Disclaimer: I do not own anything! All rights belong to their original owners. I'm just borrowing them for my own amusement.

Smut warning! This is Rated M for a reason...

A/N: This was supposed to be a one shot that grew to be more. There is one more chapter to go after this. THANK YOU SO MUCH HIPPOGRIFF TAMER FOR BETA'ING THIS FOR ME :)

VD

VD

After the ball is over,

After the break of morn –

After the dancers' leaving;

After the stars are gone;

Many a heart is aching,

If you could read them all;

Many the hopes that have vanished

After the ball.

VD

VD

Chapter 1

"Ah, Miss Gilbert, do come in," Esther Mikaelson said to the young woman in the doorway of the upper floor study. "Finn, would you be so kind as to give Miss Gilbert and I a moment alone?" Finn nodded then left the room, leaving the two women alone together.

Elena walked into the study and looked around noticing immediately the sage that was burning in the incense holder laying on the desk behind the witch. She asked why but the only thing the witch would tell her was that it would keep their conversation private. Elena began to wonder what was so important that their conversation had to be kept quite. Then she recalled Elijah's worry that his mother was up to something and maybe she was.

"I am sure that you are wondering why I asked to see you," the witch said motioning for the girl to sit.

Elena nodded but kept silent.

"I asked to see you because I need your help. A thousand years ago I made a grave mistake that I have been sent back to fix."

Elena did not have to be told what that supposed mistake was. She knew. "Why do you need me?"

"Well, actually I just need your blood. Only a few drops," Esther said trying to sound calm and convincing.

"What do you want with my blood?" Elena asked immediately wary of the witch. She knew her blood was the same as Tatia's which had been used to create the Originals and it was her blood Esther planned to us to end them.

"I will use your blood in the wine tonight to bind all my children together. In doing so when one dies they all will. My children are a plague upon mankind, Elena, one that never should have come into being. When they are gone then your world will be rid of the plague I created."

"But..." Elena began to protest just realizing what the implications of Esther's words were. If the witch killed her children then all vampires would die.

"I am sure you would wish for them to be gone. Your life no longer plagued by vampires who would use you as nothing more than what your blood can do for them. Is that not what my son Niklaus is doing? Using you as a human blood bank?"

"Is that not what you are doing? Using my blood as a component in your spell just because of the power it holds?"

"I am trying to rectify my mistake."

"You are trying to commit genocide, is what you are doing! I can't let you do that! Some of my closest friends are vampires and they are not bad. Besides your children don't deserve to die. You have not seen the change that has come over some of them. I know I am not Klaus' biggest fan, as he only wants my blood to create his hybrids, but he is different around my friend. And Rebekah, she is just a lonely girl in need of some female companionship. Elijah is a man of honor and honesty, which for a vampire is very rare. I don't know Kol or Finn all that well but I am sure that they have some redeemable qualities too! Who are you to play god? You made your mistake it's true but you should have thought about that before you ruined their lives in the first place!"

"I am well aware of my children's growing attachment to some of you here in this town, but that does not absolve them of their thousand years of blood lust."

"And whose fault is that to begin with!"

"Elena, you do not know them like I do. They are monsters, abominations. Nature is out of balance. I need to rectify my mistake so I can return to the Other Side an upstanding witch."

"Nature has had a thousand years to adjust to your creation. You are only thinking of yourself," Elena huffed irritably.

"I can see that you are not going to help me willingly," Esther stated pulling her ceremonial knife from its pouch.

"I will not help you commit genocide if that's what your saying."

Esther gave her a look that clearly said she wanted to know how she had figured out that little detail.

Seeing the look, Elena withheld a smirk and answered the witch. "You yourself have said that if you kill your children then I will not have to worry about vampires in my life. Which gives me the impression that if you kill them then their bloodline goes with them. I will not be party to killing my friends."

Esther having heard enough grabbed Elena's hand and cut open her palm. "You will help me, willing or not, Elena."

Elena struggled to close her palm but the witch had already placed the the blood she needed into a chalice. "If you say anything to anyone about this, I will have you killed,"

that said she chanted a small spell to close up the wound on the girls hand and motioned for her to leave.

Elena left the room determined to find Elijah. No matter what happened to her she was not going to see him die. She couldn't let him die, not now that she had feelings for him that went beyond friendship. She wasn't even sure if she would have ever admitted those feelings to herself had Esther not wanted to kill him. But now. Now she had to do everything she could to warn him of his mother's treachery.

She found the siblings talking together in the ballroom near the balcony doors, sans Finn who was with his mother. "I need to talk to you," she whispered softly from behind them.

They all turned and looked at the pale doppelganger and knew something was not right. "Elena, what is it? What did our mother want to see you about?" Elijah asked noticing her pallor.

She motioned to her ears and then the stairs asking without words if they could be overheard. When all of the siblings nodded she walked out to the gardens hoping they would take the hint and follow her.

Once there she turned and saw all of them there watching her with curiosity. "Your mother wants you all dead," she said without preamble. There was no use beating around the bush.

"WHAT?!" all of them cried out not quite believing what they were hearing.

"What do you mean she wants us dead?" Rebekah asked with a growl.

"Exactly that. She wants to rid the world of her mistake. But if she were to do that then every vampire in existence would die too. I told her I would not help her and she forcefully took my blood. She plans to link you all together. Once she does if one of you dies then you all do."

"And how does she plan on linking us together?" Klaus asked pacing before the agitated doppelganger.

"She is going to use the wine for the toast. My blood will be in the wine and if you all were to consume it then you will be linked. Oh yes, and your brother Finn. He is working with your mother to end you all."

"Elena, are you sure?" Elijah asked clearly upset about what his mother and brother were trying to do.

"I am sure, she told me so herself. She also told me that if I were to reveal her plan she would kill me. I don't care what happens to me. I will not allow her to kill you or any of my friends. None of you deserve that. Even if I am not particularly fond of you, Klaus, I will not see you dead. Even if it would make both Salvatore's happy. At least this way I am saving all of your lives."

She watched as several different emotions played across the siblings faces. Shock being the most common one.

"You would save my life even after everything I put you through?" Klaus finally asked not quite believing the young woman before him would do something so selfless. He was beginning to see why his older brother was so enamored of her and why he sensed his brothers growing attachment to the doppelganger.

"You would do this even after I tried to kill you?" Rebekah asked clearly misjudging the young woman before her.

"Yes, to both of you. Klaus, like I said, I may not like you but you do have some redeeming qualities about you... say a certain bubbly blonde vampire by the name of Caroline? And Rebekah, I am sorry about the dagger incident it was wrong of me but like I said you don't deserve to die for your mothers mistakes. None of you asked to be turned into vampires in the first place. She has no right to try to rectify her supposed mistake a thousand years after she made it. I told her she should have thought about that before she had turned her family in the first place."

"Mother is leaving the study, we should get back inside quickly," Kol said before flashing back into the mansion.

The others looked at each other and then flashed back to the house also leaving Elena to return tot the house alone.

Once inside she caught the eye of each of the siblings who all gave her a slight nod then Elijah came and stood beside her. He could see his mother and brother both glancing in their direction and knowing that his brother was listening in on their conversation asked the young woman beside him for their benefit, "So how was my mother?"

Elena spared a brief glance to the pair at the top of the stair and answered her companion. "Intense."

He smirked and then asked, "And for what reason did she need to speak with you about in private?"

Elena took a deep breath and steadied her heartbeat she didn't like lying to anyone and especially not to the man standing before her. She was thankful that everything that came out of her mouth now was just an act as she had already told him the true reason.

"Elena? Should I be concerned about my mother's intentions?"

She took a deep breath before turning and smiling at him, "She just wanted to apologize for trying to have me killed." It killed her inside to say those words knowing that the witch wanted her dead. And she would, especially after she found out about the deception.

He took two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter and handed one to her. "So it's true, then? She's forgiven Klaus?"

Elena took one last look up at the pair on the stair and then answered Elijah's inquiry. "It's true."

Right then Esther gave the toast and everyone drank except Elena, Elijah, Klaus, Rebekah and Kol who all pretended to take a sip of the tainted wine.

VD

After the ball was over and everyone had departed the four siblings made their way into a lesser used study far away from the one their mother was currently in to talk away from their mother and brothers listening ears.

"What are we going to do about mother?"Rebekah asked. She was still upset that her own mother wanted her dead.

"We will think of something, Bex," Kol said coming to stand beside his little sister.

"I can't believe she wants to end us all," Klaus stated angry that Esther was once again ruining his life. He should have known that she was lying about wanting them all to be a family again.

"There is one thing that could be done," Elijah said which got all of his siblings attention.

"And what would that be?"

"We could always turn her into a vampire and force her to transition much like she did to us a thousand years ago, then stake her. I would have said dagger her but I'm afraid it wouldn't work on her," he said a devious smirk on his lips.

"Why Elijah, whatever happened to your sense of honor?" Kol asked shocked by his brothers plan.

"It is still there but it is severely lacking where mother is concerned, especially after what she plans to do to not only us but what she would do to Elena when she learns of Elena's deception. I would do anything to keep Elena safe and mother has threatened to kill her. I can not let that happen."

"Elijah, please tell us you have not fallen for the doppelganger, again," Rebekah said exasperated.

"I can't do that dear sister. I realized tonight when she said that mother would kill her when she found out about the deception that I could not bare to lose her which made me examine my feelings for her. I love her. It's as simple as that. I think I have from the moment we met back in March. We have always shared a deep connection with each other which neither of us can explain. A connection that I have only ever shared with her."

Klaus could only stare at his elder brother. He had known for sometime that Elijah had feelings for Elena. Elijah had always been very protective of Elena, it was the first indication he had had concerning his brothers feelings for the doppelganger, however, he had never thought that they could be this strong. He thought about what the doppelganger had told him earlier in the evening and realized that she had seen a change in himself when he was around Caroline. Which in turn made him think about his own feelings for the blonde baby vampire.

"So what are you going to do about it? Are you ready to compete with the two brothers for her affection?" Rebekah asked clearly not liking that her elder brother had once again fallen for the face of the woman that had tried to tear her family apart a thousand years ago. It was one of the reasons she hated Elena, though it really wasn't her fault she was born into the Petrova line. Still the doppelgangers always had a way of messing with her family and she didn't like it one bit. "You always were attracted to her face."

"If I have to. Then yes. I cannot lose her Bekah. I refuse to back away this time. I need her. And it's not her face that attracted me in the first place but her bravery and compassion. The first time we met she stood up to me, which is something very few are brave enough to do. It endeared her to me in a way. Somewhere along the way her humanity and loyalty to her friends and family only drew her to me more. I fell for her, I admit it, but I can assure you her looks had nothing to do with it. She is my mate and I have every intention of claiming her as such with or with out your approval. I will ask that you at least treat her with some form of respect. She did after all save your life tonight." He did not tell them that right after he had been reawakened by Damon he had gone to see a witch who had told him who his mate was.

His siblings could only nod. They knew better than to cross their older brother. If he was as intent as he was on claiming the doppelganger then there was nothing they could do but stand back and let him. Klaus though was not happy with this turn of events.

"You do know that you can not change her, right? Mate or not, I still need her to make my hybrids," Klaus said though not with much feeling. He was beginning to see that love might not be a vampires greatest weakness after all. His brother was willing to fight for the right to keep the woman he loved and he had to ask himself if he was willing to do the same with the woman who had captured his own heart.

"And if she does choose to turn, you will stay away from her family, Niklaus. I mean it. You have already caused her enough heartache. She risked her life tonight to save you, you can at least let her live hers free of your control."

"And if I were to make a deal with her?"

"What kind of a deal?"

"Not much I assure you."

"Niklaus..." Elijah nearly growled.

"Well then, you could always be the one to extend the deal to her since I am obviously not her favorite person. All I am asking of her is two blood bags and that is it as it only takes a small amount to turn a werewolf into a hybrid. I will then allow her, her freedom. I will not ask that she grow up and bare children, if she does not wish to. I will be satisfied with what I have now and if she wants to turn then I will not take it out on her family or friends. I will also sweeten the deal by breaking off the sire bond with Tyler Lockwood and releasing all my other hybrids from their sire bonds as well."

"She will not take the deal, Nik. She is far too smart," Rebekah stated before leaving her brothers to discuss their mommy issue.

"She'll take it," he stated confidently.

"Now back to mother. Who wants to be the one to turn her?" Kol said an evil grin on his handsome face.

"I will do it Kol," Rebekah called from the hall.