The bonds of family

46

"Can we talk about Bonnie later?" Arkyn crossed his arms.
"She can't stay."
"She needs some time."
"I don't care what she needs. I don't know if you remember, but she tried to kill you. Tried to kill us all."
"I do remember, Nik. I also remember that she was manipulated by Esther."
"Esther always was well versed in manipulation. It's a trait she shared with Dahlia." Freya cut in, her tone venemous.
"You have no right to speak in matters that are of no consequence to you. We know nothing of you." Klaus snapped. She held up her hands and the brothers were instantly transported into a memory.

A woman picked up a young girl and carried her away with her as Esther and a young Finn cried, distressed. The young girl, Freya, was hysterically screaming.
"I cannot give up my child!" Esther was begging. "No, Dahlia, please!"
"MUMMY! MUMMY!" Young Freya called, reaching out for her mother.

"Do you still think me a liar?" Freya asked, as the vision ended.
"That proves nothing but your ability to conjure illusions."
"Before you dismiss me, you should know this. If I've woken from my slumber, Dahlia has as well. Once she's sensed your child's magic, she will come for her. And she has the power to kill anyone who stands in her way unless we kill her first."
"That's quite convenient, isn't it?" Klaus scoffed. "You show up in the nick of time to help us kill the woman with whom you've spent a thousand years!"
"You have no idea what it took to escape her! Or what I lost in the trying. Her punishment will be profound."
"And you know how to stop her?" Arkyn asked, doubtful.
"Given the proper materials, yes. I've sent Father to procure them."
"You put the life of my child in the hands of Mikael?"
"Nik, she has knowledge of the threat we now face and she's willing to share that information." Arkyn called him back.
"I'll deal with you later. For now, you'll have to excuse me if I'm not inclined to trust the mysterious sister we only just met! But, by all means, if you wish to entertain this idiocy, have at it. You've never been the best judge of character." Klaus vamp sped away before Arkyn could argue any further, leaving him alone in the cemetery with Freya and the unconscious Vincent.
"Thank you." She smiled at him. "Your kindness is much appreciated."
"Nik's right. I've trusted in the wrong person too often. And there's the matter in which you're relying on Mikael. I may be willing to accept your identity right now, Freya, but it doesn't mean I trust you."
"Then I shall look forward to earning that trust." She said and left him alone in the cemetery. Arkyn looked at the unconscious warlock in front of him. The Mikaelson thing to do would be to keep him a while, figure out if he knew anything about Finn. Question him before taking him back to the witches. But he was never good at doing things the Mikaelson way.
"My family will absolutely kill me for this, but I'm not in the habit of keeping people against their will." He decided. He picked up the warlock and sped out of the cemetery. He took him to the apartment, where Bonnie was.
"Should I be worried?" She asked. She was wearing one of the dresses from Rebekah's selection.
"This is Vincent Griffith. The guy Finn was possessing."
"What happened to Finn?"
"Um, my alleged sister turned him into a necklace."
"Of course."

When Vincent woke up, he found himself laying on a couch in an unfamiliar room. Arkyn walked over, smiling gently.
"Good afternoon." Vincent sat up, looking at Arkyn suspiciously.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Ark."
"Where am I?"
"That doesn't really matter. What's the last thing you remember?" Vincent frowned, trying to think.
"I think I should get going."
"You can leave, but I have answers for you and questions of my own."
"Answers?" Arkyn grabbed a newspaper.
"Yes. Let me guess. The last date you remember was sometime mid-May. We're in February, 2013."
"What?" Vincent grabbed the paper. "How is this possible? What the hell did you do to me, man?"
"Me? I did nothing." Vincent glared, raising his hand, trying a pain infliction spell. Arkyn didn't flinch. "If I had a nickel for every time a witch tried that spell on me..."
"Stop it!" Bonnie walked into the room, casting a pain spell of her own on Vincent. He stepped back, stumbling onto the couch.
"Hey, hey. It's okay." Arkyn stopped her, moving in front of her. "He's just a little confused and afraid."
"What'd you do to my magic?"
"Nothing. It's still there. Why don't you try something else?" Vincent looked down at the paper he was holding. It began to drift away from his hands and onto the coffee table.
"You're a vampire." He looked at Arkyn.
"Yes, I am."
"And you're a witch." He looked at Bonnie.
"Yes, I am." She looked at him, daringly.
"Has it really been nine months?"
"Yeah, sorry. You were... possessed."
"By who?"
"My brother."
"Why?"
"Its a long story. But you should know, Finn wrought havoc around town for months. He hurt people, killed people, made a lot of powerful enemies."
"Including you?"
"My fight is with Finn, not you. I'm telling you this so you don't go back into the world blindly. If you'd like, we can take you back to your coven now."
"I can find my own way." Arkyn nodded.
"Keep safe out there. Watch your back and be careful."