Elena was frowning when she got in the car. She wondered how the vampire was able to follow her without Adrian or Klaus knowing. She tried to shake off the interaction she had, but knew it was a good thing she'd gotten the mask from Alice.
She couldn't just walk in with her own face, it was clear that there was something in store for her.
She didn't have to wait for long until the evening came around. She had picked the dress from the hotel store, getting help from the assistant and then convinced Adrian to drive her to the event.
"Klaus told me I'm not supposed to let you go anywhere."
"No, Klaus told you to take me wherever I wanted. I'm going to go with or without you, what if I go alone and something happens to me?"
She hadn't actually thought it would work, the hybrids did listen to Klaus, but to her surprise, Adrian had agreed.
She'd probably found a loophole.
She knew from her experience with Mike that there were loopholes. He had found one eventually, attempting to kill her despite Klaus' orders.
She didn't give it too much thought, letting Adrian drive her to the address, but kept the mask to herself. She had seen it work in the mirror back at the hotel. While she was initially going to get the red mask, she'd chosen an intricate white and golden one in the end. Her hair would be a shade of golden blonde, and she had green eyes along with a sharper jawline.
She tried not to think who she looked like.
When they reached the address, she got out of the car, seeing the looming building.
It looked more like a country club than a mansion.
She took a deep breath, before turning to Adrian, and leaning closer to the window. "I'll be done in a couple hours." She didn't know what she was walking into though, "but if I'm not back by twelve, just…tell Klaus." She said nervously, she knew there was a good chance he was inside the building, but if he wasn't, she wanted him to know where she was.
She put the mask on once Adrian left, feeling the magic wash over her, and walked down the short driveway to get to the giant double doors.
She felt the heavy weight in her pocket, and while she'd been irritated when Jeremy had suggested it initially, it made her feel safe to have it.
The girl at the front desk was looking at her oddly, but let her in once Elena handed her the card.
The hall was enormous, giant ceilings and marble floors, but it was packed. There were hundreds of people, of vampires there.
She had never really seen this many vampires together, the only time she could remember was when the tomb vampires had gotten out, but that had been twenty, this was more than a hundred.
Some turned curiously to look at her, and she looked at her hair to check that it was blonde.
Then it hit her.
They were looking at her because she was human.
But that wasn't it.
It was because she wasn't being fed on.
Because for the other humans that were there -
It was like a slaughterhouse.
She could see many people, some in the middle of the room, their wrists sliced opened, some in the corners where there were trapped and fed on.
In a particularly disturbing scene, she saw a group of vampires feeding on a girl, one who clearly wasn't compelled. Her face was twisted in pain as she screamed over and over again, her voice drowned in the music. Elena watched in morbid fascination as she was drained until she died, and then they tossed her body aside, before another girl was grabbed for the same purpose.
She turned away.
She had seen quite a few things over the last two years, but there was just something about the cruelty of those vampires that stood out.
She looked to the far end of the room to see that there was a stage set against a far wall where dancers were performing, and she tried to focus on them instead of the group.
She walked towards the bar, the lights shining brightly, reflecting off the marble floor and ordered herself a drink. She was going to need it if she was going to spend the night looking for Aya.
Before she could get the drink however, she felt a hand at her wrist, grabbing and tightening, and the next second, she was pressed into a wall, the room blurring around her.
When she opened her eyes, she saw dark eyes surrounded by prominent veins, fangs extended, his weight heavy on her, and she turned away, reaching into her pocket -
She didn't need to.
The next moment, he was lying on the floor, neck twisted at an odd angle and she looked up.
"Elena."
The stage was set.
As was the bait.
It had taken a fair amount of work, tracking down not one but two doppelgängers.
But the vampire had proven herself to be useful.
He looked around the house, it had all been done on short notice, but the Strix were nothing if not resourceful.
He knew the girl had gotten the invitation, and that she would be here soon.
Tonight, they would be one step closer to the goal they had set out nine centuries ago.
Her hands were shaking as she touched the mask desperately, wondering how he knew.
"How did-?"
"Well," he said in his typical fashion, "I was the one who told Alice to give you the mask. Now, shall we?"
"Fine." She slipped her hand into the crook of his arm before looking up to see Elijah looking at the place in disdain.
He led her back out into the room, and more people turned to look at them now
"Not that I don't appreciate you saving my life again, but what are you doing here."
"I heard there was a gathering of vampires, and decided to see it myself. I was feeling…nostalgic."
"And you just decided to have a fun Saturday evening?" She felt safer for some reason despite the fight she had with the original the last time she'd seen him. But, she didn't believe him.
"It wasn't the gala I was interested in, but the host."
"So you know whose party this is?" She asked, wondering if he could give her some answers and he turned to her, while still effortlessly leading her around the place.
"Yes, this is the headquarters of the Strix."
"The Strix?"
"Yes, a…gathering, shall we say, of elite vampires across the globe."
"A vampire club?"
Elijah sighed.
"If you must." Elena bit her lip to contain her laughter at the look on his face.
"So, what does that have to do with you? And why are they all staring at you?"
"Well, I am quite important around here." Elena frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"They are from my sideline."
Elena stopped and he handed her a drink from the bar.
"Your sire- you created them?"
"Yes, centuries ago. You see, I'd wanted to assemble minds curious about the world and eager to improve it, along with the time and circumstances to do so. My desire was to create an elite brotherhood dedicated to creating a new, better civilisation."
Elena looked at him curiously. "Was?"
"It was naïve." He looked as though he had regrets. "Eventually I was forced to abandon them once I realised I had cultivated a legion of egomaniacal sociopaths. Speaking off, where is my brother tonight?"
"I don't know, I'm not his keeper."
"Oh no, of course not." She could hear the sarcasm and side-eyed him.
"What?"
"It's nothing, it's just not difficult to miss the effect you have on my brother."
"I don't-" He gave her a look that silenced her, and she knew there was no point denying anything. "He's with Lucien."
Elijah turned to her in surprise.
"Lucien is here?"
"Yes, thought you knew everything."
"No one knows everything."
"But you know something. You know what's happening here. Whether you created them or not, you look like you're here for business, not pleasure."
Elijah let out a sigh as he looked at her as if he was trying to decipher her. "Most things do not go unobserved by you, do they? Very well, this way." He led her to a table in the centre of the room, and Elena looked around to see that Elijah was one of the only guests without a mask.
He pulled a chair out for her, and Elena could see that most vampires were walking away from them, clearly either afraid or deferent.
She looked at him expectantly, and despite the crowd, it reminded her of their time in the Lockwood manor. That was the day she had learned something real and substantial about Klaus.
"When I was last in Mystic Falls, before I could awaken my siblings, I realised I could not trust Klaus. So I compelled one of his hybrids to keep an eye on him."
"What does that - is that the reason Adrian has been so accommodating?"
"Yes, it turned out to be the right decision as well, since he was able to get close to Nicklaus, close enough that he would be the one entrusted with your safety while in the city."
"Okay.…" she trailed off wondering what that had to do with anything.
"After our mother fled, I decided to see what was going on in the world. You see, Nicklaus broke the curse that he had wanted to for a millennium, something none of his enemies had wanted. Which meant, that news of his new status as a hybrid would have had an impact on all three, vampires, werewolves and witches. But, what I heard instead were rumours about something else."
"Rumours?"
"Yes, rumours about the death of an original."
"Mikeal."
"Yes. Until then, my siblings and I were thought to be invincible, but now, there are talks about the existence of a weapon to kill an original. Permanently."
"But" Elijah was looking at her as if waiting for her to speak, "there was only one white oak stake. And it was destroyed when Klaus killed Mikael. So why….do you seem worried."
"Yes, there was only one. However, what you must understand is that for a millennium, all vampires who even knew of our existence have believed that we could not be killed. So when father died.."
"They realised that any original could be killed, with the right weapon."
"And if one existed before, perhaps another could be fashioned. The way our mother came up with something."
Elena felt herself collapse into the chair as she bit her lip, thinking of the implications of what he was saying.
"However, all these were rumours. Ever since father died, the Strix have been trying to confirm it. Only, how do you look for a vampire hunter who cannot be killed? They could not just go in search of my father for the fear of what he would do if the information was wrong. How do you confirm a death like that?"
"You ask someone who was there. But who…it was just Damon, Stefan and some hybrids."
"And?"
"And," Elena sighed, "Katherine."
"Yes. All I had to do was assure her of her freedom to get her out of hiding."
"You made a deal with her."
"Her freedom in exchange for telling me what the Strix were planning."
"What did she tell you?"
"That they wanted you. I thought it better for all our well being that you meet them somewhere I can keep an eye on everything. So when I heard Nicklaus was planning to bring you to New York, I decided to make use of that opportunity."
"So, the party is a trap."
"Yes, only now the hunter doesn't realise he is the prey."
"And who is the hunter?"
"Tristan de Martel, the current leader of the Strix. They all answer to him." Elena looked around the room again to see people dancing and enjoying themselves.
"It doesn't seem like a trap." Elijah shook his head.
"There are people keeping an eye on us."
"So why are sitting in the middle of the room to talk?"
"Because it would be far more obvious if we spoke in a dark corridor."
Elena was about to ask something when the atmosphere in the room changed. There was a sudden undercurrent in everyone's behaviour and Elijah leaned back in his seat, as she felt eyes on her.
"Nicklaus?"
"What-"
"Hello brother." Elena heard the chair besides her move, scraping across the floor, and then Klaus was sitting next to her, chin supported on interlaced fingers as he stared at Elijah.
"What an entirely unpleasant surprise." She could hear some amusement in his voice, but there was also a hard edge to it.
"And what an entirely unsurprising welcome." Elijah sighed.
"Been a while since I've seen you brother." He turned to her then, and Elena felt her heart racing as he stared at her, eyes roving over her...appreciatively. "And who is your gorgeous companion?" He moved to run a hand through her curls and she flinched.
"That isn't your concern."
"What's your name?"
Elena didn't answer him, not wanting to give herself away.
"Doesn't she talk?" He asked Elijah and she resisted the urge to yell at him, feeling slightly insulted.
"When she wants to. What are you doing here brother?"
"Well, Lucien had an invitation, and I was with Lucien."
"Why on earth would Tristan invite Lucien?" Elijah seemed genuinely confused, and she had an urge to know more about how they both knew Lucien and Tristan.
"I don't know and I don't care much. You know what I do care for, however?"
"Well, it isn't as though you've ever been particularly modest about voicing that." Klaus allowed a slow smirk to creep up before turning to her, hand outstretched.
"Her. Dance with me love?"
Elena looked at Elijah, who was looking back at her as if waiting to see what she would do, while Klaus looked on expectantly.
She didn't know what she was supposed to do, but she had never backed down from a challenge, and she slipped her hand into his, letting him pull her up and onto the dance floor.
Once they were in the middle of the floor, she really looked at him.
"You could at least tell me your name love." He said once she was in his arms, and it felt the same way it always did, even if she looked different.
"Are you always this impolite?"
"I don't worry much about offending people." He pulled her in closer to him and she barely held in a gasp. Looking up at him, she realised that being close to him wasn't always good for her, spinning her head the way it did."
"I take that as a yes." She managed to keep her voice steady as his fingers ghosted over her bare shoulders, her face inches from his.
"How long have you known my brother?" The music was almost a gentle hum in the background, something she knew was playing but wasn't quite registering.
"A few months."
"You know love," he leaned down, his hand on her waist tightening as her hand gripped his shoulder, "your heart skips a beat when you lie."
She swallowed the lump in her throat.
"When did I lie to you?" He dipped her suddenly and she could feel his breath on her neck.
"All day."
"How did you know?" She was worried that her disguise didn't seem to be able to its job. She had picked it out so he wouldn't recognise her.
"It was obvious since the moment I walked in here."
"Didn't think you were paying attention to me. You've been gone all day." She would never admit the hurt that crept into her voice, and then she was being pulled, quick enough that the room seemed to spin.
She felt a soft impact against her back as he brought them both to a corridor, leaning his hand against the wall beside her head.
"I always pay attention to you Elena." He said lowly, something almost dangerous seeping into his voice.
"You've been distant all day."
"I didn't think you wanted to spend time with me, and yet I offered for you to join me and Lucien."
"I didn't want to spend time with Lucien, I wanted to spend time with-."
He looked down at her, eyes blazing, and it was probably enough to make most people shrink away, but not her.
The intensity in his eyes was something that didn't fail to surprise her no matter how many times he would look at her that way. She wondered if it ever would.
"I knew you were in the room from the moment I walked in, it's because you and I tethered, intangibly in our very souls. You are mine, just as I am yours."
"Then why do you keep trying to pretend otherwise?" She sounded breathless as she said it, but she couldn't blame herself in the moment, not when the enormity of what he said was weighing down on her.
"Why do you?"
They stared at each other in silence before Klaus took a step back, and the spell that seemed to have been cast between them, broke. She could feel her heart calming just as surely as she could see him going back into his shell of cold and unfeelingness.
"Since when have you planned this?" He sounded…..wounded, almost. And she didn't know how he even had the audacity. "How long have you been plotting behind my back?"
"Plotting?"
"Who gave you the glamour charm? The Bennett witch?"
"Klaus-"
"Did you ever even require my help?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" She whispered in frustration at both him and not being able to scream.
"What am I - tell me how you've done all this!" He sounded desperate.
"You do not get to order me."
"Is that all you have to say for yourself!?"
"If I may interrupt." Elijah's smooth voice intervened and they both turned to look at him in indignation.
"Oh, bloody hell!"
"No!"
Elijah, for his part, looked shocked for a moment before composing himself.
"Elena has not planned anything, I have."
"And it's just coincidence she's here?"
"Oh no, that is what I'm attempting to tell you brother. Most of this has been my plan."
"Elijah-"
"And you know I would not have done this had it not been of utmost importance."
"So you betrayed me." Klaus said and she really saw him, his insecurities coming into play.
"I may have lied to you, but everything I have done has been for our family." A look of understanding seemed to pass between the two brothers and Klaus sighed.
"Fine, but you better have a good explanation or there is a dagger with your name on it."
"Your vile threats do not bother me brother. Nor do they scare me. So I suggest you fall in line, because there is something big being planned here."
Elena watched with bated breath as the two of them stared at each other, but Klaus seemed to finally agree.
"She isn't going alone."
"Well then, why do you suppose I'm here?"
"Where am I going?" Elena asked Elijah who finally turned to her.
"To speak to Tristan."
A/N - I can't apologise enough for how long this chapter took, but it was really important for me to get this one right. Thank you so much for all the reviews, follows and favourites.
I have an image of Elena's dress and her mask on my tumblr if you would like to check it out. You can find me at katherineholmes on there. And of course, feel free to message me if you like.
