If you recognize it, I don't own it! I own the OCs and an abundance of fairy lights in my room.

Leave a review: comment on the chapter, say hi, tell me how I'm doing. I'm like a golden retriever; I need constant reassurance, lol

TW: A brainwashed Tyler and some talk about dubious-consensual sex between Tyler and Jules in Tyler's POV.


ELIJAH'S POV

Elijah wondered when, exactly, Niklaus stopped trusting him. Was it when they were children, and Elijah would not (could not) protect Niklaus from Mikael's violent hand? Was it when they both vied for Tatia's affections and Elijah won? Or was it when Mikael and Esther bound Klaus's werewolf side, and Elijah had been forced to help? He supposed it did not matter. Somewhere along the way 'always and forever' had become twisted and tainted with mistrust. The brother of Elijah's youth would never have led Elijah to believe that their siblings were lost forever.

Niklaus stood there in front of Elijah,, a smirk on his face. Despite his arrogant air, his fists were clenched by his side and the tension was evident in his body. He was expecting an attack, Elijah realized. He thought Elijah was there to avenge the supposed death of their siblings.

"Thank you for meeting with me," Elijah said, and he began to look around the abandoned barn as one might look at an art exhibit. "While the choice of venue leaves something to be desired, it is nice to see you again, brother."

"What are you playing at?" Klaus said suspiciously.

"I'm not playing any sort of game, unlike you. You made a scavenger hunt to keep me from finding you," Elijah pointed out mildly.

"I did that because I heard from certain sources that you are trying to kill me," Niklaus spat.

Elijah was trying to remain calm, but Niklaus was testing that resolve. "I was only trying to kill you because I believed our siblings to be lost somewhere on the ocean floor. I remember you saying that you wished we had more siblings so that you could drop one in each of the seven seas."

"Believed? Past tense? Are you saying that you now believe that our siblings reside on dry ground instead of swimming with the fishes?" Niklaus snarked.

"I know for a fact that our family is safe and whole," Elijah said nonchalantly as he shifted his weight and put his hands in the pockets of his black slacks. "Though I thank you for bringing up the subject. Why would you let me believe them gone? Do you hate me that much?"

"I know not what you speak about," Niklaus denied.

"I do not believe you," Elijah declared, taking a couple of steps toward his brother. "I recently met a person with impressive abilities, and she assures me that Kol, Rebekah, and Finn are alive."

"Oh, and you trust this witch over me?" goaded Niklaus.

"Yes, in fact, I do."

"Then you are a fool!" Niklaus hissed. "I am the evil bastard that offed my own brothers and sister. There is no debating that."

"I refuse to believe that, because, even after all this time, all the atrocities I have watched you commit, I believe there is still some shred of decency left within you. And your reaction to my accusation just now has confirmed my suspicions. They do live."

Niklaus schooled his features as he switched tactics. "So what if they do? You will never find them."

"Maybe. Maybe not. Regardless, there is a potential for us all to be reunited again."

Klaus scoffed. "Reunited? What, do you truly believe that we will be one big, happy family? That if I undagger them, they will forgive me and choose to live with me? You're delusional."

"So what do you propose instead?" Elijah challenged. "Keep them locked away forever? To always have the option of family but never choose it?"

"Better that than constantly having to look over my shoulder for a knife in my back," Niklaus countered. "Or worse, having to constantly worry over their safety."

"Our siblings can take care of themselves, even Finn. All three of them deserve to be undaggered, to make choices for themselves! I know you doubt that we love you, and I know that I have behaved abhorrently these past few years. But locking us all away is not the solution to your problems. If given a change, and time, our siblings would return to you."

"And how can you be so sure?" Niklaus asked, his words biting but Elijah could see the vulnerability behind his eyes. A stab of regret tore through him. He had truly failed as the older brother. He shouldn't have believed Klaus's claim that their siblings had been thrown into the sea. He should have stood by his side.

"The person I met is a form of a seer. She has seen our family together in the near future, and these visions have given me hope for reconciliation. Please, brother," Elijah took another couple of steps closer.

"Seers are notoriously unreliable," Klaus pointed out scornfully. "They see what they want to see."

Elijah shook his head. "Not this one. She saw our future, and it is my aim to see that vision become reality," Elijah took another step, getting as close as he dared to his brother. "Please, let me prove to you that I truly am on your side."

From his pocket Elijah withdrew a piece of paper. He held it out to Klaus, who took it warily.

"An address? What is this?"

"That is the house that currently holds both a werewolf and a vampire," Elijah said, and Klaus's head snapped up. "I have also procured the moonstone and have located the Petrova doppelganger. This next full moon you shall be a full hybrid."

"Why?" Klaus demanded, crumpling up the piece of paper and shoving it into his pocket. "Why help me break the curse?"

"Because one thousand years ago I helped bind you. Five hundred years ago I let my feelings for Katerina cloud my judgement. This time I will not let you down, and I will not desert you," Elijah vowed. "I have everything to break your curse, all you need to do is trust me."

Niklaus's eyes narrowed. "Trust you? After your numerous attempts to kill me? I think not. I remember every attack on my person, brother," he mocked. "You came close in 2002, you know."

"Are we really going to compare injustices?" Elijah's temper was rising. "Finn has lain in a box for nearly as long as we have been immortal. Kol, as similar to you as he is, has spent almost a century with a dagger in his heart for daring to toy with Marcellus. Rebekah, despite our parents' horrible example of romantic love, has managed again and again to find men that will love her back. And again and again you take them away from her."

"I do that for her own good!" argued Klaus.

"Then why isn't she here now, brother? Stefan Salvatore no longer remembers her; she can be free to find love elsewhere. Or maybe you would rather let her and our brothers rot in those coffins? Day after day, year after year, forgotten in some storage container somewhere. You refuse to give them the chance to love you, but you also refuse to kill them," Elijah shook his head, and stepped away from his younger brother. "One day, hopefully soon, you will break the curse and breathe air as a full hybrid. I truly wish for this, Niklaus. But once you achieve what you have sought for centuries, will there be anyone to share in your joy?"

Niklaus looked stunned.

Elijah took the opportunity of Niklaus's silence and pressed his true agenda for the meeting. "Check the location I gave you and see for yourself that I am on your side. I will always be on your side, brother. If you want to reconcile, come to this location at noon tomorrow," Elijah pulled out another piece of paper with an address on it and set it on a nearby table. He walked briskly to the exit, but hovered at the threshold. He looked back at his brother, who hadn't moved. "Niklaus, I hope to see you tomorrow."

And then Elijah left.


Though he would much rather immediately return home to Miriam after his visit with his brother, Elijah had an abundance of errands he needed to run and business he needed to attend to. There was an unsettling amount of chatter in the vampire and werewolf communities across the globe. Word had gotten out that the moonstone and doppelganger had been found, but the curse of the sun and the moon hadn't been broken yet. The vampires, ignorant of the curse's true form, still believed that they had a chance to walk in the sun if they were the ones to break it. The werewolf communities, secretive and usually silent, were now buzzing. They wanted to be free of the curse. Elijah and some of his trusted vampires were trying to spread the word that the curse of the sun and the moon was fake, but this was not a popular idea with vampires or werewolves. Elijah was finding that it was difficult to tell the truth when the truth was something that people did not want to hear.

Elijah, at Miriam's request, had looked into the Augustine Society and the Whitmore family. What he found had been terrible; experimentation on vampires. He had his people free a young vampire that had been held captive. He also had his people destroy all the research the Augustine Society had accumulated. While impressive in their creativity and scope, experimentation led to breakthroughs, and Elijah could not have humans have any type of knowledge that could lead to the death of vampires… or Originals. Miriam had warned him that he would die in the future, but she hadn't been specific about the circumstances that lead to his death. Elijah could be arrogant and vain about his status as an Original, but knowing that he could die was humbling. So he would not allow the Augustine Society or the Whitmore family to continue their research. Already he had people tracking down the remaining members to kill them and destroy what was left of their research.

After a full day, Elijah returned to the house his mate and her bodyguards shared. Night had already fallen. It was mid-April, and while the days were getting warmer, the nights were still chilly. As Elijah drove up the driveway he could see the lights on in the house. A figure peered out of the dining room window: June. He was firm in his belief that if he had been someone who intended harm, June would already have killed him. There was a reason he had hired June and August to protect Miriam, and that reason was simple; they were the best at what they did.

Elijah parked and entered the house. The smell of garlic and tomato sauce cooking permeated the air. Someone was making Italian for dinner.

"Hi!" Miriam smiled brightly when he entered the kitchen. Her wild dark hair was in a bun so it wouldn't interfere with her cooking. She was dressed in cotton pajamas: her top was a mint green t-shirt and her pajama pants were a navy blue with mint green butterflies on them. She was wearing hot pink socks on her feet.

This adorable, wonderful creature was wholly his. He was constantly in awe of her. She was so much stronger than she thought, and it would be his absolute pleasure to show her just how strong she could be.

"Your girl here got day drunk," August said to Elijah, a wide, teasing grin on his face.

"I got day tipsy," Miriam snarked back, pointing the spoon she had been using to stir the sauce with at August. "There's a difference.'

"Oh? What is the difference, pray tell?" Elijah grinned at her look of mock-betrayal.

"Ooh, don't gang up on me!" she warned, chucking a dish towel at him, which he easily caught.

He liked this feeling of lightness that he got from being around his mate. It was a slower, different kind of love that he had never experienced before.

His love with Tatia had been born of mourning and a shared pain. She had lost a husband to battle, he had lost his wife and daughter to plague. They had found solace in each other. Elijah promised to provide and protect for her and her child and in return she had promised to love him. She had chosen him over many other suitors, including Niklaus. This fact blinded him to her many faults. She had loved life, but defiantly. She danced when she should have been caring for her infant child. She sang songs when other women should have been singing them. She flirted with men casually, when she should have been with her husband. To Elijah's knowledge, she had never cheated on her first husband. He doubted he would have noticed, though. Looking back, he could see that Tatia had married too young and had a child too soon. She had not been ready for either responsibility. She had barely been in her eighteenth year when war had taken her husband, leaving her with a small child and many responsibilities.

Tatia had loved him. Elijah knew this. They would have been very happy together… for a while. She was the kind of person that always needed to be moving, never staying. He was the kind of person that was content to plant roots. He thought he would have the opportunity to plant them when he met Celeste Dubois. She had been a powerful witch. Strong, intelligent, and beautiful, she was attractive in every way. Elijah had been consumed with her. Their passion had been hot and ill-fated- their time together was cut short by Niklaus's actions.

His two great loves had been very different women. Tatia had been young, naïve, and wholly human. Celeste had been older, intelligent, and a witch. Comparing the two was unfair because he had been a very different person with each woman.

And now Miriam was in the picture. She had few similarities to his other great loves. She was young, like Tatia, but intelligent and powerful, like Celeste. Their similarities ended there. Miriam found joy in life in a gentle way. She was not flashy and attention-seeking like Tatia had been. Miriam valued fruit and warm clothes and homemade meals. She had the potential for great power like Celeste, but she chose to use it to help mend his broken family. He couldn't help but continuously compare her to spring; she had cold, sad days but was trying her best to grow a new life out of dead ground. Her gentle, persistent strength had resulted in a sibling bond with Baahir and Caroline, the respect of August and June, and Elijah's own undying admiration.

"Jenna and Caroline came over today," Miriam said, bringing Elijah out of his musings. "Poor Jenna's fed up with Elena and Alaric."

"I don't blame her," August said. "That girl is already causing trouble and she's only seventeen."

"She's making it hard for me to like her," Miriam admitted. "By the way, Jenna said you gave her a vervain bracelet?"

"I did. I refuse to bend to Elena's will and keep her aunt in the dark. It benefits me if Jenna is aware of the current circumstances."

"Well, regardless of why you did it, it was sweet," Miriam said, and she rewarded him with a smile.

Elijah would do anything to keep the smile on her face.

The four of them ate dinner together. June's dry wit matched Elijah's, and August and Miriam had similar tastes in horrible jokes. They were a strange bunch, but Elijah found himself immensely enjoying the dinner. August and Miriam had made the delicious food and June had purchased a cheesecake for dessert. Elijah and June washed the dishes while August and Miriam sat at the counter and sipped their wine.

After dinner Miriam pulled Elijah into her room. In the corner was a small bowl with a bundle of sage. Miriam went over to it and lit it, activating the privacy spell.

"I love June and August, but I don't want them to hear this conversation," Miriam said guiltily.

"I assure you, vorgyðja, they would understand your need for privacy," Elijah said as he took a seat on her bed. He had changed into a more casual outfit of pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt (despite the belief of others, he did own more casual clothing) for dinner, seeing as Miriam attended in her pajamas.

"I wanted to share something with you," the nervous energy poured off his little mate as she retrieved a small box from her nightstand. She set it on the bed before climbing into the spot next to Elijah.

"You can share anything with me," Elijah promised.

Miriam smiled at him, then took the lid off the box. "This is every item that I had with me when I came here," she explained, and offered the box to him.

Elijah took it gently, giving it- and Miriam- the respect it deserved. He slowly removed items and placed them on the bed in front of him and Miriam.

First was a cell phone that was obviously technologically more advanced than his own top of the line cell phone. Next was a slim, feminine wallet. He opened it and spied her original driver's license; her birthdate was listed as March 22nd of 2001. After he explored the wallet he pulled out a small stack of photographs, maybe thirty in total.

"Those are all the pictures I have of my family," Miriam smiled sadly. "I'm very lucky that I had them with me when I came here."

She spent the next hour explaining each picture to him. She teared up when she explained a picture of her mother on a beach holding a surfboard.

"My mom… her name was Layla. She was born in Georgia but moved to California when she was only eighteen. She wanted to pursue her dreams of surfing, and she wasn't going to let anyone or anything stop her. I wish I was brave like her."

"You are much braver than you know," Elijah insisted.

She ignored the compliment, obviously not believing him. She pulled out a small, slim children's book. "This was one of the many books she and my dad bought me when I was a baby. According to Abuela, it was my mom's favorite."

Miriam then showed him her father's college ring, and then her grandfather's dog tags. Lastly she removed a delicate glass perfume bottle that was half-empty.

"This was my grandmother's. She wore it since she was a young woman until she died. I'll always associate this perfume with her," Miriam handed the perfume bottle to Elijah. He sniffed it; it smelled light and floral, like Miriam. He placed the bottle on the bed and surveyed her trinkets and memories.

Not much had survived her trip to his universe. At least Elijah and his siblings had each other when they had to flee from their father in the past. Despite their constant squabbles and Niklaus's habit of daggering his siblings, the Mikaelson children still had each other. Miriam had no one from her past life. All of her family's stories, traditions, and inside jokes died the instant she was transported to a new land.

"Thank you for sharing your memories with me," Elijah said sincerely. Miriam had just shared something extremely personal and emotional. She might not believe herself brave, but opening up emotionally to another person was its own kind of bravery.

Miriam's smile was watery, but it was real. "My past is a big part of who I am, and I want you to know all of me."

"We have time to get to know each other, vorgyðja," he kissed her forehead. "And I will cherish each and every opportunity to get to know you better."

"Stay with me tonight?" Miriam looked up at him, her brown eyes wide and pleading. "Not for sex; I'm not ready for that yet. But I do want to feel close to you."

How could he deny her anything? "Of course. Let us get ready for bed."

Once they had both gotten ready for bed Miriam crawled into her bed and Elijah turned off the lights. There was an awkward moment when neither Elijah nor Miriam knew what to do with their bodies. Elijah was unsure how close to get to her. His internal thoughts were interrupted by Miriam grabbing his hand and pulling him until he was laying down next to her and the arm she had grabbed was now around her. Elijah could hear her heart beating fast; no doubt she was nervous about her bold display of affection.

To put any fears she had to rest, Elijah pulled her body until it was flush with his. He wrapped his arms around her until she was secured to him. Her head was tucked under his chin and her curls tickled his nose. Miriam's body relaxed against his and her heart beat slowed down.

"Goodnight, 'Lijah," she whispered.

Elijah shamelessly nuzzled the top of her head, breathing in her floral scent. "Goodnight, my precious mate."


KLAUS'S POV

Klaus waited until his brother had left the barn before picking up the second address. The entire meeting had been… odd. Elijah hadn't acted like Klaus would have expected. Klaus's brother hid behind a façade of manners and his noble attitude, but Klaus knew it was a lie. He could wear a suit, but Elijah had the potential to become absolutely feral. Klaus had only seen Elijah give in to his vampire side a handful of times, and when he walked into the abandoned barn he fully expected Elijah to attack him.

Elijah had made no move to attack him, and, surprisingly, hardly raised his voice! Klaus didn't know what to make of his brother's new, steady behavior. Sure, Elijah's seer had exposed the fact that Klaus hadn't killed Finn, Rebekah, and Kol, but Klaus had still expected some kind of retribution for the lie that had existed for decades.

Klaus wondered how strong Elijah's seer actually was. Whatever she had seen had changed Elijah's outlook on his relationship with Klaus. Klaus didn't know if he should be thankful to the seer or attempt to kill her. Someone with that much power that wasn't on his side needed to die.

Klaus would test the seer's merit tomorrow; today he had to check to see if Elijah had actually managed to capture an elusive werewolf.

He drove to the first address Elijah had given him. The location was three hours away from Mystic Falls. The piece of property was a run-down, abandoned old plantation. The house had once been a proud, looming building, but was now a dilapidated ruin of a bygone era. The front door creaked as he pushed it open.

He sniffed the air. He could smell Elijah and a couple of vampires and a witch… and underneath was the musty, earthy scent that indicated that a werewolf was in the building. Excited, Klaus zoomed through the house until he reached a large room. Moldy old furniture had been pushed to the side to make space for two large circles in the middle of the room. Inside each circle was a vampire and a werewolf, both contained by separate rings of witch magic that kept them from harming each other or leaving.

The werewolf was a young man in his early twenties. When he saw Klaus he whimpered. The vampire was a middle-aged man who resembled an Elvis impersonator. He barely looked up when Klaus walked into the room.

"Well, hello," he grinned. He raced up to the werewolf, who flinched and pressed himself against the side of his boundary, as far away as he could get from Klaus. "Who are you?"

"S-Stevie," the boy stuttered, obviously frightened. His face was black and blue, as if someone had hit him multiple times. Klaus could smell Elijah on him.

"Hello, Stevie. Where did Elijah find you?"

"M-my pack came to Mystic F-Falls for a baby werewolf… we kidnapped a vampire and a human g-girl to get these other vampires to turn the werewolf over… it was the worst mistake we've ever made," the wolf had a haunted look in his eyes. "He killed them so quickly, I could only watch!"

Interesting. Klaus turned to the vampire. He was a new vampire, only a few days old. His vampire healing refused to show bruises, but his tacky suit had been torn in multiple places, and Elijah's scent was on him, too. "And what about you? What is your name, and what crimes did you commit against Elijah?"

"Is that what his name is? He didn't exactly stop to chit-chat," the pathetic-looking man mumbled. "My name is Logan Boggs. He told me he was punishing me for hurting this chick that lived in my building, though it wasn't true! I was nice to that-" here he used a variety of colorful slurs to describe the woman in question "- so there was no reason to turn me into this blood-sucking thing that I am!"

Klaus raised an eyebrow. "Based solely on your words, mate, you fully deserve everything that is coming to you."

The racist man humphed and slumped against the barrier that contained him.

Klaus mulled over the words of the two prisoners. The vampire had talked about a girl, and so had the werewolf. Klaus figured the girl in each of their stories was the same woman, and that she was Elijah's seer. He didn't understand how she got roped up in werewolf pack politics, but he was going to ask her tomorrow.

Feeling hopeful for the first time in a long time about breaking his curse, Klaus turned to leave, but paused. A scent, faded and barely there, hit Klaus's nose. He changed directions and followed the faint scent to a chair that had been pushed against the wall. On the arm of the chair was a couple of old, rusty, bloody fingerprints. Klaus knelt down and sniffed.

The wolf within him rattled the chains it had been locked in a millennia ago. It was a feral thing, starved and angry. It was usually quiet, but as the scent of the blood filled Klaus's nose it woke up and howled.

Mate!

His vampire side agreed. Whoever had bleed here had been his mate. The blood was old, though, almost three weeks gone. Suddenly the need to break his curse didn't seem so urgent. What was urgent was his mate, and the fact that they had bled in this run-down old house recently, and yet Klaus didn't know where they were. Klaus straightened and ripped the arm of the chair off, frightening both of the captive creatures. He hoped his witches could track his mate with weeks-old blood.

He drove back to the piece of property he had met Elijah at. The barn was nearly falling down, but the main house was in relatively good shape. He was temporarily living there with Greta Martin and Maddox.

The two witches were standing around the dining room table, looking at grimoires, when Klaus zoomed in and threw the chair arm on top of the ancient texts.

"What the hell?!" Maddox and Greta jumped back.

"There is blood on that- I need you to track it back to the person," Klaus growled. His vampire self hated the fact that he didn't know where his mate was, or if they were even still alive. There hadn't been a lot of blood, but that didn't mean they hadn't been taken to a secondary location and killed.

Klaus paced tensely as Greta and Maddox did the spell. The blood on the chair arm re-animated and crawled toward the map of the United States. When it landed on the same address that Elijah had given him, Klaus didn't know what to think.

Had Elijah somehow found Klaus's mate? He hadn't thought it possible to figure out the identity of another vampire's mate. There was something going on here, and Klaus didn't have all the pieces. Staying still was against his nature, but Klaus would do nothing until he was sure that his mate was safe.

Klaus was looking forward to seeing Elijah tomorrow… and potentially ripping out his heart if he had so much as laid a finger on his mate.


Niklaus arrived at Elijah's house a little before noon. Elijah was standing on the porch, looking very much like a lion guarding his den. He smiled at Klaus, but it was a cautious thing. What tore at Klaus's heart was the hint of hope that he could see in Elijah's eyes. He truly did want to reconcile. The thought was mind-blowing to Klaus. Forgiveness? After all he had done...

"Brother. If I am being honest, I did not think you would come," Elijah said.

"And miss out on meeting the person that's hiding just out of sight? Never," Klaus's tone was jovial, but his eyes were scrutinizing every inch of the house in front of him. He could hear a human heartbeat just inside the house. A female vampire was standing in the doorway, obviously a guard for the human. A male witch was sitting on the porch a little ways from Elijah. "I assume you are the home-owner, witch?"

He shrugged. "Guilty."

"Hmm. Klaus raised his voice so the human inside could hear him, "Can I meet the person hiding, or must we shout through walls?"

"Before she comes out, I must have your word that you will not harm her or orchestrate any harm to her," Elijah said, tone firm. "Not only is she a seer, she is my mate."

Klaus blinked. Elijah had found his mate? After one thousand years of walking the earth, Elijah had recently found his mate, and Klaus had found his mate's blood, which had been traced back to this house… Klaus had a theory that he really hoped was wrong.

"You have my word," Klaus said in answer to Elijah's inquiry.

"Vorgyðja, you can come out now," Elijah held a hand out to the figure in the shadows.

The pet name was in their native language, and belayed the deep feelings Elijah must have for his mate. Jealousy bubbled up in Klaus. He would meet the seer, and if she ended up not being his mate, he was going to attack her to force the location of his mate out of Elijah. He had noticed the magic in the air the instant he had stepped out of his car; the witch had spelled the property so that no unwelcomed creature could smell. His mate was here somewhere, but Elijah didn't want Klaus scenting them out.

The seer stepped out of the house. She grasped Elijah's hand and let him lead her across the porch and down the steps to Klaus.

She was a pretty woman. She was short, at least a foot shorter than him and Elijah. She had dark skin, dark eyes, and dark, curly hair. She looked young, maybe in her early twenties. She wore a rust red dress that had blue, yellow, and pink flowers all over it. Over the dress she wore a large, chunky yellow knitted cardigan with poofy sleeves. Black tights covered her legs and brown boots covered her feet. A delicate gold cross hung around her neck.

Klaus's attention was pulled away from her when Elijah spoke.

"This is Miriam Sanchez, my mate," Elijah said, then turned and nodded at his witch. The witch stood and started chanting.

The air shimmered and suddenly Klaus could smell. The girl's scent rushed at him. It was floral and earthy, and Elijah's name for her now made sense. Vorgyðja; Spring goddess, indeed. His mate smelled like the first flowers that bloomed in spring. She smelled like fertile soil and potential. She was his.

She was watching him with wide eyes. Some brown eyes turned gold in the sunlight, but her eyes seemed to absorb the light. They were soulful eyes that held an intelligent consciousness behind them.

"Hi," she said softly, giving him a little wave and a little smile.

Klaus rushed forward, intent on grabbing her and running.

Elijah let out a large snarl and crashed into Klaus. "Control yourself!" he snapped, in a not-very-controlled voice.

"She is my mate!" Klaus roared, throwing his brother to the side. He raced to his mate, but bounced off an invisible shield. "Witch! Let down the barrier!"

"He will not, not until you calm down!" Elijah shouted. He had been thrown across the yard, but in another second he was standing between Klaus and his mate.

"You knew!" Klaus accused, pointing a finger at his brother.

"I hoped," Elijah corrected. He took a deep breath and looked at his- Klaus's- mate. "She has four mates in total."

"What?" That jarred Klaus out of his rage. He also looked over at his mate, who looked scared and confused. The female vampire had come out of the house and was now standing beside the smaller woman protectively. She glared at Klaus.

"I hoped at least one of her mates was you, brother, for I cannot imagine sharing her with anyone else," Elijah admitted. He brushed dirt off his suit. "I was the first she had met outside her dreams. You are the second."

Klaus took a step back. "Do you have any idea who the others are?"

"Like with you, I hope that they are our brothers," Elijah said. "It is rare, but I have seen such bonds before."

Klaus scoffed. "You hope that all four of us share the same woman? Are you mad? We would tear each other apart!"

"Or the experience would bring us closer together!" Elijah countered. "We would have a common goal: her protection and well-being. There would be no sneaking around behind each others' backs. It would all be out in the open. Tell me, honestly, if you feel resentment towards me concerning Miriam or not."

It was true. Klaus felt jealous that Elijah could get near Miriam, but he felt no resentment over the thought of Elijah touching her. But if that other vampire took another step closer to his mate, he was going to rip her heart out.

"That matters little at the moment. Finn and Kol are daggered, and therefore do not factor into this discussion. Have your witch lower the bloody shield," Klaus demanded. He needed to scent his mate, and feed her his blood.

Elijah looked at their mate. "Are you okay with him being near you? I promise you, he will not hurt you."

Klaus swallowed another snarl. Of course he wouldn't hurt her!

Miriam looked at him, unsure.

"Please, love," he practically begged.

She nodded, and the witch reluctantly lowered the shield. In an instant Klaus was on her. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his nose in her neck, scenting her. He could smell Elijah on her, though he could tell they hadn't had sex yet. He nuzzled deeper, smelling her emotions. She was nervous and just a little bit fearful. He was going to have to prove to her that he wasn't going to harm her. He was incapable of harming her.

Klaus picked her up and sped to the porch. He sat down in a chair and placed his little mate on his lap. She was surprised and disoriented at the sudden movement, but he didn't allow her any time to dissent. He could smell Elijah's blood in her; he must have fed her sometime within the last day. The thought of Elijah's blood in her did not spark any feelings of rage or betrayal, though it did make Klaus want to feed her his blood. So he did. He bit his wrist and shoved it into her mouth. She obediently lapped up the blood, which made his inner vampire purr.

Elijah joined him on the porch. He sat in the seat across from him and his mate. The other vampire and the witch went inside the house.

Remarkably, Elijah did not look jealous of Klaus and Miriam together. Klaus was sure that his blatant display of closeness would trigger Elijah's territorial instincts (in fact, he had been counting on it. Then he could have been free to snap Elijah's neck and abscond with his mate). However, that didn't seem to be the case. In fact, Elijah smiled slightly at Miriam as she drank from Klaus. Klaus felt like he had stepped into an alternate universe; everything felt off and he wasn't sure how to react to anything.

"Explain your vision for the future, brother," Klaus prompted. His mate tried to pull away, but he tutted and tightened his arm around her. "Nuh uh, love. You're staying right there until your belly is full."

"Short term, I want to help you break your curse," Elijah said. "Like I told you yesterday, I have everything you need. I assume you went to see the vampire and werewolf?"

"Yes. Who were they to her?" Klaus asked, nodded to their mate.

"The vampire was her old landlord. He was a horrible human being," Elijah wrinkled his nose in distaste.

"Wait, you made Mr. Boggs into a vampire for the ritual?" Miriam asked, wrenching her mouth away from Klaus's wrist to ask her question.

"Yes, vorgyðja," Elijah said, not a hint of remorse on his face.

"Huh… I'm not totally broken up about it," Miriam admitted.

Klaus grumbled. He bit his wrist again and prompted his mate to continue to drink.

"So her landlord is the vampire for the ritual, but who was the werewolf?" Klaus asked.

"A pack came to town looking for a newly turned werewolf. They captured Miriam and a young vampire named Caroline…" Elijah spun a tale that only an hour ago Klaus would have called mild, but having met his mate, he was horrified about what she had endured. Klaus tightened his grip on her, dismayed at the thought that he hadn't been there to protect her.

At the end of his story Elijah sent him a look that promised they would talk later, privately. Elijah no doubt had some plan for retribution on the female werewolf, Jules, who had gotten away. Niklaus full heartedly approved of whatever evil, nasty idea Elijah had floating around in his brain.

"Back to your original question," Elijah said, "Short term is breaking your curse. My long term plan is to convince you to wake our siblings. Even if Finn and Kol are not Miriam's additional two mates, you still need to wake them up. If you ever want to fulfill your dream of having the unconditional love of family, you need to trust them. In addition," Elijah said loudly, when Klaus tried to interrupt, "Miriam told me that Finn is conscious right now, even though he is daggered. Apparently, after centuries being daggered he has gained awareness. If you don't want him to turn against you, I suggest that you free him."

Klaus might not have gotten along with Finn when they were human or new vampires, but he felt a flash of remorse over his actions. The thought of being trapped in his own mind, aware that he could not move… he would only wish that pain on his greatest enemies. And despite their disagreements, Finn was not Klaus's enemy.

"I will think about that," Klaus said. He was aware that Kol was likely to attempt to kill him once he was released, and he wanted to be a full hybrid before that happened. Elijah didn't look happy, but he didn't argue.

"All I ask is that you think about the long-term health of our family," Elijah said.

Klaus nodded, his head full of information. Miriam squirmed on his lap and he finally let her go. She got up and sat in a chair that was in-between Klaus and Elijah. She smiled softly at Klaus, and his dead heart swelled in his chest.

"And," Elijah added, looking at Miriam for confirmation, "We have more to tell you."

Klaus looked at them both, unsure of what else they could possibly throw at him.

Over an hour later his brain hurt. Miriam was from a different universe in which Klaus, Elijah, and everything in their world was a story in her world. She had been ripped from her world two years ago by some unknown force and dropped into their world. She had been slowly trying to change things in favor of Klaus and his siblings. He didn't know what to think about that act of selflessness.

Miriam explained that each of the Mikaelson siblings had their own sire line, and that if any of them were to die, their entire line would die as well. Miriam's soul brother was of Elijah's sire line, her brother's mate was of Kol's sire line, and her budding soul sister was of Klaus's sire line. These reasons alone were enough for Miriam to try to change fate. She explained that she had her soul brother Baahir acting as a spy somewhere else in the country in preparation for something they would go up against in a couple of years. Miriam refused to explain more about that situation, but she assured the brothers that Baahir was trustworthy.

Elijah changed directions and began to discuss the ritual to break Klaus's curse. He explained that there were a couple of ways to allow the doppelganger to survive the sacrifice.

Klaus scoffed at Elijah's tender heart. "What do I care if she lives or dies, as long as the ritual works?"

"If she dies, so does your chances of making more hybrids," Miriam said, her voice firm. "It's her blood the hybrids need to drink after you turn them into a vampire. All your attempts are futile without her blood."

Klaus reeled back in shock. He would have killed the new doppelganger without a second thought and ended his chances of making more hybrids!

Miriam leaned forward. "Listen, I know you don't know me. And I know you don't trust easily. But I am on your side. I want you to break the curse that your parents unjustly put on you a thousand years ago. You didn't deserve it, and I want to help you right that wrong. Please, don't go off halfcocked. Elijah and I have everything you need for the ritual to end the curse, we just need to maintain the status quo."

Klaus wanted to snarl and rage at her. Who was she to tell him what to do! But the mate bond allowed her words to settle like a blanket over his mind. He didn't fully trust her or Elijah… but he was willing to try to trust them.

"I want to see the moonstone and the doppelganger," Klaus deflected, speaking to Elijah.

"The moonstone is hidden; our clever mate reminded me of the error or keeping something so valuable on my person. Rest assured, it is safe and well-hidden," Elijah said. "The doppelganger is a young girl by the name of Elena Gilbert. She is currently involved with the Salvatore brothers. They have a witch on their side, a Bennett witch. My witches have warned her multiple times to stay out of our business, but she might prove to be a nuisance. In play are also a newly turned vampire named Caroline, Miriam's soul sister, and a vampire hunter named Alaric Saltzman. The young vampire is not an issue, but the hunter might be."

"They are all aware that you are coming for Elena," Miriam added. "Jenna, Elena's aunt and guardian, is a friend. She understands what's at stake and she is willing to help us with Elena, as long as Elena survives the sacrifice."

"At the moment, Jenna is the most reasonable adult in this god-forsaken town," Elijah noted.

Klaus was overwhelmed. He stood up suddenly, causing his mate to flinch.

"I will think about all you have said," he said stiffly, before zooming away.

It was only an hour of wandering around later that he realized he had left his car at Elijah's house. Klaus had ended up in the middle of the forest, just blindly walking.

In the span of a day Klaus's brother had forsaken his revenge plan and had reached out a hand in peace, and Klaus had met his mate, whom he also shared with Elijah and potentially two strangers. Both things were good, but Klaus no longer trusted that good things happened to him. If his millennia on earth taught him anything, it was that the gods/fate/The Powers That Be did not want him to be happy.

But, a little voice said in the back of his head, what if this is your chance to be happy?

Frustrated, Klaus let out a shout and destroyed half an acre of forest before he calmed down.


Niklaus returned to Elijah's house after the sun had set. The lights were on in the house and Klaus could smell the scent of grilled meat in the air. He went around the house to the backyard, where there was a large patio area. Elijah's witch was at the grill flipping burger patties. His mate was setting a tray of various delicacies that one would usually put on a burger (cheese slices, onion, tomatoes, lettuce) on the table that Elijah and his fellow vampire were sitting at. She jumped to her feet when she heard him, but Elijah waved her away.

"It's fine, June," he said to her. June didn't seem to believe him, and instead went to stand by Miriam. Elijah stood up and walked closer to Klaus, his eyes wary. "Brother. I did not expect to see you so soon."

"I don't know if I can trust you," the words came spilling out before Klaus had a chance to over-think them. "But I want to trust you. I want to build a home with our family and our mate but that dream just seems so far away."

Sympathy replaced Elijah's guarded gaze. "Oh, Niklaus. We will see that dream become reality, I promise you. Until then, let us just focus on unlocking your werewolf side. You do not have to commit to anything yet."

Klaus nodded, relief coursing through him.

Miriam approached cautiously, a small smile on her face. "Do you want to join us for dinner?"

Her expression was just so open and so sincere that Klaus found himself agreeing to stay before he even realized it. As he sat down at the table he looked at Elijah and Miriam. He might not fully trust that their intentions were wholly altruistic, but he was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt…

For tonight, at least.


KOL'S POV

Of-fucking-course Nik was Miriam's final mate! If Kol could move he would have thrown things around and fashioned a stake out of the destruction he had created to stick in Nik's corrupt heart.

Kol and Finn had theorized that Klaus would be Miriam's fourth mate, but to see the proof… Kol seethed. He had wanted to dagger Niklaus and stick him in a coffin for a couple of centuries while Kol, Finn, and Elijah enjoyed their time with their mate without the looming threat of being daggered for every small offense. But now Miriam had met Klaus and an infant bond had been formed. The longer the two interacted, the stronger the bond would grow.

There was no way to test the idea until Kol and Finn were free, but Kol believed that once Miriam fully bonded with each of her mates they would be unable to seriously hurt each other. He hoped he was wrong, because he wanted to seriously harm Niklaus.

Finn, in his semi-conscious state, also wanted to hurt Klaus. Finn might be the oldest of the Mikaelson children, but in experience he was the youngest. He had only walked on the earth for roughly one hundred years before he had been stuck in a coffin and promptly forgotten about by his siblings. He had missed out on so much. Now that he was in a better state mentally, Finn was angry that he hadn't experienced even a fraction of life that his siblings had.

Kol and Finn had talked extensively after Elijah had been confirmed as Miriam's third mate. The two brothers, the youngest and the oldest, had formed an odd but functional alliance. They had vowed to work together to take down Niklaus, but now that plan had been scrapped.

Both brothers were angry over this new development.

But, Finn pointed out begrudgingly, if Niklaus becomes a full hybrid, our mate will have one of the most powerful creatures ever protecting her.

It was a good point, but Kol wasn't ready to admit it. Regardless of whether or not Klaus was Miriam's mate, Kol was still going to thrust a stake through his brother's heart.

An ordinary stake might not kill Klaus, but it would make Kol feel better.


TYLER'S POV

Jules had convinced the Florida pack to join their cause. Their alpha had mysteriously disappeared the day Jules and Tyler arrived, so Jules took that spot. The other wolves had argued, saying that she was an outsider and not eligible to be their leader. She challenged them to fight her, and won! Tyler had been impressed, and so had the other wolves. Tyler thought she was a great alpha. She was strong, and beautiful, and a great fighter.

Jules was teaching him how to be a werewolf. Her first lesson had been about vampires, and how they were all bad, no exceptions. All vampires did was kill and eat people. Werewolves were so much more evolved. They didn't senselessly slaughter people… unless it was the full moon. That was why they needed to break the curse of the sun and the moon. Once they were no longer slaves to the moon they would stop killing humans accidently. With their full mental facilities all month long, the werewolves could rule the magical communities.

To break the curse they needed a witch, the moonstone, and the doppelganger. The last two items were back at Mystic Falls, but they still needed a witch to perform the ritual for them. They couldn't find a witch in Florida; all the covens there were followers of the great witch Hera, who was a known friend of vampires. So Tyler, Jules, and the pack were headed to Mississippi.

They were traveling in run-down trailers, which Tyler wasn't a fan of. He had grown up in a mansion. He had always had a lot of space, new things, and servants who did things for him. Now he was expected to help the Florida wolves set up their trailers' septic tanks. It was gross, and below him. But Jules told him he had to at least act like he was one of the mangy Florida wolves. Jules promised him that once they had broken the curse, she and Tyler would go around the country and form their own pact. This new pack would be full of young, clean, rich people. They would form a community somewhere in the mountains of Colorado or the deserts of New Mexico. Either way they would find a place that was theirs, and Tyler's trust fund would finance the entire thing. Jules had kissed Tyler as a reward when he offered his money for their utopian dream.

Tyler was sleeping with Jules. At first he found it weird, since Jules and Brady had been a thing, and he thought that maybe Jules had been having sex with Mason too. But Jules convinced him that it was okay, since both Brady and Mason were dead, and they wouldn't care.

Tyler had made out with Kelly Donovan, once. That had been a strange experience. Matt's mom was hot, for a mom, and it had just been a kiss. Sleeping with Jules had the same feeling as kissing a woman twice his age; but the wrongness was magnified tenfold. Jules liked it rough. Too rough. She practically mauled him whenever they slept together. She couldn't come unless he had drawn blood from her and she had drawn blood from him. His back was constantly shredded by her nails. She enjoyed forcibly pinning him down and raking her nails down his chest. Tyler wasn't super thrilled with their sex life. He liked sex rough, yes, but not to the point that blood was constantly drawn! But Jules said that was how adult werewolves had sex, and if he didn't like it, he could leave and she would form a new pack on her own.

He had become frantic after she had said that, and begged on his knees until she had forgiven him for being childish.

That night had been the bloodiest night of sex to date.

They finally reached Mississippi. The Florida pack mechanically set up the trailers at the KOA while Tyler and Jules went to visit the witch.

The witch lived in a run-down farm house in the middle of nowhere. The witch was almost as run-down as her house. She was older than Tyler's mom, and had long, stringy blond hair and many, many wrinkles. She had two witch children, a boy and a girl that were both older than Tyler by at least ten years. The three of them looked like the definition of white trash, but Tyler kept his mouth shut. He was still in trouble for wrinkling his nose at the Florida pack.

"Well, Ah'd rather help you than those damned vamps," the mother witch, Bethel, said. She spoke with a deep southern drawl that Tyler could hardly understand. The woman's kids sat obediently in their chairs, looking scared at the conversation.

"Thank you," Jules looked relieved. "We do need your help with something else before the ritual."

"And what would that be?"

"An Original has the moonstone," Jules said. "We need it. But to would be a suicide mission to try to get it from him, he carries it in his pocket. No, we need to get something more precious to him as leverage."

Bethel the witch scoffed. "Those things don't have souls. What could it possibly value more than the moonstone?"

"Elijah has a mate," Tyler said. Elena had texted him after he had left with Jules and explained what was currently happening in Mystic Falls. She had told him that Elijah had a mate, and that this mate was brainwashing Jenna and Caroline into believing the Originals didn't mean any harm! Elena was scared and angry over her situation, and so was Tyler. Jules had told Tyler that all they needed from Elena was a vial or two of blood for the ritual to work. That contradicted what Stefan Salvatore had told him, but vampires were liars, so he believed Jules. He was sure that Elena would agree to help them. "This mate is a human girl. She shouldn't be too hard to kidnap. We would just need to take out her bodyguards."

"That won't be too hard," Bethel said confidently. "My kids can get the girl, no problem."

"Good," Jules shook the witch's hand.

Later that night the Florida wolves and Jules were all huddled around a campfire. Tyler wanted a moment to himself, so he went for a walk.

"Hiya, Tyler."

Tyler turned to see Sally, one of the Florida wolves. Sally was the youngest of the dozen at only fifteen years old. She was shockingly pale with a vibrant head of red hair. She was a tall, slim thing that looked like she hardly weighed one hundred pounds. She was also the fastest of the wolves.

"Hey, Sally."

"Is it true? Are we really going to use a human as leverage to force the Original to give over the moonstone?" Sally asked, doubt and judgement clear in her tone.

Tyler bristled. "Yeah. We're doing what we need to do to survive as a species. Don't you get that?"

"We was livin' just fine before you and Jules rolled up," Sally accused.

Tyler scoffed. "You were living in a swamp! Your alpha had abandoned you. We were doing you a favor by inviting you to come with us."

Sally crossed her arms. "Mike would never abandon us. And even if he did, don't ya think it's a lil' suspicious that the same day he 'disappeared' your Jules announces that she wants to lead our pack?"

"Are you accusing Jules of killing your pack leader?!" Tyler was pissed now. " She would never do that! She is a good person!"

"If she's such a good person then why do ya always smell of blood?" Sally challenged.

Tyler went red. His back throbbed at the reminder. "That's private. And anyway, do you really want to continue to change every full moon? Wouldn't you rather not have to change at all? That's what me and Jules are trying to give you!"

"I've been turning with each full moon since I was twelve," Sally didn't look swayed. "I can handle the pain, pretty boy."

"Then why did you come?!" Tyler exploded.

"Ah go where my pack goes," she shrugged. "Ah just want ya to think long and hard about what Jules' end goal is. 'Cause she is willing to do anything to get her way."

"As all good alphas should," Tyler snarled.

Sally shook her head. "Whateva, Tyler."

She walked away from him, and didn't glance back even once.

Tyler growled and kicked a nearby tree. Sally didn't know what she was talking about! Jules was going to lead them into an era of werewolf supremacy. All the vampires would become eradicated and people like poor Elena would never be abused by them again. Girls like Caroline wouldn't be turned. Everything would be fine once Jules and the werewolves were in charge.

As Tyler rejoined the group, he almost believed his own words.


AN: You guys! ASBOTO reached 200 followers! 200 people found this fic and were like 'yeah, I wanna see how this story ends'. OMG thank you all for favoriting and following and reviewing this story. It means a lot :)

vorgyðja = spring goddess in Icelandic, which we are going to pretend is Old Norse.

(Whit's life update: the kitchen counters haven't come in yet, so there will be no demolition of our old kitchen. This means at least another week floor-less. Yay.)