𝐇𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐈𝐊 𝐌𝐈𝐊𝐀𝐄𝐋𝐒𝐎𝐍, 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫

Chapter 4

The entire group was in shock. They had listened to the tape that Bonnie had secretly recorded and they were trying to process what had been said. "I can't believe this.. Klaus had siblings?" Elena asked in a breathless rush. She could hardly believe what she had heard and it was hard for her to come to terms with the fact that Jeremy was actually Klaus's brother but reincarnated.

She had asked Bonnie to tell Jeremy and she hoped that Jeremy would tell her something about his past life. Thankfully that happened, just as she expected. She felt bad for using her friend in order to get close to her brother but it was the only way. Bonnie was the only one who he trusted.

"You can't make this up, can you? Klaus had siblings. What were their names again, apart from Jeremy?" Damon asked. "Finn, Elijah, Kol and Rebekah" Caroline said. She had been listening intently, not really commenting until now. She couldn't believe the fact that Elena and Bonnie were using Jeremy in order to get information. She sighed softly, not particularly in favour of their methods of information gathering but what other choice they have? Jeremy wouldn't tell them anything willingly hence why they recruited Bonnie to do so.

"So what happens now?" she asked at last, looking at the group. "Well, obviously we keep Jeremy away from Klaus and his other siblings. We don't want him going off with any of them at any cost," Stefan said as if it was the most obvious thing in the universe.

But it was too late. Jeremy was taking a walk through the woods of Mystic Falls when he accidentally bumped into someone. That someone whirled around and growled then gasped, backing away as if they were burnt. Jeremy almost screamed but no words came out of his mouth.

"Niklaus?" he whispered softly as if he was saying a Saints name, innocent, pure and reverent. He couldn't believe what he was seeing but he was seeing his older brother right in front of his. The man from his dreams was in the flesh and he thought for a few moments if he was dreaming - if it was a cruel trick. The name rolled perfectly off his tongue. He had been waiting for this moment to say his name when he saw him. His wait was over.

The memories were coming back to the elder man and he stumbled back, looking as if he was going to vomit from the sensation that was pressing down on his chest. He couldn't believe it. His reincarnated little brother was standing in front of him in the flesh, looking at him so hopefully.

The language he spoke stunned him and he could hardly breathe. An imaginary pressure was pushing down on his throat. He hadn't heard that dialect since they were human over a thousand years ago. How strange yet so right it was to hear his brother speak his name in their native tongue.

He was afraid suddenly. He at first thought it was a trick - a vision sent from an evil witch in order to weaken him and to lure him into their traps, but deep down he knew it was true. He had truly been reincarnated. As the doppelgangers little brother. No wonder Ayanna's expression was peaceful when he brought his body to his family. He had suffered abuse that night.. That night would change everything. He felt it was all his fault, partly because he couldn't stop him in time. Everyone had been divided because of the death. A part of their family died with Henrik that night.

The mother's wailing of anguish and sorrow rang out as she cradled her youngest sons' body. She cried out to the gods to bestow life upon him once again. He didn't deserve this. He was only 10 years old and his life had been ripped away from him by the cruel claws of the beats of the full moon. "Please Ayanna!" she rawly sobbed, her vision blurry because of the fresh tears falling from her eyes.

"Can you bring him back?!" she screamed in panic as if she were mad. Her husband just scoffed. "There's nothing we can do!" he snapped, hate dripping from his voice. Ayanna just shook her head, sorrowful. "The spirits won't allow it," she whispered softly and turned to leave the family to grieve in peace.

From the house, she whispered softly. "All is not lost.. The gods will grant him a second chance. An innocent life was harshly taken away. They won't get away with this.."

Niklaus Mikaelson was never afraid. He hadn't been afraid of anything for years, save for this psychotic father who was hunting them down for centuries. He swallowed audibly. He was suddenly very worried. How did this happen? He heard footsteps come up closer towards him and he looked down. Two feet were in front of him. He looked up. His reincarnated little brother was looking right in his eyes, unflinching and unafraid.

People were usually afraid of him when they met him but his brother looked at him with nothing but love and longing in his eyes and he felt like he could cry. He suddenly felt so insecure - what would happen if he told him everything? Would he lose his long lost brother once again when he had only just found him?

"Henrik.." he whispered brokenly and gave him a bone crushing hug that the other immediately returned, clutching onto the older like a lifeline, never letting him go. "Niklaus I'm so sorry brother.. I should have listened, it's all my fault!" he sputtered out suddenly, leaning his weight onto the elder man for support as the emotions overwhelmed him. Klaus couldn't keep his tears at bay and he wept freely, keeping his brother close towards his body as if he would disappear in that moment if he dared to let him go.

He had his brother in his arms once more for the first time in over a thousand years. It was worth it. A thousand years was nothing for the immortal hybrid. He cupped his brothers' face in his hands and wiped the tears away from his soft cheeks, gazing at him with nothing but love in his eyes.

"Henrik. Listen to me. It's not your fault. You were adventurous and you were young. What happened was devilish and all those wolves were killed that night. Nobody saw it coming but your death was avenged that night, little brother. No cursed creature of the night will come after you ever again," he vowed with strong conviction in his voice. It was strange to be talking in his native language once more but he felt that this would be the right way to communicate with him.

It was somewhat sacred almost - shared only between them and nobody else. It hurt him to call wolves cursed - he was one himself. But the same creature that he was caused his death. How could he tell him about what he was? And his other siblings. Fresh tears threatened to fall but he forced them back. Showing so much emotion wasn't normal for him. He just embraced his brother once more and uttered,

"Welcome back, brother."