Chapter 51
The tension had only eased a little when Elijah joined them, worry darkening his face and making him appear a few years older physically.
"We might have a problem", he started without preamble, his voice so low that Kol only managed to understand him because of his vampire hearing.
Not bothering with a response, Kol placed his hand on Nora's bare arm and began to draw the words on her skin with his finger.
If Elijah took notice of his movements, he didn't say anything and explained instead, "Elena met with our mother. I couldn't hear anything. Naturally, I asked Elena about it when she walked out of the room but I am positive that she lied to me."
Kol had just finished tracing the last word when Nora scratched the back of his hand. He furrowed his brow and nodded. She was right. A crazy witch and a doppelganger meeting couldn't be a good thing. Doppelgangers could be used in far too many magic rituals and curses.
Niklaus was probably thinking along the same lines as he clenched his fists and said through clenched teeth, "I'll be right back."
With that said, the blond hybrid turned around and disappeared into the crowd. Kol glanced at the now empty place quizzically but didn't make any comments, choosing to turn to Elijah instead.
"You never involved me in your plans before," he pointed out casually. "Are you sick, Elijah?"
Elijah didn't try to conceal his thoughts. "I have recently come to the realization that perhaps I do not know you as well as I believed. I am… trying to change that."
Towards Elijah's words, Kol didn't show any reaction and simply gave him a faint, polite but distant smile. He had long since become jaded and had learned not to take his siblings' words seriously. Sometimes, actions spoke louder than words. And his siblings' actions had always been louder than fireworks.
Niklaus came back with a pretty blonde girl wearing a long blue dress and a somewhat familiar diamond bracelet.
Elijah raised a brow toward the girl who was looking slightly confused.
"Miss Forbes," he greeted her, "you were on Elena's list of people to protect."
"Good to know… I guess," the girl responded warily.
"May I introduce you to my younger brother Kol and his wife Nora? Kol, Nora, this is Elena's dear friend, Caroline Forbes."
Seeing Nora hiding a smirk behind her hand, Kol winked at her.
"Er… Good evening. Nice to meet you. It must be difficult, being siblings with Klaus and…" Caroline briefly glanced at Elijah but eventually chose not to name Elijah. Which was a pity because it was also hard to live with him.
Kol gave Caroline a nod while Nora grinned and reached out to shake the girl's hand. "Nice to meet you too, Elena's dear friend. Can't say I met the girl though, so I will settle for Caroline if it's alright with you. Like the guy with the stiff smile just said, the name is Nora." Then pointing at Kol, she added, "and the handsome fellow here is my husband, Kol."
Caroline's nervous smile instantly became warmer. The wariness in her eyes, however, remained.
Elijah, being the saint-like vampire and serious older brother that he was, took the lead in addressing the issue of the meeting between Elena and Esther.
"You see, Miss Forbes, my mother has never been one to apologize, even and perhaps, even more, when she is in the wrong. So, would you please tell me what Elena is planning with our mother?"
Caroline crossed her arms in front of her and frowned. Kol was forced to admit that the girl knew how to be self-confident. Here she was, standing in front of the oldest and deadliest people of the world, and yet she showed not even an ounce of fear.
"And I would know because?" she responded dryly.
"Because you are Elena's good friend and you don't want anything to happen to her. My mother isn't the kind of person one should negotiate with. A thousand years ago, she didn't hesitate to curse her own children. Do you think a thousand years later she would hesitate to hurt a young, innocent teenager? Especially one she tried and failed to kill before?"
For a moment, Caroline wavered. Then she resumed her strong stance and glared at Elijah. "Well, I don't know. I might be 'Elena's friend' but it doesn't mean I'm in her head, does it? Besides, do you think I'm stupid? You are not afraid of Esther hurting Elena. You are afraid of your mother and Elena working together against you."
"Miss Forbes-"
Niklaus cut off Elijah, moving to stand in front of Caroline protectively.
"'Miss Forbes' was invited here for a talk, not for an interrogation and certainly not for a threat, Elijah."
Caroline's heart skipped a beat and she stared at Niklaus' back with wide eyes full of disbelief.
She wasn't the only one shocked. Elijah, Kol, and Nora also were. Throughout the centuries, Niklaus had been with many women but this was the first time Kol saw him being so protective of one. One he wasn't even in a relationship with.
Kol peered at the blonde teenager trying to see what was so special about her. But apart from being confident and having a pretty face, Kol couldn't see what made her different from all the other women his brother had been with. But then again, it was the first time they met.
Caroline walked out of Niklaus' shadow to face Elijah. "Look, I don't want anything to do with your family. I have no idea what Esther wants with Elena. All I know is that your mother was the one who wanted a meeting. As for why, you should ask your mother. Or Stefan and," she grimaced, "Damon. And I mean ask, not threaten or torture. Elena told them everything."
"Don't worry, Caroline," Nik was quick to respond with a soft smile, "as long as your friends don't do anything against us, we won't retaliate."
"By 'we', he naturally means he, Elijah, and Rebekah," Nora interjected. "As long as you don't kill them permanently, Kol and I won't stop you. You could even try to make Klaus the new carpet of your bedroom for all we care."
Kol let out a burst of laughter after hearing what his wife said. He pinched her nose lightly before adding, "He would need to change into his doggy form before that or the carpet won't be very comfortable."
Nora nodded in agreement, then decided Caroline needed advice on how to take care of a werewolf pelt. "Don't forget to use an anti-flea spray on the pelt the first time and clean it carefully before placing it on the floor of your bedroom. Oh, and just use some water and soap once a month."
Niklaus' fingers twitched. "You seem quite knowledgeable in how to take care of a werewolf pelt."
"Oh, Kol and I got quite a few of them along the centuries," Nora shrugged with an innocent smile, dismissing the hybrid's blatant displeasure. "Those pesky things are not the brightest in their doggy form, always trying to kill something. Or someone."
Caroline's face didn't look any better than Niklaus'.
"My boyfriend was a werewolf. And now a hybrid."
"Holy cow!" Nora blurted out, shocked. "Did you watch Princess Mononoke too much? You grew up dreaming of riding a wolf one day?"
Everyone but Kol looked at Nora, speechless.
A beat later, Nik cleared his throat and awkwardly said, "Since Caroline can't help us with our problem, it is better not to involve her. Elijah, we will talk later."
Placing his hand on the back of the young vampire, he led her away and didn't bother to glance back even once.
"Well, I believe your brother won't say no if the girl ever wishes to ride the big, bad wolf," Nora commented once Niklaus was far enough. "Looks like he is in love."
The tone of her voice when she said 'in love' was sarcastic and her expression slightly disdainful.
"And so the monster falls in love with the beauty," Kol said lightly, the expression on his face mirroring Nora's.
'In love'? What a joke! Nik had probably only found someone he couldn't control. That someone being the strong and seemingly fearless Caroline. Whether it would grow into love or not was a pointless question.
"Is it the beginning of a horror movie or a fairytale story?" Nora wondered aloud, staring in the direction where Niklaus and Caroline had disappeared. "Or a tragedy perhaps... The Romeo and Juliet from modern times?"
"Would be funny. Beauty and the Beast has a happy ending if I remember right and Niklaus doesn't deserve it. That, and there is only one Beauty and one Beast and it is obviously us."
"… Did you just compare me to a beast?"
"Do you see another chicken here?"
Despite his lack of belief in Niklaus' ability to feel love, Kol couldn't help but admit it would be nice if his brother could truly fall in love. That way, Niklaus would discover the despair one felt when the love of their life died in front of their eyes.
Or at least when they were threatened.
Since Kol had decided to leave his family, it wasn't the right moment to kill his brother's love interest. He didn't fancy a dagger in his heart again.
Elijah interrupted their little chat. "Kol, do you have any idea on how to deal with our mother?"
Kol merely grinned while Nora winked at Elijah.
"Naturally, we do. Just a little wicked witch and a stupid teenager. You can go enjoy the rest of the night while my husband and I go… investigate."
Once Elijah was gone, Elijah looked at his wife in amusement. "We have an idea?"
Nora wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against him.
"Of course" she whispered against his lips. "Don't you think it's time for a little chat with the famous Elena?"
Elena was standing next to the vampire called Stefan Salvatore, her body tense and her smile particularly ugly. For someone who just had a little chat with Esther, she didn't look fine.
"You must be the famous Elena!" Nora exclaimed cheerfully once they were close enough, drawing a puzzled frown on Elena's face.
"Who are you?"
"Oh, where are my manners? Kol and Nora Mikaelson, the brother and his wife," Nora responded with a grin.
The simple introduction didn't ease Elena's tense posture. As for Stefan, he moved to stand slightly in front of her, ready to protect her. Or, try to protect her. And fail. Obviously.
"You can't hurt me," Elena warned them in a tight voice. "Klaus and Elijah won't let you."
Right. One sentence from her was enough for Kol to understand why the teenage girl was held in high esteem by Elijah. The self-righteous original vampire probably couldn't help but admire a self-righteous doppelganger.
Kol and Nora shared an amused look. After a discreet twitch of his lips, Nora asked Elena, "Tell me, Elena, coming with two guys to this kind of party, is it some kind of fashion trends I missed, or is it something only doppelgangers do?"
This time, the one who replied wasn't the girl but Stefan. "You know Katherine? She never spoke about you."
Kol almost burst into laughter. She never did? Of course, she didn't. Katerina literally couldn't say a single word about them to outsiders.
"Ah, dear Katerina, of course, we know her" he sighed, somehow managing to sound wistful. "We are rather close so it's only natural that she doesn't reveal our secrets."
"In fact, Kol and I are a bit like her vampire parents," Nora added with a lilt to her voice and a fond smile, her eyes in a daze as if she was remembering sweet memories. "We taught her everything she needed to know about vampires. Ah, those were the good old days."
She winked at Kol, "Weren't they, you old man?"
"Of course they were, granny," Kol chuckled. "When you think about it, Elena, we could be considered your great, great, great grandparents. After all, we did protect your ancestors for many generations. If you are alive today it is only thanks to us."
"Grandparents sounds a bit too weird for beautiful people like us though, so just call us auntie and uncle."
The girl who was asked to call them auntie and uncle remained silent. And stunned. Not that Kol blamed her. It wasn't every day that one discovered they had such illustrious and beautiful relatives.
Nora wasn't bothered either and happily continued, "When your turn comes to change into a vampire, we will teach you in the exact same way."
Looking at his wife now, no one would think she had been quite displeased with his treatment of Katerina back then.
"No, thank you," Elena finally said with a very, very thin smile. "I would rather stay human."
Kol's expression fell, his face now a perfect example of the word 'worry'. Next to him, Nora pinched her thigh viciously so that she could look visibly pained without laughing.
"Are you sure?" he asked. "Humans are so fragile… Just a little squeeze and their bones are completely crushed."
"A little push, and your hand ends up in their stomach," Nora added.
"And a little pull and their guts are outside to feed the dogs."
Stefan's frown deepened as Elena was turning green upon hearing them. But this wasn't enough. Turning to him, Nora tilted her head and bit her lips.
After today Kol didn't know whether people would think of his wife as a dangerous madwoman or a muddleheaded one.
"Honey, about dogs… I have an idea. What if we try feeding Niklaus with Elena's innards? With your blood, she shouldn't die and the doggy will be so happy it will wag his tail."
Kol shook his head fondly and poked his darling's forehead. "No, darling, I heard he feels quite protective of our doppelganger granddaughter."
"A pity for him then," Nora sighed in disappointment. "From what I heard, this sweet girl attracts many dangers. You know, even your old zombie mother wanted to speak with her."
"Oh? And how was my mother, dear Elena? Tell me, did she look sane? Or completely crazy? I bet she sounded crazy."
The change of topic came fast and caught Elena and Stefan off-guard. Now, they understood what this was all about and Elena couldn't help but take a step back.
At least, the girl wasn't totally stupid and understood Kol didn't have Elijah's righteousness and fond feelings for her. Nor did he feel the need to protect her for Niklaus' future hybrids.
Stefan's chest started rumbling, the white of his eyes disappearing, but Kol and Nora blissfully ignored Katerina's toy number one.
"Honey, you've got it all wrong" Nora chirped. "The question should rather be, what did the wicked witch want from little Elena?"
Elena bit her lips worriedly.
"Nothing," she denied, unaware that her heart missed a beat because of her lie. Stefan didn't, though, and the wince on his face didn't go unnoticed. "She just wanted to apologize for trying to kill me before. That's all."
"Of course," Kol nodded happily, looking at Elena lie a proud father, "Thanks for telling us. Don't think we don't trust you, Elena. Because we do. After all, you are our dear adopted great-granddaughter and even though you like playing with vampires, you are still a teenager in high school. What could you possibly do for my mother? Such a young girl like you would never have the courage to go against one thousand years old vampires who could kill her in less than a blink of an eye, right?"
By now, Elena's face had lost all of its colors.
"Yes, you are completely right, honey. Our sweet Elena is merely a teenager who surrounds herself with vampy, witchy, and human brats." She paused and her smirk sent shivers down Elena's spine. "Nothing we can't deal with."
Elena might have dealt with the always and forever trio before, but never with Kol and Nora. So, Kol wasn't surprised when she completely lost her composure and insisted, her perfume unable to mask the stench of her growing fear, "I really didn't do anything! Your mother only wanted to apologize for trying to kill me! I swear it's true!"
She really was a bad liar.
"Of course, sweetie, we believe you," Nora comforted her in a soft, loving voice. Remember, we are like your great grandparents. With us, you have nothing to fear. We always get rid of the fools who dare to threaten us."
Kol kissed Nora's cheeks and chuckled, "Yes, we truly do. And there is nothing much left behind after we are done."
"Only blood, flies, and a trail of mangled bodies."
As they stopped talking, Elena clenched her fists but didn't say anything. As for Stefan, his body was tenser than ever, dark cobwebs slowly spreading beneath his eyes.
"Careful there, your fangs are showing. Want to see mine?" Kol joked.
Stefan growled louder, drawing attention to them. On the other side of the ballroom, Elijah was looking at them sternly but didn't move.
Suddenly, Katerina's toy number two appeared, the anger on his face obvious. Although his vampire features weren't on display, the glare in his eyes was murderous. Even during the brief moment in which Damon looked at Elena and Stefan.
"Are you threatening her?" he hissed in rage.
Kol lifted a brow at the young and daring vampire, feeling rather amused. "Of course not. It was just a little chat." He smiled at the doppelganger. "Right, sweetie?"
Elena looked at Damon, an odd glint in her eyes, before nodding.
"Yes." She looked away. "Just a little chat."
Whether she was talking about her chat with Kol and Nora or her chat with Esther, nobody knew and nobody asked.
One thing was sure though, Damon didn't look any better after hearing her answer. One could even say he looked angrier.
Seeing this, Nora let out a giggle and exclaimed, "What a good girl she is! I'm sure you two must treat her like your own daughter. Or maybe a little sister? Anyway, you raised her well."
Surprise, surprise, the update is already here! I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. It sure was fun to write haha xD Just so you know, I actually don't hate Elena. I just think she went from a grieving teenager trying to survive in the supernatural world, to a self-righteous, bitchy girl who thinks far too much of herself. Probably because of the people around her who would kiss her farts if they could xD