Holding On and Letting Go.

@ momentai.
Sophie couldn't stop the grin from coming to her face when Marie finished the speech and the vampires started attacking the humans. Her eyes drifted to Kol and his siblings, smirking at their reactions before she took a sip from her own drink, "I'm going to go grab a different drink for myself, if you'll excuse me." She stated to her friend before walking over to one of the humans that had been compelled to cut themselves. She pulled the man to her and quickly sank her fangs into his neck, as she started draining the blood from his body. Sophie felt great about the way that things were turning out that night, so why shouldn't she celebrate the best way?

---

Klaus watched as Marie finished her speech before he quickly smelled the blood that was consuming the room. Most of the vampires that were there pounced on the closest human that was to them and started to kill them. Klaus on the other hand, was looking at his siblings, "What do we do?" Elijah questioned before Klaus shrugged, "This was their plan, brother. To have chaos take over as their guests tore apart the humans in the room." Klaus replied as his eyes drifted up to the staircase where Sophie had detached herself from Marie and found herself a human to feed on. Marie looked very much pleased with herself, and Klaus hated it.

Kol peered around, watching the vampires go almost rabid, desperate to feed. Any other time, he’d happily join in, but, right now, he was too focused on the fact that Sophie was involved with this. He couldn’t imagine her ever doing something like this, humanityless or not. It didn’t make sense. Turning his gaze to her, he frowned when he saw her feeding and he quickly dashed up, prying her away from the human she was feeding from. “What are you doing?” he asked with shock, “Why are you doing this, Sophie? This isn’t you!”

---

Marie grinned as she watched her friend, eyeing her for a moment before he gaze went back to Klaus. By the Mikaelsons’ reactions, they’d managed to do what they had set out to do for the night; they’d taken their enemy by surprise and left them reeling. Her grin forming into a smirk, she raised her glass to her lips, finishing what was in it before she dropped it over the balcony and backed away, turning to head to her room. A part of her hoped that Klaus would try to follow, that she’d have more chances to throw him off.

@ momentai.
Sophie had almost bled him dry before Kol had pulled her off the human. She glared at him, "How can you say that? You don't know me anymore, Kol. I've changed." Sophie spat at him. She wiped the blood from her mouth before she looked at him, "I'm not the same innocent girl that I was when you last saw me. Your brother made sure of that the day he daggered you in front of me." Sophie seethed before taking a breath, "I lost everything the day he daggered you. I made sure the first thing I did when I turned was to flip my switch. Didn't need that pesky humanity getting in the way while lived my life the way that I knew I should be."

---

Klaus was doing exactly what she wanted, and he knew that, but he couldn't help it. Kol was taking care of Sophie, so Klaus had to take care of Marie, or at least try to. He followed her up to her room, "What the hell was that?" He asked as he followed her from behind, "You got at least a dozen humans killed back there!" He yelled. He was angry. He hated that this was how she was acting. Humanity was a crazy thing, and he hated that Marie didn't have her. He was going to find a way to get it back.

Kol frowned deeply as he listened to her and he shook his head in disbelief. “If your humanity has been gone this long, imagine how much guilt and pain you'll feel when you let it back in,” he reminded her. But, would she ever turn her humanity back on? Would she ever let it back in to feel it all again? Whether she wanted it or not, he'd find a way to get her to feel, even if it meant compelling her, though he knew Marcel generally kept his people on vervain. They'd just have to lock her up until the vervain was gone. “This isn't you, Sophie.”

---

Marie's smirk grew when she heard Klaus's voice and she peered over her shoulder at him, arching a brow as she listened. “Am I supposed to care?” she asked, turning to face him while she tilted her head and moved closer to him. “It's funny, hearing you complain about what we did when you've killed how many humans carelessly?” She arched a brow, curious. “We were making a point, making a statement.” She was basically in his face now, her eyes narrowed. “Considering your reaction, I think it worked.”

@ momentai.
Sophie rolled her eyes at Kol's words, "Who said I was letting my humanity back in?" She questioned at she looked over at him. When he spoke again that this wasn't her, she scoffed, "You keep saying that, Kol, but what do you actually know about me anymore? You were daggered for almost a century and then you were killed. You haven't seen me since 1918. I'm not that same girl. I'm better." She explained to him. Sophie wasn't sure why she felt like she had to explain herself to him, but it was just coming out.

---

Klaus glared lightly at her words, "It's different. You're not me. I did all of that with my humanity on. When you turn yours back on, you're going to feel so much guilt over everything you've done over these years." Klaus stated. He knew there was no getting through to her. She had her humanity turned off for far too long. He couldn't just do it in one day. This was going to take a lot of hard work and effort, "What did you mean in your speech hiding in the shadows?" He questioned her. He just needed to know more of what was going on. This was all very confusing to him, and Klaus hated being confused.

“Better?” Kol repeated with shock before he shook his head sharply. “You think this is better, Sophie? Do you even know yourself anymore?” He frowned as he watched her, taking her in, trying to see any sign of the Sophie he’d known in there. “I knew you better than I knew myself, Soph.” His voice was gentler now as he was hoping to get through to her in some way, any way at all. “I know that you were soft and kind and caring, and that you would have given up your life before you would ever hurt anybody. This isn’t better, Sophie. This is you at your worst and you need to snap out of it.” He watched her, moving closer as he cupped her face gently, hoping to get her to focus. “I went all this time, believing you to be dead. And now you’re here, right in front of me, but you’re not you. Come back to me, love. Go back to being the Sophie I knew.”

---

Marie rolled her eyes as she listened to Klaus talk. “I’ve had my humanity off for nearly a century. Do you honestly think I’d waste my time and turn it back on now?” she pointed out as she watched him. “I’m not that pathetic human anymore, Klaus. Talking about guilt and telling me I’m not you? It doesn’t matter, because I don’t care. I haven’t cared for nearly a century, I certainly won’t be starting now.” She watched him for a moment, her smirk returning. “Oh, did you like that? It’s simple, really. From the moment I turned, Sophie and I have been pulling every single string, making every single decision for Marcel. Everything he’s done since you abandoned us? Well, they were all mine and Sophie’s ideas. Every. Single. One.” Stepping back, she turned away from him and moved to her closet. “If you’re going to continue to linger in my bedroom and talk of humanity and shadows, the least you can do is help me unzip my dress.”

@ momentai.
Sophie felt nothing at his words, but his actions, however, sparked something inside of her. It was small, but she knew it was there. It wasn't big enough to take over her, though, so she shoved it right back down as she backed away from him, "If you knew me like you claim, you would have known that I hated how obsessed you were with getting revenge against Klaus. You know it's the reason you were daggered for a hundred years? You didn't even think about what I wanted, Kol. You only cared about your anger toward him. All I wanted was for us to be together and run away, start a new life, just you and me. But your rage got in the way of that. It's because of losing you that I flipped my switch. It's because of you that I became a vampire in the first place." She took a hesitant step closer, "So, I'm sorry you're mistaken, but I am me. But I'm a new Sophie. You better start liking what you see because it's because of you that I am this new self."

---

Klaus scoffed at her words, "You were never pathetic, Marie!" He yelled. He was so frustrated with how she was acting. He couldn't help himself. When she spoke again, he could feel the rage boiling inside him, but he needed answers, so he kept his anger at bay. He couldn't believe that she and Sophie had been here this whole time making all of Marcel's decisions for him. He followed her to her closet, quickly helping her out of her dress, "Why did you flip your switch, Marie?" He questioned her as he stood back, watching her every move. He hadn't seen her like this in a long time, but he was far too concerned now to be focused on the beautiful body was moving in front of him.

Kol listened to her quietly, taking in her words, processing them, trying to understand if there was any way to fix what had been done. It hurt him to know that he was the reason that she flipped her switch. It hurt him to know that he’d done that to her. Watching her, he nodded slowly. “Flip it back on,” he told her slowly as he ran his thumbs over her cheeks gently, his expression softening. “Flip it back on and we’ll leave. We’ll go anywhere you want and we’ll never look back.” Because, he couldn’t lose her again. He couldn’t let her keep going about her life with her humanity switched off. He couldn’t let her deal with all of that on her own. He wouldn’t. “I’m sorry, love. I’m sorry I let my anger get the best of me. I’m better now, though. I have better control of my rage. So, turn it on, let your humanity return, and let’s leave, yeah?”

---

“You’re wrong,” Marie said simply, tugging the mask from her face as she dropped it to the floor with the dress before she tugged out something to change into. Turning to him, she arched a brow as she pulled a long shirt on. “You see, I was so pathetic that, when you abandoned us, it crushed me as a human. And, when I turned? It destroyed me. You want to know why I turned off my humanity?” She moved closer to him, then, lifting her hand to run her fingers over his cheek. Then, without much of a warning, she shoved her hand into his chest, her fingers wrapping around his heart. She knew she couldn’t kill him, even if she pried his heart out of his chest, but she was trying to make a point. “I flipped that switch because this,” she squeezed his heart to motion to what she was referring to, “Hurt so much that I couldn’t breathe. My pathetic, human love for you and my pain from being abandoned is why I flipped the switch. And, it will stay flipped, because I will never let myself feel that pain again.” She released her hold on his heart, then, and yanked her hand out.

@ momentai.
There was a point in her life that Kol's words would have been the exact thing she wanted to hear come out of his mouth, but she wasn't at that point in her life anymore. Sophie let her face rest against his hand, her expression softening at his touch. It was all for show, though she felt like small feeling in her gut again at his touch, but she continued to ignore it. It wasn't that easy to just turn the switch back on once you've had it off for over a century, "I have waited so long to hear you say that." She said quietly before she lifted her head, her expression turning cold once more, "Only it's not what I want to hear anymore, Kol. Why would I ever want to leave if Marie, Marcel, and I have worked so hard to rebuild this city?" She questioned before she stepped away from him, "If I hadn't flipped my switch, this city wouldn't be nearly as perfect as it is now. If I flip it back on, everything goes to hell. Now why would I ever let that happen?"

---

Klaus wanted to protest against her words, but when she touched his cheek, all of his words went out the door. He inhaled deeply when she shoved her hand into his chest, squeezing his heart in her hand. He listened as she spoke, not having much of another option before she release her hold and he started coughing, trying to get as much air as he could, "That pain won't have to be there again, Love. I won't leave you again." He stated to her as he neared her again. He needed to get through to her. She needed to flip her switch again. This wasn't the Marie that he knew. Klaus needed her to know that. Klaus needed the old Marie back.

Kol had found himself grasping onto hope in that moment, hope that he’d managed to get her to see reason, hope that he had her back. But, when her expression returned to that cold, vacant look, he knew that hope was wrong. Shaking his head, he listened to her and drew closer to her again when she backed away. “Who cares about this city, Sophie?” he asked her with a frown, “This city has brought nothing but pain for either of us, love. We can get away from all of that now. You don’t have to help those two anymore. You can be free. We can leave, love.” He stood in front of her now, cupping her face once more. “Together.”

---

Marie arched a brow, watching him before she rolled her eyes. “Don’t you get it, Klaus?” she asked, tilting her head before she leaned up so her face was close to his, her lips almost brushing his, “I. Don’t. Care.” Pulling back, she turned away from him to move to her bed. “So, it doesn’t matter if you leave again. Nothing matters to me, anymore.” Sitting down, she watched him before she dropped her gaze to her bloody hand. She couldn’t let herself think into his words, couldn’t allow him to get through to her. “Maybe you should get it through your head that this is who I am, and it’s who I’ll continue being. So, perhaps, you should just accept it or let me go.”

@ momentai.
Sophie scoffed at his words and shook her head, "How can you just say that I don't have to help Marie and Marcel anymore. They're the two that saved me. You left me, Kol!" She yelled as she shoved his hands away. She needed that feeling to stop trying to make itself known. She hated how emotional she was getting about this. She hated that he was having an effect on her, "I was so broken after you were daggered! I couldn't cope. Marcel and Marie helped me. Marcel turned me and Marie stayed with me. If it wasn't for them I wouldn't be here." She said, "Why would I ever want to feel like that again?" She questioned as she shook her head at him. Sophie was so pissed that Kol was still able to have an effect on her even with her switch flipped off.

---

Klaus shook his head, "I refuse to believe you just don't care about anything anymore." He stated. He didn't want to let her see the effect that she had on him after she just shoved her hand into his chest. When she spoke again about making the choice, "Door number three it is." He replied before he backed away from her and walked out of the room, "I'm not accepting this, Marie." He remarked before he was fully out of the room. Klaus walked down to his brother and sighed, "We have a big problem." He said before he looked around for Kol, "We need to find Kol and leave."

Kol shook his head, bewildered by her angry reaction. But, at least it was a reaction. Even anger could force the humanity to the surface, and if anger was what it would take to bring her back to him, then anger was what he would use. “If it wasn’t for them, you could have found me long ago,” he quickly told her, watching her as he took her in. “I didn’t leave you. I would never intentionally leave you, Sophie. But, your friend has no humanity and Marcel is just using you. How long do you think it will take before either of them decide that you’re not all necessary to do whatever the bloody hell it is that the three of you are trying to do?” He wasn’t sure that would happen; even those without humanity tended to form close bonds with people who were important to them. But, he was trying to make her angry.

---

Marie couldn’t help but to laugh at his words and she watched him leave with a broad grin. “Ah, pathetic,” she murmured to herself before she climbed off the bed and retreated to her bathroom to wash off her hand. It seemed she’d gotten under his skin and the thought made her smirk. Perhaps she’d spend another few times getting under his skin more.
----
Elijah stared at him for a moment before he nodded slightly. “Kol and Sophie haven’t moved from where they’ve been,” he mentioned, motioning over to them, though he was curious as to what exactly had happened that would make his brother seem so… Rattled. Dismissing the thought, he made his way to the pair. “Kol, brother, it is time for us to take our leave.”

@ momentai.
Sophie shook her head at his words. She knew when he had been undaggered. It wasn't hard to hear about how the original family was all together and alive in Mystic Falls, Virginia. She didn't have a reason to go there. When he spoke again, she took another step back as her anger started to make her blood boil, "They wouldn't do that. They're family." She stated. She looked over when Klaus and Elijah walked over to the pair and Elijah said it was time for the family to leave, "Go. We're done with this conversation anyway." Sophie said as she looked back at Kol and shook her head before she turned and walked away from the family, retreating to her bedroom to get out of her damn dress and mask.

---

Klaus nodded at Elijah's words before he walked with him over to Sophie and Kol. The two were clearly in a heated conversation and Klaus could practically see the steam coming off of Sophie's skin. Klaus tried to not focus too much on it before he nodded in agreement at his brother's words, "Come, brother, there is nothing left for us here tonight." He stated before turning to leave the party. Most of the guests had left after they fed on the humans, so they had overstayed their welcome anyway.

Kol stared with shock at Sophie for a long while, watching her as she walked away. If he kept getting her angry, maybe he could force her humanity back. Or maybe he could just go to his plan B and compel her to turn her humanity back on. “Right,” he muttered eventually once Sophie was out of sight. Looking to Klaus and Elijah, he watched them for a moment before he moved to follow them down the stairs. “So, what exactly is the big problem, Niklaus?” Elijah asked with curiosity as he followed, moving to walk next to his brother once they were out of the house, peering over at him.

@ momentai.
Sophie quickly went into her room and changed into comfortable clothes before she walked over to Marie's, knocking lightly before walking in, "I'm so irritated." She huffed as she threw herself on her friend's bed, "I hope your night turned out better than mine." She added looking up at Marie with a frown. Sophie couldn't believe that she let him get to her. That she let him get under her skin like he had. The thought that Kol was so willing to just give up everything for her after not seeing her for a hundred years. It baffled her, but the thought drove her wild. She could feel that spark inside her again, but shoved it right back down with extra force.

---

Klaus looked over at Elijah before Kol, "Did she tell you? Did Sophie tell you that she and Marie have been pulling the strings behind the scenes for a century? That every decision that came from Marcel was because of Sophie and Marie." He stated, "They're plotting against us, brother." Klaus stated as he looked back at Elijah, "They're undoubtedly plotting against us because we left them with Mikael. At least I think that's why Marie is. I don't understand why Sophie is in on it." Klaus rambled as they walked toward the compound, "They've both flipped their switches and have no humanity anymore."

Kol watched his brother for a moment and sighed. “She may have alluded to it,” he muttered, though he’d been more focused on the fact that her humanity was off and he’d been trying to get through to her rather than focusing on something that didn’t matter to him nearly as much. “Sophie flipped her switch because I was daggered and we left. So, ultimately, brother, it’s your fault she flipped it. I’m almost certain she hates you and I equally - or that she would, if she could hate at all.” He frowned to himself, looking towards the compound as they walked. “I say we lock them up, wait for the vervain to leave their systems, then compel them to turn their humanity back on.” Elijah sighed out at his brother’s suggestion. “If we do that, they could very well just hate the two of you for forcing it back,” Elijah pointed out carefully, “Having all of those emotions flooding back and recalling everything they’ve done and becoming emotional about it - they’ll focus on a specific emotion first, and we all know that emotion is usually anger.”

---

Marie arched a brow, looking to her friend as she made her way over. “It went better than I expected. I’m almost certain Niklaus is still reeling from it all. I managed to shove my hand into his chest, even,” she chimed out casually, but she decided to avoid mentioning how he promised to not leave again and how his words had almost made her want to care. Just almost. Not enough to force anything back, but it’d been enough to throw her off at first, and it was why she’d had to tell him to accept who she was or let her go - because there was no point in hanging onto somebody who felt nothing. “He won’t let himself believe that I don’t care about anything.” She snorted quietly, rolling her eyes, because Klaus, of all people, should know how the humanity switch worked. If it was off, she couldn’t care about anything. Focusing on her friend, she watched her for a moment. “So, tell me, what’s got you so irritated?”

@ momentai.
Sophie was glad that her friend's night had turned out better than her own, "I messed up, Mar." She replied to the question, "He got under my skin." She seethed and glared at the wall in front of her, "He kept saying all these things trying to get me to flip my switch again and telling me that we could run away together. None of that got to me though. He started talking about you and Marcel, saying that you guys don't need me anymore and that Marcel is only using me. I just got angry and I let him under my skin." She spoke and shook her head, disappointed in herself.

---

Klaus raised his eyebrows at Kol's words. It made sense and was a good reason for Sophie to want revenge against him. When Kol brought up compelling the girls to turn back on their humanity, Klaus nodded in agreement to Elijah's words, "If it was anyone else I would say just kill them, but this doesn't seem to be an option." He stated as they arrived at the compound. Klaus started undoing his tie as he sighed, "What can we do then? We can't compel them. We can't kill them. It's almost like they have the upper hand."

@ momentai.
Sophie was glad that her friend's night had turned out better than her own, "I messed up, Mar." She replied to the question, "He got under my skin." She seethed and glared at the wall in front of her, "He kept saying all these things trying to get me to flip my switch again and telling me that we could run away together. None of that got to me though. He started talking about you and Marcel, saying that you guys don't need me anymore and that Marcel is only using me. I just got angry and I let him under my skin." She spoke and shook her head, disappointed in herself.

---

Klaus raised his eyebrows at Kol's words. It made sense and was a good reason for Sophie to want revenge against him. When Kol brought up compelling the girls to turn back on their humanity, Klaus nodded in agreement to Elijah's words, "If it was anyone else I would say just kill them, but this doesn't seem to be an option." He stated as they arrived at the compound. Klaus started undoing his tie as he sighed, "What can we do then? We can't compel them. We can't kill them. It's almost like they have the upper hand."

“That’s because they do have the upperhand, brother,” Elijah pointed out as he looked to Klaus. “They know our family too well and they know that we will not kill them.” Not when the pair meant so much to Klaus and Kol. Kol thought about it for a few moments, sighing out as he ran a hand through his hair. “Maybe we should be as conniving as them, Nik,” Kol mentioned, looking to Klaus for a moment. “If Sophie turned off her humanity because we left and I was daggered, perhaps… Perhaps our only option for me to get her back is to dagger me again.” Being daggered was the last thing he wanted, but he wanted Sophie back and he’d do whatever it took to get her to turn her switch back on. “If we run out of options, then we’ll have no choice but to compel them.” Because they couldn’t just let the girls keep their humanity off. He paused, though, looking to his brothers. “Even with their humanity off, they’re still close friends. Perhaps we could use that to get their humanity back.”

---

Marie’s brows furrowed slightly as she watched her friend. “You know that’s not true,” she told her friend gently as she moved over, shifting to wrap an arm around her as she hugged her to her side. “And, my best is that Kol knows that’s not true as well. He was trying to make you angry. He couldn’t get your humanity back with promises of running away and being together again, so he tried to pull at your emotions, any emotion that could get you to react. Perhaps anger was the one he chose, because it’s the easiest to fall into.” She frowned gently to herself and sighed out. “We’ll have to be extra careful from now on. They won’t stop until they get our humanity back. We knew that was a danger when we decided to come out of the shadows, but we can handle this.”

@ momentai.
Sophie sighed and nodded, "I know it's true, but it still got to me and I want to rage because I let him under my skin." She said and sighed once more. When Marie spoke again, Sophie nodded and stood up, "I'm going to bed. I need to stop thinking about things for awhile." She stated before smiling to her friend and headed into her bedroom to get some sleep.

--

Klaus raised an eyebrow at Kol's words, "Conniving just might work, brother." Klaus said to Kol before running a hand through his hair, "It seems like being just like them is our only option." He added as he looked to Elijah and Kol, "Looks like the Mikaelson brothers are back to working together." He added with a small smirk.

(Okay so these are incredibly short I'm so sorry but I completely blanked on what to write)