"She said that she had been dreaming about me in danger. She came to see if I was safe."

They had met up at the Grill before school and its here that Bonnie had broke the news about her mother. Elena and Caroline stare sympathetically at her. She cradles a mug between her hands and sometimes as she speaks she'll look down into it. Bonnie is not one to wail and scream, she harbours her emotions but now cracks are running through her calm surface. Elena feels like her heart is breaking.

"Are you OK?"

Bonnie shrugs and flicks her eyes up. "I guess. It was rough...I just feel weird. I didn't even recognise my own mother."

"Hey, don't blame yourself for that. You haven't seen her since you were three." Caroline takes her hand with a smile.

Bonnie nods. "She told me that she couldn't stand the dreams anymore and drove in the middle of the night to get here. She - she seemed really relieved that I was still alive." She picks up her tea and takes a gulp before continuing. "It was the middle of the night and dad was asleep so I didn't want to invite her in. She's staying at a hotel. I told dad and he's...not happy." Her eyes are glossy with tears.

"I'm sorry Bonnie. Just know that me and Caroline are here for you."

"Yeah." Caroline pulls Bonnie into a hug and manages to force a smile out of her. Elena looks up and blinks in surprise. Elijah stands at the bar, looking at them. He seems to be debating whether or not to come forward but after looking at a tearful Bonnie he heads out.

Bonnie breaks away from Caroline, looking in the same direction as Elena. "Was that Elijah?"

"I think it was." Elena turns back to them, looking a little confused.

Sitting back down Bonnie suddenly snorts. "I dreamt about him to. That one was much nicer."

"You did? What was it?" Elena sits down, staring at her curiously.

The smile fades from Bonnie's lips and averts her gaze as if embarrassed. She shrugs. "It's probably nothing." She drinks some more, expression becoming thoughtful. "Abby has been having the same dreams, the one with Klaus in the coffin. She offered to help me."

"Do you want her to?" Caroline asks.

Bonnie stares into the middle distance. "This is not how I pictured meeting her again but we've been having those dreams for a reason. The spirits want us together."

Elena tilts her head. "But do you?"

Bonnie shrugs again. "I don't know. I just want to focus on freeing the original witch and stopping Klaus."

Elena and Caroline nod and share a brief look of understanding. Bonnie would rather focus on this task then deal with the painful relationship she has with her estranged and absentee mother. They can't blame her for that.


The girl lies at the foot of his door. Kol must have let her fall there after he had finished, tossed aside like a rag. By the size of the blood stain soaked into the carpet he hadn't even drained her.

Like a midnight snack, Elijah thinks and sighs, disgusted.

"Well that's a pleasant sight. Brings back memories, doesn't it?" Klaus comes to stand by his side and they stare at the body.

"I had forgotten how...frivolous he is. I used to hope he'd grow out of it..."

Klaus scoffs. "A thousand year old teenager." His smirk disappears as he stares at the creeping bloodstain and glares. "That carpet is brand new and it cost a bloody fortune. This needs to be nipped in the bud." He strides forward and bangs a fist against Kol's door. "Oi! Wake up and clean your mess."

There's an audible groan from behind the door. "Piss off."

"Don't give me lip you ungrateful little twerp. This is my house in case you've forgotten."

The door opens and Kol stares blearily at Klaus. "I thought this was our house?"

"It is and it always will be but you have to follow the house rules. One of them being: clean up after yourself. You're a thousand years old for crying out loud! Stop acting like a child. We're the originals; you know the offspring look up to us. But they'd lose all respect if they saw that you behave no better then a hundred year old baby."

Elijah comes forward. "I think what Niklaus is trying to say is that you need some standards."

Kol gasps and clutches at his chest, mock offended. "How impertinent! Like I could live up to your standards Elijah." His eyes shine with a cruel mischief. "Or want to." He looks at Klaus. "What happened to you? You used to be fun."

Klaus grins. "Oh Kol, don't think for a moment I've lost my edge." He moves forward and grabs the back of his neck. "I just don't piss on my own doorstep. Go on, tidy up and we'll go have a drink later."

Kol had stiffened when Klaus grabbed him but now he smiles, relaxing. "All right. I'll use one your hybrids to remove this." He waves a nonchalant hand to the dead girl and Elijah has to hold back a curse. Instead he turns and leaves as Kol closes the door. Klaus sighs behind him.

"You hold him down and I'll stab him?"

"I'm tempted daily." Elijah throws his brother a quick smile as they head down a flight of steps. Klaus stares at him, wondering.

"I'm not blind you know. I've told my hybrids to back off but I'm aware of what you've been up to."

Elijah stops at the top of the grand staircase and looks at Klaus openly. "And what have I been up to?"

"Spending time with Elena, likely to share information."

"And what information would I be passing?"

"About mother." He says this quietly, his eyes sweeping around them. They're alone.

Elijah glides his palm along the smooth banister. "I have been meeting with Elena; I've done nothing to hide that from you. I told her about who is in the coffin."

Klaus smiles, tight and knowing. "You're conspiring."

"That is what she thinks, yes." He moves closer to Klaus, eyes never leaving his. "I'm helping them towards something that we all want: mother free. Originally they hoped to use whatever was in the coffin against you. I don't think this has changed."

"They want to use my own mother against me?"

Elijah looks at Klaus sharply. "Are they presumptive to think this or are we to think it's foolish? We do not know what her mind will be once she's free."

Klaus nods gloomily. "I know. She could very well join their side but..." he trails off, his misgivings getting the best of him.

"But blood is thicker then water. The memories I have of mother is of a woman absolutely devoted to her family. She will listen to us, I'm sure of it but what happens after that is up in the air."

Klaus nods, leaning against the banister. "I'm grateful for your discretion Elijah. You could have told the others the truth but you haven't."

Elijah stares at his little brother, face unreadable. "We've only just started living here; I won't be responsible for ripping this apart." It will be impossible for them to exist together if the truth is revealed.

Klaus looks up at a family portrait that consists of all of them, excluding Finn. It had been commissioned over two hundred years ago. "Those were simpler times."

Elijah looks up at it and snorts. "You threw a sword at me after that was done, as I recall."

"It was a bad day. And I missed." He looks at Elijah carefully. "Whose side are you on? I believe you want this family to work but you still have this affection for Elena. You say you're playing spy but that's never been you Elijah. Far to dishonest."

Elijah shrugs. "My family comes first; it's as simple as that. Assisting them to get the coffin open is a price I'm willing to pay."

Klaus laughs. "I doubt it's much of a price when you get to cosy up to Miss Gilbert."

Elijah gives his brother a stern hooded gaze. "I wish you would drop it. I admire her, nothing more."

Klaus throws up his hands with a smirk. "I'll say no more. So what are you doing next?"

Elijah cocks his head. "Over the years I have been working on assembling and translating mother's grimoire. It may help to open the coffin."

Klaus widens his eyes. "You're going to give mother's spell book to Bonnie Bennett? She'll be unstoppable!"

Elijah smirks. "You almost sound jealous."

"Jealous? She tried to kill me. On more then one occasion. We can't let her keep it. Not a good idea to tool up your enemies." He says it jokingly but there is a strain to his voice. He fears witches and he has every right to. If he does make a move against them then his brother better be ready.

"I doubt she'll even accept it. I better go; I have to conspire with the enemy." He jerks his head towards the door. Klaus narrows his eyes thoughtfully.

"I can't stop who you associate with but I hope you remember that when all this is said and done your family will remain constant. Forming attachments to mortals is not a wise choice Elijah, they are ephemeral and we are forever. Remember that." He nods at him before ascending the stairs.

Elijah stares back up at the painting, at the Regency era image of himself, and shakes his head. "If I was wise I'd leave this town." And take her with me, he thinks before banishing the outlandish thought.


Elena knocks on the door, Bonnie at her side. It swings open and a man she has never seen before appears. His eyes widen at the sight of Elena.

"Remarkable..." His English accent is smooth and soft.

"Uh...Elijah sent me a text to come here with my friend. Is he here?"

"Elena, Bonnie." Elijah comes to the door with a smile. "This is my brother Finn." The aforementioned smiles politely at them before moving aside so they can enter.

"Forgive my staring. I had heard of your physical similarities to Tatia but it is something else to see it with my own eyes." Finn stares at her in wonder while Elijah clenches his jaw.

Elena frowns. "Tatia?"

Elijah sweeps forward. "Forgive my brother, he's been stuck in a coffin for the last 900 years and it shows." He gives him a tight smile that threatens maiming. Finn, apparently in a good mood, snorts and moves towards the armchair where he sits.

Bonnie and Elena sit on the couch, feeling not a little self conscious in the company of men whose combined ages tallies that of two millennium. Elijah sits at his desk and stares intently at them.

"So, I believe you are closer to freeing our mother?"

Bonnie clears her throat. "I think so. There is a spell that we will do tonight. Abby thinks it might work." She stares at each of them in turn, gaze stern and Elena is impressed. "If we do manage to get it open and wake her up what are your plans?"

"Honestly I don't know. I'd been left to believe that she was dead and buried for most of my life...I can barely recall her face." Elijah says with a wistfully sadness. Bonnie stiffens beside her.

"I remember what she looks like." Finn says lightly and there is an affectionate weight to his words.

Elijah stares at him. "You roamed for only a hundred years. Your recollection would be fresher then mine."

"A hundred years was more then enough. I pity you." He says to Elijah sincerely and his brother looks down with a smile.

"It wasn't all bad. I did things you can barely comprehend."

Finn laughs and there is a crack of madness in his voice. "My entire existence is incomprehensible! Everywhere I look is something strange." He flourishes his hand around the room. "I'd call it magic if I didn't know better."

Elena and Bonnie stare at each other with the same bemused expression. Elijah sees this and smiles.

"My brother is going through a severe bout of culture shock."

"At least you still have beer." Finn gets to his feet and heads towards the kitchen.

Bonnie watches him go and then looks back at Elijah. "You saved Klaus' life before, how do I know you won't do it again?"

"Klaus used the one thing he knew could sway me: my family. He does not have that option anymore. I planned his downfall for over five hundred years and that hasn't changed, as you can see."

Bonnie cocks her head. "You say that family means the most to you but he's your brother. He doesn't count?"

"Not anymore." He says it softly and Elena wants to ignore the conflict that dances in his eyes but can't. "Sometimes Klaus can seem like the most wonderful person you've ever met but that doesn't negate the fact that he wants to build his own race. It doesn't seem like much now but he's a vampire, we do not plan short term."

"And he wants to destroy witches..." She trails off, thoughts inward. By her drawn expression they're not pleasant ones.

Elena gets up and moves to Elijah. "Is he trustworthy?" She whispers, casting a quick look back at Finn who she can hear in the kitchen.

"Is anyone?" Elijah lets his smile fall. "He wants our mother back and will help us to do that. He always cherished her more then my other siblings. Certainly more then Klaus."

Elena tilts her head. "You told them what he did?"

Elijah shakes his head, picking up a pen. "No. For now I'm withholding that information."

"So you can hold it over Klaus?" Bonnie asks and he nods.

"He fears retribution from my siblings as much as the threat you pose, I think. I actually have something to give you." He gets up and moves towards a bookcase. From it he takes a thick leather bound journal and offers it to Bonnie. She looks at it with a frown.

"What is it?"

"My mother's grimoire. Not the actual one of course. I managed to retrieve it before we left for the old world. I've translated it into English and Latin. It may be useful. Do you want it?"

Desire is clear on her face but she narrows her eyes suspiciously. "Is there a catch?"

Elijah stares plaintively. "No. It's a simple show of thanks. If you do not wish to take it I will put it back on the shelf, where it will sit unused. I think you may find some of the spells...interesting. Certainly none you have seen before."

Elena looks at Bonnie and shrugs. "I'd take it."

"I know you would..." Bonnie mutters as she takes it from Elijah. Elena frowns but before she can ask what she means Finn comes back into the room carrying a tray of cups.

"I'm not completely useless."


As Bonnie pours over the spell book Elena looks around Elijah's apartment and stumbles upon a terrace. She slides the glass door open and steps out. It's small and in the style of a Japanese water garden. Elijah finds her leaning against the banister, looking out over Mystic Falls.

"It's not much."

"I like it. It's peaceful." She eyes him curiously as he stands beside her, running his fingers over the wooden railing.

"I'm Tatia's doppelgänger, aren't I?"

Elijah's hands stop moving. For a moment she thinks he's won't answer but he nods stiffly. "She lived in our village. My mother used her blood in the ritual that turned us into vampires."

Elena looks out at the sky. The setting sun has cast the clouds into deep reds and purples. Like blood and bruises. "Why her?"

Elijah inhales deeply and looks at her. His gaze is at once soft and heavy, full of something that Elena can't name. For a moment there is a push-pull of resistance, like two opposing magnets almost touching. The first time they had met had been charged with something similar, but she had been terrified at the time. Now all she feels is anticipation, taut like a piano wire that suddenly snaps as he looks away.

He clears his throat. "Once my mother is with us you can ask her yourself."

"Right..." She moves back to sit, feeling strangely limp. He turns to stare down at her.

"You don't seem too enthused."

"She did try to kill me. At least I think it was her."

He makes a humming noise, thinking. "My mother wanted to prevent the curse from being broken and if you were no longer part of the ritual she would have succeeded." He smiles at her for a moment. "I'm glad she failed."

Elena shakes her head with a dry smile. "So am I...but I know it would be safer if I had died. Lots of things could have been prevented."

"Don't feel guilty for wanting to live."

"It's morbid but it's also the truth."

"What do you want to do?" He asks suddenly, moving to sit beside her. Trying to lighten the conversation she thinks.

Elena is stumped. "Um, well I used to think about being a writer but for the past few years I can't do it. Writer's block." She taps her temple.

Elijah narrows his eyes. "You'll be going to college?"

She nods. "Yeah, I'll have to make a decision soon."

"Will you study here?"

"No." Elena startles herself. There was no hesitation in her answer. "I'm not sure if I want to do creative writing or psychology or whatever but if I'm going to study I can't do it here."

He nods, staring at her softly. "If you need to leave this place then do it. I know you have been through a lot Elena but you have a drive that few people posses. Especially for someone of your age. Mortal lives are fleeting but some can be remarkable. That's one of the benefits of living for so long, I get to witness it."

If anyone else had said this she would have found it condescending but the sincerity in his words rings clear. "Well don't get your hopes up, I'm no Mozart."

A dreamy look comes over him and he sits back with a smile. "He was extraordinary, a true genius. I have turned my hand to things in the past but I could live another thousand years and not touch his achievements."

Elena smiles at his self deprecation. "I'm sure you have other accomplishments."

"I could build you a house from scratch."

"Yeah? I can't see you ditching those suits for anything."

"You'd be surprised."

"Elena?" Bonnie arrives to find them smiling coyly at each other. She blinks and quickly looks down at the spell book in her hands. Elijah gets to his feet.

"Is everything OK?"

Bonnie nods, looking between them. "I need to speak to Elena alone for a moment. Girl stuff."

The corner of his mouth quirks and he nods. "Of course. I'll be inside. I promised Finn I'd show him how the microwave works." He smiles and leaves them.

Bonnie sits down beside Elena and stares at her intently. Elena looks back and frowns.

"What?"

"You do realise that he's totally crushing on you, right?"

Elena's eyebrows rise almost into her hairline. "That's ridiculous. He's a thousand years old and I'm still living in my parent's house. Look at him, he's probably attracted to aloof Amazon type women." Suddenly she pulls a despairing face. "I just said he's out of my league, didn't I?"

Bonnie manages a smile. "Trust me; you are very much in his league. You're like front and centre."

Elena shakes her head with a laugh. "Where is this coming from?"

Bonnie inhales and clutches the spell book to her chest. "I didn't tell you before, couldn't. I was so shocked about Abby turning up...I had more dreams."

The small wavering voice sends a spike of worry through Elena and she immediately feels on alert. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure where to begin. I guess I should start with my coffin."

As Elena listens she feels a cascade of shifting emotions: horror, sorrow, confusion and hope. The last she clings onto as much as Bonnie does.

"You're going to be OK Bonnie; I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Bonnie smiles weakly. "I'm still wigged out by it but I think the shock is passing. I think the fact that I got out of the coffin is a good sign. That doesn't have to be my fate."

"It won't be." Elena says determinedly, hugging Bonnie to her side as the light begins to fade. "We'll do whatever we can to prevent it."

Bonnie nods, staring at the violet clouds for awhile, just content to be with her friend. Finally she sits up and looks at Elena. "There's one future I didn't tell you about. The first door, you being pulled apart, is pretty straight forward."

"Stay away from Damon and Stefan. I care about them, more then I should, especially after what Stefan did. But I know how destructive it is. I've felt, for some time now, that I'm moving past them. I feel like I'm moving onto something new." It feels slightly terrifying admitting it aloud but also exhilarating.

Bonnie nods, looking relieved. "You're growing up. I never judged you for it, no one has control over their hearts, but I think it's for the best."

"And the second door?"

"That future is the one that we're heading towards, I just know it. I do something that causes the suppression of magic and possibly the destruction of Mystic Falls." She falls silent and Elena doesn't know what to say. The thought that all of them are now walking the path to that eventual outcome is petrifying.

"You said there was one other possible future?" To Elena's surprise Bonnie perks up.

"I wasn't sure if I should say anything, it's kind of awkward. Especially after what you just said."

"What are you talking about?"

"You said that Elijah is out of your league. Well in fourteen or so years you'll be proving yourself wrong. If that future happens you'll be living with him." She points towards the apartment.

Elena stares at Bonnie and her mouth drops slowly open. "What?"