It didn't take long for me to actually find Nik. The rattle of his chains were loud enough. "Don't you look pitiful."

He shot a dark glare at me.

"If only you made more friends than enemies." I took a seat against the stone wall across from him. "Maybe Marcel wouldn't be angrily pacing around the compound."

"I'm not in the mood."

"That sucks, because I am, and seeing as I'm the only one who can walk away, you don't get a choice." It was fitting. That he was trapped. After daggering everyone for years, he finally gets a taste of his own medicine. "It's awful right? Knowing that you have no control. That others get to make choices for you. 'For your own good.' I hated when you guys said that to me."

He looked sick. Bags pulled at his eyes, his skin was pale, and his hair hadn't been washed in some time.

"Yes, yes. I've heard it a thousand times." Nik's eyes unfocused. "You and Camille."

Camille? "What are you talking about?"

"A trick played on me by my own mind."

"You think you're hallucinating me?" Holy shit. Marcel really did a number on him. "I'm not. I'm real."

"Don't mock."

"Nik. I'm real." I held out my arms. "See. Still gray. I haven't been awake very long."

I didn't like this.

Seeing him curled around himself like that.

He hesitated, and if anything that was worse. The Nik I knew was always sure of himself. This wasn't that.

He was hurt and angry and scared.

I've never seen him like that, if anything he was acting exactly like- "Marcel said Elijah was as good as dead, but wouldn't explain. What did he mean?"

If Marcel had a bite that could kill an Original, and he'd bit Elijah, then he would've said Elijah was dead, not as good as, and if Klaus was here, then his blood couldn't heal Elijah. Though a question remained, who did he kill?

Not that I was against Elijah getting some retribution. It pained me to know they were being hurt.

I wanted to be angry. I wanted to scream at him for tearing away people I loved until I was blue in the face. Yet I could not do it.

Not when he was sitting there as he was. I felt like I needed to find my feet before I made any sort of move. It was disorientating to be undaggered, more so to have missed so much time.

Nik watched me, as if he was still unsure I was real. "You've been crying."

"Duh." While I could scrub my face and wipe the tears away, I could do very little about the puffy redness of my eyes. "That is beside the point."

"Why?"

"Well... I've asked you a question, which you're clearly avoiding. Hence point."

He let out an annoyed breath. "Why were you crying? I can hear very little of what goes on upstairs. Has something happened?"

"Mmm see that's the one I'm avoiding so we're now at a bit of an impasse."

At least I was self aware.

"Freya used a binding spell." Nik still watched as though I would disappear at any moment.

"I assume Freya is a witch?"

A nod. "Long lost sister, miraculously returned."

Wait. "What?"

"Morgan." Marcel appeared in the doorway. "I left for ten minutes."

"I'm getting answers you won't tell me. Besides. The chains are kind of hard to miss. I was going to find him eventually."

Oh god. I'd just noticed the collar.

"No visitors." He hadn't spared Nik a glance and it left me with even more questions. "Up."

"No." I crossed my arms.

Nik laughed, as in a full, gut laugh, and it felt like a victory. "It's nice to see that you are much the same, little one."

Good. He'd figured out I wasn't a figment of his imagination.

"Fuck you." Still, I was angry at him.

He held his hands up in surrender, the chains pulling at his wrists.

It wasn't noticeable in the way I sometimes got, especially in dark, cramped spaces, but my hands were trembling again.

I don't know when it ever stopped.

"Let's go, Morgan." Marcel crossed his arms. "Apparently you need to be babysat."

"You'd better put a dagger back in my heart if you're going to do that shit." I stood. "Maybe next time I won't wake up in some fucking weird alternate universe."

Nik could barely contain the shit eating grin on his face. Though I don't think he really intended on it. "Take care of her Marcellus. Once I am free, and I will be free, if a hair on her head is out of place, my rage will be all the more potent."

As if it wouldn't already be.

Nik would never forgive Marcel for this. Especially if Marcel really did attack any of the siblings. And it was kind of nice. Not to have the attention on me.

Until I figured out how I'd go to Mystic Falls and gauge the distructuon... I'd stay.

Only because Marcel wouldn't let me leave. I'd already tried.

"You'll never escape. I made sure of it." Marcel had finally looked at him, then his gaze was back on me, almost accusatorily. "Unless he has help."

"I'm not going to help, are you kidding me? After everything that's happened?"

"You're terrible at lying." Marcel frowned.

"And you suck, so I guess we're both upset."

"Why are you mad at me?!" He threw his hands up.

"You clearly did something and you claimed this mess." I gestured toward Nik. "Which is only going to backfire, and I swear to god, if you hurt the family, I'm going to kill you."

"I thought you were angry with them!"

"I am!" We were yelling, why were we yelling?

"Calm yourself, Marcel." Nik wasn't watching him. He was watching me. "Her emotions are high, she's not in control."

"I'm fine." I snapped. "I don't need to be babied, certainly not by the man bested by his own son." Despite numerous claims that he couldn't be beaten.

"No, he's right." Marcel's tone was far softer. "You need to stay away from Klaus, he's a manipulative bastard."

The chains rattled as he laid an offended hand against his chest. "I'm wounded, Marcellus."

They really were grating sound.

The chains.

"Get her out of here." Nik's expression sobered and his critical eyes were on me again.

I didn't need his pity. "Fuck you."

"Now."

Marcel rolled his eyes. "There's someone you should meet."