"A scrub is a guy that thinks he's fly
And is, also known as a buster
Always talking about what he wants
And just sits on his broke ass, so," Elena holds a mixing bowl in one hand and a whisk as a microphone in the other as she belts out TLC lyrics at the top of her lungs.
"No, I don't want your number
No, I don't want to give you mine and
No, I don't want to meet you nowhere
No, I don't want none of your time," both pairs of brothers watch Elena from the doorway as she pours different ingredients into the bowl and stirs vigorously while singing.
"Should we do something?" Stefan asks the others as he observes Elena making a mess of the kitchen.
"Why? She seems perfectly fine," Kol says with a smile as he watches her dance around.
"Yeah. Kol's right, this is very in character for her," Damon says in a convincing tone.
"I don't know. For as long as I've known the girl, she has never, not once, picked up a spatula," Klaus says as Elena knocks over a glass jar.
"Oops, no one step in here without shoes," she yells over her shoulder after it shatters, not acknowledging the crowd she's drawn.
"I tried cooking with her once. Never again. I had to do breathing exercises to calm down," Damon rolls his eyes at Stefan's exaggeration before turning his eyes back to Elena.
"Fine. If something's up, what do we do?" Damon waits for an answer as the others remain silent. "Wow. That's really helpful," he says sarcastically before stepping into the kitchen, gaining Elena's attention.
"Ocean eyes! Look at you, the 90's really suit you," she sends him a bright smile before turning her attention to the beeping oven.
"Why, thank you. But as much as I love discussing how attractive I am, um… are you okay?" She turns to him with a confused laugh.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" She tilts her head as the vampires stare at her flour covered apron and the surrounding kitchen chaos.
"Well, you're baking," Stefan steps forward with a gentle smile.
"So?" She asks, putting her hands on her hips.
"Alright, Enough," Klaus steps forward with a commanding tone. "Love, you have been doing… whatever this is, baking and "singing", for the last two days. And I'm pretty sure you've played that song at least forty times. We feel like something's wrong," Elena looks up at Klaus with a blank stare before snorting.
"What could possibly be wrong? We're in the prison world, we're gonna save Kai, we're gonna get the cure, everything is going awesome for me. You guys are obviously just creating drama out of nothing because you're bored," she pats Klaus's cheek before turning back to the oven.
"Right," Damon nods. "So you're definitely not doing that thing where you distract yourself from whatever you're feeling," Damon raises a brow.
"Nope, I just felt like baking," she shrugs as Damon fake laughs with narrowed eyes.
"Sure. Because that's what you're known for. Mind if I have one?" He points down at a tray of obviously ruined cupcakes as he moves closer towards her.
"Of course. It's why I made them," she calls his bluff, watching as he picks one and brings it to his mouth. "Okay, don't. Damn my concern for your well being. Fine, I'm not a great baker. I don't know what I'm doing wrong," she cries out with frustration, pointing to a plate of cupcakes. "These ones are literal rocks, but somehow came out cold. Those burned in the center, but were raw on the bottom. And these," she opens the oven door and points inside. "Literally exploded!"
"Ellie, with all the things you could be distracting yourself with, why on earth did you choose baking?" Kol asks as he unties her apron and helps her pull it off.
"No reason," she mutters, looking down at the mess with a defeated expression. Damon sighs and looks to the others, Klaus shakes his head, causing Stefan to elbow his arm.
"Fine," Klaus sighs loudly as he makes his way to Elena's side and begins clearing off the counter. "We're gonna need more… everything. Did you put yeast in the cake batter?" Klaus asks judgmentally, ignoring the large smile on Elena's face, letting out an oomph when she launches herself at him in a tight hug.
"No, I put it in the frosting," she admits, causing all four sets of eyes to immediately snap to her. "I thought it would make it grow," she shrugs as the four look on with concern.
Finn can't help but stare as Sage watches the jazz musicians with an amazed smile.
The oldest Mikaelson brothers and Sage had arrived in New Orleans two nights ago. They immediately located Freya, but getting into the cottage had been harder than they were expecting, which is why Finn and Sage found themselves in a lively bar, enjoying jazz as Elijah tried to contact his witches.
"I don't know why I waited so long to come back here, this place is as wonderful as I remember," Sage says to Finn as she looks around the crowded bar. She suddenly stops, a frown making it's way on to her lips as she spots a familiar face. "Right. That's why," she mumbles to herself as she leans into Finn, as if planning to protect him.
"If it isn't the beautiful, Sage. It's been a minute since you've set foot in my city," Marcel flashes his pearly teeth as Sage puts on a fake smile. "What brings you to town?" He asks, taking a seat at the booth before turning to Finn. "My apologies, I'm never so rude. Marcel. You are?" Finn opens his mouth to respond before Sage speaks first.
"Finn," she states with a meaningful tone, making Marcel's eyes widen before he composes himself.
"As in, your Finn?" He clarifies, attempting to mask his fear.
"That'd be him," Sage places her hands over Finn's closed fist as he tries to figure out what is going on.
"Marcel. As in Marcellus? Niklaus's son?" Finn questions innocently as Marcel's eyes briefly flash with pain.
"He woke them?" Marcel ignores Finn's question, running a hand over his mouth when Sage nods. "All of them?" He tries to remain passive, but the look of utter panic gives him away.
"Yes, and for good," Sage states with a confidence that makes Marcel take pause.
"Did something happen to Klaus?" He asks, regretting letting his concern show when a look of amusement passes between the couple.
"You could say that," Sage conforms vaguely, confusing Marcel even more as Finn and Sage smile at each other, a certain doppelgänger on both their minds.
"How many of you are here?" Marcel questions Finn impatiently.
"Just the one at the moment, I haven't quite mastered the ability to duplicate myself, you understand," Marcel narrows his eyes at Finn as Sage smiles, fucking Mikaelsons.
"Who else is in town?" Marcel asks sternly, reminding the couple of the man's father.
Deep in the bayou, Elijah steps out of his C class, immediately regretting his choice in shoes as the leather becomes covered in what he hopes is only mud.
He spots a shack a few hundred yards away, very much wishing to call Elena's phone and leave a scathing voicemail. He refrains, making his way to the building and deciding what to open with.
He hopes the girl is familiar enough with Elena's personality to understand why he's there.
"Can I help you?" He immediately turns in the direction of the voice he hears. Hayley Marshall stands a few feet away from him in a stance somewhere between relaxed and attack mode.
"Yes, you can. Elena Gilbert, do you remember her?" He pauses waiting for a response, continuing when she nods with a strange look on her face. "She sent me to check up on you. I'm Elijah, we met briefly before your transition."
"The alpha's brother," he confirms with a nod. "I remember, but I'm not really sure why El sent you. I'm fine, something she knows for a fact," Elijah raises a questioning brow as Hayley takes her phone from her pocket and holds it up slightly. "We texted like 3 days ago, she said she was going on trip and not to worry if I couldn't reach her. She didn't mention you at all."
"I don't understand-" Elijah cuts himself off with a look of realization. He shakes his head and sighs, there's not enough money in the world to fill the judgement jar.
"My apologies, Elena seems to be on a bit of a match making tear at the moment. I'd like to assure you it won't happen again, but knowing her, it will. Most likely very soon," Hayley laughs at his exhausted expression.
"It's okay, her randomness has become something I enjoy about her. It makes death a little less boring," Elijah notices her faraway, somewhat sad expression and decides he doesn't like it.
"You turned for your pack, correct?" She looks up, out of her thoughts and nods. "I assume you've met them."
"I have, they're great," Hayley smiles softly. "Still working on a way to help them. El told me I had to wait a little while, but it's harder than you'd think."
"I understand. What they're forced to go through is inhumane. I'm sure you're doing all you can," she sends him a grateful smile before shrugging.
"I'd like to think so. Thank you, by the way," He tilts his head in question. "For coming out here. It was nice of you to do that for her," Elijah smiles tightly, crossing his arms with a thoughtful expression.
"I owe her," Elijah settles on, not wanting to dwell on all his thoughts about Elena and her mysterious ways.
"Me too," Hayley laughs, smiling when she gets a slight grin from him.
"Where did you learn to bake like this and why the hell have you not done it for me before?" Elena demands angrily, taking another bite of her cupcake and moaning.
"I've been around a long time," Klaus wipes the frosting from the corner of her mouth and brings it to his lips. "You learn a few things," he whispers, licking the frosting away as she stares open-mouthed.
"Consider me seduced," she winks as he grins. A throat clearing sound interrupts their moment, causing them both to look over.
"We're all right here. Standing two feet away. Just letting you know," Damon says, making Elena smile wide.
"Thank you, guys," she throws her arms around each of them before pulling away. "But, I'm not cleaning up," she says, quickly leaving the men and messy kitchen behind.
She wanders through the 1994 version of the boarding house, looking for something else to occupy her time.
She's really bored (also literally dying) and wishes Kai would just show himself already. She's pretty sure he's been watching them for a few days now.
She walks over to the TV and sits down in front of it, putting a tape into the VCR and pressing play. Baywatch, season three. Pamela Anderson's very first appearance.
"Good choice," she hears from behind her, causing her to jump with surprise. She stares at the intruder with wide eyes for a moment before clearing her throat.
"Hi," she greets with a small, shy wave, feeling stupid as he only stares with a tilled head and slightly curved lips from his spot on the chair on the otherside of the room. "Wanted to make an entrance?" She steals her nerves, standing and walking towards him with confidence.
"I saw an opportunity," he shrugs, following her movements cautiously. "You and your boyfriends-"
"Oh, you don't have to pretend you don't know our names by now," she cuts him off with a teasing smile as he raises his brows.
"You knew I was watching," he states as she shrugs.
"Why else would I change in front of the open windows?" His eyes slightly narrow as a smile grows on both their faces.
"I told you I heard a voice!" Damon says as he and the other vampires barge into the room, pulling her behind them. "Jesus, Ellie, when a murder breaks into your house, you call for help," she laughs as Kai's smile turns threatening.
"I think that only applies if they're there to murder you," she says, making the sets of brothers send her a look. She raises her hands in surrender before turning back to Kai.
"These your guard dogs?" Kai asks with amusement at his own joke as Elena smirks, taking hold of Klaus's wrist.
"Just one of them," she responds, pulling Klaus back slightly and squeezing his hand. "Look, we have a lot to discuss vis-à-vis prison breaks and cures for vampirism, but right now…" she trails off, leaving the room quickly before returning with a plate in her hands. "We made cupcakes for you," she smiles as the others roll their eyes.
"So the baking was for him?" Damon asks, causing Elena to look to him.
"Of course it was. When do I bake?" He rubs a hand over his face with a frustrated groan as Elena steps forward to hand Kai the plate. "They're not poisoned, swearsies. Not that you could die anyway," Kai's eyes immediately turn suspicious as he takes a cupcake.
"Thank you," he says with a less than genuine smile, taking a bite and getting a little frosting on his lip. He licks it clean as Elena blinks slowly and swallows. "How'd you know that?" He asks in a casual tone.
"Hmm?" Elena responds distractedly as the other men shake their heads at Kai's obvious manipulation.
"You said "not that you could die anyway," how'd you know I can't die here?" He tilts his head as Elena closes her eyes, snapping herself out of it before responding.
"I'm sorry, I really want to say something clever, but the only words coming to my mind are what, that, mouth, and do," she says honestly as Kai laughs slightly and Kol steps forward, stepping in front of her.
"What she means to say, is it doesn't matter what she knows or how she knows it. What matters is what you'll do to get out of here," Kol grins smugly as Kai raises a mock impressed brow and Elena nods.
"Yeah, that," she clears her throat, staring as Kai stands, running a hand over his clothes.
"What I'll do?" Kai challenges, stepping into Kol's personal space. He extends his arm to touch Kol's shoulder before suddenly grunting in pain as Kol twists his arm behind his back, purposely avoiding the siphoner's hands.
"Keep your hands to yourself, witch," Kol says next to Kai's ear before pushing him forward.
"He's right, no magic leeching until we say so," Damon adds as Kai stands upright, putting his hands out to his side with a laugh.
"Leeching, coming from you?" Kai questions as Elena stands in between the group, separating Kai from the others.
"Hey, none of this is helpful. Let's all just take a breath," Elena inhales deeply, frowning when no one does the same, causing her to raise a brow and try again, this time the vampires reluctantly take deep breaths. "Excellent! Now, why don't we introduce ourselves? I'm Ellie and I'm extremely flexible," she looks around, ignoring the looks her friends send her, prompting them to go next.
"I'm Stefan Salvatore, this is my brother Damon," Damon rolls his eyes at Stefan's introduction before nodding his head once in greeting. "We're Vampires and this is our home," Elena smiles at him.
"Very good, Stef. God, why can you guys be more like him?" Elena asks the others.
"Lame?"
"A kiss ass?" Kol and Damon question at the same time as Stefan rolls his eyes.
"I'm Kai Parker and I want to know what the hell you're doing here," Kai says with an impatient smile, only making eye contact with Elena.
"It isn't obvious? We're here to save you," Kai stares in silence for a moment before erupting into laughter.
"Right, of course you are. Who wouldn't want to save me?" He asks with sarcasm as she rolls her eyes. "You know what I am, you came here voluntarily which means you're in contact with my old coven," he works out as Elena shakes her head. "What would my dad want with me after all this time?"
"Dude, you are way off base here, okay? I'm not here for your dad. I'm not here for anyone but myself," Elena lies, she's not sure he's ready to know she actually wants to help him.
"Then feel free to enlighten me," Elena opens her mouth to respond before Klaus cuts in.
"Ellie, don't-"
"No, it's okay. The truth is," Elena takes a deep breath. "We're from the future. A future where you escaped. And a future where… you and I fell in love," Elena says softly with watery eyes as Kai stares in confusion and the others look away, barely holding in sighs.
"We were madly in love, Kai. We were married, we had a house, a white picket fence, we even had a dog. A chocolate lab," Elena smiles, trying desperately to keep it together as Kai stands, shocked. "We got him before the twins came along," she rubs her stomach as Kai backs away slowly.
"I don't-" she interrupts Kai, moving closer.
"You are my everything and I was yours. I know you don't feel it now, but you will. I mean, you must already feel our connection," she searches his face with pleading eyes as he stares with an open mouth, she takes his hands and whispers lovingly. "We're soulmates."
"Look, uh, you're really pretty-" Elena snorts, cutting him off as she throws her head back with a laugh.
"I'm just fucking with you," she smiles brightly as Kai sighs with annoyance and rolls his eyes.
"Good one, very funny," she winks, releasing his hands and stepping away.
"Thank you, I agree. Alright look, I'll probably- scratch that, definitely spill all my secrets, but right now you're not in control. I am. And I'm making the rules. So if you would finally like to escape this personal hell of yours, please do us the courtesy of shutting up and sitting down," the room remains silent as Elena and Kai stare at each other. Suddenly Kai begins laughing as he steps back, putting more distance between himself and the group.
"That was great!" He tilts his head with a smile. "Very… authoritative," he enunciates, glancing at her lips before his expression changes. "But I'm not an idiot. You clearly need me for something, which means I hold all the power. Not to mention the ascendant, you know, the thing you all need to escape this personal hell of mine," he villain monologues, turning his back as he walks around the room and messing with random objects.
He's so hot, Elena mouths to the group, biting her lip as they roll their eyes and focus their attention back on the siphoner.
"So, I propose we put all our cards on the table so we can get the hell out of here," Kai turns back to them with raised brows, clearly expecting a response. "Please tell me you weren't stupid enough to come here without a way out."
"That's enough," Klaus says in a calm tone before speeding towards Kai, grabbing him by the throat and pushing him down into a nearby chair. "We're done talking. You do what we ask and we allow you to come with us. If not we-"
"Sorry, but did you miss the part about the ascendant?" Kai cuts him off with a smile as Klaus glares down at him. "If I don't leave, none of us do," he shrugs as Klaus grins threateningly.
"We could always take it from you-"
"You think I have it on me? I hid it. Obviously" Kai interrupts again with an eye roll.
"Then I guess we'll just have to find it," Kol steps forward with a smug grin as Kai smiles.
"Then I guess we're gonna be stuck here for a while," he says before looking past the originals to Elena. "Wanna watch Baywatch?"
"Oh, fuck yeah! Got a camcorder? I'll be the Pam to your Tommy," she wiggles her brows as he stares with hidden confusion, causing her eyes to widen in realization "Oh, you poor bastard. You haven't seen it. What year was their wedding?" She questions out loud.
"'95," Damon answers instantly, making the room look to him. "Pam's an old friend," he shrugs as Elena stares.
"Alright, I need you to tell me everything," she says with seriousness before Kai coughs, regaining her attention. "Right, we need to deal with this. But, definitely later," she whispers to Damon, he winks with a nod as she turns back to Kai. "Cards on the table?" Kai nods. "A cure for vampirism exists. I want it and I need a witch. We do have a way out of here, so if you help us, we all go home. Simply enough?"
"How did you get here?" Kai asks, leaning forward as Elena groans.
"Seriously?" She whines as Kai stares up at her. "Fine. Jo had the ascendant, I asked for it, she gave it to me. You ready to help us now?"
"No. I don't believe you. My sister would never, ever help free me. She'd rather die," Kai says with a blank stare, making Elena sigh as she moves to sit next to him, Kol follows, sitting between them and making her smile.
"I'm not lying, Kai. You're underestimating the effect I have on people," she gestures to the group. "You think these guys stick around because of my body, which is perfect by the way, in case you haven't noticed-"
"Sorry darling, but to be honest, I'm actually only here for your body," Elena ignores Kol's joke, only putting her middle finger in front of his face as she talks to Kai.
"I persuaded her. I was honest and told her that I didn't need her help. I could've taken the ascendant and she wouldn't have known, but I didn't. And she believed me because she could see the lengths I would go to help you."
"And that's another part I'm having a little trouble with, why would you want to help me? You don't know me and I doubt the information you could find painted me in a very saintly light," Kai argues.
"What is knowing someone? It's all relative. What's important now is whether you're willing to help. If not, l guess we should settle in. And I'm sure Josh is not totally freaking out by now," she says sarcastically, closing her eyes and leaning back against the couch.
"What are you?" Kai asks after a few seconds of silence.
"A cancer," Elena answers without opening her eyes, although she could feel his glare.
"You don't feel human," he says.
"Cause I'm not. Maybe, I don't actually know. I'm a magical carbon copy, so is Stef," she nods her head in Stefan's direction and Kai's eye brows crease.
"Doppelgängers?" He guesses.
"Ding, ding, ding. I'm not as one of a kind as I look," she finally sits up and turns towards him. "We're doppelgängers of the first immortals, a babe named Amara and a super sexy asshole called Silas," Elena trails off with a small smile, confusing Kai but not the others for obvious reasons.
"The same Silas that is buried in a tomb with the cure, speaking of, feel like helping us so we can get out of this prison?" She asks impatiently as he stands.
"I still don't believe you."
"Jesus Christ!" Elena claims with disbelief and anger.
"You need something from me and by the way these guys keep looking at you expectantly, I'm assuming it's about you? See," he gestures to their expressions. "They didn't seem to care about the cure, which means it's something more important," he trails off with a grin as Kol takes hold of her wrist, Kai's eyes following the movement before he glances at her smugly.
"Damn you're good!" Elena shouts, getting up and standing in front of him. "I didn't really feel like having my life used as leverage, but whatever. I'm dying and the only way I'll live is if someone can take the magic out of my blood," Elena admits as Kai studies her face.
"Fine," Kai says as Elena's eyes narrow.
"What?"
"Okay, I'll help you get the cure and once we get out of here, I'll fix you," he shrugs as the others step forward, shaking their heads in protest.
"No. No way. You heal her now," Damon demands, making Kai smile as Elena stops him from walking closer.
"It's alright. I should be fine for a little while longer, we just really got to get this show on the road," Elena looks around at each of them with a smile.
"Couldn't agree more," Kai says in a cheerful tone as he makes his way across the room, towards the door.
"Where the hell are you going?" Kol asks, causing Kai to turn to him with a smile.
"To pack a bag. Because the second we get the cure, we're getting out of here," he winks at Elena before leaving. Elena blows out a breath as she turns back to the group.
"Are you alright?" Stefan asks, grabbing her hand as she nods.
"Yeah," she answers in a distracted tone. "It's just- to quote myself directly after meeting Klaus," she pats Klaus's chest with her free hand and looks towards the direction Kai left. "I'm gonna fuck that psycho," she says fondly, leaving the men in stunned silence as she skips out of the room.