The burdens of family

11

Arkyn stayed with Caroline for a while. Matt came and he left to give them some place, and watched over her room without being seen until Bonnie called and told him she met Katherine. That she was at the Lockwood Mansion. Knowing that the guests at the Lockwood's were in more of an immediate danger and Caroline was probably safe for a little while, he decided to check up on Bonnie and Elena. Caroline had fallen asleep anyways.

"Katerina." He located her. She was walking with Stefan.
"Ark." If she were human, her face might've paled.
"You two know each other?"
"Oh, yes. We go way back." Arkyn glared at the vampire doppelgänger. "Let me take her off your hands, Stefan."
"How do you two know each other?"
"Yes, Arkyn. Tell him, how do we know each other?"
"You betrayed my brothers."
"You helped me run and betray them."
"That's true. But not the whole story."
"I don't get it. Are you two on friendly terms?"
"No. Absolutely not."
"What did you help her run from?"
"Those are questions better left buried, Stefan. But I know you. You're a curious fellow." Arkyn leaned forward to compel him. "You will forget that Katerina was on the run. You will only remember that we were talking, and I do hate her." Katherine took that opportunity to leave before Arkyn got her. "Damn it."
"What?" Stefan asked.
"She's gone."
"So you hate Katherine because she betrayed your brothers?"
"Uh... not really. It's a longer story." Arkyn nodded. Stefan didn't seem to remember that Arkyn helped her run. Which meant his compulsion worked. "I'm gonna go find Bonnie."
"Alright." Arkyn walked away.

"So are you coming to the carnival tomorrow?" Bonnie asked.
"Maybe."
"Oh come on. It'll be fun."
"Aren't you and Elena managing the whole thing?"
"Yeah."
"Is this your way of asking me to go to the carnival with you or roping me in to help set things up?"
"Maybe a little of both."
"Fine, but you have to make it up to me." He pulled her closer to him.
"And how do you suggest I do that?"
"Hmm. I'm sure you'll think of something."
"I think I have a few ideas." She played along with a laugh and warped her arms around the back of his neck. He leaned down and gave her a kiss. She broke the kiss. "So I can definitely count on you being there tomorrow?"
"You definitely can. I might bring Xavier and Alexis along. Maybe they could focus their energy on something other than finding new ways to torture me."
"Torture?" Bonnie asked, disbelievingly.
"Oh yes. Don't let their innocent smiles fool you. They are evil."
"They can't be that bad."
"Yes, they can." He looked at her, thoughtfully. "You really don't believe me."
"Well, they both seem... sweet."
"Why don't you come see for yourself? Come over to my house, and you can see just how cruel they are."
"Okay, now you're exaggerating." She laughed.
"Maybe a little." He admitted. "But the offer still stands."
"Okay."
"Really?"
"You seem surprised."
"Well, I have to admit. It's not very witchy of you. Dining with a vampire and all."
"Well it's not very vampiric of you either. Dining with a witch."
"Touché."
"Okay when would you like me to come over?"
"Sunday?"
"I can make that work."
"Awesome."
"Can I ask you something?" She looked intensely at him.
"Of course. But I can't promise I'll answer."
"How old are you?"
"Would you believe if I told you I stopped counting after five centuries?"
"I don't believe you. Why are you so mysterious about your age?"
"People who know my age usually treat me differently. My age is a link to my past, to my siblings. I like to keep myself distant."
"You hate them?"
"Pretty much, yeah."
"Why? I mean, you said they were worse than Damon and Stefan."
"Back when I was human, we all pretty much got along. We had our fair share of tragedies, but we all loved each other. Well, two of my brothers and my twin sister were closer to each other than the rest of us."
"Wait hold on. You have a twin?"
"Yeah, Rebekah."
"Were the two of you close?"
"Not exactly. She was closer to our older brothers."
"But you're twins."
"I guess not all twins are close. I was closer to our other brother, Kol. I think Rebekah and I weren't as close because I could do magic but she couldn't."
"Why not?"
"Magic manifests in each person differently. My oldest brother Finn could do magic and so could Kol and I. But Elijah and Nik and Rebekah couldn't. The first time I used magic was by accident. My brother was about to die, and I just... reacted. Rebekah never had the same push."
"Ever since I was a little girl, I always wanted siblings." Bonnie confessed.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Especially a twin. I thought if I had a twin sister she could be my best friend, and understand everything I was going through. I had this romanticised idea that we'd bunk in each other's room whenever one of us was upset, and do each other's hair and nails and learn how to do makeup on each other."
"I suppose most twins might be like that. But Rebekah and I never had that bond. Don't get me wrong, I love her. And her being five minutes younger than me, I loved to call her my younger sister, but she was as much a sibling to me as the rest of my brothers. There was nothing special between the two of us."
"Tell me more about what it was like when you were human."
"Well, my father was a warrior. He hated witches. Funny story- the way he met my mother. He and a group of other warriors attacked her village and killed everyone there, except for her. She hid until he found her and they all kept her hostage. But then she fell in love with my father and gave up on doing magic to be with him."
"Wait, so your dad killed off your mother's village and kidnapped her and she fell in love with him? Isn't that Stockholm syndrome?"
"See, that's what I'd think, but then she cheated on my father, and I just don't know if someone who is incapable of feeling negatively towards their captor would be able to commit adultery."
"Well, what if she didn't love your father? What if she pretended to to survive?"
"She was an extremely powerful witch. I'd seen the extent of her power. If she hated him, she could've easily defeated him."
"I thought she gave up magic?"
"She did, but sometime before I was born she started using it again."