AN: The prompt for this chapter is: A story from a villain's perspective. For the week of April 18-24. Dedicated to Caitlin.
The girl her second oldest son is interested in was almost killed by Niklaus. NIklaus has almost killed her several times over the course of the half year the girl's been home, along with almost killing the girl's aunt. It's all so interesting, she's watched this girl with fascination. Elena Gilbert looks like the girl she sacrificed to make her children monsters. Esther feels regret over that, but it was solving two problems with one death. She's watched over her children and had to feel as their victims felt as punishment for her crime against nature for centuries.
She felt the torture and death of Katerina Petrova, and Esther is waiting for this girl who looks like the other two doppelgangers to permanently die already, but Elijah protects her over and over. Plus the girl defends herself and her family over and over.
She dies at Klaus's hands, technically his fangs, but Elijah is the one who gave her something to bring her back. Those fangs had dug deep, Esther had winced at it as she felt it, but the girl kept her gaze until her heartbeat slowed and there was nothing left for her body to do but give up. Even as Elena stopped breathing, she didn't give up. She keeps playing the game she was born into, and Elijah is her ally against those who want to use and kill her.
Yes, Elena Gilbert captured her interest, but she also captured Elijah's in a different way. The Petrova girl had dreams to become an author as she came home with a packed car and framed piece of paper. The girl juggled relationships, plotlines and the supernatural with skill that impressed the witch as she watched. Esther's interested to see if the girl can do what she's been doing for months in a ballgown and heels.
Elijah can't always keep the girl safe and Elena Gilbert's only human anyway. This night she planned under the guise of being a family will be an interesting one Esther knows.
She watches her children with interest and sees change that surprises her and hints of the children she raised before she made them into monsters. It still doesn't matter, it doesn't change anything, she alone knows the amount of death her children have caused, felt the pain of each victim. Her children made others into monsters as well, and they have terrorized the Earth for too long. Far too long, and tonight she will begin to destroy vampires.
Elena Gilbert is a variable she's accounted for. Either Elena will help her eradicate vampires from the Earth or, she'll use the doppelganger as bait to kill Elijah. She has to kill each of her children individually as punishment, and she knows Elijah helps keep her children together. Esther wonders briefly if they'll unravel or fragment with Elijah's death.
"Mother? I need your opinion on which earrings I should wear with my dress." Rebekah's voice interrupts her musing and she looks upon the daughter she had doted on centuries ago. She pulls her face into a smile and nods.
"I would love to help you choose." Esther says, as she tells herself she must play the part she agreed to.
It's hard, harder than she thought it would be. Over the centuries she's watched her children, but Rebekah bends over backwards for her and Niklaus changes his behavior but it's done. She sees the quieter changes in Kol, Elijah and Finn. Even as her children change around her she knows it's not enough, and it will never be enough. She was weak, weak enough to change her children and enable them to create two new races of monsters. She wonders for a moment as she points at a twist of metal if it always comes down to too much of something or not enough.
Rebekah smiles at her and holds the metal up to her ears and Esther knows killing Rebekah will be one of the hardest things she's ever had to do. At least Elijah will be first, he's the glue that keeps their family together, and her children will be scattered at best without him.
"What are you thinking about?" Klaus has wandered into the room, and she knows the question is not directed at Rebekah.
"I was just overthinking. I hope tonight is perfect." It's not a lie, her children would hear that in her heartbeat.
"It will be." Niklaus grins and his smile reminds her of the wolves she sought to protect her children from.
The dress she's wearing was picked by Rebekah, she remembers as she exhales. She carefully watches visitors enter along with her children. She knows Niklaus has shown interest in a girl who visited Elena for a short while, Caroline. She sees the glimpses of humanity that she thought had died long ago but it doesn't excuse the massacres and crimes her children hold responsibility for.
"I thought you were going to invite that girl you are friends with. Elena." She pretends like she has to think about the doppelganger's name and Elijah shakes his head.
"We are just friends." Elijah says, but when the doors open to reveal Elena Gilbert, she notices where her son's eyes move with Elena.
"Of course." Esther says, and Elijah frowns slightly but keeps his gaze. Esther looks at the clock Elijah taught her to read on the wall and wishes the ball was over with. She only has a certain amount of time to complete her task before someone else more ruthless is to be sent in her place.
The people of Mystic Falls blend into her plan seamlessly, none of the humans have an issue dancing a centuries old waltz, they excel at it. This world she and her children should have never seen or experienced is odd. She notices Elena Gilbert fidgeting with her dress before Elijah asks her for a dance and she can't resist the small smile she allows herself as she watches over the dancers for a moment. She moves to her room, Elena Gilbert will come to her soon enough, a fly willingly walking into her web. She knows what she'll say to the girl, what lies she'll weave and what threats she'll make if those don't work on her.
A few hours and this will be over and Elijah will be dead. In the time she waits for the doppelganger to visit her, she tries to think of the best sequence to kill her children. Finn would be an easy target after Elijah, then Kol perhaps. She'll save Niklaus for last, the spell she plans to cast will trap her children with her. It will only be broken after they all perish, and she'll return to the other side once vampires and hybrids are eradicated from the planet.
A quiet knock at the door interrupts her thoughts. She knows it won't be one of her children, it must be the doppelganger. She burns the sage she spelled as her children slept, and opens the door. A familiar face smiles nervously at her and she invites the human in.
She tells the girl that they can speak freely and explains the sage burning. The girl fidgets again.
"I'm sorry, I'm just not used to wearing dresses like this. I feel like I can't quite breathe." Elena excuses and Esther forces a sympathetic smile. The doppelganger has two choices, and as she explains them, she notices that Elena Gilbert stills and then picks the correct one. Maybe there is such a thing as a smart doppelganger after all.
It's easy, easier than she ever imagined.
"You might need to persuade Elijah to stay home, I know the others will stay, but Elijah doesn't keep the same hours as my other children." Esther says and Elena smiles.
"I can do that. Do you need anything else from me?" Elena asks and Esther shakes her head.
"Go back to the ball, talk to Elijah and go home. The world will be free of vampires and hybrids before you know it." Esther says with another forced smile, pretending she cares is rather draining.
"Thank you." Elena says sincerely and Esther widens her smile. The girl fidgets in the hallway and Esther reminds her which direction she needs to go. Niklaus built a confusing house, Esther can hardly blame her for being lost. She almost thinks she hears a beeping noise, but it's probably just some of the technology Klaus and Elijah have tried to teach her about. The doppelganger is out of her sight and she closes the door. She watches the windows, the night is nice and there are quite a few couples that are walking around the gardens.
She sees Elijah talking to Elena, a phone in her hand. She puts her finger to her lips and they listen to something as they walk. Maybe Elijah will listen to Elena.
Esther moves away from the window, and closes her eyes. Just a few more hours, and then this will all be over. Thousands of killers will be eliminated from the world and she will finally know rest.
"Rebekah?" She calls, knocking on the heavy door. There's so response. Rebekah is often found with her brothers.
"Niklaus! Rebekah!" She calls. There's no response. She looks through every room in the maze of a house Niklaus constructed. She is completely alone, and there's only one explanation. The doppelganger.
Small towns have big mouths, and in no time someone has given her directions to the Gilbert house.
"It's too late." Elijah opens the door like they expected her to come. His features look cold and harsh, she's seen that face before through other eyes.
"It's not. I can still kill all of you." Esther says it like a promise and she can see Elena Gilbert in the shadows, behind Elijah.
"Including that little doppelganger traitor." Esther adds and her son's eyes harden, and Elena moves farther back into the house.
"Niklaus is on a plane, Kol is on a boat, Rebekah is on a train with Finn and I am here. You cannot kill us and I will not allow you to harm Elena. Give up, Esther." She knows she should feel something at her son calling her by her name, not her title but she feels weak. She bows forward, trying to avoid hitting the sidewalk.
She failed, and she knows Elijah doesn't care about what she's going to say. She's going to die looking at one of her children again, cold and alone.
"Something worse is coming to kill you." She rasps and her knees scrape against the ground.
"We'll handle it." Elijah says firmly, and Elena's eyes focus on her. She exhales one last time, a long sigh escapes her lips as she turns to dust. She failed. Maybe the next person won't.