Disclaimer: I do not own the Originals or any characters related to the Vampire Diaries. They belong to Julie Plec and L. J. Smith.
This is a repost of Love Me Like You.
Chapter Six: The Dinner from Hell.
"Your mother is back and you didn't feel the need to warn me," Evelyn said marching after Klaus as he headed into his office, this was not what she had been expecting and she thought they were past all of this. With Francesca gone, things had calmed down and Evelyn was relieved that she didn't have to worry about werewolves coming to threatened her family here.
"I found out this morning love… I wanted to be sure before I worried you," Klaus replied calmly, he leant back in his chair and stared at her; he had a feeling that whatever his mother had planned that it wasn't going to end well. There was no forgetting the fact that Esther had been the one that had ordered Hope to be killed even if Elijah and Klaus had been able to get her back safely. Evelyn crossed her arms, she had a feeling that even then Klaus wouldn't have told her even if he did know what was going on with his mother.
"We've talked about this Klaus. I can't help if I don't know what is going on," Evelyn insisted, she wasn't some damsel that needed his protection all the time and if they were going to protect the twins then she needed to know what was going on. It wasn't going to be easy and Evelyn wasn't stupid, she had known when she was pregnant that things were never going to be simple especially since the Mikaelsons had so many enemies. This was the main reason that Evelyn loved the peace and quiet that they had enjoyed once the twins had been born and now that Francesca was gone because she knew it wasn't going to last.
"You can't hide me away when we have so many enemies and they are coming for us," Evelyn said, she could only imagine what Esther was coming here to say to them. Elijah had disappeared and she was sure it had something to do with the dinner that they were now hosting for their mother and whoever else she brought with her.
"I am trying to protect you, I can't have anything happen to you," Klaus snapped shaking his head, he looked at Evelyn wishing that they could have been left in peace; he wanted the quiet life more than ever right now. Evelyn stared at him, she wasn't sure where this was coming from; things had been good since they had retreated here after the twins birth and they had handled Francesca without much difficultly.
Getting up from his chair, Klaus moved around the desk and walked over to her; he reached for her only hesitating for a moment before he cupped her face. He searched her eyes, he truly wondered if she even realised what an impact she'd had on his life; he had never felt content like this in his thousand years of life.
"I nearly lost you once Evelyn… I held you in my arms after the witches slit your throat and if it wasn't for Davina then you wouldn't be here," Klaus said barely able to stop the memories that came to mind and he knew that he owed Davina for what she had done. There would never be a way that he could truly repay her for saving the lives of Evelyn and Alexander; they were everything to him and he would do anything for their little family.
"I won't lose you love," Klaus whispered quietly, he would never allow anyone to put his family in danger again; he was still trying to work out the Mikael issue. She almost didn't hear what he had said, she stared up at him not realising how much what had happened still plagued him; they had all been alright in the end. Klaus ducked down slightly and kissed Evelyn, there was nothing in this world that he wouldn't do to keep his family safe; he would deal with both his parents if he had to.
"Are these outfits really necessary?" Klaus grumbled shaking his head, he looked down at the fancy suit that he was wearing; he was uncomfortable and he wasn't looking forward to having to deal with his mother. Everything had been carefully planned and Klaus had done everything to keep this meal as short as possible; the less time that his mother was here the better.
"Appearance is a way of showing respect, Niklaus. Mother will be more likely to surrender her true intentions," Elijah replied, he had no idea why their mother was coming here but he doubted that she was coming to make amends. No matter what Esther had planned, it always seemed to revolve around what she wanted and her desire to fix the problems that she caused no matter what that could mean for her children.
"Well, I doubt her guard will drop just cause I'm dressed like a bloody lawyer," Klaus said rolled his eyes, he moved around the table making sure that everything was perfect before stopping next to Elijah. The monkey suits that they were wearing weren't comfortable and he doubted that anyone else would be dressed up as much as they were.
"I think you look rather handsome," Evelyn told him from the doorway, she smiled leaning against the door frame a little; she had spent a little while picking out the perfect outfit for dinner. The last thing that she wanted to do was make a bad impression, even if Klaus wasn't on the best terms with his mother; she liked the blue dress that she had picked out.
Klaus turned around and stared at Evelyn, he was a little taken back at the sight of her; she looked beautiful and the blue really suited her, he couldn't take his eyes off her. The sound of someone laughing ruined the moment and Klaus turned to glare at the man that had interrupted him; he didn't recognise him, he moved closer to Evelyn fearing that this was a trap of some kind.
"You two haven't changed a bit! Linens and silk to disguise your pathetic self-loathing. And you- despite the arrogant façade, you're still the same paranoid little boy, full of hate and fear," the man said amused speaking first to Elijah and then to Klaus. Taking a step towards the man, Elijah stepped forward knowing that the last thing they needed was for Klaus to feel like taking charge of the situation.
"Forgive me, I don't believe I've had the pleasure." Elijah said politely, he glanced at his brother who was standing close to Evelyn knowing that if anything went wrong here then Klaus would focus on Evelyn and the twins' safety. The man laughed and shook his head, he should have known that they would have forgotten him; he had never been close to them and he knew that they had always seen him as a pest.
"Oh, you mean you don't recognize me? So much for the unbreakable bonds of family, huh? Always and forever indeed," the man said smirking at them, he watched as realisation appeared on his brothers' faces as they realised who they were dealing with. Klaus moved closer to Evelyn, who looked even more confused and she wracked her brain for who this might be; she knew that there were a couple of Mikaelsons that she had yet to meet and this must be one of them in someone else's body.
"It's been a long time, Finn." Klaus greeted glaring at his oldest brother, he should have known that he would be around licking their mother's boots; the last time that they had seen Finn was when they had been in Mystic Falls and their mother was trying to kill them.
"Now that the introductions are out of the way, let's enjoy dinner," a voice said appearing behind Finn/Vincent and smiling at the gathering; she had been looking forward to this and she knew that her plan would work this time.
"Hello Mother," Elijah greeted knowing that it was probably best that he did so, he could only imagine what Klaus was thinking; he felt for the teenager that she was possessing and had been for a while. He could only imagine what had happened to Cassie when she had been possessed by Esther when she had returned to the living; they should have known she'd pull a stunt like this.
"It's so good to see you both again… and to finally meet you Evelyn," Esther said moving forward, she stopped next to Finn and looked at the three knowing that this was just how she had pictured it. Her eyes swept the room pleased to see that some effort had gone into preparing for dinner; she had been looking forward to this moment.
"Finn. Be a dear and carve for us," Esther instructed her oldest son, she offered him a smile and moved to take a seat at the head of the table signalling for everyone else to do the same. A smile formed on Finn's face as he did as his mother had instructed him, he was the eldest and it was his right to do so since their father wasn't here.
Evelyn took a seat next to Klaus, she glanced at him not entirely sure what to make of Esther considering what she had heard about the woman; she knew that there was only one reason why Esther was here. The fact that she had tried to kill her own children in the past, there was no forgetting that and now she was back doing God knows what.
"Let's get down to business…" Esther said reaching for the wine that had been served, she doubted that her two impatient and disobedient sons would allow her to linger for long. She leant back in her chair and smiled to herself knowing that there was no way that she could fail this time; she had learnt from her mistakes and had so much more to offer them this time.
"It pains me that you and Elijah look at me with such disdain. I wish you could see that my every action has been to protect you," Esther said with a shake of her head, she truly hated how things had worked out and she finally had a plan that would fix it. She wanted to give her sons a chance to come to their senses themselves; she wanted them to realise that she was here to fix them.
"You actually believe that, don't you? I knew you were a liar, but now I see you're utterly delusional," Klaus accused shaking his head, he had expected that this was how the dinner would go and he wasn't going to put up with it today. Everything that he was, was causing of what she and Mikael had done to him and he wasn't going to allow that to ruin his children's lives as it had done with his own; he was trying to be a better person.
"You ruined me! You left me to suffer at the hands of a father who valued only strength," Klaus ranted getting to his feet, she had made him weak when he had a father that only valued strength. He had been beaten and abused for years because he wasn't the son that Mikael had wanted him to be and he had lost so much of himself because of that.
"I kept you from becoming a beast for as long as I possibly could," Esther replied defending her past actions, she knew what Mikael would have done if he had discovered that Klaus wasn't his as a child. She had done everything in her power to protect her children especially after Henrik had passed and she regretted her actions since. Slamming his hands on the table, Klaus glanced at Evelyn apologetically as she jumped at his action before he started to rant at his mother for her weak defence of her actions.
"Oh, you lied to me! To hide your own transgressions because of your own fear! My whole life, I sought the approval I was denied by the man I thought was my father! You turned me into the weakling he hated," Klaus raged shaking his head. He would never understand how she could have done that to him when she saw how he had suffered at Mikael's hands.
"Look at me! You rant and you rave about the monster I have become, but you, Mother… you are the author of everything I am," Klaus accused furious that she thought that she could just turn up like this and play nice. He would never forget nor forgive what she had done to him, she had always been the issue and he didn't regret his decision to kill her all those years ago.
The only downside was that she kept coming back and seemed to bring more trouble with her each time that she did so; he could only imagine what she had planned for them this time. Evelyn reached out and touched Klaus's arm trying to calm him, she didn't blame him for getting upset and she knew that shouting wasn't going to change things; she ignored the look that Esther gave her.
Finn frowned at her actions, he couldn't believe that Klaus had somehow managed to find a woman like her; he didn't deserve something so pure that he would only corrupt. Esther looked flustered at his accusations before she suddenly started to gasp for breath; she clutched at the table with one hand while another moved to her throat.
No one seemed sure what to do, with Finn only looking mildly alarmed as Esther suddenly slumps forward in her seat; Elijah just managing to stop her from hitting her head on the table. Looking to his brothers in shock, Elijah had no idea what had just happened and glanced at Klaus wondering if this was some sort of trick.
"She's gone," Elijah whispered realising what had happened, he turned to look at Finn wondering why they would have planned this; they'd barely had chance to talk about what Esther had wanted. Launching himself towards Finn, Elijah suddenly found himself being thrown over the table and into a nearby wall by Finn using his magic. Klaus retaliated by vamp-speeding towards Finn and grabbed him by the lapels; he snarled furiously at the fact that this was happening in his home.
"Where is she?" Klaus demanded knowing that if anyone would know where Esther had gone it would be her favourite son; he couldn't imagine what she was going to do and why she had insisted on coming to his home to pull a stunt like this. Blowing on his fingers and rubs them together, Finn murmured a spell under his breath before Klaus crumbled to the floor in pain clutching at his head. It was then that he found himself being thrown across the room and into the wall behind him; he looked up surprised and stared at Evelyn as she moved around the table towards Klaus.
"Get the hell out of my house," Evelyn hissed remaining focused on Finn, she doubted that Cassie was going to be an issue now that she had her body back and was unconscious. She glared at Finn wondering if he had any idea what he had lost out on by siding with his mother constantly; she could understand why the siblings had pushed him away for so long.
Getting to his feet, Finn gritted his teeth and glared at Evelyn not having expected her to attack him; he had thought her to passive to attack especially given what he had heard about her. He shot back a blast of energy making her throw her arms up creating a shield around her and Klaus; she smirked at him knowing that she wasn't going to go down as easy as the witches that he had dealt with in the past.
Muttering a spell quickly under her breath, Evelyn stared directly at Finn who seemed confused for a moment before he vanished from her sight. She let out a sigh of relief hoping that little trick of hers worked, she glanced down at Klaus who stared up at her rather amazed for a moment before he schooled his features and got to his feet.
This was far from over and they still had no idea what Esther was planning for them but at least they now knew just who they were dealing with.
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