Chapter 38: Klaus

April 27, 2010

Elena had eventually agreed that she would go upstairs and go to bed with Stefan so that he didn't realize that they were planning something. After she was gone, Ellie found that she was reluctant to leave the Original and ended up laying in the dirt and falling asleep. At some point, she jerked awake, momentarily confused by her surroundings. Groggily, she reached for her phone to check the time. It was some time after seven in the morning, so she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and started combing through her hair. She turned towards the door when she heard Elena coming down. "Has he woken up yet?" Elena asked as she dropped down next to the door.

"He hasn't moved an inch." Ellie explained. Elena moved to take the dagger from where Ellie was clutching it tightly, but Ellie jerked it farther away. "Not a chance in hell, Elena. We need him and I'm pretty sure seeing you with this dagger is gonna leave a bad taste in his mouth."

"Fine." Elena said as she moved back to her original position.

Suddenly, Elijah gasped violently as his body contorted towards Ellie. Both girls flinched back, before they scrambled to him. He looked panicked and in pain as Ellie grabbed a hold of his jacket. "Elijah. Elijah!"

It didn't seem like he was really looking at her. "Katerina." He breathed.

"No, no, it's Ellie and Elena. Elijah, breathe." She pleaded as she tried to calm him.

"Oh my god." His voice was shaky and Ellie couldn't help the concern she felt for him. She should have found him and undaggered him sooner. His eyes rolled back in his head as his body went slack. The two of them looked at each other in confusion. Ellie reached to see if she could feel a pulse when his body jerked towards her and Elena sharply in a way that shouldn't have been possible, forcing them to flinch back against the rock. He forced himself to his feet as he panted. "I can't… I can't breathe!" He fell forward and Ellie rushed to help him stand as he asked, "What's happening to me?"

He tried to rush from the room, only to slam into the wall. "Elijah!"

She stuck the dagger in the side of her jeans as she moved to support him. "I can't… I can't be in this house."

"Elena the deed… he's not invited in."

"You need to get me out of here." He insisted and they watched as he ran into another wall, before disappearing. They ran after him and found him kneeling just outside the front door. He gave Elena a dirty look and tried to lunge at her, but he couldn't get past the door. "What happened?"

They both shushed him and he gave Ellie a strange look but caught Elena gesturing to him that Stefan and Damon could hear. "I'll tell you, but not here. Can I trust you?" Elena whispered, her voice just barely audible.

"Can I trust you?" Elijah shot back. He wasn't the one that had broken his word.

"Even if you can't trust her, you can trust me." Ellie whispered as she pulled the dagger from her waistband, and offered it up to him. They shared a heavy look, and she nodded at him. His fingers brushed against hers as he slowly took it from her. "Elena, go get some blood bags from the basement, give me your keys, and then meet us in your car."

Elena nodded and passed over her keys before turning back into the house. Elijah followed her silently to Elena's car and once it was unlocked, he opened the driver's side door for her like always. The familiarity of the action was a relief, and before she could think twice about it, she pulled him into a fierce hug. It was a relief to feel him hug her back. "What was that for?" He asked, his voice still rough.

"It's been a rough few weeks, Elijah." She said tiredly. Something significant had happened in the time that he'd been daggered. Before it had happened, she hadn't looked nearly so exhausted, or so sick. Whatever it was had also affected her more than Elena, who for the most part looked fine. "I'm so sorry I didn't undagger you sooner. I didn't know where you were." She apologized. Even if he'd been unable to hear the sincerity in her heartbeat, her expression would have proved it.

"You shouldn't be blamed for the actions of your sister." He said as she slid into the seat. He was in the passenger's seat a moment later. "I do not trust your sister."

Ellie scoffed. "If we're honest, neither do I. But I think she's finally realized how much we need you. She won't be so stupid as to try and screw you over again. Even if she tried I wouldn't let her."

"You seem confident in that." Elijah noted. His throat hurt. It was scratchy and dry and he was desperately thirsty, but he could put that aside long enough for Elena to return and talk to Ellie while they waited.

"I am a witch. How good of a witch would I be if I let a regular person take down an Original when I'm on the lookout for it?" Ellie asked him with a small shrug. "Besides, you promised to keep me safe. It won't hurt me to do the same for you." Their conversation came to a halt as they spotted Elena carefully sneaking out of the house, blood bags in hand. She slid in the backseat and Ellie asked, "Where to?"

"Just drive." Elena said and Ellie shot a look at Elijah. When he nodded in confirmation, she started the car and pulled from the drive. "Here you go." Elena said as she handed over the blood bags she'd taken. Ellie watched from the corner of her eye as he drank heavily from the bag. His skin tone slowly shifted back to a normal color as he drank from the second. After a while of aimless driving, Elena spoke up. "Ellie, pull over for a second."

Once again, Ellie glanced at Elijah and when he seemed not to mind, she pulled over. "Why exactly are we stopping?" Ellie asked as she turned off the car. "You look better, by the way." Her second comment was directed at Elijah.

"Thank you." He told her before sparing Elena a glance. "Where did you get the dagger?"

"I'll tell you everything. But we have to work together, Elijah. I need your word." Elena insisted.

Ellie couldn't help it. She scoffed loudly causing them to both look at her. "It's not like he particularly broke his word to begin with, Elena. That was you." She said bluntly.

She spotted the way Elijah gave her a small, amused smirk before he replied, "Your ability to make demands has long passed." He made no comment about Ellie being right, but they all knew she was.

"No demands. I'm offering you my help. And in return, I want yours." Elena told him.

"And why should I even consider this?" Elijah questioned. It was almost fascinating to see how differently he spoke when he spoke to Elena. It was colder, even colder than when he and Ellie had first met. But then again, she wasn't the one that had screwed him over.

"The same reason that you haven't killed me." Elena said. "You need my help to kill Klaus. And I need you." Elena's cell phone started to vibrate and she quickly answered it. "Yes, I'm fine. He's right here. No, Stefan, Elijah and I need some time alone." Elijah was casually observing Elena as she spoke. Elena seemed to be speaking to both him and Stefan when she said, "Elijah is a noble man, Stefan. He lives by a code of honor. I can trust him. He knows that I'd be incredibly stupid to betray him again. By removing the dagger, I have proven myself."

Ellie's eyebrow quirked up. Elena had done no such thing, Ellie had. Just because Elena didn't snitch didn't mean she got to claim that action as her own. Of course, Elijah caught her reaction and gave her a questioning look. She shook her, hoping that he understood that she'd tell him later. "Sure you did, Elena." It was under her breath, where Elena couldn't hear, but Elijah did.

"It's my decision, Stefan. Please respect it. And make sure that Damon doesn't do anything stupid. I'll be in touch." Elena said before hanging up the phone. Elijah held out his hand for her to pass over the phone and it was amusing to see how reluctant she was before giving it up. He put it in the inside pocket of his ruined jacket.

"Elijah, while you have no particular reason to trust, Elena. We need to work together right now." Ellie said but she didn't acknowledge Elena's annoyed look. "He's here."

She watched as his expression morphed into one of surprise. "Klaus is here?"

The girls nodded as Elena explained. "He's taken over Alaric's body."

"Of course he has." Elijah said, more to himself than to them. "One of his favorite tricks."

"Well, what are his other tricks?" Elena asked, almost desperately. "What is he going to do next? You're the only one who knows him."

"Yes, I do." Elijah confirmed, looking lost in thought. "We need somewhere to talk. Eleanor, please take us to the Lockwoods." Ellie nodded as she started the car back up. In the back, Elena was nervously tapping her foot. The drive wasn't long, and when they arrived it was a relief to be out of the car. Elena's anxiety was nearly palpable. However, Ellie wasn't sure if her nerves came from being in the car with Elijah, or Klaus being here.

Mrs. Lockwood opened the door, clearly ready to go somewhere. "Elijah!" She said in surprise. "Ellie, Elena, what are you doing here? What happened?"

"I've had a bit of an incident, Carol. I'm hoping you could help." Elijah told her.

"Well, I'm on my way to a meeting, so I…" Mrs. Lockwood started.

Elijah stepped forward as he said, "I won't take but a minute of your time."

There was a moment of tense silence, before Mrs. Lockwood smiled warmly at him and said, "Of course, anything you need."

"Thank you." Elijah said as they walked in. "Well, first things first. I'm going to need a change of clothing."

"Well, we can try one of my husband's suits. I haven't boxed them up yet." Mrs. Lockwood told him.

Ellie gave Mrs. Lockwood's hand a comforting squeeze as he replied, "Wonderful."

She went to pick out a suit as Elena asked, "How did you know she's not on vervain?"

"Cause I'm the one who got her off it." Elijah told her bluntly. "Right before you and your friends killed me. Twice. If you'll excuse me, I'll be down in a moment." He started to walk away, before he turned to Ellie. "Eleanor, don't you think some tea is in order?"

"I do. Meet us in the kitchen once you've gotten cleaned up." Ellie told him. As he walked up the stairs, Elena followed Ellie into the kitchen. She pulled out the chamomile tea as she set the kettle on to boil. Thankfully, Mrs. Lockwood was also fond of the tea, meaning there was always a supply around.

"Eleanor?" Elena asked in confusion. Ellie just shrugged. It was what he called her and she didn't mind.

"Do you want tea?" Ellie asked. "Actually no you're drinking tea whether you want it or not. You're way too anxious right now and it's driving me nuts." Elena opened her mouth but Ellie shot back. "Don't argue with me, you'll like it." When the tea was ready, she poured it into their cups and proceeded to pass a cup to Elena. "Tea's ready." Ellie said as Elijah walked in.

"Thank you." He said as he took the cup from her. As the front door closed, she assumed that meant that Mrs. Lockwood had made an exit. He led the two of them into one of the parlors and he and Ellie sat on one of the couches as Elena took a chair. Elijah went ahead and dove straight into things. "So I assume that the Martin witches are no longer with us."

"No." Elena said as she looked over at the two of them. "I'm sorry."

"And Katerina?" Elijah inquired. "She would have been released from my compulsion when I died."

"Klaus took her." Ellie told him. "I tried to find her, but he must have a witch cloaking her."

Elena looked surprised. "We think that she may be dead."

"I doubt that." Elijah said as he took a sip of his tea. "Not Klaus' style. Death would be too easy for her after what she did."

The image of Katherine being tortured appeared in Ellie's mind and it made her chest tighten with worry. "I don't understand." Elena said. "You say that you want Klaus dead, but you still made Katherine pay for betraying him."

"I have my own reasons for wanting Katerina to pay." Elijah said and Ellie looked over to him in surprise. For the most part, Ellie and Katherine had avoided talking about Elijah. So she didn't really know much about their history together. "There was a time… I'd have done anything for Klaus." He explained how he and Klaus met Katherine, and Elena looked shocked. "Yes, Klaus is my brother." It was pleasing to realize that for once she knew something before Elena did.

"I heard that. I'm still processing." Elena told him.

"Yes, I'm a little behind on the times, but I believe the term you're searching for is OMG." He said as he took a sip of her tea. Ellie couldn't help but snort in amusement. She could see him hide his grin behind his cup. After Elena had processed what he'd said, he added, "Our family is the origin of all vampires."

"There's a whole family of vampires?" Elena asked him as he rose and walked over to a mirror.

"My father was a wealthy landowner in a village in eastern Europe. Our mother bore seven children." Elijah explained.

"So your parents were human?" Elena asked as she also stood.

"Our whole family was." Elijah corrected. "Our origin as vampires is a very long story, Elena. Just know, we're the oldest vampires in the world. We are the Original Family, and from us, all vampires were created."

"Right but Klaus is your brother." Elena said, still stuck on it. "And you want him dead?"

Ellie winced slightly. She knew it was a sensitive subject for him to talk about. Surely Elena realized it too when he ignored the question, instead saying, "I need some air. I'm still feeling a tad…" He made a face as he searched for the right word. "Dead. Come." He offered Ellie his arm and she took it without hesitation. If she were honest, she thought he was doing it in part to get under Elena's skin. When she asked, he replied, "Well, she did kill me. I can't be helped if I'm feeling slightly petty."

She laughed quietly at his confession. "I'm glad you're back." Ellie told him honestly.

"Good to be back." Elijah replied. He chose not to ask what was bothering her as Elena closed the distance between them and her. "So you've seen, nothing can kill an Original. Not sun, not fire, not even a werewolf bite. Only the wood from one tree; a tree my family made sure burned."

"That's where the white ash for the dagger comes from." Elena said.

"Yes. The witches won't allow anything truly immortal to walk the earth. Every creature needs to have a weakness in order to maintain the balance." Elijah explained and Ellie nodded in agreement. From what she'd read, maintaining the balance was crucial.

"So, if the sun can't kill an Original, why is Klaus so obsessed with breaking the sun and moon curse?" Elena asked. It was something Ellie had also been curious of, but she'd never really bothered to ask.

"Right." Elijah smiled. "The Curse of The Sun and The Moon. It's all so… biblical sounding, don't you think?" He asked as they stopped at a bridge. Suddenly, Ellie felt like there was something big that he hadn't told her.

"What's so funny?" Elena asked. Elijah explained how they'd had servants bring them information on the curse and revealed that Klaus had made them sometime prior. "I don't understand. So Klaus drew the Aztec sketches about the curse?"

"Roman scrolls, African tribal etchings, and any other culture or continent we felt like planting it in." Elijah said.

Ellie's eyes went wide in understanding. "But why?"

"Easiest way to discover the existence of a doppelgänger or to get your hands on some long, lost moonstone is to have every single member of two warring species on the lookout for it." Elijah explained, his amusement written all over his face.

"So it's not Aztec at all?" Elena questioned.

Ellie didn't understand why it hadn't clicked for Elena yet. "Elena, the sun and moon curse is fake. It's not real at all." Ellie told her and Elijah grinned as he crossed the bridge.

"What?" Elena asked. They both took off after him.

"If it's fake then what the hell does he need us for?" Ellie asked as she fell into step with him.

"Klaus and I faked the sun and moon curse dating back over a thousand years." Elijah told them.

"But if there's no curse…"

Elijah cut Elena off. "There's a curse. Just not that one." He said. "The real one's much worse. It's a curse placed on Klaus."

"What are you talking about?" Ellie questioned. Why had he not told her?

"Klaus has been trying to break it for the last thousand years. And the two of you were his only hope." Elijah told them.

"What is this curse?" Elena asked.

"Your phone will not stop its incessant buzzing. Answer it, please." Elijah said as he handed it over.

"Stefan-" She started but stopped abruptly. "What's wrong?" Both Ellie and Elijah stepped closer to her. "No. No, no, no, no. Ok, I'll be right there."

"Elena what happened?" Ellie asked worriedly.

"Klaus went after Jenna. I have to go to her." Elena said.

"I'm afraid that wasn't part of today's arrangement." Elijah informed her.

Ellie grabbed his forearm. "But protecting Jenna was part of our agreement. Let Elena go, she'll come back and I'll stay. She's our family Elijah."

"I'll be back." Elena promised. "You have my word."

"That doesn't mean anything to me." Elijah told her.

"You also have mine." Ellie added. "This is too important for her to break her word."

He gave her a look and nodded slightly. "Until you live up to it."

"Thank you." Elena said gratefully.

"Go Elena, hurry." Ellie insisted and Elena took off running towards her car. As Elena ran, Ellie pulled out her phone and cursed under her breath when she realized it was dead. If Stefan knew that Klaus had gone after Jenna, that must have meant that she called him when she couldn't reach her. "You know the funny thing is, they have no idea that Jenna knows. I never told them."

Elijah snapped out of the memory he was lost in when she spoke. "And why is that?" He asked.

"Just never came up. But then again it never crossed Elena's mind to tell me that our mom was alive." Ellie said bitterly.

"Your mother is alive? Your biological mother I presume."

Her jaw tensed. "She was. Klaus compelled her to kill herself, which she happened to do so in front of Elena and I." Ellie said as she looked away from him.

He hadn't seen that coming. She looked incredibly distraught, but he wasn't sure that her mother's death was all that was bothering her. "I'm incredibly sorry for your loss." He told her sincerely. "Do you want to talk about what has you so upset?"

Ellie looked over at him before cursing herself for being an open book. "I'm tired of people I care about dying, Elijah." She said sadly. "I watched Dr. Martin die." She hesitated as she tried to keep her emotions in check. "After Luka was killed, he went into a rage. Said the only way to get his daughter back was you and that he needed Elena and I to do it. Katherine swapped places with Elena and came home with Stefan and I. He tried to catch her by surprise in the bathroom and she fed on him. But they didn't realize he wasn't dead. He gave Bonnie her magic back right before Stefan snapped his neck."

She looked defeated. "I'm sorry you had to witness that."

"And then, he took over Alaric's body and decided Bonnie was a threat and tried to kill her yesterday at the dance. I thought that I watched her die." Ellie choked as her eyes watered. "If Damon hadn't come up with the plan to fake her death, Bonnie would have really died last night."

Now he understood why she looked so unlike herself. It was a lot of trauma to go through in a short amount of time. "Faked her death?" He asked curiously as they made their way back into the house.

"Klaus knew that she was a threat, and the only way to get rid of her as a threat was to kill her so that he wasn't at risk of dying. He wouldn't have stopped coming after her until he knew she was gone. Damon didn't tell us because our reaction was what would make or break whether he believed it or not." Ellie explained. "I can't let anyone else die, Elijah. I can't handle it."

"I understand." He said as he led her to the couch to sit down.

When he sat down next to her, she told him, "I'm really sorry I didn't find you sooner. Every time I asked they would refuse, and none of my locator spells got an exact location. When I finally realized that you had to be close to the boarding house, I just didn't get the chance to get to you without being caught. I knew the first time that I tried to get you, if I were caught they'd move you and I wouldn't get another chance."

He took a hold of her forearm, catching her attention. "It's alright, you did what you could." He assured her.

"I knew I couldn't wait any longer after last night, so as soon as everyone was distracted, I went and undaggered you. I wouldn't even let Elena get close to getting her hands on it." Ellie told him.

"I appreciate your caution." Elijah said. He rose and poured them both a drink and she watched as he handed one to her. "Drink. You'll feel better." She did as she was told and he watched her sigh a little at the burn. He regretted not being there. He'd promised to keep her safe but instead he got daggered and the people around her started dying. Her fear was written all over her face. "You need to eat." He said as he glanced at the clock on the wall. "You'll feel better."

She shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

Elijah held a hand out to her. "Yes, you are." He said knowingly. "Come on."

Ellie allowed him to pull her into the kitchen and she watched with curiosity as he took a second to look around the kitchen, before he started pulling out things to make pasta. "You cook?" She asked with interest.

He couldn't help but laugh. "I do enjoy regular meals, Eleanor." He told her. "Plus, it's a good way to pass time. You do like pasta, correct?"

"Of course I like pasta." She replied.

"Do you like to cook?" He asked.

She couldn't help but grin a little. "I'm the only one in our house that can cook. But yes, I like it."

"Would you like to help me?" He offered. It would help get her mind off of everything she was worrying about. She looked uncertain, but after a moment, she caved and moved to go to him.


Elena had been gone for a while. It had been long enough for Ellie and Elijah to eat together as well as clean up before they eventually moved back into the parlor that they'd been in before. It was nice to just have a breather, without worrying about Klaus. It wasn't hard for her to admit that she felt much safer now that Elijah was back. "Your sister does intend to come back, correct?" He asked her as he watched out the window.

"Yes. she just had no clue that Jenna knew anything. I wouldn't be surprised if this was what finally set Jenna off back into the anger she had over not being told anything. If I had to guess, she probably tried to call me because I'd left a message saying to stay away from Alaric and to call me when she got my message so I could explain. She probably didn't see it until after my phone had already died." Ellie told him.

"All this time and they still don't know?" He asked curiously as he turned to face her.

"After we found out about Isobel, Jenna didn't really want to be anywhere near Elena, she was too hurt. So it hasn't really come up." Ellie shrugged.

"Then this ought to go well." He said sarcastically and Ellie snorted. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed his sharp remarks until she got to spend time with him again.

"I think it's time that we go over the plan with her. I mentioned the potion thingy, but I didn't really go into a lot of detail about it. I only told them that there was a potion you had and I'd been looking into other resurrection spells."

He gave her a curious look. "That's all you told them? Why?"

"Typically we talked things through before I told anyone anything, except with Tyler because it was an accident. I didn't know how much you'd be ok with me telling her. Plus, even though I mentioned it, if you hadn't gotten undaggered, I would have had no idea where it was." Ellie explained.

It was fascinating, he had to admit, that she'd remained loyal even when he was daggered. That she'd kept her word to him even when he'd have no clue if she broke it. It was very… honorable of her. "I agree. Now that Klaus has arrived, we need to work together with them. We no longer have the time to argue. We'll make sure she knows everything when she gets back." It wasn't long that they'd stood together before the sound of a car pulled up. The door slammed as Elena entered. "Welcome back." Elijah said as Elena gave Ellie a look.

"What?" Ellie asked as she raised her eyebrows at Elena's expression.

"What do you mean what?" Elena snapped. "You told her?" Elena asked. "Ellie how could you tell her and not tell me?"

"Pot calling the kettle black much Elena?" Ellie scoffed. "Did you actually expect me to leave her in the dark when there's a chance people might die? When people have already died? Or have you already forgotten about Vicki or Miss Sheila or Lexi? Or Isobel or Luka and Dr. Martin? Or Anna and Mason? People have been dying around us because of certain decisions people have made. How was I supposed to leave her in the dark when so much was happening? She deserved the truth!"

"That wasn't your decision to make." Elena shot back.

"It wasn't yours either! God Elena! You have stood there and lied to our faces so many times without hesitation and you don't even seem to realize how messed up that is! When you found out that someone was out there that wanted to kill us for being doppelgängers you should have told me. My life was in danger Elena! We got taken by Rose and Trevor for it and if it had been Klaus that we were given to we would both probably be dead by now. Hell I could have died in the car crash when Bonnie didn't undo that stupid spell!" Ellie felt her magic scratching just under the surface.

"That's not fair! I was just trying to do the right thing!" Elena argued.

"Have you ever, for one second, considered that you don't know as much as you think you do? That you're not always right? Bonnie, Caroline, Jeremy, even Alaric, they all thought that I should have been told about what was happening sooner. Do you know why they kept their mouths shut? You! You kept insisting that it was smarter to not tell me yet, if ever. Alaric and Jenna's relationship has gotten messed up because you thought she shouldn't know! Because she's our aunt and he wanted to respect your decision but he's the adult Elena! Not you!" Ellie yelled. "You never even told me anything! Everything I learned was from Elijah and your diary."

"Which you had no right to read!" Elena said angrily.

Ellie let out a small screech of frustration as she tried to keep her magic in check. The last thing she needed to do was to cause property damage to the Lockwood's house. "We got kidnapped, Elena! And even then you told me nothing! Even when I came home pretending to be compelled you just let it slide, you didn't even question how I got compelled because you were so desperate to keep me in the dark over something that could have gotten me killed. Do you have any idea how that made me feel? Elena do you even realize that I don't trust you anymore?"

Elena recoiled like she'd been slapped. "What? Ellie no that's not fair."

"You left me!" Ellie was nearly screaming and the fire soared higher than it should have as all the candles in the room shot to life. "When Stefan and Damon came you left me behind! You knew I was there! How long did it take for you to realize what you'd done? Do you know how scared I was? Because as far as I knew I was in the middle of nowhere with no phone and two dead vampires! And with every lie you've told me, every time you looked me dead in the eye and lied like it was nothing, just dug that knife deeper. Because you act like you've done nothing wrong! You stood there and told me there was nothing else you were keeping from me, and then Isobel strolls back in and took me and Jenna so far by surprise we didn't even know what to do. Do you have any idea how far that hurt had to go for us to be to a point where we couldn't even stand to be in the same house as you? Do you know how devastated Jenna was?"

"Ellie…"

"No, don't Ellie me, Elena! Do you have any idea how angry she was when she found that Damon murdered Jeremy? He murdered him! Just because he could and just because he felt like it! And you kept bringing him into our home! You kept him in our lives! After what he did to Caroline? After what he did to Bonnie and her grams? After the countless people he's hurt and you still let him inside our home? He killed Mason! He was Jenna's friend, my friend! And what? Damon killed him because he was jealous of whatever Mason was doing with Katherine? I tolerate him right now because he'd do anything to keep you alive but what's really sad is that right now, Elena, I trust him more than I trust you. At least he's honest about not being a good person." Ellie hissed.

When the flames jumped dangerously high, almost close enough to catch fire to the curtains, Elijah intervened, taking a firm hold of Ellie's forearm. "Breathe." He told her quietly. "Come with me." He insisted. She rolled her shoulders back as she relaxed somewhat in his grip. "I think we should take a moment." He said it louder, so that Elena could hear.

Without another word, he led Ellie back towards the kitchen and left Elena in the parlor. He could feel the witch shaking in his hold and every candle they passed shot to life in response to the magic that was radiating off of her. When they were alone, he let go of her arm and she took to pacing. "I'm sorry." She told him suddenly as she faced him.

"What for?" He asked.

"I lost my temper and I was trying so hard to keep my magic in check but it's just been building for so long and I- we have more important stuff to deal with. We don't have time for me throwing temper tantrums." She sounded exhausted, though it wasn't surprising. Being that upset and keeping her magic in line wasn't an easy thing to do. He could remember back when they were human, there had been times when even Kol had struggled with such a feat. And even then, he'd never seen Kol as upset as Ellie currently was.

"It wasn't a temper tantrum." Elijah assured her as he started to make tea. He knew it would help. "That was you at a breaking point, and handling it spectacularly well in my opinion. I've seen temper tantrums, Eleanor. Klaus has thrown several over the years."

She was shaking again as he turned to face her. "I've been trying so hard to stay civil, Elijah. At least until this was over. Because if, if something happens and one of us dies and stays dead, I didn't want our last moments to be angry ones. And I'm scared. I'm so scared that she's gonna die and it's gonna be my fault because no matter how mad I am at her or how little I trust her, she's my sister and I'm supposed to look out for her and I don't want to fail my parents and I just don't know what to-"

Ellie cut off abruptly as Elijah stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. The words died in her throat as the smell of his cologne filled her senses. It was only a split second before she was hugging him tightly, like a lifeline. He knew that he was, at least to some degree. He'd promised to do everything to keep them alive, and when he'd been gone, she was faced with the real threat that he wouldn't be able to protect them.

It wasn't his usual method of helping his allies. He'd certainly never hugged the Martins. But he understood what was going through her head. That conflict of anger and betrayal over the clearly fierce loyalty she still had for Elena, whether the other girl deserved it or not. She was a good person, and she was scared to death that she might lose yet someone else she cared about. He hadn't realized her list of losses was as long as it was, and it explained a lot about why she was struggling the way that she was. "It's going to be alright." Elijah promised.

As the kettle began to whistle, she pulled away. "You can't promise that for certain, but I do feel better that you're here." She told him and stepped back as he finished making the tea both for her and for himself.

Once she'd finished her cup, and her breathing had calmed, he asked, "Are you ready to go back in there?"

"I think so." She said as she stood. "And thank you, honestly, for doing all of this. I think something would have exploded had she and I not been separated."

He gave her a small smile as he replied, "Well, wouldn't want that now would we?" She put out the candles as they passed and when they stepped into the parlor, Elena still looked to be a bit in shock. "Now, shall we get back to our discussion from before you had to leave?"

Elena nodded softly. "Tell me." Elijah made sure that he and Ellie sat on the sofa together, leaving Elena to the chair. "What is Klaus' curse?"

"My family was quite close, but Klaus and my father did not get on too well. When we became vampires, we discovered the truth. Klaus was not my father's son." Ellie's eyes went wide at the revelation. It was helpful in distracting her from her own emotions. "My mother had been unfaithful many years before. This was her darkest secret. Klaus is from a different bloodline. Of course, when my father discovered this, he hunted down and killed my mother's lover and his entire family. Not realizing, of course, that he was igniting a war between species that rages until this day."

Elijah had stood, walking over to the fireplace, as Ellie understood the implication of what he was saying. "A war between the species?" Elena asked in confusion and Ellie swallowed the annoyance she felt.

"The vampires… and the werewolves."

Ellie watched Elena process the information from the corner of her eye. "So Klaus' real father was from a werewolf bloodline? What does that make Klaus? A werewolf? Or a vampire?"

"He's both." Ellie said, almost more to herself than to them. She spotted Elijah nod in confirmation.

"A hybrid would be deadlier than any werewolf or vampire. Nature would not stand for such an imbalance of power. Therefore the witches, the servants of nature, saw to it that my brother's werewolf side would become dormant." Elijah said.

"That's the curse that Klaus wants to break?"

"He wants to trigger that part of him that's a werewolf. If allowed, Klaus would sire his own bloodline. He'd build his own race. Endangering not just vampires, but everyone." Elijah told them.

"But you helped him." Elena said and Ellie wasn't sure if that was an accusation in her voice or not.

"I helped him because I loved him." Elijah told her. "That's changed, now he must die."

Elena stepped towards him. "We have the dagger now. We can stop him."

Ellie scoffed as she rose from her seat. "Don't you think if it was that simple, that Elijah would have done it by now? If that was all it took, he wouldn't have needed us."

"When a werewolf is wounded by silver, it heals. An Original can't be killed by anything but white oak ash on a silver dagger. So you see the conundrum. The dagger does not work." Elijah explained.

"What, are you saying that Klaus can't be killed?" Elena asked.

"There's one way to kill any supernatural species… at the hands of the servants of nature themselves."

"A witch." Elena said in understanding. "If they can channel that much power. But it would kill them."

"The curse must be broken during the full moon. When Klaus is in transition. That's when he'll be at his most vulnerable. A witch with enough power can kill Klaus."

"What if I told you that I knew a witch that could channel that much power?" Elena asked.

"Then I would tell you there's one more thing you should know." Elijah replied. "Back when Katerina was human, the witches found a way to save her, to bring her back after the sacrifice. A potion for her to ingest before the ritual that would resurrect her."

Elena looked between the two of them in shock. "You actually found a way to save the life of the doppelgänger? Ellie mentioned it, but I don't think I really believed it."

"Yes, Elena. I did." Elijah told her.

"I told you I would never let this happen without a plan to keep us both alive." Ellie reminded her.

"But unfortunately, Katerina took matters into her own hands first. I believe you already know how that played out." Elijah said as he offered both the girls their jackets.

"You cared about her, didn't you?" Elena asked softly.

"It's a common mistake, I'm told. It's one I don't intend to make again." Elijah said. Ellie wondered if what he'd felt for Katherine had been more than just a friend. Probably so. She tried to not think about why it bothered her. She'd yet to tell anyone that she and Katherine had become friends, with the blowout she'd just had with Elena, now probably wasn't the best time. She followed him out to Elena's car and took the keys from her sister. It was petty, but she felt a touch satisfied when Elijah had opened the door for her, but not Elena. Maybe it was just because Elena was much farther behind them. "I think it's time we return to the boarding house."

Ellie nodded and they drove in silence. When they arrived, Ellie stood with Elijah on the outside of the house. "So our deal is back on?" Elena asked.

Elijah and Ellie shared a look and when Ellie nodded, he confirmed. "Yes."

"Then, Elijah, please come in." Elena said. As they entered, Ellie picked up on the sounds of a fight. "Stop!"

There was a heavy moment as silence filled the room. "Now you've invited him in?" Damon asked in disbelief.

"Elijah and I have renewed the terms of our deal." Elena explained.

"Really?" He asked sarcastically.

"The two of you will come to no harm at my hands." Elijah informed them. He stepped forward, and Ellie moved to follow on instinct. He said no harm would come to them from his hands, but if Damon tried something stupid, she was under no obligation to not snap his neck. "I only ask for one thing in return."

"What?" Damon asked suspiciously.

"An apology."

"A what?" Damon made a face.

The brothers shared a look before Stefan sighed and walked towards Elijah. "I'm sorry for the part that I played in your death. I was protecting Elena. I will always protect Elena." Stefan apologized. It didn't surprise her, he was typically better at swallowing his pride.

"I understand." Elijah replied.

Damon was still standing where he had been, scowling. "Sacrifice is going to happen, Damon. Bonnie will be able to kill Klaus without hurting herself and Elijah knows how to save mine and Ellie's lives. I told you I'd find another way. And I did."

"Is that true?" Damon asked.

"It is." Elijah confirmed.

"And you're trusting him?"

"I am." Elena replied.

"You can all go to hell." Damon said bluntly before walking off.

Stefan turned back to them and said, "He's angry with me right now. But he'll come around."

"Perhaps." Elijah said. Ellie wasn't sure he'd come around either. But she didn't have the energy to deal with that tonight.


Author's Note:

Happy Halloween you guys! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts, they make my day. Sorry for running a little late, my computer was acting up. I'm reuploading this! Please leave a review to let me know if you guys can see it this time!

To brigitcharlesmatthew: It's definitely a slow burn, because I want them to be a healthy relationship. They're already verging into the friend territory, because they care about one another. We're getting there. It just takes time. There's definitely going to be times she gets hurt, and her yelling at Elena was one of those breaking points she's reached, but hopefully she's going to have healthy relationships with certain someones that will protect her.

To RiRi: That means the world to me to know you look forward to it. At present, he doesn't know Ellie's a witch, so he has no doppelganger preference. I miss Katherine too man. My thing is on the Kat-Elijah situation, was that the moment Katherine found out Klaus wanted to kill her, she ran. I don't think Elijah had the opportunity to tell her, the same way Klaus didn't have the opportunity to tell her that there was a specific location the sacrifice had to happen at. I hope their moment was adorable enough for you!

To Mimi: Listen I straight up grieved for the Martins because of how badly it affected Ellie. It does feel like it's been forever doesn't it?

To Princess Aziza: Don't worry, I missed them too. Yes, she'll tell Jenna everything. Basically anything that Elijah is ok with the others knowing, Ellie tells Jenna so she's informed. Hold out hope for Jenna, I might just surprise you.

To Oz: I like Matt, and he's close to Ellie, but I could see her wanting him to know what's going on, but wanting him to stay out of it because she doesn't want him getting hurt. Elena's an idiot, so that explains her decisions. I don't think Ellie would let him get involved in the 'Let's Kill An Original' plot. Exactly. Quite frankly none of them had really done anything to any of them, so why were they so determined to kill them? I miss the Martins too. But I hope you enjoyed the Ellie/Elijah reunion!

To Aryabloodlust: No, he doesn't know she's a witch. Bonnie vs. Ellie with no witchy backup, Ellie would win. Ellie has been working longer and harder to learn how to work with her magic. So I feel like the more experience she has makes her stronger, which makes sense when you've got witches like Freya and Dahlia and Esther who were insanely strong. I'm sorry your weekend was crappy, hopefully this chapter gives you something to enjoy this weekend!

To Guest: I don't think Ellie's at the point where she could break Klaus' compulsion on Katherine, but Katherine will get away from Klaus safely, just like she did originally in the show. I'm currently working on like episode six of season three and they have gotten like a scene together thus far, but because of what's been going on with Ellie, they haven't had much time together yet. But I do intend for her to be there more.

To afralmazouei: Studying is important! But I'm glad you made time to read this and I'm glad you liked it! Listen my chapters are always pretty long lol. I think the shortest chapter I've written for this was like 3000 something words and the longest is around 8000. Love you too! I think an Ellie/Damon friendship would be really interesting, but I don't know how they'd get to that point. I guess we'd just have to see what the writing decides, but I'm not opposed to it!

To Julie010588: Thanks for reviewing! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

To xenocanaan: Yes, they seriously left her there but they did go back, but she was already gone. Trust me, she didn't forget the hurt she felt at being left behind, and I hope her reaction in this chapter was satisfying for you. I totally agree. I think Kol and Ellie would be so good. She's more than likely going to be on his side when he insists to not raise Silas. I'm so glad you're enjoying this story! I hope you liked this chapter!

-Madame Magic

Posted: 10/31/20