The meeting at the Mikaelson Mansion had gone better than anyone had expected. Everyone had been willing to at least listen to Ansel and Ayana's plan-that was a sort of victory. The possible discovery and subsequent annihilation of witches, werewolves, and vampires made for strange bedfellows. They did not have the luxury of being discerning about possible allies. Ansel made several good points and his plan was solid. However, few of the people in attendance were willing to trust Klaus with so much power. The original hybrid had done too much to ever be trusted by anyone outside of his own siblings. Even Cary's pack was wary of the idea.

The simple fact of the matter was that Klaus had spent hundreds of years indiscriminately murdering witches and werewolves. Over the years, the details of his cruel legacy had began to fade. However, those stories came back with a vengeance after he broke his curse. Furthermore, Klaus added to the legend by traveling across the country and experimenting on werewolves to make his army of hybrids. Several packs had been slaughtered in service of his selfish goals. He only made matters worse by killing his own hybrids when he felt betrayed by them. Klaus didn't know how to behave as a true Alpha would. If the werewolves refused to follow him, then there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell that the witches would follow him.

Naturally, Elijah had spoken up in defense of his younger brother. The original vampire had been coddling and making excuses for his brother for centuries. Lucy had spoken in his defense as well. Yet her words had been far less certain than Elijah's were. Nevertheless, her assessment of Klaus was biased and could not be accepted blindly. Lucy was Klaus' mate. She loved him even if their relationship was tumultuous. Moreover, the couple shared a young child that Klaus obviously loved. Ultimately, Elijah and Lucy's defenses of Klaus were cast aside. Unfortunately, that left the assembled group with a dilemma. If Klaus wasn't the leader and public face of this proposed council, then they would have to find someone else. It would have to be someone powerful enough to protect their people from the humans but convincing enough to also ensure everyone's cooperation.

Everyone that gathered at the Mikaelson Mansion dispersed without coming to any sort of decision about the leader of the council. However, they did decide that Ansel and Ayana's plan was their best course of action. Uniting the supernatural communities was the only way to ensure their survival. They were stronger together. While they didn't trust Klaus to be their leader, no one was naive enough to believe that they didn't need him. Having the original hybrid on your side was like being able to throw the big joker in a game of spades. Bonnie had her doubts about Klaus but she was not as adamantly opposed to him as the other members of her family were. She did not trust him but her wolf saw him as pack. There was a small part of Bonnie that wanted to believe in him. She wisely kept that notion to herself.

Bonnie glanced around the room at their friends. Damon had just finished telling the rest of the Scooby Doo Gang about the meeting at the mansion. She wasn't surprised to see that everyone looked horrified. Bonnie wondered what concerned them more: humans learning the truth or Klaus in charge. In the witch's humble opinion it was a draw. Klaus could turn on all of them at any moment because it was his nature. As a Black woman, Bonnie also knew just how poorly humans could treat people that they considered to be different or inferior. Klaus had behaved like a jerk but his point about the Salem witch trials was solid.

Jeremy grumbled, "Why weren't we told about this meeting?"

Damon scoffed, "You and the quarterback are mostly human so this really doesn't concern you. Also, this wasn't like a supernatural town hall meeting…"

Bonnie saw the vampire look in her direction. She said, "It was a family only meeting."

Jeremy looked as if his head was about to explode. "A family meeting with Klaus?!"

Bonnie lifted an eyebrow at the teen's tone. She was in no mood for his temper tantrum. She said, "Klaus is my uncle."

Elena tried to calm down Jeremy, but she stopped at Bonnie's announcement.

Caroline and Matt were staring at her in shock, too. They couldn't believe how casually Bonnie had just thrown that piece of information at them.

Sarah didn't really understand the magnitude of Bonnie's confession. Her uncles had only brought her to Liz Forbes' house because they didn't want to leave her alone. Stefan had been kind enough to introduce her to everyone when they arrived. Their friends seemed nice enough. Sarah was only a year or two younger than most of them.

Damon chuckled heartily and took a sip of his drink. "Totally worth the reaction."

Stefan rolled his eyes at Damon. Of course, his brother had told him about the connection between Klaus and the Bennett bloodline. However, he hadn't said anything to the rest of the group. Stefan didn't think it was his secret to tell.

"Klaus' biological father had a relationship with my ancestor, Ayana. They had three children. Their daughter Drusilla is the reason that I am a witch and a werewolf. She is the progenitor of the hybrid bloodline in my family," she explained succinctly.

Jeremy's anger dissipated as he tried to process his ex-girlfriend's confession. She was related to the monster that had murdered his aunt to break his stupid curse. He wondered how long Bonnie had known the truth. Jeremy was also curious about why she didn't seem upset by the unsettling news.

Matt cleared his throat and tried to make the best of this situation. He said, "But it's like a really distant relation. There has to be a couple dozen generations between the two of you."

"I guess that is true from a genetic standpoint but that doesn't really matter in the supernatural world. We share the same blood...enough of the same blood that Klaus could track me down if necessary," she said.

Caroline frowned. "What does that mean?"

Tyler said, "It is a werewolf thing. If you've been trained you can sense other wolves within your bloodline. It's something left over from the Old World, it kept us from accidentally mating with relatives."

Bonnie shared a pointed look with her mate. Klaus probably should have learned about his wolf heritage before he started sleeping around. However, Bonnie was glad that Mari had been born. Her little cousin was special. Moreover, the girl would grow to be a powerful witch. Bonnie could already tell.

Elena repeated, "Klaus is your uncle."

Just when Elena thought that she was adjusting to her new circumstances, something else changed. She felt as if her entire world had been turned upside down while Katherine lived her life. She tried not to let herself become bitter about the time she had lost but it was difficult.

Bonnie nodded with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "I think I am going to keep calling him 'Uncle Klaus' to annoy him."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Witchy, your new attitude is either going to be a lot of fun or a pain in my ass."

"Probably both," Bonnie chirped cheerfully.

Elena's dark eyes volleyed between Damon and Bonnie. She still couldn't get over how close the two seemed to be. No one could really explain how their friendship had taken shape in her absence. Caroline vaguely alluded to the fact that Damon was instrumental in resurrecting Bonnie. Moreover, he had also found a way to free her from the duty of being the anchor. Elena still felt as if she was missing some important piece to the puzzle. However, she gathered that Caroline didn't truly know all the pieces to the puzzle. Her friend had been rather preoccupied sneaking around with Stefan.

Matt asked, "This council thing that Ansel suggested is happening?"

Tyler frowned and said, "Maybe…"

Bonnie said, "We'll have to see if there is enough support within the various communities. The werewolves and witches might not be willing to work with the vampires. And most vampires are…"

"Assholes," Tyler finished for her.

She pointed at Tyler. "What he said."

Damon said, "You do realize that you are a vampire, too."

"I am a hybrid...there is a difference. Besides, werewolves are assholes, too. We are just assholes that understand the benefits of pack life."

Bonnie said, "Speaking of people that are assholes...we're going to need Nadia. She has connections with travelers and not just the ones currently planning to lower the veil. I nominate Stefan for the job."

"Why me? Nadia doesn't seem to particularly like me. She does like Matt," Stefan suggested.

"I'm sure that she does like Matt. He's a real catch. He's sweet, strong, funny, smart, handsome, and hardworking. A girl could do much worse," Bonnie said sincerely.

Matt blushed. "Thanks, Bon."

Tyler scowled a little at Bonnie's praise of their friend.

She grinned. "You're welcome, Mattie. But she also played you like a fiddle. And we can't let that happen again. It would be better for Stefan to use his charms on Katherine. We've already seen how devoted Nadia is to her mother."

Matt deflated a little but nodded. "You're right and I am still susceptible to compulsion."

Caroline was not on board with Stefan charming Katherine. The She-Devil still wanted to be with Stefan. It didn't matter how many times he turned her down, Katherine was unwilling to admit defeat. She was delusional and believed that their love was some great romance. Caroline was certain that she was already working on yet another scheme to ensnare Stefan.

Stefan cleared his throat and asked, "Did we learn anything from the traveler we captured at the cemetery?"

Bonnie nodded. "Yep. He spilled his guts easily from what I hear. Apparently, not all of Markos' followers are as gungho as he is about the plan. Anyway, Markos and his followers are moving between four RV Parks within a 200 mile radius. It's the only way to ensure they don't trigger the curse placed on them by the witches."

Jeremy suggested, "We should stake out the RV Parks and attack them in transit."

Damon was inclined to agree with Jeremy. However, he shook his head. "There's been a change in plans since we need to the travelers. We're going to send Yanko, the traveler from earlier, back to his group. He's going to help us figure out which of Markos' followers want to jump ship."

Bonnie said, "Then the witches from my family will try to make inroads with them. We hope that the possibility of having the cursed removed will be a good enough incentive."

"They at least have to realize that lowering the veil will cause the humans to learn about us sooner," Tyler said.

Caroline asked, "What can the rest of us do?"

Bonnie said, "We need people to help guard the cemetery. We can't allow the travelers to weaken the veil again. We also need people to keep an eye on the travelers in the RV Parks...like Jeremy suggested. We need to know what they are doing just in case our overtures don't work. I know most of you have jobs or school so staking out some of the RV Parks is probably out of the question because of the distance. Focusing on the cemetery would be fine."

Tyler said, "My pack can help with the RV Parks. We aren't concentrated in one area of the state."

She kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Ty."

Jeremy silently brooded across the room.

Caroline volunteered. "I can put a together a schedule and everyone can just sign up for whenever they are available. I'll make the schedule in a Google Doc and share it with you, Bon."

"That would be great, Care. Thanks," Bonnie replied.

Tyler said, "Bonnie and I need to leave. We've got some stuff to do."

Damon lifted an eyebrow. "What kind of stuff? Like...the reason you were late showing up at Klaus' house."

Bonnie's face heated up in embarrassment. "No, we're going to Ty's house. He's picking up some stuff since he's going to be stay with me for awhile."

Damon knew that his witch would make him pay for that later.

Tyler smiled at Matt. "You'll be house sitting for awhile. I hope you don't mind."

Matt knew that Tyler was actually asking him to watch Jeremy. The Lockwood home didn't require much upkeep. Tyler had decided months ago to hire a weekly cleaning service because three teenage boys were messy. He said, "I'm living there for free. Keeping an eye on things is the least I can do."

Jeremy's fists were clenched in anger. He kept hoping that Bonnie would come to her senses. Yet it seemed she was doubling down on her stupid relationship with Tyler.

"Just make sure Wolf Boy doesn't bring fleas with him," Damon joked.

Honestly, he would feel better knowing that Tyler was staying with Bonnie. He had been tempted to annoy her into staying at the boarding house. It wasn't as if they were lacking for space.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Come by later?"

He nodded. "What time?"

Bonnie shrugged. "After 7 but before midnight?"

He snorted. "That'll do."

The young couple waved goodbye before leaving the house.

Jeremy waited until he heard the door close. Then he asked, "Are they serious? They haven't even been together for a month and they're moving in together! And none of you said anything!"

Damon frowned at the teenager. "What exactly were we supposed to say?"

"That they're moving too fast. Or maybe that they're making a mistake. They're being irresponsible," Jeremy insisted hotly.

Elena said, "Jeremy has a point."

The raven-haired vampire scoffed. "No, he doesn't have a point. He's just a jealous little bastard. Aren't you dating a cheerleader or something? Bonnie isn't your concern any longer."

"She's still my friend!"

Elena said, "I think Jeremy's heart is in the right place. It seems like Bonnie has been through a lot. We don't want her to get hurt."

Stefan said, "I don't really think it's our place to tell them how to manage their relationship. And it doesn't seem like this living arrangement is permanent. Let Tyler and Bonnie figure out their situation without our involvement..."

Elena and Jeremy both looked petulant because of Stefan's gentle rebuke.

Damon pointed at his niece let's go. "It's time for your first training session."

Sarah perked up in her seat. She glanced at Stefan to gauge his reaction.

Stefan forced a smile. He had given Sarah the choice of forgetting about them and returning to her regular life. She had rejected that idea flatly. Now that Sarah knew the truth, she didn't want to return to ignorance. On one hand, Stefan was grateful that their niece wanted to be part of their lives. On the other hand, he was scared that the last living Salvatore would be killed.

He said, "I'm coming with you."

Damon rolled his eyes at Stefan but nodded. "What are you going to teach her how to hunt rabbits, Stef?"

"I am the better fighter, brother," Stefan replied in challenge.

"Aww, it's cute. You want to show off for our niece," he taunted.

Sarah chuckled at the brothers' antics. She stood up and followed them out the house as they bickered.