They stayed like that for a while, breathing each other in, before he pulled back.

"Quite sure people will start looking for us at this point love." His voice was unusually soft as he was stroking the side of her neck, looking at her almost reverently.

"Yeah, I just guess I'm not sure if I'm ready to go in." She said frowning, she wondered if Stefan was okay, but didn't think that asking Klaus was the best option.

"Want to stay out here all night?"

"I don't think that's an option." She said, suddenly wishing it was. When had spending the evening with Klaus away from all her friends something she desperately wanted to do.

"Oh, it is. But I doubt anyone will believe me if I tell them you left." Elena tried to picture friends reactions, and had to bite back a laugh.

"They would think you kidnapped and hid me in the torture chamber you have." She said and he smirked.

"Now, what makes you think I have one?"

"You do though, don't you?"

"Yes." She shook her head at his response, not entirely sure she knew how to react. "But to be fair, any room can be turned into a torture chamber with the right...equipment, shall we say."

"Well, this is great. Really romantic."

"You brought it up. What do you want me to say? That you look beautiful? Surely you must know that by now."

"I guess." It was hard not to when he was looking at her like that.

"Well, you do look quite beautiful. Shall we?" She nodded and they walked back towards the house in silence.

She could feel him, detached as he was, as though he was a part of her, as if there was some part of her was aware of him at all times, calling out for him.

She regretted going back in, when they were outside, alone in the dark of the night, they could've been anyone. There were no friends, or family, or hybrids, no one with hidden agendas. They could be more, they could be anything they wanted. Just two people who wanted each other.

Inside however, they were enemies, the hybrid and the doppelgänger, connected to each other by a cruel fate.

Inside, there were clearly distinct lines, and she could feel the coldness emanating not just from him, but from herself as well.

She walked down the corridor, trying to find the the rest of the party when she saw Bonnie walking towards her. In the distance, she made out that Caroline had spotted her as well, and the three of them ended up meeting in the middle.

"Elena, are you alright?" Caroline asked and she felt a stab of guilt at being angry at the blonde.

"What? What happened?" Bonnie asked, looking between the two of them, clearly confused.

"Kol bit her." Caroline said and pulled her arm. "Didn't anyone heal it for you?" Elena shook her head, Klaus had been too busy feeding on her, and there was a part of her, one that she wouldn't acknowledge until she was in the safety of her bed, that enjoyed it.

"No, not really." She said as Caroline took a glass of champagne from a server and bit into her finger, handing Elena the glass.

"So where have you been?" Bonnie asked questioningly.

"Klaus took her and Kol outside so that no one would know her bit her. And hopefully, to make sure that it wouldn't happen again."

"Oh, okay. Are you'll alright Elena?" Bonnie asked in concern and Elena nodded, taking a drink of the champagne. Her friend then turned to Caroline. "What are you doing here with Klaus?" Bonnie asked Caroline and Elena looked up at the two of them.

"Nothing. I just didn't have a better dress to wear."

"And the bracelet?"

"I'll return it."

"How could you be here with him?" Elena bit her lip as she still remembered the feel of his lips on hers. Wondered what her friends would say if they knew.

"I'm not here with him, okay? He's the one who keeps...flirting."

"You look beautiful." She told Bonnie, trying to distract the witch "we didn't meet earlier, I didn't even realise you were here. That dress is amazing." It really was, a delicate creme that flared around her knees.

"Yeah, that's what bothers me," Caroline said, sounding miffed, "we're all here and we didn't know we were all gonna be going. I didn't know you guys were invited. We could've gotten ready together." Elena laughed at how normal the thought was.

"Yeah, I got a note from Esther. She said she wanted to thank me for bringing her back." Bonnie said. "And thanks Elena."

"Yeah, it's okay. But, while we're on the topic, Esther sent me a note as well. She said she wanted to talk to me, in private." Both Caroline and Bonnie looked at her inquisitively, "I want to find out what it's about."

"You have to, I mean, what if she," Caroline looked around before lowering her voice an octave, "what if she knows how to kill Klaus?"

What if she did? Was that something she could do? She thought about the way he had held her, the feeling of his heat as she was encased in it. And then she thought of easily he had hurt her friend. How he had hurt Stefan, almost getting Jeremy killed.

But he had saved Jenna.

"Elena?" It was Bonnie who called her and her neck snapped so fast she almost heard it creak.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking. It would be...good if she knew a way." She hated lying to her friends, but if they even had an inkling that she wanted to save him, she would probably be locked inside her house until after he was dead. "But Elijah told me she forgave him. So I'm not sure if she does want to kill him." That way, if she refused, she could just lie to them.

Was she really going to lie to her friends for him?

They had sacrificed so much for her, and she owed them more than her life.

But she didn't owe them his.

"So when will you meet her?" Caroline asked, and she looked around to see that there was a general fatigue in the crowd.

"I don't know. Is it already over?"

"Oh, no. Something about food. And then there's a toast afterwards." They stood in silence for a while before Bonnie turned to her.

"Elena, I wanted to apologise. I should've known you wouldn't betray us." Bonnie said and suddenly felt guilty about not telling her anything.

"It's fine. It probably looked like it."

"Okay, great. You two have made up, I really wasn't in the mood of being in the middle of a fight." Caroline said with a smile, and for a moment it was as if they weren't surrounded by supernatural. As though they weren't supernatural.

Then they heard a sickening creak.

"It's from the back of the house." The blonde said and the two of them followed her to the back to see Kol lying across the floor, his neck twisted at an unnatural angle, Damon standing over him.

Klaus looked like he was about to kill the younger vampire, but Elijah was holding him back.

"What happened?" His eyes snapped towards her and she looked away, afraid she might give herself away.

"I think Kol tried to kill Matt, so Damon broke his neck. And Stefan's gonna take him away from here so Klaus doesn't kill him." Caroline said, focusing on what everyone was seeing.

"I'm surprised the rest of the guests don't know yet." Bonnie said frowning.

"It's Mystic Falls." Elena said as way of explanation when she felt eyes on her. At first she didn't look because she thought it was Klaus, but his attention was elsewhere. Bonnie and Caroline were still talking, and she realised it was Finn who was staring at her. At least that's who she thought he was.

He left to go back in the house, motioning her to follow him. And because she was her, her curiosity outweighing her safety, she followed him back into the house, towards where the dancing had resumed.

"Elena Gilbert, I presume." His accent was thicker, probably because he hadn't been awake for nine centuries. She wondered what that was like, to wake up one day and realise it was a new millennium. She felt her heart clench at that particular misfortune, and tried to shake it away.

She'd already been burned by too many Mikaelsons to feel sympathy for another one.

"Yes, you must be Finn."

"My mother is requesting an audience with you." She felt her eyes widen, not having realised that Finn would be involved.

She recalled Klaus telling her that Finn didn't like that they were vampires.

She was almost certain then, Esther wanted to kill Klaus.

"Yes, when can I meet her?"

"We can go now, while my siblings are distracted."

"Okay, let me just get-" who would be on her side in wanting to save Klaus?

"No, just you. No friends, no bodyguards." Elena bit her lip in contemplation, she needed to know what Esther was planning.

"Okay." She nodded and let him lead her up the stairs.

"You seem different then Tatia." He said and Elena realised that he had probably never met Katherine.

"Oh."

"Yes, she was quite selfish when it came down to it," she was selfish too, she was going to Esther, despite her fear, on the off chance that she might be able to help Klaus. "She tore our family apart over her own selfish desires."

"I guess she did." She felt like a child who was being ranted at by an older relative.

"All of this has been because of both of their selfishness. Nicklaus and Tatia."

"Because Klaus took your brother out to watch the wolves?"

"Yes." She thought it was best to not point out that it was probably Esthers love for her children that was the obvious cause.

"I see you've already seen what Kol is like. You would do well to stay away from him. As for my other brother, I know he makes it look as though he can be trusted but he is ruthless. A monster." She frowned, wondering why he felt the need to remind her of Klaus' behaviour. "Elijah seems as though he is the best of us, but in the end, he is the same monster as the rest. He just hides it behind his suits and his carefully crafted words."

"Elijah isn't like that." It slipped out of her mouth, unbidden, and she turns to look at him. "He tried to save my life."

"Be that as it may, you will do well to not trust any of my siblings."

"So then why should I trust you?"

"It's simple really. My family and I are abominations, stretched out over generations. I have no interest in continuing this pitiful existence." He opened the door and ushered her in.

For all her talk, she was really naïve. She was standing in Esther's room.

When she walked into the room, she could see many candles burning, the smell was almost uncomfortable.

"It's just sage, to protect our conversations from any unwanted listeners." The witch who came to greet her at the door said. And there it was again, that fear. She wanted to turn back and run away, but she didn't have any chance.

"Elena, please come in, I'm sure you have questions for me. That will be all Finn." Once Finn left, Elena had no option but to ignore the fear that was crawling up her spine. Something was going on here, she could tell, so she decided to play along.

"How are you alive?" She said moving to sit on the couch.

"The witch Ayana preserved my body. She was an ancestor of your friend Bonnie." She said as she handed her a cup of tea. Not wanting to offend her, Elena took a sip of the beverage.

"So that's why only Bonnie and her mother could open up the casket?"

"They complete the Bennett bloodline. I drew power from them and their ancestors who were with me on the Other Side."

"So you've been on the other side for a thousand years?"

"Nature's way of punishing me for turning my family into vampires. But there is a way for me to undo the evil I created."

"You're going to help us kill Klaus, aren't you?" She said trying to sound relieved or excited, but couldn't bring herself to do so when there was a crushing weight on her heart.

"One thing at a time. First, I need your blood." She demanded and Elena felt her heckles rise, some sense of déjà vu clawing at her neck. She put down the half empty cup and stood up.

"No, not until you tell me what is going on here."

"I had wondered if you're feelings for my son would affect your decision. As a mother, it is good to see that Nicklaus has someone so loyal, but there are things that are needed to be done, and for that I require your blood." She grabbed Elena's arm, yanked off the glove and picked up an empty cup.

Elena yelled as she felt the skin on her palm split, blood oozing from the wound, filling the cup.

"The essence of this blood will be in the champagne tonight." She said as Elena felt the edges of the room blur. "Once my children drink it they will be linked together. And then my noble son Finn will make the sacrifice."

"You're going to kill them all." She said realisation dawning on her as she lost her balance, her vision blurring. "What did you do to me?"

"I couldn't have you going to my son and telling him what I've planned. After all, you are his mate."

"His what?" She registered that it was something important, but couldn't dwell on it, as she fell into the couch.

"Nothing for you to worry about, it won't matter by tomorrow night, for now, rest, my dear." She felt her vision go black, the words registering, but not making sense.


A/N : Thank you for all the follows, favourites and reviews. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, let me know what you think.

And of course, there will be more Klena interaction soon.