Tiberius Salvatore: The eldest brother

42

"I like what you've done with the new place Nik." Rebekah complimented.
"I wanted it to be for all of us. 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." Klaus sounded, just a bit vulnerable.
"Well you're right, none of us will be." Elijah said.
"You're staying behind." Finn finished.
"We're leaving you, Nik. Right after I kill that doppelgänger wench, then you will be alone. Always and forever."
"Rebekah? Can you go a day, without thinking about killing anyone? Including Elena?"
"Imagining her death is one of the few things that keeps me going through the day. It's incredibly gruesome and relaxing."
"You and I have different definitions of relaxing. You need a new hobby."
"I'm not familiar with that word." Finn chimed in. "What does it mean?"
"Hobby? It's like a pastime." Rebekah tried.
"No clue. I was daggered for the past 900 years."
"It's a form of entertainment. Something to do in your spare time."
"Rio, you say your name is?"
"Yes. You're Finn, am I right?"
"Yes. So what made you befriend my brother?"
"I came to him as a new vampire. We became friends, and were together for like half a century and saw each other on off for the next century."
"Oh. So you weren't tortured?" Rio chuckled.
"Being his friend is torture enough."
"Rio!" Klaus protested. 
"Just speaking the truth, Klaus." Rio turned to the rest of the Mikaelsons. "Are you guys sure you have to leave. Klaus does care about you guys. You know, deep down?"
"Of course. I haven't forgiven him for murdering our mother." Rebekah scowled.
"Come on, Bex. You care about Klaus, and yeah sure he's done unspeakable things- we all know that."
"We're leaving, Rio. This is one family spat you can't fix." Elijah said sadly.
"If you run, I will hunt all of you down." Klaus threatened.
"Not helping." Rio said in a sing-song voice.
"Then you'll become everything you hate. Our father." Once again, his words fell on deaf ears.
"I am the hybrid! I can't be killed! I have nothing to fear from any of you."
"You will when we have that coffin." The door opened. Everyone turned around and gasped as a blonde lady walked in.
"Mother?" Rebekah gaped. The woman, Esther, walked up to Klaus. He avoided looking at her.
"Uh-oh. Shit just got real." 
"Look at me!" She demanded at Klaus. "Do you know why I'm here?"
"You're here to kill me." Klaus said softly. Rio moved closer to Klaus, protectively.
"Niklaus, you are my son and I am here to forgive you. I want us to be a family again."
"Aww." Rio couldn't help himself.
"Shut it with the commentary." Klaus hissed at him.
"But this is such a touching, but weird, moment."
"You're an idiot." Esther cleared her throat at the two vampires.
"Mother!" Rebekah repeated, this time happy.
"Oh, Rebekah. Darling," Esther turned to face her daughter, arms outstretched. Rebekah ran into them.
"How- but- you- I?" Rebekah couldn't find the right words.
"It's a long story. I'll tell you all about it later. Finn, Elijah, Kol." Esther smiled fondly. "Klaus. Come here, join the hug."

"I want to thank you," Esther said to Rio once she pulled him aside. "For years you helped Klaus hold onto his humanity. You changed him- in a way. You stopped him from making the worst choices."
"Um.. your welcome. I think?"
"You're wondering how I know."
"Yes?" He was thrown off. He didn't know what to think. Klaus had told him about their mother and coupled with his own bad experience with his mother, he wasn't so trusting. But on the other hand, he wanted to be happy for his best friend.
"I was on the other side and I used that time to keep up with my children."
"You stalked your kids?"
"That might be a strong term-"
"That's what it's called."
"Alright, alright. I guess. So um, either way- I want to thank you. Had you not been there for him, I'm sure there would have been a lot more victims. Thousands, maybe millions more. Your purity is one of a kind."
"Thanks?"
"I should be thanking you. I see the way you are with Elijah too, and Rebekah. Perhaps even Kol and Finn would have gotten on well with you."
"There's still time for that yet. Why are you speaking in past tense?"
"No reason. Just an accident. My tongue is not yet fully suited to these times." Rio wasn't convinced but smiled and just walked away.

"Hey, Finn." Rio greeted as he bumped into the eldest Mikaelson.
"Hello." The Mikaelson frowned. "What is it about you that my siblings like?"
"I don't know. I'm good company?"
"Klaus doesn't hang with someone for over a century for good company. He usually kills or parts with them sometime mid-century." Kol jumped in. "Unless he really cares about them."
"Klaus is like a brother to me. And I to him."
"Nope, I don't buy that."
"Maybe it's just because I'm a good person?"
"You can't be a vampire and a good person." Finn scowled.
"Why not?"
"Because every vampire has killed." He replied. "How many humans have you killed?"
"Absolutely zero."
"Impossible."
"I'm living proof. I drink human blood, sure- but I don't kill them and I always heal them."
"So what are you? The Edward Cullen of Mystic falls?" Kol teased.
"Weren't you stuck in a box for a century? How do you know about Twilight?"
"I like to read." Finn snickered, and Kol amended himself. "And watch TV."
"It's literally been a few hours. And TVs didn't exist when you were last awake/"
"Theatres did, and the TV is similar. Besides, I only watched the first movie. If that's such a big deal, then how come you know about it?"
"I'm married. And I have a teenage daughter."
"Technically she's not yours." Klaus added, walking in.
"Biologically? No. Legally and otherwise- pretty much."
"She doesn't call you dad."
"Can you imagine anyone calling me dad?"
"Touché. So what are we all up to?"
"Just talking about why I haven't cut you loose yet."
"Because you're part of the family. And when you're part of the family it's impossible to cut Klaus loose." Rebekah walked up to them.
"We should move this conversation out of the hallway and into an actual room." Rio cut in.
"Sure." Everyone agreed and headed to the living room. Rio lagged behind.
"Rio? You coming?" Klaus asked.
"Yeah, I'm just going to call Lottie."
"Alright."

"Now that we're in the living room, what exactly are we to do?"
"Why is everybody in the living room?" Elijah walked in, this time.
"Well, we could talk. I want to know how much the world has changed."
"Well, there are phones, and laptops, and computers. And iPads and tablets- there are way too many things that more or less serve the same purpose. You need to taste the food now. It's different than it was before. KFC especially. Cars exist now, Finn- little metallic machines with four wheels to transport us around. Or the aeroplane- metallic machines with wings that transport people over seas and/or other long distances. You just need to see what changed for yourself, really."
"So, how come you've never killed anyone before?"
"Because, I had someone to help me with my control from the very start."
"Who?" Kol asked.
"Charlotte, idiot." Finn looked at his brother.
"Ohh. Right."
"How is Charlotte?" 
"She's fine. How did you guys meet her?"
"Well, Finn over here saved her 900 years ago. She grew close to him, and looked up to him. Then I dated- I mean courted- her, and then we broke up, and then 700 or so years later, ran into the both of you and the rest is history." Klaus explained quickly.
"Oh, cool." The doorbell rang. "Speak of the devil."
"I'll get it." Rebekah stood, and Rio followed her to the hallway.
"Hey, darling. Where's Anya?"
"Studying." Lottie gave him a quick peck before turning to the whole family. "Hi."