December 16, 998
Ayana's Dwelling

Rebekah had taken the lead in bringing her dripping friend back to her home and ushered her inside before closing the door behind them. All the while Elena hadn't uttered a single word. The fury lurking behind the angry blonde's eyes gave even her pause. It was in that moment she realized that Rebekah reminded her of Caroline. Only now did it make sense as to the reason why the two blonde vampires had almost religiously butted heads after they'd been introduced to each other. Elena then realized that she was the only person that knew Rebekah and Caroline when they were different species. Not many people could claim that honor.

Elena didn't realize until she was inside that she was shivering from her still drenched clothing. Fortunately for her, the cloth was dyed a dark blue color and although it was clinging to it to her body, revealing her curves it was not see-through. A fact she was grateful for and relieved that she hadn't selected a lighter colored dress to wear that morning. She started to untie the draw strings, but her hands started to shake from the cold.

"Ella, here let me help you," Rebekah said softly.

When Elena didn't stop her, she stepped closer after removing her belt with her scabbarded dagger. Rebekah turned her attention in order to undo the first knot. It didn't help that the water had saturated the fabric, making it difficult to pull apart.

"Bek… Bekah. H… How did you find me?" Elena stuttered from the chilled air hanging around her. The water soaked into her clothing was evaporating, but it only served to cool her down even more. She really needed to get her wet clothes off. She needed a distraction, and how her friend had found her seemed like the perfect means of doing so.

"Henrik came and found me, but he hadn't explained what had transpired before leaving to find me. If I find out that-" Rebekah bristled, but only after getting the knot undone before moving on to the next knot.

"No!" Elena shouted reflectively, then sighed at the startled, exasperated look her friend was giving her before she returned to uniting the new knot.

"Sorry Bekah. Henrik wasn't involved, he was just as horrified as you were when we caught up to each other," Elena apologized, looking at the three other knots which still needed to be undone before she could even consider pulling the dress up and over her head.

"God! I sure miss zippers!" she muttered a little too loudly under her breath.

"What!?"

"Uh… Nothing important. Just something from my old village that might have helped with these knots," Elena explained. It wasn't technically a lie but she did feel bad about not telling the truth to her friend. How could you tell someone that she missed wearing her jeans? It was still a wonder to accept that women wearing trousers of all things would be a stoning offense in this century. The jeans she'd worn the day she fell back in time were hidden within Ayana's Spellchamber. Tatia and Ayana had both marveled at the quality of stitching, not to mention the zipper itself. It had seemed like they had taken turns for hours playing with it. She could only imagine how they might have reacted if her cell phone had fallen back in time with her. I wonder if anyone found it?

Choosing not to say anything else that might be harder to brush off she waited until all the knots were undone enough for her to pull the still damp clothing over head and once free she wished that she had the foresight to stoke the fire that smoldered in the open hearth.

"Thanks Bekah. I'm just glad it wasn't snowing yet I could've gotten sick or something like that." Elena sighed, already feeling better. She was naked and her hair was still wet, but she didn't feel weighed down any longer either.

"I'm sorry about my brother, Kol. He is taking our little prank war a little too seriously. Here, let me stoke the fire a little. Why don't you find something to wear? Might I suggest that red dress Elijah likes so much."

Before she could even protest her friend moved to attend to the fire hearth and slowly nurse it from its slumber. Elena wrung out her hair the best she could, but sitting by the fire would work the best.

Rebekah, after adding a few sizable pieces of wood onto the slumbering embers, it was long before the newly revived fire heated the circulating air in the small dwelling she shared with Ayana, was warming enough to ease her poor teeth from chattering.

Elena stared, transfixed by the flames licking its way along every crevasse of the surface of the wood until she was lost in her own thoughts. She always came back to the three rings of fire with herself as the sacrificial Doppelgänger, her confused Aunt Jenna and Jules the werewolf would only wanted to help Tyler Lockwood. Would those memories fade with time, Elena didn't rightly know?

"Ella?" Rebekah repeated.

"Sorry Bekah, I was thinking about something that happened a long time ago. Did you say something?"

Rebekah was watching her and wondered if she had said something aloud, but quickly dismissed the notion. Elena reached for the red dress that her friend had suggested. It was one of her nicer pieces of clothing she owned. It was simple, yet seemed to enhance her figure.

"I was wondering what do you want to do to get revenge on Kol for the latest provocation in my, or should I say our, little war?" Rebekah asked, giving her a speculative look. Before Elena had come around, Kol had been getting his sister for years until he accidentally got Elena instead of his sister, which had just escalated things to a whole new level. Now he was facing two determined women out to teach a certain miscreant that girls stick together.

"I don't know. It's not fair that he uses magic and we can't. Oh God I'm sorry I… I didn't mean to sound so insensitive," Elena apologized again as she wondered how many times can she put her stupid foot in her mouth again.

"Is your mother still trying to coax your magical talents to the surface?" she hazarded a question that deepened on how hard Esther pressed could elicit a range of responses that reminded Elena of the volatile Original female vampire.

"My mother wants me to keep trying but with the Yule festivities she is wise enough to know I'm somewhat distracted."

"Well I'm sorry for even bringing it up again. How about as my making it up to you, we think of the best way to get back at your brother?" Elena suggested. The wicked grin on her friend's lips was all the encouragement she needed.

They spent the next half hour coming up with various ways of getting back at Kol, but none of them felt right for this joint attack. The only thing Elena had managed to accomplish was put on what in the tenth century passed as undergarments before securing her scabbard dagger onto her inner thigh. As an added bit of protection, she added a leather rope necklace with a sprig of Wolfsbane. Ric had always told her to be prepared for any contingency as remote as it may appear to be. It was when she was finally about to pull the dress over her head that she caught Rebekah staring at her legs.

"Bekah, Did I miss something?"

"Your breathtaking Elena. Absolutely beautiful. I doubt I will look as good as you," Rebekah stated sadly, and Elena couldn't help to feel both moved and just a touch of déjà vu. Pulling her dress over her head and after her dress was securely in place, she stepped over to her friend and took her into a sisterly embrace before letting her go and proceeding with finishing her dressing.

"Just give it time. I can guarantee that you're going to be a beautiful woman in your own right too. I sense that you have another question for me, too. You can ask. I won't be offended by it, I promise," Elena offered solemnly, tugging her dress into place.

"Umm… It's silly, really. Elena, don't give me that look my brother Elijah does it to me all the time. Its not fair if you start doing it too." Rebekah huffed. Elena didn't say anything, only quirked an eyebrow at her friend, finally breaking her resolve.

"Okay, just stop it! It reminds me of my brother yecch way too much. I was going to ask how do you keep your legs free of hair and why?"

Elena, taken aback by the odd question, peered down at her legs now hidden by the dark red of the dress as if they would have the answers she sought after. She knew she could lie, but in this instance she didn't see too much harm in sharing this tiny bit about her world.

"Where I come from a great number of girls do it. They remove the hair on their legs to-" she started to explain, but Rebekah gave her a look which gave no doubt that she was questioning her new friend's sanity. Elena couldn't help but smile at Rebekah's reaction.

"Seriously, it makes a girl's legs look smooth and feel attractive," she continued, not bothering to add that it felt nice, too, but she didn't want to push it.

"But why? We, and I mean all women, wear dresses so who would notice-" Rebekah started but trailed off when realization dawned. The rise in color in her cheeks almost made Elena want to laugh, almost.

"How do you remove it?"

Elena winced at the memory of her first attempt at shaving her legs. The blade had been sharp enough, but she ended up nicking her legs up fairly badly before giving up. Ayana had chosen that very time to come home for the day and found Elena with a pair of bloody legs. After she'd healed Elena, they had a nice long chat, and that was when Ayana provided an alternative. The witch had never questioned her again about it too deeply, but in light of the news she'd received this morning maybe she wanted Elena to have some personal ritual that reminded her of home. Which was forever lost to her now.

Stepping towards her bed, she pulled out a jar from a shelf near it and turned around, facing Rebekah again. Tilting the jar so she could see inside, she started to explain.

"Ayana made this for me. It's a paste that when applied to hair, it removes the hair and roots all with no pain. It lasts for about a full cycle of hair growth before it needs to be applied again." Elena said while a part wondered why witches back in her time didn't manufacture this for mass consumption, they'd make a fortune!

Rebekah remained silent as she considered her friend's explanation before finally shrugging.

"I might have to try it sometime if Mother allows it."

"Of course. Hey while we're thinking of how to get back at your brother, could you do my hair? I love how you've braided yours," Elena asked, hoping to change the subject, at least for now. She knew they'd cycle back to it at some point, but she wanted to think about other things, hopefully not connected with things she did in her own past.

"Sure! Here, come sit down over here. I think your hair should be dry enough." Rebekah beamed and indicated a chair near the fire.

Elena did as she was requested. And while Rebekah worked, they chatted about nothing in particular. It seemed they both were coming up short with an idea of getting back at Kol. So instead they talked about how the large Yule goat they constructed from straw had turned out better than either of them had expected. Ironically, Klaus had taken the lead in crafting it. Which surprised Elena that he was so gifted in artistic pursuits compared to what she knew about him in the future.

"Your brother did a really good job with it." Elena sighed as her friend pulled the brush through her hair. It felt so good to have someone do this for her since the last time she allowed someone else to touch her hair had been her mother.

"He did! Didn't he? Did you know once I was scared during a lightning storm and he'd carved a wood knight for me from a branch that had broken free of the Old White Oak near the center of our village? He said it would keep me safe." Rebekah beamed again, gathering Elena's hair up to finally start braiding it into a similar pattern as hers was in.

"Wow! I'd like to see it sometime," Elena surprised herself when she responded. She was curious as to what other hidden talents her killer had. Stop it Elena, he killed you in what was once your past think to the future, a voice in the back of her mind added.

"I think I can arrange it," she offered, pulling Elena's hair taunt before she felt Rebekah's fingers probing the right side of her neck.

"Um… Elena, what are these two round scars on the side of your neck from? I've never noticed them before since your hair normally covers it. How did you get them?" Rebekah asked, curiosity twinging her voice.

Elena froze and thankfully her friend didn't seem to notice her change in demeanor. She'd seemed to be more interested in looking at her scar. Elena thought quickly of a cover story that was partially true.

"I… Uh… Before I came here to this new land, I was attacked by a wild dog and fortunately I could get away before it did anything worse. I did get sick afterwards when it became infected but an old hedge witch in my old village healed me, but it still left that scar," she explained.

It was strange that even after Stefan had bitten her after turning off his humanity, Damon had healed her, but the scar that came from the sacrifice would always be a part of her in more ways than one.

"That's awful. Surely my mother or Ayana could heal it better?"

"Perhaps, but I've learned to live with it so it doesn't bother me as it once did," Elena said quickly. Hopefully her friend would drop it, but the way she was working on her hair told her otherwise. Desperate to change the discussion, she looked about the room she shared with Ayana when her gaze landed on the jar she hadn't returned to on its spot on her shelf. A slow smile spread across her lips, as she knew the perfect diversion, and it would help with another ongoing problem. She pulled away when Rebekah tugged the last few strands into place and peered up at her friend.

"Hey Bekah, I have a fantastic way of getting back at Kol," she stated in a calculated fait accompli tone. Rebekah was far from stupid, both in the future as a vampire and here, now as a human. So Elena knew she'd guess at that real reason for the change in topic, but getting back at Kol was entirely a different matter.

"So do you want to hear it?" Elena asked with an evil grin plastered on her otherwise innocent face.

A+A+A+A+A+A+A+A+A+A+A+A+A+A+A+A+A

Elijah felt as if he was on top of the world. He'd been so taken by the mysterious girl who looked like a much older version of his first crush. That girl who had fallen into his arms almost three months ago. And it hadn't been as a means of gaining his attention like other girls in their village try on him, especially the new settlers from time to time. She had been pushing herself to get to her new village after staying up all night, watching over a traumatized child, even after experiencing a harrowing encounter with a werewolf herself.

He had made it a point to see the very girl that had so captivated his dreams with almost every chance he could spare. Today he had made it his goal to request permission from his parents to seek a formal courtship. He'd waited too long in starting the process with her cousin and when he discovered that his brother felt the same towards Tatia, he'd become indecisive about how best to proceed.

This time, however, Elijah knew he wasn't going to let this particular brown eyed beauty to slip through his fingers. So it had proven to be both a surprise and an annoyance when he had found his own brother Niklaus alone with the girl. No, that's not right! He silently chastised Elena Petrova is a woman that had captured his heart in the short time they had been acquainted.

These thoughts were foremost on his mind as he approached the closed doorway of Ayana's home. He hoped to find Elena inside alone. It would be so much easier for him to broach his feelings for her and formally ask to start a courtship with her. Still, it annoyed him; he felt a sense of trepidation, and that bothered him. His siblings, including his older brother, had always teased him for how self assured he was always, a steady helmsman in the storm. So why now am I acting like I'm about to make my first first crossing? His mother had braved the journey coming over when she was still carrying him in her womb.

Gritting his teeth, he reached up to knock on the door when he heard two familiar voices talking inside, and his frustration grew.

"Rebekah?" he growled sub vocally. He couldn't wonder what his sister was up to. He shouldn't be surprised his sister had a habit of listening to others' private discussions. He'd found her just outside the door to their home, and the faintest hint of a smile on her face was more than enough evidence for him. His fingers itched to wrap themselves around the door handle as the other hand, clenched in a tight fist, swung back. Yet he didn't act. Forbearance was the best course and after all turnabout is only fair play and instead he listened. And at first irritation boiled anew, but this time aimed solely on his prankster younger brother. However, as he listened, his normally stoic feature cracked as a slow smile started form.

"Mother warned you that it would escalate Kol, now you're going to reap what you've sown," he muttered to himself. Not wanting to interrupt their plans for his troublesome little brother, he backed away silently, then walked away lost in his own thoughts. He only got halfway back to his parent's longhouse when he bumped into a friendly face along the way.

"Hello Tatia," he greeted, looking over the cousin of the very woman he wished to marry.

"Hello to you Elijah, are you just coming from seeing my cousin Elena?"

Elijah wasn't sure, but the look the married woman was giving him gave him pause. Does she know he wondered?

"Umm… yes, Well in truth I haven't spoken with her yet. It seems that she is currently plotting with my sister to seek retribution for the prank Kol pulled on Elena just a short while ago."

"Oh… I hope it won't be too serious. Kol might be mischievous at times but he is a sweet boy if you catch him unaware," Tatia sighed with a slight shake of her head. Elijah eyed his former crush with curiosity: she looked somehow different, but not in a bad way more radiant than anything else. Still, he was curious about her statement about his brother, and decided to take the safest course of inquiry.

"What makes you think that about my brother?" He asked, not letting his stoic mannerism lose their focus.

Tatia looked genuinely surprised by his question.

"A little devil he may appear, but he does dot on your sister and youngest brother. And I have seen him entertain some of the more frightened children with his magic while we wait in the caves during our retreat to them for the full moon," Tatia answered in a matter-of-fact tone that he had no cause not to disbelieve her.

"I… I didn't know he did that for others in our village." Elijah answered, still somewhat stunned by the revelation.

"He does," she reaffirmed.

"Thank you, Tatia, for sharing this with me. Now may I ask where you're going?" he didn't need her reaffirmation about his brother. Still, he appreciated the gesture all the same.

"I was on my way to see my cousin to tell her something, and I promise not to interrupt their planning."

"May I ask what the 'something' might be about?" he asked, worried that she might tell Elena of his desire to start a courtship with her. But she shook her head to decline.

"Elijah, I have my own secrets myself, and I promise not to reveal any of yours as well. But I think it won't be very long before either of us knows them as well."

"I see. Then I shall let you be on your way then," he said. Then made a move to step to the side when Tatia's hand on his arm forestalled his chivalrous attempt to depart.

"Wait. Elijah, while you're here I um… If you could… What I mean is, could I ask something that has been bothering me? Especially considering after what I witnessed this morning," her tone grew serious, with a measure of worry clear.

Elijah's stoicism firmly in place, he peered at the troubled girl and nodded only after giving careful consideration of how it might look to the villagers if he was talking with a married woman.

"I can but I suggest we do it in a somewhat public area but far enough not to be overheard." Elijah answered, indicating the way they should proceed. Fortunately, everyone that was around was too busy with their own problems. They walked along, making casual talk.

"My husband is quite impressed with your father Jarl Mikaelson so much that he wishes to join the ranks of the village guard to keep us safe," Tatia stated and other than nodding his head, he made no commitment to add anything further.

"I think we are far enough from prying ears. What is troubling you so that you feel the need to tell me?" he inquired cautiously. His stoic mask did belay the worried tension he was experiencing. If she knew of his plans, was she going to tell him something that would squash his desire to court Tatia's cousin? Or maybe Elena Petrova had started on with someone else? Fate or the Spirits would not be so cruel to do that to him, would they?

"First, if you feel I'm overstepping my bounds, please tell me immediately and forgive my presumptions," Tatia started leaving Elijah confused. He hadn't expected her to start off this way.

"I promise Tatia."

"I was watching your brother Nik teaching your brother how to block an attack successfully. Nik was amazing. I've seen my husband Lodur practice with his sword and while he is stronger, your brother's control of his weapon is always precise, he won't let the blade break Henrik's skin. He is that good Elijah," Tatia beamed, having closed her eyes, lost in the memory.

Elijah's mouth quirked into a genuine smile. His brother was good with a blade, he only lacked the stamina to keep hefting a blade and that in the long run could get him killed in a battle Elijah understood.

"Your youngest brother wasn't happy with repeating the same block over and over again. Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one watching, and before I knew what was going on Jarl Mikaelson dismissed Henrik and then started to test your brother again and again. But unlike when Nik pulled his strike your father didn't and-"

"I see," Elijah answered in a monotone voice.

"Elijah? I'm sorry! I've overstepped myself I just couldn't-" she started apologizing as she backed away.

"No you didn't, Tatia," he looked resigned as he glanced down at his hands before returning his attention back to her. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention."

"No Elijah thank you for listening to me."

Elijah watched her depart and knew if he confronted his father about the evidence, he heard second hand. The first reaction from his father would immediately demand to know who had spoken ill of his teaching of his own child. And would mostly escalate.

After giving himself time to clear his troubled thoughts from his mind, he decided to seek out his mother. For advice on how best to broach the subject of seeking a courtship with the woman he wishes to share his life with.

A+A+A+A+A+A+A+A+A+A+A+A+A+A+A+A+A

Elena watched Rebekah with a gimlet eye as she spooned yet another half ounce of the syrupy substance into a smaller clay jar. When she attempted to spoon in another spoonful Elena sighed and pulled the larger jar of the hair removal potion Ayana had made for her away from Rebekah's out reached spoon.

"Bekah… You know that you have enough for the revenge plan we've discussed," Elena said but lightened her tone to take the telling sting of her rebuke away.

"But… He got you all wet!" Rebekah stated her indignation of what happened to her only friend, obvious to even Elena. Still, Elena knew that what Rebekah wanted to do would escalate their little war much further than any of them intended.

"I got better. See?" she stated, holding up a piece of her braided hair. They'd found a tiny mirror that Elena could first hand look at Rebekah's masterpiece and Elena had to admit that it looked good on her.

"Ella-" Rebekah pleaded. Elena looked sympathetically back at her friend and could scarcely believe the person before her was the same Original Vampire she met in her former past.

"Bekah, I know you want revenge for what he did to both you and I but while your suggestion is certainly creative, it is just wrong. Never mind that it would be near impossible to implement on him." Elena interrupted.

"Ella… Kol deserves what he has coming to him. You know what he did with the boundary spell on my family's home!" Rebekah almost snarled in a manner that did remind Elena of who she was dealing with just as a human girl.

"Yes, I know he made you late to both dinner and then starting your morning choirs, but-"

"But nothing! If it wasn't for Finn taking pity on me that morning, Father would have been more angry with me than he was when I was late for dinner the previous night." Rebekah interrupted.

Elena felt tempted to ask her why didn't Rebekah's mother Esther simply cancel the spell when the answer was staring at her. Esther was still trying to encourage her daughter to tap into her dormant magical talent. Elena knew that she had to find a means of controlling the situation, and although it didn't make sense when dealing with an emotional teenager bent on revenge, logic and practicality might ultimately win. The added benefit that Damon would probably call her plan course of action stupid, was all the endorsement she needed.

"Listen Bekah, we are going to get our revenge on Kol but we have to consider a few things," she waited until she knew that Rebekah was sullenly giving her the benefit of the doubt and would listen to her.

"As we previously discussed, the only time you could get close to him and apply the potion would be when he has let his guard down. In this case, when he finally goes to sleep at night is the only time you can strike and I can be there to help," she paused, giving Rebekah time to digest what she has said and absently wondering if people in this era understood the concept of a sleepover but wisely chose to not follow the random thought. It would only remind her what she ultimately lost.

"So?"

"So if you are the only one of us who can apply it without raising suspicion, you'll need to be quick about it. If you tried to do his entire head as you want, it would most likely risk him waking up and that would ultimately be a victory for him and a defeat for us. But if you do as I suggest and go after an eyebrow or if you're lucky enough to get both of them, then it's a win for us," Elena explained.

"But…" Rebekah added. But Elena could see that she was still working through everything she'd laid out for her friend.

One thing she had going for her was that Rebekah loved to play games, but she hated to lose and when her brothers allowed her to win it only made the feisty blonde even more angry. The irony was it had been Kol himself who'd warned Elena about his sister and winning. It seemed fitting to Elena at the least that she used his friendly advice against him. All's fair in love and war, right?

"I know Bekah. I want to get the little turd too. But we have to decide now if we want to go so big that if we fail, we are going to have to face a warlock who thinks we can't get him or do something that will totally embarrass him. Another point I should go over, losing eyebrows is less noticeable than say losing all of his hair on his head. If no one tells him or points it out, who knows how many people he might meet in the village with him totally oblivious as to why people are staring at him so strangely," Elena beamed, smiling at her friend.

Rebekah's frown morphed into the same smile Elena had given her just before she first started to outline their next prank. Both girls couldn't help themselves and before long they were laughing about how long it might take before he finally noticed or when someone finally asked him what had happened to his eyebrows.

"Oh Ella, you are so evil, that, like you so much, it feels good you might become my-" Rebekah paused, looking aghast at herself, but she recovered quickly with forced cough.

"Sorry I meant to say my best friend in the entire world."

"You're my best friend too, Bekah," Elena smiled and took her friend into her arms and hugged her tight. They stood like that for what felt like a full minute to Elena before they slowly withdrew from each other.

"Girls have to stick together and that brings up another point. If we did as I initially suggested and got away with it, Kol will want to retaliate and what is to stop him from doing something to us. We both love our hair and it's taken us years to get it to this length. Boys have no trouble with long or short hair," she reasoned.

Elena smiled at her friend but kept her thoughts guarded. She had already considered that possible outcome and would've pointed it out if Rebekah had proven recalcitrant to her less risky plan of attack. It was gratifying to know that her new friend, a former enemy from her former past, was smart and just not another beautiful face.

There came a soft but still audible knock at the front door and both girls eyed each other, wondering if Kol was coming back for more, when she heard Tatia ask if she could come inside.