Hello, all! I hope you are all doing good and having a blast at Halloween, but remember to be careful and get lots of candies and whatnot! A trimester is gone, so that means a bit of time to focus on the story with some time to post another chapter sooner, so bear with me. I am excited to share that I am writing exciting parts and have been coming up with a few other ideas for when we move out of Mystic Falls. I announce that I plan to have The Originals focus a lot more on, well, the Originals.
And to respond to your amazing reviews:
-UnknownReaderHasJoined: Trust me, the father-daughter moments are always going to be present as we navigate through their issues and how Gwen is growing out of the safety bubble he made for her.
-xenocanaan: And here is more for you to read! I hope you enjoy and I love to see how you never fail to leave a comment! Love you lots!
-brigitm28: Yes, I look to expand on such traits about the Originals. Klaus having good taste in fashion is something I can never get over. So, it's not insignificant! It was difficult to write Rebekah apologizing (like TRULY apologizing), so I worked hard for it. The Originals are complex characters to write, but Rebekah is a bit easier due to how she is a bit more in touch with her humanity. Yes, Gwen ships them and it's fun to write her rooting for them, even though it's not yet a sure thing 'cause Klaus and June have a bit of a bumpy relationship, but I want to work on having their relationship blossom into a sort of companionship/friendship before I can think of developing it further. And yes, this time around, I want to cement each relationship first before adding any romance. In my previous story, I focused too much on romance and less on build-up.
-GhostGypsy: Oh, yes, the Kol/Gwen relationship is gonna be quite a thing that'll affect everyone in different ways, but that is for later. Klaus' reaction is going to be intense and a lot, for obvious reasons. Gwen's magic is a key ingredient in a lot of things and I am building it up with having a lot of properties, which is the reason why witches are willing to do just about anything to get it. I mean, there's a reason why faeries are extinct. A working detail I'm going to share, faerie deaths go as follows in terms of cause: 56%-Witches, 40%-Vampires, and 4%-Other Causes.
Disclaimer: I own nothing from The Vampire Diaries and claim no ownership over anything pertaining to it.
after midnight
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Juniper looked around at the many flowers of the mansion's garden that was in the backyard, noticing how colorful and different they all were. The witch wasn't a girl interested in flowers and disliked having them due to the care they required and how fleeting they were, but she enjoyed looking at them. As her eyes roamed over the garden, she wondered about the kind of care every one of them needed. While she didn't know much about flowers, she was aware that different flowers required different care. It was funny to imagine Klaus gardening with a hat and tools, but she knew that a few compelled gardeners were the ones who deserved all the credit for maintaining the landscape.
A sigh to Juniper's left brought her out of her thoughts and who she was with. She walked with Elijah on a cobblestone path, arm wrapped around his elbow to maintain her balance. She had to admit that she preferred being out in the garden over the dancing and endless chatter. While she had enjoyed herself, she had no problem saying that she was not meant to waltz. She felt as stiff as a board being carried around and twirled with no coordination, even with Klaus' expert help. She was very grateful to Elijah for pulling her away from the torturous dance to finally breathe and allow her legs to move like they were meant to.
"So," Juniper began as she enjoyed the night's cool breeze caressing her skin, "I would hate to think that you brought me out here to kill me."
Elijah chuckled. "No," he told her. "I am not so monstrous that I would ruin the dress of such an exquisite beauty."
"Such flattery," Juniper hummed. "Let me guess, you wanted to get away from the many prying ears in attendance."
After clearing his throat, Elijah decided to be honest. "I will not bore you with idle pleasantries." He led them a bit further away from the back entrance of the mansion and stepped on a path that would lead them to the front of the house. "I have quite the worrisome predicament that I hope you might help me with. I believe Niklaus' paranoia may be rubbing off on me."
"It's about your mother," Juniper guessed, which surprised Elijah.
"How did you know?" he asked with furrowed eyebrows, truly curious about her thoughts.
The witch took a deep breath as she tried to organize her mind to be able to explain her perspective. "I think Gwen's ability to sense when something seems off has started to rub off on me, but what I find most weird is how simple things currently are with your family." She glanced up at Elijah and found his eyes on her, so she continued. "I mean, I find it hard to believe that your mother is completely okay with her child murdering her with not much to say about it. No silent treatment, no banishment, no poisonous words, no nothing." She paused as she looked back at the mansion. "Not only that, but she also organized a ball to celebrate what, exactly?" At this question, Elijah frowned as he thought it over. "Your dysfunctional reunion?" She huffed. "No offense."
"You are merely stating facts," said Elijah.
"Have you mentioned this to your brothers and sister?" she asked.
"I don't want to alarm them," he stated a corner of his lips twitched upward. "We suffer from endless paranoia and unpredictable recklessness, which is not the best combination."
"I can tell," Juniper chuckled.
Elijah exhaled through his nose as they came to a stop near a carriage with a pair of horses tied to it. "Yes," he said. "Also, I find it quite peculiar that Elena Gilbert is here, as well as the Salvatore brothers. Even if the invitation was extended, I would imagine that they would avoid further contact with the family that has brought them nothing but misery."
Juniper hummed. "That's true."
"I also found out that my mother was the one who extended such an invitation to Elena and wants to meet with her," Elijah added, which had Juniper frowning.
"That makes no sense," Juniper huffed, but then a thought came to her. "Unless this is related to witch business." She felt a headache coming on, so she rubbed her temples with her fingers. "I need more information to kickstart my brain. Do you perhaps have an idea as to why your mother wants to meet with Elena?" she asked as she looked up at Elijah.
"I tried asking, but she only said that she wanted to apologize for the trouble she caused Elena and her loved ones, but…" he paused, not wanting to feel in such a way toward his mother.
Juniper sighed as she saw the internal conflict brewing within Elijah's eyes. She could tell that he didn't want to be going behind his family's back, but she understood that he was doing this to protect the ones he loved. "I know it's difficult, but you know your mother best," she began. "If you feel that something's off that threatens you or any of your siblings, then it's not wrong to figure out what it is."
"I can try asking her again," Elijah suggested.
"She won't tell you and she's smart enough to create the privacy she needs to talk with Elena," Juniper supplied, her mind already picking out the various ways Esther could shield herself and the Petrova doppelgänger from unwanted ears listening in on their conversation.
Elijah hummed as he stuffed a hand in his pocket. "I could ask Elena to tell me what they spoke about."
Juniper scoffed. "Can you trust her to tell you?"
"Not really," Elijah stated. He liked to think that Elena was different than her ancestors and previous doppelgängers, but he couldn't take that chance. He wanted to believe that she was true and honest, but he was aware that she treasured her friends and family above all else. If given the opportunity to protect them at the expense of his own life and that of his family, she would. "But I can at least confirm if Mother is up to something."
This caught Juniper's attention. "How?"
Elijah gave her a lopsided smirk. "Vampires are walking lie detectors. With trained senses, you can pick up if someone's lying or being truthful." He smirked. "Although, for some reason, Rebekah is a lot better at it."
"Right." Juniper nodded. "What if she's lying?"
"That is where you come in," Elijah replied. "Should there be a hidden agenda, can I count on you to figure out what my mother is up to?" he asked. "I would have avoided putting you in such a position, but witchcraft is not my area of expertise and I doubt Kol will be doing me any favors any time soon due to my involvement in his daggering."
Juniper nodded. "Of course," she told him. "I may not like Klaus, but he's important to Gwen and so is Rebekah, whom I also happen to like."
"That is good to hear," said Elijah.
"I'll help you however I can, especially since it's your mother we're dealing with here. No matter how strong a vampire is, a witch's true adversary is another witch," said Juniper. "So, any information you can get from Elena will be plenty useful."
"Thank you," he exhaled and gestured for her to walk ahead of him to return to the mansion, but she shook her head.
"I want to get a bit more of fresh air," she said as she glanced at the horses. "I have some excellent company right here."
"Very well," Elijah said with a nod before making his way inside the manor.
Now that she was alone, Juniper took in a deep breath that she exhaled heavily as she tried to collect herself. While she was in unknown territory with many potential enemies around her, she had to admit that it was quite a thrill. She felt like she was a part of something that allowed her to depend on others and have others depend on her. It was the opposite of what she was used to after spending so much time on her own, but now she yearned for it. She liked belonging somewhere, even if she was still a bit of an outsider with a whole set of flaws.
Many would question why she was siding with such people. Yes, she had a few issues with Klaus, but they were born from his paranoic protectiveness of Gwen that annoyed her to no end but were almost nonexistent now. She enjoyed herself when she was around him, not that she would ever tell him that. Rebekah was another friend she could slowly build a relationship with, and their attitudes were quite compatible. There was also Elijah. While he was not exactly her friend, she felt comfortable around him. The three siblings were rough around the edges, but there was something unique about each of them that made her somewhat envious of them.
The blue-eyed witch wouldn't have met such curious people if it weren't for Gwen, whom she loved like a sister. She wouldn't trade what she had now for anything in the world, so she would help protect it.
"There's Cinderella," a familiar accented voice said from behind her.
Juniper looked over her shoulder and saw Klaus approaching her. "Are you saying I'm as beautiful as a princess?"
Klaus rolled his eyes with a grin on his lips as he stood beside her, offering her a silver shawl he took from the closet where many other similar garments and coats were that belonged to the guests. He had seen her outside with Elijah and thought to join them, thinking to bring her something to ward off the chilly breeze of the night, uncaring that the article of clothing belonged to someone. "So, what did you talk with my brother?" he asked, merely curious. "He seemed quite anxious."
"Well, you can say that he was my Prince Charming for having been gracious enough to pull me away from that ridiculous dance," she said as she wrapped the shawl over her shoulders, focused on avoiding the topic of her conversation with Elijah. The last thing she wanted was for Klaus to cause a scene. "I much prefer their company," she added as she nodded at the beautiful animals.
Klaus hummed as he looked at the horses, ignoring the odd feeling of hearing her claim Elijah as her savior. "You like horses?"
"They are beautiful," Juniper stated.
As if his tongue had a mind of its own, Klaus said, "You know, horses are the opposite of people. They're loyal."
Juniper smiled at this, opting to ignore their previous spat and take his olive branch. "Is it safe to assume that horses are your favorite animal?"
"They are," Klaus chuckled as an unpleasant memory resurfaced to the forefront of his mind. "My father hunted me for a thousand years and the closest he ever came was the day he killed my favorite horse." He made a gesture with his hand as if it were chopping something in midair. "He severed its neck with a sword as a warning."
"Your father's an even bigger ass than I thought," said Juniper. "Who kills an innocent animal?"
"He was a cruel man," Klaus supplied.
There was a bit of silence, but Juniper broke it before it got awkward. "To answer your question, I do like horses, but my favorite animal is the dolphin."
"Suits you," Klaus remarked.
"You're being nice tonight," said Juniper, raising an eyebrow at the Original hybrid. "Why the change?"
"Might as well make the best out of our situation, if you're going to be around more often," was Klaus' response.
"Wow," Juniper hummed. "He's actually mature."
"And we're done," Klaus said before marching back to the mansion with Juniper giggling as she followed him.
"No, wait." She tried catching up to him as she giggled, but it was a bit difficult in high heels. "It's my defense mechanism. I can't control it." And she wasn't lying.
.
As Elena walked down a hallway to meet with Esther, her mind went back to what happened a few minutes ago with Stefan and Damon. She hated herself for having Stefan incapacitate Damon in such a way, but he was breathing down her neck and being unreasonably stubborn, so that left her with few options. She had expected him to be just as curious as she was regarding the note Esther had written to her on the invitation she received, but she was wrong to think that he would be like Stefan in the sense that they could work together and figure things out. She truly cared about Damon—sometimes it frightened her how much—but he was too…she couldn't even find the correct word to describe him.
Elena shook her head and made herself focus on the task at hand, hoping her meeting with Esther was something good for her and her friends. If there was a chance that she could find a way to free herself and her loved ones from the Originals, she was prepared to take any risk.
"Elena," someone called from behind her.
The Petrova doppelgänger turned a bit as she continued walking to find Elijah reaching her side. "Elijah," she greeted. "Is something wrong?"
"I understand my mother requested to see you," Elijah began.
"Uh, yeah," Elena confirmed this with a nod of her head. "Why do you ask?"
Elijah cleared his throat. "Well, her ability to forgive my brother after everything he's done to destroy this family strikes me as a little strange, to say the least," he answered truthfully. He still wanted to believe that he could depend on Elena's help, but Juniper's skepticism reminded him that he shouldn't.
"Do you think that it's an act?" Elena asked him.
Elijah stopped in his tracks as he stood in front of Elena. "It has me asking questions I never thought I'd ask." He locked eyes with the brunette. "Can I depend on you to tell me what she says?"
"Of course," she immediately answered, finding no reason not to help him since he had also helped her in the past. "I'll find you later, okay?"
After leaving Elijah, Elena headed for Esther's study, following the directions Finn had given her earlier. Once she stood in front of the door, she took a moment to collect herself before lifting a gloved hand to knock. A few seconds passed before the door opened to reveal Finn, who gestured for her to step into the room as he stepped aside to allow her entry. Her eyes landed on Esther and found herself feeling quite small under the scrutinizing and intense gaze of such an elegant woman. The doppelgänger could feel the power that emanated from the Original witch. It was almost suffocating. It didn't surprise her how much she was reminded of Klaus and the other Originals.
"You're alone," Finn pointed out as he stared down at Elena. "Wise choice."
Elena nodded at Finn and walked further into the room, scanning the space. The lit candles didn't worry her, but they helped bring to her attention the dagger on a round table in a corner of the room. She returned her gaze to Esther and maintained a decent amount of distance from the matriarch of the Original family. Then, her brown eyes fell on the item in the witch's hand that appeared to be burning.
"It's only sage. I've spelled it so we can speak freely without fear of being overheard," Esther explained before she looked at her eldest son. "That'll be all Finn, thank you." She waited until Finn left the room and closed the door behind him before her attention returned to Elena. "You must have a million questions for me, Elena." She gestured to the sofa in the room, inviting her guest to sit. "Please."
Elena steeled herself as she gulped and walked to the sofa, sitting down next to Esther as the witch placed the burning sage on the coffee table in front of her. "How are you alive?" the doppelgänger asked Esther, keeping her hands on her lap. "Are you a ghost or…?"
"Not exactly," Esther answered. "When I died, the witch Ayana preserved my body with a spell and the help of the faerie Linah." Memories of good times spent creating and investigating spells surfaced. Such memories made had a smile appearing on her lips, but she shook her head and kept herself from looking back at the past. "They were close friends of mine. Ayana is an ancestor of your friend Bonnie, and Linah is an ancestor of the half-fae you know as Gwen Moone."
"Is that why only Bonnie and her mother could open up the casket in a cave that had faerie blood on the walls?" Elena asked.
"Yes." Esther nodded. "While Ayana made a spell to protect my body from any damage in a sealed casket, it was Linah's blood that kept my body as it was when I died. Faerie blood is quite powerful if you know how to use it." She then went on to elaborate on how she freed herself. "Bonnie and her mother complete the Bennett bloodline. I drew power from them and their ancestors who were with me on the Other Side."
"Wait," Elena began, "so, the blood on the cave walls is Linah's?"
Esther's gaze became downcast. "Yes," she whispered as she stared down at her hands. "Now, her life and magic are a part of myself. I can feel her presence under my skin, keeping me alive."
Elena's eyebrows rose at this. "And you've been on the Other Side for a thousand years?"
"Nature's way of punishing me for turning my family into vampires," Esther sighed, preferring not to recall her time suffering for every crime her children committed throughout the centuries. While she had turned them into beasts to protect them from so much more than the werewolves they lived in fear of, seeing them spill innocent blood opened her eyes to the monsters she created. "But there is a way for me to undo the evil I created," she added.
Elena's eyes widened in realization. "You're gonna help us kill Klaus, aren't you?"
"One thing at a time, Elena," said Esther, glad that the Petrova doppelgänger appeared quite eager to aid her. "For now, I simply need your help."
Esther stood from the sofa and went behind it to reach the table where the dagger Finn had taken out a few moments ago was placed near a goblet, a bottle of water, and a few lit candles. "I understand Rebekah shared the story of my family," she remarked as she recalled when she watched over her daughter some weeks ago tell Elena the origin of vampires. "I upset the balance of nature by turning my children into vampires."
"She said you did it to protect them from the werewolves," Elena confirmed as she also stood up to stand a few feet behind Esther, craning her neck to see what the Original witch was doing on the table.
"It's true, to an extent," Esther stated as she poured water into the goblet. "In no time at all, they began to feed on human blood. They ravaged the town with no remorse." She put away a bottle of water and picked up the dagger to inspect it. "Eventually, Niklaus turned against me."
"How are you gonna kill him?" asked Elena. "He's immortal."
Esther turned to Elena and said, "It will take time, magic, and your assistance." She remained vague about all the ingredients needed for her to kill her children, not trusting that the brunette won't tell her friends about what transpired between them. Each person who knew was a liability, so it was better not to divulge too much information.
"What do I have to do with it?" the doppelgänger asked as her eyes fell on the knife in the Original witch's hand, frowning.
"My children believe I'm holding this ball to celebrate our reunion. In truth, I've gathered them together to perform a ritual," Esther explained. "The first step requires blood from the doppelgänger." Seeing how alarmed the young girl became, Esther shook her head. "Only a drop. Its essence will be in the champagne toast later this evening." She turned back to the small table and mentally prepared a spell to take the blood by force if Elena refused. "Will you do it, or shall I?" she asked over her shoulder.
Elena took a deep breath, thinking back to why she was doing this. Klaus had killed and hurt so many people she cared about and would continue to do so if he saw fit, so her answer was clear. She removed the glove on her right arm as she approached Esther and offered her hand for the Original witch. Esther gently grabbed Elena's hand and opened it to prick the brunette's index finger, eliciting a hiss from the doppelgänger. Once the skin was broken and blood appeared, Esther held the bleeding finger over the chalice, waiting for a few drops of blood to fall into the water before releasing Elena's hand.
"Elijah is more suspicious than the others, which is not good when there is another witch in this house who is quite the intelligent young lady and could clue him in on whatever I'm doing," Esther told Elena as she picked up the goblet to move around the liquid, mixing the blood with the water. "He may need more persuasion, but they must all drink at the toast in order to be linked as one."
Elena frowned at this, confused. "What do you mean linked as one?"
Esther turned to the doppelgänger. "You said yourself that Klaus can't be killed, but tonight's spell links all my children together. If one goes, they all go."
"What?" Elena gasped with her eyes wide in shock.
"I love my family, Elena, but they are an abomination." It hurt Esther to say it, but it was the truth. She had a thousand years to come to that conclusion. "I betrayed nature when I created them. It's my duty to kill them."
.
Downstairs, as the party continued and people were mingling after the dance was over, Kol joined Rebekah at the bar to fetch a drink for himself and Gwen. He would never admit it out loud, but he enjoyed talking with the halfling. He found himself sympathizing with her, given how she was isolated from the world and didn't know much about it, much like himself after being daggered for a century.
Kol noticed how Rebekah was looking around the crowd, which led to him asking, "Where's your date?" Kol asked his sister after placing his order of some vintage champagne for himself and a glass of rosé champagne for Gwen.
Rebekah scoffed. "Flirting with his ex."
"That's dangerous, Bekah," Kol exhaled heavily. "You know, settling for mortals is the first sign of weakness."
With a roll of her eyes, Rebekah countered with, "I'm not settling." Her eyes swept across the room to make sure certain people didn't hear her before she glanced at her older brother, meeting his eyes. "I brought him here to kill him." This had Kol raising an eyebrow. "He's Elena's friend. If he dies, she suffers," she explained before looking away. "But I've already been scolded once, so I was hoping you'd help your baby sister out." She fluttered her eyes at her brother with a small pout on her lips for a more dramatic effect. She would stop resorting to it if it stopped working.
"And spit right in the face of Mother's rules?" Kol said with hardened eyes, which had Rebekah freezing on the spot, making her question everything she knew about her brother. Her worries disappeared as soon as a broad smile appeared on his lips. "I'm in." This had her smiling wide.
"I'll find you later after I have everything set up," Rebekah told him.
"What's wrong with right here on the stairs?" Kol questioned her as he glanced at the stairs, imagining it coated with blood and hearing people scream in fright as they ran out of the mansion. "We could make a spectacle of it."
Rebekah gave her brother an unimpressed look. "You sound like an idiot, Kol," she huffed. "Mother would kill you if you ruined her party. We'll do it outside."
"Fine." Kol nodded and turned when his attention was called to find the two champagne glasses he had ordered on the counter of the bar. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I don't want to keep a lady waiting."
Rebekah was quick to grasp Kol's arm to have him face her, meeting his frown with a hard look of her own. "Keep Gwendolyn Moone out of your games, brother," she warned. "She's very dear to me and I do not doubt that Nik will stuff you in a coffin for the rest of eternity before you can blink if she comes to any harm."
Kol brushed her off with a huff. "What, can't I simply enjoy her company?"
"There's nothing simple about you, Kol," Rebekah countered. "If you plan to use her in any way to get back at Nik, don't."
"The thought never crossed my mind," Kol hummed as he tried and failed to hide his smirk.
"Kol," Rebekah almost growled. "I hope that I won't have to repeat myself." If their mother wasn't there expecting them to be on their best behavior and she didn't require his help, she would have had no problem making sure he would be indisposed for an indefinite amount of time with a dagger in his chest to keep her friend safe from whatever his twisted mind was brewing to get back at their older brother. "Now, let's not ruin our good mood and enjoy the night," she sighed and walked away to mingle.
With a roll of his eyes, Kol went to find Gwen. He found it better not to argue with his sister and dig up problems from the past when there was an uneasy truce in his family. So far, the night had proven to be quite frustrating with such constricting entertainment, but the stress relief Rebekah provided would allow him to let off some steam.
"Here we are." Kol presented Gwen with her glass of champagne once he reached her. "Are you enjoying yourself?"
With a shrug of her shoulders, Gwen exhaled as her eyes roamed over the crowd. "I don't know," she answered. "It got slow after the dance. All that's left to do is gossip."
"Gossip is basic etiquette for these events," Kol chuckled as he took a sip of his drink.
"It's boring when you have no one to gossip with," Gwen sighed as she drank from her champagne, feeling the tiniest bit tipsy from the number of glasses that she had so far.
"If it were up to me, we'd be having a nice time out in the town," said Kol. "Although, I'd prefer the city. Better yet, a different country."
This got Gwen's attention. "Like where?"
Kol hummed as he thought it over. "Spain, Africa, Brazil, or maybe even France."
"That sounds nice," said Gwen, her mind trying and failing to conjure up an image of those places and her being there. She imagined dancing, eating, and taking the sights of a new place, but that dream seemed to be so far away. "I wish I could go."
With a frown, Kol asked, already knowing the answer, "Why don't you?" She opened her mouth to answer, but he cut her off. "Using Nik as an excuse is not a good enough reason. You're a faerie with enough power to free yourself from whatever shackles he placed on you that keeps you from enjoying life."
Frozen still, Gwen could practically feel her heart thumping hard after hearing Kol speaking a truth she always ignored, having been hidden deep in her mind under multiple layers that she kept adding. For all her whining and complaining about not being able to enjoy life outside the cage Klaus placed her in, she never truly fought for it. Not only that, she couldn't simply leave Klaus. It wasn't as easy as telling him that she was going out and not expecting to see her back for some time. Right? He would haunt her down and lock her away in a room for the rest of her life with no hesitation. Right?
Gwen quickly shook her head and steered away from those thoughts. It wouldn't do her any good to think about possibilities that weren't available to her.
"You can't fool me, Gwen Moone," Kol sneered, oblivious to how Gwen was frowning at him as he tried to find Rebekah in the crowd. "You may deceive yourself and others, but you're actually scared to venture out into the world on your own, so you find it best to stick close to Nik and blame him to make yourself feel better." He glanced at her and grinned at the puzzled look on her face. "Such a waste for someone like you," he sighed. "A chained faerie is quite miserable. On the other hand, a free faerie would not only be the life of a party, but she would also create it."
The young hybrid's mouth opened and closed a few times as she debated on what to retort to Kol's statements, finding it hard to come up with a good counter. Gwen found herself agreeing with him, but she refused to give him the satisfaction, not when she felt so exposed and vulnerable at having the truth be shoved in her face. It was a truth she was afraid of and refused to admit to, so she did the next best thing and ran away from it.
"I can see it in your eyes," Kol said as he locked eyes with Gwen. "You yearn for the world, but you're also afraid of it."
"Can you blame me?" Gwen countered before shaking her head, feeling like she was being suffocated by the tension in her body. She needed to step away from him. "Excuse me." She left her champagne glass on a tray being held by a passing waiter before leaving Kol's side to go up to the balcony on the second floor.
Kol rolled his eyes as he watched Gwen's figure disappear among the crowd, wondering why he had to force his body from following her. He was surprised to find that he was annoyed with himself for upsetting her, but he needed her to start letting go of Klaus. He couldn't have fun with her if she was clinging to his brother's leg all the time. He glanced around the room once more and his eyes landed on his sister, who made a gesture with her head for him to follow as she dragged Matt Donovan outside with her. He finished his champagne in one gulp and followed his sister and her date. He would have to vent out his frustrations on the boy.
Without paying attention, Kol passed a hallway that Klaus and Juniper walked into as they made their way toward a secluded room that was closed off to wandering guests. They both needed a bit of quiet from the endless chatter. The witch looked around the room after Klaus opened the doors to allow them entry and raised an eyebrow at the many paintings scattered around, which reminded her of Gwen.
"Wow," Juniper breathed as she kept her hands joined over her stomach. "Gwen has been busy."
Klaus laughed. "Not Lyn," he told her as he stood in front of a landscape painting with Juniper standing beside him to admire it.
Juniper frowned at Klaus as she looked around once more. "What, the curators at the Louvre aren't on vervain?"
"Well, that's their mistake, but not all of these are stolen," Klaus explained, breathing out a chuckle. "Where do you think Lyn got her passion for art from?"
"Wait," Juniper began as she looked at the many papers on a table nearby that had been drawn on. She noticed that some were outlines of things that were yet to be finished. "You draw, too?"
"Yeah," Klaus said as he cleared his throat, finding himself a bit nervous under Juniper's curious gaze, which baffled him. He had never had any problem being near the witch. "Actually, one of my landscapes is hanging at the Hermitage, not that anyone would notice. I'm waiting for Lyn to do a painting to also hang it up somewhere and have people wonder where such beauty came from."
"It's almost like writing a book," Juniper added, gaining his attention. "You paint and hang it up, but there's more to it. You can't help but wonder what inspired such a work of art, so you make up a story for it."
"Right," Klaus mumbled, taken aback by his companion's words. "Have you been?"
"What?" Juniper asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Have you gone anywhere outside of the country?" he clarified.
Juniper snorted. "That is something Gwen and I have in common." She exhaled as she imagined the many places she could go to. "I've been so obsessed with finding my parents, I forgot about everything else."
"I'll take you," Klaus blurted out, causing both of their eyes to widen.
"You and me on a plane?" Juniper chuckled, sarcasm lacing her tone. "I pity the other passengers."
"I'm being serious," he forced himself to say, challenging her disbelief in them being able to go on a trip without wanting to gouge each other's eyes out. "England?" She rolled her eyes. "Russia?" He saw her lips quirk up a bit. "Tokyo?"
They both shared a look and ended up laughing.
"So, can Gwen leave her cage and join us on this trip?" she asked Klaus, watching him visibly tense up. She had been having a good time and thought he did as well, so she gambled on that to get Gwen to step out of her imprisonment, but she should have known better. "Well, I guess I have my answer and so do you."
A voice filtered into the room with trepidation, humming, "Umm…" Both Klaus and Juniper turned to find Gwen standing at the doorway, her eyes shifting between the witch and the Original hybrid. "Everything okay?"
"Everything's fine," Juniper was quick to say.
Gwen raised an eyebrow at how awkward and rigid their postures were, but she wasn't going to pry, not when they were getting along better than they ever had before. "Okay," the halfling hummed, still unconvinced. "Elijah told me that Esther is about to make a toast and asked me to get you."
"Let's go," Juniper exhaled as she made her way out of the room with Klaus and Gwen following her to the foyer.
At the foyer, people were gathering as they continued to chat. Among the people in the crowd was Elijah after having gathered all his siblings. Leaving the servers with instructions sent by his mother, he located Elena standing on her own and sidled up next to her, intent on finding out what his mother wanted with the Petrova doppelgänger.
"How was my mother?" Elijah asked Elena, the latter slightly startled by his quiet approach.
"Intense," replied Elena.
Elijah grabbed two champagne glasses from the tray a server was carrying and locked eyes with Elena as he offered her one of the glasses. "And for what reason did she need to speak to you in private?" He frowned when he saw the doppelgänger's gaze suddenly turn away from him, so he followed her line of sight and saw his mother looking at them with a small smile. This worried him, so he turned back to the brunette. "Elena," he said with a firmer tone, which had her jumping out of her trance and meeting his eyes once more. He was disappointed to find unease in her brown orbs. "Should I be concerned about my mother's intentions?"
With a quick shake of her head, Elena answered with, "She just wanted to apologize for trying to have me killed."
Elijah hummed with a nod of his head, finding no deception in her voice, but her heart was another story with how fast it was beating. "So, it's true that she's forgiven Klaus?"
"It's true," Elena said with a slightly forced smile.
Elijah's jaw tensed up when he heard the distinct skip of Elena's heartbeat that told him she was not being truthful. Right then, as he gazed at her perfect smile and composed demeanor, he was reminded of Katerina, and not in a good way. This cemented the fact that he could not trust anyone from the Petrova bloodline, not after Tatia and Katerina. He thought Elena would be different, but he should have known better. He could not afford to make a mistake that would endanger his family. Elena might have had good reason to be deceiving him, but she was not above the people he loved.
Always and forever, his family was above all.
At the ringing of crystal, all heads turned upward to stare at Esther as she stood in the middle of the staircase with a glass of red-tinged champagne in her hand. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Waiters are coming around with champagne," she greeted everyone. "I invite you all to join me in raising a glass. It provides me with no greater joy than to see my family back together as one." Her hazel eyes found each of her children looking up at her, wishing that the smile she gave them was an honest one. "I'd like to thank you all for being part of this spectacular evening." She raised her glass and exclaimed, "Cheers!"
"Cheers!" was the collective reply.
Everyone took a sip of the champagne, but Esther was only interested in her children taking a sip of their champagne, no matter how small it was. It both relieved and saddened her to see them all drink the liquid, but she had no other options, not when the Spirits reminded her of her duty and what she owed them.
Down at the foyer, Elijah turned to Elena and raised his glass to meet hers. "Cheers." And then they both took a sip. All that Elijah needed to do now was figure out what his mother was planning.
.
"Having fun?" Rebekah asked Gwen after finding the halfling under the staircase. She smirked as she watched the young half-fae drink what remained of her champagne in one gulp. "I'll take that as a yes," she chuckled before her brows furrowed with worry. "Everything all right, Weny?"
Gwen nodded. "Just tired," she sighed, deciding not to worry her friend. "It's been a long night."
"It's a good thing that it's winding down," Rebekah supplied.
It was then that Kol walked up to Gwen and Rebekah, choosing to focus on the latter. "There you are," he began. "I was waiting outside for you. Where's Matt?"
Rebekah's mouth fell open but took a moment to gather her thoughts, especially since she needed to convince her volatile brother to leave her date alone. "About that, I, uh…" she paused and cleared her throat, "I changed my mind. I don't want to ruin mother's night."
Kol scoffed. "Don't tell me you like this boy." He shouldn't have been surprised by this when it came to his sister. She always let her emotions and infatuations dictate her actions. "What did he do, give you five seconds of his attention?" He rolled his eyes as he scowled at his sister. "Don't be so predictable, Rebekah."
"You don't have to be rude about it," Rebekah said through gritted teeth.
"What's going on?" Gwen asked, not sure if she should have.
"A meaningless disagreement between siblings," Rebekah replied as she smiled at Gwen before looping her right arm around the halfling's left arm. She looked back at Kol. "Just leave him be, okay?"
"Careful, sister," Kol warned as he glanced at Gwen. "I kept away from one of your toys for tonight at your request. The other one was mine."
Rebekah ignored him and walked away with Gwen, intent on keeping the young hybrid close to her for the rest of the night. If it were any other time, Rebekah would be worried about him making a scene, but she believed that her mother's presence would stop him from doing anything rash.
Gwen and Rebekah returned to the foyer and passed a door that was being closed by Elijah. Inside what served as a parlor room were Elijah and Juniper. It had been quite the chore for the Original to get the witch away from Klaus, but the hybrid was distracted when he saw Gwen walk by with yet another drink in her hand, so he followed the halfling to cut her off at the growing scent of alcohol surrounding the young brunette. Elijah could not risk involving his siblings in his silent pursuit of Esther, not when he had yet to collect more evidence. He wanted to be completely sure that what his mother was planning endangered them all.
"You got anything out of Elena?" Juniper asked him, keeping her voice as low as possible.
"No, but I did confirm that mother is planning something. I don't want to make any accusations against her without proof, especially when I have siblings with unpredictable tempers," he told her. "This is where you come in."
"If it's anything that has to do with witchcraft, I'll figure it out," Juniper said and then thought of something. "Also, can I count on your protection?" She took a deep breath. "I mean, your mother has centuries of experience over me, and death by witchcraft can be quite excruciating."
Elijah chuckled. "If she is aiming to move against her children, she has already thought of killing you," he told Juniper, holding back another laugh when her eyes widened. "You are a talented witch, which means that you are a threat to her. So, protecting you was already a part of the plan."
"So, I can drop dead any second now," Juniper exhaled heavily with her arms akimbo.
"No, you're quite safe," he assured her. "You mean something to Niklaus and Rebekah. That is enough to keep her at bay if she doesn't want to incur their wrath. I also enjoy your company, so that will be three of her children who would be very cross with her."
Juniper made a sound of surprise. "I am so weirded out by how happy I am to be close to Klaus."
"It comes and goes," said Elijah.
"Now, I think we should wait until tomorrow to investigate," Juniper suggested. "If your mother is casting a spell or performing a ritual, she'll probably start tonight and continue tomorrow."
Elijah frowned at this. "Should we allow that?"
"If I want to know the exact spell, then I need her to cast it to leave behind its essence. It makes it easier for me to pick it apart and find a solution for it. This will also provide you with evidence," Juniper explained as she paced around the room. "If that fails or there are missing pieces, I'm going to need to have a chat with Elena." She looked up at Elijah. "That is where you come in to keep anyone else from interfering. That girl has too many bodyguards."
"How are you so sure that my mother will do a spell tonight and continue tomorrow?" asked Elijah.
"I'm not a hundred percent sure, but there's going to be a full moon tomorrow," said Juniper, still pacing. "If I were her and I was planning something devious against the Originals, I would need a lot of power. So, marinate tonight and cook tomorrow for the celebration of a job well done." She looked up at Elijah. "A full moon boosts any spell. That is when we'll need to intervene."
Just as Elijah was about to inquire further, he froze when his ears caught the sound of a scuffle with the help of his heightened hearing. "Someone's fighting."
Frowning, Juniper asked, "What?"
Elijah left the room with Juniper following him, leading them to an open set of doors that were below one of the balconies of the mansion. Once they were outside, they were joined by all the Originals and Gwen, except for Esther and Kol. All eyes were on Stefan berating Damon as the oldest Salvatore stood over the prone body of one Kol Mikaelson. Elena also came out with haste and her shawl wrapped around her shoulders, gasping when she saw the body at Damon's feet.
"Are you crazy?" Stefan asked Damon.
"Maybe a little," Damon grunted, ignoring the Mikaelsons as his eyes fell on Elena. His anger grew once more as her words from their earlier argument echoed in his mind. "Far be it for me to cause a problem." He then turned his back to everyone and walked away.
"Oh, a bit of drama before the night's over," said Juniper.
Gwen snorted. "Still boring."
.
"Finally," Juniper whooped as she took off her heels after entering Gwen's room with the halfling following her example and sighing in relief once her feet were allowed to return to a flat position. "Magic's over," she exhaled heavily as she sat on the edge of the bed.
They both felt completely exhausted, feeling like their dresses were weighing them down and their heels were made of iron. As soon as the party ended, it was as if their bodies shut down and they wanted nothing more than to turn in for the night, yearning for sweet dreams and no bedbugs to bite.
"Yeah," Gwen sighed as she went straight to her closet and began to take off her dress and the pins holding her hair up. She exchanged her gorgeous dress for a comfy set of pajamas. She then walked into her bathroom to remove all her makeup.
Juniper was still massaging the soles of her feet with a small moan escaping her here and there, but her momentary relief disappeared when she saw Gwen trudge to her bed and settle down on her side with her back to Juniper, wrapping the sheet around her body. The witch was a bit worried but shrugged it off and chalked up her behavior to the amount of alcohol the young hybrid consumed that ended up exhausting her a lot more.
"Everything okay?" Juniper still asked as she slightly turned her body to gaze at Gwen's back.
Gwen hummed, "Yeah." She wanted to forget a few parts of the night and opted to keep quiet about what was bothering her, especially when her head was swimming a bit. "Good night," she mumbled.
"Good night," Juniper sighed, deciding to ask again tomorrow when she would have the energy to strongarm Gwen into telling her what was bothering her.
"Turning in?" a voice from the doorway said, catching Juniper's attention.
"We'll be feeling the consequences of a good time tomorrow," Juniper whispered to Klaus as she stood to approach him to not disturb Gwen's sleep, noticing his loosened bowtie around his neck and how he no longer had his jacket on. "That is something I envy about you and every other vampire."
Klaus grinned as he leaned against the doorframe. "Are you going to tell me what Elijah has been needing you for the entire night?"
Juniper chuckled as she rolled her eyes. "Straight to the point." She raised a hand to point to an ear and made a circular gesture with her finger to tell him it wasn't safe to talk. "I'll tell you later when it's safe." It was better to promise to tell him than pretend like nothing's wrong to keep him from growing anymore paranoid than he already probably was.
"Should I be worried?" asked Klaus.
"I hope not," she answered truthfully. She raised an eyebrow when she saw him pause and look to the side, which told her that he was listening in on a conversation. "What is it?"
"Mother is still upset with Kol and Rebekah," Klaus answered.
"You'd think she'd be used to their mischief," Juniper pointed out.
Elsewhere, in Esther's study, the matriarch of the Original family was still fuming and voicing her frustrations to her second eldest son who followed her. He couldn't blame her for being angry and could understand her. He had been in her shoes an immeasurable number of times for the last few centuries, so he was used to a night going south. What happened earlier was rather mild when compared to many other times. The fact that the night had gone so smoothly was because Esther had been present, and his siblings knew better than to upset their mother.
"No violence, that was all I asked," Esther ranted as she faced Elijah. "Rebekah and Kol disgraced our family tonight."
"It won't happen again, Mother," Elijah promised her. "I'll deal with them," he said with a nod of his head.
Esther exhaled and smiled at her son as she approached him to place her right hand over his left cheek, her thumb caressing the skin under his eyes. "Thank you, Elijah." Internally, she was furious. She questioned her duty and the unfairness of her family's fate. There was still humanity in her children, she had seen it countless times, but she had no other choice but to take responsibility for her actions. "I wish the others were more like you."
Forcing himself to stay cool and collected to not be swayed by his emotions, Elijah simply took her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze that she returned before leaving the room, finding it difficult to break eye contact with his mother. For a moment, he debated on ceasing his investigation, still feeling the maternal warmth radiating from her, but he needed to detach himself from such feelings. He bumped into Finn on his way out as his older brother closed the door behind him.
Finn watched Esther walk to her rectangular table and sit down, watching the pensive look on her face. "Are we all right to speak freely?" he asked, which served to break her out of whatever thoughts plagued her mind.
"Yes," Esther answered as she unfolded a piece of parchment in front of her on the table and mumbled a few words that lit up the candles placed on each corner of the table. "The sage still burns," she added as she grabbed the pen that was next to the goblet that still had some of Elena's blood that she didn't use on the champagne.
Standing behind his mother as he watched her write the names of all her children on the parchment in Runic, Finn noticed the slight tremor of her hand that held the pen. "You're not having second thoughts, are you?" he had to ask.
"Of course not," Esther answered before she stopped writing, breathing out heavily. "It's just Elijah…he's so moral."
Finn could understand her to a certain point. His younger brother always tried his best to do what was right, but the problem was that he only ever tried to do the right thing. His mother liked to forget that Elijah was just as selfish as the rest of his siblings with a side that was just as dark as the others. The difference was that Elijah knew how to hide it better. Still, he wasn't going to voice his grievances, not when he knew how hard this was for his mother.
"You're doing the right thing, Mother," he tried to reassure her.
"You understand what this means, don't you?" she asked as she looked up at her eldest son. It was still a struggle to keep her eyes locked with that of any of her children. "This spell I'm casting tonight will bind you all together as one."
"I understand." Finn nodded as he placed a hand on her shoulder, to comfort her and himself. "When it is time, I will be ready to die."
"Then we must complete the link," she replied.
Esther stood up and grabbed the knife she used earlier to cut Elena, using it to cut Finn's hand over the piece of parchment to have his blood spill onto the paper. She held his hand in place and closed her eyes as she began to chant her spell. With every word spoken, the drops of blood at the bottom of the paper grew and moved inch by inch, connecting the names written on it.
After she finished, Esther opened her eyes to glance at the paper to find that the blood had branched out and linked the names, appearing like a tree. "The link is complete," she said before glancing at Finn. "You are one." They both watched the paper catch fire and slowly burn. "The next step will be harder and we must be careful," she sighed. "I hoped there would be another way, but we don't have many options."
"Leave it to me, Mother," Finn assured her as he watched the flames dance. "I'll get the faerie."
End of the chapter!
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Like always, I hope I did justice to the characters. If not, then I'll just have to get better, so don't be afraid to voice your opinions and such! It was a long chapter, but I DID NOT want to prolong the ball more than necessary when it wasn't needed.
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See you guys in the next chapter! Also, have a Spooky Halloween!