Hey, guys! First of all, Happy New Year! Let's hope 2021 will treat us better than every year that came before, especially 2020. I hope you are all well! Happy reading!
Now, here are the responses to your wonderful reviews:
-brigitm28: I'm so glad that Klaus/Gwen's relationship is so well-received. Gwen's magic will be important to get her and Kol to start bonding since he's so interested in all types of magic, so look forward to that. Elijah will be like an older brother/mentor to Gwen, but I won't say anymore and spoil things. Yes, I wanted to kind of do a compare & contrast between Gwen and Marcel, since their situations are very similar but different in so many ways, mainly due to their personalities. BUT! I steered clear of doing the whole Kol being there to help raise Gwen and avoid connecting them in a weird uncle/niece kind of thing since he was daggered and whatnot, so he won't view her as such and she won't view him as such. Well, do enjoy this chapter and see if Kol makes an appearance...
-xenocanaan: You are most welcome and THANK YOU for loving it!
-Guest: And here is another update for you to enjoy! I am also glad you found it amazing. I hope I don't disappoint on the dinner party. There were some changes from the canon story, so be on the lookout for those 'cause they are important in the long run. I am so pumped for the Mikaelson Ball and it won't take long, probably two chapters away for that 'cause I want to pace myself and the story because the tv series kind of dove into the ball with no preparation, even if they're Originals. As for the meeting, you'll have to wait and see.
-GhostGypsy: I will not forget about the painting, but I want it to be done in a meaningful moment, so it might take a while. I already have an idea for it, but I ain't spoiling. Not gonna spoil anything, so read on!
-Guest (CJ/OddBall): I am going to try and make that a running joke, 'cause it just stuck to me after writing it down.
-UnknownReaderHasJoined: Yes, her life span will come into question, but I am still debating on what to do there. I have a difficult decision to make and they both have some sort of consequence in regards to Gwen's life span. I need to think about the characters and their personalities to stay true to them, so there is some investigating I need to do to make my decision. Here is the next chapter, so I hope you didn't have to wait for too long.
-Guest: Like I mentioned to UnknownReaderHasJoined above you, I have to think about the characters around Gwen and their personalities in regards to immortality. Why is that, you may ask? 'Cause it'll determine Gwen's fate at the end of my story. I'm still debating, but any thoughts about it would be very helpful. Still, this is an issue I wanted to work with and present as an obstacle for Gwen and Kol, since the Kol in my story is leaning more to the Kol of TVD and he didn't seem like he cared much about being human again. I mean, faeries are immortal, but her being half-fae strips her of that immortality.
Disclaimer: I own nothing from The Vampire Diaries and claim no ownership over anything pertaining to it.
the dinner party
.
.
.
It was yet another morning spent in Mystic Falls, making Gwen wonder how long they were going to keep living in the small town that was crawling with many types of supernatural creatures. She would not be surprised if mermaids and unicorns dropped from the sky.
Taking a sip of the vanilla tea she made for herself after having lunch, Gwen leaned against the doorway of the room where the coffins were. It was so odd for her to see a room occupied by caskets that housed the sleeping bodies of ancient vampires, the siblings of the Original hybrid. These vampires possessed just as much terrifying power as Klaus did. It made her curious to know if their personalities were similar or the opposite of Klaus's. This line of thought had the halfling wondering about the other coffin Damon had taken, which appeared to be particularly important by how urgent Klaus was to get it back. It made her curious to know what or who was inside.
"Good afternoon," a voice greeted Gwen from behind.
Gwen jumped in surprise and glanced over her shoulder to find Elijah smiling at her with a hand inside the pocket of his dress pants. She noticed that he had cut his hair that was combed away from his face, and there was also a healthier look about him, which she attributed to him probably getting his fill of blood to rejuvenate himself. "Hello," she greeted a bit meekly as she turned to face him. While she sensed no danger from him, she still did not know him all too well to completely trust him, even if he was known as the noblest of his siblings. "I see you clean up very fast."
"If I aim to present myself as a gentleman, I have to look the part," he returned with a corner of his lips quirked upward. "So, I would like to reintroduce myself. The last time we met, we were not transparent with one another. I only knew an employee of a bookstore."
Humming in agreement, Gwen nodded. "And I only knew a historian interested in the dark history that many towns along the east coast hide."
"Good memory," Elijah complimented as he looked at Gwen from head to toe. He was still surprised by the fact that this one girl had been raised by his brother. He was waiting to see any maliciousness or ill intent that she could have inherited from Klaus, but there was none. From what he gathered in the small amount of time that he knew her, she appeared to be kind and well-mannered. Just like that day he had bumped into her, she was warm and friendly, completely different from the aura that his brother exhibited. "I would also like to apologize for my appalling behavior last night. It was unacceptable."
Smiling, Gwen extended one hand toward Elijah. "Gwendolyn Moone, but you can call me Gwen," she greeted. "And there's no need for you to apologize. I am well aware that Nik has that effect on people."
"He does." Elijah chuckled as he grabbed Gwen's hand and lifted it to his mouth, placing a chaste kiss on her knuckles that she barely felt. Still, it caused her cheeks to flush. How could she not? He was a very handsome man. "I am Elijah, Niklaus' older brother."
Once Elijah dropped her hand, Gwen felt the tingly sensation beneath her skin slowly disappear. "Nice to meet you, Elijah." She opened and closed her mouth, but she ultimately forced the words out of her mouth. "Did Nik tell you about what truly happened to your mother?"
"He did," Elijah said with a heavy sigh, looking at the ceiling for a moment as he thought about the night before when he sat with Klaus in a living room long after Gwen retired to her room for the night. It was still a shocking revelation that he had yet to process. "You know, since the beginning, I always knew there was something bizarre about his story. I could just tell that he was hiding something from me." He cleared his throat. "And yet, I never really paid it much mind. I always imagined many possible truths but kept them to myself."
"Why?" asked Gwen, genuinely curious.
"I don't know myself, but I am sure it's because he's my younger brother and I care about him," Elijah explained, recalling distant memories of his life with his family as humans before they were murdered by their parents on a night that he thought was one of the few his family was joyful. "I could tell that something weighed heavily on him after we fled to the Old World, but I decided to remain ignorant and only wanted to move forward with what remained of my family. I always thought, 'what did it matter?' It was the past and there was no changing it, so I deemed it best to leave those thoughts behind." He paused when he realized that he voiced his thoughts without realizing it. "After that came mistake after mistake, failing as a brother for not seeking the truth the rest of my siblings deserved to know. Soon enough, I was deep in as many lies as Niklaus to the point that I lived them."
"Yes, you might have failed in some way," said Gwen. "But you only did it to keep your family together when they most needed each other."
"You're too kind." Elijah smiled before he walked around her to step into the room where his siblings were resting inside their respective coffins, running his left hand over the smooth surface of the casket where his youngest brother slept. "Have you met any of my siblings?" he asked Gwen without turning to face her.
"I met Rebekah," Gwen answered, remaining rooted on her spot at the doorway. "She's unique with a temper that can match Nik's."
"Yes, she shares a lot of qualities with Niklaus and Kol. It's not surprising that they have a peculiar kinship due to them being the youngest of our family," said Elijah. "They prefer to conceal it, but they can be quite sensitive. Rebekah is the one who least hides it."
"I'm sorry if I'm overstepping, but I think that you all have a peculiar kinship," Gwen argued good-naturedly. "I mean, Nik carries you all around in coffins. I recently found out he had brothers and a sister."
"Not surprised," Elijah said as he turned to meet her curious gaze. "You seem to be the opposite of my brother, even though he raised you. I can assume he wanted to keep this from you for fear of you possibly abandoning him in some way." He smiled ruefully. "Abandonment is one of his greatest fears."
Gwen hummed as she lifted her cup of tea to her lips, taking a sip. "Why don't you wake them?" she asked as her eyes roamed over the caskets, interested to know why he simply didn't defy Klaus and awakened his family.
"I would do it, but I never underestimate my brother's capabilities of retribution. It would take too long for my siblings to awaken, which gives Klaus enough time to dagger them and myself. I also believe that he isn't above using one dagger on two Originals until he procures the one the Salvatores now have in their possession," Elijah explained. "If I were to be daggered, then there'd be no one advocating for the un-daggering of my entire family."
The young hybrid nodded, understanding where Elijah was coming from. "I tried to talk him into taking the daggers out of all of you, but…"
Chuckling, Elijah said, "Trying to talk Niklaus into doing something he doesn't like is near impossible, but I do have hope that you might accomplish such a feat."
"I doubt it," Gwen scoffed. Her eyebrows furrowed when a thought came to the forefront of her mind. "You mentioned that one of your siblings has been daggered for nine hundred years." At his nod, she continued. "You've never thought about un-daggering them before?"
"As you said before, my family is very peculiar and complex. We've forgotten what it means to be a family," Elijah sighed wistfully. "I am the one who most preaches about the importance of family, but I rarely enforce it." He paused to clear his throat. "I am ashamed to admit that I prioritized other things over my own blood and forgot that I was the older brother of three siblings, not just one. It may be a thousand years too late, but I want my family to heal, especially after learning the truth of my mother's death."
"Do you have any idea what or who might be in that fourth coffin?" Gwen asked him. "I mean, he's so desperate to get it back."
"None whatsoever." Elijah shook his head. "I was wondering if you might know something about it since he declined to share that information with me."
Gwen shrugged her shoulders and asked, "Do you have another secret sibling or extended family or something that he might have put in that coffin?"
A small chuckle escaped Elijah. "Only my surviving siblings and my father were turned into vampires," Elijah explained. "And as far as I'm concerned, I have no surviving secret sibling or extended family."
"Well, what's going to happen to it?" asked Gwen. "It's the only coffin we couldn't get back."
"As for that, I suggested a wonderful idea to my brother," said Elijah, coming to stand in front of Gwen.
"What idea?" the halfling asked, feeling a bit apprehensive about hearing the answer to her question.
"A nice dinner party with the neighbors," Klaus said with a raised voice, announcing his presence as he entered the room. Both Gwen and Elijah turned their attention to the Original hybrid. "A truce of some sort is what you suggested."
"In exchange for our family," Elijah added with finality to his tone of voice.
Gwen rolled her eyes as she scowled at Klaus. "Can't you just un-dagger them now?" she suggested, knowing that her words would simply be brushed off. "Isn't a united front better than a family with daggers in their hearts?"
"Un-daggering the rest of my siblings is not a good idea right now," Klaus told Gwen. "Unlike Elijah, they'll all be an unreasonable sort…"
"With good reason," Gwen interjected.
"As I was saying," Klaus continued as he glanced at Elijah, "Finn would be understandably upset with me and prefer to carve out his own heart before helping me. I can reason with Kol, but he's too unpredictable and would just find a way to ruin everything just to get back at me. And sweet Rebekah would throw a tantrum so deadly, I would be surprised if the whole town survived." He raised his hands in a form of defeat before dropping them to his sides. "And so, I came to an agreement with Elijah in which I wake them as soon as this business with Stefan and the coffin he still has in his possession has been dealt with."
"Okay, so what's the actual plan of getting that coffin back?" asked Gwen.
"That is the plan," Elijah answered the halfling. "We'll make an offer and discuss to come to an arrangement we can all agree with. I hope that the dinner will remain civil," he said as he gave Klaus a pointed look that was met with a smirk, "at least until dessert."
"An honest deal?" Gwen asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow at the two Originals who stared at her with such innocence that she was almost convinced they were perfect gentlemen and not thousand-year-old vampires with a bloody reputation to their names.
"I'm hurt, Lyn," Klaus said with a hand over his chest, feigning being in pain. "I am a man who always keeps his word."
"Oh, I'm not saying you don't and are not capable of keeping your word," Gwen clarified as she held onto her cup of tea that was now empty with both of her hands. "It's just that you also try to find ways not to keep it to the fullest extent."
Klaus had to grin at that. She knew him too well. "Yes, well, my noble brother will be at the dinner to keep me honest," he said, smirking.
"I'll most definitely try, but we both know how well that's worked in the past," Elijah remarked as he glanced at a smirking Klaus before his eyes shifted to Gwen. "Which is why I will find even greater reassurance in tonight's proceedings being more amicable by having the lovely Gwen present with us." This earned him a scowl from Klaus and a confused look from Gwen. "Is there a problem?" he asked, pretending he did not understand the reason for such reactions from his brother and the half-fae.
"Why on earth would I agree to have Gwen in the same room with two vampires who are capable of anything just to hurt me in some way?" Klaus challenged Elijah, not at all liking the suggestion his brother proposed.
Gwen raised an eyebrow at Klaus. "You don't have to agree if I want to do it." She then turned to Elijah. "Although, I am curious to know why you think I should be there. I mean, I can't even lie properly."
"She is pretty useless for these types of things. I don't know where I went wrong," Klaus tried to say with a straight face but failed as a grin began to grow on his lips, chuckling when Gwen playfully swatted at his arm in retaliation. "On a more serious note, why should she attend this dinner party of yours?" he asked his older brother.
"As you know, faeries are quite powerful, even if they're half-breeds. Not only that, but I also find her to be pleasant company," Elijah explained, his eyes settling on Klaus. "I believe that she will be instrumental in keeping you focused and less prone to sanguinary methods. I am not averse to relying on violence to see this night through, but I don't want to have to clean up after you so soon after waking from the death-like slumber that you so kindly forced upon me."
Klaus pursed his lips as he glared at Elijah, annoyed that his older brother was using guilt to manipulate the situation. For Gwen, it was both interesting and amusing to watch from the sidelines as the air became tense.
"And you shouldn't worry about her safety," Elijah added. "She'll be flanked by two Originals. She'll be the safest person in the room."
Klaus glanced at a smiling Gwen and released a heavy sigh. "Not like I have many choices in the matter."
"Okay, but…" Gwen began as she looked between both brothers. "What is the actual plan?"
.
Cloaking.
Pass.
Divination.
Pass.
Locator.
Pass.
Bonnie resisted the urge to groan as she flipped through the pages of her mother's grimoire that she had placed on top of the sealed coffin placed in the middle of the cave that they had yet to unlock. She thought that there could be a clue or something that could help them remove the seal that kept the coffin from opening, but the spells written on the pages had nothing to do with seals. It did not help that her mother wasn't focused on the task at hand, seeming to just disappear into the background.
Wandering around the small cave located beneath Lockwood property, Abby Bennett looked at the symbols on the walls that were visible due to the many candles Bonnie had scattered around the cavern. She frowned as she crossed her arms over her chest, sensing something odd that she realized was emanating from the walls. It was as if there was magic in the very air, powerful magic that she could not say she was familiar with and was much different than the magic a witch used. It felt raw and strong and overwhelming.
"This place feels weird," Abby remarked, hugging herself tighter.
"Yeah," Bonnie said as she glanced at her mother before returning her eyes to the grimoire. "I felt the same the first time I came here. It's the faerie blood on the walls."
Abby frowned and turned to look at Bonnie's back, feeling a shiver go down her spine. "Faerie blood?"
Bonnie glanced at her mother over her shoulder and nodded. "Yeah, it's been here for like a thousand years. Damon could still smell it as if it were still fresh."
"Not surprised," said Abby, looking back at the carved images on the wall. "The blood of a faerie is probably the strongest thing in this world, but it holds many mysteries in terms of what it can do."
This information intrigued Bonnie, so she turned to Abby with an intrigued look. "You know about faeries?"
"Not much." Abby shrugged. "Everything I know about them is because of your Grams."
"What did she know about faeries?" asked Bonnie.
"Not much that we already don't know, but she always repeated one thing about them," Abby said as she turned to face Bonnie. "Witches are the servants of Nature, but Nature is a servant of faeries."
Frowning, Bonnie asked, "What are faeries?"
"I don't know for sure, but I can tell you that faeries are favored by Nature, even more so than us witches," answered Abby.
Bonnie nodded. She would have loved to know more about the fae, but unsealing the coffin was her priority. "Is this the only grimoire you kept?" she asked as she gestured to Abby's grimoire, steering the focus back to the coffin.
Abby gave her daughter a sheepish smile. "It was the only one I needed." She looked back at the pictures on the wall. "So, all of these are made with faerie blood." She looked back at Bonnie. "What are they?"
"Family history," Bonnie said as she leaned her back against the coffin, her eyes now roaming over the carvings on the walls. "About a mother who loved her children so much, she couldn't bear the thought she might lose them, so she turned them into vampires. One of them is Klaus."
"The one you're trying to kill with whatever is in that coffin?" Abby asked and received a nod as an answer. She walked toward the coffin when Bonnie went back to flipping through the pages and stood on the side opposite to her daughter to inspect the tome.
"There's nothing in here that's going to help us," Bonnie explained, growing more frustrated the more pages she went through. "I've seen most of these spells." She paused when she noticed that a page had been torn out, tracing what remained of the ripped sheet of paper. "What was this?"
Abby recognized what Bonnie was referring to immediately since it had been a spell that had been impossible for her to forget, especially what is required to be able to work. "It's the spell I used to seal Mikel in the tomb. I burned it, tried to get it out of my head." A small huff left her. "Didn't work, though." Her eyes landed on a symbol on the page next to a spell, running her fingers over it. "Wait…do you see this?"
Bonnie recognized the spell Abby was looking at. "It's a sealing spell." She raised an eyebrow at her mother. "We're trying to open something, not seal it shut."
"No. Look at the symbol." Abby shook her head as she pointed at something specific about the symbol with an index finger. "Right here." Her finger traced a loop of the picture. "It's a blood knot." She looked up at Bonnie. "It means…to bind it you need two generations. A bloodline. Like, two keys to a safety deposit box."
"So," Bonnie began as she understood why Abby singled out the spell, "unbinding it would reverse the spell. It will be unsealed if we did it together?"
Abby locked eyes with Bonnie. "I think so, but there's only one way to find out."
"Right," Bonnie sighed, not at all sure if her mother was up to the task of performing a spell.
.
Gwen looked at herself in the full-body mirror that was in her walk-in closet, making sure that there was nothing wrong with her outfit as she ran her hands through her dark chocolate brown hair that had lightened with many blonde highlights and fell to the middle of her back in soft waves. She flicked away the side-swept bangs that fell over her left eye. She wore a fit-and-flare sweater dress that was plum-colored. It had a skirt that reached mid-thigh with a crewneck and three-quarter sleeves. She wore a pair of cream slip-on flats that had a slightly pointed toe. And her only accessories were her pearl pendant that hung from a rose gold necklace and the bracelet with a wolf charm that Klaus gifted her years ago, matching them with silver stud earrings.
Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she left her bedroom and walked down the hallway to reach the staircase. She arrived on the first floor and went to the room that Klaus chose for their dinner party. Since there were not going to be many guests and it was more of a business dinner, the Original hybrid opted to set up the dinner in a smaller room in front of a lit fireplace.
"Good evening, Miss Gwen," Elijah greeted the halfling, ceasing his conversation with Klaus near the fireplace. "You look radiant this evening."
"Very lovely," Klaus added, smiling at Gwen.
"Thank you," Gwen said with a nervous chuckle and a pinkish hue on her cheeks as she stepped into the room chosen for the dinner party. Klaus never failed to tell her that she always looked beautiful throughout her life, but that didn't mean that she was used to receiving compliments. This was when her shyness took over and she felt like the most awkward person in the room. "You both look very fine yourselves," she muttered and shook her head. "Handsome, I mean. I don't know what I'm saying anymore."
While Elijah smiled, Klaus chuckled and said, "Always so bashful."
"Shut up," Gwen shot at Klaus with eyes narrowed playfully and her lips quirked up. She looked around the room and found a round table in the middle of it that had already been set with five chairs. She also took notice of three waitresses who looked like mannequins. They stood so rigid at the corners with empty stares and matching outfits that Gwen immediately recognized that they had been compelled. "Are we ready to make a fake truce?" she asked the brothers, clasping her hands together at the front.
Klaus hummed. "We're just waiting for the guests of honor."
"Good." Gwen nodded. "So, just to be clear, the plan is to force them to tell us the coffin's location?"
"Not immediately," said Elijah. "We'll have a nice dinner and converse about possible options first to see if we can resolve this conflict without the use of violence. Should they choose to be difficult, we will resort to Niklaus' methods."
Smirking, Klaus said, "It's always the same. Elijah reels them in with a pleasant reception and polite chitchat, and then I do the dirty work."
"Of course," Gwen sighed.
Just then, the doorbell was heard throughout the house.
"That would be the Salvatores," said Klaus.
Elijah left the room to answer the door. Gwen stepped closer to Klaus as they waited for Elijah to get back. It didn't take long for the Original vampire to return with the two brothers in tow.
"Niklaus, our guests have arrived," Elijah announced, gesturing for the Salvatore brothers to enter the room where their dinner was to be held.
"Damon. Stefan," Klaus greeted the brothers, watching them as they looked around the room with cautious eyes. "Elijah tells me you seek an audience. I must say, it's very bold." He then motioned to the dinner table with an outstretched hand. "Let's proceed to discuss the terms of an agreement like civilized men, shall we?"
"It's better to indulge him," Elijah sighed as he walked past Damon and Stefan to reach the dining table.
"I didn't, uh, come here to eat, Klaus," Stefan said as he walked toward Klaus with Damon close behind him, confident that the Original hybrid wouldn't hurt him. "In fact, I didn't want to come here at all, but I was told I had to," he paused as he glanced at his brother with an irate look before looking back at a grinning Klaus, "'cause you would hear us out."
"Well, we can sit and eat," Klaus suggested as he walked over to a chair where he would have his back to the fireplace and sat down. "Or I can reach down your throats and pull out your insides, but I would prefer not to with Gwen here. I wouldn't want to spoil her appetite." He raised his hands and gestured to the young vampires as he leaned back against his chair. "Of course, the choice is yours, gentlemen."
Gwen watched the Salvatore brothers share a look before they took off their jackets and handed them over to one of the waitresses, who then took the articles of clothing to another room before returning. The halfling walked over to the chair that was to Klaus' right, thanking Elijah when he pulled it back for her and then pushed her in before he took the chair to her right. Damon sat across Elijah, which left Stefan to take the chair that had him seated opposite to Klaus.
As soon as they were all seated and had placed their napkins on their laps, the women around them went to work by bringing out the food and pouring red wine in the glasses. In Gwen's case, she was given a rosé wine. Her mouth practically watered when she was presented with what she recognized as a grilled top sirloin steak and a side of mashed potatoes. She looked around the room and realized that her plate had been specifically done for her since everyone else had vegetables as a side dish. She knew that she had Klaus to thank for this special order since she was not a fan of vegetables as sides.
It did not take long for everyone to dig into their food except for Stefan. The youngest Salvatore simply stared at his food as he wrung his hands together on top of the table, hungering for something different and vital for a vampire. Still, he managed to control his thirst and focused on his hatred for Klaus.
Klaus noticed Stefan was not eating and pointed it out. "You lost your appetite?" He was met with an indifferent shrug.
"Eat," Damon scolded Stefan with a forced smile, feeling rather tempted to kick his brother under the table. "I thought we agreed that we would leave the grumpy Stefan at home," he almost sang.
Stefan stared at Damon for a while, trying to convey his displeasure, but he finally picked up his utensils and began to move around his food when he realized that his brother was set on his plan to humor Klaus. His skin itched and his blood boiled at the thought of having a pleasant conversation with the Original hybrid that ruined his life. His anger was so great that he couldn't even pretend to be polite.
"That's the spirit," Klaus began as he looked around the table. "Isn't this nice? The five of us dining together?"
"I don't know," Gwen said as she took a sip of her wine. "I feel like the fifth wheel."
"It's a treat that you get to enjoy," Klaus told an unimpressed Gwen. "I mean, I think this is what Damon had in mind when he pulled the dagger out of my brother."
"Well, I know how he felt about you," Damon said with a lopsided grin. "I figured the more, the merrier." He playfully winked at Elijah, but the latter merely rolled his eyes.
Klaus nodded. "Well, Elijah and I have had our share of quarrels over the centuries, but we always make it through."
"Yeah, except for a few pieces of furniture," Gwen remarked, eliciting a small chuckle from Elijah.
"Except for Rebekah," Stefan said, his words causing everyone to freeze for a moment. "Where is she, by the way?" He smirked at Klaus after presenting the question in an innocent manner that wasn't so innocent.
"Thin ice, Salvatore," Gwen huffed as she glared at Stefan who met her gaze with a scowl.
"I'm not the one who's afraid to face her," countered Stefan.
Humming, Klaus swallowed a bite of his food and said, "If you're referring to the fact that Rebekah knows I killed our mother…I've already come clean to Elijah."
This surprised Stefan, but he managed to keep his features collected. He had not expected Klaus to reveal such a secret to one of the people who were never supposed to know of the truth.
"Hey, Stef," Damon spoke up with stern eyes, gaining his brother's attention. "Remember when you killed Dad? Might want to dial down the judgment until dessert." He then took a sip of his wine to soothe the headache that was his brother.
"We're here to make a deal, Damon," Stefan retorted, meeting Klaus' taunting smirk with a glare. "That doesn't mean we need to kiss his ass for seven courses."
"I'm just saying we have a long evening ahead of us," Damon said while releasing a deep breath, keeping his frustration with his brother in check. The dinner had to go smoothly and filled with pointless conversations to give Bonnie and her mother more time to figure out how to open the sealed coffin. His deal with Elijah was just another way to buy for more time. "Pace yourself," he told his younger brother, glad to see that some tension left Stefan's shoulders.
"Oh, I really wish I was anywhere else right now," Gwen whispered.
"You and me both, sister," Damon said as he took another sip of his wine.
"Stefan," Elijah began, looking to change the topic of conversation. He placed his fork and knife down after having his fill, putting his elbows on the edge of the table to interlock his fingers in front of his face. "Where is the lovely Elena tonight?"
"I don't know," said Stefan, not wanting to meet anyone's eyes. "Ask Damon."
Klaus chuckled and almost choked on his food, finding it even more hilarious when he saw how confused Elijah was. "You've missed so much in so little time," he said as he swallowed some meat. "Trouble in paradise." He gestured between Stefan and Damon.
"It's not our business," Gwen admonished Klaus.
"Agreed," remarked Damon, looking very tense.
Stefan frowned at Klaus. "One more word about Elena and this dinner is over."
Klaus smirked at the youngest Salvatore as he placed a finger over his lips, silently promising him not to talk about Elena.
"That's a bit dramatic," Gwen told Stefan.
"You know what," said Damon. "Probably best just to keep Elena in the do-not-discuss pile."
"You're probably right," Klaus agreed.
Damon nodded. "Yeah."
"Doesn't mean you're gonna shut up about it," Gwen mumbled as she glanced at Klaus.
"It's just the allure of the Petrova doppelgänger is still so strong," said Klaus.
Gwen sighed as she sipped on her wine. "You never take a hint."
"What do you say, brother?" Klaus turned to Elijah. "Should we tell them about Tatia?"
Gwen perked up at this. "Tatia?"
Elijah gave an awkward laugh as he placed his napkin on the table. "Now why should we discuss matters long since resolved?"
"Well, given their shared affection for both Elena and Katerina, I think our guests might be curious to learn about the originator of the Petrova line," Klaus innocently suggested.
"Well, we're not going anywhere, Elijah." Damon grew interested as he raised his glass, motioning for Elijah to elaborate on Klaus' words. "Please, do tell."
"When our family first settled here, there was a girl named Tatia," Elijah began the story from a thousand years ago, causing everyone to stop what they were doing to pay him rapt attention. "She was an exquisite beauty. Every boy of age desired to be her suitor, even though she'd had a child by another man." He glanced at his brother. "And none loved her more than Niklaus."
"Oh, I'd say there was one who loved her at least as much," Klaus said as he looked back at Elijah, both recalling memories from a lifetime ago.
"She's the girl Rebekah told me about," Gwen spoke up, her eyes going from Klaus to Elijah. "The one you were both in love with?"
"Yes, Tatia was the reason why Niklaus and I grew estranged for a time. She couldn't decide between the two of us, probably fearing losing one by choosing the other," Elijah said, feeling a bit uncomfortable talking about one of the things that had deeply hurt him and his brother. "Our mother was a very powerful witch and sought to end our feud over Tatia by using her in the spell that turned us into vampires."
"Tatia was the human sacrifice your mother used in her spell," Gwen stated, remembering Rebekah's story about how they were turned into the first vampires.
"Yes," Elijah said with a faraway look. "Our mother was tired of seeing her children trade hateful words and harsh blows, so she made the choice for all of us."
"But in the end, we realized the sacred bond of family," said Klaus.
"Family above all," Elijah said as he raised his glass of wine to his brother.
Klaus raised his glass and clinked it with Elijah's. "Family above all."
Gwen could not help but smile at the bond between the brothers. She could tell that they were close, even if they had both caused each other a lot of harm. She imagined that all families were complicated like that, especially an old vampire family. Still, she could see that they cared about one another.
Not long after everyone had placed their utensils down, the waitresses began to clear the table, leaving behind the glasses that they refilled.
Gwen noticed that Damon had turned his attention to his lap, probably to handle his phone away from prying eyes.
"So, why don't we move this evening along and discuss the terms of this proposal?" Elijah proposed, leaning back against his seat like everyone else.
Locking his phone after reading Bonnie's message, Damon looked up to cast a quick look around the table. "It's very simple," he said as he looked at Elijah. "Klaus gets his coffin back. In exchange, he and the Original extended family leave Mystic Falls forever. Me, Stefan, and Elena live happily ever after." He raised his glass at Klaus. "No grudges." And then he took a sip of what remained of his wine.
"How does a threesome work with two brothers involved?" Gwen couldn't help but tease, earning herself a glare from both Damon and Stefan, but both Klaus and Elijah tried and failed to hide a small laugh. She raised her hands in surrender. "I was just curious."
"Deal sounds fair, brother," said Elijah.
"While I don't need any more hybrids right now with Mikael dead, I would very much like the option to be available," Klaus said with pursed lips. He picked up his glass as he stood up to stand behind his seat. "I have a theory that the Petrova doppelgänger has probably served its purpose in regards to my curse, but Elena Gilbert is the most recent human doppelgänger who can provide the blood that I need to make more hybrids. I could drain her dry now before she dies or is turned into a vampire because of the feuding between you two," he paused to gesture to Stefan and Damon with his glass, "but Elijah will probably throw a tantrum about it. I could also settle for a decent amount of her blood to be given to me now and work out the details for future donations later." He drank a bit of his wine. "Decisions, decisions," he sighed.
Damon gave a weak smile before briefly locking eyes with Elijah. "I'm going to get some air." He stood up and left the room.
"I'll deal with him," Elijah assured Klaus as he followed Damon.
"And then there were three," Gwen mumbled into her drink.
Klaus hummed and turned to address the girls he had compelled who stood near the fireplace with their arms behind their backs. "Why don't you all wait for me in the living room," he told them with a dimpled grin, having already compelled them to do everything he asked of them. "I might work up an appetite later tonight." He'd leave the after-dinner drink for later, preferably when Gwen was tucked in bed and none the wiser about what he planned to do to the three girls.
"Seriously?" Gwen huffed as she watched the waitresses leave the room.
"Well," Stefan began as he stood from his seat to walk around the table and stand in front of Klaus by the fireplace, "I guess the only reason you agreed to this evening, Klaus, is to drive a wedge between me and my brother."
"I think that's what you and your brother had planned for me and my brother, but it's backfired spectacularly," countered Klaus. "I know how this story will end for you, my friend. Because of your recent actions against me and your quest for revenge, you're going to lose both Elena and your brother."
Stefan could only stare at Klaus as he processed the Original hybrid's words and the truth in them. The young vampire couldn't ignore that his actions were slowly pushing Elena even more into his brother's arms. He was causing the harm and Damon was providing comfort.
"And in the end," Klaus sighed, "you'll only have yourself to blame."
Damon returned with Elijah a step behind him. "All right, Klaus," he began as he came to stand beside Stefan. "We made our offer, now you counter. What do you offer?"
"Can't we all just stop and think for a second?" Gwen said as she looked at Stefan and stood up to stand beside Klaus, leaving behind her glass. "I get that you turned off your humanity, but you should find it in your heart to care about what happens to your brother and your friends. You don't have to be stupid about this."
"What are you getting at?" asked an irritated Stefan.
"What I mean is that you don't have to see Nik ever again for the rest of your immortal life if you just give him the coffin and some of Elena's blood. Your brother, Elena, and your friends would be safe," Gwen argued, getting annoyed with how difficult the Salvatores were being. She understood that no one would want to live under someone else's thumb, but this was Klaus they were dealing with. He wasn't someone to be made an enemy of. "We agree to leave town and never return. In exchange, you return the coffin and talk to Elena about giving some of her blood now and then."
"What Miss Gwen proposes is reasonable, brother," Elijah said as he stood next to Gwen
"I can't rely on them to protect the doppelgänger. They could very well turn her as soon as they walk out of this house," Klaus tried to argue but Gwen shushed him.
"What do you want more, the coffin or your hybrids?" Gwen asked Klaus. "You said it yourself, Mikael's dead." She shivered at the memory of the infamous vampire hunter, feeling the sealed wound on her back slightly throb as her body remembered the cool and smooth surface of the knife Mikael had used to stab her. She shook her head and focused on Klaus. "What more is there for you to fear that can kill you?"
Klaus huffed as he looked at the dancing flames in the fireplace. "I'll need a guarantee that Elena will remain human, at least until I can be sure if she is the only one who can make it possible for me to make hybrids or if there will be another doppelgänger among the descendants of the Petrova line." He turned to Stefan and Damon. "After I get my answer, we'll work from there."
"What do you say, gentlemen?" Elijah asked the younger vampire brothers.
"Do we have a deal?" Klaus asked as he stepped forward and held his hand out for either of the Salvatore brothers to take.
Damon frowned when he saw Stefan approached Klaus, asking, "What are you doing?"
Stefan grabbed Klaus's hand with a grin that matched the immortal hybrid's smirk. "Nice try, Klaus," said the youngest Salvatore, watching how Klaus' lips turned downward. "But no deal."
Gwen yelped in surprise when she saw Klaus turn Stefan around before breaking the younger vampire's arm. He proceeded to kick Stefan's leg, snapping it as well to have the blonde Salvatore fall to his knees with a guttural yell full of pain. While Klaus used his right hand to keep Stefan's broken arm behind his back, he pushed Stefan's left hand into the fireplace and watched it burn.
Damon attempted to rush at Klaus, but he was intercepted and pushed against a wall by Elijah. "What are you doing?" he hissed at the Original vampire, grasping the older vampire's arm in a futile attempt to pull it off his neck. Damon's eyes went to his screaming brother. "Stop!"
"Nik!" Gwen gasped as she stepped back, grimacing when she saw the skin of Stefan's scorching hand begin to melt. The scent of burning flesh almost made her gag.
"I've been rather patient tonight, but no more. Bring me my coffin before I burn him alive," Klaus threatened Damon. Noticing how the raven-haired vampire was hesitating, the Original hybrid rolled his eyes. "You do see me holding your brother over the fire."
"I'll get it," Damon said, fuming as he pushed Elijah's hand off him when it became lax. He slammed his shoulder against the Original vampire's shoulder on his way out of the room.
"Go with him, brother. You keep him honest," Klaus told the skeptical Elijah. "When you return, I will make good on my promise to you and I will hand over our family." He grunted as he fought to keep Stefan in place with his arm still inside the fireplace.
Elijah stayed still for a moment as he tried to discern if his brother's promise was an honest one, but that didn't matter anymore. "Come with me, Miss Gwen," he called the young hybrid. "This is not something you need to witness."
Gwen glanced at Klaus and saw him nod at her, so she walked over to Elijah with shaky steps, forcing herself not to stare at Stefan and his arm. With a hand on her lower back, Elijah led her out of the room and into the hallway.
"I think you should retire for the night," Elijah told Gwen as he led her to the foyer. "Things should be resolved come morning."
"Are you sure?" she asked the Original vampire. "I mean, what's going to happen after Damon brings the coffin?"
"You let me worry about that," Elijah said with a small smile, so she nodded and turned to walk up the staircase to head for her bedroom. He waited until she was on the second floor before going to meet Damon as they agreed.
Gwen sighed as she walked into her room and closed the door behind her, feeling like the night had dragged on for too long. It didn't help that she felt like there was something wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on what exactly. She never liked how she always had these bad feelings, since she always got them for a reason.
Opting to worry about that later, she shook her head and began to change out of her clothes, deciding to go back downstairs in a bit to make sure that everything was all right. She placed her shoes in her closet and hung up her dress among the many other clothes Klaus had procured for her, adding to the clothes she had packed when they left Chicago. She walked out of her closet and went to her dresser in nothing but her underwear. She picked out a beige Henley that had long sleeves with ribbed cuffs and was made from a material that made it both lightweight and soft. She matched the top with maroon leggings. The half-fae walked over to her vanity and placed her earrings on it before she used a ban to secure her hair on top of her head in a messy bun.
Stepping into her bathroom, Gwen began to take her makeup off before beginning the nightly routine that usually took her around half an hour to complete. She cleaned, scrubbed, and washed her face before she dried it and applied her night cream. This was something she did three times during the week before going to bed. It never failed to make her feel refreshed.
Once she was done and there was nothing left for her to do, Gwen walked to her closet once more and put on a pair of pale pink flip-flops before going over to her door and stepping back out into the hallway. She paused at her doorway and listened for any odd sounds, even though she lacked the enhanced senses that some supernatural beings had. When she heard nothing out of the ordinary, she began to make her way downstairs. She tried to focus on finding Klaus' presence but frowned when she felt that there were six distinct auras in the house, all similar to one another. They were all so strong and overwhelming that she couldn't pinpoint which one was Klaus.
Gwen headed for the living room and found that the fireplace had a raging fire in it, but there was no one in sight. She was about to call out to Klaus as she turned to leave the room but gasped when she came face-to-face with a handsome young man with brown hair and dark brown eyes who appeared to be in his late teens. He was dressed in clothes that she thought were quite dated. There was something about his face that reminded her of Elijah. And she could tell that he was a vampire, an incredibly old one.
"This is a pleasant surprise. I haven't seen a faerie in quite a while," the vampire said with a smooth voice. "You'll make a very appetizing late-night snack."
Gwen froze as his words registered in her mind, but she was too slow to react and found herself pinned against the wall beside the fireplace. Her mouth opened to scream but nothing came out as her hazel-green eyes locked with dark brown ones. An electrifying jolt shot through her body and paralyzed her. She felt like her heart was about to burst for some reason that she couldn't comprehend. It was as if she was breathing for the first time in her life. There was also a warmth within her chest that made her feel whole.
The pressure around her neck tightened and tore Gwen from her mind, bringing her back to reality. She saw how the whites of the vampire's eyes became crimson with dark veins protruding beneath them. She shrieked when he opened his mouth and was about to plunge his elongated fangs into her neck, but he paused and stared at her for a few seconds before he was thrown off her. He crashed onto a coffee table and groaned from the impact.
The halfling now found herself staring at a familiar head of blonde curls. "Rebekah," Gwen gasped in surprise as she stared at the blonde who still wore the red dress she had been daggered in with a bloody stain on her front and her back.
"Fangs off, Kol," Rebekah said as she glared at her older brother with her arms akimbo. "She's off-limits."
Kol chuckled from where he was lying on his back with the remains of the broken coffee table beneath him. He looked up at his sister and climbed to his feet. "I didn't know she had already been claimed, sister," he said just as Klaus and Elijah appeared in the room.
"What's going on?" Klaus almost growled when he saw a rattled Gwen standing behind Rebekah.
"Nothing," said Rebekah. "I was merely educating our darling brother on how to treat a lady."
"'Brother'?" Gwen asked with furrowed brows as she stood beside Rebekah, her eyes going between Kol, Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah, but they finally settled on the only female Original vampire. "Wait." She looked at the blonde beside her and smiled. "You're awake!"
"No thanks to a certain someone," Rebekah said and gave Klaus a pointed look before smiling at Gwen. "I missed you so, Weny."
Gwen's smile slowly fell as her eyes narrowed on Rebekah. "You drugged me!"
Before any other words could leave Gwen's mouth, she froze when she saw a tall, slim, and beautiful woman enter the room. She possessed long, natural blonde hair and hazel eyes. Her arrival had everyone looking at her.
"Mother," Klaus greeted the blonde woman.
End of chapter!
I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of 2021! Finally, Gwen meets Kol for the first time, even though it's not the best meeting, but I wanted to make a callback to the original story and how they first met in that one. Of course, there were a few differences and major changes, but still similar. Another callback is Elijah's "Miss Gwen", but it won't be as constant. I found it a bit annoying as I went back to read the original again and having him refer to her only as "Miss Gwen", but it'll still make appearances every now and then.
Remember to Fave, Follow, and Review! I want to know what you loved or what you hated. Your opinions matter and they somehow have a hand in shaping future chapters, so do not be afraid. Also, ask any questions or doubts...I'll try to answer to the best of my ability, 'cause I can't spoil anything to you guys.
See you guys in the next chapter!