Chapter One: Compulsion

"Utter happiness is a fallacy. The best most of us can hope for is that occasional span of time which occurs at irregular lengths and intervals throughout our lives wherein for an all to ephemeral period, nothing in particular sucks about living."

-Anthony Beal

Elijah -

The entryway was filled with the residents of Mystic Falls for the black tie event of the Mikaelsons coming to live in the small city. People of various origins and natures, vampires, werewolves, witches, humans, people that know the existence of the supernatural on edge with that knowledge; people blissfully ignorant of the powerful creatures mingled into their short lives. It was certainly the strangest party most of them would ever attend regardless of if they were 'in the know'.

The rails were hung with small lights and the various colors of gowns dotted the black suits of the males in attendance. Finn was off somewhere doting on mother, while Niklaus and Rebekah were busy mingling with the humans. Meanwhile Damon was chattering with Carol, still pretending to be on the woman's side despite his blood. Though Elijah was more concerned with the approach of Kol, while he did love his entire family that brother had always been a short step from Klaus on the sanity scale. He was the most likely to do something to disturb the event out of anyone in the family. He was being troublesome when he played the aggression game with the Salvatore brother but not to the point of open conflict so Elijah wasn't going to waste his time interfering.

When Elena came into the room his observation of other things paused a short moment, dressed in a gown she looked even more like Tatia. Of course, the second Salvatore brother was there and in a moment the two were glaring daggers at one another.

"The irony isn't lost on you eh brother?" Kol's tone held it's usual cruel amusement as he leaned on the rail next to Elijah. "Seems now you have two brothers to compete with, though neither of them are ours. I could kill them for you."

"You want to cause trouble for mother already? I'm sure she wouldn't approve of your aggression." Elijah replied with only a short glance at his youngest brother. He much preferred when the boy was off bothering Niklaus or Rebekah.

"Always so serious...oh look, Niklaus is just as gifted with the ladies as usual. Isn't that deliciously ironic. Perhaps I should ask her to dance, really ruffle his feathers." Kol's attention was thankfully short lived as one of his preferred targets was just turned down on the dance floor.

Admittedly Caroline's immediate denial of Niklaus' attempted affection was amusing but Elijah was still on guard, something was going on here. Finn was speaking with Elena even as he walked to gather with the rest of the family on the steps. To make his announcement about the opening waltz. It was swift enough, then he was down off the steps to speak with the band, his mother had assigned him to most of these preparations. It kept him busy, and that only fueled his paranoia as to what was happening, he didn't believe mother had forgiven Klaus as much as he wanted to.

Then they were on the dance floor, all of them together, as it hadn't been in centuries, Carol on his left arm and Rebecca immediately to his right. He could hear people whispering, Damon and Elena were off in their own world, Klaus seemed more honestly invested in Caroline than Elijah thought possible from the hybrid but Elijah didn't assume it was more than manipulation. When they switched partner's it wasn't a surprise that the second Salvatore brother would step in or that the human's would have their own drama. Then they were off for their own private conspiracy and Rebekah was being her usual jealous self.

The dance ended and Elijah had to leave again, checking in shortly with other people working the finer details of the party to make certain they were still in effect. In one of the side rooms he heard a disturbance, would the Salvatore's ever learn any manners? Still, Elena was there and he needed to speak with her. He caught up with her in one of the hallways and called her name, bringing her to a pause.

One of his hands reaching up to lightly touch her arm before drawing it away again, small moments were all he could afford right now. He wasn't sure if he even wanted those. "I understand my mother requested to see you?"

She was clearly nervous, though not to the point of being afraid. Elena offered a tiny nod after looking back at Elijah and replied as she slowed pace to walk with him as opposed to the rushed steps she'd used only moments before. "Yeah, why? Is something wrong?"

Elijah slipped a hand into one of his pockets, generally he had an easy time keeping a straight face but this was difficult for him. Family had always been everything, and now he was concerned as to the intentions of his own mother. He picked back up his hand, using it to accent words as he spoke. "Well, her ability to forgive my brother after everything he's done to this family strikes me as a little strange to say the least."

Elena was concerned, showing the same compassion he'd often witnessed from her. "So you think that it's an act?"

They came to a pause in the hallway with her question, Elijah turning so they were facing one another. His voice dropping to nearly a whisper. "It has me asking questions I never thought I'd ask. Can I depend on you to tell me what she says?"

Elena looked clearly uncomfortable, glancing away and then back before her brows furrowed more than usual and after a moment of quiet nodding she accented and her face grew determined. "Of course. I'll find you later. Okay?"

He looked after her, still not sure if he could trust her, but she was his best chance, with a sigh he returned to the ball, if he didn't keep an eye on his family who knew what they might do and several hours remained of the party.

Elena -

She walked away from the short conversation with Elijah concerned, she wasn't sure why she'd so readily agreed to help him. He'd wanted her to, and she was honestly worried for him. Of the originals he was the only one that she actually knew enough to trust, perhaps his methods she didn't always agree with but they'd had their own sort of truce. He'd shown that perhaps their truce was still on simply by asking her to help him.

Time to fully consider what was happening with Elijah wasn't possible though, she was already knocking on the door where Finn had told her earlier she could find the witch she was so nervous about. The portal opened and Finn was on the other side, he motioned her in.

"You're alone, that's wise." He commented. All of them seemed perfectly fine with less than veiled threats. The witch explained the sage in her hands as a protection spell so they wouldn't have eavesdroppers and dismissed Finn. The vampire left and Elena glanced from the shut door to the mother of the originals.

"You must have a million questions for me Elena. Please..." With a motion at the couch covered in plush cushions it was a silent offer of a seat. Elena approached carefully, still having a hard time meeting the woman's gaze as she straightened her skirt when she sat down.

"How are you alive?" Elena asked, confused. "Are you a ghost or..."

"Not exactly. When I died the witch Aiana preserved my body with a spell. She was a close friend of mine. An ancestor of your friend Bonnie." The explanation was polite enough, though the woman seemed a little impatient somehow. Still Elena picked up details quickly enough.

"So...only Bonnie and her mother could have opened up the casket..."

"They complete the Bennet Bloodline. I drew power from them and their ancestors who were with me on the other side." The mother had a slight smirk, like someone that had done something incredibly clever. Elena could hardly argue, she didn't know much of magic but that seemed pretty crafty. She changed the subject.

"So you've been on the other side for a thousand years?" Elena pitied the woman...

"Nature's way of punishing me for turning my family into vampires." Esther explained, her face suddenly serious again. "But there is a way for me to undo the evil I've created."

A short moment later Elena seemed to realize. "You're going to help us kill Klaus, aren't you?"

"One thing at a time Elena, for now I simply need your help."

The one thing everyone wanted from Elena. So clearly there was something the woman wasn't telling her, but the world free of Klaus, the city free of him. They could deal with any other problems from the originals with the daggers once he was dead. Elena nodded slowly, a silent accent to help. Watching as Esther got up and moved to a table with various candles and likely other ingredients for magic on top of it.

"I understand Rebekah shared the story of my family. How I upset the balance of nature by turning my children into vampires." Estele was clearly disturbed as she spoke of it, despite a mostly steady tone as she started to light candles and prepare a spell.

"She said that you did it to protect them from the werewolves." Elena replied, she felt pity for the woman, what decent person wouldn't want to protect their family?

"It's true." Estele nodded, pouring liquid into a glass as she continued. "But in no time at all they began to feed on human blood. They ravaged the town with no remorse. Eventually Niklaus turned against me..."

"How are you going to kill him?" Elena needed to know what she had in mind if she was going to agree. "He's immortal."

"It will take time, magic, and your assistance."

"What do I have to do with it?"

"My children believe I'm holding this ball to celebrate our reunion, but in truth I've gathered them together to perform a ritual. The first step requires blood from the doppleganger." Estele commented, then assured as Elena looked fearful. "Only a drop. It's essence will be in the Champaign toast later on this evening. Will you do it? Or shall I?"

Elena wasn't certain she was even being given a choice, but it would kill Klaus, that mattered. They would finally be free of his influence choking all of the life from the town. Rebekah seemed mostly to want to blend in and live a normal life, and while Elena wasn't certain of the other siblings she didn't think she had anything to fear from Elijah. It would solve so much...she reached up and took off her glove. Allowing the woman her hand, she didn't want to draw her own blood, this task still seemed questionable but what other choice did they have?

She watched her blood drip into the cup, after all the heartache Klaus had caused them, all it would take was a prick of her finger to solve it? It seemed so easy...

"Elijah is more suspicious than the others so he may need more persuasion." Estele wasn't looking at Elena and she realized immediately that it wasn't just Klaus the woman had in mind, the mother couldn't even meet Elena's eyes. "But they must all drink of the toast in order to be linked as one."

"What do you mean linked as one." Elena was surprised she managed to stay so cool.

"You said yourself Klaus can't be killed. But tonight's spell links all my children together so that if one goes, they all go." The woman shrugged a little, clearly convicted with the idea of slaughtering her own children. "I love my family Elena but they are an abomination. I betrayed nature when I created them. It's my duty to kill them."

Elijah -

His family had mostly wandered off and that made the eldest brother irritated, he couldn't know if one or all of them was going to kill someone and ruin this peace his mother claimed to desire. He couldn't listen to the conversation happening in the room where Elena went and immediately recognized the sage for what it meant. The evidence of something sinister coming up was growing much more than the Mickaelson wanted.

He would have to trust that the others would more or less remain out of trouble, being unable to listen in on his mother's little secret he couldn't make it obvious to Finn that he suspected anything so he had to play the nice little party host while he waited to hear back from Elena. She'd proven once that he could trust her, but that was when their goals were aligned, he wasn't sure if he could do so again.

A few dances later and people were gathering for a toast, Elijah spotted Elena again and managed to get close without seeming overly eager. She didn't notice him until he spoke. "So how was my mother?"

Elena was more nervous than the last time they spoke, she was uncomfortable with whatever mother had said to her. She managed a reply after a short moment but couldn't meet his eyes immediately. "Intense."

He lifted two glasses from one of the trays being passed around as he kept with the conversation. "And for what reason did she need to speak with you in private?"

Elena was staring at Estele as she began down the stairs, clearly she didn't want to allow them much time to discuss whatever they'd been doing in that room for nearly twenty minutes. Elijah was slightly concerned his mother might have cast a spell to compel her. "Elena?"

Her name got the brunette to look at Elijah again and he carefully spoke the next question. "Should I be concerned about my mother's intentions?"

Stare, stare, Elena's heart skipped a beat just before she spoke and even despite her other hesitations and body language Elijah knew the lie for what it was. "She just wanted to apologize. For trying to have me killed."

"So, it's true then, she's forgiven Klaus." He knew he had to be worried for himself, but he was curious as to if his hypothesis as to his mother's feelings of his half-brother were correct. She lied well that time, she smiled, but again he could spot the lies for what they were.

"It's true..." She even kept his eyes this time until the spoon tapping against a glass upstairs drew his attention away from her. He couldn't trust her after all. Estele was announcing how people were delivering the spiked glasses...so had she tied even the mortals into this spell of hers? No, it seemed like she was targeting specifically her children somehow. But Elijah...she'd promised him...

"...it provides me with no greater joy than to see my family all together as one..." Estele was saying in the toast. She was a better liar than Elena by far. Then she announced the final word. "Cheers."

Elijah smiled and held up his own glass, repeating the sentiment as he looked at Elena, curious if she would have anything further to add while the crowd was loud enough to cover up any whispers. They tapped glasses and Elena was staring at him, she barely shook her head but didn't say anything, likely still afraid she'd be overheard. It was subtle but he'd been alive a long time, she didn't swallow whatever was in her glass and he pretended to play along just as well as she had. Perhaps he could trust her after all...she'd stopped something. Even if he didn't know what yet.

The toast went off and no one seemed to suspect the ruse, people wandering off their own ways. He heard Rebekah and Kol speaking of murder but since she was discouraging him he had to hope that would be enough, he needed to catch up to Elena and find out what was happening. She was heading out, with the darker brother grabbing her arm. They were arguing.

"...I'm mad at you because I love you." Well someone had just confessed, that complicated the evening.

"Well maybe that's the problem." She replied. Elijah found himself smirking slightly despite his desire to remain unemotional with the doppelganger. Then she immediately regretted it, she was too kind for her own good, Damon was hardly worthy of her. Caroline was approaching and Elijah paused her, shaking his head. "Not now dear, look somewhere else please, I have business with Miss Elena. Perhaps Mr. Salvatore would aid in your search."

Caroline didn't know what to say so she just remained quiet as the normally less than friendly Elijah politely interrupted the argument between doppelganger and vampire.

"Excuse me, leaving so soon Miss Elena? Here I was hoping for a dance." Elijah commented. "Though given poor company perhaps we could simply take a walk first, I could use the air. Go help Caroline find Matt would you? She's been searching for him."

Demon narrowed his eyes at the other vampire but he walked away with a sigh after Caroline, muttering.

"You want to do this now?" Elena hissed lowly, staring at him in concern. He only smiled lightly, amused at her surprise and offered an arm. Lips curling up a bit more when she accepted it and they started to walk away from the party and outside.

"It seems only natural to thank you for your help this evening, I imagine rescuing you from such disagreeable company should suffice." Elijah commented, with a almost playful undertone that made Elena stare a long moment before she broke into a smile.

"Fine fine, I'm glad I could help. You're right though, I'd rather not stay inside, a little air would be nice. Can we go somewhere else?" Elena commented, she knew she had to play along or otherwise Estele would find out. If Estele had suspicions as to Elijah not being a part of the ritual then she might do something else to target him. She just didn't think he deserved that. Not after all he'd done to help them...even if he'd also betrayed them.

Kol was causing trouble...Elijah could hear him, it provided a good distraction for them to leave swiftly, he didn't want to be near here when they spoke. His families ears were nearly as good as his own. "Hold on Elena."

It wasn't much warning before he'd lifted her just barely from the ground and they sped away, her fingers digging into the fabric of his expensive suit. Likely as much from fright as any desire to remain stable, he would make sure she didn't fall. He had to keep in mind that he couldn't become attached, he wasn't like the Salvatore's. Elijah recognized that she wasn't Tatia.

"Speak quickly," He commented as they paused in the woods, she assumed somewhere nearby though Elena couldn't make out anything, it was dark enough that they could have traveled miles. "I do not have much time I can be away from the manor without them growing suspicious. Why didn't you want me to drink the toast tonight?"

"Elijah..." Elena stared at him a long moment, relieved to a point that he had picked up her clue, she hadn't been completely convinced. "...she cast a spell on it. She wanted to connect your family together, Klaus, you, Rebekah, all of them. She used my blood as some ingredient. She told me it was to kill Klaus, she didn't tell me how until after, she wants to kill all of you. She'll probably notice soon, she said it would take all of you for it to work."

It was what he'd expected...but it still hurt...Elijah glanced away from Elena, into the dark woods, probably able to see even in the gloom. She took a step closer, concern as always written across her face. "I'm so sorry Elijah, I wish there was something I could do...but...I couldn't let her kill Klaus if it meant killing you too."

"It didn't." Elijah muttered, looking particularly annoyed.

"Wait what? What do you mean, she said..."

"She lied Elena..." Elijah retorted more harshly than his usual collected tone, looking at her again. "I've seen such magic before, while it does require family, it only requires one other member of a bloodline. She'll kill all of them now...you should have told me sooner."

"I couldn't...I don't know why I told you. When she said that everyone would die and you were about to take a drink..." Elena stopped, she knew she didn't want to say it out loud. "I just couldn't let that happen. I said before I thought you were an honorable man Elijah. I meant it."

"And you think I should simply let them go? They are my family Elena, I've been trying for over a thousand years to reunite us." Elijah wasn't sure she would ever fully understand.

"You know Klaus will never stop, he'll control everything...we can find a way to free some of the others but...please Elijah, don't stop them. I saved you. I don't know why...but, as long as Klaus is alive he will be trying to use me as a tool and he will destroy all those I care about to get to it. I have to worry about my family too."

"We will see." Elijah reached up and plucked her necklace free, it wasn't pleasant seeing the shocked and hurt expression on her face but he had to use a compulsion on her. It was the only way he knew he would be safe until he could figure out what else he was going to do about this.

End Chapter

So, mostly a retelling of Episode 14 in Season 3 with variants to fit the alterations, the story will quickly take away from what happened in the show in the next chapter. I've been pondering since I watched the episode (only recently got into the show) what could have been different if Elena hadn't betrayed Elijah's trust. And I just really really like the idea of a romance between the pair. Hopefully folks will read and review, I'm always happy to get feedback as long as it's not just flaming.

-Aura