother teased our blonde brother. I snorted as I saw the sour look Nik gave to Elijah.

“You mock me, Elijah, I’d like to see how you are going to get the stake back. What are you going to do? Wine and dine her? Sorry to tell you this, but she is in love with my twin.” I sighed as I listened to their banter and decided to leave. They’d stop eventually. I walked up to my room and tears filled my eyes I spotted a shirt of hers laying on the chair. The whole room reeked of her scent – strawberries and cream. My heart clenched in my chest and the pain burned through my entire being as I spotted a picture of us standing on my bedside table.

I speed out of the room and into Nik’s. I closed the door and sunk down against it, tears falling down my face. I brought my legs up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. Sobs started to come of out of throat and my shoulders shook. Then my whole body started to shake as I cried. I cried so hard that it felt like I was going to fall into a million pieces just like my heart is.

Hands picked me up and arms pulled me into a lap. The familiar scent registered in my brain. Nik. I gripped his shirt tightly in my hands and I cried, sobs racking my body as he held me, rubbing a comforting hand up and down my back. “It’s okay, Lexie.” He whispered, his own voice sounding pained. “You break, I’ll be here for you. Every step of the way.”

***

When I woke up the next morning, I wasn’t in my own room and I was thankful beyond relief. I don’t think I could handle being around her scent but not actually having her with me. The odd thing was that I am in pajamas. Nik wouldn’t have don’t it, even after a thousand years of living together, he still finds it disrespectful towards me. I was walking down the stairs and my eyebrows rose as I saw the different array of fruit and other breakfast foods. I spotted Hayley munching happily on them.

“Morning Hayley.” I greeted and she immediately turned to me. I have her a small smile in return for the beaming on she shot me.

“You know, I’d wish he’d do all of this for me.” She said sadly after a few seconds of silence.

I gave her an inquisitive look, “Who?”

“Klaus.” The Hybrid girl sighed. “He did this for you, you know.” I internally cursed my twin for being such an asshole. It’s clear they both have feelings for each other, they are just to stupid and afraid to do something about it. Maybe I should lock them in a room and not open it until they confess their love. Maybe not. I didn’t need two lovebirds around my broken heart right now.

“Well, when it comes to girls, ones that isn’t myself, Nik doesn’t know how to swim in the sensitivity pool. Like, at all.” I remarked, giving her a pointed look and she chuckled.

“Maybe he should take some lessons from you. I mean, if how you treat Da-” She stops talking, her eyes widening as she realized what she said. I winced at the mention of her name, the pain my heart surging through my entire body.

“It’s fine, Hayley, truly. I don’t expect you to walk on eggshells around me.” I told her, giving her a quick, small and weak smile.

“So, which restaurant’s missing a compelled chef?” I heard her ask, abruptly changing the subject and I spotted my twin coming down the stairs. I rolled my eyes as he avoided her eyes. These two. Honestly. They are now in the stage of the relationship that they are realizing their feelings for one another and are scared shitless by it. Can’t blame them, I was too. My mood plummeted even further as I thought about my wrecked relationship. I took a deep breath and pushed it from my mind.

“It’s wouldn’t have been Nik. If he wants to make breakfast for me, he makes it from scratch. He doesn’t compel someone to do it.” I informed her matter-of-factly as my twin walked up to us.

“Lexie is right and it's certainly a card I've played in the past, but I had no hand in this...”He answered, clearly confused and gestures to the food on the table for emphasis. I frowned, this is getting a little weird.

“Hmm. Well, then, I guess we have Elijah to thank?” The mother of my twin’s child asks with a shrug. Elijah returns to the compound and joins us in the courtyard. He looks confused as well, noticing the breakfast on the table.

“This wasn't my doing...” My eldest living brother denies and my frown deepened. If he didn’t do it, Nik didn’t do it and I certainly didn’t do it, then where in the bloody hell did all of this food come from?

Hayley frowned as well, “Then, where did this all come from?”

“Maybe Davina sent it as an apology.” Nik suggested innocently and I threw a bread roll at his face.

“What she did cannot be fixed with a breakfast. I don’t know if it can be fixed at all, if I’m honest. My point is that she knows better.” I denied, shaking my head as I eyed the food with weariness. Suddenly, the silver lid on the platter suddenly begins to rattle, which startles Hayley and Elijah so much that they jump in fright for a moment. I would have laughed if I wasn’t so freaked out by this. I glanced at my twin, relieved to see that he looks uneasy as well. I shrugged at him and we both stick out our hands and lifts the platter together, which releases two starlings that fly up toward the ceiling, causing us to reflexively duck to avoid being hit.

Starlings. The bird my mother used to make me and Nik feel safe. Then it all started to fall together. My mother. Esther. This was all her doing. Nerves swirled in my stomach.

“What the hell was that?” Hayley asked, looking unnerved. My blonde brother reaches for the card that was on the plate and opens it. I step to him, curious as to what it says. It reads, ‘Dinner, Your Home, 8PM’.

“An invitation from our mother.” He said in a tone void of emotion. So he figured out the message with the starlings as well.

“Oh fucking hell!” I swore, glaring at the table and so unbelievable angry for a moment that I take the table and throw it across the courtyard, food flying in all directions. My chest heaved up and down, and I saw my three siblings watching me with weariness. Hayley had some fear in her eyes. “Sorry.” I apologized before speeding out of the Compound and to Rousseau’s.

***

I sat down at the bar and waved the bartender over. Ordering, or compelling, a bottle of vodka I took out my phone as it buzzed in my pocket again. I sighed when I saw it was Davina calling. I rejected and looked at the lock screen. 106 missed calls. 63 messages. What part of ‘it’s over’ doesn’t she get? I threw the phone down on the counter. She called again.

“What do you want, Davina? If you want to break my heart some more, I hate to break it to you but there isn’t anything left for you to break.” I answered her, glaring at the table.

“I just wanted to tell you that Cassie approached me today. It- it was really weird. And I know I shouldn’t call you because we’re not together anymore,” She took a deep breath, clearly just as affected by other break-up as me. “But, I just, I needed to hear your voice. I know I’m being selfish, Aleksios, I know. It’s just, she told me that I need to watch my back and that we will be seeing more of each other in future because we have someone in common. Thing is, I don’t have anyone in common with her.” My ex-girlfriend rambled and I could hear the fear in her voice. I clenched my open fists. If my mother goes near the love of my life, I will hunt her down.

“Yes, you do.” I pinched with bridge of my nose in annoyance.

“Who?” She asked, clearly confused.

“Me.” I admitted, taking a big swig of the vodka when the bartender put it down in front of me. “Cassie, isn’t quite Cassie. My mother took over her body. So, it wasn’t Cassie threatening you, it was my mother, Esther.”

I heard her gasp, “I’m sorry.” I heard the double meaning behind her words. It was about more than just Cassie.

“It’s a little late for sorry, Davina.”

***

Here you go! I hope you enjoyed it.

Vote and comment if you did.

-Mixie