**Author's Note: And I'm back! I know that my hiatus took me really long, but I've tried to work on my novel as well, so that sort of got in the way. Although, I did promise myself that I should at least make fifty pages there before I finally get to post this chapter for the Fanfic, but I figured that it's already been three months too long! So yes, I'm back! And so is this Fan Fiction! I hope you come to love this chapter, and please don't forget to tell me what you think! ;) xxo, M**


The Moment of Truth


"But I can't help the feeling,

I could blow through the ceiling.

If I just turn and run…

It wears me out, it wears me out

It wears me out, it wears me out…

If I could be who you wanted,

If I could be who you wanted,

All the time…

All the time…"

- Radiohead, "Fake Plastic Trees."


"Are you here to mourn for the dead?"

Elijah found her, sitting on the top step, staring right into the gloomy skies that indicated that it was going to rain. Somehow though, her face looked rather tired. And for a moment, it was as if her youthfulness escaped her even if she wore a black trench coat and a black knitted dress, with her high-heeled shoes of the same color. Just then, he saw a spark of lightning and heard a crack thunder as it started to drizzle.

"I'm here to mourn for them and for my life." She gravely replied. Her tone was low and even, yet anyone could still detect that silky accented voice of hers. She had been gone for about a week now, and yet, Elijah managed to find her here in the Lafayette Cemetery. He couldn't exactly decipher whether she was devastated as his brother, Klaus was, but somehow her exhaustion looked as if she was. Klaus however, hadn't been in his great mind these days. For a week, he had been engaged in his art, and had found a distraction, in which Elijah disapproved of.

Elijah shifted his feet as he stood and continued to watch her.

"I thought you left." He simply stated.

"I did," She replied, still without looking at him. "But as I was halfway across Mystic Falls, I've realized something, and I immediately returned." There, she finally settled her deep green eyes at his hazel ones. Yet, Elijah narrowed his in sudden wonder. What could have possibly made her retreat? But then, the answer seemed to have fallen upon his shoulders in an instant.

"You didn't see Damon?" With that question, she glanced back at the skies as she slowly shook her head in reply. "Where is he?"

"Heaven knows," She shrugged. With this, Elijah sighed as he made his way towards her. "I never made it to see him." He then perched beside her, and she watched him as she slowly gave him a faint smile. "You always know where to find me." Now, it was his turn to smile as she welcomed his presence – as she always did.

"My brother might always state that he knew you better than anyone else, and perhaps it is true," He arched his eyebrows matter-of-factly as he continued to smile. "But when it comes to the times of crises, I always know how to find you." She nodded in agreement as she looked down at those graves. A crisp breeze blew by as silence dawned within them. It was simply a comfortable kind of silence.

Elizabeth had a way of showing Klaus her strength and her defiance, and sometimes, even her vulnerabilities, but Elijah could definitely say that his brother had never seen her at times like these. And he certainly had for so many times. Elijah suddenly wished that Klaus would get to see it someday, so that both of them could relate to one another. But, that had always seemed impossible, even five hundred years ago. He learned to stop wishing it.

"I've never felt like this before, Eli." She suddenly spoke quietly as she stared down at her lap now – quite ashamed of this admission. "It frightens me. It reminds me of my youth, when I was juvenile and naïve, which was too many lifetimes ago to even matter. I've forgotten all about it… Until now." Her eyes finally landed back at him.

"You and I have the same trouble…" He nodded in understanding. "We're afraid to open ourselves to this emotion, to this vulnerability." Elizabeth smiled rather pitifully as she crossed her legs.

"Ah, but it's different." She replied. "You are simply afraid for their sake, because you want to protect them in every power and every way you possibly can. There is always danger, some of those may even be out of your hands, and that's what makes you so frightened. I wish I could possibly say the same for my sake."

"Don't you wish the same for Damon?" He suddenly asked. "Do you not wish to protect him with whatever danger there may be against our family?" Elizabeth smiled wider as she shook her head. With that, Elijah suddenly frowned. How could someone love another without wishing to protect them from anyone and anything that could possibly harm them?

"Damon and I are different." She now said amusedly as she looked at him again. "We are two lost souls; in fact, one is more lost than the other." She let out an airy chuckle as she indicated herself in the latter part of what she just said. Elijah only watched her with a faint smile. "But Elijah, he's much braver than I am. He's unafraid to be all in. I actually wish I could muster enough of his courage." She let out a scoff, as if it was absolutely ridiculous to even wish such thing. If Klaus had heard this, he would agree. But Elijah knew that it wasn't ridiculous. He actually wished it himself.

He had to admit though, that he did admire his sister, Rebekah, to have had the will to even find love and happiness at whatever chance she could get. She persisted no matter how much Elijah had told her that they should focus on Klaus' salvation, or even at Klaus' persistence for her to always remain by his side. And now that she had been granted her freedom – under such circumstances that Elijah couldn't even accept, but she still did, – not only did it show growth in character from their brother, but it also showed that anyone could achieve what they want even if it took her centuries to.

Not only that, of course. But Elijah had been too focused on that development from Klaus. He never lost hope, even if he had been absolutely frustrated these past few centuries. Klaus, however, had always been focused on having it all – on being the king – and now that he had a daughter on the way, his daughter's protection had been on the top of their very concerns. And Elizabeth had always been focused on protecting her own. As much as she would want people to think that having her own territory and being the leader was very significant for her, Elijah could say that those weren't. He had been with her for a long time, and he knew that protecting herself was the most vital. Of course, it was selfish; there was no excuse for that. But there were a lot of things that no one knew about her, not even Elijah or Klaus. Considering the fact though, that she had skills in telepathy, it also meant that she could counter her enemies with whatever they planned for her downfall. But mostly, in the earlier part of her life, she used that to her own advantage to hide from Mikael and to outsmart him.

"I think you can…" He suddenly replied, and gave her a reassuring glance. "In fact we all can. But we just couldn't afford it." With that, he sighed and looked at the gloomy skies again. "A thousand years in this Earth, it was bound for Niklaus to obtain enemies that could haunt us down for centuries."

"If only I can let myself…" She scoffed rather mockingly as she looked straight away. "But that would mean that I would let this other side of myself, this side that has been dead for so many centuries, be alive again. It would cause pain and my own insanity." This time, Elijah looked at her in concern. "And after that, as much as I'd like to be labeled as the villain – much like Nik does – there is this darker side to myself that I would never want to visit again." He nodded in understanding. He had seen his siblings fall over to the deep end with much difficulty to bring themselves back up. And as much as he didn't want to admit it, but he had fallen down too, much like his siblings had. Yet, with that statement, it clearly showed that there was still humanity left in Elizabeth – much like all of them had – but it was only bound to shown when the cards were down and there were no signs of conflict or chaos.

In short, it was only bound to be shown to the people they trusted the most. And Elijah had always had that privilege with Elizabeth.

"I would never want Damon to see that." She continued to say as she slightly shook her head. "Especially if I've fallen further into the edge, because that's what happens with love. Yes, it is magical and… And uplifting. But it could also be something that destroys you." She finally looked at him, with her deep green eyes piercing at his hazel ones. "And you and I both know that for a fact." Elijah nodded as they locked each other's gaze in mutual understanding and empathy. He had always viewed her as one of his sisters, and she looked at him as a brother. She had been alone in this world especially after her parents were killed by Mikael, and he could only understand why she was cold and so detached. She had loved them so deeply, the same as Elijah had loved his siblings, and she lost them too early – even if she was already the same age as Elijah. For him, she was still too young at that time, especially if one had lived for a thousand years.

With that he reached for her hand.

"Perhaps you should show him this side of you…" He then said as he gave her hand a squeeze before looking back into her eyes. "He will come to understand. He has fallen off on the deep end much like you did. And if he could accept his brother Stefan, I'm certain he will do the same for you." Elizabeth scoffed again incredulously at what he just stated. But, he went on further. "He will not come running after you after all this time, and all the things you make him put up with, if he wasn't willing to."

"Easier said than done." She replied with a shrug. "And I've done far worse than Stefan. The only reason why they could accept each other is because they're brothers. It's far too different."

"But do you not think that it's quite unfair that you know all about him and accepted what he has done in the past, yet he doesn't know anything about yours?" Elijah asked with a frown, but she immediately looked away as the rain started to pour. Silence dawned within them yet again as he waited for her to answer. It took her several moments before she finally let out a sigh.

"Perhaps it is…" She replied as she looked back at him. "But like you said, Elijah, I just cannot afford it." Now it was his turn to sigh as he looked down and nodded. He knew that it would only too good to be true if Elizabeth followed his advice. If there was one trait that their family has, that was stubbornness.

"Then what do you do now?" He asked, arching his eyebrows as she withdrew her hand and brushed her now wet hair back. Another spark of lightning was seen as a loud crack of thunder followed afterwards. The rain poured harder onto them, leaving their clothes all wet. Yet, they remained where they were, as Elijah's hair began to be flat, blocking his eyes for a moment, before brushing it back with his hand as well.

"I shall stay here in New Orleans for the time being."


"Hey."

Stefan turned as he heard the door close and he saw Elena walk in towards him. He smiled at her while he held the glass of bourbon that he was drinking, just to minimize his cravings. Elena then gave him a faint smile and looked around, which made him predict what she was about to say since her smile suddenly disappeared afterwards.
"Where's Damon?" She asked with a frown. He arched his eyebrows as he shrugged. Of course, he knew where he was, just like Elena did, but clearly the matter needed to be addressed. Together, they had been in Whitmore, going through college for the past two years, and Damon had been travelling to find Elizabeth. Of course, he never really admitted that that was his main purpose, but it was obvious enough that it didn't need to be said. So now a week ago, when Stefan and Elena decided to spend the weekend at the boardinghouse, all of a sudden, Damon arrived, looking slightly distraught. Yet, he never actually said anything about it and spent most of the week at the bar, which made them speculate what might've happened. But the thing was, Stefan was absolutely used to this kind of behavior from him.
"Most probably, at the bar," Stefan now replied and gave a knowing look at Elena, who sighed. He sipped on his tumbler and felt the alcohol line down his throat before it settled in his stomach. It felt warm. "You know how my brother is..." He then added afterwards.
"But it's already been a week." Elena calmly and matter-of-factly said. "What do you think happened? Did Elizabeth die? And if she did, would it be bad for me to celebrate?" Stefan let out a chuckle as he tucked her hair behind her ear affectionately. Elena chuckled too, and gave him a teasing pat on his shoulder. "I'm serious." She said with a grin.
"I know you are." He replied, still with an amused smile. "But you do know that if she died, then you would be gone too since you came from her bloodline." He settled his tumbler on the liquor table beside him as Elena playfully rolled her eyes and wrapped an arm around his neck. He then placed a hand on the small of her back just when she pulled him towards her.
"I know." She nodded before she looked directly at his eyes. "But we have to know what happened. I've already tried and he didn't want to talk to me." Stefan knew how much this concerned Elena, and so, he really had no choice but to oblige. Besides, it did concern him to see Damon drunk twenty-four seven. Not that there was anything new about that. But he hadn't lashed out like this since Stefan turned him and vowed to make his life a living hell. Not to mention, that time when he couldn't find Katherine in the tomb.
"Fine," He said with a nod. "I'll talk to him." With that, he gave her a smile. "But I don't think he'll tell me anything either."
"It's worth a try," She said with a slow yet loving smile. Her voice sounded so hopeful and encouraging. He hoped that she would be right. He continued to smile back as he nodded and let go of her.
"I'll call you later." Stefan gave her a quick kiss on her cheek before he headed out and closed the door behind him. With that, he proceeded to his car, got in, switched the engine on, and began to drive towards the Mystic Grill.

In just five minutes, he was already there. He came in, and just as he expected, he saw Damon by the bar laughing with some strawberry blonde girl. He frowned as he approached them, and gave Damon a quick squeeze-pat on his shoulder. "I see you're already here before noon." Damon turned with an expectant yet mischievous smile of his.
"Hello brother," He said rather cheerfully. "Have you met Abigail?" There, he turned to Abigail. "This is my very noble brother, Stefan." With that she giggled and looked sheepishly at Stefan, which he immediately knew that she was already fed on and have already been compelled.
"Nice to meet you," Stefan said with a tight smile before he began to compel her. "Now go, and forget about what happened this morning." With that, she dazedly blinked her eyes before she waved and finally left. He then glared at Damon.
"You're being a buzzkill, brother." Damon now said as he poured himself another shot. This time, Stefan sat on the stool next to him. "Not cool." He added in a sing-song voice. Stefan rolled his eyes in annoyance. He never knew what kind of relationship actually went on between him and Elizabeth, but he sensed that with Damon being in this uncaring behavior again, it's gotten bad.
"It's been a week, Damon." Stefan said, ignoring his statement. "Why are you here?" Damon's gaze hardened as he gave Stefan a side-long glance. Yet, he had a sarcastic smirk on his lips.
"Oh, so is Mystic Falls your territory now?" He asked, and it was a question that oozed with sarcasm. Stefan only frowned. What was he talking about? For one, he never claimed Mystic Falls as his own. And when had he ever claimed any territorial rights?
"I meant, what happened? Did you find Elizabeth?" He then pressed on. Damon smirk turned into a full smile, like a Cheshire cat's. Stefan continued to frown as he watched Damon gulp down his shot and swallowed it before looking back at him. He then put the glass down on the counter in front of him.

"You really wanna know?" Damon arched his eyebrows.

"Yes."

"Fine," Damon maintained that full smile of his, but this time, it was tight. He then gestured for Matt who was working since it was his shift. "Hey, quarterback! Get my brother here a glass." Matt hovered towards them and got Stefan one.

"That's fine, Matt." Stefan wasn't exactly in the party mood like Damon seemed to be in for about a week now. If it wasn't a party mood, then clearly, Stefan's not in the mood for his sulking-into-misery drinking session.

"No…" He slowly protested as he took the glass and placed it in front of Stefan. "If you want to know, then you're gonna have to get on this with me." With that, he basically ignored Matt's presence and poured on Stefan's glass and on his for another round. "Now drink." He loudly placed the bottle of tequila on the counter, and then raised the glass towards him. Stefan actually thought that it was strange that he was drinking tequila, and not bourbon or scotch or even rum. But of course, he pressed his lips together and took the glass. Damon smiled. "Cheers." They clanked their glasses and together, they took the shot in one gulp.

"So now, are you going to tell me?" Stefan asked as he cocked a brow and winced at the alcohol that burned a line down his throat. He glanced at Damon who shrugged casually.

"We both know you're here because of Elena…" Damon commented somewhat amusedly. Then, he shrugged again. "But fine, since you badly want to know, I'll tell you." With that, he looked at Stefan directly in the eyes with a smirk. "I did find her." He turned back to his drink and poured himself another. The bottle was nearly empty. "But then she made a deal with the devil himself, Klaus, and we got to New Orleans and she chose him." He held the glass and looked back at him as he made a conclusion to his story. Stefan only stared back at him in silent sympathy. But everyone knew that this was going to happen. Elizabeth was a part of the Mikaelson family, and she'll forever be in ties with Klaus since she was a cousin to his siblings. They all knew that this will blow up in Damon's face in time, and clearly, that time was now.

"I'm sorry…" This was all Stefan could say as he looked down, then back up at him again. He saw that Damon scrounged his nose as he frowned and turned back to his drink now.

"Well don't be!" He nearly exclaimed. "She's gonna end up daggered for another five hundred years anyway. She's that much of an idiot to even trust him to begin with – let alone make a deal with him. Klaus would never hold the end of their bargain, or that could be also the case for Elizabeth, since she never got to hold hers with ours." With that, he let out a bitter scoff and downed the shot in a second. Stefan only nodded and watched him. His brother looked angry but definitely miserable. This was like Katherine – or even Elena – all over again. It was just painful to even watch.

He knew that Damon was somewhat reluctant to even process his emotions; in fact, he rejected them most of the time. But once he gave in, he's all the way in, and every time it spiraled out of control. Stefan knew just by that dinner party that Elizabeth threw two years, Damon loved Elizabeth and vice versa by the way they looked at each other. But with them, they were like two peas in the pod, yet Elizabeth was more reluctant with her emotions, just like her family was. But since he was all the way in, Damon persisted. He knew that Elizabeth felt the same – God knew how – and tried to find her once she and the Mikaelsons left Mystic Falls. He knew what she must've felt like, and assumed that she will admit it sometime soon, and that he had to be patient with her. Yet, that never came. And now, all this sight to behold, was Damon frustrated, and hurt.

Stefan knew that this was going to be bad.

"So you're going to stay here in Mystic Falls?"

"Why yes, Stefan…" Damon now replied in this sing-song voice that definitely oozed with sarcasm. "I'm going to stay here at home, and make sure that everything goes well with little Gilbert, because I'm a responsible adult-vampire-stud who likes to throw parties and gets drunk twenty-four-freaking-hours a day." There, he grabbed the bottle and drank on it as he stood up, and bumped into Stefan's shoulder while he was at it. "Now tell Elena the good news, and rejoice in my goddamn happiness." He added as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He glared at Stefan and gave him another bitter smirk. That was when Stefan slightly shook his head in disapproval as he sighed.

This was definitely going to be bad.


He dabbed the paint brush onto his pallet and then dabbed it on the canvas. He had been engrossed with his art the whole week, avoiding his duties and let Elijah take charge. Of course, this did not exactly happen very often, and Elijah absolutely thought that he was being ridiculous, but Klaus couldn't care any less. This was the only way he could express his frustrations.

But then, he stopped.

"You shouldn't trust her, you know. That witch friend of yours..."
"I thought you already left?" He asked as he continued to paint, trying to ignore her presence. Klaus heard the heels of her shoes hitting the hardwood floor with each step. He knew then and there that she was approaching him.
"I did," She replied. "But apparently, I returned." Klaus scoffed as he focused on the canvass with each stroke that he made with his brush. It was all too foolish. First she would run off, giving an indication that she would never return, and yet, here she was, standing by his workroom, watching him. "So what's her name? That witch of yours..."

"Does it matter?" He asked, rather calmly. There was no point in mentioning Genevieve's name. But knowing Elizabeth, it's quite obvious that she already knew. She then let out a scoff.
"No, it doesn't." She replied. "But what does matter, is that she's only using you. You might think that having her would give you an advantage, but she wants to get a hold of Esther's grimoire, and she'll do anything to have it." That was when Klaus dropped his things on the table beside him loudly, before he turned and finally faced her. Elizabeth wore a black leather jacket over a white dress that hugged her body in all the right places, and her black high-heeled ankle boots with silver spikes on them. And she looked very well considering the circumstance that they were under the last time that they saw each other about a week ago. With that, Klaus slightly glared at her.
"And why are you telling me this, Elizabeth?" He nearly sputtered. "Did you really think that I would believe that I still have your loyalty by informing me that I have a potential enemy? Is this how you gain my trust?" Her gaze hardened slightly as they glared at each other for a few moments. She was about to speak again, but this time, he didn't let her. "Now let's not try and pretend that your concern when you left was that Salvatore prick. And now that he swallowed you out, you've returned, licking your wounds by disguising yourself like that." He waved his hand towards her clothing, in which she immediately looked down on. She frowned as she looked back up at him.
"I never thought that the way I dress actually bothers you." She amusedly commented. Klaus glared as he turned away and picked up his brush again. "But believe it or not, Nik, I didn't find Damon." She breathed as she approached him slowly. And he furiously dabbed his brush on his pallet. "And before I could, I went back and returned because of you." Her footsteps stopped and Klaus knew that she was near. He could feel her presence and her gaze boring through his skin. He then turned to face her with a frown.
"You really think you could fool me?" He asked through his gritted teeth and clenched jaw. Elizabeth directly looked at his eyes, clearly unafraid.
"If I was indeed fooling you, then would I tell you that this witch friend of yours is going to sacrifice your child for their so-called harvest?" She replied matter-of-factly as Klaus' eyes slightly grew wide but immediately went back to normal.
"Would I have returned with this information, which proves that I am holding my end of the bargain, if it was not for you and your child?" She pressed on, yet her silky accented voice was very, yet frighteningly, calm. Plus, Klaus could see the sincerity in her eyes as she directly looked at his. But he looked back at her with much skepticism.
"Genevieve has proven her loyalty to me." Klaus replied with his voice grave. "And you have not." Elizabeth's gaze became a darting one as she slowly let out a smirk. He knew that hearing those words from him, as if he chose Genevieve, clearly annoyed her. And that was what he intended for, to make her feel what it was like to be turned from. Yet, that smirk turned into a full smile.
"Do you not think that it is foolish to choose some witch whore over someone who you have known for at least five centuries?" She amusedly scoffed as she cocked a brow. With that, he returned her smile.
"Then you now know how it feels when you chose that Salvatore pest over me one too many times." Elizabeth's smile grew wider.
"Funny how he says that I choose you over him all the time..." She let out an airy chuckle as she turned and began to pace. "That was why he left. And really, I did try to reach for him, but I realized he was right, and so I no longer bothered." And then, she swiftly yet gracefully turned to face him again while she stood a few yards away from him. "But Nik, if you want me to prove my loyalty to you, I shall start by pledging my allegiance to you, my liege." She gave him a sweet smile as she raised her hands. "However shall I start?" Klaus smirked.
"You shall start by stopping this charade." He firmly yet amusedly replied. With that, she made a graceful bow – one that was too familiar.
"As you wish, your majesty," She said and stood up straight again. "You shall have me under your palms, in however way you like, my lord. I shall make no protest, I swear, for I pledge my allegiance to you and only you..." Clearly, she was making a mockery of the good ole' days and Klaus has had enough. With his vampire speed, he went towards her and held her up by her neck.
"You think this is amusing?" He demanded. Elizabeth chuckled within his grasp as he attempted to crush her windpipe.
"Yes." She replied. "I do. I also think it's stupid for you to trust that witch. And if I were you..." He held it tighter. But then, her eyes became red as she scrounged her nose and grabbed his neck, and then turned them around. She pinned him up against the wall with a thud. "I would kill her within a blink of an eye." Her eyes returned to normal, but they glared at each other as silence dawned within them. It was as if they were challenging one another to go for the extremes. Yet, she slowly released her hold as Klaus gave a slow smile. She smiled back, until Klaus began to chuckle and so did she. And that lasted for a while.
Everything seemed all so foolish now, which clearly indicated that all was forgiven. Klaus knew that she wasn't lying when she officially pledged her allegiance to him. And he knew how serious she was, even if she did mock and make an amusement out of it, once she suggested killing Genevieve. He knew how Genevieve had always wanted to borrow his mother's grimoire, but of course, he never gave in to the idea. He knew how precious that was, and no other witch could possibly have it, considering how talented and skilled his mother was as a witch. Just by Elizabeth's speech though, he immediately knew that it was the truth. And he had known her for a long time to know that if she left, she would never return unless there was something very important to be done.
And clearly, this scenario proved just that.
"As much as I would let you have her," Klaus now began. "I'm afraid I must be the one to confront her myself." He added as he placed his hand on her cheek. "And as for you... You shall remain here with me, to reign over New Orleans and look forward to our enemies' downfall." She smiled at him. Her eyes glistened in delight.
"Then have me, you shall, my liege." She replied in amusement. Klaus' smile grew wider as he pulled her towards him, and kissed her squarely on her lips in a passionate but tender kiss.


"G'morning, brother."
Elijah looked up from his teacup as he sipped. Klaus however, gave him that mischievous smile while he walked in the common room, where breakfast was served. Of course, Elijah found it strange for his brother to be in such a good mood, considering the one he was in for the whole week. This made his eyebrows arch.
"You seem to be in a terrific mood today," Elijah commented as he watched Klaus bite on the maid's wrist, and turned it over to the crystal tumbler that he held. "It's quite peculiar... May I ask what caused this?"
"Oh you'll know in a minute, brother..." Klaus replied with a full smile. Yet Elijah somehow already knew what did. He rolled his eyes in slight irritation.
"If it's that witch, I don't want to know." He replied as he sipped again on his tea. Then, he placed it back on the saucer and took a biscuit from the platter. He broke it in half, and ate the first piece, as he saw Klaus sip on his tumbler of blood.
"Believe me, brother, it's not." Klaus replied afterwards. "It's even better." Just then, they heard footsteps, getting louder and louder which meant that whoever it was, was getting closer. It only took a moment for them to see who it was. Elijah smiled expectantly, as Elizabeth came in wearing a black silk robe. That was when his smile faded.
"Good morning, Eli." She said with an easy smile. But Elijah didn't exactly return the warmness of her greeting. Instead, he gave a small smile as he slightly narrowed his eyes. With that, he decided to have some more tea.
"Is this what I think it is?" He asked with his eyebrows arched. It had always been quite impossible, he knew. After Elizabeth's neutralization five hundred years ago and all the games that they've gone through before that and after her revival, Elijah never thought that their romantic relationship would ever be revived again. And clearly, whatever fling this was, was definitely a mistake. This attempt would only blow up in their faces, and that made Elijah worry. The last thing their family needed was another schematic war when they've got enough enemies to declare war with already.
Klaus gave a full smile.
"If it is, then I do think it's correct." He replied somewhat mysteriously, which made Elijah slightly glare at him. Apparently, Elijah did not exactly approve of this. With that, he ate the last piece of his biscuit and chewed vigorously. "Elizabeth returned just last night." Elijah swallowed and reached for the teacup, before he sipped. Then she took a seat across from him as she gave Klaus an affectionate yet knowing look.
"I'm very aware of this, brother..." He replied rather slowly, and gave Elizabeth, who took the teapot and turned over her cup before she poured, a look. If only Klaus knew where he found her, and what kind of state she was in, then perhaps he would stop smiling like that at Elizabeth, otherwise, Elijah was quite tempted to wipe it off of his face.
"Yes..." Elizabeth replied casually. "Apparently, he does, Nik. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here enjoying a family breakfast." She added with a teasing tone as she let out an airy chuckle. Klaus continued to smile before he drained the contents of his tumbler.
"Unfortunately, that will be short-lived." He said afterwards while Elijah watched them closely, yet tried to look as if he was minding his business – when really, this annoyed him. This was just wrong. "I have some witch business to attend to." He then put the empty tumbler in front of them, before he leaned towards Elizabeth for a quick kiss, and gave a nod towards Elijah. "Brother..." He gave him a smirk, and Elijah gave him a faint smile with a nod. Soon enough, Klaus was gone. And once he was finally out of earshot – within vampire range – Elizabeth smirked at him.
"Do I sense a look of disapproval?" She asked as she deviously cocked an inquisitive brow. Elijah sipped on his tea before he replied.
"All I want to know, Elizabeth, is what do you think you're doing?" He gave her a darting gaze – one that was one of her own. Then, he placed the tea back on the saucer.
"We've rekindled a withering relationship." She casually shrugged as she popped half a biscuit in her mouth. "That's all." She then added innocently with a mouthful. Elijah only narrowed his eyes.
"We both know that this is not a good idea." He replied tersely. Elizabeth arched her eyebrows.
"And why not?" She immediately replied. "I am going to be here for a little while, which implies that my deal with him shall still exist. And I figured that if I am going to protect his child from this family's many enemies, I have to do it from the inside. I have to take his offer on reigning with him. But apparently, when I returned last night, he did not trust me. So how could I gain his trust back? By pledging my loyalty to him." She then waved her hand as she continued, as if this had never actually occurred to Elijah, and as if this was absolutely a brilliant plan – which definitely was not. "Really, Eli, I am only looking out for your best interests. And protecting Nik's child – your beloved niece – is at the very top of our concerns and is our best interest at the moment. So really, I don't see why you're making such a huge fuss about this." Elijah shook his head in dismay. She was treating him as if he couldn't see right through her. And he knew that this brilliant plan of hers was just a fabrication.
"Don't think that I don't know what this is really about, Elizabeth..." He firmly replied as he looked directly in her eyes and she looked back at him, patiently waiting to hear what he was going to say, when he knew she already knew! She had skills in telepathy, for God's sake! This made Elijah sigh. That look from hers was not waiting, he now realized, it was actually a look of challenge. So he decided to just spit it out then. "You're trying to sabotage your relationship with Damon, by staying and giving Klaus what he wants, and proving Damon right so he could hate you – which would be easier for him to detach himself from you." Then he grimaced. "But Elizabeth, you're doing a huge mistake, which you might only regret in the end." Elizabeth smirked as she rolled her eyes, as if it was all too ridiculous to even hear.
"I'm making your brother happy." She nearly sputtered as she dropped two sugar cubes on her tea, which spilled onto the saucer. "This has nothing to do with…"
"You are making him happy by giving him false hopes and desires and emotions!" Elijah interrupted as he stood up. "I suggest that you end this, cousin. Now." Elizabeth slowly rose from her seat and gazed directly into his eyes in sheer defiance.
"And what does that accomplish, Elijah? If I end this – whatever this is – with the sole purpose of protecting this family, what does it accomplish?" She replied firmly. "Do you expect me to run after Damon? To run and pour my heart and soul to him and live happily ever after? To run away from my duties for this family?" She demanded as she glared at him. But this time, Elijah did not back down.
"We've had more than a few chances at real happiness in this life, Elizabeth." He now said. "The man is there, running after you, showing you how much he loves you, and yet, how many times did you do this to him? And how many times has he come back to you? But this time, cousin, I assure you that he won't come back. And if that does happen, then that will be the time when you will regret all the chances you have had to finally be merry with him. Yet, you always end up running into yourself because you are too afraid to take the plunge." Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at him as she glared and scrounged her nose. But Elijah continued, no matter how much she didn't want to hear this. "But you are strong enough, Elizabeth. Though it's such a shame to see you cower from something that could be magical – even if that had something to do with the other Salvatore. And it's a shame for him too, because he tried to find you and your lost soul, but in the end, he knew that he failed because you might just be a lost cause that is simply a dead end." They held each other's glares. Elijah knew that this confrontation was something of a surprise to her, but it needed to be done for the sake of his brother, of her, of this family, before it will erupt and send them all crashing back down, with the both of them pulling each other deeper into the end. "For once, after five hundred years, I ask you again, dear cousin, to have a change of heart."

With that, he gave her one last gaze before he finally left. And for once, he knew that Elizabeth was left stunned.