CENTURIES | Lucien Castle

XV. Alone with Everybody

Juliette walked down the staircase and went to walk past the entrance of the courtyard but was stopped when she saw Lucien standing at the door.

"Ah, the lovely Juliette," he greeted. "Would you mind telling your security team that I'm a dear and beloved friend of the family?" He asked the love of his life.

"Well, I think that might be a little bit of a stretch," Juliette smirked at the man she loved. "Considering that I'm probably the only Mikaelson that tolerates you," she jokingly said while a grin was forming on her lips.

"Mmm, flattery will get you everywhere," Lucien teased her.

Juliette sighed. "What do you want, Lucien?" She signaled to the two guards at the door that Lucien could come in.

"The question isn't what I want. It's whom," Lucien followed after her. "See, I've known you for a thousand years and I still can't help but feel this way about you," Juliette stopped walking and felt her cheeks heat up before turning her body around to face Lucien. "Don't tell me you don't feel it anymore."

He pulled out a bouquet of flowers that was hidden behind his back and held them out to her.

"As much as I would love to rehash whatever this is," Juliette mumbled while pointing her index finger to herself and then Lucien. "I really don't have time for this."

Juliette walked away leaving a defeated Lucien behind.

****

"Take a swing, huh?" Kol taunted Finn while Juliette and Freya tried to intervene and stop their fighting brothers. "All these sidesteps and parries, even the way you fight is boring."

"You know, it's an odd critique, considering all your flair and flourish couldn't keep you from being bested the last time we faced each other," Finn teased his younger brother while Freya and Juliette pushed Kol away from Finn. Even though Juliette was one hundred percent on Kol's side, she wanted to prevent them from fighting.

Juliette got in the way of Kol trying to attack Finn again and roughly shoved her away. Lucien vamp sped into the room and grabbed Kol into a choke hold and pushed him into a wall of books. Freya had quickly caught Juliette before she hit the ground as Kol grunted from Lucien's grip. Lucien turned his eyes to Juliette to make sure she was okay before looking back at Kol.

"Perhaps we should let them fight," Lucien exclaimed while his grip never wavered. "After all, they can't actually kill each other."

"Behave yourselves," Elijah joined the room. "Particularly considering we will be confined here together for the foreseeable future."

Kol roughly shoved Lucien away from him and marched over to Elijah. "What does that mean?"

"I believe the term 'staycation'," Elijah sassed his younger brother. "You see, Niklaus isn't the only one who's inspired revenge fantasies. Right now, we are all at risk. So, while Marcel works to retrieve the white oak, I recommend we dispense with all of this posturing. Get down to some good, old-fashioned family bonding."

****

Juliette stood on her balcony in her room. She heard footsteps that she knew all to well. "If you've come to tell me that I was foolish to step in between my brothers then you're wasting your time."