A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Sorry about the delay- real life, blah, blah, blah.
Anyway, I agree- the Martins are totally living on planet denial about Greta coming back to them. It's amazing what lies we'll believe when it comes to the people we love. I was not a fan of Jonas, but he definitely deserved a better daughter than Greta.
Thea awoke the next morning and ran into Luka in the kitchen, while Jonas was out on an errand.
"Morning," said Thea, grabbing a mug and pouring coffee.
"Morning," returned Luka, taking a bite of his toast. "How are you feeling? Dad told me how you took out a pack of werewolves last night."
Thea smiled. "It was hardly a pack. Just six of them."
"Still," said Luka, shaking his head. "I wish I could do that."
Thea shrugged. "You will someday."
Luka scoffed. "You know that's not true. I'm not a first-born."
"I think that's an old wives' tale."
Luka tilted his head. "Maybe... Anyway, I just wanted to let you know, I'm not mad."
Thea frowned. "Really?"
"Really," confirmed Luka. "I get it. Dad wasn't listening when you asked to find another solution."
"Huh?" asked Thea, confused.
"I meant I'm not mad about you taking the moonstone," said Luka, frowning at Thea's confusion. "Did you think I meant something else?"
Thea sighed, realizing Jonas hadn't told Luka about her whole history with Klaus, the true curse, and the reason that Greta had ended up with him.
Thea opened her mouth to tell Luka, but a horn beeped outside.
"I've got to get to school," he said. "I'll see you later."
Thea nodded, taking another sip of her coffee as she watched Luka leave. She hoped that Jonas just hadn't had time to speak with Luka yet, and he wasn't purposefully keeping his son in the dark.
She knew it had been painful and disheartening to hear, especially as it diminished the possibility that Greta would return to the family willingly, but Luka deserved to know the truth.
o – o – o
Thea's phone buzzed and she smiled, seeing it was Alaric, thanking her for her help in rescuing Caroline from the werewolves.
She texted backed, 'You're welcome', putting her phone down and heading into the shower. An hour later, the doorbell rang and she opened it, revealing Elijah.
"Are you ready?" he asked, looking dashing in his usual tailored suit.
Thea smiled. "Ready. I wasn't sure what to wear to a tea gathering, so I hope this is okay."
"You look lovely," said Elijah, smiling at her semi-formal dress and cardigan.
"Thanks... Shall we?"
Elijah smiled and motioned for Thea to follow him. They walked down the stairs to the street where Elijah had parked his car.
She raised her eyebrows when he opened the door for her, but didn't comment.
"Thank you," she said, getting in.
She buckled her seatbelt while Elijah slid into the driver's seat. They talked about the plan for the gathering, the types of questions to ask, etc. to get more information from the Historical Society's members about potential places for the witch massacre site.
"What do you think the chances are of finding something today?" Thea asked when they'd finished talking strategy.
"It's unclear how much true history this group knows. The records of this town's founding are extensive, but the site predates that event by two centuries."
"Wow," said Thea. "Didn't realize this place had been inhabited for so long."
Elijah chuckled. "Oh, this place has been populated since before I was born."
"And when did that happen, exactly?" asked Thea.
Elijah raised his eyebrows. "Are you asking how old I am?"
"I can't help being curious. There are so many rumors about the Original family of vampires. Some people say a group of witches cast a spell to cure a village of Black Plague suffers, but then the children born to those villagers were born monsters, the Original vampires, in retaliation for the witches that tried to subvert the natural order."
"That would suggest that the Original family of vampires were not truly of one family," said Elijah.
Thea laughed. "Family in that case would be a loose term."
"Tell me," said Elijah, clearly amused by this conversation. "What other tales have you heard?"
"Well, there's the one that says Klaus is the oldest and that he was born in Jerusalem in 20 B.C. and he became a vampire by drinking the blood of Jesus Christ at the crucifixtion."
Elijah looked surprised. "I hadn't heard that one."
"I'm not surprised," said Thea, shaking her head. "I'm pretty sure that one was started by Klaus himself."
"He does tend toward self-aggrandizement."
"You know him well," stated Thea.
Elijah sighed. "I thought that I did."
"Are you ever going to tell us why you hate him so much?" asked Thea. "You know my secret. That I used to work for him."
Elijah regarded her for a moment as he pulled up to the Lockwood house.
"He killed my family," Elijah finally said.
"Oh my god!" gasped Thea. "You mean like your wife and children..."
"No, no," said Elijah, shaking his head. "I've never had the privilege of either. He killed my siblings. And my mother."
"I'm so sorry, Elijah," said Thea. "That's awful. How did he...? Did he do it in retaliation? After you left his inner circle?"
She suddenly felt grateful that Klaus had just charmed and manipulated Greta. That her family was still alive.
"Something like that," said Elijah, sighing. Then he looked up at the Lockwood house. "Shall we, my dear?"
o – o – o
Thea took a deep breath and plastered a smile on her face as she and Elijah entered the Lockwood house.
They were greeted by a girl in a gray maid's outfit, carrying a tray that had teacups and teapot.
"Tea, sir, ma'am?" asked the girl.
Thea bristled a bit at being called "ma'am", she was only 22 after all, but knew it was a southern custom to a certain extent. Though she was originally from Louisiana, after six years of living in the not-really-southern city of Austin, she wasn't used to those customs anymore.
"I'll have a cup," said Thea, smiling politely.
Elijah shook his head. "No, thank you."
After Thea had her tea cup in hand, she and Elijah mingled for a bit. He introduced her to one of the Historical Society members he'd already met, as well as a local media personality, Andie Starr.
"So how long have you lived in Mystic Falls?" Thea asked Andie, when Elijah left the two of them to speak with Mayor Lockwood.
"I moved here a few years ago," answered Andie. "When I got the job at the station. Where are you from?"
"Austin."
"Where did you meet Elijah?" Andie asked. "He said he was from New York."
"He's friends with my father," answered Thea. "I'm curious. This 'Historical Society' of Mystic Falls. Is it a casual group or are there actual historians?"
Andie opened her mouth to answer, when she smiled instead.
"He came!" she exclaimed.
"Who?" asked Thea.
"My boyfriend," answered Andie. "I'll introduce you."
Thea followed Andie's gaze and was only slightly surprised to see Andie was talking about Damon, who'd just entered the Lockwood house.
Thea shook her head as she followed Andie. Damon had invited Thea for a drink at his house just last night. It didn't exactly shock Thea that he had a girlfriend, though. He seemed like a player.
Thea's eyes slid to the scarf tied around Andie's neck and she felt anger boil in her stomach. Was she a girlfriend or a juice box?
"Damon," said Andie. "You came. Hi."
She and Damon kissed quickly.
"Hi," he returned.
"Hello," said Thea, walking up to join them and a blonde woman.
"This is..." Andie began.
"Thea," finished Damon, fixing Thea with a narrowed stare. "We met at the Grill."
"Oh," said Andie. She gestured towards the blonde woman. "This is Jenna."
Before Jenna and Thea could shake hands, Damon interrupted. "What are you doing here, Thea?"
Thea raised an eyebrow. "I could ask you the same question."
Damon smirked. "I asked you first."
"Thea's friends with Elijah," answered Andie.
Damon frowned, while Jenna's face broke out into a smile.
"I wasn't aware Elijah had any friends in town," said Jenna.
"I'm just visiting," answered Thea. She turned to Damon. "So? Why are you here? Not really your scene, Damon."
"I've just heard so much about the famous Elijah," answered Damon. "I decided I had to meet him for myself."
"Elijah is charming," said Jenna.
Andie nodded. "He really is."
Damon rolled his eyes and looked at Thea.
"What?" she asked. "Elijah and I are just acquaintances. He's a friend of my father's. But I'd be careful, Damon. Elijah's a powerful man. If you're planning on breaking out the measuring stick, I have a feeling you'll lose."
Jenna's jaw dropped while Andie just laughed.
Thea saw Elijah smile slightly out of the corner of her eye and she wondered if he'd overheard what she'd said.
"Thanks for the tip," Damon said sarcastically, before stalking away to where Elijah was still speaking with the mayor.
Thea spoke with Jenna and Andie a little longer (it was nice to speak to normal people her own age), before excusing herself and seeking out a few more members of the historical society, even though it didn't seem like they knew anything about the witches who'd been killed en-masse before the town's founding.
She was just thinking of finding Elijah when she was tapped on the shoulder on her way to the restroom.
"Hey, Thea," said Alaric's voice.
Thea turned around.
"Hey, Alaric. It's good to see you. Don't tell me you belong to the Historical Society?"
Alaric shook his head. "My girlfriend is a member. Sort of. I heard you came with Elijah? I thought you guys weren't friends?"
"We're not," answered Thea. "We're trying to find an old magical hotspot close to here. Something to use against Klaus. But we have no idea where it is."
"And you thought the Historical Society could help."
Thea shrugged. "Was worth a shot. No luck today though. We'll keep digging."
Alaric nodded.
"So who's your girlfriend?" asked Thea. "I may have met her."
"Jenna Sommers."
"Oh, Jenna," smiled Thea. "She seems nice."
"She is."
"And completely unaware of what's happening around her," said Thea.
Alaric's face darkened. "It's for her protection."
"I'm not judging," said Thea, hands raised. "My ex didn't know about me either. It's not only our own secrets we keep."
Alaric sighed. "It's not all honorable. She doesn't like Damon enough as it is."
"Wonder why?" mused Thea. "You know he invited me back to his place last night? He didn't even mention he had a girlfriend."
"I'm not sure Andie was his girlfriend last night," Alaric returned.
Thea's eyes narrowed. "Please tell me he did not compel her to be his girlfriend. To sleep with him."
Damon was obviously a vampire who skirted the line of right and wrong, but he didn't seem like a rapist.
"According to Jenna, Andie hit on him," said Alaric. "It's weird, but consensual."
Thea frowned. It's not like it was an uncommon scenario. A lot of the human/vampire couples she'd run into had a similar arrangement.
"Just make she he doesn't kill her," said Thea. "I'm pretty sure she won't consent to that."
"I can try. Damon doesn't like to be told what to do."
Thea sighed. "You guys are seriously lacking oversight here. Doesn't the human leadership have an agreement with the vampires who live here?"
Alaric looked confused. "The humans don't even know Damon and his brother are vampires. How does it work in Austin?"
"The local coven, the vampires and the humans have an arrangement. The vampires don't feed on locals, don't kill anyone and in return the witches make them daylight rings and don't team up with the humans to slaughter them."
"A logical arrangement," said Elijah, coming to stand beside Thea.
"It works," shrugged Thea.
"Are you ready to depart, my dear?" asked Elijah.
Thea nodded. "It was nice seeing you again, Alaric."
o – o – o
"It may not have been wise to reveal our true intentions to the teacher," said Elijah, when they'd gotten into his car.
"Why not?" frowned Thea, buckling her seatbelt.
"Suppose they find the witch burial ground before we do?" mused Elijah, pulling out of the driveway. "They have a witch of their own."
Thea raised an eyebrow. "And I thought Klaus was paranoid. Is that an Original thing or just you two?"
Elijah clenched his jaw, clearly unhappy about being compared to Klaus.
"I am simply being cautious," he said tensely. "Our entire plan rests on the ability to find that burial ground."
"We're never going to find it without help," returned Thea. "These people are not your enemy. Alaric's a good guy."
"Their goal is different from our own," said Elijah. "They wish to save the doppelganger at all costs. Even at the expense of others' lives."
"I'm not saying you have to embark on an epic bromance with the Salvatores," said Thea, rolling her eyes. "I'm just saying, maybe if you trust them a little, they'll trust you a little."
Elijah just looked at her skeptically.
"Or you know, keep working the guy-with-sketchy-intentions angle," said Thea, shaking her head.
"I have made my intentions clear," stated Elijah.
"Except you left out the part where you're planning to sacrifice Elena," Thea shot back.
"I never promised to keep her safe," said Elijah.
Thea sighed. "I know. When I met her, I asked about the deal she made with you. She didn't say it in so many words, but she knew."
"She is a unique young lady," said Elijah.
"She doesn't deserve to die, Elijah," said Thea. "Neither does Greta, or anyone."
Elijah looked at her sympathetically. "Am I to assume that you have not had any luck finding a way to stop Klaus prior to the ritual?"
"No," answered Thea. "I mean, nothing practical. The only things I've found will stop him temporarily. Immobilize him long enough to encase him in concrete or something like that. And I don't trust that he hasn't compelled a legion of people to go find him and dig him up if he were ever trapped."
Elijah nodded, agreeing with her assessment.
"Okay, so maybe you're not quite as paranoid as Klaus," said Thea, chuckling a little.
"Well, I appreciate the consideration," said Elijah, smiling.
Thea looked into his dark eyes and smiled back, forgetting her train of thought for a second.
"Anyway," she said, trying to remember what she was going to say. "Uh, yeah, so we either have to find something that will trap him permanently or kill him."
Elijah nodded before they lapsed into silence.
"Are you hungry?" Elijah asked, a few minutes later.
"Yeah," said Thea. "Did you just hear my stomach rumbling? Those little finger sandwiches they had weren't exactly filling."
"An early dinner, perhaps?"
Thea smiled. She really did enjoy his company.
"Sure," she answered. "As long as it's not at the Grill."
o – o – o
"This place is nice," said Thea, looking around the Asian fusion place Elijah had taken her to, a few towns outside of Mystic Falls.
"You sound surprised," said Elijah with a slight frown.
"Oh, no," said Thea. "I just... most of the vampires I've known, they're not exactly gourmet connoisseurs. Unless you count what kind of person has the tastiest blood."
"I deal with all manner of people in my travels," said Elijah. "Including humans, of course. It is advantageous to acquaint oneself with the local dining options."
"Sure," said Thea, smiling. "So what's good here?"
Elijah opened his menu and started pointing out the various dishes the place was known for. Thea marveled at how Elijah could be commanding while still being considerate. Powerful, yet without making others feel less so.
They had an enjoyable dinner, talking about a range of topics, from Thea's work, her experience in magical research, traveling. Elijah was warm, even if he didn't share much about his past.
"So, any news on Klaus?" asked Thea. "It's less than two weeks until the next full moon. News of the doppelganger has spread, the moonstone has been found..."
"No news," said Elijah. "But I've heard the same rumors you have, which means he must have heard them too. I doubt he will let another moon pass without stepping foot in Mystic Falls."
Thea nodded. "The Klaus I remember was obsessed with breaking his curse."
"You have had more recent interactions than I," said Elijah, a frown spreading over his face.
There was a lull in the conversation and Thea bit her lip, wondering how much Elijah was willing to share. He seemed to be a private man, but he'd told her about what Klaus did to his family, so it's not like she was asking completely out of nowhere.
"I don't want to pry," said Thea, hesitantly. "But I don't understand. You're an Original. If your family were Originals as well, how did Klaus kill them?"
"He scattered their bodies across the seas where they could not be found," said Elijah.
"He cloaked them and dumped them?" gasped Thea. "That's awful."
"Now you see my need for..." Elijah trailed off. "I apologize." He pulled out his phone. "Someone is persistently trying to get my attention."
He frowned when he looked at his phone. "Werewolves attacked Elena and Stefan in an attempt to get the moonstone."
"Are they okay?" asked Thea.
"Yes, though one of the wolves escaped, along with young Tyler."
"Tyler was helping them?" asked Thea, frowning. "I thought he was friends with Elena?"
"Wolf loyalty runs deep," said Elijah, shrugging. "Elena fears these wolves may have set their sights on the other Salvatore brother."
He rose. "I apologize for cutting this dinner short."
Thea got up as well. "We already ate."
"I assure you I can handle a small pack of wolves myself," Elijah said, looking almost amused that Thea wanted to help.
"I'm sure you can," said Thea. "But it can't hurt to have back-up."
Elijah tilted his head. "As you wish."
o – o – o
When Thea and Elijah arrived at the Boarding House, the front door was ajar. Elijah tilted his head, listening inside.
"I do believe they have Damon restrained," said Elijah quietly. "They're interrogating him."
Thea nodded. "At least he's still alive then."
They quickly walked into the house and Thea had to stop herself from crying out when she saw Alaric slumped on the floor.
She knelt beside him while Elijah listened for where Damon and the wolves were.
"He's dead," she said, unable to find a pulse.
Poor Alaric. He was a nice guy, and had been friendly to her, despite the fact that she was associated with Elijah.
Thea was angry. She could have killed these werewolves yesterday, when they had kidnapped the young vampire, Caroline. But she had shown them mercy and ordered them to leave town. Now Alaric was dead.
Thea followed Elijah into a large room and saw Damon sitting on a chair with a bloody neck, while Jules and a number of the other werewolves were surrounding him.
"Where is the moonstone?" asked Jules, holding up a gun.
"You're never going to get it," smirked Damon.
Thea marveled that he could look so smug while helplessly tied to a chair.
"You were warned," said Elijah, speaking up.
"I told you to leave," added Thea.
"We don't take orders from vampires or witches," said Jules, turning the gun on Thea.
Elijah moved so fast, the next thing Thea knew, Jules' heart was in his palm and her body was dropping to the floor.
The other werewolves snarled and turned to Elijah, attacking him all at once. It wasn't surprising. Wolves were definitely loyal and it was clear Jules was their alpha.
A few more seconds and the rest of the wolves were dead on the floor. Thea walked over towards Damon, muttered a few words and pushed her magic at the chains binding him to the chair. The chains fell apart, releasing Damon.
"So you realize this is the third time I've saved your life now?" mused Elijah, looking down at Damon.
Damon just looked at him stonily.
"Damon, I don't know if you saw..." said Thea, sadly. "Alaric, he..."
"He's fine," said Damon, dismissively. "He's got a fancy 'get out of being dead' ring."
Thea heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank god." Then she realized what he said. "Seriously? A resurrection ring?"
"Long story," said Damon.
His evasiveness was clear. He wasn't going to spill any secrets since Thea wouldn't.
Thea just nodded. "Tell him I'm glad he's okay when he wakes up."
Then she and Elijah left the Boarding House.
o – o – o
"Thanks for the ride," said Thea, smiling at Elijah as they pulled up outside Jonas' apartment.
"Of course," he said, tilting his head.
"And your honesty," she added. "I appreciate it. After Klaus... well, I didn't have the greatest expectations for working with an Original Vampire."
He nodded, gripping the steering wheel firmly.
"Well, good night," she said, moving to exit the car.
"Wait," he said, his hand catching her arm.
Thea tilted her head in confusion. "What is it?"
Elijah sighed. "You were right, earlier. Perhaps I ought to put my trust into people who deserve it."
Thea smiled. "Glad you think so. Damon almost said thank you."
Elijah smiled slightly. "It was not Damon to whom I was referring."
Thea frowned, confused.
"It has been many years since I met someone like you, Thea."
Thea tilted her head, hoping it was a compliment. "Thanks."
Elijah paused for a long time. So long that Thea was just about to say something when he suddenly spoke.
"He's my brother."
Thea frowned. "What?"
Who was he talking about?
"Klaus is my brother," said Elijah.
Thea's eyes widened in shock. "Your... oh my god."
A/N: You'll notice that I did a bit of a switch here. Because all the wolves survived when they captured Caroline (in canon Stefan and Damon killed a number of them before Jonas arrived to save the day), Brady (Jules' boyfriend) had more back-up when he attacked Stefan and Elena at the lake house, so Brady survived.
But Thea and Elijah went to save Damon together, so all the werewolves that were torturing Damon died, including Jules. So Brady and Tyler are leaving Mystic Falls together, not Jules and Tyler.
Anyhoo, it was a lot of Thea/Elijah in this, so I'm curious what you thought about their interactions. Next chapter's The Dinner Party...