Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Elena walked into the kitchen early in the morning. She was exhausted, as the bags under her eyes would indicate. It was a couple of days after homecoming, which had turned out to be a disaster. The plan to stop Klaus had utterly failed thanks to Stefan, and now they all had to wait around to see how Klaus would take his revenge.

Jeremy was sitting in the kitchen when Elena entered. “Morning. I take it you didn’t sleep again.”

“I’m okay, Jer. I’ve just had a lot on my mind,” Elena said before going to the coffee pot and pouring herself a cup.

Just then, Alaric walked into the room. He was holding manila envelope in his hands. “Hey, I’m glad you two are up. I was going through the attic yesterday, like we discussed.”

Elena nodded. Alaric had seen the disaster that was the attic about a week ago. He asked if it was alright if he cleaned out. She told him it wasn’t necessary, but he said he wanted to help, so she told him to go for it. There wasn’t much up there anyway, just some old books, clothes, and holiday decorations.

“Well, I found this in an old dresser up there. I thought you’d want to see it,” Alaric said as he held it up.

Elena walked over and took the envelope. It had hers and Jeremy’s names on it. She looked over at Jeremy with a surprised look on her face. “This is Dad’s handwriting, and it’s addressed to both of us.”

“What is it?” Jeremy asked as he stood up.

Elena opened the envelope and pulled out two things. The first was a DVD enclosed in a clear case. There was a strip of tape on it that also had hers and Jeremy’s names on them. The other object was a smaller envelope that looked like it had a letter inside. “A DVD and a letter.”

“Well, I’ll let you guys figure out what you want to do with that stuff. I’m going to head to school. I’ll see you two soon,” Alaric said before grabbing his coffee off of the counter and heading out of the room.

“Why would Dad give us a DVD?” Jeremy asked.

“I don’t know. Sometimes people make videos for their loved ones for after they die. Maybe it was something like that. We can look at it after school,” Elena said.

“Or we could skip school and just look at it now,” Jeremy said with a grin.

Elena rolled her eyes and placed the items back in the envelope, which she put on the counter. “We can’t really skip school when our guardian is the history teacher. Come on, go get ready.”

“Fine,” Jeremy said with a dramatic sigh before heading out of the room to get his things.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

After school, Elena and Jeremy were in the living room. Elena popped the DVD in the player, but she hesitated and looked at Jeremy before playing it. “Are we ready for this? There’s a good chance Dad is going to be on this tape. Are we sure we’re ready to hear the last words he’ll ever say to us again?”

“No, but I don’t think we ever will be. We’re more ready than we were a year ago though. Play it. I want to hear what he has to say,” Jeremy said.

Elena pressed play and then they both took their seats on the couch. The first thing they saw was their father’s face. He looked like he was sitting in his office at his clinic.

Grayson appeared nervous as he looked at the camera. “Hey, guys. Sorry if this is a little awkward. It’s a bit strange talking to your kids as though they’re standing right in front of you.”

Elena and Jeremy both smiled.

“I was hoping that I could have this conversation with the two of you in person, but if the two of you are watching this, that is obviously impossible. But I wanted you to hear this straight from me. I wanted it to be my voice, my face you were seeing and hearing. I didn’t want it to just be some letter you were reading. That wouldn’t be fair,” Grayson said.

Elena and Jeremy both frowned and looked at each other in confusion. Whatever their father was going to say, it sounded serious. They felt like their world might just be turned around… again.

“There are many things I need to tell you both, most of them will be hard for you to believe, but it’s the truth. The first thing that you need to know is that the world is much more complicated than you know. Many of the supernatural creatures you’ve read in storybooks aren’t just stories. They’re real,” Grayson told them.

Jeremy snorted. “A little late, Dad.”

Elena hummed in agreement before listening as her father went on to describe the existence of vampires, witches, and werewolves. She was insanely glad they hadn’t found this video before they learned about the supernatural because it would’ve rocked their world.

“I know this is a lot for you both to take in. Unfortunately, it’s just the beginning. There’s much more I need to tell you. I probably should’ve told you before now, but I wanted your lives to be normal for as long as possible. In a perfect world, you would never need to know about any of this, but I’m not a naïve man. You should also know that I’m not a very good one. I’ve done a lot of dark things, many of which I regret but would not take back. I did almost all of it to protect the two of you, and I would do it again. I’m a vampire hunter, and after you hear the rest of my story, that’s going to sound ludicrous, but I had to be what I was to keep you safe, to make sure vampires never got near you, especially you, Elena,” Grayson said.

Elena frowned slightly. Did her father know she was a doppelganger? Why else would he have specifically pointed out that he had to protect her. Did he know about Klaus? Was that what he was trying to tell her? Was he trying to warn her about all the awful things that had already happened. That was a sad piece of irony.

“I suppose I need to start from the beginning. I wasn’t always who I am today. What I mean by that is that I have lived before. I suppose you could call it reincarnation. That’s the only word I have for it. All I know for sure is that I’ve had memories of another life since as far as I can remember. I remember being Grayson Gilbert, of course, but I also remember being Henrik Mikaelson.”

Elena gaped in shock as she heard her father’s words. In fact, for a second, she thought she must have misheard. She knew who Henrik Mikaelson was. At least she was pretty sure she did. She’d heard of Henrik, the youngest of the original family.  And the fact that her father mentioned the last name Mikaelson seemed too much of a coincidence, given the name of the Originals’ father. If what her father was saying was true, he was the reason vampires were created. His death was the catalyst.

“Okay, this is taking a strange turn, even for us,” Jeremy said before turning to Elena, who had gone white as a sheet and was staring at their father’s image in disbelief. “Elena, what is it?”

“I know that name,” Elena said, almost in a trace.

“My life as Henrik was short and not very happy, so I won’t go into many details, but I had a family, and that family will likely find the two of you some day, only they won’t know your connection to me. That’s why I’m making this video. I want you to be prepared. My siblings were turned into vampires centuries ago. It took me a long time to learn that information, but when I did, I knew I had to safeguard the two of you, especially Elena. In the envelope you found this DVD in, you’ll find another envelope with a series of letters in it. Those are for my siblings. Should you ever meet them, please make sure they get them immediately. It’s both for their benefit and your safety,” he said.

“Oh my God,” Elena said in disbelief. There was no denying it now. Her father was the same boy she’d heard about in Rebekah’s story. He had to be. It was nearly impossible to wrap her head around. Her father was related to the originals, to Klaus, which meant she was too. Well, sort of. She didn’t know how related she was, honestly, because John was her biological father.

“Elena, this next part is more for you. You’re not going to think much of me when you hear it. Jeremy probably won’t either, and I’m sorry.  Elena, you may have heard by now that my brother, John, is your father. If you haven’t then I’ve probably just traumatized you even more than necessary. In any event, if you have heard it, you need to know that it’s not true,” Grayson said.

Elena looked up at the screen in disbelief for what had to be the hundredth time. She had just recently come to terms with the fact that she was adopted. Now her dad was telling her it wasn’t true. What was true then? She’d seen proof that she was not the daughter Of Miranda and Grayson Gilbert.

“John does not know what I’m about to tell you, and if would be best if he didn’t, at least until my siblings have entered your lives. I don’t know what he would do with this information. I want you to know that this was the most shameful moment of my life. Not you, Elena. Not a day has gone by where I regretted being your father. You were the one good thing to come out of a night filled with bad decisions and poor judgment. Your mother and I got into a terrible fight one night. I went out and got drunk. John’s girlfriend was at the same bar I was. We both got completely wasted, to the point where I blacked out. The next thing I knew, I woke up at a motel with Isobel. She remembered it and assured me that she was a willing participant, but she was young. I want to assure you that I never would’ve allowed it to happen if I’d been in my right mind.”

“Dad cheated on mom?” Jeremy asked in shock.

Elena stopped the video. “I can’t watch this anymore. Oh, I can’t believe this is happening.”

“Hey, it’s going to be okay. I know it’s shocking, but…”

“No, you don’t,” Elena said before she got up and started pacing. He entire life had just been ripped apart, and not for the first time. Hell, it had just been torn apart several times in the last ten minutes. “It…It’s not just what he was saying about Isobel. He… What he told us about himself… You don’t understand.”

Jeremy was getting worried. Elena wasn’t speaking in complete sentences. She was freaked out, more freaked out than he’d ever seen her, and this was a girl who basically took the news about vampires in stride. “What don’t I understand?”

Elena stopped pacing and looked at him. “What he told us about who he was. Henrik Mikaelson.”

“You said you recognized the name,” Jeremy said. He’d forgotten that for a minute. It had been one shock after another since they started watching that video.

Elena nodded. “Henrik Mikaelson died a thousand years ago. He was killed by a werewolf in this very town.”

“How do you know that?” he asked.

“Rebekah told me. He was part of their origin story. The Originals were turned after their brother was murdered by werewolves. Their brother, Henrik,” Elena told him.

Jeremy stared at her in disbelief as her words sunk in, as he realized what they meant. “Are you saying…?”

“Our father was related to the Originals, and so are we. We’re related to Klaus."

Chapter Text

Jeremy didn’t sleep that night. Well, not more than a couple of hours. How could he. He’d just learned that at least half of what he thought he knew about his father wasn’t true, and they hadn’t even finished the video yet. His father had cheated on his mother with a younger girl. That was how Elena was conceived. Not that he would’ve wished Elena not exist. He loved her. She had been all he had after his parents died. There had been Jenna, of course, but it wasn’t the same. He couldn’t have survived without Elena. However, that didn’t mean it didn’t anger him to learn that his father had hurt his mother like that. Of course, this all happened before he was born, so he wasn’t sure how angry he had a right to be.

That wasn’t even half of what kept him up though. It was shocking, of course, but what was really getting to him was that his father had been someone else entirely centuries ago, and not just anyone, but the brother of the Originals. That meant Jeremy and Elena were too. They were related to Klaus. He was their uncle. He didn’t even know how to begin to process that.

When Jeremy made it downstairs, he found Elena sitting in the living room. She was staring into space and looked like she’d gotten about as much sleep as he had. She looked like she’d gotten about as much sleep as he had. “You didn’t sleep either, huh?”

Elena shook her head.

“Is Ric gone?” he asked.

“Yeah, he went to school,” Elena said.

“I don’t think I can handle school today, Elena,” Jeremy said honestly. Yesterday, he just wanted to get out of going. Today, he was too messed up to even think of getting through a day of school.

“I know. I told Ric that what we saw on the video was overwhelming. He agreed to call us out sick,” Elena said.

“Did you tell him?” Jeremy wondered.

“Just a part of it. I told him that Dad confessed to cheating on Mom with Isobel and that he’s my father after all. He was pissed. He thinks Dad took advantage of Isobel,” Elena said.

“Elena, I’m not saying what he did was okay, but I don’t think he intended for it to happen, and it sounds like Isobel was a willing participant,” Jeremy said.

“She was young, Jer,” Elena said.

“I know, but she wasn’t much younger than you were when you started dating a guy more than a hundred years older than you,” Jeremy said. Of course, he was one to talk. He usually fell for older girls. Anna, he was sure was older than Stefan.

“Okay, that’s not the same,” Elena said.

“It kind of is. I’m not trying to judge anyone. I’m just saying neither of us can say much,” Jeremy said.

“I…I just don’t know how to feel about it, any of it. I feel like I’m going to get whiplash with how often my paternity seems to change. And then there’s the fact that Dad wasn’t even who we thought he was. He had a whole other life. Did we even really know him?” Elena asked.

“Well, let’s get to know a little more about him. We need to finish the video,” Jeremy said.

Elena looked hesitant. “I don’t know if I’m ready for any more shocks.”

“I don’t know if I am either, but we need to know,” he said.

Elena reluctantly nodded.

Jeremy picked up the remote and turned the TV on. Then he played the rest of the video.

Grayson’s face appeared on the screen again. “I hope you both can forgive me for all of this. Both for what I did and for the lies. Elena, I want you to know that I loved you. You were mine, no matter how you were conceived. I didn’t love Isobel, but I loved you. I didn’t find out about you until John brought Isobel to the clinic, ready to give birth. It was a shock to say the least. John thought he was the father. I hoped he was right, not because I didn’t want to be your father, but because I didn’t want to hurt my brother. When John and Isobel gave you to me and your mother, I decided it was best that I not even find out whose child you were. It didn’t matter. You would be mine either way. But I couldn’t not know. I conducted a DNA test when you were about a month old. I went to tell John the truth, but I couldn’t. I knew he’d never forgive me, and I was afraid of how he’d treat you.”

Elena shut her eyes sadly. For the first time in her life, she felt badly for John. His brother had betrayed him. He’d let him go on thinking he had a kid that he’d given up. She loved her father, but he shouldn’t have done that. John had died for a child that wasn’t his. It wasn’t fair to him.

“I wonder if Mom knew,” Jeremy said.

Grayson answered as though he could hear his son’s question. “I never told anyone. Well, I told one person, and I’ll get into who it was and why soon enough, but I never told anyone that truly mattered. I know that makes me a coward, but I was trying to protect John and your mother too as well as you, Elena. I could never let anyone treat you badly for what I did. I didn’t want you to pay for my mistakes.”

“Instead, everyone else had to,” Elena whispered.

Jeremy took her hand to let her know he was here, and that nothing their father had said changed how he felt about her.

“I guess I should move on now. There’s much more to say. I told you who I used to be, but what I haven’t told you yet is that I was a witch. My family came from a long line of witches. I hadn’t tapped into my powers as Henrik, but I did as Grayson,” he said.

“Dad was a witch?” Jeremy said in surprise.

“I was surprised at first, given the circumstances, but my mother had always told me that magic was intertwined into a person’s soul. My soul will always be Henrik Mikaelson, so it makes sense that I would untap my power. I don’t know if the two of you will tap into it as well. I have no way of knowing that.”

Elena felt herself getting overwhelmed again. Just how many life altering secrets was she going to learn before this video was over?

“This is one of the reasons that I have gone out of my way to keep vampires away from this town. I feared the danger you would face. Witches and vampires have always been enemies. Most witches hate vampires for what they are, and vampires have followed suit. Another reason I’ve kept them away is something I discovered as you grew up, Elena. When you were about ten, I started to notice an uncanny resemblance to a young woman in my village when I was Henrik,” Grayson said.

“The doppelganger talk,” Elena muttered quietly.

“I realized something strange was going on, so I spoke to a friend, Shiela Bennett. She’s the one I told everything to,” Grayson said.

Elena sat up in attention. “Bonnie’s grandmother knew I was a doppelganger. She knew what that meant?”

Jeremy shrugged. “She was a witch. It makes sense.”

“She told me about something called doppelgangers, and what that would mean for you. My brother, Niklaus, would seek you out. He’d try to use you to end a curse that was put on him. That is why I kept you both a secret from my siblings, once I learned what they were, of course, and why if they find you, you must tell them the truth immediately. Show them the letters. They will prove my story is true. There are things only I would know in them. I don’t know the man my brother has become, only the horror stories the world knows, but I have to believe that he wouldn’t harm a member of his own family. Tell him the truth. I’m actually hoping it will be a good thing. My siblings can look after you now that I can’t. One more thing. As I said, I trusted Shiela Bennett with everything about us, but I’m starting to wish I hadn’t. The way she looks at me and the two of you concerns me, so please be careful around her. I love you both. Please remember that. I hope you can forgive me for all of this one day. Goodbye,” he said with sadness in his voice.

Jeremy shut the video off. “Okay. I guess that’s it.”

“Yeah. Now we’re just left with mind blowing revelations, and a lifetime of therapy needs we can never fulfill,” Elena said.

Jeremy snorted in response. “Dad said Bonnie’s grandmother knew everything. You don’t think Bonnie knew, do you?”

Elena shook her head. “No. She wouldn’t keep that from us, especially after Klaus showed up to sacrifice me.”

“What do we do now? How do we deal with all of this? Our father was Klaus’ brother. That makes him our uncle,” Jeremy said in disbelief. That was the hardest thing for him to wrap his head around. It was mindboggling, and frankly, it was horrifying. The man who murdered his aunt and his sister was his uncle. How as he supposed to reconcile that.

Elena shuddered. That fact had her reeling too. She hated Klaus, both for what he did to Jenna and for what he did to Stefan. The thought of being related to him in anyway sickened her. “I don’t know.”

“Do we tell him? Do we tell Klaus?” Jeremy asked.

“No,” Elena said with strongly. That was the one thing she was sure about. She never wanted Klaus knowing about this. “Klaus can never find out about this.”

“Dad wanted him to know,” Jeremy pointed out. It wasn’t like he wanted to tell him. He hated Klaus, but it was what his father wanted, and it might help them in the long run.

“That was to stop the sacrifice. Its already happened. Dad was also clinging to the belief that his brother would be a decent person. He’s not. Klaus is a monster,” Elena said.

“Yeah, but Klaus is still a problem. He wants your blood. If he knew the truth…”

“You think Klaus knowing would make him care about us? This man daggers his siblings for sport. He’s not going to care about us, and if he does, it’s not a good thing,” Elena said.

“What do you mean?” Jeremy asked.

Elena sighed. “I’ve thought about this all night. If Klaus finds out, one of two things will happen. The first is like I said, he won’t give a damn. He’ll mock us for even thinking he’d care about us. That’s the more likely and more promising scenario. The other is that he will care and take control over our lives. We’d be essentially enslaved to him. He’d feel like he owned us.”

Jeremy shuddered at the very thought. “I never thought of that.”

“I’m sorry, Jeremy. I know it probably feels like I’m making this decision for us when it’s happening to you too, but it’s too risky to tell Klaus or anyone else,” Elena said. If Elijah were around, she might consider it, but even then, probably not. Klaus had subdued him too easily.

“So, you’re not going to tell the Salvatores?” Jeremy asked surprised.

Elena shook her head. “I don’t think so. Stefan is off the rails and Damon is impulsive. He’s the last person I’d trust with a secret like this. I don’t think we should tell anyone. But what do you want to do. Like I said, this is happening to you too.”

“Turn back time and forget all of this happened,” Jeremy said.

“If only that were possible. The next best thing is to try to go on like we never found this out, as impossible as that seems,” Elena said.

“What about the letters? Should we destroy them?” Jeremy asked. He agreed with Elena’s plan after hearing her reasons. He didn’t know why he ever thought telling Klaus was an option in the first place. He supposed he was still in shock.

“I don’t think I can. I don’t intend to read them or anything, but I don’t think I can destroy Dad’s last words,” Elena said.

“So, we put them away for now. Out of sight, out of mind,” Jeremy said.

“I’ll take care of it. The DVD too,” Elena said before standing up and retrieving the video from the player.

“You now, you don’t always have to take care of everything,” Jeremy said.

“Yes, I do. I’m the only person who can now,” Elena said before putting the DVD away and heading out of the room.

Chapter Text

Elena had wanted her and Jeremy to move on with their lives as if they never found that DVD. That turned about to be impossible. Elena couldn’t get it out of her head. It was extremely overwhelming. First, she had to deal with the fact that her paternity had changed, again. One might think she’d be comforted by the fact that the man who raised her turned out to be her father after all, but any relief she might have felt was overshadowed by the fact that she only existed because her father betrayed her mother, the woman who raised her. And she knew things like that happened sometimes in marriages, but it was hard for her to deal with, especially considering her mother never knew about it. She had thoughts in her head. Would her mother have still loved her if she knew the truth? Would she have rejected her?

That was only half the turmoil Elena was going through. Then there was Klaus, a man she hated with every fiber of her being, and he was her uncle. It had been weeks since she’d learned it, and she still couldn’t reconcile it. She couldn’t deal with it. It was all taking a toll on her life, and it didn’t help that Klaus was always around. She’d hoped he’d go away, and they could just forget about him, but Stefan had made that impossible. He’d stolen Klaus’ coffins, which held three of his siblings. He was pissed, so pissed that he started targeting people she cared about. Jeremy almost got run over after being compelled to stand in the middle of the street.

Elena almost told Klaus the truth after that incident. She’d come extremely close to doing it. She had to do something to stop him from hurting Jeremy. However, she decided to first appease him by trading Jeremy’s safety for Rebekah. It thankfully worked, but it didn’t solve the overall problem. Stefan, and probably Damon at this point, were keeping keep away with Klaus’ family, and it was going to get people killed.

Elena was not unaffected by the coffin thing either. It bothered her, more than she would’ve thought it would. These people weren’t just Klaus’ family. They were hers too. They were her dad’s family, and unlike Klaus, they’d done nothing to her. It didn’t sit well with her that they were being used as leverage.

It was all just so much to deal with. Elena’s life felt like it was in shambles. Her grades were tanking, and she was isolating herself from her friends. The only person she really talked to unless prompted was Jeremy. She’d actually considered sending Jeremy away after the incident with the hybrid and the car, but she couldn’t bring herself to. They couldn’t be away from each other right now. They needed each other to get through this. They were both struggling, and it would be almost impossible to deal with without each other. She supposed that was the one good thing that came out of this. They were closer.

Elena heard the front door open and close. She knew it was Jeremy, as he’d left to pick up dinner from the Grill. She went downstairs and met him in the kitchen. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Jeremy said as he put the bags on the counter. He watched Elena grab some plates and silverware. “Klaus was at the Grill.”

Elena stopped dead and went stiff. “Did he do anything to you? Did he say anything?”

“Not really. He just gave me that pompous ass grin of his. I ignored him and got out of there as soon as our food was ready,” Jeremy said.

Elena sighed in relief before she began filing food onto her plate. “Good.

“Do you think he’s ever going to leave?” Jeremy asked.

“It doesn’t seem likely. He’s building a damned house, and he’s definitely not going to leave before he gets his coffins back,” Elena said. Truthfully, she knew she’d never actually be free of Klaus. He needed her to make his hybrids. However, she could deal with him showing up periodically to take her blood. She didn’t think she could deal with his constant presence in her town forever. Honestly, she considered the idea of her and Jeremy both leaving town, but if she did that, she knew Klaus would view it the same as when Katherine ran from him. He’d kill everyone she loved and pursue her relentlessly for the rest of her life.”

“You know, the whole coffin thing is really screwed up,” Jeremy said as he led the way to the table, where they both sat down and started eating. It would be screwed up either way, given the danger Stefan and anyone involved with him was bringing to the town right now by screwing with Klaus, but as someone who was related to the beings in that coffin, it had him even more uneased.

“I know. I don’t like it either, but there’s not much I can do about it. I don’t know where they are,” Elena said.

“Have you tried to talk to Stefan about it?” Jeremy asked.

“I tried to talk to him when Klaus was threatening your life. He didn’t give a damn. Stefan doesn’t care about anyone or anything other than hurting Klaus,” Elena said bitterly. Stefan had become just another thing that was taken from her. She’d caught herself more than once thinking that she wished she could tell him what was going on. A few months ago, he would’ve helped her through it. Now, she was pretty sure he’d just use it against her and Klaus. She couldn’t really trust anyone, even her friends. She was pretty sure Damon and Bonnie were involved with Stefan now. Damon, she was almost positive about, but she suspected Bonnie too. Bonnie more than once talked about the coffins being taken being a good thing.

“Dick,” Jeremy whispered before taking a bite of his burger.

“I wish I could disagree,” she said.

“How are we supposed to keep this a secret if Klaus is going to be around all the time?” Jeremy asked.

“There’s no reason to think he’d ever find out. He has no reason to believe that Dad was in any way connected to him. He won’t know unless we tell him, which I almost did,” Elena said.

“When he sent the hybrid after me,” Jeremy guessed. He wasn’t surprised to hear it. When Elena left the house after that incident, he half expect that that was what she was going to do. “I thought you didn’t think he’d care though.”

“It was worth finding out. To be honest, I’m no longer sure about that though. I didn’t think he cared about his siblings either, but he’s pissed about what Stefan did. Even if he did care about us though, I think it would be the way I said it would be. He’d want to control us, to own us. It would be a never-ending hell. Still, I was willing to risk that to save your life,” Elena explained.

Jeremy nodded. He would’ve done the same for her. “You know, I saw Ric and Damon at the Grill too. I heard them talking about what’s wrong with you.”

“Great. People are talking about us behind our backs. I wish I could say that surprised me,” Elena said.

“Well, they’re talking about you anyway, about how your behavior has changed. Should I be upset that they’re not talking about me too. Apparently no one cares that my life is down the toilet too,” Jeremy said slightly bitterly. He knew he shouldn’t be upset about it. People were always worried about Elena for a reason. Everything always seemed to happen to her. Still, it would be nice if the person responsible for him noticed that he wasn’t okay either.”

“Don’t take it personally. My behavior has dramatically changed,” she said.

“While I’ve always been a screwup,” Jeremy said bitterly.

“You’re not a screwup. No one can go through the crap we’ve been through and come out it the same. Both of us have changed dramatically since the accident. It’s just that my behavioral changes looked different than yours did. Remember before Mom and Dad died? I was a lot different. I was in cheerleading. I went to parties with underage drinking,” Elena said wistfully. Her life was much simpler back then. Knowing that, a part of her could understand why her father wanted to keep this a secret for so long. The other part of her was furious about it.”

Jeremy smirked. “You banged up Mayor Lockwood’s car and made it look like Tyler got into a wreck with it.”

Elena smiled back at him. She remembered that. It was a couple of months before the accident. Tyler had started picking on Jeremy. He needed to be taught a lesson. She’d made sure Tyler knew it was, but no one could ever prove it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. There is nothing tying me to the unfortunate state of Richard Lockwood’s car.”

Jeremy laughed. “Come on, even Mom and Dad knew you did it. I heard them laughing about it when they thought I was asleep. They just didn’t have the heart to punish you for it because they knew why you did it.”

“Anyway, like I was saying, the changes in me went the other way. That’s why everyone was more concerned with you back then and why they are with me now. But I’m here for you. We’re going to get through this together,” Elena said.

Jeremy nodded. “Even if Klaus finds out. We’ll at least have each other.”

“Yeah, but he’s not going to. As long as we don’t tell anyone, there’s no way he can find out,” she said.

“Unless we do become witches, like Dad was saying we might. Elena, I see ghosts. You know that,” Jeremy said.

“That’s because of what happened with Bonnie. She brought you back,” Elena reminded him.

“That’s what I thought too, but what if we’re wrong? Or what if it’s a combination of both? Maybe my death and resurrection somehow trigged the witch powers in me,” Jeremy said.

“I guess it’s possible. Either way, being witches doesn’t prove anything to Klaus. A lot of people have witchcraft. We can play it off like Dad came from a family of witches and hid it from everyone. That’s not even totally a lie,” Elena said.

“Alright. I guess we just take it one step at a time. Maybe we’ll even get lucky, and the coffins will be found soon, and Klaus will decide to take off,” Jeremy said.

Elena laughed bitterly and stood up to clear her plate. “I think one thing we can both agree on is that luck is never on our side."

Chapter Text

Jeremy walked into the Grill and went to the bar. He ordered himself a drink. No one ever carded at the Grill. It was an unspoken rule by the manager that everyone was served. Most kids had fake ids anyway. Elena wouldn’t like that he was drinking, but what she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her. Their lives had become extremely screwed up. He wasn’t even sure she’d blame him.

Once Jeremy had his drink, he took a large gulp of it. Then he heard a voice he despised.

“My, my. Drinking in the middle of the day? You know, someone should pay more attention to the troubled youth in this town.”

Jeremy sighed and turned to see Klaus next to him, leaned against the bar. “Seriously? Is there anywhere I can go without seeing your face?”

“Now, that’s uncalled for, isn’t it? I was merely expressing my concern for you. Clearly no one is looking out for you,” Klaus said with a smirk.

“Well, if you hadn’t murdered my guardian, there would be someone, wouldn’t there?” Jeremy asked before taking a sip of his drink.

Klaus laughed. “Well, you can thank the Salvatores for that. There are consequences for crossing me.”

“What do you want?” Jeremy asked before taking a seat.

“I would think that would be obvious. I want what is mine,” Klaus said.

“I don’t know where your damned coffins are! If I did, I’d tell you,” Jeremy said honestly. He wished he did know where they were. He could end all of this. At the very least, it would be one less thing Elena had to stress over, and maybe it would get rid of Klaus for good. That was probably wishful thinking though. He also really hated that people connected to him and his father were being used as weapons.

Klaus raised an eyebrow. “Is that a fact? Why do I find that hard to believe? You’d give up all those revenge fantasies I’m sure are going through your head?”

“I don’t give a damn about revenge. It would be a hollow victory even if I could pull it off, which is doubtful. It’s not worth the cost of the bloodshed it would create,” Jeremy said.

Klaus grinned. “Smart lad. Do you think your sister agrees?”

“She doesn’t know where your coffins are either,” he said.

“Perhaps not. After last night, she probably would’ve told me if she did,” Klaus mused.

“What? What do you mean last night? What did you do to my sister?” Jeremy asked as he stood up. He’d seen Elena less than an hour ago, so he knew she was okay, but she did seem off this morning, even more than she had been recently.

Klaus grinned and put his hands up in mock surrender. “Me? I haven’t done anything. Stefan did it. You know, I would’ve thought she would’ve told you. I suppose she wanted it to be a secret. My mistake.”

“What did he do?” Jeremy asked. He wasn’t sure if something actually happened or if Klaus was toying with him. It might be both. He certainly wouldn’t put anything past Stefan at this point.

“He used her to get me to send my hybrids away. He fed her his blood and threatened to drive her off the bridge, the same bridge that killed your parents, if I’m not mistaken,” Klaus said.

Jeremy felt rage build up inside him. No wonder Elena seemed off this morning. A part of her was still hoping that there was something in Stefan worth salvaging. She still loved him, and he’d used the worst moment of their lives against. The guy she loved had hurt her in the worst way imaginable. “Son of a bitch!”

“Hey! Get the hell away from him!” a voice yelled.

Jeremy turned just in time to see Damon get in the middle of him and Klaus.

“Now, that’s rude. Jeremy and I were having a lovely conversation. You should learn some manners,” Klaus said.

Damon turned and glared at Jeremy. “What the hell are you doing, Jeremy? You know better than to go near this guy. Go home.”

Damon glared back at him fiercely. “What did your brother do to my sister?”

“Look, you can’t listen to anything Klaus has to say,” Damon said.

“So, you’re saying that Stefan didn’t use my sister as a weapon against Klaus? That he didn’t try to turn her by driving her off the very same bridge that she went over a year ago with our parents?” Jeremy asked.

Damon grabbed Jeremy by the arm and pulled him away from Klaus and over to a corner of the bar. “Keep your voice down!”

“Get your hands off me!” Jeremy snarled before pulling his arm free. “Your brother was supposed to be Elena’s savior, and he’s been more of a monster than Klaus!”

“Stop being dramatic. It was a tactic! He wasn’t going to do it. He just needed Klaus to think he was, and it worked! Klaus gave in. We’re one step closer to stopping him,” Damon said.

“You’re an idiot! Klaus can’t be killed, Damon. All you’re doing is lighting the match that is Klaus, and when he explodes, people are going to end up dead!” Jeremy snapped as quietly as possible. They were in a crowded bar. It probably wasn’t a good idea to yell.

Damon shrugged. “As long as it isn’t Elena.”

Jeremy laughed mockingly. “You think you’re Elena’s hero? That’s such a joke! You and Stefan are half her problem! You’re more her problem than Klaus is. You’ve all been wondering what happened to make Elena so depressed. You happened.” Yes, he knew that wasn’t entirely true or even mostly true, but they certainly didn’t help things, and he wanted Damon to see what his ‘help’ had done to Elena’s life.

“You arrogant, little punk! You know nothing!” Damon snarled.

“I know if it weren’t for you, my aunt would still be alive. My uncle would too, probably, because Elene would’ve taken the Elixir that Elijah offered her. I know if it weren’t for Stefan, Elena wouldn’t be at home devastated because the one person she loved most in the world betrayed her. You and your brother stay the hell away from my sister!” Jeremy demanded before he started to walk away.

“Hey! Wait a minute!” Damon yelled before grabbing Jeremy’s arm.

Jeremy whirled back around and pushed Damon away from him. “I said keep your hands off me!”

Damon was about to laugh at the kid’s pathetic attempt hurt him when he heard a bunch of glasses break. He looked around and found a bunch of patrons looking around in shock as their glasses broke without warning. “What the hell?”

Jeremy used Damon’s surprise to pry his arm free again. He looked around to see if anyone else saw what happened. He found Klaus still at the bar looking at the scene. Jeremy didn’t notice if Klaus knew how it happened. Honestly, Jeremy wasn’t entirely sure himself what happened. He didn’t know if it was him or someone else. What he did know is that he had to get out of there, so he did.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Elena found herself sitting on the couch. She was still shaky from what Stefan did to her last night. Of all the things that had happened to her lately, that was probably the worst, which said a lot. The guy she loved had hurt her in the worst way imaginable. He tried to turn her, something he knew she didn’t want, and he’d used her worst trauma to do it. She didn’t even recognize him anymore. There was nothing about this man that reminded her of the boy who’d saved her life over and over, who gave her a reason to want to live again. She didn’t know how to deal with this along with everything else.

Elena was pulled from her thoughts when she heard a knock at the door. She thought about ignoring it, but her car was in the driveway. Whoever it was would know she was home. Reluctantly, she got up and answered it. She found Bonnie and Caroline on the other side. “Guys, it’s not a good time. I’m really not in the mood for company.”

“Too bad. When you’re not in the mood for company is usually when you need it,” Caroline said before pushing her way inside. Bonnie followed suit.

Elena sighed and closed the door behind them. “Guys, I’ve had a sucky night, okay?”

“We know. So did I. I got bitten by a psychotic hybrid. He did heal me though,” Caroline said.

“I heard. I’m really sorry. I should’ve called you but…”

Caroline waved her off before she could finish. “I get it. Your day was just as awful. Stefan shouldn’t have done what he did.”

“No, but it worked,” Bonnie said.

Elena glared at her friend. “I am so tired of hearing that. Why the hell should I care?”

“Because we’re one step closer to stopping Klaus,” Bonnie said as if it were obvious.

Elena shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t care about stopping Klaus, not if it means people I care about end up dead because of it!”

“Elena, how can you say that after everything Klaus took from you? He killed Jenna and is responsible for John dying. Don’t you want him to suffer for that?” Bonnie asked.

“No. I don’t want anyone to suffer. I’m not Stefan. I don’t live for revenge. The only thing I want is to make sure I don’t lose anyone else. I nearly lost Jeremy and Ric over this vendetta Stefan has with Klaus. I got damned lucky that Klaus backed off after I gave him Rebekah. If not…”

“If not what, Elena?” Caroline asked.

Elena took a deep breath. She almost let something slip, and that wouldn’t have been good. No one could know the truth. “If not, I could’ve lost my brother or Alaric. I don’t want to fight Klaus. I just want this war to stop.”

“Elena, you’re starting to worry me,” Bonnie said. It bothered her that Elena didn’t seem to understand the threat Klaus, or any vampire, presented. Elena had always been a vampire apologist, and that didn’t sit well with her. She’d actually had that conversation with her grandmother shortly before she died. The fact that she was now talking as though stopping Klaus wasn’t important made that worse.

“Why? Because I don’t want to go to war with an unkillable hybrid?” Elena asked.

“Actually, no. At least, that’s not why I’m worried. I get your stance on the whole Klaus thing, but I’ve been worried about you for a while. You’ve been really despondent. You haven’t wanted to hang out. Your grades are basically in the toilet. We’re worried. Ric mentioned that it happened after you got some things from your dad. He said that Grayson was your father after all,” Caroline said.

“Great. My private business is being spread again,” Elena said sarcastically.

Just then, the front door opened and closed. Jeremy appeared, and he looked upset. “Why didn’t’ you tell me about Stefan?”

Elena sighed. She wouldn’t even pretend not to know what he was talking about. “I didn’t want to worry you. I’m fine.”

“Your ex-boyfriend tried to run you off the same bridge that killed our parents. I highly doubt you’re anything resembling fine.”

“I’m okay, Jeremy. It’s over,” Elena assured him.

Jeremy turned to Bonnie and Caroline. “I need to be alone with my sister.”

Caroline nodded, and they all said their goodbyes before heading out and giving the two siblings some time alone.

“How did you find out?” Elena asked.

“I ran into Klaus. He was all too happy to tell me,” Jeremy said.

Elena’s eyes widened. “You saw Klaus again? Did he do anything?”

Jeremy shook his head. “Nothing but gleefully tell me what happened to you. Then Damon showed up and we fought. Damon tried to make it sound like what Stefan did wasn’t a big deal. I got really angry. Some glassware got broken.”

Elena frowned. “Exactly what do you mean by that?”

“I mean it spontaneously broke for no reason. I don’t know if it was me, but it seems really coincidental.”

Elena swallowed a couple of times. “Did anyone see?”

“Both Damon and Klaus saw that glass got broken, but I don’t know if they figured out that it was me. Elena, I don’t think we’re going to be able to keep this secret much longer. Frankly, I’m not sure we should anymore,” Jeremy said. He didn’t want Klaus to know, but Klaus could at least keep Elena safe from the Salvatores. And the fact that that thought even went through his head was twisted. How screwed up had things gotten that Jeremy was starting to see Klaus as a possible savior?

Elena shook her head. “No. He can never know. Our lives would be hell.”

“Our lives are hell now. You can’t even leave the house without fear that someone you once trusted will do something awful to you. At this point, Stefan is more of a threat than Klaus is,” Jeremy told her.

Elena stared at him for a minute and then started to cry, because he wasn’t entirely wrong. She feared what Klaus could do to her and her brother, but she now also had to worry about what Stefan might do. It was all becoming too much.

Jeremy walked towards her and pulled her into his arms. “It’s okay, Elena. Let it out. For once, let me take care of you.”

Elena cried harder in his arms, because it had been so long since she’d been allowed to break, and there was so much to break over.

Jeremy held his sister in his arms and silently promised that they would find a way to get through this. The problem was that he didn’t know how. Telling Klaus was still a terrible option. However, with every day that went by, it became less and less likely that he wouldn’t eventually find out.

Chapter Text

Jeremy was sitting in the cafeteria at lunchtime. He had his father’s letter to Klaus in his hand. He hadn’t read it. He was just looking at it and contemplating what to do. He’d snaked it from Elena’s room when she was in the shower the other day. He’d been seriously considering telling Klaus since the day he found out about what Stefan did to Elena. It wasn’t just the physical danger he’d put her in. The things he was doing were taking a mental toll on her, and that was on top of the upheaval their father’s revelations had had on both of them. He didn’t think she could take much more, and he didn’t know how to help her. He didn’t even know how to help himself. Then again, he didn’t know what help Klaus, of all people, could possibly be. The man had had been nothing but a nightmare for them since before he even stepped foot in Mystic Falls. Jeremy just didn’t know what to do. He wished his parents could be here to tell him how to handle this. Then again, he supposed his father already had told him. They just didn’t want to do it.

Jeremy soon heard footsteps coming in his direction. He looked up to see Bonnie coming his way. He immediately put Klaus’ letter in his pocket.

“Hey. What was that?” Bonnie asked before sitting down across from Jeremy.

“Just a letter to a friend. What do you need, Bonnie?” Jeremy asked.

“Well, I figured I’d see how you were doing. We haven’t talked in a while,” Bonnie said.

Jeremy looked at her skeptically. Bonnie had mostly refused to speak to him since they broke up, and he understood why, but her claiming to want to know how he was seemed a little suspicious. “I’m fine. Now, tell me why you really came over here.”

Bonnie sighed. “Okay. I’ve been trying to talk to Elena all day, but she keeps blowing me off. Can you talk to her for me? I’m going out of town to find my mom and I wanted her to come with me.” Even this moment, Elena was avoiding her. She hadn’t come to lunch. Actually, she hadn’t been at lunch all week. She was probably hiding out in the library or something.

“No,” Jeremy said simply.

“What?” Bonnie asked, caught off-guard.”

“Just how dumb do you think I am? You expect me to believe that you suddenly has this urge to go talk to the woman who abandoned you after years of wanting nothing to do with her? And you’re doing this right in the middle of an asinine plan to screw with Klaus? No, leave my sister out of this,” Jeremy said firmly.

Bonnie glared at him slightly. “Since when do you speak for Elena?”

Jeremy laughed bitterly. “That’s rich coming from you. All you and your new friends have done for months is speak for my sisters or make decisions for her.”

“We are doing what’s best for Elena,” Bonnie said.

Jeremy glared at her in disgust. This was a girl he’d known his whole life, someone he saw himself being with not too long ago, and she was barely recognizable to him now. When had she become so pompous and arrogant. Was it the whole witch thing. If so, he vowed to himself then and there that he would not be a witch like her. “Who the hell do you think you are? Who are you to decide what’s best for Elena? You’re not her parent, or even her family. Frankly, you’ve become a poor excuse of a friend.”

Bonnie flinched as thought she’d been slapped. “How can you say that?”

“Easily when your actions are tearing my sister apart! But you don’t care, do you? Sticking it to Klaus is worth breaking my sister down,” Jeremy sneered.

“Look, I know that things are difficult for Elena right now, but once this is over, she’ll see that it’s for the best,” Bonnie said.

“You mean like Stefan threatening to drive her off the same bridge that killed our parents? Tell me, Bonnie, did you know he was going to do it?” he asked.

“Of course not,” Bonnie said immediately.

“Would you have stopped him if you did?” Jeremy asked.

Bonnie didn’t answer. She just sat there silently.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Some friend you are. Frankly, we might just be better off with Klaus,” Jeremy said.

“Jeremy, don’t say things like that,” Bonnie said.

“Why not? At least what we see is what we get with him. At least he doesn’t pretend to care,” Jeremy said before standing up.

“Jeremy, I do care. That’s why I’m doing this, to protect you from him,” she insisted.

“The hell you are. You’re doing this to further your own vendetta against his kind, which is kind of insane considering your partners in crime. You don’t care who you screw over in the process. You know, Elena would never do this to you. She would never do something that would cause you pain. I’m not going to let you people hurt her anymore. I’m going to find those coffins myself, and then I’m going to tell Klaus where they are,” Jeremy vowed.

“No, you won’t!” a voice said from behind Jeremy.

Jeremy turned around in time to see Stefan. He barely had time to register his presence before he felt his vervain bracelet being ripped from his wrist.

Stefan looked Jeremy directly in the eyes. “You’re not going to do anything. You’re going to forget about looking for the coffins. You realize that stopping Klaus is for the best. You’re going to stay out of it.”

Jeremy felt his blood boil as Stefan attempted to compel him. Before he knew it, a light fixture came off of the ceiling and landed on top Stefan, causing the vampire to fall to the ground. “Screw you! All of you, stay away from us!” he snarled before walking away as a crowd started to draw closer.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Not long after she got home from school, Elena heard a knock at the door. She opened it to see Klaus on the other side. She shuddered. This was the first time she’d seen Klaus since finding out they were related. Jeremy had seen him, but she hadn’t.

“Good afternoon, sweetheart,” Klaus said with a grin.

Elena immediately went to close the door in his face, but his palm on the door stopped her.

“Ah, ah! That’s hardly very welcoming of you, is it?” Klaus asked.

“What do you want? I’m not inviting you in,” Elena said firmly.

“Oh, trust me, love, if I wanted to get in, I would. Where’s your brother?” Klaus asked.

“What do you want with my brother?” Elena asked.

“Well, I find myself in need of a witch, and from what I witnessed not too long ago, he fits the bill,” Klaus said. He had actually been surprised when he realized the boy was a witch. He’d done research on his doppelganger’s family. There were no ties to magic within it. However, he knew what he saw at the Grill, and given the look on his face, Jeremy knew it was him too.

“Well, you’re mistaken. Jeremy isn’t a witch,” Elena lied.

“Now, now, none of that. I mean him no harm. I just need him to perform a little locator spell for me. I’m a bit tired of the waiting game with my coffins,” Klaus said.

“Even if he was a witch. He wouldn’t have the power to do that yet,” she said.

“Brand new, is he? Well, now is the perfect time to learn,” Klaus said.

Elena stepped outside. “Stay away from my brother!”

“Hey. What’s going on?” Jeremy asked as he walked onto the porch.

“Ah, just the person I was looking for. I hear you have a sudden affinity for witchcraft,” Klaus said.

“Go inside, Jeremy,” Elena ordered.

“No, stay, Jeremy. I’m going to need your help locating my coffins,” he said.

“Oh, for God’s sake! Bonnie Bennett knows where they are. She’s headed out of town to see her mother. Something tells me it’s more than just a family reunion. Intercept her. That’ll be more helpful to you than a novice witch who knows nothing about spellcasting,” Jeremy said.

“Jeremy, what are you doing?” Elena asked. He’d just thrown Bonnie to the wolves, literally. Despite the horrible position Bonnie had put her in, she didn’t what her getting hurt.

“Bonnie doesn’t give a damn about what she’s going to us, so why should we care about her?” Jeremy asked with a shrug.

Klaus smirked. “Very well. That will do for now, but if this doesn’t pan out, you will help me.”

“Whatever, man,” Jeremy said. He and Elena then went inside. Just before he crossed the threshold, Jeremy bumped into the doorframe. He didn’t notice the letter that fell from his pocket before he shut the door.

Klaus did notice. He picked the letter up. He looked at it and saw that it had his name on it, his full name. No one used his full name other than his family. In fact, most didn’t even know it. He was intrigued by it, and by the fact that the Gibert boy would have any letter with his name on it.

Klaus put the letter in his pocket. He would look at it later. Right now, he had more pressing matters on his mind. It was high time he retrieved what was his.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Elena sat with Jeremy in the living room shortly after Klaus left. “I really wish you hadn’t done that. I don’t like what Bonnie’s doing, but Klaus could kill her.”

“She made her bed, and even our suffering won’t stop her. She knows how much this is killing you, and she doesn’t care. We have to look out for each other. Clearly no one else is going to,” Jeremy said.

Elena reluctantly nodded. “Well, I guess it’s better than Klaus using you to find the coffins. Using that kind of magic too soon could hurt you. Assuming you even are a witch. We still can’t say for certain that you used magic at the Grill. Klaus obviously thinks you did, but we don’t know for sure.”

“Yes, we do. It happened again today. I got angry and caused a light fixture to fall in the cafeteria,” Jeremy said.

“That was you? I heard something about a light falling on Stefan’s chest. I just figured it was a freak accident. Jer, you have to be careful. If somebody had seen you…”

“I know. I was pissed. I’m still pissed. These people are destroying our lives. Elena, we can’t keep this up. If Klaus doesn’t get the coffins back from Bonnie, we’re going to have to tell him the truth,” Jeremy said.

Elena shook her head. “No, we can’t! Do you realize what he would do. He would definitely take control of our lives now. He’d force us out of home. He’d use you for your magic and me for my blood. We would never be free of him.”

“Are we free of him now? Every moment is a constant worry about if he’ll figure it out, and even without that, our so-called friends are making things worse than he ever could. Stefan nearly killed you. He tried to compel me today,” Jeremy said.

“He what?” Elena asked with an edge to her voice. Screwing with her was one thing, but Stefan didn’t get to hurt Jeremy.

“Yeah, that’s why I got so angry. He ripped my vervain off and tried to compel me to be okay with what he was doing with the coffins. It didn’t work. I’m a witch now. I can’t be compelled. But the point is that there is no level he won’t sink too. I’m more worried about what him, Damon, or Bonnie will do more than I am about Klaus. At least we know the worst that can happen with Klaus. We can prepare for it, and we’ll have each other. I don’t know what’s going to happen if we keep this up,” Jeremy said.

Elena sighed. She couldn’t say he was wrong. Jeremy almost died weeks ago because of this coffin hunt. Now her ex was attempting to compel him. She had to protect Jeremy. That was her responsibility, even if it meant their world possibly got worse. “Okay. If Klaus doesn’t manage to intercept Bonnie with the coffins, we’ll tell him the truth.

Jeremy let out a sigh of relief. They had come to a consensus. He was grateful for that. The last thing he wanted was to go behind Elena’s back to tell Klaus, but they were nearing the point where he would’ve had to.

“That means we have to be prepared. More likely than not, we’re going to be forced to leave. Start packing. I’m not giving him the satisfaction of dragging us away. If it happens, it’s going to be on our terms,” Elena said firmly.

Jeremy nodded in agreement before standing up and leaving the room.

Chapter Text

Klaus found himself sitting in his private study days later. The plan to get his coffins back had worked, mostly. He had his siblings back now, but the fourth coffin was still missing, much to his dismay. One of the few hybrids he still had in town was getting the coffins situated in the basement. He would be joining him in a moment, but he first needed a drink, which he was now enjoying at his desk.

Three was still the matter of the last coffin. He needed it back before the Bennett witch figured out how to open it. Perhaps he would use the Gilbert boy after all. He would prefer a more seasoned witch, but he’d take what he could get. He didn’t even think Jeremy Gilbert would fight him on it. He seemed to want Klaus to have the coffins. He sold his friend out without even thinking twice. Of course, one could hardly blame him. This stupidity had almost led to Klaus killing him.

Speaking of the Gilbert boy, Klaus realized he still hadn’t looked at the letter the teenager had dropped right in front of him. He should probably do that. He was interested in finding out who had written him and why the Gilberts had the letter in their possession.

Klaus opened his desk drawer and took out the unopened letter. He unfolded it and scrolled down to the end to see who it was from. He immediately dropped it down on the desk in shock. Likewise, the glass of Scotch in his hand crashed to the floor and shattered into pieces. The signature on the bottom of the letter belonged to his brother, Henrik.

Klaus was floored as he looked at the letter. He wasn’t even reading it yet. He was just looking at it. It was impossible. His brother was dead. He’d been dead since he was a boy, more than a thousand years ago. He couldn’t be writing him. No, someone was trying to fool him. It was the only thing that made sense. The doppelganger and her brother were playing a game, and they would pay for that. He would kill everyone they loved for this!

Klaus contemplated whether or not he should even read it. It was obviously a fabrication, but he couldn’t deny wanting to know exactly what they were trying to pull. Quickly making the decision, Klaus picked up the letter with a shaky hand and began reading.

Niklaus,

Knowing you, you’ve already scrolled down to see who was writing to you, so you know it’s me. You’re probably wondering how I can be writing to you from beyond the grave. To be quite honest, I’m not sure of the answer to that myself. My best guess is reincarnation. All I know for certain is that I remember dying and then waking up as someone else with all my memories intact.

First thing’s first. Let’s get the unpleasantness out of the way. It wasn’t your fault. What happened that night was a terrible accident, nothing more. I’ll let you in on a secret. It was not my first time I snuck out to watch the wolves transform. I did it often. It was just the first time you get me tag along with you. And I’m sorry that had to be with the worst happened. Let it go, brother. I have never blamed you.

Now that that’s taken care of, there is much I have to explain to you, much I need to ask of you. I’m sure you’re wondering why I never reached out to you or our other siblings over the course of my life. Truthfully, I didn’t know you were even still alive until a few years ago. I had no idea that the first vampires to walk the Earth were my own siblings. Talk about irony. When I did find that out, I also learned of the doppelganger curse. I learned that you would come for my daughter, Elena. I couldn’t let that happen, Niklaus. I couldn’t let you hurt her, and I couldn’t be sure you wouldn’t. I wanted to believe you’d never harm a child of mine, but it wasn’t a risk I was prepared to take. She’s my little girl.

Having said all that, I know that it will nearly be impossible to hide her from you forever. I’ve kept vampires out of this town as much as possible, but eventually, someone will see her and report it back to you. That’s why I’m writing you this. It’s why I left the video message for my children in the event of my death. I’m asking you to put family first. Don’t hurt my daughter. I have never blamed you for my death, but if you knowingly cut my daughter’s life short, I will blame you. I will never forgive you for that.

You are Elena and Jeremy’s uncle. I want you to look after them. In the event that both my wife and I die before they reach majority, I’ve asked Elijah to be the one to care for them, but I want you there too. I want you all there. Do you remember the time I accidently broke one of Father’s best swords? You took the blame for me, even though you knew it would be worse for you than it would be for me. Father beat you black and blue, and you never said a word. You made me promise never to tell anyone. That’s the man I want my children to know. Be their protector, like you were mine.

I love you, brother, and I’m sorry we couldn’t meet again in this life.

Henrik

Klaus’ hands were shaking wildly by the time he was finished. He’d felt so many emotions while he was reading. In the beginning, he was plotting the deaths of both Gilberts, despite the fact that he needed them both for various things. He was so sure they were trying to make a fool out of him, until the last part of the latter. He’d never told anyone that he’d taken the blame for Henrik, not a single soul. He didn’t want that getting back to his father accidently. No one could’ve told the doppelganger or her brother that except for him, and he never would.

Klaus could barely register that this was actually happening. His brother had lived. He’d lived a completely different life after he died. He was the father of the Petrova doppelganger. Someone had decided to deliver some karma with that one.

Suddenly, it hit Klaus like a ton of bricks. Elena and Jeremy Gilbert were his niece and nephew. He’d at one time or another tried to kill both of them. He had actually succeeded in killing Elena. God, what if her friends hadn’t saved her? He would’ve permanently taken the life of his baby brother’s child.

Things began to click into place for Klaus, like how Jeremy was a witch. Klaus had done his research. There was no evidence of witchcraft in his family line, but if Henrik was his father, it made more sense. It also explained why he and Elena were not on board with holding his coffins hostage. This was their family too.

Klaus was pulled from his thoughts when he heard footsteps, followed by the door to his study bursting open. He looked up, still in bewilderment to see his brother standing there undaggered. “Elijah.”

“Hello, brother,” Elijah said coolly before vamping over to him and grabbing him up from his chair. He punched him, which caused him to fall to the ground.

Klaus didn’t fight. He was still too floored to do much of anything. It wasn’t until his brother punched him a couple more times before he regained control of his brain. “Brother, stop! There’s something you need to see.”

Elijah was about to hit his brother again when the younger vampire pointed to something on his desk. It was a letter opened on his desk. “What is this nonsense?”

“You must read it, brother. I don’t think I could adequately explain it myself,” Klaus said.

Elijah would say it was the utter shock and desperation on his brother’s face that made him let go of Niklaus and do as he asked. He went over to the desk and picked up the letter.

While his brother read Henrik’s letter, Klaus staggered to the couch and collapsed onto it.

Elijah read the letter in disbelief. This was supposedly from his brother, Henrik, and he was saying that Elena and Jeremy Gilbert were his children, that he’d lived a second lift that included a wife and children. But that was impossible. His brother was dead.

Elijah looked up and glared at his brother. “This is a vile low, even for you!”

Klaus looked at his brother in disbelief. “You think I wrote it? I couldn’t make all that up if I tried. I thought it was the doppelganger. I thought she and Jeremy wrote it to trick me, but the incident he mentions in the end is true, and I never told anyone about it. I never even told you I covered for Henrik.”

Elijah remembered the incident his brother was talking about. He remembered his brother not being able to get out of bed for more than a week. Niklaus wouldn’t have brought that up in a letter used to trick him. He rarely ever spoke of the abuse they went through at the hands of their father. Plus, there wasn’t much point to this particular trick. “I suspected you were covering for someone in regard to the sword incident, but I thought it was Kol.

“He lived an entire life, and we didn’t know it,” Klaus said with a sob. He would’ve given anything to have seen his brother again, and he didn’t because Henrik didn’t trust him around his children. The worst part was that his little brother wasn’t wrong. He’d killed Henrik’s daughter. True, he didn’t know, but that hardly mattered.

“Are you sure you never mentioned that incident to anyone?” Elijah asked. He knew the answer, of course, but he had to be sure. This all just seemed impossible.

Klaus nodded. “Neither did Henrik. I swore him to secrecy. I told him if Father ever found out, he would be beaten for it, and I would again for lying. It was the only way I could be sure he’d never tell anyone. It’s all true. He had children.”

Elijah stood there letting that information sink in. He was an uncle. Elena and Jeremy Gilbert were his brother’s children, and their family had been nothing but cruel to them.

Klaus suddenly got up and headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” Elijah asked.

“Where do you think?! I’m not about to leave our niece and nephew in the hands of an alcoholic vampire hunter,” Klaus said.

Elijah appeared in front of his brother at vampire speed. “Brother, stop. You cannot just show up and force them from their home.”

“The bloody hell I can’t! They are coming home where they belong! You can’t possibly be suggesting we leave them where they are,” Klaus said.

“No, I’m not. Henrik made his wishes clear, and I intend to follow them to the letter, but this needs to be handled in a way that doesn’t traumatize Elena and Jeremy further. We don’t know how long they’ve known or how its affected them. What we do now is that they don’t have good experiences with this family, and that cannot continue.

Klaus flinched slightly, because he knew that was his fault. “What do you suggest then?”

Elijah sighed. “It’s late. Barging in late at night will not do anyone any good. Now, I need to feed, and we need to think things through. We’re still in shock. I suggest that we take time to think and then come up with a plan of action in the morning.

Klaus wanted to argue, but he knew his brother was probably right. “Fine, but one more night is all I’m willing to wait, if for no other reason than for their safety. Stefan nearly drove Elena off a bridge not too long ago.”

Elijah’s eyes darked considerably. “He will pay for that.”

“I think I need to feed myself,” Klaus said before walking past his brother and out of the room. Elijah followed him.

Chapter Text

Jeremy was frantically searching his room. He’d spent the past few days packing for when they inevitably had to go to Klaus and tell him everything. Once he had most of his things ready, he realized he no longer had his father’s letter to Klaus. It had been in his jacket pocket, but it wasn’t anymore. He’d searched his entire room, more than once, and he couldn’t find it anywhere. If he didn’t find that letter, he and Elena were screwed.

Jeremy soon heard a knock on his door. “What?”

The door was opened moments later be Elena, who was smiling. She immediately walked inside and shut the door behind her. “Hey. I think we might have caught a break. Bonnie texted me. I guess Klaus got his siblings back, which she’s blaming you for. She figured out you were the one to tell Klaus about her mother. The good news is though, this might be over.”

Jeremy shuddered. That just made him feel worse. They might have been home free if they hadn’t lost that letter. They might not have had to surrender themselves to Klaus. However, if that letter didn’t turn up, it wouldn’t matter. “Elena, I can’t find Klaus’ letter.”

Elena’s face immediately dropped. “What are you talking about? It’s with the rest of them in my room.”

Jeremy shook his head sadly. “No, it’s not. I took it from your room when you were getting ready for school a few days ago.”

“Why?” Elena asked.

“After what Stefan did to you, I was considering telling Klaus even if you didn’t agree. I’m sorry, Elena,” Jeremy said.

Elena sighed. Obviously, she wasn’t thrilled, but she understood. She didn’t really have much room to judge. “Well, I can’t really be angry with you, can I? I considered doing the same thing when Klaus came after you to get to me. Did you go anywhere with the letter?”

Jeremy nodded. “I went everywhere with it. Every second of the day, I considered going to Klaus with it, and I knew when I eventually did, I’d need it. I carried it everywhere. If we don’t find it, it won’t matter if we want Klaus to know or not. If he finds it, we’re screwed.”

Elena stared at her brother for a minute. Then she started laughing historically.

Jeremy looked at his sister as though she’d lost her mind. Their lives were about to go down the toilet, and she was laughing. “Elena, are you okay? I’m not sure how any of this is funny.”

Elena laughed a little longer and then finally stopped. “Oh, but it is, in a ‘how did our lives. Become screwed up?’, kind of way. See, I was just thinking that Klaus finding that letter would probably be the best thing that could happen. We’re really screwed if someone like Bonnie or the Salvatores or even Ric picked it up. When did our so-called friends become more of a threat to us than the enemy?”

Jeremy sighed. He could definitely appreciate what his sister was saying. He’d thought about that quite a few times over the last several weeks. Hell, he’d told Bonnie to her face that he felt like their odds were better with Klaus at this point, and he meant it. Elena was right. If one of their ‘friends’ got ahold of that letter, there was no telling what they might do with it. They might just use them as pawns to go after Klaus again. “If we can’t find that letter, we’re going to have no choice but to go to Klaus.”

“When did you last see the letter?” Elena asked.

“At school. I took it out in the lunchroom, but I remember putting it back in my pocket,” he said.

“Did anyone see you with it?”

Jeremy nodded. “Bonnie, but all she saw was that I had a letter in my hand. She didn’t see what it said, and like I said, I put it in my pocket.”

“That doesn’t mean she didn’t take it from you without your knowing,” Elena said. Bonnie was a witch. She could’ve done it. Although, Elena felt like she would’ve done something about it by now if she knew the truth. “Okay, let’s assume it’s in the house for now. We need to find it before Ric does.”

Just then, they both heard yelling coming from downstairs. They couldn’t hear what was being said, but they could hear Alaric’s voice.

“What the hell is going on?” Jeremy wondered.

Elena turned and walked out of the room, leading the way down the stairs. Alaric’s voice became clearer the closer they got.

“Get the hell off this property now!” Alaric yelled.

“Or what?” Klaus’ voice called challengingly.

“Niklaus, enough. Alaric, we do not mean anyone any harm. We just wish to speak to Elena and Jeremy.”

Elena was surprised to hear Elijah’s voice as she made it to the bottom of the stairs. She knew Klaus had his siblings back, but she didn’t know he’d woken any of them. She and Jeremy arrived behind Ric and found both Klaus and Elijah right outside the door. “Elijah.”

Elijah looked behind Alaric Saltzman and smiled at the two teenagers. “Hello, Elena, Jeremy. I’m very glad to see both of you. I think we all need to talk.”

Klaus held up the letter his brother had written him between two of his fingers. “You dropped this the other day, Jeremy.”

Jeremy sighed. “Of course I did.”

“May we please come in, so that we can all have a conversation?” Elijah asked.

“Not going to happen!” Alaric snapped.

“No one is speaking to you! You are irrelevant! We are speaking to our niece and Nephew,” Klaus snapped back.

Alaric looked at the two Originals as though they’d lost their minds before turning back to Elena and Jeremy, neither of whom looked surprised by what Klaus had just said. “What? What are they talking about?”

“Elena, Jeremy, you have my word that no harm will come to anyone while we are here. We just want to talk,” Elijah assured them.

Elena sighed. She thought about not letting them in, but what difference would it make? They weren’t going to go away. They knew the truth now. They would wait them out if they had to. It was best to just get the inevitable over with. “Alright. You can both come in.”

“Elena! You can’t just let them in the house!” Alaric admonished.

“Why not? There are vampires that have proven themselves to more dangerous to us that have access to this house,” Jeremy said bitterly.

Elijah smiled at his niece and nephew and he and his brother walked inside. “Thank you. I know it was not easy to trust us enough to let us inside. Now, should we go sit down and talk?”

Elena nodded before leading the way into the living room. She gestured for them both to sit down before she and Jeremy took seats on the couch.

Klaus looked around the room. He eyed a picture of on the wall of a man with his arm around Elena and another woman. Jeremy was on the other woman’s right. It didn’t take much to figure out that this was his brother. The boy he still had nightmares about losing. He’d had to come to terms with the fact that his brother had died without really having a life because of him. Seeing him in that photo gave him a tiny bit of solace. Of course, it was bittersweet, given that he would never know that person.

Elijah noticed the photo as well, but he decided there would be time later to deal with the emotions of all they’d learned about Henrik. Right now, they needed to focus on his children. He took a seat in a chair across from his niece and nephew.

“How long have you known?” Klaus asked, still staring at the picture of his brother and his family.

“Since right after homecoming. Go ahead. Ask us why we didn’t tell you,” Elena dared coolly.

Klaus closed his eyes sadly but didn’t say anything. He replayed everything that had happened between him and Elena since he’d met her, every bit of pain he caused her and her loved ones. He had no idea how to even begin to repair that damage, if he even could. He couldn’t bring back the dead.

“I don’t think that’s necessary. I think it’s very plain why you chose to keep it to yourselves. I wish you hadn’t, but it’s understandable,” Elijah said.

“What the hell are they talking about? What did you find out, Elena?” Alaric asked.

Elena sighed. “The video you found in the attic had more on it than we led you to believe. Our father told us that he had lived another life before he was Grayson Gilbert. He said that he was born the first time over a thousand years ago, and that his name was Henrik Mikaelson. Rebekah had told me about Henrik, so I knew who he was. He was the Originals’ brother. He was killed in a werewolf attack as a child. He was the reason vampires were created in the first place. His parents didn’t want to lose another child.”

Alaric stared at them in disbelief. “That… That can’t be true. I don’t even think that’s possible. It has to be some sort of trick,” he said as he glared at the originals.

“We’re past the denial stage, Ric,” Jeremy said. Actually, they’d never really hit it, probably because it came from their father’s own lips.

“Yeah, and if it is a trick, it’s a pretty genius one. I’d love to know how they pulled it off using our father’s face and voice,” Elena said sarcastically.

“You said there’s a video?” Elijah asked.

“Yeah, and some more letters. He wrote one to each of you,” Elena said.

“May we see everything, please?” Elijah asked.

Elena nodded and got up to get everything from her room.

Alaric stared at Jeremy. He was still in shock, but he was also upset. He should’ve heard about this by now. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Jeremy gave him a look. “Do you really need me to tell you that? Aside from the fact that we didn’t want anyone knowing this at all, you are one of the last people we would’ve told. You just would’ve spilled it to Damon, and before we knew it, everyone would know.”

“They’re your friends, Jeremy,” Alaric said.

“No, they’re not. Damon has never been my friend, and the others have proven they aren’t worthy of the term anymore. Do you know something truly disturbing, Ric? We were going to tell Klaus because we trusted him more than the rest of you.”

Alaric felt like he’d been punched when he heard Jeremy’s words. “How can you say that? He killed Jenna.”

Jeremy nodded. “Yeah. And that is what’s so screwed up about it. Because we were fairly certain that the same man who did that would have more an interest in our wellbeing than the rest of you seem to.”

“That’s not true,” Alaric argued.

“No? Tell that to Elena, who nearly got driven off the same bridge that killed our parents. You people have already been using her as a pawn. Imagine what would’ve happened if you knew the truth. That is why we didn’t tell you,” Jeremy said.

Elena came back in with everything and handed it to Elijah. “Your letter is on top. The video was for me and Jeremy, but you can watch it if you want.”

“Thank you,” Elijah said before he began opening his letter. He did want to see the video eventually. He wanted to see his brother’s face and hear his last words, but for now, he needed to know what Henrik had to say to him.

Elijah,

Hello, brother. By now, I’m sure you know who is writing to you. For obvious reasons, I imagine Niklaus’ letter was read first, and he explained it to you, so I’ll skip the same explanation I gave to him and get straight to the point.

First, let me say that I know hearing from me is both a blessing and a tragedy at the same time. I feel it too, but I want you to know that I had a good life, even if it was cut short again this time as well. He married a wonderful woman, who I am well aware is too good for me, and I have two children I would give my life for. I wish you could’ve known my children before now. It would’ve made things easier for them and you. However, for reasons I’m sure you’re already aware of, I couldn’t risk that.

Elijah, you were the best big brother that anyone could ask for. You were always there for us. In many ways, you were more there for us than our own parents, and I know how unfair that was to you. For that reason, I hate to put more on you, but I have to. My children are everything to me, and I know you’ll do what I’m about to ask of you.

On paper, my wife’s sister is to be given custody of Elena and Jeremy should we both die. That was set up a year or so before I wrote this letter, but I was never very comfortable with it. Don’t get me wrong, Jenna is a lovely person, but she’s practically a kid herself, and she knows nothing about taking care of kids. She will see to their physical needs, but I want more just someone that can put a roof over their heads. I want someone who will care for them, someone who will correct them when they mess up and be there for them when they need someone to confide in. It was not hard for me to see that that person was you.

Again, I know it’s unfair for me to ask you to give up your life for one of us again, but I must, and I know you will. Take care of them, please, Elijah. I love you, and I will always be grateful for all you’ve done and will do.

Henrik

Elijah shut his eyes as tears threatened to fall. Reading Niklaus’ letter had been hard, but reading what his brother had said to him was very difficult. It was touching and sad because he would never be able to tell his brother what he meant to him. He would never be able to tell Henrik that he was wrong. He didn’t see the way he cared for his siblings the way Henrik did. It might not have been the way it was supposed to be, but he was not bitter or resentful about it. He cherished his siblings. He loved taking care of them, and he would his niece and nephew as well. “With my very last breath, brother.”

“What did he say?” Klaus asked.

“Much of the same,” Elijah said before turning to Elena and Jeremy. “Have either of you read this?”

Elena shook her head. “We didn’t read any of them. Even though we weren’t going to give them to you, it didn’t feel right to read something that wasn’t addressed to us.”

“I’d like you to read mine. I think it’s important that you know what your father wanted for your futures,” he said before holding the letter out for them.

Elena took the offered letter and started to read it. Her father had basically used this letter as a Will. He’d asked Elijah to be the one to take care of them in the event of his and her mother’s deaths.

“What’s it say?” Jeremy asked.

“That he wants us to live with Elijah. He didn’t think Jenna was up to the task. He probably wasn’t wrong,” Elena said before handing the letter to Jeremy for him to read as well. He should hear what their father had to say about their future too.

Jeremy read the letter and sighed. “Well, I guess it could be worse,” he said before eyeing Klaus.

“No! There’s no way that’s happening!” Alaric yelled.

“Mr. Saltzman, that’s enough. I realize this is shocking for you, but I won’t have you making this harder for them,” Elijah said firmly.

“You’re not taking them!”

Klaus grinned at the teacher. “I’d love to see you stop us. You cannot possibly think there is any possibility that we would allow you to care for our brother’s children. If their previous guardian was deemed inadequate by our brother, surely you can’t believe you are any better.”

“Screw you, Klaus, and your brother! I may not have known him, but he was clearly just as monstrous as the rest of you! The only reason Elena exists is that he took advantage of a young girl that would later become my wife!” Alaric yelled.

Klaus growled, but before he could make a move against him, the walls started to vibrate, and a vase crashed to the floor.

Jeremy got up angrily and advanced on Alaric. “Don’t you talk about my father!”

Elijah got up and put a hand on his nephew’s shoulder. “Calm down, Jeremy. It’s alright.

Jeremy glared at Alaric and tried and failed to get past Elijah. “You’ve got a lot of nerve talking about taking advantage of people. My sister was the same age Isobel was when Stefan and Damon started sniffing around her, yet you’ve got no problem with that! You didn’t know my father! You clearly didn’t know Isobel either!”

“Jeremy, I know you’re upset, but I really need you to calm down. You’re losing control of your magic,” Elijah said calmly. It was more important now than ever that he take guardianship. Jeremy needed help getting his magic under control. He couldn’t really help with that, but Kol could if they woke him up.

Elena put a hand on his other shoulder. “Jer, it’s okay, calm down.”

Jeremy took a few deep breaths, and his magic began to settle.

“The two of you need to pack your things,” Klaus said in a calm, yet strong tone. He didn’t believe in beating around the bush. This had to happen, and there was no point in pretending otherwise.

“They’re already packed. We knew it might come to this, and we weren’t going to give you the satisfaction of using force,” Elena said as she glared at him.

Klaus sighed. “I know you won’t believe me, Elena, but I take no pleasure in your discomfort.”

“You’re right, I don’t believe you,” Elena said.

“In that case, I’d like you both to go get your things now,” Elijah said.

“I guess there’s no chance in putting this off then,” Elena said.

Elijah gave her a sad smile. He wished there was. He knew asking them to leave now was a lot for them, but he didn’t feel he had a choice, especially given the way Alaric reacted and the way Jeremy reacted to him. True, being around Niklaus probably wasn’t going to make him happier, but they could at least deal with his magical outbursts. Plus, there was the danger that their so-called friends posed. “I’m afraid not. I don’t believe that you’re safe here.”

Elena reluctantly nodded before heading out of the room. Jeremy was right behind her.

Elijah turned to Alaric. “Jeremy was right. You’d do well to keep the topic of my brother out of your mouth. I won’t be my nephew you need to worry about if you don’t.”

“This isn’t over. I’m not just going to let you ruin their lives,” Alaric said. He knew he couldn’t stop them right now, but he wasn’t giving up. He would protect those kids.

“Oh, you and your associates have done a fine job of that yourselves. Do make sure Stefan knows his days are numbered when you inevitably tell him about what happened today. He will pay with his life for what he did to Elena!” Klaus snarled.

“What about what you did to her?” Alaric asked.

“This is a family matter now. Do not concern yourself with our niece or nephew any longer, for your own sake,” Elijah warned.

Elena and Jeremy came back a second later with their things.

“Ready?” Elijah asked.

“I guess so,” Elena said before grabbing the same picture from the wall that Klaus had been looking at earlier.

“I know it doesn’t seem like it right now, but everything is going to be alright,” Elijah promised.

Elena just shrugged in response, and Jeremy remained silent.

Elijah smiled slightly before leading them all towards the door.

Chapter Text

Alaric called the others almost immediately after the Klaus and Elijah took Elena and Jeremy. In his mind, there was no time to waste. They had to get Elena and Jeremy away from those people now. He told them everything that happened. To say they were shocked would be an understatement.

“Elena and Jeremy are related to the Originals?” Caroline asked in disbelief as they all sat around the Gilbert living room. When Alaric told them that Elena and Jeremy were in trouble, she never dreamed it would be something like this. She figured Klaus was likely involved, but not to this extent.

“No, there’s no way Elena’s related to those people. This is obviously some kind of game they’re playing,” Damon said.

“That’s what I thought at first too. I thought Elijah and Klaus were screwing with Elena and Jeremy, but they weren’t even surprised by it. They knew about it before the Originals did. I told you about the video Grayson Gilbert left for them. Well, apparently, it was about more than just telling Elena that he was her biological father. According to her and Jeremy, he told them that he was reincarnated and that his original identity was the youngest brother of the Originals,” Alaric explained.

“Well, obviously the guy had lost his mind then. There’s never been any evidence to support that reincarnation is even possible. I’m not buying it. It’s a load of crap,” Damon said. He refused to believe that Elena was in any way related to those psychos.

“Except that Jeremy’s a witch, and there’s never been a witch in the Gilbert bloodline,” Stefan said.

“That’s still just a theory. Some weird things have happened around the kid, but we don’t know for certain that he was the cause,” Damon said.

“The light that fell on top of me a few days ago says otherwise,” Stefan said.

“Stefan’s right. Jeremy is a witch. He got angry earlier today and the room started to shake,” Alaric said.

“My God. Things are starting to make sense,” Caroline said.

Damon glared at her. “What about any of this makes sense?”

“The changes in Elena. We were worried about how withdrawn she’s been and how her grades have started slipping. This is it. She found out she was related to Klaus, and it has been tearing her apart,” Caroline said. It wasn’t the only reason, she knew. The others didn’t help matters with what they’d been doing. Stefan’s actions on the bridge definitely made things worse, but this was when Elena started to spiral. Jeremy probably had too.

“Yeah, like it would with any sane person. I guess this explains why Elijah didn’t meet me this morning,” Damon said.

“That was a stupid plan anyway,” Stefan said. He was still pissed that Damon undaggered Elijah.

“Yeah, well, we didn’t have a lot of options. Klaus knew where the coffins were,” Damon said.

“Then you should’ve moved them before he could get to them,” Stefan argued.

“Alright, shut up, both of you! Who cares about the damned coffins at this point?! What matters is Elena and Jeremy!” Caroline snapped.

“Assuming this craziness is true, why the hell didn’t they say anything about this?” Damon asked.

“Well, I can think of a pretty good reason. Stefan tried to drive Elena off a bridge when he thought that her only use to Klaus was her blood. What the hell might he have done to her if he knew she and Klaus were related?” Caroline asked.

Stefan glared at her. “I did what I had to do to stop Klaus!”

“And in doing so, you destroyed someone you once claimed to love! Elena didn’t tell us what was going on because no one here had her back!” Caroline snarled. She didn’t absolve herself. She was just as guilty. She’d been so preoccupied with helping Tyler get out from underneath Klaus that she was not paying attention to her friend. She should’ve been someone that Elena could go to for help. Instead, Elena and Jeremy had to keep what was going on with them buried inside of them.

“That’s crap! Everything we’ve been doing has been for her!” Damon yelled.

“No, it wasn’t. It was for you. You wanted to hurt Klaus because that’s what you wanted. You didn’t care about the damage you were doing to Elena and Jeremy. They didn’t tell us any of this because they didn’t trust us,” Caroline said.

“She’s right. Jeremy essentially said that to me. He didn’t trust us. Even if Klaus hadn’t found out himself, they were going to tell him. They went willingly because they feel safer with them than with us,” Alaric said. He’d heard Jeremy’s words. He didn’t understand them though. Yes, some questionable decisions had been made to stop Klaus, and he hated that, but to Alaric, it would be worth it once Klaus was stopped once and for all. However, Elena and Jeremy apparently didn’t see it that way.

“Then they’re idiots! They knowingly handed themselves over to the devil!” Damon fumed. He swore, he would ream Elena out for this. How stupid could she be? This was why she needed him to protect her. She clearly couldn’t look after herself.

Caroline, meanwhile, looked over at Bonnie. Her friend had not said a single word since this all came out, and she didn’t look all that shocked. “Bonnie, why haven’t you said anything? Why don’t you look surprised by this?”

Bonnie sighed. She wasn’t happy. This was never supposed to come out. Her grandmother made her promise to make sure Elena never learned this. “My grandmother may have mentioned something about Grayson Gilbert being reincarnated.

“What? You knew Elena and Jeremy were related to Klaus?” Caroline asked in disbelief.

“No. I just knew that Grayson wasn’t always Grayson. He confided in my grandmother and she did me right before she died,” Bonnie said.

“And you never said anything? Don’t you think this might be something we should know about?” Damon asked irritably.

“No, because it was none of your business,” Bonnie shot back.

“It was damned well Elena and Jeremy’s business,” Caroline said.

“My grandmother said they shouldn’t know, that they were related to some bad people that shouldn’t be in their lives,” Bonnie said.

“Are you kidding me? What right did either of you have to make that decision? You and your grandmother played God with their lives! So much could’ve been different if this had come out before the sacrifice,” Caroline said.

“Oh, come on! Even if it came out that Klaus was related to them, do you really think he would’ve stopped the sacrifice over it?” Bonnie asked skeptically.

“We’ll never know because you kept it from them. You had no right,” she said.

“Alright, who cares at this point? We have to get Elena away from those people now. It’s more important now than ever to get that locked coffin open,” Damon said.

“No, what you need to do is leave Elena and Jeremy alone. You’ve done enough damage,” Caroline said with a glare before getting up and walking away.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Elena sat in her room in the Mikaelson mansion. The room was about three times the size of her room at home. It had a king sized bed, a large dresser, and a desk in the corner. She also had a walk-in closet and an adjoining bathroom.

Elena sat on her bed. Her bags were on the floor next to her. She should probably unpack, but she couldn’t bring herself to. Unpacking would make this all seem permanent, and while she knew it likely was permanent, she wasn’t ready to face that yet. She’d worked so hard to make sure this never got out for this very reason, and it had all been for nothing.

Soon, Elena heard a knock on the door. She could tell it was Jeremy right away. She knew her brother’s knock. “Come in.”

Jeremy walked in. He left the door open and walked over to the bed. He plopped down on end of the bed. “Hey. This place is huge. I think we could fit all the houses in our block in this place.”

“And yet, it still feels like a prison,” Elena mumbled to herself.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve been more careful with that letter,” Jeremy said.

Elena shook her head. “It probably wouldn’t have mattered. Deep down, I think I always knew that we wouldn’t be able to hide the truth forever. I was just in denial. I wanted to pretend it wasn’t real. It didn’t work.”

“Well, at least here, we don’t have to worry about our so-called friends screwing us over. We don’t have to worry about Stefan breaking in and doing God knows what,” Jeremy said.

“Were you worried about that?” Elena asked.

“Since what he did to you, yeah. I had a stake on my nightstand,” Jeremy told her.

Elena sighed. “God, when did things get this screwed up?”

There was soon another knock at the door. Elena looked up to see Elijah in the doorway. “Hi, Elijah.”

Elijah smiled before stepping inside. “Hi. I just want to see how you’re both settling in.”

Elena shrugged. “Okay, I guess.”

“I know you don’t want to be here. I hope that will change, but I know it will take time. I thank you for not giving us a hard time about moving in here,” Elijah said.

“It’s not like it would’ve made a difference, and like I said before, I wouldn’t give Klaus the satisfaction,” Elena said.

“What happens now?” Jeremy asked.

“Well, there’s a lot we need to discuss, but most of it can wait. For now, I would like to give you some time to adjust,” Elijah said.

“Are we allowed to leave the house?” Jeremy asked. He figured he’d get the big question out of the way now. He wanted to know just how much they would be controlled.

“For the next few days, I would prefer you didn’t. I don’t want to keep you cooped up here, but until a few things are sorted out, I would feel more comfortable if you were with one of us. However, you are not prisoners. This is your home, not your cell,” Elijah said.

“I’m guessing you mean the Salvatores,” Jeremy said.

“Among other things, yes. On that note, Elena, I need to ask you not to have any further contact with them. I don’t want to start things off this way, but I don’t believe you’re safe around those men,” Elijah said.

A few months ago, Elena would probably have put up a fight about that, but didn’t particularly want to be around them anymore. She blamed them for a lot of what went wrong with her life recently. “Neither do I. You might want to tell them to stop calling me then. Damon has been calling for the last hour. I’ve been ignoring him.”

“May I see your phone?” he asked.

Elena grabbed it from the table next to her bed and handed it over to him.

Elijah looked at it and saw that there were several missed calls from Damon Salvatore. “I will replace this with a new phone and number. You too, Jeremy.”

Jeremy nodded.

“Just one more thing for tonight, and then I’ll let you both rest. We will be waking your other uncles and aunt shorty. They deserve to know all of this, and I believe it’s past time the family be put back together. Jeremy, your uncles Kol and Finn will be able to help you with your magic,” Elijah said.

Elena squirmed nervously at the idea of them being woken up, especially Rebekah. She’d had quite a bit of guilt for what she did to Rebekah, especially since finding out they’re related.

Elijah could see his niece’s apprehension. “Elena, everything will be alright. I know you don’t have good experiences with this family, but that’s going to change. I assure you, my siblings will not do anything to hurt you. They will love you both very much.”

Elena shook her head. “Not Rebekah. She’ll hate me.”

“That’s not true, sweetheart. Niklaus told me what happened with Rebekah. I can’t promise that she won’t be upset about the fact that you daggered her, but she will forgive you. That’s what we do in this family. We forgive each other for things we’d never forgive anyone else for,” Elijah assured her.

Elena nodded, but she was skeptical. Her experiences with Rebekah told her that she was not the forgiving type.

“I’ll let you both get unpacked and relax for a while. I’ll come get you for dinner,” Elijah told them before walking away.

Chapter Text

A few hours later, Elena and Jeremy were having dinner with Klaus and Elijah. It was quiet and awkward to say the least. Elena could honestly say that the last thing she ever expected to happen in her life was that she would be having a meal with Klaus of all people. She supposed she had to get used to it though. She would be spending a lot of time around him.

Jeremy found the whole thing awkward as well. It was almost funny. He hadn’t really had a true family meal since his parents died. It was funny ironic that the first time since then was with Klaus. Things were very quiet, which only made things more awkward, which made it hard to eat, so Jeremy decided to try to break the awkward silence. “So, do you guys do this every day? Have dinner together? At least when you’re not daggered?”

Elijah chuckled. “No, not nearly as often as I’d like, but I would like to change that. I think it’s important that we share at least one meal together. How about you two? Do you usually eat together?”

“Once and a while, but not often. We haven’t had a dinner like this since our parents died. Mom and Dad always insisted on it,” Jeremy said.

“Our mother always made sure we had as many meals as possible together. It seems Henrik took that into his new life,” Elijah said with a smile.

“It’s weird to hear him called that,” Jeremy said.

“Does it bother you? If so, we will make a conscious effort to call him Grayson,” Elijah said. It would be difficult for him to do so, but if it made his niece and nephew more comfortable, he would.

“No, it’s okay. He was as much your brother as he was our father. You should be able to call him what you want,” Jeremy said. So far, he liked Elijah alright. He still hated Klaus, but Elijah was nice. Even when he made them move in here, he was nice about it. He seemed to understand the position they were in.

“Whenever you two are more comfortable with it, as long as it’s not too painful, we would love to hear more about him,” Elijah said. He wanted to know more about his brother’s life, but he didn’t want to push Elena and Jeremy too much. They needed to adjust, and they needed to feel comfortable around the rest of them. Currently, they did not.

“Did you watch the video?” Elena asked.

“Not yet. I think we’re going to wait until our other siblings are awake, so we can watch it together. Thank you for allowing us to do that. I know that video was only meant for the two of you,” Elijah said.

“I think he would’ve wanted you to see it,” Elena said.

“And yet, you had no intention of showing us that or the letters,” Klaus spoke.

Elena glared at him. “I didn’t think give a damn.”

“I loved my brother,” Klaus said.

“You had no problem daggering your other brothers. I figured if you cared at all, you’d only use it to control us, like you’re doing now,” Elena said.

“No one is trying to control you, Elena. We just want you to be safe and cared for, the way your father wanted,” Elijah said gently.

“I know that’s what you want, Elijah, but he’s another matter. He wants to own us. I’m sure he’s practically giddy that he has me here to use my blood anytime he wants,” Elena said as she glared at Klaus.

“That’s not going to happen,” Elijah told her before looking at his brother. “Niklaus, tell her please.”

Klaus nodded. They’d already discussed this. Elijah made it clear that he wasn’t to use Elena for her blood anymore, not that he had any intention of it. She was his niece, his brother’s daughter. He wouldn’t use her like that ever again.

Elena gave him a skeptical look. “Really? But what about your hybrid army?”

“What about it? It’s not more important than the two of you. Your blood stays exactly where it is, in your body,” Klaus said.

“I know feeling safe here is going to be hard at first, but you are safe. No one is going to harm you or use you,” Elijah promised.

“As much as I hate to admit it, it already feels safer here. We weren’t really safe at home,” Jeremy said.

“Yes, I believe I heard you say you slept with a stake close by. I wasn’t eavesdropping, but sometimes it’s difficult not to hear things. That won’t be necessary anymore. No one will be able to hurt you with us around. That’s why I want you to stay on the grounds until some matters are dealt with,” Elijah told him.

“So, I guess that means no school then,” Jeremy said with a grin.

Elijah gave his nephew a smirk. “Nice try. You’ll be able to return to school next week. The plan is for Rebekah to join you.”

“When are you waking them up?” Elena asked.

“The daggers have already been removed. We just have to wait for them to wake up now. Sometimes it takes a short time and sometimes a long time,” Elijah said.

“Uh, won’t they wake up seriously hungry?” Jeremy asked a bit nervously. There were three vampires nearby that were going to wake up blood thirsty. That didn’t exactly feel safe for him and his sister.

“There’s a hybrid waiting with them and ready to give them blood when they wake,” Klaus assured them.

“A Hybrid? I thought you sent them all away,” Elena said.

“Most of them, but I kept a couple here,” Klaus said.

Just then, one of the housekeepers came into the room. “Excuse me. There are a couple of young men here to see Ms. Gilbert.”

“Of course, there are. Well, that didn’t take long,” Klaus said, knowing exactly who it was.

Elena stiffened. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who it was. Damon had already been calling her all day. Ric had obviously told him and Stefan what was going on, probably the others too.

“You two, wait here,” Elijah said before he and his brother got up and headed out of the room. They went down to the entry hall, and sure enough, they found the Salvatores waiting.

“You two obviously have a death wish. Not to worry, I will be helping you fulfill that wish soon enough,” Klaus said.

“We want Elena,” Damon said in a demanding tone.

“I want a lot of things. The difference is that I usually get what I want. You will be leaving disappointed. Assuming you don’t leave as lifeless corpses,” Klaus said.

“Gentlemen, you need to leave. It would be best for everyone if you did so on your own, but if you need help, it can be arranged,” Elijah said. Under most circumstances, these men would already be dead, especially Stefan. He didn’t allow people to continue breathing after harming a member of his family. However, things with Elena and Jeremy were precarious. He did not want to cause Elena more stress by killing someone she likely still cared for deep down.

“We’re not leaving without Elena,” Damon said as he glared at them.

“One way or another, you will,” Elijah warned.

“You’re not going to do anything to us. We still have the last coffin,” Stefan said arrogantly. They actually had two purposes for being there. On was, of course, to try to see Elena and Jeremy. The other was to distract the Originals while Bonnie and Abby opened the last coffin.

“Not for long, and once we’ve retrieved it, you’re both dead. Stefan, I will take great pleasure in ending you after what you did to my niece,” Klaus said.

“What I did to her? You murdered her!” Stefan said incredulously.

Just then, Elena and Jeremy entered the room, although they stayed several feet back.

Damon was the first to notice her. “It’s about time! We’re leaving. Let’s go!”

Klaus grabbed Damon and slammed him against the wall as he made a move to get closer to his niece.

Elijah regarding his niece and nephew a bit sternly. “I asked you both to wait in the dining room.”

“I know, but I knew they wouldn’t leave unless they either saw me or you killed them,” Elena said.

“We’re not leaving without you! You know, I’ve been calling you all day, Elena,” Damon said.

“Yes, and I’ve been ignoring you all day. I didn’t want to talk to you, and I don’t want you here now. Jeremy and I are dealing with a lot right now. The last thing I needed was to deal with you two,” Elena said.

“Why the hell didn’t you tell us about this craziness?” Damon demanded to know.

“Because it was none of your damned business,” Jeremy responded.

“Shut up! No one was talking to you,” Damon told Jeremy.

Klaus pulled Damon forward and then slammed him hard against the wall again. “You will speak to my nephew with respect, or you will lose your tongue.”

“And he’s right. It wasn’t any of your business, Damon. The only reason you should need is that I didn’t want you to know. However, since you seem to need another reason, I have one. I didn’t tell you because I knew you and your brother would use it to hurt Klaus. Stefan just might have taken me over that damned bridge. Or maybe I would’ve found myself locked up as his prisoner,” Elena said as she sent Stefan a withering glare.

Stefan couldn’t help but flinch at the realization that she thought so little of him. Then again, she wasn’t entirely wrong. There wasn’t much he wasn’t willing to do to hurt Klaus.

“Oh, but being his hostage is fine,” Damon said as he motioned to Klaus.”

Elena shrugged. “At least I know he has an interest in my wellbeing. Right now, I trust Klaus and Elijah more than I do you. Let that sink in because my trust in Klaus is miniscule.”

Klaus was about to toss Damon out literally when she felt a sharp pain in his neck, forcing him to release the older Salvatore. He yelled out in pain and pulled a dagger from his neck. He turned around to see his sister glaring murderously at him. His other siblings were standing several feet away from them all. “Bloody hell, Rebekah!”

“You bastard! You murdered our mother!” Rebekah snarled.

Finn and Kol both hissed angrily and started advancing on their brother.

Elijah immediately got in between Niklaus and his other siblings. “Stop! I know you’re angry, but we have other concerns.”

“My only concern is making him suffer,” Kol said.

Rebekah soon noticed Elena’s presence and glared at her. “Well, if it isn’t the backstabbing doppelganger herself. You’re next.”

“Rebekah, I’m sorry,” Elena said genuinely.

“Oh, you will be,” Rebekah promised.

“Rebekah, that’s enough,” Elijah said firmly.

Damon, meanwhile, decided to use the distraction of the other originals to grab Elena. He moved to her side at vampire speed and grabbed her arm tightly. “We’re leaving, now!”

“Ow! Damon, let me go!” Elena demanded. His grip was brutal. She tried to get away from him, but struggling only made him grip her tighter. “Damon, stop, that hurts!”

“Get your hands off her!” Jeremy shouted as he raised his hand. Damon then went flying into a wall, breaking it in the process.

Elena, meanwhile, grabbed her arm. She could feel the bruise that was undoubtedly starting to form.

Finn approached the girl. He didn’t know who she was, other than being a carbon copy of Tatia, but he didn’t like men harming young ladies. “Are you alright, dear.”

“Elena nodded as she continued to rub her arm.

“What is the meaning of all of this?” a new voice asked.

There were a collection of gasps from all the Originals as they stared at the doorway to see the last person in the world they expected.

Jeremy frowned. There was a blond woman in the doorway that was dressed in a way that made her look at least a century or two old. It also appeared as though his aunt and uncles knew who she was. “Who is that?”

“Our mother,” Elijah whispered in shock.

Chapter Text

Elena was stunned. The last thing she expected to hear was that this woman who had just burst in was the Original witch, who also happened to be her grandmother, who also recently tried to have her killed. She didn’t even know how to begin to process any of that. Then again, wasn’t that the story of her life? For months now, things just kept happening. It was one shock or change after another that she and Jeremy had to deal with. They barely had a chance to gain their footing before something else happened.

Jeremy went over to his sister and stared at the others as they dealt with the shock of their mother’s return. “If she’s their mother, that means…”

“Yeah,” Elena said.

Stefan, meanwhile, went over to Damon and helped him to his feet. They needed to get out of there while the Originals were distracted. He’d seen the look on Klaus’ face when Damon grabbed Elena. He was about to kill him, and now the rest of them were awake and there was a witch in the mix. They had to cut their losses for now. “We need to leave now.”

“I’m not leaving without Elena,” Damon said.

“We can’t help her if we’re dead. We need to regroup,” Stefan said before taking ahold of his brother’s arm and racing out at vampire speed before his brother could object.

Klaus, who had been dealing with the shock of his mother’s return, noticed as the Salvatore brothers fled. He growled and immediately went to go after them, but was stopped by his brother, who grabbed his arm.

“Don’t, Niklaus. Not now,” Elijah said. He shared his brother’s ire, but they had more pressing concerns right now.

Klaus huffed angrily and pointed at his niece. “Look at her, brother! She’s still holding her arm from where the bastard manhandled her!”

“And he will pay for it in due time,” Elijah assured him before going over to his niece. “Elena, are you alright. May I see your arm please.”

Elena nodded and rolled up her sleeve. A handprint bruise had already begun to form.

Elijah sighed unhappily at what he was seeing. “I’m sorry. We never should’ve gotten distracted enough for him to get this close to you. He will never touch you again.”

“It’s okay. I’m fine,” Elena said.

“It is not okay. Never think that that sort of behavior is alright,” Elijah said seriously.

“Elijah, why are you catering to the little bitch who stabbed me in the back?” Rebekah asked irritably.

“Hold your tongue, sister. Unless you want that dagger back,” Klaus snapped.

“Now, that’s enough, Niklaus. What has this family come to that you all need to threaten violence,” Esther asked.

Kol laughed. “Oh, that’s all Nik knows.”

“Enough. There is much that needs to be discussed,” Elijah said before turning to his mother. “First, Mother, I think we’re all curious how you’re here.”

“Of course, dear. Ayana preserved my body. I think she felt she owed me a second chance,” Esther said. That last part was a lie. Ayana and the rest of the Bennett lie wanted to punish her and then get her to destroy what she’d created. It was why they’d forced her to endure every terrible thing her children had done. “I’m so glad she did. All I’ve wanted since my death is for us all to be a family again. I am eager for us all to get reacquainted again.

“So, she was in that last coffin,” Jeremy said. Then he laughed. This was the so-called weapon that was supposed to stop the originals. He heard Ric talking on the phone to Damon one night about some kind of weapon in one of the coffins. He always thought it was stupid, considering they had no idea what was in that coffin. It could be anything. It turned out he was right.

“What’s so funny?” Elena asked. Nothing about this seemed funny to her.

“Oh, I’m just laughing at the stupidity of our ‘friends.’ A weapon,” Jeremy said with a chuckle.

Elena offered a small smile in return.

“I have missed all of you so much. I have only been able to watch you from the Other Side, and it was torturous,” Esther said.

“You’ve watched us the whole time?” Elijah asked. He wondered if she knew about Elena and Jeremy. She hadn’t said anything about them or to them yet. He would’ve expected her to have some sort of reaction to them by now if she knew.

“No, not the entire time. I’ve seen much of your lives, but not all of them, and these last few days, I was being prepared to return,” Esther said. As it was, she saw enough. She saw every instance of murder and torture her children had endured. She hadn’t seen much else from them. She had been allowed breaks here and there, where she was allowed to mingle with other spirts. One of those occasions was when she’d sent that spirit after the doppelganger. She didn’t relish in killing someone, but one of the Bennett ancestors had insisted on it. She explained all the damage that would be done if her son got his hands on her blood and made hybrids. She couldn’t stand by and allow more carnage.

“And Bennett witches just brought you back out of the goodness of their hearts?” Klaus asked skeptically.

“As I said, Ayana felt I deserved another chance. Perhaps she also thought I would be able to tame you all with my return,” Esther told him.

“It doesn’t matter. We’re just happy you’re back,” Rebekah said.

“Of course, but there’s a lot that has to be discussed. There are things you all need to be aware of,” Elijah said.

“Well, surely it can wait until I’ve had a decent meal, which you’ve all deprived me of for nearly a century,” Kol said.

“And until the interlopers are gone. Why are they even here?” Rebekah asked as she glared over at Elena and Jeremy. She didn’t care about the boy. She didn’t even really know him, but Elena had daggered her. She wanted to kill her, and soon, she would.

“We live here,” Jeremy chimed in.

“What? Since when?” she asked in shock.

“Since about six or seven hours ago,” Jeremy said.

“As I said, we have much to discuss. Much of it involves Elena and Jeremy. I don’t know how to even begin to explain it all, so I think the best way for you to find out is to hear it straight from him,” Elijah said.

“From who?” Finn asked confused.

“From our father. He made us a video before he died, and it involves all of you,” Elena said.

“What does a video from some chap we never met have to do with us?” Kol wondered.

Elena looked at Elijah. “Do we need to be here for this? I don’t think I can watch that again.” It would also be incredibly awkward to be there when the rest of the family realized she and Jeremy were related to them. She could just imagine the stares.

“No, you don’t have to be there. Why don’t you both go up to your rooms and rest? I’ll have a member of the staff bring you up something to eat since dinner was interrupted,” Elijah told them.

They both nodded and walked away.

Xxxxxxxxxx

The family was gathered in the living room as Elijah put the DVD in. “Be prepared. I haven’t watched this myself, but I do know that the contents will be shocking to you.”

Esther looked on with both intrigue and apprehension, unsure of what her children had done that she didn’t know about. Whatever this was, it must have been recent, since she knew nothing about it. The answer came soon when a man’s face appeared on the screen.

Esther gasped in shock and clutched her chest when she saw him. A mother knew her own child. It was an instinct that never died. It wouldn’t have mattered if this man looked nothing like her Henrik, yet he did. She would know him anywhere. This was the boy she’d raised for twelve years.

“Mother, are you alright?” Finn asked.

Esther didn’t answer. She was engrossed in her child’s face and was becoming lost in his words. This was her baby. She loved all of her children, but having lost Henrik so young, a part of her died with him. Being able to see him now, even if it wasn’t in person, was a miracle.

Rebekah looked on in boredom as this man spoke. When she first saw him, she got this sense of familiarity, like she was supposed to know him, but she brushed it off. She honestly didn’t know why she had to watch this. Sure, his talk about reincarnation was interesting, but she failed to see what it had to do with her. That was until she heard his next words.

“…But I also remember being Henrik Mikaelsen,” They all heard Grayson say.

There were a collection of gasps from everyone who didn’t already know that Grayson was Henrik. That was of course, except for Esther. She’d figured it out as soon as she saw his face.

“He’s lying!” Rebekah snarled.

“No, he’s not,” Esther said.

“How can you be sure, Mother?” Finn asked.

“I know my own child. That’s my Henrik,” Esther whispered before turning her attention back to her son. She listened to his message for his children. His children. Her baby had children of his own. She had grandchildren. That was both heartwarming and terrifying to her, because she knew what would come for at least one of them. But there would be time to deal with that later. Right now, she needed to know what her son had to say.

They all watched as the video continued. They watched it beginning to end. Once it was over, Elijah turned it off. Even he was surprised by the contents, particularly the parts regarding Elena. He thought that Elena was Henrik’s adopted daughter. Of course, Elijah didn’t care. Henrik had chosen to love her as his own, and Elijah would too, but it turned out she was truly his daughter. “Well, Alaric Saltzman’s words regarding Henrik and Isobel makes sense now.”

“He can still keep his bloody mouth shut!” Klaus snapped.

“Agreed,” he said.

“No, he must be lying! Henrik died,” Rebekah said as tears glistened her eyes. This couldn’t be true. He couldn’t have been right under their noses only for them to lose him again.

“He’s not lying. I knew the moment I saw him. That is my son,” Esther said.

“Is Reincarnation even possible?” Finn asked.

“There have been stories, but it’s something that rarely happens. It’s only possible for witches, and it has to be the witch’s choice. Most witches would rather go to the other sides and be reunited with their loved ones,” Esther explained.

“Did you ever see Henrik on the other side?” Finn asked.

“No,” Esther said coolly. She remembered asking to see him. She’d begged Ayana to let her see him just once, but she said he was better off not seeing her, that she didn’t deserve to see him after all she’d done. Instead, she was forced to watch every evil thing her other children did. Things were starting to click in her mind, things that hadn’t before. Like that they would never let her see Henrik, or how she rarely ever saw her children do anything good, or how the last few days, she hadn’t seen anything to do with her children at all. There was also the incident where she had been instructed to have Elena killed. She wondered if that was really about the hybrid situation, or if they were trying to kill off her line. She knew one thing for sure, especially after hearing Henrik’s warning about Sheila Bennett. She had been manipulated, and she detested it. She hated even more that came very close to working.

“Who was that vampire with his hands on Henrik’s daughter?” Finn asked with a chilly tone. He believed that the man he saw as Henrik. His mother believed it was true, and he trusted her instincts, which meant that that vampire had been manhandling his niece.

“Damon Salvatore. He and his brother have been obsessed with her. Lately, they have both put her and Jeremy in a lot of jeopardy,” Elijah said.

“He’s dead!” Kol snarled.

“Agreed,” Klaus said with a smirk.

“Henri… He said they were letters,” Kol said. He wasn’t fully ready to believe it. It just seemed so farfetched, and very tragic if it was true.

“Yes, there’s one for each of you. Niklaus and I have already read ours,” Elijah said before taking the letters from his inside pocket and handing them to each of his siblings.

Kol took his and began reading. He had to know for sure now. That video had said that the letters could prove it.

Kol,

Hey, big brother. Damn, that sounds almost weird considering I’m now physically older than you. Alright, that’s going to be my only attempt at humor, since I’m pretty sure even you, the king of humor and chaos won’t find much funny about this situation.

I’m already gone if you’re reading this, and I know it’s probably like I died all over again, but try not to be too sad. My life was wonderful. I wouldn’t change it for a minute. Although, I do wish you all could’ve been a part of it. I hope you’ll understand one day why you couldn’t. Protecting my children had to be my first priority, and it’s a priority I hope you’ll help with now that you’re gone.

You know, my son, Jeremy, is a lot like you. He’s not a prankster, but he is a hothead, and he can be mischievous at times. For that matter, so can Elena, but I’d say that she’s more like Elijah overall. I hope you’ll be there for them. They’ll need someone to offset Elijah and be the fun uncle. They need someone to be the kind of guy that will take his brother’s clothes while he’s swimming in the pond and run home with them. Finn didn’t find that very funny, but I definitely did. I think Elijah even cracked a smile.

Of course, don’t take it too far. I don’t need my kids terrorizing the town. My wife would probably smack me for even suggesting all of this, but I think it’s important for my kids to have some mischief, especially now that we’re gone. I guess what I’m really trying to say is that I love you, big brother, and even though I’m not hear, there is a part of me that is in both of my children. Help them grow into who they’re meant to be, like you and all of our siblings did for me. Goodbye, Kol.

Henrik

Kol was both laughing and crying at the same time. There was no doubt now. This was Henrik. This was his baby brother. “It’s him.”

“It can’t be,” Rebekah said.

“It is. This letter proves it,” Kol said.

“May I see it, Kol?” Esther asked.

Kol nodded and handed it to her.

“But that means we’ve lost him all over again,” Rebekah cried. That was the thing she found the hardest to accept. If Grayson Gilbert was Henrik, it meant that he was right under their noses the entire time, and they’d missed his entire life.

“I know it seems like that, dear, but think about it another way. We got to see his face, hear his voice. You have a letter that he used to say goodbye to you. We never thought we’d have any of that,” Esther said before looking at the letter her son wrote to his brother.

“And we get to be there for his children,” Elijah added.

Rebekah gasped at the realization. This meant that Elena was her niece. The girl who daggered her, who Rebekah had just threatened, was her niece. She didn’t yet know how to deal with that, but she did know that any vendetta she’d had against Elena before was officially dead. She couldn’t and wouldn’t target her brother’s child.

Esther finished the letter and folded it up before handing it back to Kol. “It’s more important now than ever to put this family back together. It is what Henrik wanted for his children. He wanted a family for them. That is what we need to be.

“Agreed. I know everyone is in shock. I suggest you all take tonight to come to terms with it, and you can officially meet Elena and Jeremy in the morning,” Elijah said.

“I agree,” Esther said.

“Come. I’ll help you all get settled into rooms upstairs, and you can get cleaned up and rest,” Elijah said.

Rebekah was the first to follow her brother out of the room. Her brother’s letter was still clutched in her hand. She would read it later. She wasn’t ready quiet yet.

Chapter Text

Elena was up around nine the next morning. She found she slept pretty well, considering. It was actually better than she’d slept in a while. She’d been terrified of Klaus finding out hers and Jeremy’s secret, but now that it was out, while she was still worried about what would happen next, she did feel some relief.

Things definitely had not gone the way Elena thought they would, even since she and Jeremy arrived last night. For instance, she didn’t expect her grandmother to come back from the dead. She wasn’t really sure how she felt about that. She didn’t really know anything about this woman, other than the fact that she’d tried to have Elena killed not too long ago. Then again, she certainly wouldn’t be the first in the family to try to do that.

Elena’s thoughts were interrupted when she heard a knock on the door. She had just finished getting dressed for the day. “Come in.”

Elijah walked in moments later with a smile on his face. “Good morning, Elena. Did you sleep well.”

“Yeah, better than I have in a while. I guess the stress from trying to hide all of this affected me more than I thought,” Elena said.

“I think it usually happens that way. The fear of something is usually worse than the thing itself. Well, I’m sorry you were so stressed, but I am glad that you felt safe enough to sleep well. How is your arm?” Elijah asked.

“It’s okay. It’s a little sore, but it’s not too bad,” Elena said.

Elijah walked further into the room and sat down in the chair in front of Elena’s desk. He positioned it so that he was sitting in front of her. “I need to ask you something, and you need to be honest with me, alright?”

Elena nodded.

“Has Damon ever hurt you before?” Elijah asked.

“Not like that. He’s grabbed my arm or my hand before, but last night was the first time it was that hard,” Elena told him.

“That’s all? He’s never done anything else?” Elijah asked. Not that that wasn’t enough, but in his experience, people like Damon got worse things progressed. It could just be that he was only just starting, but he needed to be sure.

Elena hesitated a bit. That was all he’d done to her, but there was an incident scorched into her memory. Her little brother lying dead on her bedroom floor after Damon snapped his neck. Jeremy survived it, but the trauma they both felt from it was far from erased. If she told Elijah about it, however, Damon was dead. There was no question about it, and Elena wasn’t sure she could live with that on her conscience.

Elijah could see that she was thinking about something that she didn’t want to tell him about. He wouldn’t have that, not when it was this important. “Elena, you need to tell me.”

“I…I don’t want anyone dying because of me. You’ll kill him for it,” Elena said.

The fact that Elena was so sure he’d commit murder over this made it clear to Elijah that it was very serious, and he was even more determined to press her on it. “If Damon has done something so atrocious that he has earned a certain death by my hand in your mind, that is on him, not you. You are not responsible for someone else’s actions. You need to tell me, Elena. This is not a request.”

Elena cringed a bit at his stern tone. He sounded like her dad when he talked like that. Her dad probably would’ve killed Damon too. No, in fact, there was no probably about it. He would’ve killed him on the spot. Frankly, if Elena had had the means, she would’ve killed him that night. “Okay. Shortly before you and I met, Damon showed up in my bedroom drunk. He came onto me, but I rejected him. I didn’t see him that way. In my eyes, we were just friends.”

“Did he force himself on you?” Elijah asked.

“No. It was worse than that. He was angry. Then Jeremy walked in. Damon snapped his neck. Jeremy was wearing a ring that would bring him back, but Damon didn’t know that. He killed Jeremy to punish me,” Elena told him.

Elijah was trying extremely hard to keep himself calm, but even his control was tempted at the moment. He pictured his nephew being murdered in front of his niece, and it infuriated him. Damon would die for that. There was no question about it. He might have killed him just for grabbing Elena’s arm last night, but he definitely would for killing his nephew. “Elena, I need you to understand how dangerous and abusive this man is. He did what he did to punish you for not being receptive to his advances. He didn’t just abuse Jeremy that night, he abused you.”

Elena nodded. “I know I shouldn’t have forgiven him.”

“Why did you?” Elijah asked calmly. He wasn’t judging her. He just wanted to understand her thinking. Elena was a forgiving person. It could be as simple as that, but if it wasn’t, he needed to know.

“I guess it was a combination of reasons. Shortly after that happened, I was looking into information about Katherine. Damon had some information, but he was kind of holding it over my head. I led him to believe that I might be able to forgive him if he shared it. Once he did, I told him I couldn’t forgive him. He told me I was like Katherine. I didn’t want to be like her” Elena said.

“You’re not. He manipulated you,” Elijah said firmly.

“Didn’t I manipulate him too?” Elena asked.

“Perhaps to an extent, but it shouldn’t have even been necessary. If he truly cared about you, he would’ve given you the information you were looking for without expecting anything in return. As I was saying, he knew telling you that you were like Katerina would strike a nerve, and maybe you’d be more inclined to forgive him,” Elijah said.

“I guess so. It wasn’t the only reason. Damon has been good to me. He’s been kind,” she said.

“I’m sure he has. Men like him know how to play their targets. They’re the right combination of abusive and loving. I want to discuss that more, but for now, let’s table the discussion. I hear your brother getting up, and it’s about breakfast time. For now, I want you to understand that no matter what happens, it is not on you. Do you understand that?” Elijah asked.

Elena gave a short nod, but she wasn’t sure she really meant it.

“Alright. I’m going to check on your brother, and then we’ll head down to breakfast. The family is anxious to meet you both,” Elijah said before standing up and heading to the door.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

About twenty minutes later, Elena and Jeremy followed Elijah into the dining room, where the rest of the family was waiting by the table.

Esther was the first to approach with an inviting smile on her face. She put a hand on each of her grandchildren’s shoulders. “Hello, my darlings. I’m Esther, your grandmother. It’s so lovely to meet you both.

Elena and Jeremy both found themselves engulfed in her arms. They hesitantly hugged her back.

Esther pulled away after a moment. “I apologize if I’ve made you uncomfortable. I couldn’t help myself.”

“It’s okay,” Jeremy said. He had been a little bit uncomfortable, but he understood it.

Esther smiled. “You look much like your father.”

“Yeah, I get that a lot,” Jeremy said.

Esther turned to Elena next. “Elena, I owe you a tremendous apology. I know that you know I sent that spirit after you. I can never tell you how much I regret that. The Bennett ancestors insisted I stop Niklaus from making hybrids, and that killing you was the only way to do it. That isn’t an excuse. I just want you to know how it happened.”

“They all wanted me dead? I thought witches were supposed to protect people,” Elena said. She thought that was why they hated vampires so much, because they fed off of humans.

“I don’t know who gave you that impression, darling, but they lied. Most witches only care about the laws of nature and their own line and power,” Kol said as he approached them. “Hi. I’m your Uncle Kol. I intend to be your favorite uncle, by the way. I’m going to get you into so much mischief.”

“You will do nothing of the sort,” Elijah said as he glared half-heartedly at his younger brother.

“Hey, I’ve been given blanket permission by Henrik. He wrote it down and everything,” Kol said with a grin.

“I read that letter myself, Kol. He also told you not to go too far,” Esther reminded her son.

“Huh. I didn’t interpret it that way. I suppose it depends on how you read it. Since it was meant for me, I’m going to go with my interpretation,” Kol said.

Jeremy chuckled. “I can already tell I’m going to like you.”

Finn approached next and held his hand out to the children. “Hello, I’m Finn.”

Elena was the first to shake his hand. “Elena.”

“I’m Jeremy,” Jeremy said as he shook the man’s hand.

Rebekah made her way over next.

“You both remember Rebekah, I’m sure,” Elijah said.

“Yeah. Hi, Rebekah,” Jeremy said. He didn’t really get to know Rebekah, but he’d seen her at school before she was daggered. He tried to stay clear for obvious reasons.

“Hello, Jeremy. We haven’t really gotten to know each other. I want to change that,” Rebekah said before turning to Elena next. Her face remained the same as she spoke to her. “Elena.”

“I…I’m sorry, Rebekah,” Elena said as she avoided her eyes.

Rebekah nodded, acknowledging the apology. “Later, you and I are going to have chat.”

Elena cringed. Rebekah was no longer murderous, but she definitely didn’t sound very happy. Elena didn’t imagine this was going to be a fun conversation for her.

“That’s enough, Rebekah,” Klaus said.

“Mind your business, Nik. This has nothing to do with you,” Rebekah said.

“She is family now,” Klaus said.

“That’s right, she is, and that’s why I’m going to speak to her like my niece and not like an outsider, however, I’m not doing her any favors if I just let it go,” Rebekah said before turning back to her niece. “Like I said, we’ll have a talk about it, and then we’ll move past it, alright?”

Elena nodded. She would listen to whatever Rebekah had to say to her, even if it was unpleasant. It was no less than she deserved.

“Well, since introductions have been made, shall we sit down to breakfast before it gets cold?” Esther asked.

They all nodded and sat down. Elena found herself in between Elijah and Jeremy, who was seated next to Rebekah. They all helped themselves to a buffet style breakfast.”

“Rebekah, I was hoping you’d be willing to return to school next week. I would like someone there with Elena and Jeremy, at least until the Salvatores are dealt with,” Elijah said.

“Let’s handle it now. It won’t be hard to kill them both,” Kol said.

“Kol, there will be no talk of murder at the breakfast table,” Esther admonished.

“Why not? I would think that would be normal with you guys. Hell, even Dad participated at times. Elena, remember when he threatened to kill Matt over breakfast?”

Elena chuckled at the memory. Oh, she remembered. She and Matt had been up late in her room studying. Her dad had been working late at the clinic, and everyone else was asleep when he got home. He came to her room to check on her and found that she and Matt had fallen asleep in her bed. Not only had he chased Matt out of the house, but his ire had continued the next morning.

“Who is this Matt bloke and what did he do to you?” Kol demanded to know.

Elena chuckled. “Nothing. It was a misunderstanding. Matt was my boyfriend at the time.”

“Boyfriend? You’re far too young for that. Your father allowed such things?” Kol asked in disbelief.

Rebekah chuckled and looked at her niece. “Oh, good luck with that in the future.”

“I think the phrase Dad used was ‘under egregious duress,’” Jeremy said with a smirk.

Elena scowled. That was the term her father used after finally agreeing to let her date Matt after both she and her mother wore him down. His first words were ‘absolutely not.’ “You were listening that night,”

“Of course, I was.”

Rebekah looked over at Elijah. “To answer your question, brother, yes, I already intended to return to school. I’ll keep the idiots away from them.”

“Maybe that will stop me from accidently causing lights to fall on Stefan’s head,” Jeremy sort of joked.

“Yes, about that. Jeremy, you’re going to need to learn to control your magic. My original plan was to have Kol and Finn handle that, but, Mother, perhaps you’d be the better option now,” Elijah said. It was always better to have a practicing witch handle training.

“Of course, darling,” Esther said before turning to the children. “We’ll work a little each day. Elena, you’ll join as well. You may not have magic yet, but you will. I can still show you some things to get ready for that.”

Elena nodded.

“We’ll start later on today or tomorrow. The sooner we get started, the better. The first thing I want to say is that caution is necessary. If you use too much magic too soon, it could have devastating consequences,” Esther warned.

“Yeah, we’ve seen that for ourselves,” Elena said.

“And do not get too cocky. It’s the worst thing you can do,” Esther continued.

“Someone should’ve taught Bonnie that lesson,” Jeremy said.

“Ah, yes, Bonnie Bennett. Listen, I know it’s a bit soon for me to tell you who to talk to, but I strongly advise you to exercise caution around a Bennett witch,” Esther said.

“We’re not really on speaking terms with her at the moment anyway,” Jeremy said.

“Speaking of that, I will be getting you new phones today. I don’t imagine it is necessary for me to say this, but I don’t want either of you having contact with the Salvatores. None whatsoever,” Elijah said firmly. He’d gently asked that of Elena yesterday, but after what she had told him today, it was no longer a request. There was to be no contact at all.

Jeremy snorted. “Yeah, that’s not going to be any kind of hardship.”

“I won’t talk to them. I don’t even really want to,” Elena assured him.

Elijah nodded. “As I said, I didn’t think it was necessary, but I wanted to be clear. I will always try to be clear about what I expect from you.

Elena nodded and turned back to her breakfast.

Chapter Text

Klaus opened his front door to find Elena’s friend, Caroline behind it. He couldn’t’ say he was surprised. He knew it wouldn’t be long before another one of their little group showed up. “Well, Hello, Caroline. Lovely to see you again. I believe the last time we saw each other was your birthday. I do hope your night got better.”

Caroline glared slightly. “I’m not here to discuss the night you forced my boyfriend to bite me.”

“Oh, I know why you’re here, love. This would be abduction attempt number two, I believe. You know, I’d be impressed by the amount of courage you people have if it weren’t so stupid,” Klaus said.

“What? I’m not here to abduct anybody. I just want to see Elena,” Caroline said.

“And why should I let you? The last time one of you made it past the threshold, he tried to remove my niece by force, injuring her in the process!” Klaus said in a furious tone.

Caroline’s eyes darkened quite a bit, and she began silently plotting the torture and death of Damon Salvatore, because she could only assume it was him. She supposed it could be Stefan too. Maybe it was even both of them, but she was sure Damon did the manhandling.  Abuse was his way of controlling someone. Caroline would know that.  “Is she alright? What did Damon do to her?”

“She’s fine, other than a bruise on her arm,” Klaus told her.

“Damon Salvatore is a dead man!” Caroline fumed.

“Oh, on that there is no doubt, but he will be dealt with my family, and you and your friends better not interfere,” Klaus warned.

“I don’t give a damn what you do to Damon. Look, I just want to see for myself that Elena is okay. Just let me talk to her,” Caroline said.

“Why should I? You and your friends have done enough damage,” he said.

“We’ve done enough damage?! How about everything you’ve…” Caroline trailed off as she realized that attacking Klaus was not going to get her in the door, no matter how true it was. This was the time to pick her battles. “Listen, the last thing I want is to put Elena and Jeremy in the middle of war between their friends and their family. I just want to know that they’re okay, and that I’m here for them. Please.”

“Try anything, and I won’t hesitate to kill you,” Klaus said before moving aside to let her in. His first impressions of Caroline were that she intrigued him. She interested him, but he was very tired of his niece’s friends interfering with his family. It wouldn’t be tolerated any longer.

“Thank you,” Caroline said before stepping inside.

“This way, love,” Klaus said before leading her to the living room. “Make yourself at home. I’ll get Elena.”

Caroline nodded, but she remained standing. She considered what she might say to Elena. Elena might not be that happy to see her. She hadn’t been a good friend to her lately. She’d been too consumed by her own problems with Tyler. She’d tried to reach out when she finally noticed that Elena was struggling, but it was too late by then.

A few moments later, Klaus reentered the room with Elena right behind him.

Elena appeared guarded. “Caroline.”

“Hey. I tried to call you last night,” Caroline said.

“I gave my phone to Elijah. Damon and Stefan were blowing it up. I guess Ric told you everything too,” Elena said.

Caroline nodded. “Yeah, he told all of us. Can we talk in private?”

Elena opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by Klaus.

“I think not, love. You’ll talk right here,” Klaus said.

“Klaus, come on. Caroline’s not going to do anything,” Elena said. She was a little worried about Caroline’s reaction, but she knew her friend was not going to act the way Stefan and Damon did the night before. She wouldn’t try to force her out of the house.

“Oh, I know she’s not, sweetheart, because you’ll be talking in front of me,” Klaus said before taking a seat in a chair. “Pretend I’m not here.”

Elena sighed and looked at her friend. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. In a house filled with vampires, there wouldn’t be any real privacy anyway. Can we sit?”

Elena nodded before leading the way to the couch, where they both sat down.

“How are you guys doing? I can’t imagine it was easy to just pick up and move in with the Originals,” Caroline said.

“Well, it wasn’t as bad as you’d think. We were mostly prepared for it. Are things were already packed in case it happened. We were considering telling Klaus everything before he found out on his own,” Elena said.

“Yeah, Ric told us that. He said you were inclined to go to Klaus after what happened with Stefan because you didn’t trust us anymore,” Caroline said.

“It wasn’t really you we didn’t trust. It was everyone else. The whole coffin thing was taking its toll on us, and no one seemed to care. We didn’t know what else to do. But I know you weren’t a part of that,” Elena said.

“Maybe not actively, but I knew enough to know that the Salvatores and Bonnie were planning something with those coffins. I didn’t even try to stop them, which makes me just as culpable in making things harder for you and Jeremy. I’m sorry. I was an awful friend to you,” Caroline said.

Elena shook her head. “That’s not true.”

“Yes, it is. You didn’t feel you could come to me when things got bad. Your world fell apart, and you couldn’t trust me to help you through it,” Caroline said sadly. She wasn’t sure she’d ever forgive herself for failing her friend so badly. Elena should’ve been able to come to her for help, but she couldn’t. She trusted Klaus more than the rest of them. That stung, but more so because it was justified.

“To be honest, Caroline, I probably wouldn’t have told you anyway. We didn’t want anyone to know. We were trying to hide it. I figured if people knew, it would be more likely to get out. Besides, I wouldn’t put you in the position to hide it from the others,” Elena explained.

“Regardless, I wasn’t a good friend. I knew you were struggling, and while I did reach out, it wasn’t good enough or soon enough. I was too wrapped up in my own life,” Caroline said.

“Caroline, there’s nothing wrong with that. You have the right to live your own life. You’ve had your own things going on with Tyler,” Elena said.

“It doesn’t matter. You’re my best friend. I should’ve been here for you. I’m here now, Elena. What do you need from me?”

“A friend. Someone who isn’t going to plot to make my life harder. This is my reality,” Elena said as she gestured to the house they were sitting in. “I don’t need to be saved from it. I just need to get used to it. I may not love it, but I don’t want to fight it anymore either.”

Caroline nodded. “You’ve got it. As long as you’re treated well, and it’s what you want, I won’t fight it.”

“Things are okay. It’s funny, I went from having no family to being overwhelmed by more family than I ever had. Klaus and Elijah woke up their other siblings, and even my grandmother came back from the dead,” Elena said with a chuckle.

“Okay, you need to explain everything,” Caroline said. There was still much to discuss. Eventually, she was going to have to tell Elena how deep Bonnie’s betrayal went, but Elena was going through enough right now. Right now, Caroline’s only job was to be a supportive friend.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Esther was in her room burning sage when she heard a knock at the door. “Yes.”

Finn entered moments later and shut the door behind him.

“Ah, Finn. I was planning to send for you soon. You have good timing,” Esther said.

“I wanted to see how you were holding up, Mother. I know things must be overwhelming for you,” Finn said.

“For all of us, I’d say. I don’t think any of us were expecting the news about your brother or his children. Have you read his letter?” Esther asked.

Finn shook his head. “Not yet. I’m not even sure what he would have to say to me. We were never terribly close.” That didn’t mean he didn’t love his brother. It was just that Henrik was much younger than him. They didn’t have much in common. Although, he supposed he could say that about all of his siblings.

“Your brother looked up to each and every one of you. You should know what he had to say to you.”

Finn nodded. “I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this, but the fact that Henrik continued the family line complicates things.”

“No, you do not need to tell me that,” Esther said. She weas well aware of the complications it brought.

“Jeremy is already displaying magic. Elena isn’t though. Do you suppose that means it will be Jeremy that Dahlia comes after?” Finn asked.

“No, it will be Elena, if not both of them on principle. Elena is the firstborn. I don’t know why she hasn’t tapped into her magic yet, but she will. Some witches are just late bloomers. It means nothing in terms of power,” Esther explained.

“There’s something I don’t understand. I confess, I don’t know much about reincarnation, other than the little you taught me, but the way I understood it, the soul of the witch being reincarnated is reborn into the body of another. The soul is still the person from the past life, but not the body,” Finn said.

“Yes,” Esther confirmed. She knew what he was trying to ask, but she would let him verbalize it before he did.

“I understand why Henrik became a witch, even in the body of Grayson Gilbert. Magic is soul based, and Henrik’s magic was intertwined with his soul. I also understand that soul wise, Henrik and Grayson were the same person. Grayson’s children were Henrik’s children in that aspect. But they wouldn’t be Mikaelsons by blood. They would be Gilberts. So, how do they have access to magic? For that matter, how does Jeremy look so much like Henrik? How did Henrik as Grayson look so much like Henrik? He should look nothing like he used to, but he did,” Finn said.

Esther nodded. “Yes, I had the same questions. Henrik believed he was reincarnated, but I’m not convinced. In fact, I’m convinced he wasn’t for exactly the reasons you mentioned. I believe that someone orchestrated his return intentionally and did so in the way they did for a reason.”

“Who? Ayana and her descendants?” Finn asked.

“Certainly not. The Bennett ancestors have made it clear that they did not want out line continued. They tried to get me to kill Elena. I thought it was to stop Niklaus from making hybrids at the time, but now I believe that it was to keep her from becoming a witch. Jeremy would’ve been next. They went out of their way to make sure I never learned about those children,” Esther said coolly.

“If they didn’t want your line continued, why arrange for you to be brought back?” Finn wondered.

“They wanted me to kill the rest of you. They have been manipulating me for centuries, trying to get me to see all of you as monsters. They showed me every awful thing all of you have ever done and not much else,” Esther explained.

Finn looked down in shame. He wasn’t as bad as the others, but he had his share to be guilty over. “To be fair, they didn’t make it up.”

“Perhaps not, but I realize not how manipulative it was. They went out of their way not to show me any human side from all of you. They were making me their puppet, and it almost worked, I’m ashamed to say. I was going to do what they asked,” Esther told him.

“But you’re not now?” he asked.

“No. I will not be used, and I will not see this family destroyed when we have real hope of putting it back together. We need to stick together now more than ever,” Esther said.

“So, it not the Bennett witches, who do you believe orchestrated Henrik’s return?” Finn asked.

“Someone who had a vested interest in making sure our family line continued. Someone powerful enough to have someone reborn, body and soul to make sure any children of his would be witches,” Esther said.

Finn’s eyes widened in shock. “Dahlia. But then why not take Elena when she was born?” Finn asked.

“That, I don’t know. Perhaps she couldn’t for some reason. In any event, I am positive it was her. There’s no other explanation,” Esther said.

“What now?”

“We protect those children at all costs. First thing’s first. Dahlia is a problem for another day. Right now, the supernatural entities in this town are a problem. We need to solve it. I intent to host an event to bring the town together, a ball. I want everyone put on notice. Elena and Jeremy are off limits. Any attempt to harm them or interfere in their care will not be tolerated,” Esther said firmly.

Finn nodded. “Mother, you realize you’ll have to tell the others about Dahlia, right?”

“Yes, but one step at a time. I will tell them after the ball,” Esther said.

Finn nodded again and headed for the door.

Chapter Text

Later that night, Esther went over her plan to host a ball with the rest of the family over dinner. They all seemed surprised, except for Finn, of course.

“A ball? Like a literal ball? Like a fairytale type thing?” Jeremy asked surprised.

“Something tells me it won’t even close to a fairytale,” Elena said.

“Not quite, but it will be a formal gathering with dancing. It’s just a way to introduce our family to town,” Esther said.

“Ever hear of a housewarming party, Mother?” Klaus asked with a smirk.

“Mother, I don’t like this. I don’t want Elena and Jeremy put on display,” Elijah said. Those children had been through enough. The last thing they needed was to be paraded around for the town to gawk at.

“Mother is doing what she thinks is best. You no longer decide what is best for this family,” Finn told his brother.

Elijah gave his older brother a hard look before pointing to Elena and Jeremy. “When it comes to them, I do, per our brother’s wishes.”

“Henrik didn’t know that Mother would return when he decided that. I’m sure he’d prefer Mother be the one…”

“Alright, both of you stop. Finn, Elijah is right. Regardless of what may have changed since then, it was Henrik’s last wish that Elijah be the one to look after his children,” Esther said before turning to Elijah. “Elijah, I don’t want them on display either. I want the town put on notice. I want it made perfectly clear that attempts to harm them or interfere in their lives will not be tolerated. Introducing them as part of this family in front of the entire town, while certainly uncomfortable, is the best way to do that.”

“How are you going to do that? Everyone in town knows who we are. They know that our father was Grayson Gilbert. They don’t know anything about who he used to be, except for a select few,” Elena said.

“Not to worry, dear. We can get around that. I intend to explain that Grayson was adopted and that I was his biological mother. It’s close to the truth. I believe there are ways to make that seem true even on paper,” Esther said.

“Yes. I can see to that,” Elijah said before turning to Elena and Jeremy. “This is your decision. I will not force you to attend a gathering like this, however, I do think Mother might be right. It’s the best way to give a formal warning without bloodshed.”

“Except for the Salvatore idiots, of course. They’re dead either way,” Klaus said.

Elena and Jeremy looked at each other and then reluctantly nodded. They weren’t thrilled, but they could see the need for it. “When are we going to do this?” Elena asked.

“Soon. I would like it to happen by the end of the week at the latest,” Esther said. She would honestly like it to happen sooner, but she decided it was only fair to give her grandchildren time to prepare.

“That soon?” Jeremy asked. He didn’t even think it was possible to plan something so fancy that soon.

“It’s best to get it done as soon as possible. Do the two of you know how to dance?” Esther asked.

“Yeah. Mom and Dad had us take lessons because of all the Founder’s events that take place every year. This means we have to find dates, right?”

“Absolutely not! For the purpose of the dance, Elena, you can dance with Kol and Jeremy can pair up with Rebekah,” Klaus said with a smile, proud of himself that he’d come up with the perfect way to keep any romance from taking place.

“That’s worse than taking your cousin to the prom,” Jeremy said.

“Niklaus, don’t start. It’s perfectly fine for them to have someone from school accompany them, as long as they are respectful and treat them well,” Elijah said.

Elen pondered it for a minute. “I guess I could ask Matt to come as a friend.”

“A few months ago, I would’ve asked Bonnie. That’s obviously out. Hopefully, she won’t even be here,” Jeremy said.

“Oh, she will, I’m afraid. The Bennett girl is one of the key people that need this warning impressed on them. However, I agree that you should not ask her to attend with you. She certainly doesn’t seem very respectful,” Esther said.

“I could probably get Caroline to accompany you, Jer. Tyler’s gone, so she couldn’t come with him. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind,” Elena said.

“Normally I’d be offended that my sister thinks she needs to get me a date, but it is last minute. Let me see if I can find someone else. If not, I’ll ask Caroline myself,” Jeremy said.

“Excellent. I know this isn’t ideal, but I hope you’ll both have a good time,” Esther said.

“The Donovan boy better be on his best behavior,” Klaus grumbled.

They all finished their dinner and then slowly got up and started to file out of the dining room. Rebekah approached Elena as she started to leave the room. “Let’s have that chat now. Come with me.”

Elena winced as Rebekah left the room expecting to be followed. Elena reluctantly followed her out of the room and towards the stairs. Once they got upstairs, they headed for Rebekah’s room.

“Shut the door. We might as well go for the illusion of privacy,” Rebekah said.

Elena nodded and closed the door behind them. She then turned back to her aunt. “I’m really sorry, Rebekah.”

Rebekah nodded acknowledging the apology. “Were you sorry before you learned that we were related?”

“Yeah. Maybe not as much as I am now, but I never liked what I did. I felt guilty about it before I even did it,” Elena said.

Rebekah motioned for her niece to take a seat on the bed before sitting down on the edge of it herself. “Tell me why you did it then.”

Elena did as she was instructed and sat down on the bed across from Rebekah. “I’m not proud of that time in my life. I was desperate. Stefan had shut off his humanity because Klaus made him. I was hoping that once he was free of him, he would turn it back on. I just wanted the guy I loved back. I was too far in denial to realize he was already gone. I also didn’t want to be Klaus’ blood bag forever. Killing him seemed like the only way to save us both.”

“But I was helping you,” Rebekah pointed out.

“I know, but you wouldn’t have in the end. You couldn’t have. I knew that because I had a brother too, and no matter what he did, I could never kill him or let anyone else do it. I’m so sorry. You have every right to hate me,” Elena said.

Rebekah sighed. “Look, Elena, I’m not thrilled, but I don’t hate you.”

“You hated me last night,” Elena pointed out.

“Last night you were just some girl that betrayed me. I was hurt because I thought we were becoming friends, and it turned out that you were using me. I don’t do well with being hurt. I lash out. However, everything changed when I saw that DVD. I loved your father. I love all my siblings, but I always felt that Henrik and I had a special bond. You’re his daughter. I could never hate you.

Elena looked over at the letter her father wrote, which was sitting on Rebekah’s nightstand. “Did you read it?”

Rebekah shook her head. “Not yet. It’s something I have to prepare myself for first.”

“I’m sorry, not just for the dagger thing. I was never going to tell any of you about this. I was going to let you go on thinking your brother died a thousand years ago and never lived again. I was scared of what would happen if Klaus found out,” Elena said.

“I understand. In your position, I might have done the same. The thing you have to understand is that as of a dick as Nik is, he loves you. He loved Henrik,” Rebekah said.

“He killed my aunt right in front of me. I don’t know how to forgive him for that,” Elena said.

“I’m not saying you have to. I just want you to understand him a bit more. He’s a bastard, but he’s not completely heartless. Did Henrik ever mention us. I know he couldn’t have by name, but did he ever mention us at all?” Rebekah wondered.

Elena was about to say no, but then she remembered something. “Once, I think. I don’t remember what we were talking about, but he said I reminded him of his brother. I was offended at first because I thought he was talking about his brother, John Gilbert. I never liked John, so I took the comparison as less than a compliment, but then he corrected himself. He said he was talking about a friend that was like his brother. I think he was talking about Elijah.

Rebekah nodded. “I can see that. You definitely have qualities of Elijah. The way you look after Jeremy is much like how Elijah always did us.

“You know, I miss my dad, but I can’t help but be angry at him for all the lies. If he’d told me the truth, things could’ve been different. I would’ve at least been prepared when Klaus got here. I know he was trying to protect me, but I can’t help it,” Elena said.

“I get it. I was angry with my mother after she died too, even though I still loved and missed her. Listen, about the dagger, I’m not going to say it’s okay, but I understand, and we can get past it. Just never do it again. That is one way we never want you to take after Nik,” Rebekah said.

Elena nodded. “I promise. Just so you know, if I’d known the truth, I wouldn’t have done any of it.”

“I think that’s a theme with this family when it comes to you as well. Now, do you know what you’re going to wear to this thing of Mother’s?” Rebekah asked.

“Not a clue. I have some nice clothes, but nothing worthy of a ball,” Elena said.

“Perfect. We’ll go shopping tomorrow. We’ll drag Jeremy with us too. He needs a tux. Honestly, everyone should go. Other than Elijah, I doubt any of the others have the wardrobe for such an event,” Rebekah said.

Elena chuckled before standing up. “Jeremy will consider that hell. It should be fun. It’s been a while since I tortured Jeremy.”

“Ah, yes, a lovely pastime. You should get some rest. It will probably take most of the day tomorrow,” Rebekah said.

Elena nodded and headed out of the room.

Rebekah, meanwhile, turned to her nightstand and picked up the letter her little brother had written to her. She took a deep breath before opening it.

Rebekah,

Well, if it isn’t my favorite sister. Yeah, I know, you’re my only sister. Still, I think you’d still be my favorite either way. Out of all of our siblings, you were probably the one that paid the most attention to me. I know it was probably because I was the only one that was younger than you, but still.

I remember how you would teach me to do things around the house. It used to drive Father mad because in his words, it was ‘women’s work.’ I remember him screaming at you because he said you would make me as weak as Niklaus. But as scared as you were of him, you didn’t care. You still taught me because you knew I liked it, and you wanted to spend time with me.

I know you’ll treat my children as well as you did me. I don’t even need to ask that of you. You’ll do it. You’ll help our siblings give them the life that my wife and I aren’t here any longer to give them. Thank you for that, and for everything you’ve ever done for me.

Don’t be sad, Rebekah. There’s nothing for you to be sad about. I know you weren’t here to see it, but I had a wonderful life. I got a second chance that I probably shouldn’t have had. I cherished every minute of it. I missed all of you as much as I’m sure you did me, but I learned to live my life. I want you to do the same.  I love you so much.

Henrik

Rebekah was trying to stop herself from crying, but she was finding it impossible. She knew her brother didn’t want her to be sad, but how could she not be? She had missed so much with him. Her mother called it miracle that he’d gotten to live again, but all she could see was that he was here the whole time, and they’d missed his life. It felt like a tragedy. Except, of course, for the part with where she now had a niece and nephew. That was what she had to focus on.

It took a minute, but Rebekah managed to stop from crying. She was going to do what Henrik asked. She would try not to feel sad and focus on her niece and nephew now. It was the least she could do for her brother.

Chapter Text

Elena found herself back at school the next day. Things were actually going better than expected. So far, she hadn’t run into Stefan or Bonnie. She’d seen them in class, but they hadn’t tried to talk to her. Rebekah’s presence probably helped with that. They had most of their classes together. She knew it was only a matter of time though. One of them was going to approach her at some point today. She honestly wasn’t sure which one of them she wanted to see the least.

Around lunchtime, Elena decided to talk to Matt. He was eating by himself, so Elena made her way other to his table. “Hey, Matt.”

Matt looked up from his lunch and smiled. “Hey, Elena. How are you? Sorry, that’s probably a stupid question. Caroline told me what happened.”

“I know. I told her she could,” Elena said before sitting down. Caroline had asked her if she could tell Matt because she thought it would be better than whatever Bonnie or one of the Salvatores’ might tell him. Elena was actually grateful that someone asked her permission before spilling her private family information. Alaric certainly had no qualms about it.

“How have you been doing with it? I know things can’t be easy,” Matt said.

“Actually, it’s not going too badly so far. It’s only been a couple of days, and things are awkward at best, but things could be worse. I spent weeks terrified that Klaus would find out how we were connected, but when it happened, I actually felt relief,” Elena told him.

“Yeah, I think we often make things worse in our heads then they actually are. Although, to be fair, I can’t blame you for jumping to the worst possible conclusion under the circumstances. You’re okay though? They’re not treating you badly?” Matt asked.

“No. Everyone has been really nice to us, even Klaus. I don’t really know how to reconcile that with who I’ve known Klaus to be, but things are going well so far. On that note, I was hoping I could ask you for a huge favor,” Elena said.

“Sure. What is it?” Matt asked.

“My grandmother wants to throw this ball at the mansion this weekend. It’s kind of like a housewarming party, along with a warning for people watch their step. She plans to introduce Jeremy and I as part of the family there,” Elena told him.

“How is that going to work?” Matt wondered.

“I’m not entirely sure of the details yet, but she’s going to say that my dad was adopted by the Gilbert family. Anyway, I kind of need a date. I know it might be awkward, but…”

“Say no more. I’ll go with you. We’ll call it a friend thing,” Matt said.

Elena smiled. “Thanks, Matt. You’re a lifesaver. Just be aware that it might be a bit uncomfortable for you. My dad's older brothers aren’t too keen on the thought of me dating. They might give you a hard time.”

“If I remember correctly, your dad wasn’t all that keen on it either,” Matt said.

Elena chuckled. “No, he really wasn’t. If it weren’t for my mom, I’m fairly certain he would’ve locked me in the house the minute I became interested in boys.”

“So, when you say that the originals might give me a hard time, can you define that?” Matt asked a bit nervously.

“Don’t worry. Even if Klaus and Kol wanted to do something, Elijah wouldn’t let them. It just means there might be a lot of watching, glaring, and possibly some threats,” Elena said.

“So, just like your dad then,” Matt joked.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Elena said with a chuckle.

“So, Caroline told me things have been tense with Bonnie and the Salvatores. Have you talked to her or Stefan?” Matt asked.

“No. I’ve been going out of my way to avoid them both. It hasn’t been that hard. Thankfully, Rebekah has been around to repel any unwanted attention,” Elena said.

“Where is Rebekah?” Matt wondered.

“I’m sure she’ll be here any second. We had different classes last period,” Elena said.

“Elena,” a voice called out.

Elena groaned as she heard one of the two voices she’d been avoiding all day. She turned to see Stefan on her right. “What do you want, Stefan?”

Stefan turned to Matt. “Give us a minute.”

“No, you don’t get to send him away. Matt and I were having a conversation. You don’t get to send him away because you want to interrupt,” Elena said.

“I just want to talk,” Stefan said.

“Well, I don’t want to talk to you,” Elena said simply.

“Look, I know things have gotten out of hand between us lately,” Stefan said.

“Out of hand? Is that how you describe shoving your blood down my throat and threatening to drive me off the same bridge that killed my parents? Or trying to compel my brother into doing what you wanted?” Elena asked.

“Alright, I took things to the extreme, but it was the only way to stop Klaus,” Stefan said.

Elena laughed mockingly. “How did that work out for you? Was my grandmother the weapon you were hoping for?”

Stefan sighed. After he and Damon had returned from the mansion the other night, Bonnie showed up. She told them that the coffin was open. She hadn’t known what was inside because she and her mother had passed out, but seeing as they’d just seen the original witch at Klaus’, he and Damon had made the correlation. “We had no way of knowing…”

“I don’t care. I never cared about your so-called weapon or your vendetta against Klaus. All I wanted was for me and my brother to be left alone, and you couldn’t do that. After all we’d lost, you couldn’t just let it go, so that we could move on,” Elena said with both anger and hurt in her voice.

“It was because of all we’d lost that I couldn’t let it go. Can’t you see that? Klaus took everything from us!” Stefan fumed.

“Don’t you dare do that! Don’t lump yourself up with me and Jeremy! You lost a few months of your life because you made a deal with Klaus. Jeremy and I lost everything! We didn’t want revenge! We wanted to move on!” Elena snapped.

“How were you going to move on with Klaus using you as his blood bag?” Stefan asked.

“Don’t pretend you did this for me. You didn’t. You made it perfectly clear that you didn’t give a damn about me or Jeremy. None of you did. We were in this alone,” Elena said.

“Maybe you wouldn’t have been if you’d told us the truth about your connection to Klaus,” Stefan said.

Elena laughed bitterly. “Seriously? Not telling you was self-preservation. It was us protecting ourselves from you!”

Stefan was unable to fight back the flinch from her words.

“If we had told you, it would’ve just been another way for you to hurt him. You would’ve used us just like just like you used those coffins. So, yeah, even if I felt the urge to tell someone, it certainly wouldn’t be you. I was protecting myself and my brother,” Elena said.

“Yeah, and look where it got you. You’re trapped in that house with Klaus and his insane siblings,” Stefan said.

Elena nodded. “Maybe, but I have felt safer in the last two days than I have in months. It says a lot, doesn’t it? Just leave me alone, Stefan. Honestly, you and your brother should get the hell out of this town while you still can. I told Elijah that Damon snapped Jeremy’s neck,” Elena said.

Stefan’s eyes widened in horror. “What? Why would you do that?”

Elena shrugged. “He asked if Damon did anything else to us. Should I have lied?”

“Yes!” Stefan said harshly.

“Why? Why should I lie for your brother? He broke my brother’s neck because I didn’t love him back. He grabbed my arm so hard the other night that I thought he might break it. What do I owe him?” Elena asked.

“He was trying to protect you. And I thought you forgave him for what happened with Jeremy,” Stefan said.

“Yeah, so did I. It was brought to my attention that Damon manipulated me into that,” she said.

“By them? They are the ones manipulating you, Elena,” Stefan said. He then suddenly let out a hiss of pain as he felt a hand grab onto the back of his neck.

Elena smiled as she saw Rebekah behind Stefan. “Hey, Rebekah. You’re just in time.”

Rebekah smiled at her niece. “Sorry. I got caught up in my last class. The teacher wanted to discuss all the work I’ve missed over the last few weeks.”

“Yeah, that’s my bad. Sorry,” Elena said.

“Water under the bridge, love,” Rebekah said before turning back to Stefan. “Unless you want me to remove your head from the rest of your body, I suggest you be on your way!”

“Ah! Alright!” Stefen yelled.

Rebekah pushed Stefan away and watched as he scurried off. She then turned to her niece. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Annoyed, but fine. I suppose it was inevitable. He was going to approach me at some point,” Elena said.

“If he had half a brain, he would’ve stayed clear of you,” Rebekah said before sitting down next to her.

“The key word there is ‘if’,” Elena said.

“I don’t know what either of you saw in that guy. Hey, how weird is it that you’re family and dated the same guy?” Matt asked.

Elena shuddered at the thought of it. She hadn’t really had time to dwell on the fact that she dated the same guy as her aunt until now. It was not exactly a welcome thought. “I think we’d both successfully avoided thinking about it until you just brought it up, so thanks.”

Matt gave her a sheepish grin. “Sorry.”

Just then, Jeremy came over and sat down next to Matt. “Hey.”

“Hey. Where have you been?” Elena asked.

Jeremy huffed in annoyance. “I was in a conference with the guidance counselor and the assistant principle. Apparently, they’re worried about my grades and are planning to have meeting with my guardian,” he said before turning to Rebekah. “Hey, just for my information, where does Elijah stand on the whole grade thing?”

Rebekah chuckled. “Elijah values education. You just might find a tutor in your future.”

Both Elena and Jeremy groaned. Elena knew that a conversation like Jeremy just had might be in her future as well.

Rebekah frowned at her niece. “What are you groaning for? From what I’ve heard around here, your grades are excellent.”

“Not so much lately. This whole thing with my dad and your family took a toll on me. Grades didn’t seem important. I sort of stopped caring,” Elena said.

Rebekah nodded after a minute. “Alright, well, Elijah isn’t going to hold that against you. He’ll probably talk to you about it, and he’ll want to get you both on the right track, but you’ll be fine.”

“I just find the whole thing stupid. I mean, I highly doubt my future will include college, assuming I even have one living in this town,” Jeremy said.

“I don’t suggest repeating that when you talk to him,” Rebekah said.

Jeremy nodded and started eating his lunch.

Chapter Text

The night of the ball, Elena greeted Matt at the door as soon as he arrived. “Thanks again for doing this.”

“Yeah, of course. We haven’t really hung out in a while, so I think this might be fun, aside from having a bunch of vampires eying me with plans of murder if I screw things up,” Matt said half-jokingly.

“Don’t make jokes, Matt, because that’s probably what’s going to happen,” Elena said.

“I hope I’m not late. It looks like a bunch of people are already here,” Matt said as he looked around at the other guests.

“No, you’re fine. Come on,” Elena said before leading him further into the house.

Matt looked around. “This place is huge. And I thought the Tyler was rich,” Matt said.

Elena chuckled. “The Mikaelson family has existed since about the dawn of time. It makes sense that they would’ve racked up the dough in that time.”

“Where’s Jeremy?” Matt wondered.

“I think he’s off with Kol somewhere. They’ve gotten along pretty well since we got here,” Elena said. Kol acted like a big kid a lot of the time, so it made sense that Jeremy would like him so much. Jeremy saw him more like a brother than an uncle. Elena liked Kol too. Her favorite was probably still Elijah so far. It was nothing personal against the others, other than Klaus, of course. She just knew Elijah the best. “He’ll surface when Caroline gets here.”

“Yeah, Caroline said she was Jeremy’s escort,” Matt said.

“Yeah, we didn’t really have a lot of notice to find dates. It’s just a good thing we have a couple of really good friends,” Elena said.

“Speaking of friends, do think Bonnie will show up?” Matt asked.

“Unfortunately. My grandmother invited her on purpose. She wants everyone in this town warned against screwing with us, especially those with the last name Bennett,” Elena said.

“She doesn’t like Bonnie’s family?” Matt asked.

“Not really. It’s a long story, and I don’t understand the whole thing myself, but she knew Bonnie’s ancestors. There’s some bad blood there,” Elena said.

Just then, Klaus and Elijah made their way over to the couple. “Mr. Donovan, welcome,” Elijah said.

“Uh, thanks,” Matt said a bit nervously.

“I just wanted to thank you for accompanying Elena tonight, and I hope you have a good time,” Elijah said.

“Yes, but do mind yourself. You will be watched intensely. I suggest you keep your hands above my niece’s waist at all times, or else my teeth may just find a home in your throat,” Klaus warned.

“Klaus, seriously!” Elena whispered harshly.

Klaus grinned in response before walking away.

“Don’t mind my brother, Mr. Donovan. Although, I do recommend heeding his warning,” Elijah said in a cool, yet pleasant tone.

“Elijah!” Elena exclaimed.

“Do have a good time, Elena,” Elijah told his niece before walking away.

“Okay, I haven’t been embarrassed like that since my dad was alive, policing our dates,” Elena said.

“Interesting. That was also the last time I was this terrified. Actually, it’s worse this time. At least back then I was mostly sure your father wouldn’t actually kill me. I’m pretty certain Klaus or Elijah will if I screw up,” Matt said.

 Elena chuckled. “Well, if you do, you’ll have a small reprieve. Damon is at the top of their list right now.”

Matt looked over Elena’s shoulder towards the front door as guests continued to file in. “Speaking of.”

Elena turned around in time to see Damon walk in with Bonnie. Stefan had also come in with Carol Lockwood. “I swear, just when I think they can’t get dumber, they always find a new way to shock me.”

Damon smirked as he saw Elena and made his way over. “Elena, I see you downgraded,” he said as he looked at Matt.

“You know, taking off your daylight ring and walking into the sun would be just as affective, and possibly less painful,” Elena said.

“What?” Damon asked confused.

“Well, it’s obvious that you have a death wish. I’m just trying to give you alternatives to provoking five deadly vampires and equally deadly witch, all of whom have already decided they’re going to kill you. But if you insist on choosing the most painful death possible, I guess that’s your prerogative,” Elena said.

“Cute. I heard you squealed about the misunderstanding with Jeremy,” Damon said in an annoyed tone.

“Misunderstanding? You mean when you murdered my brother right in front of me?” Elena asked.

“Like I said, a misunderstanding.”

“And was trying to drag me out of my home against my will also a misunderstanding?” Elena asked.

Damon scoffed. “This is hardly your home. And if you hadn’t have fought me like an idiot, it wouldn’t have been necessary.”

“You’ve got a lot of nerve calling anybody an idiot. You pretty much invented the term,” Matt said.

“No one’s talking to you, Donovan. How about you take a walk?” Damon asked dismissively.

Just then, Klaus made his way over and looked at Elena and the Donovan boy. “You two, take a walk. Mingle with the other guests.”

“Gladly,” Elena said before she and Matt walked towards Jeremy and Caroline, who had just arrived.

Klaus stepped closer to Damon until he was invading the young vampire’s personal space. “You know, I’ve met a lot of stupid people in my day, but combined, they didn’t reach the level of imbecile you find yourself at. To willingly come to my home and accost my niece when you know you’ve earned certain death is a level of stupidity that I didn’t think anyone possessed.

Damon only grinned in response. “You can’t do anything to me here with all these people around.”

Klaus grinned back at him. “Oh, but I could. I could kill you right now as a message to every single person in this room, and I’m tempted, but that would be merciful, and the little bastard who broke my nephew’s neck and manhandled my niece doesn’t deserve mercy. When I kill you, and I will, it will be slow and excruciating. When I finally kill you, it will be after you’ve fallen to your knees and begged me for it.

Damon merely rolled his eyes in response.

“Do enjoy the party, Damon. It just may be the last joyful night of your life,” Klaus said before walking away.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Elena and Jeremy were standing with Matt and Caroline by the Champaigne table. They were mostly making small talk.

“You know, you guys seem happier than I’ve seen you in a while,” Caroline said.

You know, I wasn’t looking forward to this night, but it’s been more fun than I expected, minus the encounter with Damon,” Elena said.

“I still can’t believe he showed up here. Wait, yes, I can. It’s Damon. He was born an idiot,” Caroline said.

“Yeah, but showing up here after everything takes a whole lot of balls,” Matt said.

Finn soon walked over to the group. “Elena, Jeremy, Mother is ready to address our guests. Come.”

Elena and Jeremy nodded and followed him to the stairs, where all the others were waiting. Elijah got everyone’s attention and thanked everyone for coming before turning it over to Esther.

“Good evening, everyone. Thank you all for helping to welcome our family to town. One of reasons for hosting this ball was so that you could all get to know us and us you. The other reason is for us to introduce the newest members of our family,” Esther said before motioning for Elena and Jeremy to come over to her.

Elena and Jeremy both went over to her but seemed a bit uncomfortable. Neither was all that comfortable with being the center of attention.

Esther put a hand on each of her grandchildren’s shoulders. “I am sure you all know my grandchildren, Elena and Jeremy. It has only recently come to our attention that Elena and Jeremy were our blood. Their father, Grayson was my beloved son, who I unfortunately, had to give up when he was a child. I was devastated to learn of his death but overjoyed at the prospect of honoring him by helping to look after his children. Elena and Jeremy are in our care now, and we will do everything we must to keep them safe. There is nothing we won’t do to protect them. I just hope that is unnecessary.”

Elena could hear the subtle threat in her grandmother’s voice, and she was sure anyone it affected heard it too.

The floor was then turned back to Elijah, who introduced the dance they would be doing and sent everyone to the ball room.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Elena was standing off to the side with Jeremy after the waltz was finished. Matt and Caroline were off talking to some of their classmates, but they decided to hang back.

“This wasn’t so bad,” Jeremy said, referring to the ball.

“Famous last words, Jer. The Salvatores are in the house. And Bonnie,” Elena said.

“Has Bonnie talked to you at all? She hasn’t said anything to me all week,” Jeremy said.

“No, me either. It’s actually surprising. I figured she’d be bugging me as much as Stefan has,” Elena said. As if on cue, she noticed Bonnie coming her way. She groaned. “I should take my own advice. Famous last words.

“Hey, guys,” Bonnie said.

“Bonnie,” Jeremy said coolly.

“How are you guys doing?” Bonnie asked.

Jeremy raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You’re asking us how we are? Wow. I don’t think you’ve cared about how we’re doing in weeks.”

“I guess I deserved that. Look, this whole thing got out of hand. I didn’t mean to put you guys in such an awful position,” Bonnie said.

“Seriously?” Jeremy asked.

“I thought I was doing the right thing when I went after Klaus, but I realize now that it only hurt you,” Bonnie said. She hated the words she was saying, but it occurred to her that brute force hadn’t worked out well. Actually, that occurred to her because her mother had pointed it out. She suggested that Bonnie needed to act covertly if she wanted to get Elena and Jeremy away from the Mikaelsons. She needed them to let their guards down.

“Now you realize it. You didn’t realize it when we blatantly told you that you were hurting us?” Jeremy asked.

“Bonnie, not even Jeremy being in danger was enough to stop you from going after Klaus. He nearly got Jeremy run over by a car, and you still hid those coffins,” Elena said.

“I convinced myself that I could protect you and that it would be better in the long run. Look, I just want to make things better between us. Is that possible?” Bonnie asked.

“I don’t know. Are you going to start respecting my decisions?” Elena asked.

“I swear,” Bonnie lied.

Elena was hesitant. She wanted to believe Bonnie, but it was hard after all of this. She forgave Caroline instantly, but that was because Caroline wasn’t really involved, and Tyler had a lot to do with why she looked the other way. Also, something about Bonnie’s apology seemed off. “Give us some time, okay?”

Bonnie reluctantly nodded before walking away.

“Did you buy that?” Jeremy asked his sister.

“I don’t know,” Elena said.

Caroline soon made her way over. “Elena, we need to talk.

Elena nodded before leading her out of the room and down to the living room. “What’s wrong?”

“I heard what Bonnie said to you. Don’t trust her,” Caroline warned. She’d heard the entire conversation, and she knew it was a load of crap. Bonnie didn’t regret anything she did.

“Why do you say that?” Elena asked. She didn’t fully trust Bonnie right now, but she was surprised by Caroline’s words. Caroline usually gave people the benefit of the doubt, especially her friends.

Caroline sighed. This was not the time or place that she wanted to have this conversation with Elena, but she wasn’t going to let Bonnie yank her around. “I need to tell you something. I want you to know that I was always going to tell you. I just wanted to give you time to breathe after everything you’ve been through.”

“Okay, that makes me nervous. What is it?” Elena asked.

“Bonnie knew. She knew about your dad. She knew Grayson wasn’t always Grayson,” Caroline told her.

“What?” Elena asked in a shaky tone.

“When Ric told us everything, Bonnie didn’t seem surprised. I called her on it, and she admitted that her grandmother told her that your dad was reincarnated, that he used to be someone else,” Caroline told her.

“Sh…She knew?” Elena asked in disbelief. She remembered watching the video. She remembered Jeremy asking if Bonnie could’ve known. She told him no. She was sure Bonnie would tell her if she knew about it.

Caroline nodded. “I’m not sure how much she knew, but she said that she knew your dad came from a dangerous family.”

“Did she know about Klaus? Before the sacrifice?” Elena asked.

“She said she didn’t, but I don’t know if I believe her. She didn’t seem the least bit surprised about any of it,” Caroline said.

Elena’s head began to swirl, and she flashed back to the night of the sacrifice. She replayed Klaus killing Jenna over and over again. Then she replayed him sinking his teeth into her neck. Next, she remembered Jeremy telling her that John was dead, killed because of the spell that saved her life. She remembered reading John’s letter to her. He died to save her, all because he thought she was his. All of that happened because Klaus didn’t know that they were related. If Bonnie knew…

Elena saw red. She felt rage build up inside of her as she thought about her best friend sitting back and doing nothing as she and members of her family were murdered by her uncle. The rage was so strong that she felt like her whole body was going to explode, and that was when the entire house started to violently shake.

Chapter Text

After Elena left with Caroline, Jeremy made a beeline for the Champagne. He looked around to make sure Elijah, Esther, and Finn weren’t around. He doubted any of the others would stop him. When he saw none of them. He smiled and then reached for a glass, only to feel a hand clap him on the shoulder. He groaned and turned to see Elijah at his right. “Hey, Elijah.”

“Hello, Jeremy. Now, I know I didn’t just see you reaching for the Champagne, right?” Elijah asked.

“Come on, it’s a special occasion,” Jeremy said.

“Which is why I told you that you could have one glass. And since I saw you with the allotted glass more than an hour ago, it seems that you’re done for the night,” Elijah said before grabbing a bottle of sparkling cider. He poured a glass and handed it to Jeremy.

Jeremy sighed dramatically, but he took the glass and took a sip of it.

“I trust you’ve had a good time this evening?” Elijah asked.

“Yeah, it’s been okay. It was a little awkward when Esther introduced us, but it wasn’t so bad,” Jeremy said.

Just then, they both heard some rumbling, and the table with the drinks began to shake. Things progressed quickly. The entire room start to shake violently, causing guests to start screaming and panicking.

Jeremy looked at his uncle in alarm. He wasn’t a stranger to an earthquake here and there, but something inside him told him that this was more than that. “Uh, I don’t think this is normal.”

Elijah took his nephew gently by the arm and pulled him through the crowd of quickly panicking people. He found his siblings and his mother by the stairs.

“What the bloody hell is happening?” Rebekah asked.

“Relax. Earthquakes are hardly abnormal in this part of the country,” Klaus said.

“No, this isn’t normal. I can feel an extreme power surge,” Esther said.

“I’m not doing it. Could it be Bonnie?” Jeremy asked.

“No, she’s not strong enough for this. Besides, she looks just as shocked as everyone else,” Klaus said as he spotted the girl in the crowd by the Salvatore brothers.

“Where’s Elena?” Esther asked. Elena might have the power to do this if she tapped into her magic. If she did, it would be the result of extreme emotion.

“She left the room to talk to Caroline,” Jeremy said.

Elijah immediately led the way out of the room, which wasn’t an easy feat, as there was an active earthquake going on, or at least a power surge that felt like an earthquake. He doubted his niece was powerful enough to create an actual earthquake. He’d never known a witch that was.

Elijah heard voices coming from the living room and followed them there.

“Elena, you need to calm down, okay? I think you’re doing this,” Caroline said.

Elijah made it into the room and made a beeline for his niece. “Elena, calm down, sweetheart.”

Elena wasn’t capable of calming down right now. All she could see was her aunt dying over and over again, right in front of her. She’d mostly made peace with it. She still had a lot of anger at Klaus for it and probably always would, but she’d dealt with most of the guilt and grief. It had no longer felt like it was going to swallow he whole, until now. It was like it was all fresh again. It was like Jenna had just died and she had to deal with it all over again, except now she had to deal with the fact that her best friend was responsible. Because if Bonnie knew who Klaus was to her before the sacrifice, she was responsible for Jenna’s death. She was responsible for John’s too, but it was Jenna’s that really rocked Elena’s world.

Esther made her way over as well. “Elena, look at me, darling. You need to calm down.”

“She knew. It was her fault,” Elena said.

“Elena, it’s okay,” Caroline tried to reassure her.

“No, it’s not!” Elena screamed, causing the windows behind her to blow out.

“Elena, listen to me. Listen to my voice. Everything will be sorted out, but you need to calm down before someone gets hurt. I know you don’t want that. Take some deep breaths,” Esther said in a calm, yet firm voice.

Elena slowly came back to reality and finally realized what was happening, and that she was causing it. She did as her grandmother told her and took some deep breaths. It took a few minutes, but slowly, the room stopped shaking. “Oh, God. I…I did this? How did I…?”

“It’s alright, dear. It was an accident. Magic tends to react when a witch becomes overly upset,” Esther told her.

Rebekah, meanwhile, rounded on Caroline. “What did you do? You clearly upset her!”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know this would happen. I just didn’t want Bonnie yanking her around anymore,” Caroline said. She had regrets now. She should’ve at least waited until everyone was gone, but she honestly didn’t think this would happen.

“Bonnie,” Elena snarled. Another window broke soon afterwards.

“Bloody hell,” Klaus swore under his breath.

“Elena, it’s alright. Whatever happened, we’ll work through it,” Elijah promised her.

“What’s to work through? The damage is already done!” Elena snapped.

“What damage, Elena? What are you talking about?” Jeremy asked.

Before Elena could answer, she saw three people enter the room, and her blood began to boil again. It took everything in her not to lose control again. Bonnie and the Salvatores had just come into the room.

“What the hell is going?” Damon demanded to know.

Kol turned and glared at them. “None of your business. Get lost!”

“No. They don’t get to leave now. So, was it all three of you. I thought we were protecting ourselves by not telling you we were related to the Mikaelsons, but maybe you all knew the entire time! Was it just a big joke to you?” Elena asked angrily.

“What the hell are you talking about? Have you lost your mind?” Damon asked.

“Oh, I lost my mind the moment I decided to trust any of you,” Elena said.

“Elena, don’t get me wrong, you shouldn’t trust any of them, but I don’t think Damon and Stefan knew,” Caroline said. She’d seen their reaction the day Ric told them everything too. Unlike Bonnie, they were shocked, and neither of them were great actors.

“Knew what?” Jeremy asked.

“Remember when you asked me if I thought Bonnie knew the truth about Dad since her grandmother knew. She did,” Elena said as she glared at Bonnie.

Bonnie looked at Caroline as though she betrayed her. “You told her?”

“Did you really think I wouldn’t, especially after what you just pulled tonight? Did you think I was going to let you yank Elena and Jeremy around?” Caroline asked. She was not about to let Bonnie make her feel bad because she was honest with Elena. Admittedly, she should’ve waited another day or so, but she was not sorry for telling her.

“I wasn’t yanking them around,” Bonnie said.

“Oh, the hell you weren’t. You’re not the least bit sorry for your actions or consequences they had for Jeremy and Elena. You knew exactly what you were doing, and you didn’t care,” Caroline said.

“I was trying to protect them!” Bonnie exclaimed.

Elena laughed bitterly. “Protect us? What kind of joke is that? From the moment you heard the name ‘Klaus’, you lied to me over and over again. You could’ve stopped all of this, and you did nothing!”

“I…I didn’t know it was him.”

“Don’t lie to me!” Elena screamed. The walls started to vibrate again, although not as badly as before.

Esther put an arm around her granddaughter’s shoulders. “It’s alright, dear. Calm down.

Bonnie flinched slightly. Her grandmother had once told her that Elena would be too powerful if she ever tapped into her powers. It turned out she was right.

Jeremy gave Bonnie a look of utter betrayal. “You knew. All that time, we were trying to protect Elena from Klaus, and you were holding onto the once piece of information that could’ve done it?!”

“Oh, calm down. She didn’t know it was Klaus. Right? Damon asked as he turned to Bonnie.

Bonnie didn’t answer.

“Speak, witch!” Klaus demanded as a fury he never knew before settled into his body. Since he found out Elena was his niece, the guilt he felt for hurting her was immense.  He never would’ve touched her if he knew. His curse be damned. He never would’ve lifted a finger against Henrik’s daughter, not ever.

“Or what? You’re not a threat to me,” Bonnie said with an arrogant smirk.

“That arrogance is going to be your undoing, little girl. I suggest you talk, because it won’t be my son you need to concern yourself with, and I assure you, you are no match for me,” Esther warned.

Damn it, Bonnie, tell them the truth! You owe them that much,” Caroline said.

Bonnie sighed and turned to Elena and Jeremy. “Look, I only ever did what my grandmother wanted and what I thought was best. She told me that Grayson confided in her that he was once a boy named Henrik, who died a thousand years ago. He went to her because Elena started to resemble a girl he knew when he was a child the first time.”

“And she told him about doppelgangers. She told him about Klaus,” Jeremy said. That much was true. His father had mentioned it in the video.

“Yes. She was helping him,” Bonnie said.

“She wasn’t helping him. My dad didn’t trust her. She started treating him and us like there was something wrong with us,” Jeremy said.

“Because of the witch bloodline he came from, and because he sympathized with vampires,” Bonnie said.

“Okay, don’t push your agenda here. We don’t care! How much did you know?” Jeremy asked.

“I…I knew that the person after the doppelganger was blood related to her,” Bonnie admitted. She decided it wasn’t the best idea to lie again. Elena had already nearly taken this house apart in a fit of rage. Lying would make it worse.

“You little bitch!” Rebekah snarled.

“Are you kidding me? We were fighting to stop the bastard, and you had an ace up your sleeve the whole time?” Damon asked in disbelief.

“Look, it was better that no one knew,” Bonnie said.

“Better for who? It wasn’t better for our family,” Jeremy said.

“Better for her,” Elena asked with her eyes trained on Bonnie. “You were trying to kill me.”

“What? That’s not true! How can you think that? I was willing to sacrifice everything to save you?”

“I didn’t need to be saved! No one needed to sacrifice anything! The only thing you had to do was open your damned mouth and tell the truth! Problem solved!” Elena yelled.

“You think it would be that easy? You think that would’ve stopped Klaus from trying to end his curse?” Bonnie asked with a scoff.

“You know what? Let’s ask him,” Elena said before turning to Klaus. “Tell me, Klaus, if you knew that was the daughter of your baby brother, the same baby brother that you’ve been riddled with guilt over, would you have gone through with the sacrifice?”

“Absolutely not!” Klaus said in a strong tone.

Elena turned back to Bonnie. “There you go, Bonnie. Straight from the horse’s mouth.”

“You can’t honestly believe him,” Bonnie said.

“Oh, but I can. You know why? Because this man has been nothing but kind to me since I came to live here. He’s assured me he won’t take a drop of my blood ever again. He’s protected me from Damon, and he’s got nothing back for other than my contempt for what he did,” Elena said. She wasn’t saying she was sorry for that. Klaus had still killed her aunt, and she didn’t know how to get passed that, but it wasn’t just his fault anymore. In fact, a large part of her now blamed Bonnie more than she ever had Klaus. Klaus at least didn’t know. Bonnie did. She knew the entire time and did nothing.

“He deserves it,” Stefan said under his breath.

“Shut up, Stefan! No one’s talking to you. Why are you still here?” Elena asked.

Jeremy looked at Bonnie with nothing but contempt. “Do you even know the damage you’ve done? You know, we didn’t have much family left, and you took what little we had. Jenna, John.”

“No, Klaus took them from you,” Bonnie said.

“Because of you! Because you played God with our lives! Who the hell do you think you are?” Jeremy asked in disgust.

“No, that’s not my fault. I only did what my grandmother wanted,” Bonnie said.

“You can your grandmother can both go to hell. You know, I actually felt bad about your grandmother’s death at one point. I felt responsible, and you sure as hell didn’t help with that, but now, I’m glad she’s dead. It was no less than she deserved,” Elena said.

Bonnie’s eyes darkened and she advanced on Elena.

“Take another step and it will be your last,” Finn said.

“Oh, no, please let her. I will gladly tear her apart! You know, Jenna’s death hurts the most, but John is the most tragic. He died to protect his daughter, and you knew he didn’t have one, Bonnie. You let him go to his death for someone who wasn’t even his. Not only that, but it was for nothing. You could’ve stopped the whole thing,” Elena said.

“I didn’t kill them,” Bonnie said.

“Oh, yeah, you did. You’re as guilty as if you’d delivered the final blow with your own two hands. All this time, I thought Klaus was the threat. We all considered Klaus the evil we needed to be afraid of, but he wasn’t, you were,” Elena said.

“That’s not true.”

“Get out! And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay the hell away from me because I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop myself from killing you if I ever see you again,” Elena said.

“Elena…”

“I suggest you heed her warning, Ms. Bennett. That goes for you gentlemen as well,” Elijah said coolly as he looked between Bonnie and the Salvatores.

“I’ll see them out,” Finn said as he advanced on the three of them. Thankfully, while they didn’t look happy, they didn’t put up a fight.

“We need to deal with our guests. We can probably convince them it was a natural earthquake,” Esther said.

“Kol and I will take care of it,” Klaus said before heading out of the room. Kol followed him.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause damage to the house,” Elena said.

“You have nothing to apologize for. It was an accident. You were under a lot of stress,” Elijah said.

“It’s my fault. I’m sorry. I just didn’t want Bonnie manipulating them any longer,” Caroline said.

“I understand why you told her, but I wish you had come to us first,” Elijah said. It wouldn’t have been good no matter how Elena and Jeremy found out, but they could’ve controlled the fallout better if they’d known.

“I know. I reacted on impulse,” she said.

“It’s okay, Caroline. I’m glad you told me. At least one of my friends was honest with me,” Elena said before stumbling a little.

Esther caught her granddaughter before she could fall. “I have you, dear. It’s alright.”

“I feel like someone has sucked the energy out of my body,” Elena said.

“That’s the magic. You used a lot, and it takes a lot out of you, especially in the beginning,” Esther said.

“Come on, Elena. I’ll help you upstairs. You should sleep,” Rebekah said.

Elena nodded and let her lead her out of the room. Jeremy followed them.

“Mother, the amount of magic she displayed, is that normal?” Elijah asked once his niece and nephew were out of the room.

“For someone who has untapped their magic, no. For someone who has had their magic blocked and then destroyed that block destroyed through raw emotion, it can be,” Esther said coldly. She’d suspected that Elena might have had her magic blocked. Someone as powerful as her should’ve received her magic long before now. As angry as it made Esther, it might have been a blessing in disguise because it kept Dahlia away. “Come. We should help your brothers with the guests.”

Elijah nodded and led the way back to the ballroom.