"Don't do anything to mess this up, we need this to go through." Damon told Stefan quietly as they walked down the long hallway within the Mikaelson mansion. The last thing he wanted was Stefan ruining their plan to find a way to kill the Original Hybrid.
Klaus has destroyed the lives of his loved ones and he couldn't let him go on and take Elena's. That's why Damon had teamed up with Elijah, he was relying on the vengeance the older vampire held for his brother. The two stopped at the door, waiting after Damon had knocked. Damon made sure to give Stefan a pointed look, but Stefan ignored it. The last thing he wanted was to be at this dinner in the company of the man who took everything from him, and his supposed brother who was also taking everything away.
The door opened, revealing Elijah, "Niklaus, our guest have arrived" He announced as he stepped aside to let the Salvatore brothers in.
"Damon, Stefan. Elijah tells me you seek an audience. Very bold." Klaus greeted, " Lets discuss the terms of our agreement like civilized men shall we?" He asked motioning tor wards a dining table for four.
The two brothers stood, unsure if they wanted to take a seat. "It's better to indulge him." Elijah told them as he walked tor wards the table himself.
Stefan was the first to step forward, "I didn't uh, come here to eat Klaus, in fact I didn't want to come at all, but I was told I had too cause you would hear us out." Stefan said, looking over to Damon.
Klaus let of a short chuckle, "Well, we can sit down and eat, or I can reach down your throats and pull out your insides." He smiled while sitting down, "The choice is yours." He didn't find Stefans act intimidating, well because nothing intimidated him at all.
A wave of uneasiness crashed through Damon as he looked at the Hybrid, he just hoped that his brother wouldn't be an idiot and ruined this for everyone.
After a few moments of waiting, Stefan stepped forward and reluctantly took a seat, Damon in pursuit.
"That's more like it" Klaus smiled, looking to his own brother, "Elijah." He nodded motioning to his seat. Elijah smiled in return before taking a seat.
The four men sat in silence as their food was served to them, the only noise is the clinking of the silverware and the heals of the compelled servants.
"Thank you love," Damon smiled at one of the servants as she poured wine into his glass, checking her out as she walks away.
"You've lost your appetite?" Klaus broke the silence between the four when he noticed Stefan's untouched plate.
Stefan just raised his eyebrows, not bothering to respond to the hybrid.
"Eat. I thought we agreed that we would leave the grumpy Stefan at home." Damon scolded Stefan.
Stefan leaned back into his chair, picking up his silverware as he cut into the meat. At that moment, his hatred for Klaus magnified and he wanted nothing but to reach over the table and kill him, his brother scolding him like he was a child wasn't helping. But he restrained himself, knowing that it was impossible to kill him, for he was immortal. He just had to hope that whatever was in that locked coffin would help them.
"That's the spirit!" Klaus cheered softly. "Isn't this nice? The four of us dining together, such a treat. Is this what you had in mind when you pulled the dagger out of my brother?" He asked looking at Damon, while pointing to Elijah with his fork.
He was uncertain of their motives, but knew it was nothing good. Nothing good ever came to him with the Salvatores came around. Them and their little group always had to try killing him, though all of their attempts always failed.
"Well, I knew how he felt about you, so I figured the more.. the merrier." Damon gave a tight smile as he ate his meal, sending a wink over to Elijah, who sat quietly as he watched their interactions.
"Well Elijah and I had shared our set of quarrels over the centuries but we always make it through." Klaus told Damon as he looked over at his brother.
"Kind of like you and Rebekah, right?" Stefan spoke up, "Where is she by way? Last time I checked she was still daggered because you were afraid to face her." He confronted as he took a sip of his drink.
Klaus knew what he was doing, trying to put out the fact that he killed his and Elijah's mother. He leaned forward resting one of his elbows on the table, "If you're referring to the fact that Rebekah knows I killed our mother, I've already come clean to Elijah" He smiled over to Elijah.
"Hey Stef, remember when you killed dad, might want to dial down on the judgment til dessert." Damon said as he picked up his wine glass, making sure to send a slight glare to his brother. His attitude wasn't helping anything at the moment.
"We're here to make a deal Damon. Doesn't mean we need to kiss his ass for seven courses." Stefan was getting sick of this friendly facade, he just wanted to get this night over with.
"I'm just saying we have a long evening ahead of us. Pace yourself." Damon's patience with his brother was wearing thin.
"Stefan, where is the lovely Elena tonight?" Elijah stepped in, trying to direct the conversation somewhere else.
"I don't know ask Damon." Stefan smiled bitterly,
Klaus laughed at his brother's confused expression, earning a deeper look of confusion to spread upon Elijah's face as he looked over to Klaus.
"I'm sorry, you've missed so much. Uh- trouble in Paradise." Klaus clarified, motioning his hands to the two Salvatore brothers.
"One more word about Elena and uh, this dinner is over." Stefan warned. He definitely didn't want to discuss Elena with his brother or Klaus
Klaus laughed silently as he put one finger over his mouth. He found it amusing, the two's interest in the doppelganger.
"You know what, probably best just to keep Elena in the do not discuss pile." Damon spoke, he didn't want this to continue, for more reasons than one.
"You're probably right" Klaus said, amused. "It's just the allure of the Petrova doppelganger, still so strong. What do you say, brother? Should we tell them about Tatia?" Klaus asked looking over to Elijah, catching both, Stefan and Damon's interest.
"Now why should we discuss matters long since resolved?" Elijah asked, he didn't want to talked about a woman he once cared about, not when his mind kept fleeing to the woman in the coffin just in the next room.
"Well given their shared affection for both Elena and Katerina, I think our guest might be curious to learn about the originator of the Petrova line." Klaus said, seeming as if he actually cared.
"Well were not going anywhere Elijah. Please do tell." Damon raised his glass. He wanted to know more about this Tatia.
"When our family first settled here, there was a girl named Tatia, she was an exquisite beauty." Elijah began the story, hesitantly. " Every boy of age desired to be her suitor, even though she'd had a child by another man. And none loved her more than Niklaus."
" I'd say there was one who loved her at least as much." Klaus joined in.
"Wait a minute, so you both loved the same girl?" Stefan asked, amusement written all over his face as he fold his hands together.
Elijah nodded, "For a short while yes, I then developed feelings for Tatias friend, Avelina."
"Avelina? Is she the mystery girl in one of the coffin?" Damon asked, thinking back to the girl. No one knew who she was and she was no where mentioned in the Aztec script in the caves.
"Indeed." Elijah nodded
"Our mother was a very powerful witch. She strongly disliked Tatia for starting a feud between her sons. Klaus and I would later learn that it was Tatia's blood that we consumed in the wine on the night where out mother performed the spell which turned us into vampires. Tatia wouldn't make a decision between the two of us so for a time niklaus and I grew estranged. Hard words were traded we even came to blows. Didn't we brother? Even after my feelings for Tatia had faded, we still remained estranged" Elijah explained uneasily,
"But in the end we realized the sacred bond of family." Klaus spoke up
"Family above all." Elijah said, raising his glass to his brother, who repeated the action.
"Family above all." Klaus smiled as they clinked their glass together.
"Wait, so this Avelina, she's daggered, so she's an original too?" Damon asked, after sharing a look with Stefan.
"Indeed," Elijah nodded. "Avelina was not only close to Tatia, but to our family also. Our family's had traveled to the New World together. Her parents were close to ours, meaning that we were close to her. She was like a second daughter to our parents, they loved her as their own. After we moved to the New World, Avelina had met Tatia, and they became rather close, Tatia was like an older sister to her almost. She had been the one who introduced us to Tatia." He smiled faintly as he thought of his human days.
Damon looked over to his brother, sharing another look, as his phone vibrated indicating he had a text.
Bonnie: Getting closer. Need more time.
"So, why don't we move this evening along and discuss the terms of this proposal" Elijah said, changing the subject.
"That's very simple. Klaus gets his coffin back, in exchange, he and the Original extended family leave Mystic Falls forever. Me, Stefan, and Elena live happily ever after. No grudges." Damon explained.
"The deal sounds fair, brother." Elijah agreed.
''I don't think you understand," Klaus began, disagreeing with their proposition. "Elena's doppelgänger blood insures that I will always have more hybrids to fight those that oppose me. I will never leave her behind." He looked over at Stefan, then to Damon, grabbing his glass and walking over to the fireplace. " Let's say I do leave her here, under your protection, what then? How long before one of you turns her into a vampire? Or worse, how long before she dies caught between your feuding? You see, each one of you truly believes that you're the one that can protect her, and that is simply a delusion. Gentlemen, the worst thing for Elena Gilbert is... the two of you." Klaus finished, sending Damon a faint smirk.
"I'm gonna get some air." Damon excused himself, he couldn't let Klaus' words get to him, and he wouldn't. This was a perfect time to put their plan into place, he walked out of the room into a living room.
"Let me deal with this." Elijah stood up, following Damon.
Damon stood in the corner of the room, waiting for Elijah. Once Elijah entered the room, Damon went to speak, but Elijah silenced him, motioning him to follow him. He lead Damon down the hallway into another room where the four coffins were.
"We shall undagger them now, it will take a few moments for them to revive." Elijah said as quietly as he could, although the room was safe from Klaus' hearing if they were quiet enough, but he didn't want to risk anything.
Damon nodded and went over to undagger the two men, while Elijah quickly undaggered Rebekah, slowly he made his way to the fourth coffin, which held Avelina.
He opened it, to revealed a the girl. She was dressed in clothes from the 15th century, the time when she was daggered, the dagger still placed in her heart. Her skin grey with veins sprouting out. This was the first time he has seen her for over half a millennium. Guilt flushed through him as he looked at his Avelina, he shouldn't have allowed his brother to dagger her and let her rot away here, while he stood by his brothers side and did nothing to help her. Gently, he stroked her cheek, remember the warmth they used to hold.
"I'd hate to interrupt, but we need to hurry so.." Damon said quietly, pulling him out of his thoughts.
Elijah nodded and clear his throat, carefully, as if he didn't want to hurt her, he pulled the dagger out, setting it on the table.
A gasp caught both Damon and Elijah's attention, they turned around to see Rebekah holding her chest.
"Elijah? Whats going on?" She asked her brother. He motioned her to be quiet.
"I thought it was time we reunited our family." He smiled while handing her a blood bag. It wasn't long until his brothers woke up. He explained what was happening and gave them blood bags as well. Worry took over him as he watched Avelina, still neutralized, but he assured himself that all was fine.
He was startled when she let out a loud gasp, but relief soon filled him. She was ok.
"Avelina.." He breathed out quietly.
Her eyes snapped to Elijah, "Lijah..?" Fear and confusion in her eyes. It hurt Elijah to see her like this. "Where are we?" She asked looking around.
"We're in Niklaus' mansion. In Mystic Falls." He told her grabbing her hand, "Its where our old village once stood."
"What? Mystic Falls?" Pulled her hand out of his grasp crawled out of the coffin and straightened out her dress. What kind of name was that for a town? She looked at Elijah and the stranger the stood behind him, looking at their clothes. They were different from what she remembers men wearing the last time she was alive. "What year is it?" She asked looking around to spot Finn, Rebekah and Kol. Kol and Finn were just as confused as her before but Elijah filled them in on everything they needed to know for the time being. She raised her eyebrows at Rebekah's clothing, it was so.. revealing.
"2012" Rebekah spoke up, "Alot has changed." She noticed the look she gave her.
"2012?" She looked at Elijah with wide eyes, "I was in the bloody coffin for over five hundred years?" She asked, she didn't raise her voice. That was something she never did, and that was what made people nervous. Her ability to be calm while she was angry, a trait she shared with Elijah.
"Avelina I-" Elijah began to apologize but was cut off with her hand connecting with his cheek.
"I do not want to hear an apology. If you were truly sorry you would not have let me rot away for five hundred years Elijah." She said turning away from him, tears stung her eyes but she wasn't going to allow herself to cry, especially not with a stranger in the room. She just couldn't believe the people she considered family, the man who claimed to love her, allowed Niklaus dagger her. Anger filled her as she thought of him.
"Where is Nik?" She asked, anger growing by the second.
"He is in the other room" Elijah stepped to her but she took a step to the side, Elijah couldn't help but feel hurt as she stepped away from him, but he could not blame her.
"I am going to put that dagger through his heart." She said calmly, as she went to pick up a dagger.
"Avelina, I cannot let you do that, not yet." Elijah told her as he grabbed her hand, "You can get your vengeance but you have to wait a few moments." He pleaded, after a few moments of glaring she agreed.
"Fine," She sighed, of course he was the last person she wanted to listen to but she figured he had a plan that'll make Klaus suffer.
"OK, let's go Elijah, before they get a little suspicious." Damon smiled and began to walk, Avelina watched as Elijah and the stranger left the room, then her gaze fell on the three others in the room. Her heart clenching as she saw Kol and Rebekah.
She had never been close to Finn, but Rebekah was like her sister, they were pretty much inseparable. She was also close to Kol, he was someone she could always joke around with, they had always got into trouble when they were together.
"Lina.." Rebekah said faintly as she looked at her best friend, tears filling her eyes. She had not seen her over five hundred years, and even though she wanted to free her all these years, she was afraid of Klaus
"Bekah." She went over quickly to engulf her in a hug. She couldn't stay mad at her even if she wanted too, she was the only girl Avelina could stand, especially since she had to watch many harlots throw themselves on Kol, Klaus and even Elijah.
"I am so sorry." Rebekah cried out as she hugged her friend, she didn't care if there were other people in the room, they were only her siblings anyways.
"It's OK Bekah, it's alright." She comforted her friend, "I'm here now. Now stop your crying." She smiled wiping a few stray tears from the vampires cheeks.
"You have no idea how much I missed you." Rebekah smiled, happiness filling her. Avelina was her only friend, the only person that understood her, and she was glad her friend didn't hate her.
"Isn't that lovely?" Kol smirked as he watched the two girls reunite.
"Hello Kol." Avelina rolled her eyes playfully at his comment and pulled him into a hug. "When did Nik dagger you?" She asked pulling away and looking at his clothes. She knew it had to be quite some time ago seeing that his clothes were different from Elijahs and the stranger.
"Quite a while ago." He said, gritting his teeth as he thought of his brother. The nerve he had to actually lock him in a box for over a century.
Avelina shook her head. She turned to Finn and quickly greeted him, just then Elijah entered the room.
"It's time." He said, his eyes falling on Avelina. He walked over to the table and grabbed the daggers, putting them on a tray. The four followed him as he walked through a hall, he handed the tray to a girl in skimpy clothing, Avelina couldn't help but feel jealous as she watched Elijah instruct her to follow him and the stranger.
The four took position, Kol and Rebekah went else where, Reabekah taking a dagger with her, and Finn and Avelina stayed where they were. Anger rushed through Avelina as she heard Klaus speaking.
"Elijah, why haven't you left?" Klaus asked as his brother stepped into the room with Damon and the servant by his side.
"Where are your manners brother? We forgot dessert." Elijah pulled off the cloth that covered the three daggers.
"What have you done?" Fear filled Klaus as he thought of the anger his family would have torwards him, and now that they were undaggered he would have to face them.
"What have you done, brother. You see I have learned vulgar promises Klaus. We're doing this on my terms now." Elijah said stepping to the side.
"Kol!" Klaus held his hands up as he watched his younger brother walked into the room.
"Long time brother." Kol stopped in front of him, Klaus tried to run for a dagger but was stopped by Finn.
"Finn don't" Klaus exclaimed as Finn picked up a dagger, stabbing Klaus' hand.
Klaus let out a groan of pain as the dagger pierced his hand, once Finn released him he tried to make a run for it, but was stopped short by Rebekah.
She walked over to him and thrust the dagger she held her hand into his stomach. "This is for our mother." She pulled it out and pushed him tor wards Kol, who held Klaus back. Avelina decided now was a good time to make an appearance, she walked by Elijah and the two strangers, grabbing a dagger from the tray and stood in front of Klaus.
"Avelina.." His eyes widened
"Hello Nikki." She smiled, making sure she used the nickname she once gave him before plunging the dagger into his chest, "It's lovely to see you" she said as she twisted the dagger roughly.
"You're free to go," He dismissed the two bystanders, "This is family business."
Damon and Stefan hesitantly left the room as they kept their eyes on the family before them, their eyes more focused on Avelina. Avelina stepped back, leaving the dagger in his chest.
Kol released his brother, roughly pushing him forward into a chair as everyone else looked around. Kol and Finn poured themselves a glass of wine, as Avelina stood by the window. Kol had offered her a drink but she decline. She just watched as Rebekah paced around the room.
"I like what you've done with the new place Nik." Rebekah told her brother as she walked back and forth stopping to pick up a vase and throwing it at a wall.
"I wanted it to be for all of us, a place we could all call home, a place we could be a family. None of us would ever have to be alone again." Klaus told them, his eyes watering.
"Well you're right, none of us will be." Avelina spoke up, walking over to Rebekah, keeping her gaze on Elijah. Klaus looked over at her, some what confused.
"You're staying behind." Fin spoke up walking tor wards the two girls, along with Kol and Elijah. Avelina made sure to space between Elijah and herself, for she was still mad at him.
"We're leaving you Nik," Rebekah explained, "Right after I kill that doppelganger wench." She spat venomously, "And you will be alone, always and forever." Rebekah finished, using the promise they all had used with each other, promising to stick together.
Avelina furrowed her brows, "Doppelganger? There's another one?" She asked looking at Klaus. "Had you broke the curse already?"
"He has, last summer." Elijah informed her,
She let out a scoff, "And yet you proceeded to keep us in coffins?" She asked in disbelief.
Klaus ignored her, making her even angrier, "If you run, I will hunt all of you down" He threatened, clenching his fist.
"And then you'll become everything you hate.." Avelina spat, taking a few steps forward, "Your father." She remember the many years they had spent in fear running from Mikael.
"I'm the hybrid! I cant be killed! " Klaus yelled, he was growing more and more angrier with his family. How dare they threaten to leave him when he spent all of this time making a home for them all. "I have nothing to fear from any of you." He laughed.
"You will when we have that coffin." Elijah spoke up.
Klaus went quiet, tears filled his eyes, knowing that Elijah was right. They all went silent as they thought of the person that was in the coffin, the silence was cut off when the of a sound door opening echoed through the room. Everyone's heads snapped to the direction of where the disturbance came from. Avelina's eyes widened and a mixture of emotions flooded her mind as she looked at the woman that stood before her. The woman stepped forward, dressed in a dress from the early ages.
"Mother.." Rebekah breathed out, tears stinging her eyes.
"Esther" Avelina said at the same time.
The woman ignored the two girls and stepped torwards Klaus. Everyone watched as she stopped in front of him, his eyes avoiding her face, trying to brace himself for the death that was surely about to come.
"Look at me" She demanded her son, fear filled Avelina as she watched the scene in front of her. Although Klaus has done many bad things, she did not wish death upon him.
"Do you know why I'm here?" Esther asked once Klaus looked at her.
''You're here to kill me" He whispered.
"Niklaus you are my son and I am here to forgive you," Confusion soon replaced the fear she had felt. Forgive Klaus for what? She turned to the rest of her children and Avelina. "I want us to be a family again, even you Avelina"