Chapter Four:
Damon was smirking at Stefan who was glowering at him, a sheet wrapped around his waist while Caroline had a sheet wrapped around her body.
"So…you decided to go for Miss Mystic?" The elder Salvatore drawled. "This is an interesting development. I thought you wanted the brunette."
Stefan snarled at him, his fangs out on display as Caroline slipped away to get dressed after an amazing night. She did feel guilty for sleeping with her best friend's ex boyfriend but at the same time this was the same best friend who had made a deal with Klaus to kill Tyler.
Conflicting emotions of guilt and satisfaction warred within her and until she spoke to Elena about this…it wasn't going to happen again.
Elena was in the library of the mansion, sitting on one of the black Victorian era styled chaise lounges that littered the room, a book on her lap but her thoughts weren't on the book but on the Noble Original who she had been crushing on.
Though the crush had been slowly developing into more.
She knew that she didn't have a chance in hell to get a guy like him but she didn't know how long she could keep up with her feelings that she had for him.
"Is that a good book?" Elena looked up at Hope's blue eyes as the girl was dressed in leggings, a long sleeved black shirt and had a blue cardigan wrapped around her. "You've been reading it for two hours already." The twinkle in her eyes demoted that she was teasing but Elena sighed and closed the book. "Are you alright?"
"Is it wrong to be falling in love with someone that you know that you can never have a shot with?" Elena asked.
"It's not wrong if that's what your heart wants," Hope said as she repeated what Elena had told her in the future-or a very different future, anyway. "Don't let fear get in your way."
"Good advice," they looked to see Rebekah sauntering in. "Elena if you have feelings for someone then show them." Elena nodded and then cocked her head as the blonde female Original was holding a phone. "Oh? Caroline Forbes wants to talk. To you."
"Did she say where?" Elena asked as she placed the book on the lounge and stood up. "I would like to be here to get ready for the dinner party."
Caroline was nervously pulling the thin plastic wrapper off the bottle of water in her hand; a nervous tick that annoyed her mother immensely but the woman never did anything about it.
The second she saw Elena in a red and white dress paired with black ankle boots and a black leather jacket, Caroline swallowed. The way her friend was walking towards her-confidently-was shocking to see as she had never seen Elena have a confident walk.
Then again, up until Tyler's death she and the others had been smothering Elena to the point that she couldn't be herself. She had to be what they wanted her to be and knowing that she was somewhat of the cause depressed her.
"Hello Caroline," Elena said softly. "How have you been during my absence?"
"I'm with Stefan," the blonde decided to be direct and rip the Band-Aid off. "I'm with him and it's been amazing and if this breaks our friendship then I'll leave him."
"Be with him if he makes you happy," Elena told her as she was done with the Salvatore drama. "Honestly? If one makes you happy then be happy." She looked at her nails before eyeing her. "Is that all?"
Caroline nodded, her guilt receding immediately from the words exchanged.
"If Stefan hasn't told you he and Damon requested a dinner party with Klaus and Elijah…I'm going to be there with Hope, Jeremy and Enzo."
Stefan had a grin on his face as he had stolen one of Klaus' coffins and decided to go along with one of Damon's schemes.
This scheme was a weapon that can harm Klaus and only Bennett magic can open it. Getting Bonnie's help was easy, as she believed that the Mikaelsons have compelled Elena to be unlike herself.
Though she was working with her mother, Bonnie was willing to fix Elena and get rid of the Mikaelsons.
Elijah was fixing his suit after getting a haircut (due to his little sister all but forcing him to sit for one) he eyed his brother who was dressed casually in a black jacket over a red Henley and blue jeans with boots.
"Maybe you could try dressing up a little more," Elijah reminded him. "If I am the only one who is going to be sitting at the table dressed respectfully then any future dinner parties I will request it to be black tie."
"Tonight's party is black tie optional but I'm sure that you can text whoever to dress respectfully and not like they're at a buffet," Klaus reminded him.
"Then I pray that whomever you end up marrying knocks sense into you," Elijah told him as he straightened out his suit jacket. "Suits are needed for certain dinner parties."
"Business ones and my businesses usually deal in death," Klaus said casually. "I'm sorry if that upsets you."
Before Elijah could even speak a maid came over to them
"The guests have arrived and are waiting outside," she told them. "Should I get Misters St. John and Gilbert to allow them entrance?"
Klaus and Elijah smirked as they nodded,
This dinner party was about to become fun.
Damon was quite confused as he and Stefan walked into the antechamber before entering the dining room where Damon gulped at seeing his old friend Enzo there, the man looking at him with utter hatred in his gaze. Beside him was Jeremy who was looking content as the vampire was running a hand through the boy's hair in a calming manner.
"I thought this party was only for myself, Elijah, Klaus the hybrid freak and Stef," Damon said loudly. "Little Gilbert why are you here?"
"I was invited and I'm not the only one who was invited," Jeremy told him. At that, the sounds of heels made the four males turn to see Elena in a female version of a dark blue suit with a skirt instead of trousers and she paired it with peep-toed heels. The brunette had her hair pulled into a chignon going over her left shoulder.
Next to her was Hope with her reddish brown hair in a waterfall braid going down her back, wearing a one shoulder knee length emerald green dress that she paired with black leggings and black ankle boots.
Both females had bracelets and a necklace each-Hope's necklace had a crescent moon with a star in the middle while Elena's had a pendant in the shape of a trinity knot with a heart.
"Hello boys," Elena said in a calm voice. "Why don't we sit down and get ready for this dinner you wanted to have."
"Why were you invited?" Stefan asked in a rude tone as he glowered at Elena.
"Elijah invited me," Elena told him with a smirk. "Like Nik invited Hope." Hope smiled and as she took Elena's hand, they sat next to where Klaus and Elijah would sit with Enzo next to Hope and Jeremy next to his sister.
"Ah Lovely," the six turned to see Elijah and Klaus entering the room, the noble one not hiding his obvious glance towards her outfit. "That is a very becoming outfit you chose."
"Bex helped," Elena told him as she gave him a smile. "I'm glad you liked it."
Klaus coughed, forcing his brother to glower at him.
"Why don't we sit and discuss the terms of this deal you want to make?" Klaus drawled.
Damon and Stefan decided to sit across from each other and next to Enzo and Jeremy but Hope didn't like being this close to Damon as she could remember his rancid bourbon breath on her neck as he picked her up.
Shivering, she eyed her future father who eyed her. She shook her head and nodded to the Salvatores as to say 'the deal'.
"What is it that you want?" Klaus asked Damon. Damon smirked.
"For you and your siblings to leave Mystic Falls and Elena alone," Damon demanded. "Just leave."
Elena snorted and glowered at him.
"I like them here and I'm friends with Elijah, Klaus and Bex," Elena told him. "We're friends."
Damon gritted his teeth as his other plan was in play at the moment. He had managed to get Bonnie and her mother Abby to open the casket that Stefan took. He looked at Stefan who nodded to him.
"On top of that we want you both to decompel Elena as she's not acting like herself," Stefan added. "She's acting differently."
Hope stood up and looked at Elena.
"Let's see if I can decompel you with Enzo in the room," she said with a grin. "I trust him over a Salvatore and if it were possible I would have a Mikaelson but I have a feeling they would have a problem with that."
Elena nodded and as she and Enzo stood up, the three followed Hope out.
Once the three were in the living room section of the mansion Elena found that Klaus took her suggestion to heart and had added an L shaped couch, a few armchairs and some chaise lounges.
Elena decided to sit on the chaise and laid her lower body down while her upper body was sitting up. Enzo was sitting beside her, wanting to support her. Elena had her eyes closed while Hope muttered the spell.
At first it seemed as though nothing happened then suddenly Elena screamed and Enzo grabbed her hand, squeezing it but not hard enough to break. The pained scream drove Elijah from the dining area to the area where Elena was and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, holding her close.
"Lovely what did you see?" Elijah asked as he tried to comfort her.
"Damon met me the day my parents died and called me Katherine," she whispered as tears fell angrily down her face. "He told me that he loved me and made me forget it before giving me back Rebekah's necklace." She leaned into Elijah's chest. "I was compelled to dagger Elijah when I was at my family's lakehouse and Stefan compelled me to throw a vervain grenade at him." She turned so her face was in his chest. "Damon compelled me to forget that he fed off me to the point that I needed to be in the hospital."
Elijah was incensed to the point that he wanted to rip Damon and Stefan apart, his eyes were black with the veins throbbing. The only reason why he wasn't going after them was in his arms.
His precious Lovely Elena was angry and sad because of what two people who claimed who loved her, who were her friends, had done to her as well as to her trust. He ran a hand down her back, his face in the back of her neck.
He looked up at Hope and mouthed, "get Jeremy. I want to know if he had been compelled."
She nodded and walked into the dining room, her eyes flashing storms as she said, "Jeremy I think you've been compelled and are needed to get if off you."
Fear radiated off of Jeremy as he stood up and followed the girl out of the room, not noticing Damon's eyes looking horrified before turning cold.
Though Elena's compulsion was worse, Jeremy's pushed Elena over the edge as Damon compelled Jeremy after pseudo kidnapping him one night (the night of the carnival) and compelled him to relax for the tickle torture he had done when Jeremy refused to even help him somehow get Elena to see him in a romantic way.
She pushed aside her own ire and fury, getting out of Elijah's embrace she stormed into the dining room. Making her way over to Damon she punched him, in his left eye.
"You stupid stupid man," she seethed. "I am literally disgusted by you and your piggish behavior." She slapped him. "You used my best friend-who is dating your brother! You used her!" Each word she was hitting him and only stopped when Elijah pulled her away.
Hope whispered lowly so only her father (who she was standing next to) managed to get out, "no wonder she hates Mystic and Damon though Damon did try to take me when I was five."
Klaus was now filled with rage-from what he heard Elena said (sure he wasn't attracted to Caroline but he wouldn't wish what Damon did to her on anyone) and then heard that this man tried to kidnap his daughter when she was five-or would be five if she exists-fury unlike what he had ever felt roared within him.
He hadn't even been this angry with Esther when he ripped out her heart-that was mostly done because he was heartbroken.
He went over to Damon and began to pummel him until he brought him up and in front of Stefan he ripped Damon's heart out.
My father and uncles are really putting the words 'bad guy' to use Hope thought as the Billie Eilish song came to mind.
"I decided that I didn't want to go through with his deals," Klaus said. "What I want is for that coffin to be returned because if it isn't then I'm going to kill your girlfriend." That was a bluff, as he wasn't going to kill her.
It wasn't his style to leave trails of hearts behind him (unless the hearts were still in the female body and the only way he would leave a 'trail of hearts' would be leaving the females heartbroken).
Stefan stared at his brother's corpse, Klaus still holding Damon's heart.
Hope felt her own heart beat furiously before she scurried away and found a few more coffins in the attic. Opening one it was empty, the second one she opened showed her Uncle Kol in something from the late 1910s (probably 1914-he had made some comments about being 'on my back asleep for 98 years Nik') and she pulled out his dagger that she hid on her person.
The third and fourth ones were empty and the fifth one held a man that looked remarkably like her Uncle Finn though she wasn't sure if she should undagger him. Closing her eyes she mentally thought about it before nodding and as she shut the lid she whispered a spell that would hide the coffin from everyone except her.
Leaving the attic, she began to reflect on the changes that are now happening.
First of all, Damon and Tyler are dead. Now normally she would be upset but she wasn't. This was their fate and she couldn't bring herself to be upset about it.
Second of all, Stefan and Caroline are together way before they should be-she had been told they get together when she was a child still and something happened with Hell (if they had really destroyed it then the world would be out of balance).
Thirdly, her Aunt Elena and Mrs. Bonnie are definitely on the outs with each other. Sure she knew that in the future they make up but their friendship is strained while her Aunt Elena, mom and Aunts Kaylee and Rebekah are the best of friends nowadays.
Fourthly, she still needed to introduce her family to Aunt Kaylee who is being elusive.
As soon as she made her way downstairs she saw her Aunt Bex in her Homecoming dress (she had apparently loved it enough to wear it whenever) just badgering Stefan who was sneering and snarling at her.
Stepping inbetween them, she eyed Stefan with hate and distaste as she remembered how he would make subtle insults about her being a Mikaelson brat. She muttered something under her breath and Stefan began to scream as blood trickled out of his eyes.
"Listen here and well," she told him. "I am a Mikaelson-a descendant of a Mikaelson anyway-so any slight against one of us is a slight against us all." Her eyes narrowed and she was going to bring out her inner Klaus. "I'm going to give you three seconds to get out of our face unless you want your face to be rearranged and your little Barbie doll girlfriend to find herself in a satin coffin at the bottom of the lake."
"All Mikaelsons are evil apparently," Stefan growled before he turned to Elena who was glowering at Damon's corpse. "Elena please…this isn't you. Making deals with them and wanting people dead? That isn't you at all! They've been changing you and I don't recognize you anymore."
"Guilt tripping me isn't going to work," she snapped. "You took away my free will and had me throw a vervain grenade at him! The only person who hasn't taken away my free will!"
Stefan took a step back from her, his eyes wide. He opened his mouth only for him to fall forward with his neck snapped and Kol Mikaelson to be standing there.
"Hello Nik," Kol drawled. "How have you been?"
Elena wasn't sure why but the new Mikaelson did give off the distinct air of danger yet Klaus looked more dangerous.
She wanted to say something but she swallowed her voice and walked over to Rebekah and Hope, her hand in theirs.
She knew that she was vulnerable-considering she was human and didn't have much protection against vampires who can use her mind-she knew that Hope had to be feeling something as she looked horrified about what she had seen.
"Hope it's okay," Elena whispered. "I know that it was horrible to see but I've seen so much already." She hugged her. "If you need to talk I'm here."
The after dinner party was much better as Stefan left with the heart and corpse of his brother, Kol was awake and his mother-who he had thought died a thousand years ago-was now alive and wanting to make the family whole.
Though Elijah didn't believe a word coming out of her mouth, he hadn't let go of Elena since she let go of Hope and went into his embrace. He tried his hardest to keep himself calm but with how short that skirt she was wearing is…he couldn't help himself.
He took her upstairs and instead of going into her room he had her in his, pressed against the wall and began to kiss her passionately. He felt her fingers go through his hair and he grabbed her thighs, wrapping her legs around his waist. Once he pulled away he began to kiss her neck and making his way to her throat and her head was thrown back, his fingers deftly undoing her shirt as hers were undoing his.
"'Lijah…" she moaned and he growled. "Please…'Lijah please…" she couldn't say anything else but his nickname and please.
Pulling back from the hollow of her throat he was about to kiss her when Kol began to call for him.
"Elijah? ELIJAH! I NEED YOUR HELP!" Elijah was growling and thought about ignoring him until…
"ELIJAH REALLY?! I NEED YOUR HELP WITH WHATEVER A COMPUTER IS AS I GOT A VIRUS ON IT!"
Elena placed a kiss on his lips and whispered, "go help." She winked and kissed him again before he moved back and allowed her on the ground. "We can finish this at a different time." Winking, she walked out of the room and slipped into hers.
Elijah was angry and as he fixed himself he flashed out of his room and found Kol who was staring at Niklaus' laptop that definitely showed no virus. He grabbed his brother and pinned him against the wall, growling.
"Damn it Kol you ruined the moment." Kol looked and smirked. "You ruined the moment."
Hope, in pajamas, walked by and heard that which mentally made her scream at Kol. Flicking her fingers Kol's neck was snapped and Elijah eyed her.
"Sorry your moment got ruined but look on the bright side," she ended up smiling at him. "There's always the ball Esther wants to throw."
Elijah smirked to himself as he now had another chance and this time…nothing was going to get in his way.