((Thanks for being awesome readers and reviewers! I love writing humor for our characters and I think this chapter is a good balance between the seriousness of their situation and the lightheartedness that one finds in relieving tense situations. I hope you enjoy!))

The two Petrova doppelgangers stared at each other—Liliya waiting patiently for Elena to speak first.

"I—I…" Elena stated, still dumbfounded by her admission

" 'I love him'," Liliya spoke for her, a sympathetic smile crossing her face as she slid closer and patted Elena's knee under the blanket, "Admitting it is the first step, Honey."

Elena took a deep breath to steady herself, then shook her head, still in shock by all of it

"You make it sound so easy—" she whispered weakly

"Oh, Elena," Liliya lamented, her smile fading, "I know better than anyone that love is never easy—admitting it may be, but the choices it comes with makes you want to run for the hills."

# # # # # #

"Liliya's parents were refugees from what is now Bulgaria," Tyler/Klaus said, leaning against the couch cushions, his eyes focused on Stefan, "After a warlord decimated their village and their only family, they and a number of others, traveled hundreds of miles where sought asylum with the Vikings. Years later, a plague ravaged my parent's village claiming countless lives including their newborn son and Liliya's father. With half the village dead and harsh weather destroying the crops, my family and countless others decided to follow the word and vision of my mother's friend, the witch Ayanna, who spoke of a mystical land across the water where they could live in peace, prosperity and good health. So, while still with child, Liliya's mother boarded a ship with my people and came over to the New World. There, four months after my mother gave birth to Elijah and a year before my own arrival, Liliya was born."

"So you knew her from the beginning?" Stefan asked

"It was a small village, Stefan, of course I knew of her, but—"

"Then, what changed?"

Tyler/Klaus took a deep breath, his eyes softening as he let the memories wash over him—memories he had tried to keep away for more than a thousand years.

"It was spring of her eleventh birthday. She had just lost her mother to a sudden illness—she was alone and hurting and in need of someone. And me…" Tyler/Klaus paused, looking down to his hands, the pain spreading over his face in small waves, "I was wrestling with a dark part of myself. I was slowly coming of age and beginning to realize that not only did I not look or act like any of my other siblings, but everyday was finding myself more and more of a disappointment to my father..."

Stefan absorbed this for a moment, then Tyler/Klaus finished his thought.

"You could say we 'found' each other that day in the woods."

Immediately Stefan saw images flashing before his own eyes…

Returning to Mystic Falls wracked with shame and guilt after years of staying away…

Seeing Elena for the first time—the night her parents car went over the bridge and into the quarry-Elena's father motioning to him to save Elena who was unconscious in the backseat…

Watching her for days, weeks, and months after the accident, lonely, grieving and lost…

Running into her after the first day of school in the cemetery and the instant connection he felt between them…

"She had the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen," Tyler/Klaus whispered, lifting his eyes to the portrait of Liliya on the table, "They were the color of caramelized chocolate and seemed to bore right through me into my soul…"

Again, Stefan saw Elena that day in the cemetery…

"I'm Elena," she had said sweetly,

"I'm Stefan," he replied, unable to keep his eyes off her

"I know," she said quickly, "We have…history together."

"And English and French," he added

"Right," Elena smiled

Then, without thinking, he reached forward and pulled a small leaf out of the bottom of her hair…and God, the look she gave him as her dark chocolate eyes watched him pull his hand away. His heart just melted…

"Is this sounding familiar, Stefan?"

Tyler/Klaus' voice immediately brought Stefan out of his thoughts and the younger Salvatore found the original smirking at him.

"So you met her first?" Stefan asked, clearing his throat and trying to focus, "Fell in love with her first?"

"Well, see that is where our story collides again, my friend," Tyler/Klaus said, cocking his head, "Turns out, I wasn't the first to meet her nor the first to fall in love with her."

"Elijah…" Stefan whispered in sudden realization

"Or, in your case… I'm sensing...Damon." Tyler/Klaus countered

# # # # # #

Damon turned doorknob, finding it unlocked, and pushed open the door to the Gilbert house.

"Jeremy!" he called as he stepped forward to cross the threshold, but ran smack into an invisible barrier.

"Gah!" he cried, holding his face as it momentarily throbbed it pain from the impact. He then lowered his hand and turned back to Elijah, "What is the deal with Fort Knox, here?"

Elijah narrowed his eyes as he studied the door then took a step forward to Damon's side, reaching his hand out to try to cross the barrier, but failing when it too hit the invisible wall.

"It's Elena," Elijah said stepping back with a sigh

"What about her?" Damon asked curiously

Elijah turned to Damon and raised an eyebrow

"Oh…Oh, I get it," the older Salvatore suddenly realized, "Elena is in transition, so not dead, but not exactly alive, either. And since she was the one who invited us into the house in the first place, the offer is now rescinded—hence, 'deflector shields up'."

Elijah nodded

Just then, Jeremy's voice sounded from upstairs.

"Damon? Is that you?" he called

"No!" Damon chimed in a mock cheerful voice as Jeremy appeared, bounding down the front staircase, "It's your neighborhood Avon Sales Rep. Would you like to try out new age-fighting anti-wrinkle cream?"

Elijah rolled his eyes as Jeremy walked across the landing.

"You got here fast," Elena's brother mused as he looked from Damon, then to Elijah

Suddenly, a silence fell between the three of them as Jeremy continued to look at them, confused.

"What's up? Why are you just standing out there?" he asked

"Well, it seems we have a slight problem…" Elijah started

"We need an invite." Damon finished

Jeremy furrowed his eyebrows.

"I don't understand. I thought Elena had already—" then suddenly, he stopped. Damon and Elijah watched as it quickly dawned on Jeremy Gilbert why they couldn't enter the house and they watched his face fall slightly as if he had just now realized he had truly lost his sister…well, his human sister, anyway.

But, Elijah had to admit, the boy was much more resilient than a lot of people gave him credit for and he rallied back fast.

"Well, since it's my house, too…Come in, Elijah," he said, nodding toward the original as he brought himself back to focus

And Elijah quickly crossed the threshold with ease

"Hey, what about me?" Damon whined

"Sorry," Jeremy quipped, "We're more of a Mary Kay household."

"Ha. Ha," Damon countered as he watched Jeremy smile

"Come in, Damon." Jeremy said, taking a step back as Damon also crossed into the house and shutting the door behind him

"Where is my brother?" Elijah said, turning toward Jeremy

"He's upstairs in my bedroom." Jeremy replied

"Well," Damon said, politely holding out his hand in the direction of the stairs, "Shall we?"

And with that, Jeremy led the way to the second floor with Elijah and Damon close behind.

When they opened the door to Jeremy's room, Elijah was stunned.

"Oh, my God…" he mused from the doorway as Jeremy entered the room and walked toward the figure of his younger brother.

It really was Henrik—exactly as Elijah remembered him in 1044.

"Oh, your God, what?" Damon asked with a raised eyebrow as he came to Elijah's side and surveyed the room

"You mean you can see him?" Jeremy asked, suddenly turning back to Elijah

"Oh, yeah…" Elijah whispered, still stunned

"I don't see anyone." Damon said, still taking in the room

Hearing the other voices in the room, Henrik's spirit immediately turned from where he had been standing in front of Jeremy's dresser, examining the television.

"Elijah…" he smiled when he saw his older brother

Elijah tentatively took a step forward

"Henrik…" he whispered in disbelief, his face falling as he looked his youngest brother over from the head to toe.

The two stared at each other tensely for a moment or two before Henrik spoke again.

"Don't worry," he said, holding his brother's gaze, seeming to read Elijah's thoughts, "I wish I could embrace you, too."

Elijah let out a deep breath and smiled.

It really was his brother, not some vengeful spirit. Only his true brother would offer forgiveness and love.

It was Henrik.

"Are—are you alright?" Elijah choked out

"Dude, he's a ghost," Damon whispered, "What do you think?"

"I'm as well as I can be since Mother woke me—me and that thing," Henrik said, " I wandered for a while, looking for you when I realized what had happened. Then, Jeremy found me."

Henrik looked over to Jeremy and smiled politely.

"He's been kind," Henrik continued, turning back toward his older brother, "And until you could come, he's been enlightening me as to some of what has happened in the world since I've been gone these past centuries…Have you ever watched television?"

Elijah smirked and nodded

"Well, I have to say," Henrik said, a look of awe crossing his face, "I find it both fascinating and a little disturbing how they fit those tiny people into that box, don't you?"

Elijah turned to Jeremy with a raised eyebrow

"What?" Jeremy shrugged, trying to hold back his laughter, "He asked me about it and I told him it was little people…it was easier than trying to explain the technology."

"Hold on! Wait a second!" Damon cried, looking from Jeremy to Elijah to the empty space in the room, "Did I miss something? Did little brother make a funny?"

# # # # # # #

"Ahhh…perfect!" Misha exclaimed as stood on his toes and reached for the highest shelf of one of the kitchen cabinets, retrieving the item he was after and handing it over his shoulder to Kol.

"Oh…" Kol said, taking the large cookie jar in the shape of a smiling teddy bear wearing a tuxedo into his hands with a perplexed look, "You have got to be joking."

"Nope," Misha said, lowering himself and closing the cabinet door, "It's the only thing I've got."

"We can't put Ioan's soul in this!" Kol cried, looking down at the teddy bear's face

"You mean because it's just so cute you could die?" Misha countered with smirk

"Please tell me you have a Ball jar…" Kol whined, holding the jar out to Misha to take it back

"Too small," Misha replied quickly, pushing the jar back toward Kol

"A really big Tupperware container?" Kol asked as he held out the jar again

"Too malleable," Misha said sternly, pushing the cookie jar back again, "Look, I know it's not exactly ideal, but it's big enough and strong enough and it has to be a vessel that can later be broken by Kaspar in the ritual so Ioan's soul can be freed. Please, Kol? Just humor me?"

"Okay, Guys," Rebekah's voice suddenly sounded behind them as she entered through the kitchen door, "I got the candles and the matches—" she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, pointing one of the candles in her hand toward the teddy bear cookie jar in Kol's grasp, "Please, don't tell me that's…"

"Our brother's new home?" Kol chimed, smiling as he held the grinning teddy bear up next to his face, "Yep."

"It's just so…so…" Rebekah mused, narrowing her eyes

"So cute you could just die?" Misha offered

"Something like that," Rebekah grimaced over the warlock's shoulder at Kol still holding the cookie jar, "It's just too…happy. It looks like a deranged Gummy Bear."

Misha smirked as he stepped forward and took the candles and matches from her.

"Just don't look it in the eye…it'll be over soon," he soothed as he turned her by her shoulders and led her back through the kitchen door, jerking his head and signaling for Kol to follow them with the cookie jar.

Which he did...holding the smiling bear out at arms length.