UPDATE #3 FOR TODAY! I hope you like it! Irina is SO CLOSE to getting her memories back! AHH! Anyway, If you haven't read the 1st two updates from today, please do that! :D


Confused what I thought with something I felt
Confuse what I feel with something that's real
I tried to sell my soul last night
Funny, he wouldn't even take a bite

- Come With Me Now by the Kongos


Irina woke up with a pounding headache. She tried her best to sleep soundly, but of course she had nightmares. Her entire life was a nightmare; why should her dreams be any different? She heard the sound of her cell phone and checked the messages. She had two from Elena, one from Caroline, one from Bonnie, and one from Elijah. She ignored all the others and opened the one from Elijah immediately.

Where do you want to meet?

She smiled and texted him back. You pick the place. I'm bringing Damon.

Why Damon? He texted a few minutes later.

He is on your side too, Elijah. He'll be on his best behavior, I promise.

She waited for him to text back, and it was taking forever. She sighed and put her phone on the nightstand while she went to shower. After she was showered and her hair was dried, she went back to check her phone. He still hadn't texted back. She huffed and went to her closet. She pulled out her white button-up top and denim shorts. She got a green cardigan and a tan scarf. Klaus had really done a number on her neck. That was the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak. What he had done was completely unnecessary, and he had no reason to try and kill Bonnie.

She was pulling on her boots when she heard her phone chime. She went to get it and read the message from Elijah.

Very well. Shall we meet behind the site where the witches were burned? 15 minutes?

She shook her head and scoffed. Sounds good to me. See you soon.

She slipped her phone into her pocket and walked out of her room. She grabbed an apple from the kitchen. Bonnie was there, and she looked deep in thought.

"Good morning," Irina said.

Bonnie snapped her head up and smiled. "Good morning. What's up?"

Irina chuckled and sat in the chair next to Bonnie. "Do we need to have tea?" she asked. That was their secret code for 'do we need to talk'.

"No," Bonnie said. "I was just wondering if this would really work."

"What do you mean?" Irina asked.

"Abby does have magic, but the longer she stayed away from us, the more it faded. She's back though. She wants to help," Bonnie explained.

Irina's eyebrows were almost to her hairline. "Oh… wow," she said.

"Yeah, so I'm going to see if it works. Let's just hope," Bonnie said.

Irina nodded. "We need to buy some time though," she said. "We'll distract Klaus."

"Be careful Irina," she said.

"I will. Damon will be there the entire time," Irina said.

Bonnie scoffed. "Since when did Damon become the hero in these situations?" she groaned.

Irina didn't answer. She just laughed and left the house.


Irina arrived to the meeting spot right on time, but didn't see Elijah anywhere. It wasn't like he had many places to hide- it was a freaking field. She sighed and crossed her arms. Suddenly there was a whoosh of air, and she turned to see him behind her.

"Elijah," she said. "You scared the hell out of me."

"My apologies, Irina. It was not my intention," he said.

She smiled and said; "You clean up nicely. I like your hair like this. It suits you well."

"I got your note," he said, pulling a small piece of paper from his jacket pocket.

Irina sighed. "Dear Elijah, let's get together and plot the destruction of your brother. xoxo…" she quipped.

"Irina," he said disapprovingly.

"Was she right to undagger you?" Damon asked as he appeared behind Irina, causing her to jump.

She glared at him. "Okay, people really need to stop trying to give me a coronary."

"I'm here, so let's talk," Elijah said.

"Let's start with an easy question. Do you have any idea what could be magically sealed in a mystery coffin that I can't open?" Irina asked.


After a very interesting conversation with Elijah, who seemed to be on their side now, Irina decided to go for a run. She needed to get out her frustrations and clear her head. A run was the way to do that. She slipped on her exercise clothes and sneakers before running around town. She was running through the park when someone fell into step beside her.

"Hey," Caroline said.

"Hey Care! What are you up to?" Irina asked.

Caroline sighed. "Oh nothing much. Just clearing my mind of all things ex-boyfriend related, you?" she asked.

"I'm clearing my mind of anything Original hybrid related," she grumbled.

Caroline laughed and they fell into a comfortable silence. Irina was thinking about their plan. She would join Klaus and Elijah for dinner- with Stefan and Damon present of course- and then they would undagger the siblings. Her thoughts were broken when Caroline stopped dead in her tracks.

Irina walked back to her. "What's up? Why did you stop?" she asked.

"Someone's hurt… bad," she said.

She started walking into the tree line while Irina followed. She made her way to the middle of the woods, before they saw it. There was a man lying on the ground, stabbed in the stomach. They both rushed forward to see that it was Caroline's dad.

"Oh my God," Caroline gasped.

Irina stared down at Bill Forbes' body. His throat had been cut and he had been stabbed in the stomach. Caroline was biting her wrist and sticking it in his mouth. Irina felt his wrist for a pulse, but there wasn't one. She put her ear against his chest, and she couldn't hear a heartbeat.

"Caroline," she said.

"No," Caroline said.

Irina sighed and took Bill's hand in her own. There was nothing- no feeling, no image… nothing. He was dead. "Caroline, listen to me. He's gone," Irina said.

"No, Irina. He's not dead. He can't be dead," Caroline replied.

"Caroline…" Irina began.

"No!" Caroline shrieked. There were tears running down her face, and she looked more upset that Irina could ever remember her looking. "No, he can't be dead. He's not dead, Irina. It's not possible," she said.

"We need to call your mother," Irina said.

Before Irina could dial the number, Bill Forbes gasped in a breath and sat up. He was looking around, disoriented. The two girls jumped back in surprise. "Does this mean that he is in transition?" Caroline asked.

Irina took Bill's hand and closed her eyes. She didn't feel death like she did when she touched a vampire, but it wasn't life like when she touched a human. It was like a fading light.

Irina nodded and said; "I'll leave you two alone to discuss."


Irina ran back home to change her clothes. She couldn't get the image of Bill Forbes out of her mind. She decided that a hot shower is what she needed, so she showered and dried off before fixing her hair. It still wasn't working, but she felt a bit better now. She left her hair in its natural, loose curls and pulled back the two sides in small braids.

She took out her phone to text Bonnie. Hey, how's the coffin opening coming along?

Bonnie texted back as Irina was putting on her lipgloss. We're doing the best we can.

Don't overexert yourself. Irina replied to her.

K. Bonnie answered, and Irina went to her closet to find a suitable outfit for tonight.

She pulled out a teal skirt, and a tanktop with a teal/white pattern on it. She pulled on her leather jacket and heels before adjusting the chain of her locket. She put her white scarf over the bite mark on her neck before putting on her bracelets. She headed out the door and saw Damon waiting for her in front of her house. Apparently she wouldn't be driving.


They arrived to Klaus' home, which Irina had to admit was beautiful, and Irina knocked on the door. The door opened to reveal Elijah- dressed in his suit, as always- and Irina smiled at him.

"Niklaus, our guests have arrived," he announced.

They entered the home to see Niklaus waiting in the dining area. "Damon, Stefan, and Irina… Elijah tells me you seek an audience… very bold. Let's discuss the terms of our agreement like civilized individuals, shall we," he said as he gestured to a table set with plates and food.

Irina looked to Elijah- this wasn't in their plan. "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'd hear us out," Stefan said.

"Well, we can sit and eat. Or I can reach down your throat and pull out your insides," Klaus said. "The choice is yours."

Irina sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes. "Yes, Stefan. We all know you don't like Klaus. There's no reason to make things awkward," she said.

"See Stefan, Irina seems to have forgiven me," Klaus teased.

Irina scoffed. "I never said that," she quipped. "I simply find it offensive when people die at the dinner table. You know how it is."

Elijah pulled out a chair for her and she thanked him as she sat down. Everyone else sat down as well. Klaus was across the table from her, and Stefan was to her right. Damon was between Klaus and Stefan, while Elijah was to Irina's left. To say that there was tension in the room would have been the understatement of the century.

Irina stared at the food on her plate, while everyone else- excluding Stefan- ate their food. A compelled woman poured red wine in Irina's glass, and she thanked her while keeping her eyes trained on Klaus.

"Have you two lost your appetite? Eat," Klaus said.

"I'll eat when Stefan does," she replied.

Stefan simply shook his head. "I thought we agreed to leave the grumpy Stefan at home," Damon said, which caused Irina to smirk.

She shared a look with Stefan before shrugging, and picked up her fork when he did. They both ate a bite of their food, and Klaus said; "That's the spirit. Isn't this nice; the five of us, sharing a meal together. Is that what you had in mind when you pulled the dagger out of my brother?" he asked, but his attention wasn't focused on Irina, it was focused on Damon.

Irina cleared her throat and said; "Damon didn't undagger Elijah. I did."

"Is that so?" Klaus asked.

"Yes. I figured the more the merrier," she said.

Klaus smirked. "Yes, well… Elijah and I have had our fair share of quarrels over the centuries. But, we make it through," he 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 too afraid to face her," he said.

"If you're referring to the fact that Rebekah knows I killed our mother, I've already come clean to Elijah," Klaus said.

"Hey Stef, remember when you killed dad? Might wanna dial down the judgment 'til dessert," Damon said.

Irina just scoffed incredulously and shook her head as she laid her fork down. "What?" Damon asked.

"You're a good one to talk about killing family, or have you forgotten your "uncle" Zach?" she said, putting air quotes around the word uncle.

They both ignored her and Stefan said; "We're here to make a deal Damon. Doesn't mean we have to kiss his ass for seven courses."

"I'm just saying, we have a long evening ahead of us. Pace yourself," he replied.


Irina continued pushing the food around on her plate. She wasn't hungry anymore, and this entire situation was making her nervous. Nobody was saying anything, and they weren't discussing a deal at all. She sighed and put her elbow on the table before leaning her head on her hand.

"No elbows on the table, please," Klaus said. He was so obviously trying to get a rise out of her, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.

She simply sighed and folded her hands in her lap, while sitting up straighter. "Happy?" she asked with an overly sweet smile on her face.

Klaus didn't say anything. He simply smirked and took a drink of his wine. Elijah cleared his throat and said; "Stefan, where is the lovely Elena tonight?"

"I don't know, ask Damon," Stefan quipped.

Irina furrowed her brows and said; "What's with the hostility?"

Klaus chuckled and said; "Obviously you've been kept out of the loop, Irina. I apologize, Elijah. You've missed so much. Trouble in paradise."

"Oh my God, you kissed Elena?" Irina asked.

Everyone at the table looked at her in shock. "How the hell did you guess that? Nobody said a word about it," Damon said.

"I'm her best friend, Damon. I knew I was getting vibes," she said while shooting him a glare.

"One more word about Elena, and this dinner is over," Stefan said.

Klaus smirked and held his finger to his lips in the 'shh' sign, while Damon said; "Perhaps it's best to just keep Elena in the 'do not discuss' pile."

"You're probably right," Irina grumbled.

"It's just the allure of the Petrova doppelgänger is still so strong. What do you say brother? Should we tell them about Tatia?" Klaus asked.

At the name, Irina's head shot to Klaus. The name sounded so familiar, but she didn't know where she had heard it before. Elijah and Klaus looked to Irina and gauged her reaction. "Does that name sound familiar to you, Irina?" Klaus asked.

"I knew her… didn't I?" she asked softly.

"Why do you ask that?" Elijah asked.

Irina sighed. "Rebekah told me what she could about when I was born," she explained.

"What are you talking about?" Damon asked.

"Nothing. Continue with what you were saying," Irina answered.

Elijah sighed. "I don't think we should bring up matters long since resolved," he said.

"Well, given their affection for both Katerina and Elena, I think our guests might be curious to learn about the originator of the Petrova line," Klaus said.

"Well, we're not going anywhere Elijah. Please… do tell," Damon said as he lifted his glass.

There was a pause before Elijah began explaining. "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 had a child by another man, and none loved her more than Niklaus," he said.

"No, I'd say there was one who loved her at least as much," Klaus said.

"Wait a minute- so you both loved the same girl," Stefan chuckled.

"A girl who looked just like Elena," Irina pointed out.

They were still talking, but Irina wasn't listening. She felt a little pain behind her eyes, but it wasn't as bad as when she got her memories back before. She remembered a young boy with a woman who looked like Elena. She was walking with her son, and Irina was walking behind them with someone. His hair was dark, as were his eyes. He looked kind of like Jeremy in coloring, and his name was… Ulrich.

"Ulrich," Irina blurted out in a soft voice.

"Excuse me," Klaus said.

"Her son's name was Ulrich," she said.

Klaus and Elijah shared a look, but thankfully Elijah changed the subject. "So why don't we move this evening along and discuss the terms of our proposal," he said.

Stefan and Damon were still looking at Irina with concerned expressions, but Damon said; "Well, it'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. "

"Deal sounds fair, doesn't it brother?" Elijah said.

"I don't think you understand. Elena's doppelgänger blood ensures that I will always have more hybrids to fight those who oppose me. I will never leave her behind," Klaus said, looking at Stefan. After a short pause, he stood and said; "Let's say I do leave her here under your protection. How long until one of you turns her 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 who can protect her, and that is simply a delusion. Gentlemen, the worst thing for Elena Gilbert is the two of you."

"I'm going to get some air," Damon said.

Irina stood and said; "And I am going to leave, and not even pretend that I'm okay with the fact that you are discussing my friend's life behind her back."


Irina arrived to the room where the coffins were being held. Elijah and Damon were right behind her, and Elijah handed her a small bundle of herbs and she looked confused. "What's this?" she asked.

"Sage," he said quietly before handing her a paper with a spell on it. "It will spell the room for silence."

"Oh," she said. She used her magic to light the sage on fire, and placed it in a bowl before chanting the words on the page. Afterwards, Damon went to stand outside, and he confirmed that he couldn't hear anything.

"Okay, so I was looking through my grimoire earlier and I found something that might speed up their revival," Irina said.

Elijah nodded and Damon said; "Okay, let's get this show on the road."

They each went to a coffin. Elijah was at Rebekah's coffin, and Irina was at the middle one who Elijah introduced as Kol. Damon was prepared to undagger Finn. "Okay… One, two three," Irina said and they all removed the daggers with ease.

"We must return, but we'll tell Klaus that Irina went home," Elijah said.

Irina nodded. "If he asks why, tell him I got a headache. That happens when I get a memory back," she said, mumbling the last part.


It had been fifteen minutes, and Rebekah was already beginning to turn her normal color again. Kol's hand was beginning to turn its normal color as well, but Finn was still taking some time- probably because he was daggered for so long. She closed her eyes and began muttering the spell beneath her breath. It should bring them back to life quicker. She didn't have to use it on Rebekah though.

Rebekah gasped and sat up straight. She looked at her surroundings with a confused expression. "Irina," she breathed.

"Rebekah…" Irina said cautiously.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I'm helping Elijah. How do you feel about a little family reunion?" Irina replied.

Rebekah smirked, and Irina knew she was on board. She told Rebekah the plan, and Rebekah agreed to help should Irina need it. For the second part of the spell, Irina would need to offer up her wrist like she did for Jenna after the sacrifice. It might not be so good if one of them drained her dry.

"By the way," Irina began, "there are blood bags in the cooler over there." She pointed to the corner of the room.

She took a letter opener from the desk and used it to cut a shallow line on her wrist. She pressed it to Kol's mouth before chanting in Latin. Vivicabit cito immortui…The apricot color of Kol's skin spread throughout his body, and Rebekah came to stand beside Irina with a bloodbag in her hand. Kol's eyes shot open, and he looked to Irina. When she tried removing her wrist, he grabbed her arm, but Rebekah made him let go.

"Rebekah…" he said. "What in hell are you wearing?"

"Wait until Finn wakes and I'll let you know how long you've been asleep," she said.

Irina walked to Finn and did the same thing. She pressed her wrist to his mouth and began chanting the words. "What the bloody hell is she doing?" Kol asked.

"I'm speeding up the waking up process," Irina explained.

The color quickly returned to Finn's body, and he began drinking from her. His eyes shot open, and he let go of her wrist. He removed himself from the coffin, and smiled when he saw Rebekah and Kol.

"Brother, it's good to see you among the living again," Kol teased.

"What is going on? And why is our sister dressed like a strumpet?" Finn asked.

Irina giggled and Rebekah scoffed. Irina decided to fade into the background until their family reunion was over. She nervously fiddled with her locket, and didn't notice as the motion caught Kol's eye.


Kol was awake. Finally, after being in that bloody coffin for an indiscernible amount of time, he was awake. Nik would be getting it this time. He felt something warm dripping down his throat, and the euphoric taste of blood followed. He greedily drank, and opened his eyes. At first, he thought it was Aoife staring back at him, but upon closer inspection he knew it wasn't her. That was impossible, no matter how sad that thought was.

His food source had the audacity to try and pull away, but he held her in place. Then, Rebekah- whom he hadn't noticed before- was there to stop him. She smiled at the young brunette and Kol sat up. He watched as she moved to Finn and began doing the same thing. She was a witch… of course. Finn was awake, and he walked over to hug both Kol and Rebekah. He was still dressed in his clothing from the twelfth century.

Kol was still dressed in his late nineteenth century clothing, and he didn't know what century they were in now. Rebekah was explaining something about Elijah or something, but he noticed the necklace she was wearing. Her hand fell from the necklace and she began fussing with the wound on her wrist, and he caught sight of the locket she was wearing. His eyes widened and he couldn't stop staring at it. Rebekah noticed, and followed his line of sight to the locket.

She turned and shook her head at him. "She doesn't know yet, Kol," Rebekah said.

No… this isn't her. She's supposed to be a little girl- this girl was all grown up. But she looked so much like Aoife, and her eyes were so much like Nik's. Rebekah walked to her and pulled her over to their group.

"Finn, Kol… this is Irina," she said.

Finn's eyes widened and he said; "You mean…"

"Yes, Finn, but she doesn't know yet," Rebekah warned.

"But you're more than welcome to tell me!" Irina said. Kol chuckled at her attempt.

Before anyone else could say anything, Rebekah noticed Irina's scarf. She tugged at it, but Irina moved out of the way. "Irina, who did this?" she asked.

"It's nothing… Klaus is an ass, that's all," Irina said.

Rebekah's eyes widened. "He bit you!" she said.

Irina shrugged and Elijah came into the room with Damon. They explained to the other three Originals what was going on, and apparently Kol and Finn were still enraged about being daggered for so long. However, when Elijah told them how Klaus killed their mother, Irina wanted to run and hide because of the expressions on their faces. Elijah told them to wait until he announced that they were awake before taking their anger out on Klaus.

"Now let's go before he barbeques my brother," Damon said, taking Irina's hand.

"Wait… what?" Irina asked.


Irina and Damon walked in front of them with Elijah and the three of them followed. They walked into the dining area with a compelled servant girl carrying a tray with the daggers on it.

"Elijah," Klaus said. "Why haven't you left?"

"Well, where are your manners, brother? You forgot dessert," Elijah said, removing the cloth covering the daggers on the tray.

"What have you done?" Klaus asked.

Elijah replied saying; "What have you done? See, I've learned not to trust your vulgar promises, Klaus. We're doing this on my terms now."

Kol appeared behind Irina, and carefully stepped around her. It was the first time she saw Klaus look frightened of anything.

"Kol…" he said, with his hands raised in a peaceful gesture.

"Long time brother," Kol said.

Before Kol could do anything, Finn appeared in front of Klaus with a dagger. "Finn, don't…" Klaus said.

Finn stabbed Klaus in the hand with a dagger, causing Klaus to scream out. He tried to flash away, but Rebekah was behind him with a dagger in her hand as well. She stabbed him in the stomach with the dagger and said; "This is for our mother!"

"You're free to go," Elijah said. "This is family business."

Damon nodded in the direction of the door, and Stefan took Irina's hand to lead her outside. Once they were outside, Irina opened the back door and got in. Before she shut the door, she cringed as she heard Klaus cry out. She could only imagine what they were doing to him. She blocked that thought out of her mind and called Caroline to see how she was doing.


Klaus leaned on the edge of the table, sulking. His siblings were officially awake, and hating him. This was not going as planned. They were supposed to be together forever, once he got that coffin back. He could ensure their safety now, but they didn't understand. He had done this for them. After tons of daggering, mostly by Kol and Rebekah, they finally got it out of their system.

"I like what you've done with the place, Nik," Rebekah said before picking up a vase and throwing it at a portrait.

"I wanted it to be for all of us," he whispered. "A place we could all call home; a place we could be a family. None of us would ever have to be alone again."

"Well you're right. None of us will be," Elijah said.

"You're staying behind," Finn said.

"We're leaving you, Nik," Rebekah continued. "Right after I kill that doppelgänger wench, and you will be alone. Always and forever."

Klaus smirked. "I won't be alone. Irina will get her memories back and come to my side," he said.

"Are you sure? Because according to her you've tried to kill her multiple times over the last few months," Elijah said.

"You tried to kill Irina!" Kol shouted.

"Not directly, no," Klaus replied.

"Nik," Rebekah began, "she won't come to your side. You're not the same at all, and she'll see that. She would come with us before you."

"If you run, I will hunt all of you down," Klaus threatened.

"And then you'll become the thing you hate most… our father," Elijah said.

"I'm the hybrid!" Klaus shouted. "I can't be killed! I have nothing to fear from any of you."

"You will when we have that coffin," Elijah said.

Klaus knew his eyes were widening, but he didn't stop the emotion from flickering across his face. Suddenly, the door opened and someone walked in. He was prepared to kill whomever made the bad decision to enter his home, but he stopped when he saw who it was. Esther… his mother, the one he killed… walked in wearing the same clothing she was when she was buried.

"Mother," Rebekah breathed.

Esther ignored everyone but Niklaus, and went directly to him. She stood right in front of him, but he could not meet her eyes. Even though he had spent a thousand years convincing himself what he did was justified, he still felt terrible for it. In the end it hadn't brought Irina back to him any sooner.

"Look at me," she ordered in a sharp tone. "Do you know why I'm here?"

"You're here to kill me," Klaus said.

"Niklaus, you are my son, and I am here to forgive you," she said.

He couldn't believe it… no, it wasn't possible. She couldn't forgive him- not after what he did. But he wanted to believe it. For so long he hadn't had his mother, and for so long he wanted to hear her voice. Yes, he was angry at her, but she was still his mother.

"I want us to be a family again," she said.

Kol cleared his throat and said; "What of Irina?"

"Irina's memories will be returned to her, once I am assured that this town will live in peace with us. Until there is no more danger for her, I will not give her memories back," Esther explained.