Weeks had passed since homecoming and there had been no sign of Alex anywhere in Mystic Falls. Elena and Caroline had searched for her, but it was like she had disappeared. Elena walked into the Boarding House to find Damon drinking.
"Where's Alex?" She asked.
"How would I know?" He asked. "And just so you know, I think she prefers Alexandria now."
"I would think that since you've spent every day since we found out who she really was getting drunk and moping, that you might have wanted to talk to her."
"I have no interest in talking to her."
She glared at him. She knew he hated showing emotion, but she had seen a change in him when Alex came to town. Now he was just slipping back into his own habits.
"So you're just giving up on her?" She asked.
"Why aren't you?" He stood up. "Why do you want to find her?"
"Because Damon, I spent my whole life thinking she was my sister. I want to talk to her because I still care about her and I thought you did too."
"You're right." He said quieter. "I did care, but it was all a lie for her."
"You don't know that Damon."
"Doesn't matter."
"So you're just giving up?"
"That's exactly what I'm doing. If she wanted anything to do with us she would be here." He said.
"If you ask me, she probably ditched this town the moment Mikael was killed."
With a huff, Elena left the house realizing Damon wasn't going to be any help. Stefan walked into the room after she left.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
"What does it look like?" Damo gestured to his glass.
"I mean why aren't you looking for Alex with Elena. Sure she lied to you. She lied to all of us, but when you think about it she had a good reason. My question is why haven't you even tried talking to her?"
"I care because you love her Damon," Stefan said. "Since you've been with her you've been different. You've been happier than you have in a long time and I don't want you to lose that."
"What do you want me to say, Stefan? You want me to admit it? Fine." He said quietly. "You're right I love her. Now I have no clue where she is or if she is even still the girl I love. I have no idea if everything was all an act or not. So forgive me if I choose to mope around instead of facing my problems."
...
A few days later Stefan looked at Damon in disbelief after he had explained his plan.
"You want to have dinner with them?" Stefan asked disbelievingly.
"Yes. We are going to sit and have a nice civilized conversation, and come to an agreement about how to settle the dispute over this last coffin." He told him. "Now get ready. We're leaving soon."
...
Klaus greeted them as they walked into the dining room.
"Damon. Stefan. Elijah tells me, you seek an audience. Very bold. Let's discuss the terms of our agreement like civilized men, shall we?"
"It's better to indulge him," Elijah said.
"I didn't come here to eat, Klaus. In fact, I didn't want to come here at all. But I was told, I had to because you would hear us out." Stefan told him.
"Well, we can sit and eat or I can reach down your throats and pull out your insides. The choice is yours."
After a moment the Salvatore brothers sat down at the table.
"Thank you, love," Damon said as a waitress poured him some wine.
"You lost your appetite," Klaus said looking at Stefan.
"Eat. I thought we agreed that we would leave the grumpy Stefan at home." Damon said.
"That's the spirit. Isn't this nice? The five of us dining together? Such a treat. Is this what you had in mind when you pulled the dagger from my brother?" Klaus asked.
"Well, I know how he felt about you, so I figured the more, the merrier."
"Well, Elijah and I have had our share of quarrels over the century. But we always make it through." Klaus said.
"Kind of like you and Rebekah, right?" Stefan asked.
"Where is she, by the way? Last I checked she was still daggered because you were afraid to face her."
"If you're referring to the fact that Rebekah knows I killed our mother, I've already come clean to Elijah," Klaus told him.
"Hey, Stef, remember when you killed dad? Might want to dial down the judgment until dessert." Damon told him.
"Stefan. Where is the lovely Elena tonight?" Elijah asked and Klaus started laughing.
"I don't know. Ask Damon." Stefan told Elijah who looked confused.
"I'm sorry, you've missed so much. Uh- trouble in paradise." Klaus told his brother. Elijah who looked between the two younger vampires.
"One more word about Elena and this dinner's over," Stefan warned them.
"You know what, probably best just to keep Elena in the do not discuss pile," Damon said.
"It's just the allure of the Petrova doppelgänger, still so strong. What do you say, brother? Should we tell them about Tatia?" Klaus asked his brother.
"Now why should we discuss matters long since resolved?" Elijah asked him.
"Well, given their shared affection for both Elena and Katerina, I think our guests might be curious to learn about the originator of the Petrova line," Klaus told him.
"Well, we're not going anywhere Elijah. Please, do tell." Damon said taking a sip of wine.
"When our family first settled here, there was a girl named Tatia, she was an exquisite beauty. 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." Elijah told them.
"I'd say there was one who loved her at least as much," Klaus said smirking at his brother.
"Wait a minute, so you both loved the same girl?" Stefan asked them.
"Our mother was a very powerful witch. She sought to end our feud over Tatia and so she took her. Klaus and I would later learn that it was Tatia's blood that we consumed in the wine on the night where our 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. Harsh words were traded, we even came to blows, didn't we, brother?" Elijah asked.
"But in the end, we realized the sacred bond of family," Klaus said.
"Family above all," Elijah said as he and Klaus raised their glasses.
"Family above all," Klaus repeated and they clinked their glasses together.
"So, why don't we move this evening along and discuss the terms of this proposal?"
"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 proposed.
"The deal sounds fair, brother," Elijah told his brother.
"I don't think you understand, Elena's doppelgänger blood ensures that I will always have more hybrids to fight those that oppose me. I will never leave her behind." Klaus said before getting up and starting to pace.
"Let's say we do leave her here, under your protection, what then? How long before one of you turns Elena 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."
Damon stood at his words.
"I'm gonna get some air." He said
"Let me deal with this," Elijah said, getting up and following him.
"All this talk has made me thirsty," Nik said and a blond girl came up and stood next to Klaus. "What do you say, Stefan, can I interest you in a little after dinner drink?"
Klaus bit into her neck and drank her blood Klaus fed until she was dead before he dropped her to the floor.
"Delicious. Aged to perfection."
"Well, I guess the only reason you agreed to this evening, Klaus, is to drive a wedge between me and my brother," Stefan said.
"Oh no, you're doing that well enough on your own. Because of Elena, you're gonna lose your brother and you'll only have yourself to blame." Nik told him when Damon and Elijah re-entered the room.
"What do you say, Klaus? It's time for you to put something on the table. We've made our offer, now you counter." Damon said.
"Okay. I offer Elena's future happiness. You see, what she needs right now is to be rid of you lot. And to fall in love with a human, maybe that nice football player, you know the blond one?"
"Matt Donovan. Really?" Damon asked him.
"Yeah, why not? They'll marry, live a long and fruitful life, and pop out a perfect family." Klaus told him.
"And continue the Petrova bloodline. Every few hundred years, you'll have a new doppelgänger to drain and never run out of hybrids, right Klaus?" Stefan asked him.
"Consider Elena's future children a small return on my investment in her well being. See after you hand me back the coffin, I'll ensure her safety for the rest of her natural life, you know it's what's best for her." Klaus walked towards Stefan, stopping in front of the fire. "So, what do you say Stefan, do we have a deal?"
Stefan walked to him, meeting him in front of the fire.
"What are you doing?" Damon asked him. Klaus held out his hand to Stefan and Stefan grabbed it, smirking.
"Nice try, Klaus. But no deal." Stefan told him. Klaus quickly breaks Stefan's arm before kicking his leg and breaking it. Klaus pushed Stefan's hand in the fireplace it begins to burn. Damon attempted to rush over to him, but Elijah pushed him against the wall.
"What are you doing?" Damon asked him as Klaus continued to hold Stefan in the fire, the burn going up his arm. "Stop!"
"Now, bring me my coffin before I burn him alive," Klaus told him.
"I'll get it," Damon told him.
"Go with him, brother, you keep him honest. And when you return, I will make good on my promise to you and I will hand over our family." Klaus told Elijah and they both left.
"Go ahead and kill me, I know you'll do it when he brings the coffin," Stefan said and Klaus finally released him from the fire.
"You really have given up, haven't you? Where's the fight? Where's the ripper?" Klaus asked pushing Stefan, who pushed back.
...
Instead of leaving the house Damon and Elijah went into the room where Klaus kept his coffins.
"What are we doing?" Damon asked.
"My bother needs to be thought a lesson." He walked over to the first coffin. "And these are the best people to teach it to him."
Damon walked closer to the coffins.
"The faster we get the daggers out, the quicker they will wake up," Elijah said opening one coffin, to reveal a man older than himself.
"This is Finn." He had long hair and wore clothes that were from a century long past, It was obvious he hadn't left the coffin in a very long time. Opening the next coffin Elijah pulled the dagger out of the familiar blonde. "You already know Rebekah."
He opened the next coffin. It contained a man that probably wasn't daggered more than a century. "Kol."
When he opened the last coffin Damon's stomach dropped. He had hoped she wasn't there. It was Alex, her skin grey and a dagger sticking out of her chest. Damon felt guilt take over him. He hadn't even considered that Klaus may have done something to her. He assumed she just left. Damon was broken from his thoughts when he heard a sharp intake of breath.
"Hello, Finn."
"Elijah." The man said sitting up and looking around. "What year is it?"
"It is 2016."
Another intake of breath came from Rebekah. She sat up fast and looked around.
"It's alright Rebekah." Elijah walked over to her. She looked over at the remaining two siblings.
"He daggered us all."
Elijah looked down and sighed. "Yes."
Two more breaths came at the same time, and Damon looked over and watched as Alex's eyes opened. She shot into a sitting position. Her eyes moved around the room confused and scared. She saw the rest of her siblings and realization settled over her. Instantly her expression switched from one of fear to one a rage. The look on her face chilled Damon to the bone.