After he changed his suit and fed, it was almost 2 am before Elijah willed himself to rest in one of the large leather arm chairs in his room, reading Ben Hur.
By the time dawn approached, he had finished the book, had grabbed his suit jacket and was heading down themain upstairs hall toward the large marble staircase, passing at least five more rooms on the way.
The previous night, Niklaus had taken Elijah up the back stairs and Elijah had missed these bedrooms. As he took a look inside each of them, he noticed that they all seemed to be ornately furnished and uniquely different.
But it wasn't until he came to the last room that his interest was piqued.
Unlike all the other rooms, its door was only slightly ajar and there was no sunlight emanating from it, as if the curtains had been drawn.
Elijah stepped forward through the threshold, cautiously pushing door completely open with his right hand.
As he entered the room, he noticed that it was fairly large like his and ornately decorated, but had little features of its own. There were no leather chairs, no full service bar or walk in library. It was more delicate looking than his room and was painted a soft shade of lilac, with a white canopy bed and a vanity mirror and bureau against the far wall next to a gold upholstered chase lounge with a matching set of chairs.
As guessed, the white Pricilla style curtains over the bay window were drawn.
Elijah opened his senses and looked around, waiting for someone to show themselves, but neither saw nor sensed anyone.
But, then, just as he turned to leave the room, something took hold of him.
He drew a sharp breath as he saw it sitting there on the side table near to the left of the door frame—his mother's necklace.
Elijah took it into his hand immediately and turned back to face the inside of the room.
It all suddenly made sense—the color lilac, the vanity mirror, the canopy bed—this was to be Rebekah's room.
But if the necklace was here, then she had to be too.
She had never taken it off in over a thousand years…
Suddenly, though, Elijah's mind didn't flash to his sister, it flashed to Elena.
To the day he first saw her—the day Rose had summoned him to the abandoned mansion, offering a doppelganger in exchange for clemency for her and Trevor. When he had approached her, drank in her scent and tried to compel her—it was there around her neck—Rebekah's necklace—he had pulled it off with his own hand and tossed it aside like a priceless trinket…
"What is this vervain doing around your neck?"
Then to the night in the hallway of the Gilbert home when he shook Elena's hand after Jenna invited him into the house to retrieve some historical research materials…
"It's a pleasure."
Finally, to the stand-off at the Gilbert family lake house when Elena stabbed herself with the knife…
"Give me your word!"
How did he not see it before that Elena had been wearing it?
His heart dropped as he thought of what holding the necklace in his hand now meant.
Was she safe? Had Klaus done something to her?
Elijah closed his fist tighter around the necklace and closed his eyes.
Immediately Elena was there in front of him again, leaning back on the front door of his apartment the night of the ritual, laying a hand on his forearm, looking into his eyes.
"No. No compulsion. I don't want to forget. It was my choice, Elijah, and I want to remember everything….Please."
Elijah's mind raced.
Why did he feel he could have compelled her that night?
Then he remembered that when his eyes had roamed over her, her neck had been bare—she wasn't wearing the necklace.
What was it about the necklace that made him see it, but not see it?
He tried desperately to remove Elena from the equation—the important question now was why was she wearing it? How had she come by it?
And why was Rebekah not wearing it? He knew that she would never have taken it off of her own accord—she would have died first.
Died…
Elijah's eyes widened as he quickly moved to the center of the room with vampire speed and looked around for a moment before it came to him.
He immediately flew to the walk-in closet in the far corner of the room and flung open the doors.
As he stood in the door way, he exhaled and relaxed his hand, letting the necklace fall out of his hand and its chain catch on his fingers as it swung freely down at his side, his eyes beholding the mahogany coffin that he knew held the body of his younger sister.
NEW WORLD - 1032 A.D.
Blades clash roughly as Elijah steps back, paying close attention to his footwork as he ducks another swing of his opponent's sword. He gives a thrust of his own blade, but it is blocked and his blade is pushed against him as he leans back, watching as it glides by his face, gleaming in the afternoon sun.
For fourteen, he is rather advanced in sword fighting, but that's because he practices constantly—he knew that if it ever came down to natural talent, his opponent would win.
He attacks again, but is unsuccessful.
There is a loud cry from his opponent as Elijah sidesteps once more and, tucking his sword under his arm, blocks the oncoming advance by ducking behind the trunk of a great white oak tree.
He laughs as his opponent's blade makes hard contact with the trunk of the tree, taking off a large strip of bark and sending it showering to the ground.
When the weapon is pulled back, he feels safe enough to show his face from the other side.
"Very good, Rebekah," Elijah smiles, swinging his sword playfully in his hand as he steps out toward his ten year-old sister, her blonde hair windblown and her cheeks red as she holds her sword up at the ready.
He turns back toward the white oak, surveying the damage with a raised eyebrow, "But it seems you killed the tree."
"Well, it's nice to kill something other than dinner," Rebekah smiles back, lowering her sword.
Elijah turns his sword in his hand and brings it to the sheath at his side then holds his hand out to his sister and she hands him her sword, hilt first.
"Father never likes me handling a blade," she sighs, coming to Elijah's side, "He says that learning the sword is a waste of time for a woman—"
"Well, out here, with the way our neighbors are," Elijah said lowering his voice as looked out at some of the villagers going about their daily business, "you should know how to wield a blade. It's a dangerous land and it would not be right to leave you without a way to defend yourself." He brought his hand up to stroke her cheek, "Father need not know of our lessons."
After a moment, Elijah lowers his hand and sets off toward the shed to finish his chores, Rebekah close on his heels.
"But, what if he finds out, Elijah?" she asks as they enter the barn and watches Elijah put away their weapons.
"He won't. We'll practice only when he is not around—"
"What if Niklaus tells him? You know what a horrid traitor he is when it comes to Father's wrath."
"We'll practice in the woods near the clearing just to be safe and that way no one will see us, not even Niklaus."
Rebekah leaps up on the central post of the shed and twirls down, "And you promise not to go easy on me?"
Elijah laughs as he pulls a box of Ferrier tools from a nearby shelf, "I've already promised that I will train you like a man, Rebekah, and I shall…but I have to say that I don't want to end up like that tree!"
Rebekah smirks, "Well, then I promise to go easy on you, Brother."
Elijah turns, wielding the box heavily in his hands and walks toward his sister, leaning in close to her.
"You are stronger than you think Rebekah and I want to help you find that strength and use it," he said in a low voice, then pulling back to face her, "And don't worry about Father or Niklaus, for as long as I am around, you don't have to fear anything or anyone. I will always protect you and if you are ever lost, I will always find you."
Rebekah let out a trembled breath, her eyes glistening as she studied her older brother's face.
"Always and forever?" she asked
"You have my word." Elijah nodded with a sweet smile as he moved past her toward the waiting horses in the stable.
As Elijah opened the lid of Rebekah's coffin and beheld his younger sister for the first time in almost a century, his breath caught.
She lay peacefully with her arms folded across her stomach. She was wearing a tea length formal dress, the color—red—hiding the bloodstains from the dagger protruding from her chest.
Elijah brought his hand up and looked hard at the necklace for a moment, then unclasping the chain, leaned down and placed it back in its rightful spot upon his sister's neck.
When he pulled back, he brought his hand to her left cheek.
"I'm so sorry I had to leave you…" he whispered, "I hope that you can forgive me."
Then with a deep breath and a silent prayer, he brought the hand from her cheek to the silver hilt of the dagger and pulled…
Leaving the mansion to meet Damon had not been easy. Klaus, being his usual paranoid self, had blocked Elijah's path, asking him several questions. But, having lived with his brother for over a thousand years, Elijah knew exactly how to deflect him and in the end, convinced him that he only needed some fresh air and would not be gone for more than an hour or two.
Damon arrived only minutes behind him, walking out into the predetermined location specified in his note—the clearing in Harper's Woods—as he conversed on his cell phone.
Elijah waited patiently with his hands in his pockets as Damon ended the conversation.
"Ahh…makes me nostalgic for the time when Stefan was a bunny snacking pacifist. Anyway, gotta go…more later." Damon said
Elijah smirked as Damon eyed him.
Bunny snacking pacifist?
Elijah always did enjoy Damon's sense of humor—it was much like his own. And as he neared, Elijah picked up the remnants of the voice on the other end of the phone.
"Hey, where are you?"
It sounded like Alaric Saltzman.
"Tea with an old friend," Damon said curtly, bringing the phone down from his ear and hitting the end button on the touch screen.
"Elijah," he said, placing the phone in his blue jean pocket as he moved closer, "My favorite original…back from the dead. You clean up nice."
Elijah pulled the note from the inside of his jacket, holding it up between his first and second fingers in front of Damon.
"You left something in my jacket pocket," he said
Damon raised an eyebrow and looked down ready with his snappy comeback.
"Dear Elijah," he said in a playful tone, "let's get together about the destruction of your brother. XOXO…"
"Damon," Elijah finished with a raised eyebrow, knowing that that was not what the note really said.
"Was I right to un-dagger you or are we going to have a problem?" he asked, clearly uncomfortable with his 'favorite original' trying to play along with his little joke.
Elijah tried to put his mind at ease.
"I'm here," he said, shifting his stance and placing his hand in his pockets, "So, let's talk."
"I'll start with an easy question," Damon said, narrowing his eyes
Elijah's mind immediately goes back to the instant that he jumped through the flames and saved his brother, leaving the promise he had made to Damon, Elena, Bonnie and Stefan behind. No doubt Damon's question would be 'why did you betray us and save your brother?' That would be the question he would ask if he were in his shoes.
But, to Elijah's relief, Damon didn't ask that question, he asked something else.
"Any idea what kind of Klaus-killing weapon could be magically sealed inside a mystery coffin?"
Elijah's initial relief at the question turned to sudden intrigue.
"What 'mystery' coffin?" he asked, straightening as he pulled his hands from his pockets while doing a silent audit in his head.
When he had awoken and fought Niklaus he had seen two other coffins in the room with him. One, he knew for sure, was Kol. The other had to be Finn, by the simple fact that he had come across Rebekah's coffin later in another room of the house.
His mother and youngest brother, Henrik had been mortal when they died and had been long since buried.
Mikael was a possibility, but if he died the way Niklaus said he did, then the stake carved from the white oak would have consumed his body—there would be no need for a coffin.
"Oh, right…" Damon said, looking down, "I forgot that you've been out of the game for a little while, so perhaps I should bring you up to speed. See…here's the thing…a couple of weeks ago, Stefan went all bat-shit crazy on us and stole Klaus' coffins—your siblings—out from under his nose—"
"Why on earth would he be so stupid as to provoke Klaus like that?" Elijah asked, stunned
"Oh, because Stefan's gone off the deep end Elijah…big time. After you pulled your little Houdini act on us, it seems that like all noble brothers who despise their less noble brothers, Stefan just couldn't let me die from the werewolf bite that I suffered trying to save Tyler Lockwood and Caroline from being the sacrificial tid-bits in Klaus' ritual—"
"Wait" Elijah said, holding up his hands and shaking his head, "You were bitten by a werewolf and you are still standing here—"
"Oh, yeah…" Damon smiled, "It gets better. Stefan went to Klaus and traded his services for Klaus' help in curing me. It seems that Mother Nature gave your baby bro a little 'cure all' when it comes to werewolf bites—his blood."
"And exactly what kind of 'services' did Stefan trade?"
"Well, it seems Klaus and Stefan knew each other way back when—had a little 'Ripper' fun—if you know what I mean…" Damon said raising an eyebrow
Elijah nodded solemnly.
He had heard of Stefan Salvatore in the late 1800's, back when he was known through supernatural circles by the name 'Ripper'. He was considered a master of death, destruction and mayhem. He loved the hunt and the kill and took special pleasure in torturing his prey. Niklaus seemed to idolize him and loved reading about his trail of bodies in the local newpapers, but Elijah had no idea that Stefan had known or spent time with Niklaus.
However, Niklaus had daggered him sometime around 1910 and did not awaken him until 1957, so it's very possible.
Spending time with Stefan Salvatore in his 'Ripper' days would certainly explain why Niklaus seemed to have lost all disregard for human life in the last century.
"Klaus doesn't do well with being alone." Elijah sighed
"Well, he sure got Stefan off the wagon—drinking human blood—killing—but, granted he was compelled most of the time. They left town, caused a little mayhem, tried to sire some hybrids and failed, woke up your sister 'Barbie Klaus' and returned to Mystic Falls to use Elena as a hybrid blood bank."
Elijah straightened at Elena's name, "Elena? Why—"
"Well, it seems that Mama Original thought her little riddle about killing the doppelganger in the ritual would be unsolvable. Well, Klaus solved it. It seems that Elena's blood is not only the key to breaking the hybrid curse, it's the also only way that Klaus can sire his hybrid army."
"A hybrid army?"
"Oh, yeah. The place has been crawling with the little buggers for weeks."
Elijah's thoughts immediately went back to the young man who's chest he had punched his hand through back at the mansion. There had only been one of him—he had not seen any more.
"Well, where are they now?"
"It seems that when Stefan went all 'Coo Koo's Nest' and turned off his humanity, turning villain and trying to beat Klaus at his own game—which believe me, has been horribly painful to watch—one of his conditions to getting the coffins back was to make the little lap dogs leave town so that Klaus would be all alone again and unprotected."
Elijah nodded, "I see."
There was a silence as Elijah absorbed this information.
Then Damon, being Damon, added on to the report.
"Oh, by the way…" he said in a low voice, sucking in a breath behind his teeth, "sorry about your Dad, man."
Elijah raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah…" Damon continued, "and, uh, Katherine is sort of on our team now, so we kind of have to place nice with her. So that means no Elijah-esque compelling or torture, okay?"
"Alright…" Elijah sighed, "Anything else?"
"I think that's about it." Damon confirmed
Elijah took a deep breath, finally asked what he had been waiting to ask from the very beginning, "And how is Elena?"
Damon studied Elijah for a moment, then answered, "Physically, she's fine. Human—normal. It seems Klaus won't harm her because he now knows that he needs her alive to sire his hybrids. But, let's just say that psychologically and emotionally—it's been a roller coaster. Klaus is still using her as bait for Stefan's self-destruction and keeps going after those she loves when he needs to prove a point."
"I understand how she feels," Elijah sighed, "Klaus is a master manipulator, especially when it comes to taking away what you love most."
"So are you ever going to tell me what he took away from you?" Damon asked suddenly
"No." Elijah said sternly
"Okay…" Damon said
"But I will tell you what I think his next move is going to be." Elijah smirked
When Elijah returned to the mansion all was quiet.
At first, he thought Niklaus had gone out, but as he walked across the marble entryway and started up the grand staircase, a voice called to him from inside the front parlor.
"There you are! It's been almost three hours, Elijah, I was beginning to think that you had met a girl," Niklaus smirked as he walked through the threshold and watched Elijah step back down the stairs.
"I went hunting." Elijah retorted in good humor, trying to deflect Klaus as usual.
His meeting with Damon had taken longer than anticipated.
"Kill any bunnies?" Niklaus joked
"I just needed to stretch my legs."
Niklaus nodded, "Well, when you get a chance, come down to my study. There are a few things I want to go over with you tonight before our guests arrive."
"Guests?"
"Oh, yes. It seems Stefan Salvatore and his ass of a brother are joining us—they just sent over a little message saying that they spoke to you and now want to negotiate some kind of truce?"
"I see. I apologize for keeping it from you, Brother. Damon left a note in my jacket pocket, requesting a meeting. I found it after I woke. I met with him and we spoke. I suggested a meeting. A truce would be beneficial for all."
Wow, when Elijah had suggested they sit down with Klaus, he didn't expect Damon to work so fast or that he would tell his psychotic brother that it was him that suggested it. Nice one, Salvatore.
"So, Damon pulled out your dagger," Klaus smirked, "Well played..."
Elijah narrowed his eyes as he watched the wheels in his brother's head work.
"Well, in any case, I want to go over what we are going to say and do—planning for all possible contingencies—because if we are negotiating a truce, I still want to make sure that I get what I want." Niklaus said sternly, stepping forward and placing a hand on his older brother's chest, "Because we both know that it's not pretty when I don't get what I want."
Even out of a fake truce? Elijah thought, but said, "Well, I'm going to take my jacket off, I'll be down in a few minutes. Fix me a bourbon will you?"
Niklaus smirked and nodded, pulling his hand back as he watched Elijah turned and head up the staircase.
When Elijah made it to the upstairs hallway, he looked back down and saw that Niklaus had disappeared back into the front parlor.
He quickly walked down the hall and entered Rebekah's room.
It was quiet with no sign anyone had been there, but the curtains were pulled back, the mid-day sun shining through, and when Elijah entered the walk-in closet, he saw the coffin lids were both open and the coffin empty.
After a moment, Elijah turned back and scanned the room and immediately saw her figure standing in the shadows of the far corner near the window.
Slowly, she stepped out into the sunlight, lowering the dagger she had raised, ready to defend herself like her brother had taught her over a thousand years earlier.
A look of surprise and awe crossed her face as she let the dagger fall from her hand onto the hardwood floor.
"Rebekah…" Elijah smiled
London—1910
"Rebekah!"
Rebekah bursts through the French doors and into the parlor of their three story rented walk-up on Piccadilly Street.
"Rebekah, you don't walk away when I'm talking to you!" Niklaus yells as he walks through the threshold after her, dressed in evening wear—a black tux with a white shirt and bowtie.
Seeing that there is nowhere to run, Rebekah turns and faces him with tear-stained eyes.
"What the hell is this?" Niklaus asks, holding a folded note up in his hand,"Hmmm?"
Rebekah tries to will herself to speak, but is too frightened.
"I can't hear you!" Niklaus screams at his sister, stepping down onto one of the parlor steps.
Rebekah closes her eyes, her face starting to crumble.
"What is happening?" Elijah asks, appearing in the threshold, holding a book in his hand at his side as he looks from his frightened sister to his angry brother, "I could hear this racket all the way upstairs."
Niklaus turns back to face Elijah and holds the note out to him.
"I came home tonight and found this note in her room! It seems that our sister was going to leave us, Elijah. She wants to be free. Naturally, I went after her and brought her home…"
Niklaus turns back to look at Rebekah, "Where she belongs!"
Elijah looks past Klaus to Rebekah, whose face is flushed with both embarrassment and anger as she looks away from them both.
Elijah tucks the book under his arm and takes the note in his hands.
Niklaus eyes him as he waits for Elijah to read it, but he does no such thing.
Looking directly at Rebekah, Elijah tears the note into shreds in its folded state.
"She is free to make her own decisions, Niklaus, and has been for quite some time" Elijah says sternly, still looking at Rebekah, who immediately focuses her eyes on her older brother, smiling in grateful appreciation. He then looks to Niklaus as his brother's face flushes with rage, "You have no right to force her to stay with us like some kind of prisoner. If she wishes to leave, then she should be free to leave."
"That is NOT how it works!" Niklaus screams, stepping closer to Elijah, "You both swore an oath of loyalty to me! 'Always and Forever'! Does that mean NOTHING to you? And Mikael is still out there—"
"Hunting YOU!" Elijah retorts
"But, if he finds me, he finds all of us!"
"I believe Rebekah can handle herself, Niklaus, and sometimes always is NOT forever." Elijah says angrily, closing the space between them "If she wants to go, then let…her…go."
"I would rather see her daggered." Niklaus says venomously, then, with the aid of vampire speed, moved quickly to a wall curio cabinet, pulled it open and retrieved something from it—all in the blink of an eye.
In a matter of seconds, Niklaus is at Rebekah's side, lunging at her with an engraved silver dagger.
But, Niklaus' first mistake was attacking her from the front when her guard was up, for years of training under Elijah proved their worth and Rebekah blocked Niklaus' thrust, grabbing him by the wrist and wringing the dagger free from his grasp, then flinging him back, moving forward and slashing at him with the dagger as he ducked and evaded her advances. When he thought he had the advantage, he stepped forward to grab the dagger from her, but she quickly used her vampire speed to move behind him and stab him through with it under his left shoulder blade
Niklaus cries in pain and Elijah steps forward.
Part of him wants to help Niklaus, but the other part was glad that Rebekah had finally had the strength and gumption to do what none of them could do for nine hundred years.
Both siblings watch in stunned awe as Niklaus falls forward on his hands and knees, doubling over on the Oriental rug.
He is clearly in pain, but to their surprise, nothing else happens. The dagger had not worked on him.
Rebekah looks back over her shoulder to share a look with Elijah. But, as she does, Niklaus rises quickly to his feet, removing the dagger from his back, and moving toward his sister.
"Rebekah!" Elijah cries
Rebekah turns her head back just in time to see Niklaus lunge for her once again, but seemingly in an instant, a tall figure blocks her view, stepping between her and Niklaus.
It was Elijah.
"No!" Rebekah cries as Niklaus daggers their older brother through the heart and Elijah falls back into her arms, hyperventilating for a few moments as his eyes glaze over and his skin turns silver-gray and hard as rock.
Niklaus steps back in stunned disbelief as Rebekah moves them to the floor, cradling Elijah in her arms.
"Elijah…No…" she sobs softly, tears falling in streams from her eyes as she lowers her cheek to rest on her brother's.
Niklaus looks down to the blood stain seeping through his white dress shirt, then flaring his nostrils, looks up and moves stealthily toward his sister.
Rebekah flinches, clutching Elijah's body tighter as she feels her brother loom over her.
A moment later, she looks up with frightened eyes as Niklaus kneels beside her.
"Let this be a lesson to you, little sister," he says in a low voice, leaning in closer to her, "That disloyalty will not be tolerated. Elijah has already paid for his and mark my words, if you ever cross me or raise your hand to me again, you will pay for yours. Do you understand?"
Rebekah nods, looking away, her lip trembling.
Niklaus takes her chin in his hand and turns her head up to face him.
"And this is the last time you EVER try to leave this family."
Rebekah's nostrils flare, her eyes reflecting her indignation as she nods again.
"Good." Niklaus says, releasing her from his grip as he pulls himself to his feet, "Now, I'm going to turn in for the night. If you need me, I'll be in my room. And I trust that you will be in yours tomorrow when I come for you."
Rebekah lets out a trembled breath and watches her brother untie is bowtie as he moves toward the threshold.
When he reaches the threshold he turns back, pulling his tie from his collar.
"And don't even think of pulling that dagger out," he says in a harsh tone, then turns on his heel and exits the room, leaving Rebekah more alone than ever.
"Elijah…" Rebekah whispered, her eyes glistening as she beheld her older brother for the first time in over a century.
Elijah's face crumbled slightly as he stepped forward, holding his hand out to her.
"Tilgi meg, søster…" he said in low voice.
In a flash, she immediately moved to his side and flung herself into his arms.
"Forgive you for what?" she whispered, her voice trembling as she sobbed into his shoulder as Elijah wrapped his arm around her torso and cradled her gently to him, closing his eyes in relief.
"I should never have left you alone," he said softly, then after a moment's pause, added, "I've missed you."
"I've missed you, too." Rebekah smiled against his shoulder then suddenly pulled back, her eyes searching his, "Where is Niklaus? The last I knew Elena, Damon and Mikael were forming a plan to kill him—"
"They found Mikael?" Elijah asked, stepping back
"Yes. It seems Katerina knew about the white oak dagger and about Mikael hunting Nik. They wanted to kill him, but they wanted to keep Elena's witch friend from harming herself, so they went looking for Mikael to help them."
"But, how did they know where to find him? I, myself, have not seen or spoken to him in—"
Immediately, he stopped and silently cursed himself as Rebekah eyed him.
"You knew, didn't you?" she breathed in disbelief
"Rebekah—"
"All this time, you knew that our father was innocent and that Niklaus killed our mother? You knew why he really left!" she cried
"Yes." Elijah lamented
"Why didn't you tell us? We deserved the truth, Elijah!"
"Because you were safer if you believed the lie—safe from what Niklaus was capable of if he knew you, Finn and Kol had discovered the truth."
Rebekah shook her head in shock as Elijah moved to her.
"I'm sorry I kept this from you and the others—I'm sorry you found out the way you did—"
"A cave drawing, Elijah," Rebekah interrupted, her voice seething with soft anger, "That's how I found out—from a cave drawing!"
"I'm sorry," Elijah said, taking Rebekah's face in his hands, "I'm so sorry. I've wanted to tell you so many times—all those years when we fought amongst ourselves, when Niklaus divided us—but I made a promise to Mikael, I gave him my word, Rebekah. He was the one who asked me to return home and to watch over you and make sure Niklaus did not break the curse. He didn't wish me to tell you the truth—to protect you from Niklaus until he could eventually make his move and avenge our mother's death."
Elijah watched as Rebekah's anger began to dissipate and she turned her head out of his grasp and walked toward the canopy bed.
"So did he? Avenge her death?" Rebekah asked softly
Elijah took a breath, "Apparently, Mikael is dead."
Rebekah closed her eyes and sighed, taking a seat on the corner of the white comforter.
"Niklaus says that he killed him with the white oak dagger."
Rebekah opened her eyes and Elijah was surprise to see a tear roll down her cheek, "I find that hard to believe."
"So do I, but I just met with Damon and he confirmed it. He's gone, Rebekah."
"So the plan failed. Niklaus is still free, still un-checked, and still un-killable, and Elena daggered me for nothing."
"Elena daggered you?" Elijah straightened
"I can't say I blame her, even though I was the one who helped them lure Nik back into town after he left with Stefan. With my loyalties being divided, she couldn't chance that I would betray them, so, she daggered me right before the Homecoming dance after she gave me back Mother's necklace," she said, nervously bringing her hand to her neck and small silver talisman.
After a moment, she spoke again, lowering her hand.
"You, know, I was there when he woke up-I saw him-Mikael...I mean," she said, the emotion cracking in her voice as she looked down to her hands folded in her lap, "I—well—I have to say that I was a typical rebellious daughter. But, I was angry with him, Elijah, I was so angry."
Elijah immediately moved to her side, taking a seat beside her on the bed and placing an arm around her shoulders as she leaned on him and sobbed.
"I said awful things I regret. Nik trained me for years to hate him and true to form, even after I learned the truth, when I finally came face to face with him after all these years, I still hated him, Elijah. I told him it was his fault that our family was destroyed—that Nik was the way he was—that we were vampires—it all just came pouring out. I know what I said was the truth, but I shouldn't have said it. He didn't deserve that. I think, more than anything, I just was angry at him for leaving us."
"Me, too," Elijah said, kissing her hair, "That's why I'm angry at myself for leaving you."
Rebekah lifted her head off his shoulder and wiped under her eyes.
"Don't be. You know that Nik still daggered me, albeit a decade later, but, I never forgot what you did for me that night—what you have always done for me. You're the only whose word I could ever trust, Elijah."
"Still, I should have awoken you when I returned in '57—I guess just thought you were safer in that coffin."
Rebekah smiled, "Oh yeah, by the way, I've been meaning to Thank you for that…I felt very rested when I woke up."
Elijah smirked and Rebekah gave him a little hug.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Elijah. You've always taken good care of us. Father would have been proud of you."
Elijah looked over his sister's face with soft eyes, "And for what it's worth, Mikael had to have known that after a thousand years at Niklaus' side, all our reasoning would be clouded. I'm sure deep down he knew what you really felt."
Rebekah nodded, "I hope so."
After a few moments of silence, Rebekah stood, smoothing out the front of her dress before turning back to her brother.
"So, what's the plan?" she asked, "I assume you've got something up your sleeve when it comes to Nik."
Elijah smiled as he stood and nodded, "Something…epic."
