The next day had come quickly, Elena barely slept, a few hours max; after spending most of the previous evening and early night chasing after Finn and walking around New Orleans with Kol trying to find his siblings, they arrived back at the hotel and spent several hours drinking and talking, trying to enjoy the time they had together before everything would inevitably spiral out of control.
Elena woke up at 11am, she had spent the night in Klaus' suite, eventually falling asleep on the couch whilst the others continued with the talking and the drinking; she awoke in Klaus' bed, still wearing the same clothes from the night before.
She jumped out of bed and into the bathroom, cleaning herself up and getting ready for the day, her normal morning bathroom routine; she wrapped a towel around herself and proceeded into the bedroom, she looked around but couldn't find her case, remembering she had left it in the main room, she opened the door slightly and poked her head around the door, everyone was there.
She could feel her cheeks turn a light shade of red, an awkward grin appearing on her lips, "can someone pass me my case?"
"Mornin', Elena," Kol spoke playfully, winking; mostly everyone laughed along with him, all but one: Klaus.
"Ignore my brother," Rebekah rolled her eyes and stood from her chair, a slight smirk still present on her lips as she picked up the case and passed it through the door, "oh my, you do have lovely skin, Elena."
"Shut up," she grabbed the case from her and closed the door, laughing under her breath and shouting out to them, "I hate you all."
She could hear them all laughing slightly at her torment, she didn't take it to heart, they where practically her family now, it wouldn't be right if they didn't make fun of her.
She quickly threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, followed by her leather jacket and pair of black converse pumps, she combed her now dry hair and let it dangle down her back. She exited the bedroom and joined them in the main room, heading straight for the coffee pot.
"Good morning," she spoke before pressing the mug to her lips and drinking half the cup; she topped it up and sat down on the sofa with them.
"Sleep well, love?" Klaus asked, his eyes turning from the morning paper in his hands to her; he was trying to learn everything he could about New Orleans and it was the best place to start.
"For the whole of four hours, yes, it was a great sleep," she quipped, a small chuckle escaping her lips.
"She's feisty in the morning, I like that," Kol continued to tease, Elena just laughed it off, she'd have to learn to get used to his wit.
"Rein it in, brother," Klaus spat, his voice calm but assertive, his eyes peering over the top of the paper for a few seconds.
"Touched a nerve, I see."
Klaus dropped the paper onto the table and stared at his brother, he wasn't in the mood for Kol's games today.
"Enough!" Rebekah called out, her eyes rolling slightly at her siblings bickering, "both of you are so childish."
"So, what are we doing today?" Elena asked, attempting to change the subject and release some of the tension in the room.
"Well, I'm going with Elijah too meet with Marcel," Rebekah answered, she too distracting from the tension between her brothers.
"I'm going with this bucket of sunshine to question the witches of the French quarter," Kol sniped, smirking at Klaus; he refused to let his brother torment him and just rolled his eyes, "we're going to see what we can do about Finn and Esther."
"And let me guess, I'm staying here?" She pursed her lips slightly.
"Yep, that's the plan," Klaus agreed, awaiting her stubborn argument to begin.
"That's fine," she shrugged her shoulders, taking a large sip of coffee.
"You're not going to fight me on this?" Klaus asked, completely shocked and confused by her response.
"Not at all, when Esther finds me, I'll be sure to see if she wants to join me for a shopping trip," Elena smiled sarcastically, her head tilting to the side.
"And there it is," Elijah spoke, amused by how she troubles Klaus, and how he can't fight against her, "you've met your match, brother."
"Elena, please," he placed his thumb and index finger on his forehead, pressing against his skin in order to relieve his frustration; he turned to face her, his eyes now locking on hers, "just this once, stay here and be safe."
"Fine," she gave in but she wasn't happy about it, "so, I'm supposed to stay here by myself all day?"
"Elijah and Rebekah will return in a couple of hours, maybe take her shopping then," Klaus smirked slightly, enjoying the win for a change.
"Maybe I will," she scoffed, bringing amusement to the other siblings.
Elijah cleared his throat and stood from the chair, "it's time we leave, Rebekah, we don't want to be late."
She nodded her head in agreement and stood from her chair, "enjoy the alone time you have, Elena, doesn't happen often, we'll go out later."
"Fine," she smiled at the blonde vampire as she walked past her, both of them leaving the room and exiting the hotel.
"We should leave too, brother, I might want to get in on that shopping trip, maybe grab a bite for lunch," he snickered as he stood from his chair and exited the room, Klaus remained for a few minutes longer.
"Are you mad at me, love?" He placed his hand on her head, running his fingers through her hair.
"No, I'm not mad, just concerned," she admitted, "I hate having to sit here worrying that you're all safe and not in danger, what if something happens to you or the others and I don't know? Or what if someone comes after me and you're not there? It's just the uncertainty drives me crazy."
"I understand but what if something happens to you because I've agreed to let you come with us? It would be my fault because I put you in immediate danger, I couldn't live with myself if that happened," he rested his forehead on hers, "I'll be back as soon as I can, call me if you need anything."
"Be safe," she kissed him softly on the lips, her hands cupping his face; just as she was about to sink into him and delve further into there intimate moment, he vanished, sped off out of the room and she was left alone, her hands still mid-air where they had been before he disappeared.
She let her hands drop, staring around the empty hotel room, looking for anything to do whilst she waited.
-w-
Meeting with Marcel.
Elijah and Rebekah had arrived at the compound, the gates where already open and Marcel was sat at a table in the main room; there where several vampires sitting around the table with him, they where talking and laughing but this soon came to a stop when he noticed the two original vampires enter the building.
The vampires had stood from there chairs and left the table, only Marcel remaining; he too stood up and held his arms up and outwards, "welcome to my home, please join me."
He had a sinister look spread across his facial features; Rebekah and Elijah cautiously walked towards him, there eyes scanning the area and getting a rough estimate on vampires that,any attack them.
"Thank you for inviting us into your home, Marcellus, I believe we can come to some kind of arrangement that benefits us all," Elijah spoke, his voice as noble sounding as ever.
"That is the goal, please sit," Marcel gestured to the two chairs opposite him; all three of them sat down, completely on edge about the meeting.
"So, where shall we begin?" Elijah spoke.
"I think we should start with how you all just came back here and started trying to control my city, prying into my business and killing my vampires! I have three brothers with bites from Klaus, they're nearly dead," Marcel spat, his voice loud and passionate.
"I do apologise for my brothers behaviour, he always did have no control over his impulsivity," Elijah spoke, full of courtesy, "you must remember, Marcellus, myself and my family lived here when you where a boy, we built it from the ground up and gave you you're base to keep building, it is extremely arrogant of you to forget the fact during your power play with Niklaus."
"I don't forget, Elijah but I did build it, I banished the wolves, control the witches, the party never stops and the blood keeps flowing, all thanks to me," The vampires in the compound all started cheering at his words, causing Elijah to simply smirk.
"Yes, you have built an impressive community," he spoke, almost sarcastically at the childish dribble coming from his mouth, "regardless, we will be staying here for the time being, Klaus won't follow your orders and nor will I, we need to find a common ground."
"You're more than welcome to stay, what's mine is yours, brother but it is mine," a grin appeared on his lips, trying to remain as neutral as he could, he didn't want another battle that ended in bloodshed.
"In return for some information, I will warn Niklaus not to stand in your way in how you run things around here, give me everything I came here for today and I will also cure your vampires from the werewolf bites," Elijah offered his terms, he wasn't sure how much he could control his brother, this was, after all, his city at one point, so backing down might not be an option.
"And you give me your word?" Marcel spoke after a long minute of pondering, he was sure he was going to regret this.
"Yes, i give you my word," Elijah spoke honourably, extending his arm out towards Marcel, offering his hand.
He stared at his hand and then towards the vampires in the compound; they all seemed nervous, they had only heard the stories of the original vampires and there hybrid brother, to see and deal with them in person was scarier.
"Fine," Marcel took Elijah's hand and they shook it on it, a deal made, "what do you want to know?"
"Where you aware that my other brother, Finn, was staying in New Orleans?" He asked.
"I'd heard of an original vampire that had been working with a few witches out in the cemetery, when I went to investigate, he was gone; I do not allow witches to practice magic here, so I found out that one witch in particular helped him to do a very powerful spell, I don't know what the spell was, she refused to give me the information I was looking for, so I killed her. She has a sister and she wasn't too happy when she found out that I'm keeping her body until all information is released to me, the witch is unable to rest without the proper witches burial."
"How did you know it was a powerful spell?" Elijah questioned, he was unsure how he tracked the witches activity.
"Let's just say, I have my ways."
"Marcellus, I'm not playing games, tell me everything I need to know or this conversation won't continue to be as civilised," his patience was starting to thin.
"I have someone on the inside but she's got nothing to do with what goes on in the quarter, so that's all I'm telling you," Marcel spat, the frustration apparent in his voice, clearly this was one secret he didn't want to divulge.
"Fine," Elijah agreed, leaving that matter settled for now, "what was the name of the witch whom you murdered?"
"Jane-Anne Deveraux, her sister is Sophie."
"Fair enough," he smirked slightly, "one last matter to discuss, the spell that was performed by the three witches you speak of was to resurrect the original witch, our mother."
"What?" He exasperated, completely shocked.
"Yes, our mother, the original witch, Esther, she is currently residing in New Orleans along with my brother, Finn and they won't care about your rules or your regime, they will kill you to get to us, the witches that performed the ritual where extremely powerful, no-one else could do it."
Marcel remained silent, contemplating his next course of action but he didn't know enough to retaliate, "what do you need?"
"I'll let you know," he stood from his chair and smoothed out the collar on his jacket, adjusting himself, "that will be all, I'll be in touch."
"You've been oddly quiet, Rebekah?" Marcel smiled towards her, showing interest in the blonde vampire.
"I didn't come here to speak to you, I came with my brother," she argued, standing from the chair and walking towards the exit, "come on, Elijah."
"Damn," he muttered under his breath, a cocky smile appearing on his lips, "exactly how I remember."
Elena.
Elena hadn't done much since the others had left; she listened to some music on the stereo in the main room, read the newspaper Klaus had left and caught up on some television, nothing exciting, she started becoming bored after an hour in.
Now she was on the third hour of being stuck in the hotel room and with absolutely nothing do, she stood by the window, staring out at the bustling of the streets, people where happy and excited, enjoying the tourist attractions and each other, she was jealous.
"I'm out of here," she spoke to herself quietly and went straight for her bag, hooking it onto her shoulder and walking towards the door; as she opened it, Elijah appeared on the other side, she gasped slightly at the sudden appearance and took a few steps back.
"Going somewhere?" He smirked, stepping inside and calmly closing the door behind him.
"I heard you coming," she scrambled for an excuse, a terrible one at that, "I was getting the door for you."
"With your bag?" He pointed towards it, Elena just shot a glance at the purse on her shoulder and took a deep breath, rolling her eyes slightly.
"Fine, I'm bored, it's been nearly 4 hours and no word from any of you," she slipped her bag off her shoulder and dropped it on the sofa, slumping onto the seat beside it, "I was starting to worry,"
"While your concern is flattering and your boredom my number one priority, it is not safe for you to be alone in this city," he sat on the chair opposite her, his eyes locking onto hers and his facial expressions turning completely serious, "we have many enemies here, some we're not even aware of, if they happen to figure out you're here with Niklaus, they'll take you."
"I know, you're right," she continued to wallow, her boredom overcoming her, "doesn't mean I have to like it."
"It is inevitable that they will discover you're here, we can't keep you locked up forever at the very least, you can't go out alone."
"Where's Rebekah?" She asked.
"She decided to stay on Bourbon Street and torment the locals or Marcels vampire, she was rather annoyed with our meeting," he sat back in the chair, tapping his fingers together.
"There goes our shopping trip," she sounded like a whiny teenager, "it's not that I was particularly looking forward to the actual shopping, just getting out of here for a bit."
He watched as she stared at him with innocent, pleading eyes, it was obvious to him she was desperate, "would you be interested in a small venture?"
"Absolutely!" She jumped up off the sofa and grabbed her bag on her way to the door, "come on then."
A small sigh escaped his lips as he stood from the chair, following her out of the door; they took the elevator to the ground floor lobby and exited the hotel; he used his speed for transport, deciding it to be the most subtle means of travelling around.
A few minutes later, they arrived at a mansion, he released Elena from his grip and adjusted his suit jacket; he approached the front door with Elena close behind him, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the key.
"Where are we?" She asked, admiring the exterior of the mansion, it was incredible.
"When my family first arrived in New Orleans centuries ago, it was nothing but a backwards colony," his story began as he unlocked the door, "we spent many years here, building it from the ground upwards, this was our home for a long time, we were happy."
"It's amazing how much you have all seen and been through," her eyes hadn't left the mansion, even whilst she spoke.
"Indeed," he pushed open the door and revealed a large entrance hall, "this mansion was built by the governor of New Orleans in 1820, we were mere guests in his home at the time but now, it belongs to me and my family."
"Wait," her eyes quickly shot to him, a look of shock present in her facial expressions, "you own this?"
"And so do you," he reached into his inside pocket of his blazer, pulling out a ravelled up piece of paper and holding it out towards her, "if you sign the deed, you will technically be the owner of this property."
Elena took the paper and unrolled it, recognising that it was the deed to the house; her name was written on the line that stated 'owner', all that was missing was a signature, "did you do this just so unwelcome vampires had to be invited in?"
"Would you think less of me if I said mostly yes?" He smiled coyly, extending his arm outwards towards the entrance to the mansion, gesturing for her to enter.
She snickered slightly as she walked in, looking around the entrance hall and taking it all in, "I couldn't think less of you, Elijah, especially when you technically give me a mansion."
They both chuckled slightly, his heart warmed by her words; he had always seen her as a loving and compassionate person, he thought the complete opposite of himself and when she thinks so highly of him, he couldn't help but be drawn in.
They walked further into the mansion, Elijah gave her the full tour and explained further into there history in New Orleans, how they had an arrangement with the governor so they could live there in peace.
"Our original home was actually the Abbatoir, where Marcel currently resides," they spoke, as they pulled the plastic covers of the furniture in the living room and sat down on the sofa at opposite ends. Elena sat with her legs crossed beneath her, intrigued by his stories.
"So, why did you all leave if you where happy here?" Her head tilted, listening intently.
"Our father found us in the end, we didn't leave by choice, we fled," she could see it hurt him that they left all this behind, especially since his family was truly happy together, "he set fire to the city, he killed most of our friends and he was coming for us, we didn't stand a chance against him so we ran, biggest mistake of our existence."
"I'm sorry, Elijah, I can't even imagine what that would be like," she sympathised.
"Surely you do, Niklaus took you from your home and forced you to give him his blood, fed you to his hybrids and kept you from your family," he tried to show as much compassion as he could and spoke with as much care as he could, it was only concern for her that caused him to bring up the subject, he could see it still bothered her though.
"I know," her gaze turned to the floor, unable to justify Klaus' actions but more so, it was hard for her to look him in the eye, she removed the dagger from him to help her fight his brother and she went the complete opposite way, "at first, it was just about protecting my loved ones from him, he would have done anything to create more hybrids and when Damon revived Mikael, I thought my staying in Mystic Falls would be more dangerous than staying with Klaus."
"I understand your reasons in the beginning," he spoke, trying to figure out why she puts herself in so much danger for Klaus and his family, "but why stay? What changed?"
"After what happened in the woods with the hybrids, I was convinced I was going to die, whether it be by your brother or all the evil that seems to follow him, I was scared," she shrugged her shoulders lightly, trying to explain herself as best she could.
"And that's when you removed the dagger from my chest," he stated, keeping up with her reasoning.
"Yes, you saved me and probably changed everything," she cautiously admitted, "if you hadn't of stood up for me, all of this could be completely different, I could see that Klaus had regretted and felt guilt towards what he did and we just started becoming closer."
"So I've noticed," he smirked slightly, unable to hide his amusement in there current relationship; she chuckled lightly in response, ignoring his teasing.
"We just seemed to connect, we spent time together, he protected me and I guess, we got to know each other," she paused for a long moment, remembering everything they had been through, there had been very little good but a lot of bad, she had tried to suppress most of it and these conversations always brought it rushing back, "we're actually a lot alike, Elijah."
"Are we? Please, do tell."
"We tend to see the best in people, especially those we love; you've spent a thousand years at Klaus' side, even after he has betrayed you and left you in a coffin to rot, yet here you are. I've definitely made some questionable choices in my life but all it takes for me is hope."
"A glimmer of hope," he continued, "I've always believed my brother to be capable of redemption but yet, he's seems to make foolish and impulsive choices in the hope for power, to be seen as fearless amongst his enemies and to live as if he cares for nothing but once every so often, he does something to make believe there is still hope for him."
"Exactly," she agreed, "everyone deserves a chance to change, even if all seems lost, we don't give up."
"Never," he spoke softly, his gaze uncontrollably meeting hers; the conversation between them had reignited the will within him to want to save his family, to be happy and settled as they had been here long ago, "maybe you'll be the redemption he needs."
"Maybe," she couldn't help but gaze back at him, there conversation bringing them just that touch more closer, Elijah was the only one of the original family that she could relate too, "or maybe he's not ready, he doesn't seem to be the commitment type; being in New Orleans is either going to reawaken his desire for family or the desire to be powerful, I just hope he doesn't turn back into the monster he once was."
"Elena, please be careful," he was wary to voice his next thought, he and Elena had come so far in there relationship together that he didn't want to jeopardise her trust but she couldn't be left unwarned, he still felt a strong need to protect her, "there is always a chance my brother will disappoint you, he is strong-minded and unpredictable, I can't see you hurt in one of his plights for power, I have as much faith as I can muster for him but I have to ensure your safety also, I don't want your compassion to misguide you."
"'Your compassion is a gift, Elena, keep it with you, always and forever,'"she quoted directly from the letter he had wrote to her when they first met; he looked down briefly, a small smile curling on his lips, "I actually kept your letter in my diary, I read it when I feel like my compassion is low."
"Your compassion can never be low, Elena, just tested," he truly believed she was good, right down to her very core, "but you still never give in."
"You call it a gift, yet sometimes, it feels more like a curse; I have cared so deeply for people in the past only to be let down in the end and I'm the one that feels it every time, it's hard."
Without even realising it, they had both been nearing each other, sitting closer and closer as they delved further into there conversation; she had shuffled along the seats subconsciously as he moved within inches of her, there closeness bringing them together.
"You are something else entirely, Elena, my brother does not deserve you," he spoke cautiously once again, struggling to keep his emotions locked away within him, "don't let him take away all the good within you."
"You think too highly of me, Elijah," she couldn't help but stare deeper into his eyes, searching for the reason why he sees so much goodness within her when she too isn't perfect, "I've made a lot of mistakes, some that could be seen as less than honourable."
"It's not your mistakes that define you, only your actions afterwards; we have all done things that question our honour, even I have lost my true self from time to time."
"It's in your nature, Elijah, you're a vampire, one of the first, your own mother forced you to become a monster and yet you still spend every single day fighting for your family and trying to be better, you're maybe too honourable," she smiled pleasantly, "stop giving yourself such a hard time, the fact that you can still feel hope means that you're better than most."
They had neared each other even more, the space between them practically non-existent; Elijah had always seen why so many where attracted to Elena, she was beautiful and her heart was kind. She made you feel like you really could be better but tonight had shown him more, a deeper version of her, one that he couldn't help but have strong emotions for.
"Thank you," he finally spoke after a long pause, his voice still soft and filled with emotion, "no-one has ever spoke such words about me, I appreciate it."
Elena hadn't spoke, she remained cautiously staring into his eyes, she felt compelled by him and she couldn't break free; he nervously raised his hand towards her face, catching a lose strand of hair dangling down her cheek and tucking it behind her ear, his fingertips tracing along the edge of face.
"Elijah," his touch had sent sparks firing within her, a reaction she hadn't expected but after they had spent the whole day together, talking as deeply as they had been, she was sure that's all she was feeling, the closeness to someone who was just like her.
"It's okay, Elena," he spoke before she had the chance to finish the sentence; she hadn't realised there legs where now touching, there bodies close, "but I won't give up."
His phone began ringing and broke the moment between them; she cleared her throat and sat back, her mind racing with confusion and emotion. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone, checking the caller ID before pressing it to his ear.
"Hello, brother," Elijah spoke, quite disappointed to be hearing from Klaus.
"She's gone, Elijah," he heard the panic in his voice, "I went back to the hotel and she's gone, I've searched the entire hotel and the quarter, someone must have taken her and when I find out who I'm going to destroy them."
"Calm down, Niklaus, she hasn't been taken," he spoke quickly, "she's with me, we're at the mansion."
As soon as he heard those words, he hung up the phone and used his speed to race towards the mansion; Elijah returned his phone to his pocket and turned his attention to Elena, "that was Niklaus, he returned to the hotel and couldn't find you, he'll be here in a couple of minutes."
"I didn't even realise the time," she spoke, looking at the clock on the wall, "it's 8pm?"
"Apparently so," he spoke, a part of him had intentionally left Klaus in the dark about her whereabouts, he wanted to talk to her without others getting in the way.
"Thank you for everything, Elijah, I really needed this," she placed a soft kiss on his cheek, a small smile curling up on her lips; she stood up from the sofa and walked towards the front door, opening it and waiting for Klaus to appear.
It wasn't long before he appeared in front of her, he was frantic; he instantly pulled her into his arms, holding her in a tight embrace, "I thought the worst."
"I'm sorry, we got caught up here, I should have called you," she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head against his, her heart warming at his concern, "I didn't realise the time."
"It's alright, love," he spoke, his voice soft as he moved his hand up to her head, his fingers entangling in the ends of her hair, "I'm just glad you're safe."
He separated from there hug but his hand remained around her waist as he lead her inside the mansion, closing the door behind them; he too was looking around the room, so many memories flooding back, "I've missed it here in New Orleans."
"It's beautiful," Elena spoke softly, her eyes still noticing all the small features of the interior that she had missed on the initial tour, "I'd like to see the city soon though, take me out tomorrow?"
"Of course," Klaus placed a soft kiss on her cheek, "I'll take you anywhere, I won't be leaving you alone again, not even for a second."
"Thank you, Klaus, I'm excited to see everything, I think I'm going to like staying here."
"As am I," Klaus went quiet for a long minute, all the memories had had of New Orleans and the time he spent here building the city, he wished he never had to leave, "I could consider building a home here, where we can be together as a family like we were all those centuries ago."
"Could be something to consider, brother," Elijah spoke, he too interested in the idea of starting again with his family.
"We just need to eliminate our enemies first," his voice changed, it became more serious and sinister, "I need to tell you both about our encounter with the witches."