Taking Charge

Summary: Follows Being A Family. Elijah realises someone needs to rein Klaus in - and as the older brother, it falls to him. AU
Warning(s): Spanking; spoilers for the series of The Vampire Diaries up to and including the end of season three; some mentions of violence

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Elijah didn't know how long he sat there with Rebekah in his arms for. She'd long since stopped uttering her broken plea, which twisted like a knife in his heart. But despite that, she held on tightly to him and Elijah responded by tightening his grip on her, one hand gently stroking her hair.

Rebekah had always been strong-willed. Elijah silently berated himself for forgetting that, of course, she'd been affected by the split in their family as much as any of them.

"I should go back and see Niklaus," Rebekah said, though she didn't make any move to leave Elijah's embrace.

"We'll both go back - after you've fed," Elijah said firmly.

Rebekah pulled back slightly to look into Elijah's eyes. "What makes you think I haven't fed?"

"I recognise the signs. You're too pale, for one." Elijah paused briefly. "While I was gone, I set up a delivery from a blood bank. I will take my blood from the delivery, but if you'd prefer to feed on a person, I will come with you."

"I suppose it'll be faster to take the blood from the delivery," Rebekah replied. "Where is it supposed to be delivered?"

"The house you and Klaus are staying in."

Rebekah made eye contact with him. "You planned to stay?"

"I promised I wouldn't leave you again." Elijah knew what she meant, though he didn't reply directly to it. Even before he'd spoken to her, he'd planned to stay with his siblings... whether it was in Mystic Falls or another place.

"Who are you here for, really?" Rebekah asked.

Elijah felt a brief stab of pain, but pushed it away quickly. "For you. Klaus. Kol. He's still safe, isn't he?"

Rebekah shrugged. "Klaus sent him somewhere, though I'm not sure exactly what he's supposed to be doing."

"As long as he's safe..."

"We haven't survived this long by taking chances, Elijah. You worry too much."

Elijah gave a faint smile as he noticed a return of Rebekah's spirit. When she started to pull away from him, he loosened his embrace and stood up as she got to her feet. "Are you ready to go back?" he asked, offering her an arm.

Rebekah nodded, taking Elijah's arm. "I'm ready."

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Elijah kept a gentle hold of Rebekah's arm until they reached the house his siblings were staying in. "Do you have a key?" he asked her, letting go of her arm.

"Of course." Rebekah took out her key and then paused, looking at Elijah. "He won't be happy to see you."

Elijah nodded. "I understand." He wasn't very surprised to hear that. He knew that, despite how he'd acted, Klaus' family was very important to him... and Elijah knew that his brother was creating the hybrids to surround himself with family who wouldn't leave him, but that didn't change anything.

It was about time Elijah stepped in with all of his family.

Rebekah watched Elijah for a few moments, as if still not certain she really believed him. Then, she unlocked the front door and opened it, before taking a step back. "Do you want to go in first?"

Elijah simply nodded and stepped into the house, aware of Rebekah following him.

"It's about time you came back. I need..." Klaus stepped into the hallway, but stopped when he saw Elijah. Surprise came across his face for a brief moment before his face quickly blanked. "What are you doing here?"

Elijah knew it wasn't going to be easy. But he'd been alive for centuries and this wasn't the first time he had to do something that was difficult. "I came back for you. Rebekah. Kol."

"That's sweet, Elijah. But we don't need you. So why don't you run along back to wherever you've been hiding?" Klaus suggested.

Next to Elijah, Rebekah stirred. Elijah glanced towards her. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm going to the school," Rebekah said.

Elijah nodded, though he couldn't help worrying a little. "Just be careful." He knew that Rebekah wanted to act like a normal teenager, but he was also aware of the fact that Rebekah had already been staked by Elena once. And they all had a lot of enemies in the town as it was.

It wouldn't have been that long ago that Rebekah would have just rolled her eyes and given some sarcastic response. Now, though, she just nodded and slipped out of the house, closing the door behind her.

"Would you like to make yourself at home?" The words were polite, but Klaus' voice had a slight edge to it. "I'm afraid there isn't any spare blood, but I'm sure you can go out and bring someone back with you."

"That's unnecessary," Elijah replied. "I have a delivery of blood coming here."

"That sounds like you're intending to stay."

"I am."

Klaus shrugged. "You're welcome to stay here, so long as you don't interfere with my plans."

"I won't be interfering with your plans. But you will give them up of your own free will." Elijah glanced briefly around the hallway and then focused on his brother again.

"We're far past the days you had any control over what I do," Klaus said.

"Things are going to change - and I'm going to be here from now on." Elijah stepped nearer to Klaus, slightly gratified when his brother took a step back. "I see now that abandoning you was the wrong thing to do."

"It's too late for apologies."

"I'm not apologising." Rebekah had needed to hear an apology; deserved to hear one. But Klaus had always required a different kind of handling. Elijah adjusted his path as he advanced on Klaus, backing his brother against the wall.

Klaus stopped when his back hit the wall, but if he was nervous, he didn't show it. "This is getting tiresome."

"What is?"

"You keep coming back... then you keep leaving. How long are you going to stay this time? A day? A week? A century? How long is it going to take before you wash your hands of us this time?"

Elijah silently reflected that Klaus had always been the one who knew what to say to hurt him. Klaus was right. Elijah had never stayed with Klaus - and, in fact, had chosen to act as if his brother was his enemy for a very long time. He needed to prove his word to all of his siblings. He was well aware of that. "I will not leave again."

"Words don't mean anything." Klaus raised his hand and pushed on Elijah's chest. "Do you mind stepping out of the way? I have things to do."

Elijah caught Klaus' wrist, ignoring the way his brother tried to pull his hand away. He tightened his grip, knowing that - even if he exerted his full strength - he wouldn't be able to truly harm Klaus. Not in this way, anyway... but he had no intentions of merely 'harming' his brother.

As Elijah led Klaus through to the other room, his brother must have had some inkling of what was planned, because he tried to pull his hand free several more times before he finally resigned himself to being pulled after Elijah.

Once in the front room, Elijah headed over to the couch. Reaching it, he turned and sat down, drawing Klaus round and to his side. He placed his free hand on Klaus' back and pushed with enough force to cause Klaus to stumble. Then, he tugged his brother across his lap, ensuring Klaus' upper body was well-supported on the couch before slapping the upturned bottom. Hard.

Klaus yelped - though the one swat alone couldn't have been that painful - and immediately began trying to pull away from Elijah's hold, even going so far as to dig his nails painfully into his brother's leg.

In answer, the second swat landed even harder. "If you keep doing that, you will lose your trousers," Elijah informed him.

Klaus merely grunted in response, but withdrew his nails - though he still kept a death-grip on Elijah's leg.

The next pair of swats landed on the centre of Klaus' bottom and he hissed out a sharp breath, though stayed still over Elijah's lap. He didn't move until Elijah swatted his sit spots and thighs and then he jerked with each sharp smack, his legs kicking slightly.

Elijah paused, realising that he wasn't going to get through to Klaus using just his hand. Using vampire speed, he could have sped out and cut a switch from a tree. That was what he would have done in the past... though when they'd been human, he could have simply taken Klaus with him. Or left him, knowing that Klaus wouldn't have tried to run, no matter how much he dreaded what was about to happen.

Fortunately - for Elijah, though not Klaus - there was an implement much closer to hand.

Using the hand he'd just been swatting Klaus with, Elijah removed his belt and doubled it over in his hand, keeping a tight hold of the belt buckle so that there was no chance it would swing loose and hit Klaus.

Taking a tighter grip on Klaus, Elijah brought the belt down in a hard strike that elicited a yelp from his brother. He didn't give Klaus a chance to fully absorb that pain before he brought it down a second and third time, each strike landing slightly lower. He continued down to Klaus' thighs, staying there for a few hard blows that set Klaus squirming, trying to writhe out of Elijah's hold.

After a good half dozen strikes to Klaus' thighs, Elijah started over from the top again. He could hear Klaus gasping quietly, as the leather covered skin that hadn't had a chance to heal yet. On the second circuit, he stayed on Klaus' thighs once more, landing another half a dozen before starting over from the top a third time.

Klaus' struggles now seemed driven by pain rather than any true attempt to get away. Elijah didn't lessen the force behind the strikes, but he did slow them a little as he spoke above the sound. "I know I haven't been here for a long time, but that will change now. From the way you've been acting, you will make enemies who want to kill you. If you continue on this self-destructive path, this will happen regularly."

"As if you even care!" Klaus spat out.

Elijah paused briefly and spoke in a low voice. "I do care - and leaving you was a mistake. I've realised that now. You don't have to believe me, but I'm not going to abandon any of you again."

There was no reply in words from Klaus, but Elijah heard his breath hitch slightly. He could hear his brother's tears and they bothered him more than he'd thought they would. He had to steel himself to finish with a final barrage of strikes to Klaus' sit spots and thighs.

As soon as Elijah finished, he put the belt aside and lifted Klaus into his arms in the same way he'd done with Rebekah earlier. He could scent his brother's tears, but Klaus cried without making much sound - as he always had.

Elijah settled Klaus more comfortably on his lap and tightened his hold. He didn't say anything, letting Klaus calm in his own time.

Finally, Klaus calmed down, though he didn't immediately pull away. "I hope you're not going to do this again."

"I will if it becomes necessary," Elijah replied.

Klaus didn't respond, but nor did he pull away. After a moment or two, Elijah felt him relax against his chest.

The End