OG

by neilia96

"The doppelgänger that I am to sacrifice…" Eleanor held her breath. "Is your sister, Elena." This was in no way a love story. Love stories have happy endings. Love stories don't include the love of your life wanting to murder your sister to break a thousand year old curse. Did they? Rated M for strong language. Warning: Klaus is just a little OOC. Two Part Story.

1. Chapter 1

A/N: I've had this plot bunny tumbling around in my head for the past couple of weeks, so enjoy!

Disclaimer: The only things I own are my characters. Everything else belongs to the creators of The Vampire Diaries

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The trio separated shortly after disembarking. The male, Maddox, who was black haired with brown eyes went to baggage claim while the two females left him, giggling. Blair had dark red hair and large green eyes while Eleanor had light brown hair and light blue eyes. They made a striking group when they were together, polar opposites in looks and temperament while still managing to be great friends. Just as the two women reached their destination, they stopped.

"What kind of car do you want?" Eleanor asked teasingly and Blair stifled a small smile. They both perused the list.

"Nik will want something big…"

"I wonder if he's overcompensating for something…" Blair laughed loudly at that and shook her head, never one to speak ill of her sire. "I'm thinking I want something fast."

"Won't your aunt get mad?"

"Nope." Eleanor was quick to correct. "Even if she does, there's not much she can do about it. After all, I'm a twenty three year old self, sustaining adult."

"Rebel." They bumped shoulders, shared a short but genuine laugh, joined hands and walked to the Car Rental Counter. The woman greeted them with a warm smile and asked what they felt like driving.

Blair settled on a Black SUV, perfect for her, Maddox and Nik and Eleanor asked for a Mercedes CLK Coupe. The woman raised her eyebrows, typed a few words into her computer and was about to tell them exactly what they were expecting. That they only had a few of those and they were reserved long in advance. She barely got a few words out before Blair caught her attention.

"You don't want to disappoint my very dear friend by telling her she can't drive her dream car, do you?" The woman's eyes blanked and she took a few seconds to search the counter before handing Eleanor the keys to her new car. Keys in hand, they practically skipped away from the counter.

"I hope she doesn't get fired…" Eleanor fretted just before they caught sight of Maddox. Blair only hummed in response. Many a life was ruined by compulsion, but she'd long learned not to care. Maddox met them in the car park, three porters in tow.

"Is that all the stuff you brought, Blair?" He demanded with mock fury. The redhead giggled into her hand. "What part of pack light wasn't clear?"

"Eleanor said Mystic Falls was a backwoods town." She answered as if it was obvious. "I brought everything I thought I'd need." Maddox glowered at Eleanor next.

"Hey, don't look at me like that. She should know the shopping scene in my hometown is not even slightly comparable to that of the Rue de Seine." She reached up to pat his shoulder lightly, almost having to tiptoe. This caused another flurry of giggles from Blair. "You're not the one who has to carry it anyway. Blair is an eight hundred year old vampire. She can carry her own shit." Maddox smirked, slipped the car key from the vampire and entered the SUV, starting the engine.

"Not cool, Eleanor!" She yelled but the other girl could barely hear her over the sound of her Mercedes' engine.

The vampire and warlock had their orders from Nik himself to go straight to some obscure mansion in the middle of the forest and Eleanor, relishing the moment she had to herself, decided to visit her family. She called Jenna from the car first; her aunt was elated, and called her sister when she was a little closer to home.

Elena was not happy. On a scale of one to unhappy, she was livid. She was happy to hear that her older sister was alright though, but hearing that she was on her way home, seemed to be a bit much.

"You're what?!" She yelled into the phone. Eleanor sighed heavily and turned onto their street. She was both parts happy and disappointed to realize that it hadn't changed much.

"I'm coming home…" Seeing their house come into view and approaching rather quickly due to her speed, she back tracked. "Actually, scratch that." She turned into her driveway. "I am home."

Immediately, her aunt, Jenna Sommers barrelled out of the house and pulled her out of the car and into her arms. They had always been good friends; she was nine years older than Eleanor and had been the hero of her teenage years. Jenna was always ready to listen and give good advice when she wanted to talk about boys and had broken Ben McKittrick's windshield when he'd cheated on her niece with Amber Bradley.

Together they strolled into the house.

"I didn't know you were visiting!" Jenna exclaimed loudly. "Jeremy!" Her little brother came thundering down the stairs but stopped midway when he saw his sister.

"Eleanor?" He half-whispered, half-croaked. He was in her arms mere seconds later. She clung to him tightly, forgetting for an instant how old they both had gotten. She was transported to a time when she would stuff his little head in a bonnet and they'd have a huge tea party for her Barbie dolls and his transformers. They'd chow on cupcakes and apple juice and talk about his days at preschool.

He pulled back before she did and they grinned at each other. Jenna handed Eleanor a glass of wine and they both took a sip.

"I just wanted to see you guys before work started getting really hectic…" She informed her family. "I'm going to be crazy busy here though—" They all heard Elena's bedroom door slam and Eleanor knew instantly that her little sister wasn't happy about her sudden appearance. She came down the stairs, one of her best friends, Caroline in tow. Elena had a look of murderous rage while Caroline just looked uncomfortable.

"Thanks for lunch, Jenna…" The blonde called in her high singsong voice and she stopped directly in front of the eldest Gilbert. "And welcome back, Eleanor." Almost awkwardly, she wrapped her sinewy arms around Eleanor. When they parted, they both had strange looks on their faces. Caroline said goodbye and left.

Elena frowned at the family scene before her and almost scowled when Eleanor hugged her warmly. She hesitated for a few seconds and reluctantly patted her older sister on the back. Eleanor pulled away quickly and took a gulp of her wine.

"Welcome back." Elena said in a strange voice. "Your room is exactly the way you left it. I borrowed your nurse costume for Halloween night at Mystic High; it has a little fake blood stain on the front now." Elena and Jeremy exchanged a look. Eleanor did not miss it.

"It's alright." Eleanor replied easily. Jenna went to put the glasses away. "Maybe I could go as a vampire nurse next Halloween." Jeremy let out a little awkward laugh, making Eleanor frown lightly. She decided, instead of powering through the most bizarre reunion, she'd go up to her room.

Eleanor Gilbert, being the first of the Gilbert children, had the largest room of all of them. It used to be her nursery with a library adjacent to it. When she was five, her father decided to renovate and the useless library was divided. Half of it became her bathroom and the other half became his study. When she was sixteen, however, she argued with her parents that her father didn't really need a study, considering he had an entire office to himself at his clinic in town. This made sense to Miranda and Grayson Gilbert and as a sixteenth birthday present, they changed the study to a walk in closet. This made her bedroom the second largest in the house, the first, being the master.

Nothing about the room had changed. Her stuffed animals were still packed neatly on a shelf by the window, her Barbie dolls were still in strategic positions around the huge dream house she'd gotten as a seventh birthday present, her vanity mirror still had the crack from when Ben bumped into it while they were practicing the waltz for prom. She put her bags near the door and sat at the vanity, staring at her reflection. Her shirt was quite rumpled from all the hugging, her eyes were bright from the champagne on the jet from Charles de Gaulle and the wine Jenna had offered her. She pulled her phone out, speed dialling the number five.

"Are you Blair-Sick already, princess?" The drawling voice answered. She could hear the faint sound of Maddox and his friend Greta in the background.

"I found out the funniest thing today…" Eleanor began. She knew she had Blair's full attention when the background noise diminished and she heard a faucet turn on. "My family, with the exception of my aunt, knows about vampires."

"How?"

"My sister's best friend was turned." Eleanor didn't sound half as shocked as she felt. "She's still young though. Less than a year."

"Not a surprise." Blair replied easily. "Nik said that Mystic Falls always used to be a hotspot for the supernatural. " Eleanor pursed her lips. "He asked about you today. He wanted to know what time you were going to be done with your family stuff."

"Text me directions to where you are. I'll get a drink and join you around six." Blair mumbled in the affirmative, a little bothered that Eleanor wouldn't be joining her and Maddox as soon as Nik wanted her to. Eleanor knew, however, that unlike his sires, she wasn't at Niklaus Mikaelson's beck and call. They were both happy being free spirits, meeting up whenever their schedules allowed.

She stood up, contemplating changing. She looked through her closet and settled for changing her flowing miniskirt to black jeans and adding a leather jacket to complete the look. She smiled at her reflection and left her room, careful to close the door behind her. Her bags were still in there and it wouldn't do to have Elena finding her guns.

"Jenna!" She yelled as she ran down the stairs. Her aunt was at the kitchen table going through a presentation.

"Still your aunt," She answered with a small smile. "I have a house to show later this week and I have forty per cent commission riding on the sale." Eleanor wondered if Blair could help. "This presentation needs to be immaculate, so talk fast."

"Aunt Jenna, I want to invite a friend for dinner," She smirked at the different things this could mean for Klaus and almost immediately put it out of her head. She didn't want her family getting hurt. "And, I'm going to the grill for a while before meeting up with my business partners." Her aunt nodded happily before looking back down at her computer.

"Say hi to Ben for me!" Eleanor scowled prettily before dashing out the door. Jeremy stood in the driveway, gaping at her car.

"How did you afford this?" He questioned, sounding awestruck. Eleanor grinned at him, opening the door.

"Let's just say my firm was very good to me." She smiled, sliding in. "Do you need a ride somewhere?" He shook his head and closed the door for her. "When I get back, we are long overdue for a chat, Jer. Face time hasn't been enough." He nodded.

She drove carefully through the neighbourhood but sped up as she approached town. Driving on London's complicated streets had made her quite the expert and she wanted to pat herself on the back when she parallel parked neatly between a beaten up truck and a car. Eleanor stepped out, deliberately ignoring the jeering of the town assholes and strolled into the grill. There were a few busy bodies who stared at her, doubtlessly evaluating her outfit and checking for a baby bump but they too were ignored. She made her way to the bar where Ben McKittrick did a double take when he saw her.

"OG!" He almost yelled her nickname from high school and she laughed, taking his hand across the counter. It wasn't a very glamorous nickname, plainly meaning Oldest Gilbert, but it was a lot better than some of the other names given to the girls on her cheer squad.

He was the jock to her cheerleader at school, and they had won king and queen at both junior and senior prom. Senior prom had been more of a disaster though, because he'd cheated on her with slutty Amber and she'd thrown her spiked punch in his face when they both were crowned. They were barely speaking when she left for college and he'd tried to get her back in the weeks after her parents' funeral. After a rejection or two, they seemed to be amicable. At least to him. She still harboured a Texas sized grudge.

"How's it going, Ben?"

"Everything's good… When did you get in?" She glanced at her watch and did a quick calculation in her head.

"About twenty six minutes ago." He laughed and pulled a glass from somewhere behind him. "Anything interesting happening in this town?"

"Same old, same old." That told her that as usual, the town's occupants were blissfully unaware of the supernatural events occurring. "Pick your poison."

"Whiskey, neat." He poured and they chatted lightly. He flirted off and on, but Niklaus in the back of her mind kept her from entertaining his advances. There was no need for her high school sweetheart to end up as a fencepost decoration. She had much bigger plans for him. When he was called away, Eleanor swirled around on her chair to survey the room. The grill had not changed and sitting where she was, she could see Tyler Lockwood, a friend of Elena's, chatting with a woman that looked vaguely familiar. Just as she was trying to figure out where she knew the woman from, she turned to talk to a server and the two women locked eyes. Eleanor hopped out of her seat and took a sip of her drink.

"Eleanor?"

"Jules!" Eleanor tried not to grit her teeth at the mention of the woman's name. Here she thought she wouldn't run into anyone she'd known in Europe.

"I thought you were in Prague!"

"Last I heard, you were still in Florida," They embraced shortly and Jules led Eleanor to the table she shared with Tyler. "What on earth are you doing in Mystic Falls of all places?"

"I came here looking for Mason…" Eleanor bit her lip. "He told me he had some business to attend to here and he pretty much vanished off the face of the earth." Tyler excused himself to give them space to talk and they sat down, each woman taking a sip of her drink.

"Jules, there are vampires in this town…" Eleanor whispered. "Maybe you shouldn't be mingling with his relatives until you know Mason is…" She paused. "Not dead."

"I figured that out a while back…" She told Eleanor solemnly. "But Tyler should know exactly what kind of town he's living in."

"Is he…"

"Yeah." Eleanor's spirits fell at yet another complication. "Broke his curse a few weeks ago, I think." Eleanor shuddered. A werewolf running around Mystic Falls when Elena's best friend was a vampire spelled trouble from all those involved. "What are you doing here?" Eleanor was perfectly fine hearing about the other girl, but when the conversation shifted to her, she closed up completely, filtering what she said impeccably.

"I was just passing through this town on my way to Falls Church. My friends stopped to change a tyre by the old gas station and I figured I'd get some well needed alcohol…" She grinned and held up her glass, standing smoothly. "In fact, I think I should maybe go see what the hold-up is." Jules nodded. "Call me when you find out what happened to Mason."

"Same number?" Eleanor wondered if she could dig out her old cell phone if only to use while she was here.

"Yup, same number." She returned the glass to the bar, pleased to note that Tyler had ditched Jules and she walked back to her car. She contemplated calling Blair but settled for just following the directions the vampire had sent.

She arrived at a dilapidated but rustically gorgeous mansion. There were two vampires stationed at the door and she only nodded when she got to them. One of them looked a little uncertain and she smiled reassuringly. The other one smiled back.

"He wasn't with us in London, Princess. Sorry." Eleanor shrugged. "It'll take a while for the newbies to get used to you." The vampire who had looked uncertain seemed to be over three centuries old. Eleanor was relatively sure she was the newbie in his eyes.

"It's cool Ethan." She replied easily. "Is Nik around?"

"He's inside. Yelling at someone, maybe? Eleanor let out a short laugh at that. Ethan, unlike Blair was perfectly fine with making a joke at Nik' expense. She opened the door and closed it behind her.

"I'm here…" She spoke at a normal volume, knowing the only people who hadn't heard her were Maddox and Greta. Blair appeared before her, holding a vase of flowers. "What's this?"

"Nik wanted you to have them…" Blair replied. Eleanor raised an eyebrow. "He didn't want me to say, but he's worried that you're mad at him for leaving you in London initial—"

"Eleanor!" Nik exclaimed, discarding Blair's body on the floor. The brunette narrowed her eyes at the original vampire.

"I'm not mad at you. You literally snapped her neck for nothing." He smiled a boyish smile that had her grinning back. "Don't leave her on the floor." Nik nodded, scooping the redhead up, laying her on a couch in what seemed to be a sparsely decorated living room. Eleanor looked around.

"Not at all like your usual haunts…"

"This was my home a long time ago, Eleanor." She nodded. "So, you had a full hour with your family in your town, tell me what you learned…"

"So far, there are two werewolves in this town, as far as I could gather. One of them is a family friend and you are forbidden from killing him. The other's name is Jules." Nik nodded thoughtfully. "As for vampires, there's a bartender at the Mystic Grill that you can turn. He cheated on me when we were in high school." Nik smiled again.

"Vindictive, aren't we?"

"I was heartbroken!" Eleanor countered. "And I gained twelve pounds!" Nik laughed lightly, meeting her gaze. "As for your doppelgänger," Nik pursed his lips. "I wish you'd show me what she looks like, or tell me her name."

"I'm afraid I don't know her name… Greta said she would tell me when I got here but she is not quite done with her meditation session." He pointed to the upstairs floor. "And there was only one portrait of her predecessor, Katerina Petrova. I'm afraid it got lost in our hasty escape from Mikael."

"That and he burned your mansion in England to the ground." Nik's eyebrows shot up. "There was a vampire called Rose that I met in Galway. She told me about you after she saw us together. Hoping to dissuade a poor human girl from meeting her untimely end at the hands of the evil Niklaus Mikaelson, I assume."

"She shouldn't have done that; I'll have her compelled immediately." Eleanor laughed and drew closer to Nik.

"What are you truly angry about? Telling me about you or trying to tear us apart." He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her body flush against his.

"Both." His lips came within inches of hers and they both smiled. A sound from the couch though had Nik groaning in mock annoyance.

"Gag." Blair called loudly. She grinned. "Take that shit somewhere else, Eleanor. No one wants to witness this."

"Can I snap her neck again?" Nik asked, only half joking. He and Eleanor exchanged a look and she grinned.

"Allow me." She whirled around and snapped Blair's neck. Nik smiled adoringly. After a year and a half together, she'd only gotten stronger.

They'd met in Pamplona at the Festival of San Fermín. Specifically, the Pamplona Bull Run. She'd been injured in the run and Nik found her, bleeding in an alleyway. After they exchanged a few words, he deemed her worthy to be saved and fed her some of his blood.

Eleanor had been told stories of vampires by her mother for as long as she could remember but seeing Niklaus sitting on the ground with her that day made her forget what he was. He'd saved her life and by doing that, earned her trust almost instantly.

They'd talked about any and everything and got to know each other very well. He, having nothing pressing to do at the time, followed Eleanor on her backpacking route from Barcelona to Naples and then Croatia. They separated in Greece, with Niklaus stating that he'd been there one too many times and met again in Berlin, right before she landed a job as a Market Analyst for Amazon in London. Disappointed that she couldn't finish her trip the way she wanted to, they separated again. He went to Helsinki and Eleanor flew back to Heathrow, pouting the whole time.

They bumped into each other again at an art show and he wined and dined her for three more months. It was no surprise when they fell into bed together. He'd never compelled her; when she asked why, he'd stated that it was because he wanted to have at least one person in his life that stuck by him because they wanted to, not because they were forced to. They stayed in London together, he showed his art at a gallery in Chelsea and she worked at Amazon and they spent their nights with the small family of vampires and witches that Nik trusted most.

She'd stuck by him. He was surprised, not that he would ever admit it to her. There were a few rough patches like when she'd found him feeding off of a server in the pantry of a charity gala and she'd been angry that he'd killed her. She thought he was wasting lives when he could just feed off of them and compel them to forget. They were both surprised at Eleanor's agreement for Klaus to have human blood bags and their relationship continued blissfully.

He'd introduced her to fine art, fine wines and most importantly, self defence against the supernatural. She knew how to kill vampires, werewolves and witches and was in possession of wood firing guns if the need ever arose. Every day, she got stronger, as proven by her finally being able to snap the neck of an eight hundred year old vampire. It was hard, Nik could see that on her face and by the way she rubbed her wrists but she'd done it. She looked up at him, grinning almost maniacally.

"I took three less seconds to do it that time." She stated proudly and Nik smiled back. "Blair is going to be pissed though, so I should probably get going." Nik smiled at her.

"Do I get to meet that aunt of yours?" He asked with a small smile. "Or the little brother you love so much?"

"You can meet them both if you come with me to dinner." She pecked his cheek. She knew she could never tell them the whole story of her and Klaus or why she was really in town, but she figured she could keep them in the dark for one dinner. Once Klaus broke his curse, she'd go with him to make more hybrids and he'd never come to Mystic Falls again. "Who are you sending to turn Ben the bartender?"

"I think, Blair."

"And to collect the werewolf?"

"Maddox will do."

"Who's performing the actual sacrifice?"

"Greta." Eleanor was about to open her mouth again but he silenced her with a searing kiss. She was breathless when they parted. "Enough with the questions, everything will be fine."

"And by this time tomorrow, you'll be a hybrid."

"The most powerful creature on the planet." He kissed her again and went to give Maddox his instructions. Blair began to rouse and scowled at Eleanor.

"You broke my neck."

"You interrupted a potential make out sesh." Eleanor smiled. "But I have my redemption." Blair looked elated. "Turning my lying, cheating, scumbag of an ex-boyfriend into a vampire for Nik's sacrifice." The vampire jumped up with a huge smile on her face.

"Time and place."

"It's called the Mystic Grill and he's the bar tender. Tall, dark haired, washed up jock with a great smile." Eleanor smiled. "Make him pay." Blair vamped out of the room, laughing and Klaus walked back in, looking amused.

"Blair is way too happy about turning this scoundrel." Eleanor's lips quirked up involuntarily. "You are a bad influence on her."

"I'm pretty sure it's the reverse." Eleanor sighed softly and slipped her hand into Nik's. "You going to dinner like that?"

"Do you disapprove?"

"No…" She fingered the collar of his thermal sweater. "This ensemble looks hot… But I don't think Jenna Sommers would agree."

"Suit and tie?"

"Maybe just a sports blazer." Nik looked like she'd suggested he stake himself in the heart. "Maybe some nice shoes?"

"How about a nice three piece suit." He vamped away, leaving her to wander the house alone. She stumbled upon Greta and Maddox in a room on the first floor. Greta seemed to be in a meditative state on the floor and Maddox seemed to be allowing her to channel him. He opened one eye when she walked in and smiled a slow, lazy smile. He stepped away from Greta and pulled Eleanor out of the room.

"Is she getting ready for tomorrow night?" The warlock nodded, the same smile still plastered on his face. "Don't you have a werewolf to find?"

"I do, but Klaus' instructions weren't very clear. Plus, he said there was someone important to you involved." Eleanor felt her heart constrict at his words. "It's the girl that's the family friend?"

"No!" She insisted vehemently. "The male werewolf; he's my sisters friend." She smiled. "The female werewolf strung one of my aunt's best friends around for ages. She can rot in hell for all I care." Maddox smiled serenely.

"That's what I like to hear." He kissed her cheek. "I really think we have been a horrible influence on you, Eleanor."

"Don't tell Klaus." Maddox almost smiled at the unusual use of his common name. "He'll try to limit my exposure to the violence."

"If only he knew that you love the violence." Eleanor grinned widely. "You are a blood junkie." They both turned at the sound of Nik's voice. "Don't want to be late… Dinner with the 'rents." She laughed.

"Don't ever say that again, Maddox." They lingered for a moment, Maddox held a question in his eyes that Eleanor didn't want to answer. Nik called her again and the spell was broken. She left him, walking back downstairs and stopping at her car.

"Has your aunt seen this dangerously fast car?" He teased and Eleanor shot him a perplexed look. "Calm down love, I'm only joking."

"I know, but I'm horrified all the same." There was a slight deliberation on who would drive and they both settled on Klaus though he drove unnaturally reckless. They were outside her house faster than she thought possible. He parked on the street and walked at normal speed to open her door. On the short stroll to her front door, she briefed him.

"My aunt's name is Jenna, she's—"

"She's nine years older than you and your role model when you were growing up even though she was a bona fide party girl and self-proclaimed pot head." Eleanor sighed in relief. Sometimes she forgot just how much vampires remembered. "And your brother is five years younger than you, the apple of your eye and the only one in your family that you'd die for." She smiled. "And finally," they reached the porch. "Your sister Elena. You've always detected the undercurrents of jealousy oozing from her. You wish that she could just forget all of her petty almost non-existent rivalry but she still makes everything a competition." She leaned up to kiss him lightly.

"You are phenomenal." He smirked down at her, a twinkle in his blue eyes. She felt a spark of desire just then but fought to quench it. It definitely wouldn't do to maul him on the swing she played on as a child.

"I know." He rang the doorbell. Jenna answered the door, flustered, with an apron tied haphazardly around her waist.

"Eleanor!" She squeaked. "I thought you guys were going to be here ages ago…" She smiled warmly at Nik. "Hello, I am—"

"Jenna Sommers, I've heard a lot about you." He took Jenna's hand which, thankfully, was out of the doorway and kissed it like some knight straight out of a romance novel. Jenna actually swooned. She was a sucker for clichés.

"All good thinks I hope?" She glanced at Eleanor who smiled cheekily. "If not, don't believe anything my niece says."

"Don't worry Ms. Sommers. I've received nothing but good word from Eleanor." He smiled again. Jenna smiled again and turned on her heel, walking into the house.

"Don't make me regret this," Eleanor whispered seriously for an instant. Nik nodded solemnly, for once, the teasing glint in his eye was gone. "Niklaus Mikaelson, original vampire and soon to be original hybrid, come in to my humble abode." Nik stepped in, cautiously at first but after a reassuring look from her, he strolled in, going straight into the kitchen where Jenna was pulling some dish out of the oven. It smelled awful and Eleanor only smiled apologetically.

"What was that supposed to be?" Nik asked in an undertone. Eleanor shrugged prettily and walked to the over.

"Aunt Jenna, would you like Nik and I to whip something up quickly?" Jenna looked like those words were her salvation.

"It seems a bit unfair, having him cook when you invited him for dinner." Jenna tried to protest but Nik hushed her.

"It's quite alright, Ms. Sommers…" Nik smiled a roguish smile that Eleanor knew was meant to dazzle her and it worked like a charm. She sighed, smiled and patted his cheek.

"If you're going to salvage my burned dinner, you may as well call me by my first name."

"Jenna it is." Nik smiled and turned to his female companion. "Partner in crime?" Eleanor raised an eyebrow.

"I really want to tell you you're on your own considering how capable you are in a kitchen…" Nik' smile inched down a peg. "But I am your partner in crime." Jenna smiled at the interaction and took a seat at the table, most likely to finish her presentation. "What do you feel like eating?" Nik turned towards her slowly. "Don't be disgusting."

"Fine." He opened the fridge. "How about chicken pot pie?"

"That'll take too long."

"Lasagne?"

"Not enough cheese…"

"I don't eat as much cheese as you do." Nik pointed out with a straight face. "What about chilli?" Eleanor scowled at him.

"Chilli is what you make for barbecues, not family dinners." She scolded. Nik turned to face her, eyebrows raised.

"How about we order a pizza and we can be done with this incessant debating?"

"Seconded!" Jeremy chimed in from the doorway. He strolled up and held his hand out in front of Nik.

"Jeremy, I presume?" Jeremy nodded and Nik shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you, mate. I've heard a lot about you."

"My sister lies…" Eleanor smacked him on his shoulder. "I'm kidding. Nick, I believe?" Nik's lip twitched and he and Eleanor exchanged a look.

"Something like that…"

"We're making Tacos." Eleanor stifled a grin at the look on Nik's face. "They might not be as good as the ones in Madrid, but," Jeremy rolled his eyes.

"I suddenly have a craving for pizza after all." Eleanor slapped his chest lightly. He grinned at her again. They were in high spirits considering the full moon was the day after. Jeremy picked up the phone.

"I'll order." He dialled quickly. "Meat lovers?"

"Something with pineapple!" Jenna called from the table and Nik made a face.

"We don't support that blasphemy where I come from." Jeremy burst into laughter at Jenna's reaction. Nik took a seat next to her.

"Yeah, can I get a large meat lovers pizza with extra cheese?" He confirmed his address and hung up. "Weren't you cooking something, Aunt Jenna?"

"I was. You can try to eat it but don't blame me when you're suffering from listeriosis or salmonella." Jeremy took a seat at the table too. Eleanor excused herself and walked up to Elena's room. She knocked on the door and opened it a few seconds later.

"Elena, we're all eating dinner down—" There was a shuffle and a young boy that looked about Elena's age gazed back at her.

"Sorry, she's washing her face in the bathroom…" He told her slowly sounding a bit embarrassed. "You must be Eleanor, Elena's told me a lot about you."

"Don't believe a word she says." Eleanor replied easily. "I wasn't aware there was anyone here…"

"Yeah, I uh…" He grappled for something to say. "I came in through the window."

"Out of all the lies at your disposal you choose that one?" He scoffed with a smile. "I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage,"

"Oh, I'm Stefan."

"Stefan Salvatore?" He nodded, looking curious. "I was friends with Zach Salvatore for a while before I left for Europe. He mentioned you sometimes."

"Oh." Stefan looked surprised but it morphed into a warm smile. "Well don't believe a word he says." He grinned and Eleanor laughed. It was just then that Elena came out of the bathroom. She saw Stefan talking to Eleanor with a smile on his face and all the anger she thought had dissipated from this afternoon returned. Neither of them noticed her, they just continued talking about Zach while she stared balefully.

Eleanor was always the perfect sister and in Elena's mind, it was almost impossible living in her shadow. The moment Elena wanted to be a cheerleader, their coach told her all about the routines that Eleanor made up that were still used to this day. Tanner frowned at her history papers, annoyed that if Eleanor could get perfect scores on all her assignments, why couldn't she? Their principal always wanted to know why she wasn't as interested in planning school dances as Eleanor or why she wasn't as meticulously organized. She felt the way everyone who knew them both constantly compared them. Eleanor's perfect, why aren't you, Elena? She bit her lip as Stefan laughed again.

After a short chat on where she'd visited on her backpacking trip, Eleanor was surprised to see Elena standing in the doorway of the bathroom she shared with Jeremy.

"Elena! I have one of my business partners here, we're having dinner downstairs." She smiled but Elena wasn't receptive.

"I heard Jenna was cooking, I'll spare myself the food poisoning." She walked to her bed. Eleanor wished there was a way to connect better with her sister.

"Actually, Jer ordered a pizza." She smiled up at Stefan. "You're welcome to eat with us, Stefan…" Stefan nodded and Elena immediately looked defeated. Eleanor watched him walk down the stairs.

"You've only been here for one day and you've already charmed my boyfriend." Eleanor looked stunned. Elena seemed to be surrounded by vampires.

"I didn't charm him, Elena, I was just being polite." She inhaled slowly. "Will you come downstairs and join us or not?" She nodded and led them out of her room, closing the door behind them. Eleanor mused that maybe she wasn't the only one keeping secrets. The moment the sisters walked into the dining room, Nik stood up, introducing himself to the new arrivals. He had an odd smile on his face, but he gave Eleanor a look that suggested he'd tell her later. He shook hands with Stefan first and when he got to Elena, after a brief look of surprise, he kissed her hand the way he had with Jenna. Elena smiled politely back.

"I must admit Jenna, you have a beautiful family." Jenna blushed and looked up from her computer to smile at Nik.

"Thank you, Nick. That means a lot." Eleanor bumped into his shoulder and Nik frowned when the doorbell rang. He leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"The person at the door is a vampire."

"My sister apparently surrounds herself with them." She whispered and Nik hummed and said nothing more. Jeremy went over to collect the pizza and when he came back, he informed Stefan that his brother was looking for him. The younger vampire left and together, the Sommers-Gilbert family and Nik ate the pizza while talking and laughing. Eleanor noticed how distracted Elena was and as soon as Jeremy snagged the last slice, she told Jenna she was going to make sure everything was ok with Stefan and his brother, Damon. Jenna nodded and proceeded to clear the table, finally giving Nik and Eleanor some time alone.

"What was that look on your face when you shook hands with Stefan?"

"Oh, I knew him a long time ago…" He told her. She threw him a dubious look. "In the twenties to be exact—"

"In Chicago?" He nodded, surprised that she remembered. They made no further comment and Nik picked up the plastic plates and cutlery, bringing them into the kitchen.

"Eleanor, can we go for a drive…" Nik looked uncomfortable. "There's something I have to talk to you about." She nodded and went upstairs to tell Jenna she'd be back before midnight.

They took her car and this time, she drove. She took them to Mystic Falls High, to the football field. He looked around, taking everything in.

"So, Nik. What was it you wanted to tell me?"

"Do you remember the story I told you about the original witch?"

"You said she was the one who cursed you after your father threatened her." Eleanor tried to think harder. "There was one time you hinted that she might have been related to you, but I was never sure and I didn't want to pry."

"Do you remember anything else?"

"You told me you killed her." Nik sighed; he was satisfied that he wouldn't have to tell her again. Eleanor began to relax, the memories coming easier now. "And I remember you making it seem like she was your mother; you said your father abused her."

"He did and she was." Nik began to fist the grass absentmindedly. "She loathed me because I was the living, breathing proof of her fallibility. Her one weakness."

"She cheated on your father." Eleanor concluded, almost whispering in case she was wrong. Nik nodded. "And she passed you off as his?"

"He tortured me anyway." She reached for his hand and he let her take it. "I was always pathetic in his eyes. Never doing anything right."

"Your father was no father." She pointed out. "But why are you choosing to tell me this now, Nik?"

"Because I want you to know that I've suffered, as anyone has suffered." He pulled out a chunk of grass and ground it to dust in his hands. "And I've waited a long time to break this curse."

"I know that as well as anyone."

"The doppelgänger that I am to sacrifice…" Eleanor held her breath. "Is your sister, Elena."

---

She felt as though she was going to fall, which made no sense since she was already on the ground. Niklaus looked at her worriedly.

"No…" She whispered and he nodded, making her head spin. She didn't like Elena very much, but she was still her family. She couldn't just allow Niklaus to sacrifice her sister. What would Jenna think? Jeremy would never speak to her again. She frowned. She'd never questioned his actions before, even when he had the blonde girl following him around to serve as his food. But this time was different. She'd had no idea who the blonde girl was, only that her name was Camille and she was spending a year abroad before going to major in Psychology at some college in Louisiana. Elena was her sister; her own flesh and blood who she was duty bound to protect. What would her mother think?

"I am sorry, Eleanor."

"No you're not, Niklaus. That's the first lie you've told me." She swallowed and stood up, racing back to her car. Niklaus was opening the driver door for her before she got there and she contemplated leaving him to make his own way home but decided against it. She had to think her way out of this mess and it was better to do it with him than without him. If she was alone, she would just hide Elena and that would lead to Niklaus burning Mystic Falls to the ground in anger. She sped along the highway back to his mansion.

"Don't even contemplate it." He warned as she began to slow down. Her mind had been wandering and she glanced at him in surprise.

"What?"

"You wouldn't be able to hide her from me. You're forgetting Maddox." Eleanor nodded. She had forgotten Maddox and Greta. Even Blair happened to be insanely good at tracking. She had a thought.

"You said your brother befriended the first doppelgänger?"

"He was in love with her actually." Niklaus eyed her, wondering where she was going with her current train of thought.

"Maybe he found some way to keep her alive. He wouldn't have wanted you to kill his love, would he?" Nik looked thoughtful.

"I believe there was something, but there is no way to be sure."

"You can ask Maddox to contact him." They locked eyes for a millisecond and he nodded, noting the desperation she felt to save her sister. He understood that if anything. "Please, Niklaus."

"Maybe your sister's friends already have a way?" He fished but Eleanor didn't know. She hadn't interacted with her sister enough to know. She shook her head. She stopped before the mansion and he sighed. "Talk to them, see if you can find anything out." She nodded at that. They sat in silence for a few seconds.

"The original witch hated you,"

"Yes."

"So why would you do exactly what she told you?"

"I'm breaking the curse, which is exactly what she doesn't want."

"But wouldn't her last act of punishment for you be to screw you over one last time?" Niklaus looked stunned, for the first time since she'd met him. Eleanor's mind was running a mile a minute. Elena could die. Elena could die. Niklaus will kill Elena without hesitation. It's my job to save her. No one can do this but me.

"What do you mean?"

"Well what if, like the spell used to turn you into a vampire, and the spell used to bind your werewolf side, you need doppelgänger blood to complete a werewolf's transition into a hybrid." Klaus frowned. "A fail safe, in case you do complete the sacrifice."

"The doppelgänger would have to die in order for me to become a hybrid, but if she was dead then I wouldn't be able to use her blood to sire a new species." Klaus let out a huge sigh. "Leaving me alone for all time." He turned to Eleanor. "So what the hell do we do about it?"

"Elijah." Klaus nodded and vamped out of the car. The second he was gone, Eleanor let out the breath she had been holding. Elena will survive this. Even if I have to die saving her. She backed up and out of the mansion's property, waiting until she got to the main road again to call Blair.

"How goes it, princess?"

"Where's Ben?"

"Oh he's unconscious, I have some blood here waiting for when he wakes up." Eleanor was relieved and Blair could hear it. "How was dinner?"

"It was alright, it was the post dinner chit chat that undid me."

"What's wrong?" She wanted to know. Eleanor heaved another sigh and on Blair's end, Ben began to stir.

"Your sire chose this moment to tell me that the doppelgänger he came here to sacrifice is my sister."

"You hate your sister." Blair pointed out. Ben woke up and she pointed to the slushy cup sitting on a metal table.

"But she's still my sister!"

"Have you figured out a way to save her yet?" Ben ripped the top open and took a sip, Blair sighed happily. Her task was complete.

"I think so; my head hurts from over thinking."

"Take a nap; I'll call you at dawn." Eleanor smiled and hung up, stopping at her destination. She got out of the car slowly, taking her cool time.

All the lights of the Salvatore Boarding House were on, which made sense, considering vampires hardly slept. She knocked on the door only to have it opened a few seconds later by a black haired man with blue eyes. They could have been siblings in another life. He scowled at her.

"You are aware that this is not really a boarding house and you can't just knock on people's doors in the dead of night?"

"I'm actually looking for my sister, Elena Gilbert?" His eyebrows shot into his hairline. "You must be Stefan's brother."

"Damon."

"Eleanor."

"Pleasure to meet you."

"Charmed, I'm sure." He smirked. "Are they still here?" He nodded and pulled the door open, waiting. She blinked, wondering if she should play around with him for fun. "My mom told me never to enter a person's house uninvited." He stopped smiling.

"Well I'm not one for petty traditions." He still said nothing, just continued to wait. Eleanor wondered if Zach Salvatore was the only person who could invite people in.

"Is Zach Salvatore still around?"

"No. He died." She couldn't hold it back, she gasped. "Did you know him very well?" He wanted to know, still holding onto the door.

"I did actually." There was something in his eyes and it took a while, but she identified it. "Does Stefan know you killed him?" He took an involuntary step back.

"How did you—" Eleanor took a deep breath, tired of playing the stupid game, and walked into the house.

"Where's my sister?"

"She's in the parlour room with Stefan and your Aunt Jenna." Eleanor didn't need him to show her the way; she just went ahead and walked into the room. Jenna stood up immediately, surprised to see her there.

"Eleanor!?" She pulled her gaze away from her aunt to stare at the man who'd called her name. Her jaw dropped.

"Ric?" They met in the center of the room and stood a foot apart, frowning thoughtfully at one another. "Your search led you here?" Alaric nodded.

"I found the vampire who I thought killed her." Eleanor raised an eyebrow prompting him to divulge his findings. "Damon Salvatore."

"I didn't kill her," Damon defended. "And she turned out to be even shadier than we knew." Elena shushed him from across the room.

"No, Elena." Stefan spoke up. "She's in this, she should know everything. Especially if it helps keep her safe from Klaus."

"Who's Klaus?" Eleanor asked and everyone seemed to exchange looks. Eleanor did not miss it.

"That's not important. What is important is that my wife turned out to be Elena's biological mother." Eleanor gasped, truly surprised for the first time since she'd walked in.

"Is—"

"No, Alaric isn't my dad. Uncle Gilbert is." Eleanor couldn't help it, she made a face. Elena frowned at her. She figured it was yet another strike against her. She wasn't even really Miranda and Grayson's daughter. Eleanor was quick to cross the room and wrap her sister in a hug.

"It means absolutely nothing 'Lena. You're still my sister no matter what." Elena seemed to melt in Eleanor's warm embrace. They parted and Elena quickly wiped the tears that were gathering in her eyes.

All of a sudden, there was a sound in the kitchen and a man in a suit walked out, dusting off a glass bottle. He stopped when he noticed Eleanor and looked questioningly at Elena. She stepped forward, swallowing.

"Elijah, this is my older sister Eleanor. Eleanor," The girl in question stepped forward. "This is Elijah. Klaus' brother." Eleanor's mind was going a mile a minute and Elijah cocked his head to one side, seeming to be the only one who noticed it.

"Again I ask: who is Klaus?"

"We'll get to that later, Oldie Gilbert." Damon interrupted. "Elijah said he had a solution for us to stop tonight's festivities." Eleanor assumed they were talking about the sacrifice and was happy that at least they had an original on their side.

"Yes." Elijah produced a bottle. "This is an elixir that I acquired some years ago for Katerina." Everyone seemed to cast a sidelong glance at Eleanor but she was listening to Elijah with rapt attention. She wondered if Klaus knew about it. "It possesses mystical properties of resuscitation."

"So I'll be dead?" Elena wanted to know. Eleanor and Jenna both tensed, no one noticed. The room had gone deathly still though.

"And then you won't."

"That's your plan?" Damon sounded indignant and Eleanor felt inclined to agree. "A magical witch potion with no expiration date?"

"What about John Gilbert's ring?" Alaric wanted to know but Elena seemed to be annoyed by the question. She pulled her eyes from Elijah to frown at Damon.

"Those rings only work on humans." She glanced at the original vampire who nodded. "I am a doppelgänger which is a supernatural occurrence. Odds are the ring won't work."

"I'd take those odds over your elixir." He stepped closer to her. "What if it doesn't work, Elena?"

"Then I guess I'll just be dead." Eleanor chose this moment to interrupt, knowing that she needed to appear completely clueless.

"Wait what?" She stormed up to Elijah. "What are you all talking about, potions, magic rings, Elena!" The occupants of the room looked uncomfortable.

"It's a bit complicated to explain, but everything is going to be ok." She bit her lip at Elena's words and nodded. Elena walked out of the room. There was a pregnant pause and Damon stormed after her. There was a loud argument that lasted a few seconds and eventually, Stefan vamped out. Apparently Elena in danger overruled keeping their secret. Damon stormed out of a room with Stefan following him, angry.

"How could you take that choice away from her?" Damon whirled around to glare at his brother. "She didn't want this Damon…"

"Stefan." Eleanor tried to interrupt.

"Admit it, brother. You just wish you had the balls to do it yourself." Stefan decked Damon in the jaw and watched as he fell to the ground. Jenna rushed to hold him back.

"Stefan, what did he do?!"

"He fed her vampire blood. If she dies, she'll wake up in transition…" He sounded defeated and Damon was laughing on the ground.

"Go ahead Stefan; wish me an eternity of misery. Believe me. You'll get over it." Stefan stormed out leaving Damon on the ground. Eleanor grabbed Jenna's hand.

"Make sure she drinks the elixir, Aunt Jenna." She looked questioned. "If this Klaus person drains her of blood, the vampire blood should be gone too and the elixir will work."

"No." Elijah spoke up from across the room. "The vampire blood renders the elixir useless. She will need to consume it before the ritual."

"Oh…" There was a knock at the door and Damon rose to answer it. Eleanor took this time to check her watch. It was three hours until dawn. While Damon was distracted, Elijah tugged on Eleanor's elbow.

"Would you mind enlightening me as to how you knew Niklaus had to drain the doppelgänger's blood?" Eleanor remained stoic. Not even her heartbeat sped up. She looked Elijah in the eye.

"I know about rituals, Elijah. I took occult studies for a semester at Duke. That's actually how I know Alaric." Elijah seemed satisfied with her answer and assumed she wasn't lying because of her lack of accelerated heart rate.

"Alright then. Tell Elena I will visit her again this afternoon. We will proceed as planned." Jenna nodded. Damon returned with John Gilbert and for the second time that day Eleanor made a face. They paid no attention to the women and continued to talk.

"Jonathan journaled the story of a mother who called on Emily, the woman's baby was sick, dying. Emily cast a spell that would bind the woman's life force with her child." Damon groaned, annoyed.

"Skip to the "save Elena" part."

"The child died, but the mother's life force flowed through her restoring her to life." Eleanor let a small smile reach her face. This was genius.

"We already know Elena's gonna come back to life." Damon countered. "She'll be a vampire."

"Not if her soul remains intact." Here Jenna chose to intervene. She and their Uncle John had a bit of a history and she hated him with every fiber of her being, according to her.

"Her soul, really? You're gonna put your faith in some 'act of God' mumbo jumbo?"

"I refuse to let Elena become the thing I've spent my life protecting her against. And you can call that God or mystical energy, whatever you want, but, yes." He looked smug and Jenna looked like she was going to deck him in the jaw. "I'm putting my faith in it." He inhaled. "Bonnie is going to do the spell in one hour, Damon. I just came to give this to Jenna." He handed her a letter. She nodded curtly.

"Thank you, Uncle John." Eleanor replied and walked up to him, offering him a hug. He held on to her, pulling away first. "My dad would be proud of you." There was a look in his eyes like gratitude but it was gone as soon as it came. He turned around and left.

Damon looked stunned. Jenna was speechless. Eleanor smiled minutely. Elena is going to live. Elena is going to live. She kissed her aunt's cheek and left the boarding house. She could hear Stefan comforting Elena and she didn't want to be a part of it. Instead, she chose to go to Klaus at the address him texted her.

She stepped into the apartment on the third floor of the building and was immediately faced with Elena. She gasped involuntarily.

"You must be Eleanor." Katerina spoke. She at least sounded nothing like Elena. "I've seen pictures of you in the Gilbert house. What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for Klaus. Is he here?" Katerina shook her head.

"The only person here is me." She waved absentmindedly at the kitchen. "And one of Klaus' bitch witches." Eleanor side stepped Katerina and walked to the kitchen. She found Maddox, dozing on the kitchen table.

"Not a very good baby sitter…" She mumbled to herself and roused him. He came awake with a small, almost inaudible gasp. On one of the few times she and Maddox had been alone together away from Blair or Nik, he'd confessed to her that he suffered from nightmares. They were infrequent and far spaced, but brutal when they happened. His eyes looked wild and frantic as they searched the room and he relaxed when they came to rest on her. He raised an eyebrow, knowing Katerina was probably listening. With a whispered incantation, he nodded.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was actually looking for Klaus and Blair." He tapped a finger on his chin thoughtfully and rose to grab some water from the fridge. "Do you know where either of them are?"

"Blair is with the vampire."

"And Klaus?"

"No idea. Why don't you call him?" Maddox wanted to know. Eleanor had no idea why she didn't want to call his cell phone so eventually settled for an obvious excuse.

"I'm already establishing some trust with my sister and her vampire clan. I don't want to blow my cover in case someone is listening." Maddox nodded, pulling out his cell phone.

"He's most likely with Greta at the place they chose for the sacrifice, or at the mansion." He tapped a few buttons and showed her the screen.

"Look who is tech savvy." Eleanor grinned. "I honestly would have never thought to use Find My Friends." Maddox looked down at the table.

"Blair gets herself into sticky situations sometimes." Eleanor kissed his cheek. "He's at…" Maddox hesitated. "Some obscure place in the woods." Eleanor had to lean down to try to identify the location.

"Oh, that's by the Lockwood cellar. Close to the quarry." She explained at the warlock's curious expression. "My class had a few parties there, with the mayor's permission." Understanding dawned in his eyes. He sent her a screenshot of the map via Bluetooth and she was on her way.

Katerina had tried to get information out of her but she was quick to feign innocence, stating that she was desperate to find Klaus to beg him to postpone the ritual. She was relatively sure Katerina hadn't believed her but she left before any more questions could be asked.

It was a few minutes to four when Eleanor stopped her car in the middle of an extremely wooded area. The last thing wanted was to have to explain any dirt and mud on her tyres.

Her shoes though, weren't as lucky. She was relatively pissed about it too. They were thousand dollar original Manolo Blahniks, bought in Barcelona. The second the thick block heels touched the ground, they sunk in. She cursed under her breath and pulled them out to survey the damage.

Niklaus appeared before her after a moment, but she didn't notice because she was so busy trying to scratch the dirt from her heel.

"Are those the ones we bought in Mayfair?" She gasped and her hands flew to her chest. Niklaus watched her, amused.

"No I bought them in Barcelona." He raised an eyebrow. And she patted his cheek. "It's not my fault you like your conquests co—"

"I want to show you something." He held a hand out and she winced before stepping out. "I'll buy you new ones." She nodded hesitantly and took his hand.

"What did you want to show me?" He continued walking forward, using the light of the waxing gibbous to guide him. It was low in the sky, making the scene look strangely romantic. Nik continued ahead, looking around reminiscently.

"I forgot how much I missed this land."

"Can't even imagine what it must have been like a thousand years ago." Eleanor replied, catching up to him. He looked down at her, smiling.

"You know, your high school was built over an Indian village." He stated. "It's where I saw my first werewolf. The town square was where the natives would gather to worship." He took Eleanor's hand. "As a matter of fact, near that was a field where wild horses used to graze."

"That's incredible." They reached an old well that Eleanor remembered sitting on and taking jello shots with some of the members of her home coming committee. She took a deep breath. "Look, Niklaus. I really appreciate you telling me all this, but why?"

"I don't open myself up to many people, Eleanor." She nodded, this was something she knew. "From the moment I met you, you have challenged everything I thought I knew about myself." He told her. "I thought myself a cold hearted monster, but you made me realize that I had a capacity for compassion and understanding that far outweighed… anything." She bit her lip. She'd never really thought about what Niklaus might have been like before they'd met. "I have waited over five hundred years to break this curse…"

"I know."

"Please tell me I'm not going to lose you when I do." Eleanor blinked, surprised. "Tell me you have found a way to save your sister."

"I haven't…" Klaus' face fell. "But Bonnie Bennett has. I don't know the specifics of the spell, but my Uncle John Gilbert is planning on giving up his life for her."

"Noble." Eleanor moved so she was standing directly in front of him. "I am going to kill your sister tonight."

"You are. And when she comes back to life, you are going to take some of her blood and leave her here alive and well." Her voice was stern and Klaus nodded. "You can have one pint, and come back every once in a while for another. I'll convince her that it's the best option Klaus, because I care about you and I want you to be happy." He chose that moment to kiss her roughly, his tongue exploring freely. She sighed into his mouth and deepened the kiss, raising her arms so she could tangle her fingers in his blond curls. She was panting when she pulled away.

"Are you alright?"

"I need to ask you something and I want you to tell me the truth." Nik leaned back on the balls of his feet and waited. "Did you know that I was the sister of your doppelgänger when you saved my life?"

"No."

"When did you find out?"

"When you invited me in and I saw her picture." Eleanor sighed. "All Maddox told me was that she was eighteen. Greta told me she lived in Mystic Falls." He pulled her in, staring her in the eyes. "I give you my word, I had no idea." She nodded slowly.

"Alright." They continued walking. "Can I ask why you had to do the ritual here?"

"The curse has to be broken in the birthplace of the doppelgänger." They stopped on a small hill that overlooked Steven's Quarry.

Greta was on one side, still looking meditative. As the two of them watched, Blair walked up and sat down next to her in the grass, offering her arm. Greta took it, closed her eyes and began to hum.

"Why does she have to channel so much power?"

"The full moon offers a lot, especially with the moonstone. But Greta's confidence wavers constantly. She just wants to be able to come out of this alive."

"Could utilizing that much power kill her?" There was an odd look in Klaus' eyes when he stared down at her.

"Yes." He said nothing more. They continued to watch in silence until the sun began to peek out from behind the mountains. "Have you slept?" Klaus wanted to know. Eleanor shook her head.

"I'll sleep when I'm dead." Blair heard them and stifled a smile. Klaus, however, was unamused. "I'll take a nap later." He nodded.

"I've got a brother to threaten, don't I?" Eleanor nodded. "I've noticed how much bourbon they drink; do you think they will be at the Grill?"

"Not yet, maybe around eleven." Klaus cocked his head to one side. "Is it alright if I visit the vampire?"

"Feeling reminiscent?"

"Not even slightly." She smiled. "I just want to do a bit of gloating." Eleanor stood in silence for what seemed like ages but was in reality, just a second or two. She didn't even notice Klaus' look of unbridled adoration and by the time she looked up, it was gone. "Does Katerina know where the werewolf is?"

"She might."

"Move Jules; from what you've said, Katerina tends to belong to whoever is winning, or whoever has something she wants. She's too much of a wild card." Nik nodded. "Anyone can bribe her with vervain…"

"Blair will take you to the vampire." She looked down to see Blair standing up. "And I will bring the werewolf to the mansion. No one knows where it is." He held out a bracelet she recognized from a show window in Moscow. "This has vervain." Their eyes met. He'd never asked her to wear vervain before. "You are still not fully trusted among your sister's friends; this is just to ensure they don't pull any unwanted information from you." She nodded with a frown and paused, the bracelet still in his hand.

"Can't you just compel me?"

"I could…" His frown mirrored hers. "But I've already decided never to do that." She wanted to protest, but she knew that he wasn't to be argued with. She plucked it from his grasp and fastened it around her wrist. "I'd also advise you to drink some of my blood in case something were to happen." He bit into his wrist.

"Nik…"

"Don't try to reason with me, Eleanor" He interrupted. "I can't promise anything if those idiotic brothers do something to you to attempt to get to me. I would kill them both without hesitation."

"I know…"

"So drink." He reopened the wound and Eleanor took his wrist into his mouth. His blood tasted exactly the same as it did on the day they met. They maintained eye contact while she drank, the sexual tension almost getting the better of them. He insisted she drink more so it could last longer and she had an enticing line of blood from her lips to her chin. He licked it off, kissed her slowly, savouring each taste and vamped away before Blair could start booing. The vampire was before her in an instant.

"Where's your car?" She pointed but was hesitant to walk.

"I don't want to be a bitch, but can you carry me? I want to at least try to salvage these shoes." Blair looked from the shoes to Eleanor's face and rolled her eyes.

"Fine, but don't make a habit of it." She scooped her up bridal style and sped away.

---

Eleanor's car screeched to a stop as she slid into a parking spot outside the Mystic Grill. She and Blair had separated after spending the morning shopping as best as they could in the little town, Blair went to babysit Katerina since Maddox needed a break and Eleanor decided to join him for a drink. She noted that the SUV was there and walked into the building, smiling cheerily. There, she came face to face with Niklaus Mikaelson and her smile was wiped off her face. Their eyes met across the room and for an instant, they both froze. Damon, who he'd been talking to, continued chattering incessantly but Alaric, who was more perceptive, eyed Klaus worriedly. Thankfully, they managed to break out of each other's spell before he could realize what was going on and Klaus narrowed his eyes as Damon asked if the sacrifice could be postponed. Klaus looked at him like he was crazy.

Eleanor walked up to the bar and ordered a whiskey, catching the three men's attention. Alaric smiled, Damon frowned and Klaus remained impassive.

"Eleanor."

"Ric!" She exclaimed warmly, making a frown ghost on Klaus' face. She moved closer to them after receiving her drink. "Isn't it too early for a drink?"

"It's five o' clock somewhere…" Klaus replied easily and all three heads swivelled to him. His eyes remained on Eleanor.

"I don't believe we've met," Eleanor began, and Klaus pushed one hand forward with a small smirk. She took his hand. "I'm Eleanor Gilbert." Klaus' hand pulled from hers so fast she wanted to giggle. There was a twinkle in his eye that made her want to jump him right then and there.

"I'm Klaus." When he said that, Eleanor realized that she was an awful actress. She managed to speed her heartbeat up by imagining Klaus pulling her to him and ravaging her on the Grill's pool table and her eyes widened almost comically. She saw that Klaus was stifling a smile.

"Klaus?" She exchanged a look with Ric who nodded. She glanced back at him and lifted a hand. Damon saw her intention and reached over to hold her back. "Why are you holding me back?!" She demanded in a furious whisper. She didn't want to attract any unwanted attention. "He wants to kill Elena!"

"We'll figure it out." Damon argued and met her gaze steadily. Her breathing slowed and she nodded.

"There's nothing to figure out, mate. It's happening tonight." With that, Klaus stalked away. Eleanor stared at his back and as he left, Maddox entered.

"What's the plan?"

"Find a way to mess up this sacrifice." Ric explained. Damon stood up and brushed off his leather jacket.

"Let's start with Katherine." He declared and together they walked out of the grill. Eleanor took a moment to compose herself, before walking to the table by the window where Maddox sat. He was nursing a drink and picking fries off a plate. They both smiled when she sat down.

"They want to mess up the ceremony." Maddox nodded and ate another fry. "That's impossible though, isn't it?" He nodded again.

"Both the vampire and the werewolf are under lock and key in an undisclosed location; we have back-ups waiting on a plane in Detroit. Greta is casting a protection spell on Elena so something bad can't accidentally happen to her and both brothers will fall in line when they realize the inevitability of it all." Maddox explained. He'd managed to touch on everything that made her nervous and she smiled gratefully. "It doesn't do well to worry."

"I'm always worried. Especially when it comes to Nik." She cast a roving eye around the Grill, making sure no vampire was around. "Like today, I couldn't help but get the feel that Elijah might be here to kill him once and for all." Maddox narrowed his eyes.

"Did you tell him that?"

"No, of course not." Maddox stared at her questioningly. "If I did, he'd have killed his brother and I know that would haunt him for the rest of his life." The warlock looked like he'd been struck.

"You really love him, don't you?" Eleanor frowned, surprised at both the question and the deeper meaning in his eyes. She nodded without hesitation.

"Of course I love him," She bit her lip. "I'd die before I let anything bad happen to him." Maddox nodded with an almost sad look on his face.

"And he would kill anyone who dared to hurt you…" This made Eleanor blush. "I'm going to go check on the werewolf and you should go tell Blair about the Salvatore's plan." She nodded. Maddox picked a few more fries off his plate, drained his drink and left. Eleanor brought the glasses back to the bar and made to leave too. Neither of them noticed Niklaus watching them from a darkened booth on the far end of the room with an undecipherable look on his face.

Eleanor made her way to the almost familiar address and knocked on the door again. This time, she wasn't as surprised when the girl with Elena's face answered and sneered at her.

"What do you want now?"

"Is Klaus here?" She made her voice sound frantic. Katerina, however, was above the bullshit. She narrowed her eyes.

"I'm not falling for that again, Oldie Gilbert. Especially not when you come in here smelling like him."

"Smelling like who?" Eleanor couldn't keep the shock from her voice. She swallowed the lump in her throat as Katerina circled her like a predator.

"You know exactly who." The doppelgänger murmured. She pushed Eleanor's hair out of her eyes. The motion was almost seductive. "How do you think this is going to end, you spying on your sister for Klaus?" Eleanor's heart skipped a beat and Katerina smiled when she heard it. "Guilty as charged." Eleanor steeled herself and slapped Katerina hard across her face. It hurt her probably more than it hurt the vampire, but it felt necessary to do so, she was so angry at her cover being blown. She thought quickly while Katerina advanced towards her.

"How dare you?!" She screamed. "How dare you suggest that I'm spying on Elena?!" Katerina stopped in her tracks. "I smell like Klaus? That's your defence? I met Klaus today at the Grill, that's possibly why." Eleanor managed to make a few teardrops fall from her eyes. "I come here to beg Klaus for my sister's life and you accuse me of…" She gasped like she was disbelieving and marched into the kitchen where Blair was laughing her ass off. She waved the sage in the air three times to ensure it was still burning and sat down, kicking out a chair for Eleanor.

"You don't get nearly enough credit for your acting skills." Eleanor took the seat and sighed heavily.

"All of this could have been fucked up by Katerina Petrova. What else was I supposed to fucking do?"

"I'm not blaming you…" Blair held up her hands in an 'I surrender' motion. "Katherine is too smart for her own good." There was something hooded in Blair's eyes but Eleanor was too shaken up to investigate.

"Maddox sent me to tell you that the Salvatore brothers and Elijah Mikaelson are all plotting to kill Nik at the ceremony tonight." Eleanor began. "Do you know anything about that?"

"Yeah, Damon showed up here with his girlfriend and gave Katherine vervain." Blair waved the sage in the air a few more times. "She told them where Klaus was keeping the werewolf."

"But Klaus moved her, right?"

"Yup." Eleanor sighed in relief. Blair smiled and patted her hand across the table. "You're going to have a head full of grey hair before you turn twenty five."

"Tell me about it." At that moment, Katherine burst into the room and stared at Eleanor accusingly. There was no hiding what was going on, and the damage was done even after Eleanor and Blair pulled their hands away.

Katherine stalked towards them slowly like a predator. Eleanor wondered if she knew Blair was much older than her.

"So, Oldie Gilbert. Still want to scold me for accusing you of fraternizing with the enemy?" Eleanor inhaled slowly. "What would pretty little Elena think?" Blair stood up but Katherine threw her a glare that made her sit back down. Eleanor frowned, her hands finding her cell phone. "I am all for choosing the winning side," Katherine continued and Eleanor's hands slid over the screen, unlocking it. "But she is your sister, Oldie Gilbert. How do you justify that?" She called Klaus and to mask the sound of it ringing, she began to talk.

"I am not choosing the winning side, Katerina. I am simply doing what's best for my family." She breathed a sigh of relief. Klaus had picked up. "And you have found out my secret." She raised her voice. "So, the question is, Katerina, will you betray me to my family?" Katherine pretended to think. Klaus had already hung up and was undoubtedly speeding towards them.

"I think that you are a traitor." Eleanor stiffened. "And a bit of a bitch—"

"I think that you will forget about all of this." Klaus' voice was deceptively calm.

"She's on vervain…" Blair informed him and he moved so quickly that Katherine never saw him coming. His hands curled around her throat.

"Then I'll have a good time bleeding it out of you, won't I Katerina?" Eleanor cleared her throat, drawing Klaus' attention away from the vampire in hand.

"That will take too long." She told him. He let go of Katherine's neck and walked to her side. "She isn't allowed to leave here anyway…" Klaus nodded.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Make Maddox spell the building, keep out vampires, werewolves and other witches. Then have vampires at the entrances, Ethan maybe, and another old one. Older than the Salvatores, older than Katerina. They can keep humans out." Blair twisted a lock of her red hair around her finger as she thought.

"It's a good plan." She answered. "All of that can stay until the doppelgänger resurrects, and then she can come clean to her family and it won't matter that Katherine knows." The vampire in question sneered.

"It won't matter. They'll hate you either way." Eleanor stood up. "Your sister, your aunt Jenna and especially Jeremy." Katherine saw her stiffen and smiled triumphantly. "They won't even be able to look at you because you—"

Eleanor broke Katherine's neck and shuddered as everyone in the room gauged her reaction. A lone tear slid down her cheek and Blair moved aside so Klaus could walk slowly towards her.

"Jeremy will hate me…" She whispered and Klaus held his arms open. She collapsed against him, burying her face in his shirt. He rubbed soothing circles on her back.

"Jeremy will understand." Klaus told her. "Were you not in the picture, I would have killed your sister without a second thought." Eleanor nodded, trying to convince herself of that same fact. Klaus waited until she started to pull away before releasing her.

Eleanor surveyed her face in the microwave door and used Blair's handkerchief to wipe the tears from her face. She pecked Blair on the cheek and looked up at Klaus.

"I think I need to spend some more time with my family before they know the truth…" He nodded. "Does Elena know what you look like yet?"

"No, I've been careful about her and Stefan. The only people who know are the idiot brother and the one you were flirting with at that insipid diner." Klaus chided and Eleanor froze. Blair slipped quietly from the room after waving the sage around.

"Do you mean Alaric?"

"Yes. I inhabited his body when I first got here." Eleanor frowned and exhaled sharply. "Were you or were you not flirting with him?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Niklaus." He scowled at her use of his full name. "I wasn't flirting with Alaric. We're friends, I was being friendly."

"And how quickly those lines become blurred." She cocked her head to one side evaluating him closely.

"The evil Niklaus Mikaelson, jealous." His scowl deepened. "I'll be sure to alert everyone who fears you." He cracked a small smile.

"I am not jealous." He pulled her so she was flush against him. "It's clear that Alaric Saltzman harbours feelings for you." She smacked his chest playfully.

"So what if he does?" He swallowed, trying not to let his vulnerabilities show in his eyes.

The truth was he was constantly fearful that she would realize that he was not good enough for her. That she needed someone who matched her level of goodness and light. Little did he know, she saw his insecurities, she saw the way he sometimes stared at her when he thought she couldn't see. She knew he was afraid to lose her and she was quick to pacify his fears.

"I don't care, because I have you. There is nothing more I need." He pulled her against him again and she wrapped her arms around his waist. They stayed that way for what seemed like ages and when she pulled away, she kissed him.

"I heard you and Maddox today." For the second time that day, she froze. He watched her cautiously.

"At the grill?"

"Yes."

"Nik…" He held a hand up and tapped her nose playfully. The movement was so unlike him that she burst out laughing. He watched her, amused while she composed herself. When she looked like she was about to start talking, he interrupted her.

"You need not say anything now, Eleanor." He kissed her, chaste on the lips. She blushed. "I apologize for eavesdropping."

"You're not forgiven. Not yet." He smiled. "I have to…"

"I know." She left the room, saying good bye to Blair and going home.

Jenna's car was in the driveway in the middle of the day and Eleanor wondered why. She bounded into the house to see her aunt sitting at the kitchen table, sipping a glass of champagne.

"Day drinking?"

"With good reason!" She jumped out of her chair to pour her niece a glass. They both held it up, Eleanor waited patiently for her aunt to explain. "To Marcus Kingsley, proud owner of a house over on Evelyn Lane." They clinked their glasses together. "He saw the house and insisted that the owner wasn't getting a fair deal for such a beautiful home so he upped the price by twelve thousand!" Eleanor almost dropped her glass in shock.

"That's amazing, Aunt Jenna!" They clinked glasses again and took sips. "And you're making forty percent commission, too. That's spectacular."

"I know!" Eleanor smiled knowingly and they both turned around when the door opened again. Elena walked in with Jeremy and called out for Jenna.

"In the kitchen!" Eleanor yelled back. They both strolled in, Elena looking stressed and Jeremy smiling down at Eleanor. She could see something in his eyes though.

"Are we celebrating?" He asked and took a seat closest to her. She wrapped her arms around him in a hug and kissed his cheek affectionately. He blushed.

"Yes, baby brother, we are!" Elena took a seat also and Jenna poured them both glasses with Jeremy's significantly less than the adults. "Aunt Jenna is about to become a millionaire." Jenna hit Eleanor's hand across the table playfully.

"She's exaggerating, but I did sell the house on Evelyn Lane that I had all that commission riding on." Jeremy cheered and Elena smiled widely, her earlier stress dissipating.

"That's amazing, Aunt Jenna!"

"That's what Eleanor said…" Jenna held up her glass. "It has been a rough couple of days, and I'm very happy to admit that everything is coming up Gilbert-Sommers."

"Don't you mean Sommers-Gilbert?" Jeremy teased as they toasted again and took small sips. "About tonight…" He began, but Elena cut him off.

"No talking about tonight." She answered roughly. "I just want to spend time with my family." She and Eleanor locked eyes and the older sister nodded, tears coming to her eyes.

"Elena…" Eleanor began and everyone at the table looked at her. She made a show of wiping her eyes before talking. Elena was shocked. She'd never seen Eleanor cry about anything, even when they were both children. "We've definitely had some rough moments but you know I love you, right?" She subconsciously pulled Jeremy closer to her. "I love all of you so much, and I'm sorry all of your lives have gotten supernaturally crazy while I've been oblivious in Europe."

"It's not your fault." Elena answered, wiping a few tears of her own. "And I love you too, Eleanor. A lot of the shit that's happened between us has been due to petty jealousy most times…" Jenna and Jeremy laughed. "But I love you. Nothing will ever change that."

Eleanor almost burst into tears. Jeremy felt that she might cry so he wrapped her in a hug and she buried her face in his shoulder.

"I don't want you to die, Elena." Jenna continued. "But I understand that what you're doing is necessary for us to finally be rid of Klaus." Eleanor couldn't help it, she stiffened. Jeremy stopped patting her back in alarm but she managed to keep her cool. A few tears slipped out again in fear. She was glad she'd predicted this and had been able to warn Blair, and that Niklaus had heard her talking to Maddox. She blushed and fought to stifle a smile. Jenna and Elena kept talking, Eleanor couldn't hear a word they were saying but at the moment, she was preoccupied with her thoughts of Nik. He'd heard her say she loved him. That was big for them considering he'd probably never even tried to define what he felt for her. She sighed and pulled away from Jeremy. Jenna and Elena were hugging and Stefan was standing behind her chair.

"Any new developments?" Eleanor asked and Stefan looked to Elena, who nodded solemnly and smiled at her sister.

"Yes. Damon and Alaric found out where Klaus is keeping the werewolf but when they got there, it was empty." Eleanor bit her lip. "We think Katherine was compelled to give them false information."

"Who's Katherine?"

"The doppelgänger that came before me." Elena explained. "Klaus tried to sacrifice her almost five hundred years ago."

"Oh, so…" She turned to Stefan. "You're a vampire too?"

"Yes." She inhaled sharply and Jeremy patted her back. "But I promise I've never hurt Elena or anyone in your family."

"I believe you." She sniffled. "I don't know what it is about your creepy face, but I trust you." They both laughed and he vamped over to kiss her cheek. She faked a scream when she saw how fast he got there and that made the rest of the family laugh with glee. She was happy that they were able to have a nice moment before everything went to shit.

"We should head over to the boarding house…" He explained. "It has better protective measures than your house." Eleanor nodded.

"Can I come?"

"Weren't you going to anyway?" Stefan asked, looking to Elena. "I mean, you're Elena sister, Klaus might kidnap you to attempt to get her to cooperate." Thoughts of Nik kidnapping her had her heartbeat speeding up involuntarily and Stefan smiled reassuringly when he heard it. "Don't worry, oldie Gilbert, I'll protect you."

"Protect my sister. Make her your first priority." She answered and stood, going upstairs to shower. The rest of the family did the same.