Chapter 72: O Come, All Ye Faithful

December 10, 2010

Ellie let out a soft sigh as she turned in the bed, the sheets twisting up around her. There was a warmth next to her before a delicate kiss was pressed onto her temple. "Good morning." Elijah greeted her. She cracked open her eyes before she winced at the sunlight that was pouring in where the curtains weren't fully closed.

"Good morning." She replied as she turned to face him and adjusted to curl into his arms. "Do we have to get up?" She asked sleepily.

"If I'm remembering correctly, you mentioned something about today being the Winter Wonderland charity event." He reminded her.

She hummed in confirmation as she wrapped her arms around his bare waist. "Yes, but I think I'd much rather stay in bed with you." She told him. It gave him a deep sense of satisfaction to hear, and not just because of the physical sense. She'd been nervous the first time, but in the last two weeks that they'd spent hidden away in their apartment, she'd grown much more comfortable and confident. "I don't want to go back to the real world. It's much more fun here."

Elijah was grinning at her sleepy rambling. "I'd have to agree. I'd much rather keep you in this bed forever."

"Oh now that sounds like a plan."

He tilted her head back to kiss her before adding, "But, I'm pretty sure that your friend Caroline would wage a war if you didn't show up. And Original or not, from what you've told me, I'd rather not risk it."

She snorted at his joke as she ran her hand through his hair. "You are, as always, right. As much as I wish you weren't. I promised her I'd be there." She forced herself to sit up and pulled the blanket up as well to cover her otherwise bare skin. It wasn't so much as a desire to not be seen, but more to keep away the chill of the December morning that was determined to creep inside the apartment. His hand traced patterns along her back as she tried to build up enough willpower to get out of the bed. "Are you sure I have to go?" She asked.

He grinned as he also sat up, though he let the blanket fall to his lap. "I'm sure. How about this; you get up and go shower, and I will fix us something for breakfast?" He suggested.

"Or you could shower with me?" She shot back with an unexpected rush of confidence.

His kiss was warm and she could feel him smiling into it. "As much as I want to, I think we would both get a bit distracted if I did."

She dropped her head on his shoulder and pressed a tired kiss to it. "Fine, fine, be responsible. I'll go shower. Will you make some coffee too please?"

"Of course." He agreed. "Now you just lay here for a minute and try to wake up, I'll turn on the shower for you so you're not too cold."

"You're the best." She grinned. He watched as she flopped back on the bed unceremoniously. Her hair splayed around her like a halo and the selfish part of him wanted to keep her in that bed just like he suggested. She looked so much better than she had before they went on their first date. As she pulled the covers up higher around her, he pulled on a pair of boxers before heading to the bathroom.

The last two weeks had, admittedly, been bliss. When she'd been sleeping after their first time, her phone had gone off from where she'd dropped it in the living room. It had been Jenna calling and when he'd explained what had gone on, with the exception of a few details, she had been the one to suggest giving Ellie a chance to recover.

It had been Jenna's idea to give them a chance to hide away for a while. Both Elijah and Jenna had been worried that Ellie would protest the idea, but miraculously, she hadn't. She'd agreed to take time to recover under the condition that Jenna would keep her updated and that Jenna would call her if there was any kind of emergency. He turned on the shower and it wasn't long before the water was nearly scalding. One thing he'd learned was that she absolutely loved hot showers and baths. He returned to see her dozing off once more. "Come on, love." He urged gently. "You've got to get up."

She groaned sleepily and stretched. He watched as her back arched as she lifted her arms above her head and he forced the feelings of desire down. There would be time for that later. "Alright, alright. I'm up." She sighed.

"Good, I'll get started on breakfast." He replied. He exited the room as she forced herself to sit up. He was almost done with the food when she emerged from his room. He grinned at the sight of her wearing one of his button ups shirts. It only had a few buttons done in the middle to keep it from coming open and her skin had been flushed with a pink tint from how hot her water had been. She'd dried her hair before she came out and left it in loose waves. If he were honest, she looked maddeningly sexy. She walked over to where he was standing at the stove and wrapped her arms around his waist as he cooked.

"Do you think the world's fallen apart since I've been gone?" She asked curiously.

"No. While it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if one of your friends has done something incredibly reckless, if the world was falling apart, Jenna would have called." He reminded her.

"That's true. Thanks for the reminder." She said gratefully.

"Sit. Eat." He instructed.

Unable to resist, she grinned and shot back, "Yes sir."

"Eleanor." He said in warning. "We have places to be today." She looked incredibly pleased with herself as she did as she was told.

"So that means you're coming with me?"

He nodded as he passed her a cup of coffee. "That was my intention, yes. If Caroline is there, Klaus will most likely show up. Since our attempts at a locator spell have been unsuccessful, Klaus has obviously utilized one or more of his backup witches. I want to know why my brother has gone through so much trouble to keep her out of his way."

"I hope he realizes that she's going to kill him. And I've yet to decide if I'm going to help her or not." Ellie told him. "It's just driving me insane that I can't get past whatever stupid cloaking spell is on her."

Elijah took his hand in hers, tracing patterns across her knuckles. "You've been wearing yourself thin for weeks. You needed time to recuperate. Rebekah wouldn't blame you for that. If she tried then I would handle it." As they ate, Ellie contemplated what he said. He was right, at least part of her acknowledged that. She was worn out from everything, and she knew she felt a lot better after resting, not only physically and magically, but emotionally as well.

Once they finished eating, Ellie took his plate before he could get up. "You go ahead and shower, I'll clean up." She offered. "I should stop by the house since we have time before we need to be at the square. I'm sure Jenna has jokes I'm sure she's dying to make."

"That's fine by me. I'll stop by Klaus' mansion to see if he's there before I go to get my donation for the event." Elijah replied. While he had undoubtedly returned to his mansion sometime in the past two weeks, Elijah hadn't been inclined to leave the apartment unless absolutely necessary. There was a chance that Rebekah would be furious with him for letting her remain daggered, but without Ellie's locator spell working, there was every chance in the world that Klaus shipped her off across the country if it meant that she was out of the way. Even if she was close by, there were a thousand places that Klaus could have stashed her away and Elijah might search endlessly without ever even coming close to finding her. She kissed him quickly before he headed for the shower.

It only took a few minutes for her to wash the dishes before she headed back to the bathroom to get ready. She spared a glance at his figure in the shower. She was partially embarrassed by the desire that rushed through her before she forced it down. It wasn't her fault that the shower was mostly see-through and left just enough visible for her to appreciate it. She assumed her reaction was just a stronger version of the same thing she'd felt after they'd kissed for the first time. It was like a switch had been flipped and she just kept wanting more.

Depending on how long she was at Jenna's, she wouldn't have time to get dressed before she needed to be at the square. Elijah finished with his shower quickly, and she was unsurprised with how good she thought he looked with a towel casually wrapped around his waist. "You're staring." He commented.

"Not my fault." She shot back. "You look too good to not."

He kissed her hairline, careful not to mess up the makeup she was putting on. "I'm very much enjoying this new confidence that you've got. I hope it doesn't go anywhere." He replied. "It is quite an attractive look on you."

If the compliment wasn't enough to give her butterflies, the heady look he was giving her was. Unsure of how exactly to respond, she opted to say, "We have places to be today, remember?"

"I remember." He confirmed, though the look was still there. He didn't act on it. Instead, he headed back into the bedroom to get dressed. By the time he returned to the bathroom, Ellie had finished her hair and makeup and the intensity had passed, settling back into the comforting domesticity that they'd developed. "What time do you want me to meet you?" He asked as he followed her back into the bedroom.

"Maybe around twelve, or maybe one. I'm not entirely sure how long it's going to take if Jenna's got stuff she needs to fill me in on. She promised that she would call if there was an emergency, but that doesn't mean that a million things haven't happened that I need to be filled in on." Ellie informed him as she pulled out the dress she wanted.

She didn't bother to cover herself from him as she changed clothes and despite it not being the first time he'd seen her naked now, it was incredibly pleasing to him that she felt comfortable around him. As she slipped on the dress he offered, "Would you like me to zip you up?"

Ellie turned toward him slightly, and he could see the small smile on her face. "Yes, please." He approached her and carefully moved her hair over shoulder before running his hand down the exposed skin of her back. She swallowed hard as he reached the base before he took the zipper and zipped the dress up. "Thank you." She replied, though her voice was softer than before.

"It was my pleasure." He assured her. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder before replying, "We should both get going so that we have time before the event starts."

"You're right. You can go ahead. I've just got to grab my shoes and purse and then I'll be gone in a minute." She told him. He nodded in agreement and was gone by the time she found the right pair of shoes. A quick text to Jenna revealed that she was at Katherine's house and then Ellie was on her way. When she arrived, she let herself in like she normally did. "You're watching Scream?" She asked them.

"Billy Loomis is hot." Katherine commented casually as she offered up a bowl of popcorn to the witch. "Popcorn?"

"No thanks, I already ate. Is the only thing you care about how hot the guys are?" She joked.

Katherine rolled her eyes as Jenna paused the movie. "No, but it doesn't hurt anything. Nice to know Elijah didn't kidnap you."

Ellie walked over to the large armchair and plopped down. "He didn't kidnap me. And it was Jenna's idea in the first place." Ellie informed her.

"Well, I'm glad that I did. You look like you feel better." Jenna replied.

"I do feel better. I'm just annoyed that I can't find Rebekah."

Jenna gave her a curious look. "Please tell me you didn't spend the last two weeks trying to find her?"

"No. Elijah wouldn't have let me. Though I did try a locator spell once or twice and it just wouldn't break through. Elijah suggested that it was because I still wasn't back to normal as well as the fact that we don't know how many witches have cloaked Rebekah." Ellie told her. Both she and Jenna caught the strange look that Katherine was giving Ellie. "Oh for the love of god, what is it?"

Katherine's expression shifted to one of shock and pride. "You slept with him."

"What?" Jenna asked as her eyes widened.

Jenna was looking Ellie over as she tried to find whatever it was that Katherine had noticed. "She winced when she dropped into the seat." Katherine said smugly. "Is our little princess sore?"

"Oh my god shut up!" Ellie hissed as she tossed a pillow at the vampire.

Jenna's entire demeanor shifted into one of shock. "No way." She said.

"I am so wildly uncomfortable right now." Ellie groaned.

"At least you don't have to worry about getting knocked up like I did." Katherine joked.

"Katherine!" Ellie yelped as her skin flushed vibrantly. "Please for the love of god shut up." She repeated.

Katherine was laughing in amusement. "What? I'm not wrong. He's dead, so that's about the safest sex you can have." Jenna had recovered from her shock and had started to grin. "Oh come on, you fall off the face of the earth for two weeks and come back glowing and you don't expect me to dig the details out of you?"

"I am not glowing."

"You're glowing a little bit." Jenna teased.

"I hate you both." Ellie whined. She wasn't embarrassed that she slept with him, nor did she regret it, but she was a bit flustered that Katherine noticed so quickly. "I'm not that obvious am I?" She questioned.

The vampire gave her a sympathetic smile. "No. The only reason I caught it was because of the way you winced when you dropped down. So, if you don't want little nosy Elena to catch on, I'd recommend not doing that."

"If I'm lucky, I won't cross paths with her today. Elijah's my date to the charity event and I don't really want to deal with her." Ellie replied.

"You should be fine. Elena went up to the cabin with Damon and Bonnie. Apparently Bonnie has her Professor Shane dude trying to help Jeremy figure out how not to kill Elena." Jenna explained. "So you should be in the clear."

Ellie relaxed slightly. "Ok. How is he? I feel like I haven't been there enough for him since everything."

"The hunter's mark getting triggered was not your fault. It was Elena's fault for being a dumbass that doesn't know how to listen." Katherine reminded her. Both Ellie and Jenna gave her a look. "I'm just saying." She shrugged. "I'm not going to let you blame yourself for something Elena did."

"Fair enough." Ellie replied.

Jenna turned back to Ellie and said, "And as for Jeremy, he's fine. When he's not around vampires he's totally normal. I've been texting with him since he went up there. He's fine."

Ellie was grateful for their willingness to slide back into regular conversation instead of her sex life. "Jenna, are you coming to the charity event?"

"Yeah. I promised Liz I would. She hates these kinds of things and apparently it's a whole lot less miserable when you've got a friend there." Jenna agreed.

"Well, I would go, but given that both Klaus and Elijah will likely be there, I'd rather not die today." Katherine joked.


After Jenna and Katherine filled Ellie in on everything that she had missed that they were aware of, Jenna got dressed and they headed for the square. It looked beautiful, unsurprisingly. Mayor Lockwood paid just as much attention to the details as Caroline did. Ellie checked the time on her phone as she looked around. "Looking for Elijah?" Jenna asked curiously.

"Yeah. We were supposed to meet around now, but I forgot to really give a specific place as to where." Ellie explained.

Jenna spotted Elijah before Ellie did. He was looking at her niece with a fondness that could make any girl swoon. If she had to put a label on it, she would call it love. He caught her eye and gave her a nod of acknowledgement before he made his way over to them. "Eleanor." He greeted as he pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. "Jenna."

"Hi, Elijah." Jenna greeted casually.

She watched as Ellie turned to face him and beamed up at him. "Hey." Ellie said and Jenna watched as Ellie settled into his side like it was where she belonged. "Did you get your donation settled?"

"I did. Mayor Lockwood was quite pleased." He confirmed. "Jenna, you look lovely as always."

"Thank you." Jenna replied. "Ellie looks like she's feeling better, so whatever you did, I appreciate it."

Elijah nodded. "She deserved the rest." He replied.

"Did you see Klaus?" Ellie asked as she tried to change the subject.

"He was already gone by the time I arrived at the mansion, undoubtedly already on his way here." Elijah told her.

Jenna watched Ellie as she stepped closer toward Elijah, before she started to glare at something that Jenna didn't see. Her curiosity was quickly quelled when Klaus made his appearance. "Hello love, you look to be in a foul mood. Are you not in the mood for festivities? Mayor Lockwood would be disappointed with how much work she clearly put into it."

"I'd be in a much better mood if you undaggered Rebekah." She said bluntly.

"Now, now, you know I can't do that." Klaus told her. "She would only risk the plan, and if we want to help Elena, you don't want that do you?"

"She's going to be pissed at you and all you're doing is making it more likely for her to be angry enough to do something to sabotage your plans. And maybe if you didn't routinely screw her over she wouldn't want to sabotage you in the first place!" Ellie hissed quietly, trying to not draw attention from the people around them. "I have tried to find her for weeks, Klaus. What the hell did you do that I can't find her?"

What she wasn't expecting was for him to look confused. "You've tried locating her?" He asked.

"Oh come on, you can't be surprised that I looked for her." Ellie sassed.

"Of course not. I expect nothing less from you love, though I am a bit surprised you couldn't find her." Klaus replied.

Ellie frowned slightly. "What? Are you going to tell me that you don't have a witch cloaking her?"

When Klaus didn't respond immediately, Elijah asked, "Niklaus, are you cloaking Rebekah or not?"

"How long have you been trying to find her?" Klaus questioned.

"Weeks now. Where the hell is she?"

"Safe, don't you worry your pretty little head about it." Despite that, Ellie didn't miss the way that Klaus didn't answer the question of whether or not he had someone cloaking Rebekah. He and Elijah turned their heads towards something behind Klaus. "Well, that's Mayor Lockwood calling for me, so I'll be off. It was lovely to see you Ellie, Jenna." He gave his regular cheeky grin before he walked away.

Jenna looked just as confused by the interaction as Ellie felt. "Did anyone else notice that he didn't answer Elijah's question about whether or not he was cloaking Rebekah?" Ellie asked curiously as she watched the hybrid's retreating figure.

"Nope, I definitely noticed that. God, do you think he'd let me do a psychology study on him? He would be an absolutely fascinating case study." Jenna commented casually.

Both Ellie and Elijah laughed at the thought. "I think you'd need a few hundred years to work through all that trauma, Jen. But I'm sure you could write a book or five on him." Ellie retorted.

Elijah chuckled at her sass. "I'm sure you could, Jenna." He agreed.

Jenna, being as observant as ever, noticed the way that Ellie and Elijah were awfully close to one another, but other than the hand that was resting on the small of Ellie's back, they weren't touching. Unable to help her nosiness, she asked, "Why are you two standing like that?"

They turned to look at her simultaneously. "Standing like what?" Ellie asked.

"Like you want to touch each other but you're too chicken to do it." She replied.

The dynamic between the aunt and niece never failed to amuse Elijah. It reminded him of the dynamic his siblings shared before they changed. "It might draw unwanted attention for Eleanor and I to be too openly affectionate when the majority of this town is under the impression that I'm just a book writer." Elijah explained.

Ellie's attention was shifted from the conversation to Caroline who looked like she could see someone on fire with her glare with how upset she looked. "Hey, I'll be back soon guys. I'm gonna go talk to Caroline." She didn't wait for them to reply, mainly because she was worried she would lose sight of Caroline. "Caroline! Care!" She called.

The blonde whipped around and locked on to Ellie in an instant. "Thank god you're here. I'm surrounded by dumbasses. Come on." She took a hold of Ellie's arm, pulling her away from everyone else.

"What's going on? Why do you look like you're going to murder someone?"

"Because Tyler's a dumbass that's why!" Caroline huffed. "I'm sorry. I'm just… he and his hybrids have this insane plan and apparently none of them have even considered the thought that it could go wrong."

"Wait what plan?" Caroline suddenly looked reluctant. "Wait, no, Caroline, what plan?"

The blonde twisted her hands as she explained, "Tyler and the hybrids are planning on taking down Klaus by doing the Klaus body jump special and putting Klaus back into Tyler and then burying Tyler in cement so that the hybrids have time to get as far away as possible."

For a moment, Ellie couldn't even think of anything to say. As her shock subsided slightly, she asked, "Are you fucking kidding me? Tyler does realize that Klaus will kill him right? Has no one learned anything from Katherine? Running isn't going to save them. He will kill everyone they have ever met if they cross him like that."

"I know." Caroline agreed.

"Listen, I don't want them basically being his slaves either, but they're not thinking this through. They're all thinking in the short term, but Klaus is a thousand years old. I don't think he thinks about anything but the long term anymore. It's like trying to play checkers when your opponent is playing chess." Ellie practically ranted.

"I know. And it doesn't really help anything that, apparently, Klaus has the very literal key to decoding the hunter's map. From what Stefan told me, the sword that Rebekah buried with her old lover literally has a key to tell us how to get to the cure, and if they take out Klaus before we can find it, then we're screwed."

Dread rushed over Ellie. The only thing that had kept her from really losing it was the possibility of curing Elena from being a vampire. If the hybrids took that away… "Listen, I will try to find Tyler and talk him out of this. You try and get a hold of Stefan to find that sword."

She started to walk away when Caroline caught her arm. "I'm sorry. This is the first time I've seen you in weeks and I'm in freak out mode. The hybrids can't do anything while Klaus is still in public, so I've at least got time to take a second and ask how you are. Jenna filled me in and told me that you were taking some time with Elijah to recover. You look better. How are you?"

Her concern was touching and unsurprising. Caroline had always been a worrier, even if she wasn't always the best at showing it. "Yeah, I feel better. But I feel like there's stuff I've missed because of it."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. But I mean, at least Jenna told you about the sire bond." Caroline replied.

"What sire bond? About the hybrids?" Ellie asked in confusion.

Caroline paled. "Wait, you don't know about the sire bond? Jenna didn't tell you?" She made a face before questioning, "Did anyone even tell Jenna?"

"Caroline what sire bond?" Ellie asked carefully. "What are you talking about?"

"Ellie… Elena's sired to Damon."

It felt like the wind had been knocked out of Ellie as she looked over to her friend in shock. "Tell me you're joking." Ellie replied. "What do you mean she's sired to him? How the hell did that happen?" She hissed sharply as she felt panic rise in her throat. Why did something always have to happen when she took five minutes for herself?

Caroline pulled her even farther away from the crowd as she explained, "Damon's blood is what was used to turn her, and apparently since she had feelings for him before she turned, that somehow created a sire bond between them. Everything he's wanted, she's done and no one has any way of knowing if the things she's done has been because she actually wanted to or if it's just because it's what he wanted."

"Like the dress… she hated the red until Damon wanted her to agree with him."

"Exactly like the dress. Stefan and Damon tried to find a way out of the sire bond, but there isn't one. Apparently some witch told them the only way to free Elena would be to make her forget about him and to never see him again."

"That doesn't sound like a problem." Ellie quipped.

"Apparently, he's supposed to have told Elena to stay away from him until we can get our hands on the cure. Once she takes it, the sire bond should break. But if Tyler takes down Klaus before we can get the sword to find the cure, then we can't help Elena."

"How long have you known about this?" Ellie asked as she tried to remain calm.

"About two weeks." Caroline admitted.

Ellie ran a hand through her hair, messing up the waves slightly. "Ok, listen, you try and help Stefan to try and find the sword and I'll try to stop Tyler. I'll talk to Elijah, try and get him to stall Klaus or something." Ellie felt sick. "I've got to find Elijah. And Jenna. I have to tell Jenna what's going on with Elena." She suddenly wished that she had let Elijah keep her in bed.

"Are you going to be ok?" Caroline asked worriedly.

"Yes." A lie. "I'm fine." Another lie. "I'm just going to go find Elijah and Jenna." There was pain in her chest as she tried to stop herself from hyperventilating. She couldn't let Caroline see her freak out. She had enough to deal with already. Her magic searched for Elijah frantically and she let it lead her as quickly as she could manage without catching the attention of everyone else.

She had to keep it together. Find Elijah and Jenna and tell them what's happening. Then find Tyler and try to talk some sense into his deluded brain. Stay as far away from Klaus as possible. And no matter what, not to have a panic attack. She kept running through the list in her mind. The repetition was somewhat soothing, but she could still feel her pulse thrumming under her skin. Where was Elijah? Why the hell was he so far away? The sooner she could find him, the better.


After Ellie had filled Elijah and Jenna in on what she'd learned from Caroline, Elijah had agreed that it would be best for her to try and find Tyler to talk him out of it before giving her his word that he wouldn't tell Klaus what the hybrids were planning unless he had no choice. She didn't know who she was worried more about; Klaus or Tyler. When had Tyler even come up with this plan? Or had it been someone else's idea?

She'd stretched her magic out as far as she could reach, looking for Tyler. But she couldn't find him or Klaus. She could feel Elijah in the distance, as well as what felt to be a couple of hybrids, but no one else. Where had Caroline gone? Did she leave to find Stefan? The last text she'd sent had said that Stefan was meeting her near The Grill. Finally, she came across Mayor Lockwood, who looked like she was upset but trying to hide it. "Mayor Lockwood!" Ellie called. "Hey, do you know where Tyler is? I've been looking for him everywhere."

The Mayor gave her a sad smile. "No, but I talked to him earlier. Do you know what's going on?"

"I do, and I'm trying to talk some sense into him." Ellie admitted.

"Honey, I know you care about Klaus, but after everything he's done to Tyler and those poor hybrids…" Mayor Lockwood tried.

"I know, I'm not saying I don't want them to get away from Klaus, but… if they make even one mistake, Klaus will not be forgiving. I don't know where Tyler got this idea, or if he's even actually got a witch strong enough to do the spell. But no matter what, he's not thinking about the fact that at some point, Klaus will be back in his own body and then there will be hell to pay." Ellie replied. "I'm not saying that to scare you, I'm just trying to get Tyler to think about this. You know how he gets. He gets an idea that's half thought out and then he acts before thinking about the consequences."

Mayor Lockwood looked understandably worried. "Tyler's just trying to do the right thing." She said softly.

Ellie squeezed her hand and said, "I know he is, but I know Klaus better than he does, and this is not the way to get out from under Klaus' thumb. If you find Tyler, will you please tell him to call me before he does anything?"

"Of course. Be careful, Ellie." There was an intensity to the Mayor's gaze that only a mother could give and it made Ellie's heart ache for her mom. Like Tyler, and his father, some people thought the Mayor could be a bit much, but she was such a loving person. After Ellie had lost her parents in the crash, she had been so gentle with Ellie. Like Sheriff Forbes, Mayor Lockwood had been like another mother to her and always tried to make sure she was ok.

Tyler's plan to stop Klaus made her think of Katherine and Ellie thanked her lucky stars that she was already out of Mayor Lockwood's line of vision with the way she stopped abruptly. When Katherine had upset Klaus, her entire family died. There was every chance in the world that Klaus would kill the families of every single one of those hybrids as punishment if he didn't kill them. She sent a worried text to Caroline. As much as she didn't want to let Caroline know that she was freaking out, having reassurance would be nice. Just before her panic for Caroline started to set in, her phone buzzed. Oddly enough, it was like Caroline had sent a text before she meant to. All it said was:

CEL

She didn't know why that was all the message read, or why it was capitalized. It was when she tried to call Caroline that she started to get worried. It immediately went to voicemail as if her phone was dead, but Caroline almost always made sure she had a full charge before big events. Unease crept its way into her throat and she hastily made her way to the police station. She breezed past the officers, heading straight for Sheriff Forbes' office. The older woman wasn't there, which Ellie had expected, but she had the maps that Ellie needed.

Once she had the map, she spread it across the desk before going through the desk to find the small comb that Sheriff Forbes kept. Since she wasn't using blood, she took a small handful of dirt out of the pot a small set of flowers were in and let it fall onto the map. Once she'd done it, she took a breath to calm her nerves and chanted, "Phasmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Sequitas Sanguinem. Phasmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Sequitas Sanguinem."

The dirt traveled quickly, moving away from the town square and into the woods. As it came to a stop, she realized what Caroline had tried to text her. It stopped in the area of the Lockwood cellar, but she didn't know why Caroline would even be there. It also still didn't answer why her text was cut off. She shifted her focus slightly, instead of the location, she wanted to see Caroline for herself. It didn't take long for her surroundings to fade.

Caroline looked furious. Her nails were scraping against her arm as she tried to keep her rage in check. Stefan was with her and Ellie knew him well enough to know that he was just as frustrated as Caroline was, but he was trying to keep calm so that things didn't escalate. "You know your plan is insane right? You're going to get someone killed!" Caroline told them.

Kim, the girl that had a bad attitude when Ellie was trying to help them, looked unimpressed as she asked, "Do I need to tie you up like I did last time? If I'm remembering it right, you didn't seem to enjoy that too much."

The blonde paused as Stefan scrunched his brow in confusion. "What's she talking about Caroline?"

"Aw, did Blondie not tell you we kicked her ass?"

"They took me when they didn't like Tyler as alpha. And if I'm remembering it correctly, he shoved his hand in your chest and threatened to rip your heart out." Caroline shot back coldly. "So maybe don't act so cocky." It was Kim's turn to look pissed off.

Ellie pulled out of the vision sharply. She didn't need to see any more than that. An icy rage seeped into her veins as she hastily put the tools away. She didn't wait to tell Elijah, she just headed straight for her car and took off. As many times as she had ended up at the cellar, it felt like she was driving solely on muscle memory. The closer she got to the cellar, the angrier she became. But this anger felt different, it felt lethal. They had hurt Caroline. Just as she approached the entrance to the cellar, a blonde haired hybrid walked out. "Who the hell are you?" He asked.

Her hand shot out, and he flew back down the stairs of the cellar. "Eric!" Someone shouted, but she was coming down the stairs before they could reach him.

"Ellie!" Caroline said in surprise.

She didn't acknowledge her friend, her focus was locked on Kim. The other hybrids tried to approach Ellie but before they could reach her, they all dropped to their knees, crying out in pain. For once, she didn't feel her usual reluctance at the thought of hurting someone. She wasn't going to kill them and she knew they would heal. But she was pissed. And since it seemed to be the witch specialty, she burst their blood vessels like it was nothing. "What the hell are you doing?" Kim asked as she tried to make herself seem bigger.

Kim yelped as she was thrown into the rough wall of the cellar. "Ellie." Stefan called her name, but it made no difference.

Her hand curled into a loose fist, and she watched with satisfaction as Kim clawed at her throat, trying to catch her breath. Caroline was saying something, surely trying to reel Ellie back in, but she had a point she wanted to make. "You listen to me, Kim. Because I'm only going to say this once. You ever touch one of my friends again, especially Caroline and it's not going to be Tyler that you have to be afraid of. And it's not going to be, Klaus. You will have me to answer to and I don't think I've got a whole lot of forgiveness left in me, do you understand?"

"I…" Kim was gasping and had started to turn red with lack of air.

"Do you understand?" Ellie repeated.

"I understand." It was just barely choked out enough to be audible. Ellie immediately released her hold on all the hybrids. Kim gasped violently for air as the other hybrids healed from the pain she'd caused them.

She turned to the rest of the hybrids, who were now looking at her wearily. "Do all of you understand?" There was a frantic reply of confirmation. "Good. I'm glad we're all on the same page." She said cheerfully.

Even Stefan and Caroline were shocked at her aggression. There was a tense moment of silence as all of the hybrids fully recovered. The silence was broken by the sharp sound of Stefan's phone ringing. Kim tried to look threatening, but Stefan told them, "Relax, it's my brother. What's up?" After a pause, he said, "You're kidding." Once he hung up, he explained, "We don't need the sword."

"Wait, how?" Ellie asked in confusion.

"Apparently, Professor Shane knows the way. He's been there before." Stefan explained.

"Then there's no reason for you guys to be held hostage, right?" Ellie asked as she glanced over at the hybrids.

"They can go." Kim confirmed.

All of them moved aside as Ellie led Stefan and Caroline out. She led them back to her car before Stefan carefully reached out to her. "Ellie are you ok?" He asked softly.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" She questioned.

"Maybe because you seemed a little too similar to Klaus back there?" Caroline replied. "You're not typically the violent type. How did you even know that they'd hurt me?"

"I did a locator spell to find you and I saw you. I heard you talking and then I just got so angry… I didn't want to do any permanent damage, but I'm starting to get tired of people underestimating me." She admitted. Stefan was looking her over as she calmed down, but for the second time he could have sworn he was looking at Katherine instead of Ellie.

Caroline nodded in understanding. "Hey, it's not like you actually did something worse than any other witch. Don't worry about it." She said comfortingly. "But thank you for the save."

"Why did they even kidnap you guys in the first place?" Ellie asked curiously.

"Because I told Stefan about what they were planning and they didn't want us getting in the way because we wanted the sword." Caroline explained. "So they took us to the cellar to keep us there until they'd gotten their hands on Klaus."

"Oh." She didn't have a good response, so she fell into silence as they piled into her car. She also didn't notice the way Stefan seemed to be forming a plan, because she was too focused on dialing back her anger. The ride back was silent and when they arrived, Ellie said, "I'm going to find Elijah. I told him I was looking for Tyler but then I disappeared and…"

"Yeah, yeah, go ahead. It's fine. We'll just be around." Caroline replied. "I should probably check on April to make sure that she's not getting overwhelmed with everything."

She left them without protest, heading to where she could feel Elijah's energy. He was looking through the crowd of people when he saw her, and Jenna quickly followed as they made their way to her. "Ellie are you ok?" Jenna asked.

"I'm fine." She assured her, though she gratefully stepped into Elijah's hold when he offered. "I didn't find Tyler, but I ended up finding Caroline and Stefan because apparently they got kidnapped so they didn't mess up Tyler's stupid plan." She felt sick to her stomach at the thought of them actually hurting Klaus. "Elijah, what do I do?" She asked quietly. "I don't want them to hurt Klaus, but I don't want him to kill them either, especially not Tyler."

This was the question he had been dreading. Partially because he had yet to decide what he wanted to do. It wasn't like they could actually kill Klaus. "Maybe putting him down for a while would teach him some manners." Elijah replied.

His response wasn't particularly surprising. She knew that he got frustrated with Klaus. When she pulled away from him sharply, both Jenna and Elijah watched her with concern. Her mind was swimming, trying to figure out what to do. "Ellie, what's going on in that head of yours?" Jenna questioned.

"If I let them take down Klaus, I break his trust and he will never forgive me. But if I tell Klaus, he will kill Tyler and I've lost too many people I can't lose Tyler too." She was pacing now as she wrung her hands together. "I don't have any options where I don't break someone's trust."

"So what does your gut tell you to do?" Jenna asked.

Ellie hesitated, before she confessed, "My gut says to tell Klaus." She felt like a traitor just saying it aloud. "At least, maybe if I tell him, I can try and reason with him?"

Elijah wished he'd simply kept her safely tucked away in their bed. After all the improvement she'd made, how much better she'd felt, it was like that energy had been sucked right back out of her as her stress and fear ate at her. "We'll talk to Klaus together. Love, I give you my word that I won't let him kill Tyler."

Relief washed over her. It might have been selfish that she wasn't going to try and guarantee the safety of the others, but she knew that there was no way Klaus would spare them all without punishment. He would have retaliated against them no matter when it was. "Do you want me to come with you guys?" Jenna offered.

"No, honestly, I'd feel a lot better if you weren't anywhere near the vicinity of Klaus when he gets angry." Ellie told her.

Jenna understood, and pressed a kiss to Ellie's temple. "Be careful."

"You too." Ellie took the hand Elijah offered her and the two of them headed off to find Klaus. The sickness was enough to make her feel like she was going to throw up, but she pushed past it as she saw him. "Why does he look so angry?" She asked.

Elijah noticed his expression too, but there was nothing he could think of that would have set his brother off. "I don't know."

When they reached Klaus, he gave them an odd look and asked, "What do you want? You two haven't been particularly inclined to speak to me, so I couldn't possibly imagine what you'd want now."

"Klaus, I need to talk to you." Ellie said gently.

"About what?" He asked cautiously.

The guilt felt like it was going to eat her alive, but she didn't see a better option. They'd put her between a rock and a hard place. "About Tyler and the other hybrids." She replied.

"What about them?"

Klaus, despite his anger, watched with interest as fought herself. "They have a witch. They're planning on shoving you into Tyler's body and then taking you down so the hybrids can escape."

He had felt nothing but rage since that Hayley girl had told them of their plan, but he hadn't expected her to be truthful with him. "So you are loyal, even if that means I'll kill Tyler."

"No! Klaus, no!" Ellie begged.

"You expect me to spare him after he tried to take me down? Have you really learned nothing?" He questioned.

"They only tried to take you down because you took away their free will and used them like slaves!" She hissed. "You hated Mikael for the way that he treated you. Because he abused you and you wanted him dead. How is this any different?"

His hand shot forward, grabbing her arm and pulling her close. They were practically nose to nose as he seethed and warned her, "Never compare me to Mikael. I never abused them the way he abused me."

Elijah's hand wrapped around Klaus' wrist, removing his hand from Ellie's arm. "Do not touch her." He warned.

"Did you know of their plan brother? Were you also conspiring against me?" Klaus demanded.

"Neither of us were, Klaus."

"You will not harm Tyler Lockwood, Niklaus." Elijah told him.

Klaus scoffed in disbelief. "I truly hope you didn't make that promise to her, Elijah. Because that is a promise that will be broken." He stalked off before they could stop him.

"Elijah!" She said in her panic really set in.

"I'll stop him." He assured her. "I won't let him kill Tyler."

"I'm going to try and find Tyler, warn him to get out before Klaus finds him." Ellie told him.

He nodded in understanding. "Go, I'll try and keep an eye on Klaus."

She took off in a sprint, frantically trying to find Tyler before he went back to the cellar. She knew Elijah would try to keep his word, but she also knew Klaus meant what he said. He would kill Tyler if she didn't get to him first. Her magic locked on to Tyler's energy and she pushed herself faster, running without paying any mind to those that might have been watching her. Ellie all but ripped through the crowd as she tried to find him. She was focused enough to know that Klaus wasn't in the vicinity as she called out, "Tyler! Tyler!"

He caught her as she practically threw herself into his arms. "Ellie! Are you ok?"

"Tyler, you have to go. You have to run. If Klaus finds you he's going to kill you." She told him frantically.

"I know, Hayley already told me. I'm trying to find my mom." He replied.

Frowning, Ellie asked, "Hayley told you? Tyler, what are you talking about?"

"Hayley told Klaus. She said something about needing the others for a sacrifice and a deal to find her family. I don't know, she sounded insane." Tyler explained.

Part of her was relieved that she hadn't been the first to tell Klaus. "What sacrifice?"

"I don't know. Wait, if you didn't know that Hayley told Klaus, how did you know that he knew?" When she didn't immediately answer, he pulled away from her, looking at her in disbelief. "Ellie, how did you know?"

"I told him." It was just barely a whisper. "Elijah said that he would keep you alive, but if Klaus found out I knew about the plan and didn't tell him, more people would have died."

He looked disgusted. "You ratted us out to Klaus? Ellie how could you?"

"I… I'm just trying to keep as many people alive as I can." She replied. She didn't have a better response than that. She knew he was going to think that she'd betrayed him, and she had. Her magic picked up Klaus' energy, interrupting her guilt. "I can feel Klaus coming, Tyler you need to run and you need to run right now." Despite his anger with her, she could see the fear in his eyes. "I love you Ty, even if you hate me. Please run." She begged.

"Tell my mom I'm sorry." He said finally. She nodded before pointing him in the direction to run and he was gone.


Ellie had hidden herself away in a secluded bathroom, away from everyone else, though most of the event goers were likely gone by now. After Tyler had run, Ellie had stumbled her way to the bathroom, and promptly broke down and sobbed. Her panic attack left her feeling disoriented and drained, unable to leave the bathroom stall. Tyler was never going to forgive her, she was sure of it. Those hybrids were going to die and she didn't even have the chance to save them. Or maybe she just didn't bother. Thoughts like that were plaguing her endlessly. Hateful whispers that she could have done something, but was too pathetic to actually try.

Her phone had died some time ago, but she hadn't been able to force herself out of the bathroom to try and find Elijah. He would be worried, she knew, but it felt like she couldn't move. She wanted him to hold her. She also wanted Katherine and Jenna. Would Caroline forgive her for telling Klaus? She wouldn't be able to handle losing both Tyler and Caroline. The mere thought made her want to throw up.

She had curled up into a ball in the large stall, praying to anyone that would listen to keep Tyler safe and to forgive her for not saving the hybrids. Were the people on the Other Side that watched over her disappointed? "I've got to get up." She whispered to herself. Her throat felt raw from crying. She used the railing to pull herself up and made her way to the mirror. Her eyes were bloodshot and her makeup smudged. It felt like a pretty accurate representation of how she felt on the inside. A mess.

Despite the nausea she felt from her anxiety, she made an attempt to clean herself up. Once she looked slightly better, she exited the bathroom. She'd clearly been in there longer than she'd realized. The square was entirely deserted as she started to head back to her car. It was freezing as the wind kicked up, but she was snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of a scream followed by a splash.

"Klaus no!" She flung him away from Mayor Lockwood probably more violently than she should have. "Mayor Lockwood!" She pulled the older woman out of the fountain frantically.

When she felt Klaus' hand on her shoulder, she forced him back once more and threw up a desperate boundary spell, keeping him away from her and the mayor. "Do not make me hurt you little witch!" He screamed, but her magic was steady, fueled by her panic and rage.

"Don't touch her!" She screamed back. "Mayor Lockwood!" She was unresponsive as Ellie tried to shake her. "No! No! No!" The CPR training she'd received from when she'd been a lifeguard with Bonnie and Matt came rushing back to the surface, muscle memory she hadn't even known she'd really had. She started compressions on the mayor as she chanted healing magic desperately. After everyone she had failed to save, she would not let the mayor die.

"I will kill her and Tyler!" Klaus roared angrily, but he couldn't overpower her boundary spell.

She ignored him as she blew air into the other woman's lungs. "Come on mayor please, Tyler already hates me. He'll never forgive me if I let you die." She begged.

"Let me out!" She could feel him beating against her boundaries.

The next round of compressions were a bit more aggressive as she willed the water out of the mayor's lungs. "Come on, come on, come on!" She screamed as her hands slammed down on the mayor's chest. To her relief, it spurred the mayor to convulse before she choked on the water in throat. "Come on." Ellie urged as she helped the mayor roll to her side. She continued to chant the spell under her breath as Mayor Lockwood threw up the water.

When it was all out, the older woman looked at her with wide eyes. "Ellie?"

"Oh thank god." The sob ripped out of Ellie's chest as she collapsed into the older woman's arms, openly crying with relief.

Mayor Lockwood was shaking as she held Ellie. "I'm ok, sweetie, I promise."

"Not for long." Klaus hissed. "The moment I am out of this blasted boundary spell I am going to finish what I started!"

"No, you won't." Elijah's voice pulled Ellie out of her panic. He and Jenna had arrived with the latter looking terrified.

"Carol!" She rushed over to the two of them, checking them over for injuries.

"Love, you and Jenna take Mayor Lockwood home with you, make sure she'll be alright, I'll deal with Niklaus." Elijah suggested as he placed himself between the group of women and his brother.

It was the safest place for Mayor Lockwood to be, Klaus couldn't get in. Ellie really looked at Klaus for the first time since everything started. He was covered in blood. "Oh god." She whispered in horror. "Jenna, get Mayor Lockwood out of here right now."

"What?"

"Get her out of here. Elijah won't let me get hurt. Please just go." Ellie insisted. She knew Elijah wanted her to go with Jenna, but she had to at least try and get Klaus to spare Mayor Lockwood. He wasn't going to listen to Elijah, not when he was this angry, but maybe he would listen to her.

"Let me out, little witch." She could hear Jenna's car starting up as they left as quickly as possible.

"What is wrong with you, Klaus?" Ellie's voice was shrill as she shook. She was soaking wet from pulling out the mayor and then holding on to her and the December air was unforgiving.

"Tyler tried to put me down like a dog!" Klaus roared. "You expect me to just let that go?"

"From the looks of it you've already gotten your revenge." She shot back. It wasn't the smartest thing to be shouting at him when she was trying to get him to do what she wanted, but she was already fried emotionally and she was on edge.

"I have. All that's left is to teach Tyler a lesson." It still surprised her sometimes how cold Klaus could be.

She was so tired. "I am begging you to spare her, Klaus. To spare Tyler."

"And why should I do that?"

Isobel's necklace felt heavy around her throat. "You already killed one of my mothers, Klaus. I rarely ask you for anything. I am asking you to spare her because I love her like another mother. I can't lose her too." Klaus could feel it when the boundary spell dropped, but didn't move. He'd seen her when she'd first arrived at the charity event. She'd been bright eyed and cheerful, more than she'd been in a while. It was all gone and he felt an uncomfortable guilt. He didn't regret killing his traitorous hybrids, but he cared enough about her to not like the way she looked. Elijah was eyeing him warily, ready to protect Ellie at a moment's notice. "Klaus please." Her voice sounded raw and broken.

In a moment of weakness, he groaned and replied, "I will grant you this one mercy, but do not expect me to forgive Tyler's betrayal so easily. I will give him one chance. If he makes the mistake of trying to kill me again, I will not be so forgiving."

That was a battle for another day. She knew Tyler wanted him dead, but if she could get the mayor to talk to him, maybe she could talk him down. "Thank you." She said gratefully. At least, for now, she could keep them both safe.


Author's Note:

So, Ellie got two weeks of bliss before everything went to shit again. And we got some domestic Ellie and Elijah! Katherine is blunt as always, pointing out things even when it makes Ellie a little embarrassed lol. Plus, I feel like this is the first time in a long time we've seen Ellie actually go full witch on someone and bring out her Katherine side. Mayor Lockwood lives! As always, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts.

To Charmed2100: I'm glad you enjoyed your birthday present! I hope you had a good day! I think I watched the majority of season 1 of the new charmed, but I'll admit that I kind of prefer the original. Some of the stuff that they changed in the new one, like the set up of the Elders and the whitelighter orbing I just didn't really like, but that's all I remember about it at the moment lol. The younger sister and the demon boyfriend was cute though. Very Phoebe and Cole. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

To whataboringlife: I'm glad you enjoyed the three of them, they might actually be my favorite trio. I was squealing writing the entire date scene honestly. If Elena's ego and life got crushed, it wouldn't really be a bad thing lol.

To Guest: I'm happy for them too! Speaking of Ellie not taking crap from people like Kim, what did you think of their interaction this chapter? I think this is the first time in a while we've seen Ellie show part of her potential, and part of how dangerous she could be. They're definitely terrifying to cross. I also felt like his abuse of Caroline was overlooked, which is why I won't let Ellie forget it lol. My opinion of Damon is complicated, because if you take the Elena of it all out, I like him because he really did get some good development. But them together was just kind of awful.

To brigitm28: Honestly, I can't wait to get to be able to have Stefan and Katherine interacting again, but with Klaus and Elijah everywhere right now, she's having to be incredibly careful so that she doesn't get caught. Her being vulnerable with Ellie and Jenna is honestly everything to me. Yeah, I was trying to be really aware that some people don't like too much smut, plus there could be some really young kids reading this and I didn't want to go over the line lol. Plus, I've never written smut before and I wouldn't have known what I was doing anyways. Hayley and Ellie are definitely going to need each other when they get to NOLA, and that's part of why I'm trying to include Hayley when I can.

To Blu3b3rryT3a: They really do. Even if it's not always written, they do hangout off screen, and Jenna and Katherine hang out even when Ellie isn't there. They're definitely good for one another. Yes, Ellie is definitely starting to feel a little bolder and more confident. Elijah was definitely very cautious to make sure she was really ready.

To Guest(2): The cute scenes are a necessity with how much Mystic Falls can suck sometimes. And I'm glad you loved the Ellie/Elijah scenes. And thank you! It means a lot to know that you guys thought the smut scene was written well. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

To lolistarkiller: Welcome back! Maybe if I get comfortable I'll write some lemon, maybe not. But I think if I were going to, it would be in the one shot stuff that I've yet to really write lol. Now both Jenna and Mayor Lockwood remain among the living! But I can't make any promises about whether or not Kol will survive the stupid Mystic Falls gang. Honestly, giving Ellie and Jenna reason to leave is part of why I continue to let Elena be so stupid. Because if they weren't constantly in danger, I can't imagine them abandoning their family. They need a push to be willing to leave. But at least it's not Jenna's fault she hasn't been able to get them under control, Alaric wasn't able to either and he was involved in the plans.

To Guest(3): Oooh, those would both be interesting couples. At the very least I think they'll be close friends. And yes, yay for Ellie and Elijah!

To Emily209: Wow! 20 chapters in 2 days? I'm honored that you read so much so fast lol. I think she will at some point, but especially when everything is so insane in NOLA, she might not go to college right away. But I'd see Elijah encouraging her to go because he's just that type.

To AdiraBraelynn: They really have! Elijah is definitely dangerously smooth, but Ellie is learning how to tease him too. She's definitely starting to get comfortable with their tension. I know, the timing was too perfect I couldn't resist. I love their relationship too. And I really enjoy getting to play with their similarity while them still seeming so different sometimes. I felt for them too, but Ellie this chapter was not playing games when she found out that they hurt Caroline. She's definitely getting tired of being walked all over. Surprise! Elijah stole her away for two weeks to recover. Oh my gosh! Yes! I've missed chatting with you! It's ok, don't worry, I didn't think you were ignoring me, I knew you were just busy but I'll definitely be glad to get to talk to you again!

-Madame Magic

Posted: 6/5/21