twenty-seven

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Falling Apart Again

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REBEKAH WAS definitely suspicious. The next morning, Athena had gotten a text from Klaus, asking her and Rebekah to go to the Grill. Athena wanted to leave it as a surprise but her sister knew something was up. However, the blonde had gotten Matt a new truck and Matt worked at the Grill. So, in the end, Rebekah had no choice and had to go to the Grill with her sister.

Matt was washing the bar when they arrived and Athena pushed her Rebekah encouragingly toward him, sending her a thumbs up and a smile. She went over and sat next to Klaus who was watching the scene unfold.

Rebekah placed the car keys on the countertop and Matt looked at her. "What's that?"

She smiled kindly. "The key to your new truck. It's parked outside, paid for, insured, everything but a big red bow."

"If that's your idea of an apology, you should probably give it to Elena. She's the one that you and your sister killed."

Matt swung the rag onto his shoulder and walked away. Rebekah saw the frown on her sister's face and the sly smirk on Klaus's. Her sister shrugged. "Give him some time, Bex."

Klaus shook his head. "Naw, she's just trying too hard."

In response, she slapped him upside the head. Rebekah walked over to them, narrowing her eyes at Klaus. "Athena told me you were leaving town, forever."

He got up and Athena stole his fries, stuffing one in her mouth. "Well, I was. But then I thought to myself how can I when my sister, clearly so desperate for love and affection, is left here bribing the help."

Athena threw a fry at him. "Be nice!"

Klaus rolled his eyes playfully. Rebekah refused to look him in the eye. "What do you want Nik?" She finally looked him in the eye. "I thought you didn't care about us anymore."

"Things change Rebekah. I've stumbled upon something I think might be of interest to you."

She already knew what it was and tilted her head with a fake smile. "Yes, I already know about The Five sill existing."

Klaus looked behind him at Athena who was still munching on his fries. Athena smiled mockingly and waved. "You're welcome." She got up and went over to them, wrapping her both arms around their necks. "Come on, we can be a team!"

Rebekah wasn't going to stand for it and crossed her arms over her chest. She glared at Klaus. "We don't have anything to do, Athena. He doesn't deserve our help. I don't care about The Five and I don't care about you."

"As you wish."

Klaus left them and Athena sighed, giving her sister a tired look. "Couldn't you just have given him a shot?"

"No. But if you want to help him, fine. It's your choice."

Rebekah then left and Athena flicked a piece of hair out of her eyes before following after Klaus. Even though her sister probably needed comfort, The Five could pose potential harm to her family and she had to protect them instead of running away scared.

———

Klaus led his sister into the room where Connor was chained up to a piece of wood. Athena made a face. "So much for protection." Her brother simply laughed and they both felt the presence of someone else in the room. "Turns out your security stinks, Nik."

Stefan walked out of the shadows and they turned to him. "I was gonna take him, but I figured the two of you would hunt me down." Athena smiled slightly. "What'd you get out of him?"

"Not enough," Klaus told him, walking back over to Connor. "He's mum about the Council fire and he's not saying anything about this greater evil we're all supposed to be shivering over."

Athena crossed her arms over chest and switched her gaze to Stefan. "Is there something you need, Stefan?"

He gestured toward the hunter. "Well, I can't say it in front of him. As I'm sure you've figured out, our friend here can't be compelled."

She sighed. "There's always torture." Athena grabbed Connor's jaw. "Sadly, that'll have to be a last resort."

Once she released him, the three walked out of the room and Klaus shut the door. He motioned for Stefan to explained himself. "Damon said you knew something about this guy. Now, I should have figured out that you were up to something when you healed Elena from the werewolf poison without asking for anything in return."

"I was feeling benevolent."

Athena laughed, slapping her knee with a grin. "You? Benevolent? That's good."

He didn't look impressed. Stefan suppressed a smile. They all turned solemn once more. "Who is this guy? What's the Five?"

It made her happy that she actually knew something for a change. And she knew what was so special about The Five. But, at the same time, it made her upset because once again Klaus's ulterior motive was to make Elena human again. Just so he could make more hybrids.

"You really think we're just going to tell you?"

Stefan sat down. "It's a good thing I have nothing to do today, except get answers out of you two."

Klaus didn't look too happy but knew it was a lost cause, so he just decided to tell Stefan. Athena sat down on the other couch and leaned back. Her brother walked further into the room. "Fine. You might actually be useful in persuading my sister to cooperate. "The Brotherhood of the Five was a group of highly skilled vampire hunters. We crossed paths with them in the 12th century Italy. My siblings and I had followed the Normans as they conquered the South. Feeding, turning people as we went. Rebekah had a thing for one of them."

He sat down beside his sister. Stefan looked intrigued. "So these hunters have been around for nine hundred years?"

Athena shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I was stuck in a coffin."

"And Rebekah had a thing with one of them?"

Klaus smirked, laughing slightly. "Oh, she didn't just have a thing. She fell in love with him. He told her all his secrets. Which I will gladly share with you provided you do one thing for me."

Stefan didn't look surprised. "And what's that?"

Athena sighed. "He wants you to get Rebekah. Apparently, she has information he needs or whatever. But I personally want my siblings to make up."

The Salvatore stood up. "And what's in it for me?"

"Just get her here and I'll tell you," Klaus told him. Oh, and Stefan, trust me when I say this; that hunter in there holds the answer to all your prayers."

Stefan clearly didn't know what that meant and left. Athena looked over at her brother. "You are such an ass you know that?"

Klaus smiled at her. "I'm glad you forgave me."

Athena smiled back. "Me too."

———

The dinner was awkward, to say the least. Rebekah had agreed to come and see Klaus through once she realized that it was really what Athena wanted. And course she would do anything for her sister. Stefan joined them and it was a sense of deja vu all over again.

What made the deja vu struck harder was when Rebekah refused to eat. Just like Stefan had at the last dinner before the rest of the Mikaelsons were awakened. Klaus noticed and mockingly called, "Rebekah, love, eat your veggies."

"I'm not eating until you apologize."

Athena cast a glance over at Stefan who was casually eating. He was watching as if he was witnessing a TV drama. Klaus smirked. "For which indiscretion? There have been so many."

Rebekah narrowed her eyes. "You hurt our sister's feelings."

"She threw away Elena's blood so I can't make any more hybrids."

The younger hybrid rolled her eyes and continued to cut her meat on her plate. Rebekah argued back. "She was just trying to stick up for our family."

"We made up Rebekah, get over it."

Stefan spoke up, sighing. "Let me just name the million other people I'd rather be having dinner with right now."

Athena nodded with a smile. "At least this isn't as bad as the last dinner."

Klaus saw the situation going nowhere and threw his hands up in surrender. "Alright, fine. I'm sorry. I sometimes forget how much our sister means to us. Forgive me?"

Rebekah still stared at him. "I want you to apologize to our sister. Then I'll consider it."

He looked over at Athena. "I am sorry for hurting your feelings sister. Forgive me?"

Athena pretended to think. "I don't know...ah, why not?"

Klaus smiled and Rebekah did too. Stefan nodded at the improvement. "Okay, good. Now, why don't you tell me about Rebekah's hunter?"

Her brother replied, "Right, Alexander. Nice chap foregoing the obvious issues. He was looking for creatures of the night which is why we felt quite safe around him wearing our daylight rings. He had told us he had a weapon to end all vampires."

Stefan looked confused. "So, that's what this is about? A weapon."

"Not just any weapon," Rebekah told him.

"Rebekah, love, don't get ahead of the story," Klaus scolded.

Athena twirled her fork around in her food. She wanted to tell Stefan what the weapon was. But she couldn't, that was in having Stefan here.

"How is a weapon the answer to all my prayers?" Stefan asked. None of them responded. "Okay. Why don't we just skip with the theatrics and get right to the point?"

He was determined that was for sure. Athena tsked. "You can't find the weapon without solving the puzzle. Unortunently, the puzzle has disappeared."

"What puzzle?" She gave him a look. "The tattoo. What is it?"

"A map," Klaus explained. "Leading us to its treasure."

Rebekah snapped, "Fat lot of good a tattoo's gonna do, if we can't see it."

That's when the realization struck her. Jeremy Gilbert was in the next room over, awaiting his cue. Klaus had sent one of his last hybrids to get him and Athena could fathom why. Now she knew.

Klaus replied, "We can't, but someone else can." He turned to the girl. "Why don't you tell the hybrid to bring him in, love?" The girl exited the room and her brother turned back to them. "You see, the hunter was so eager to get to the bottom of his mystery tattoos that he mentioned there was only one other person that can see them."

The hybrid entered the room, holding Jeremy in his grip. Stefan flashed toward him but Klaus was faster and flashed in front of him, blocking the way. "I wouldn't. Lucky for us, young Jeremy here, is a bit of an artist."

Jeremy glared. "I'm not helping you with anything."

His ring was taken from him by the hybrid who tossed it to Klaus. The Original smirked victoriously. "Oh, I'm afraid you are."

The Gilbert was pushed out of the room and Stefan sat back down, followed by Klaus. Stefan was now on edge considering that Jeremy's life was at stake. Athena didn't blame him. "So, tell me more about this tattoo."

"My sister's suitor was unwilling to tell us anything," Klaus explained. "Rebekah, however, was more than willing to investigate." He glanced at her. "Isn't that right?" Rebekah looked down ashamed and Athena frowned but said nothing. "My sister's boyfriend threw a slumber party that night. He and his brothers put us all down in our sleep. Elijah, Kol, Finn, and me."

He looked at Rebekah who finally looked back up. She scoffed. "How was I supposed to know?"

Athena grabbed her hand comfortingly. Rebekah let out a sigh and Klaus raised his glass. "Cheers, to my sister's uncanny ability to choose men."

"I thought the daggers didn't work on you because of your werewolf side," Stefan pointed out.

Klaus smirked. "They don't."

Athena rolled her eyes. "A.K.A. Nik slaughtered the lot."

The dinner was getting boring because they kept dodging what Stefan wanted to know. Stefan was getting fed up and Athena was just flat out bored. Deep down, she had a bad feeling. But she couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.

Klaus made a gesture toward Rebekah. "Go ahead, Rebekah. Tell him. Tell him what the hunter told you the tattoo leads to. What is this great weapon that could bring about the end of the vampire species?"

Rebekah took her time in answering. "A cure." Stefan raised an eyebrow. "He said there was a cure."

Klaus got up and they all followed him into the parlor. Stefan didn't believe them. "There is no cure for vampirism."

"We aren't lying, Stefan," Athena said softly.

"Then why wouldn't you guys have searched for it, found it?"

Klaus poured himself a drink while he answered, "Because when the hunters drew their final breath that night, the marks disappeared from their body, the map was gone, the brotherhood of the Five extinct. For nine hundred years, there was not a whisper of another hunter, until our friend in there showed up in town."

"Well, now we have the map, what do we do next?" Rebekah asked.

"We don't do anything. You can't be trusted, little sister. You'll be blabbing this secret to the first boy who calls you pretty." He laughed and Athena shook her head in disbelief. "I mean, it's pathetic, really, isn't it? How she continues to hand her heart to any man who shows her a hint of affection. You'd think she would have learned by now from the endless cycle of disappointment and deception."

Rebekah fought back. "But, I haven't, instead I stayed with you and let you leech every moment of happiness from my life! You know, at least I fared better than Finn, Klaus left him daggered because he was tired of his judgment."

"No, Finn was a dullard. He was more interesting lying in a box."

Athena glared at him. "Don't talk about Finn like that. He was our brother."

Rebekah's face fell when she realized what Athena realized not too long ago. "You want the cure for Elena, don't you? So you can go back to mass producing your hybrids. That's why you brought Stefan here because you knew that he'd help you even though he hates your guts! You know what? You can shove your cure."

Her sister walked out of the house and Athena followed after her. "Rebekah!" She didn't stop. "Rebekah, please."

The blonde stop walking and turned around. "You knew didn't you?"

"Nik isn't perfect ok? He may be obsessed with making hybrids but he does care about us."

"How blind are you?" She traveled back to Athena. "He doesn't love us like he used to, Athena. The Nik we knew is gone." Athena fought the tears and avoided her eyes. Rebekah put her hands on her cheeks. "You know I'm right. Which is why you should leave. Go and find your soulmate. At least one of us can find our happy ending."

Athena shook her head. "I can't leave you, Rebekah. He'll dagger you."

"He's going to dagger me anyway, I know it." She sighed and moved her hands to Athena's hands. "You can leave or you can stay with Nik. But do something for yourself for once. You are so pure, always trying to do what everyone else wants you to do. Promise me you will do something for yourself."

She nodded. "Okay."

Rebekah bid her farewell and Athena retreated back into the house and to her room. Hours had passed and a door closed downstairs. She went down the stairway and saw Klaus walking back into the Mansion with a grave face.

"You daggered her didn't you?"

He looked up at her and said nothing. Athena understood and nodded, going back upstairs to the safe sanctuary of her bedroom.

And to think that things couldn't fall apart any more than they already had.

———

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