A/N: Thanks for your reviews, favs, follows and views!
FYI- There are a few non-Thea POVs in here. The story will be mostly from Thea's POV, but there may be scenes that she's not around for that I still want to show.
"I don't understand..." Thea frowned. "Wait if Klaus is your brother and he killed your family..."
"He killed his own mother and siblings, yes," said Elijah, sadly.
"Wow, okay," said Thea, trying to process this news. "I can't believe... I mean, I never thought Klaus was a saint, but..."
"His sea burial of my siblings came as a shock to me as well," offered Elijah.
Thea tilted her head. "Okay, so are you the boring older brother or the overprotective, condescending older brother?" She smiled. "I'm thinking the latter."
Elijah looked surprised. "He... told you of us?"
Thea nodded. "Just in passing. I mean, he didn't mention any names. But... why do you look so surprised?"
Elijah frowned. "Klaus is a very private person."
"Well, we spent a fair amount of time together," shrugged Thea. "Before I found out he was a lying, manipulative asshole bent on global domination... we were friends."
Elijah had a contemplative look on his face.
"What?" asked Thea. "I'm still determined to kill him. Or stop him. No matter what our relationship was in the past."
"Your relationship?" Elijah echoed.
Thea almost laughed at the suggestion of her and Klaus.
"We were just friends," said Thea, shaking her head. "Klaus is so not my type. I dated bad boys for a hot minute in high school. Never again."
A smile creeped onto Elijah's face. "Good to know."
Thea smiled at him, wanting to say that he was her type. Hot, mature, sophisticated, kind. But he was so reserved, she didn't dare.
"So, the Historical Society Tea was a bust," said Thea, breaking the tension. "What's next?"
"I have an appointment with Jenna Sommers tomorrow," said Elijah. "To walk the old property lines in Mystic Falls. Perhaps something will be revealed."
Thea nodded. "Good luck."
"Would you'd like to join us?" mused Elijah. "It's possible you could sense something."
"I can't," said Thea. "I'm driving up to Georgetown for the day. The occult studies professor there has a few grimoires he said I could take a look at. I still have hope for a pre-curse-breaking solution to our Klaus problem."
She was surprised how disappointed she was to be passing up the opportunity to spend more time with Elijah.
"Perhaps another time," asked Elijah.
Thea smiled. "I'd like that. Since you seem to know the best places around here to eat."
Elijah smiled. "There's an Italian place over in Lynchburg, if you return early enough tomorrow."
Thea forced herself not to jump in excitement. Was he asking her out? It seemed like it.
"Sure," she said. "Sounds great."
She moved to open the car door and was surprised when Elijah appeared there, opening it for her.
"Thanks," she said.
They walked towards the front door.
"I'll see you later, Elijah," said Thea.
She knew today hadn't been a date, but she had this insane urge to kiss him then, as they stood outside the front door.
She could have sworn his gaze fell to her lips for a split second before he stuck his hand in his pocket and wished her goodnight.
Thea sighed. Maybe tomorrow.
o – o – o
"Where were you last night, Luka?" asked Thea, looking up from her breakfast.
Thea had gotten home late the night before, but Luka wasn't in the apartment. Still, he was a teenager, so it wasn't exactly shocking he was out late.
"At the Grille," he said, though it sounded more like a question. "I think?"
"What do you mean, 'you think'?" asked Thea, frowning.
"I don't know," said Luka. "One minute I was playing pool with Bonnie and the next, I'm waking up in a bathroom stall."
"You think she did something to you?" asked Thea.
Luka sighed. "I don't know." He looked around. "Where's Dad?"
"Grocery shopping," said Thea. "Don't worry, I won't tell him if you don't want me to."
Luka nodded. "I'm going to talk to Bonnie."
He grabbed his coat.
"Let me know how it goes," said Thea.
What had Bonnie done to Luka?
Thea sighed, realizing she needed to get going. Georgetown was a two hour drive and she didn't want to be back in Mystic Falls too late. She wanted enough time to get ready for her maybe-date with Elijah.
o – o – o
Elijah held the door open for Jenna as they walked into the Grille. Though he had learned more about the history of Mystic Falls and the surrounding area, their walk through the old property lines hadn't yielded any results. He wondered if the walk would have been more fruitful with Thea.
He had been disappointed when she had declined his offer to go with him. He found himself drawn to the young witch, more than he had to anyone in a while. She was beautiful and kind, strong-willed and courageous. He had enjoyed their afternoon and evening together, and he was looking forward to tonight.
Elijah schooled his face into a neutral expression when Jenna walked over to the eldest Salvatore brother's table. Damon had his arm wrapped around a young human woman with a scarf hiding her bites- how distasteful- and was prattling on about something.
Elijah frowned slightly when Damon's donor/girlfriend suggested they have a dinner party.
"I'd be happy to host," said Damon, looking at Elijah. "Say tonight, maybe?"
Jenna graciously accepted, though Alaric seemed hesitant.
"It'd be a pleasure," said Elijah, knowing determining Damon's true intentions would have to take precedence over his plans with Thea.
"Why don't you bring your friend?" suggested Jenna. "Thea, right?"
Damon's face darkened slightly and Elijah could tell Damon didn't want her there. Which of course, meant Elijah did.
"I'll ask her," said Elijah, smiling back at Jenna.
"Great," said Damon, tightly. "We'll see you around seven."
o – o – o
"Thank you for agreeing to the change of plans," said Elijah, as they rode in his car to the Salvatore Boarding House.
Thea nodded, though she was disappointed they weren't dining alone at the Italian restaurant.
"If Damon doesn't want me there, then that means he's up to something," concluded Thea. "Any thoughts? Could be he's just hoping to ply you with alcohol and pump you for information."
"There are other means of obtaining information from someone," answered Elijah.
"Yeah, I know," she said, thinking of Luka.
Luka had called Thea later on to tell her he hadn't learned anything from Bonnie when he confronted her about his lost time. Except that he could tell she was lying. Bonnie was definitely responsible for his lost time, but he wasn't sure what had been done to him.
Thea had thought about it the whole way to and from Georgetown and she was pretty sure they had used some sort of truth spell on him. There were a lot of different ones out there and even though Luka was more experienced, Bonnie was a powerful witch- she was just untrained. The Bennett line was not one to mess around with.
"Is there something you would like to share?" asked Elijah.
Thea nodded and told Elijah about what she had learned from Luka.
"We have to assume they know everything Luka knows," said Thea. "So nothing about the real curse, or my history with Klaus, but they know we're planning to sacrifice Elena and that Klaus has Greta."
"We should be cautious," said Elijah. "They may have a more sinister plan in mind for tonight. If they believe they know everything."
Thea nodded, wondering what the night would bring.
o – o – o
Alaric sighed. "I don't like the idea of Elijah being in the same house as Jenna."
He and Damon were standing in the Boarding House, awaiting their guests for the dinner party Damon had arranged.
"Jenna is perfectly safe," said Damon. "Besides your spunky, kind-hearted witch is invited. What could go wrong?"
Alaric felt anger boil up when he thought of Thea. Now that they knew the Martins and Elijah were planning on sacrificing Elena all this time, Alaric fell foolish that he'd ever trusted Thea.
"I actually thought she was a nice girl," said Alaric. "I guess that was her plan. Get us to trust her."
"I'm sure you're not the first man to fall for those innocent doe eyes," said Damon. "Luckily, now we know the truth. She's just as bad as the rest of them."
Alaric nodded. "She's dangerous." He looked at Damon. "Doesn't mean you should kill her."
"We can't kill her, she has the moonstone," said Damon, sipping his drink. "Besides, tonight is just a fact-finding mission. It's totally harmless."
A few more minutes of Alaric insisting nothing should go down with Jenna in the house and Andie walked in, saying Jenna needed help with the wine.
Once Alaric had gone, Damon immediately went to where he'd hidden the dagger he was planning to kill Elijah with. Thea coming had thrown a kink in his plans, but thankfully, he had a plan for her too.
Damon explained to Andie that he needed the element of surprise, so she would ask the men to take their after dinner drinks in the living room, while Andie would do coffee in the kitchen with the girls.
"That's a little too sexist for me," said Andie, shaking her head. "And I don't understand how that will help with Thea?"
"This," said Damon, holding up a small vial. "Put it in her coffee."
Andie's eyes widened. "What is it?"
"Just a sedative," said Damon. "Mixed with a special cocktail of herbs. It'll mute her power. Temporarily. Kinda like vervain to a vampire."
o – o – o
"Good evening," said Elijah, when Damon opened the door to his home.
"Hey Damon," said Thea, trying for a smile.
"Thank you for coming," said Damon. "Please, come in."
"Just one moment," said Elijah, looking at Damon. "Can I just say that if you have less than honorable intentions about how this evening is going to proceed, I suggest you reconsider."
"No, nothing dishonorable," said Damon. "Just getting acquainted with the new arrivals in town."
"Good," said Elijah, walking in.
Thea followed him into the house.
"Although Elena and I have this deal, if you so much as make a move to cross me, or my lovely dinner companion," Elijah looked back at Thea, "I'll kill you and your little gang... Are we clear?"
Thea smiled tightly. "I'm sure Damon isn't that stupid."
"We're clear," said Damon, narrowing his eyes at Thea. "Can I offer you a drink?"
Thea nodded and followed the two men into the dining room.
"Thea," said Jenna, warmly. "Glad you could make it."
"Me too," said Thea, looking around. "Hey Alaric, Andie."
Thea was only slightly surprised to see Alaric and Andie there, but there was a blonde-haired man present as well.
"This is John," said Jenna. "John Gilbert."
Thea shook hands with him. So this was the man who was Elena's biological father.
"Nice to meet you," said Thea.
"You as well," John replied. "I didn't realize Elijah was going to bring a date."
Thea frowned, wondering how much John knew. Was he part of the Mystic Falls gang or not?
"Maybe you would have known if you'd been invited," huffed Jenna.
"Please sit down," said Andie, cutting in. "Dinner's almost on the table."
Andie motioned to the seat next to hers.
"Thanks," said Thea as Andie poured her some wine.
o – o – o
Thea just sat there, eating and listening as they all talked about Mystic Falls' history, Elijah's book, etc. She chimed in a few times, but even though the tension was sky-high and Damon kept trying to subtly pump Elijah for information, nothing really interesting happened.
Once they'd finished, Andie announced the gentlemen would take their drinks in the study. Elijah politely thanked her and nodded to Thea, saying it was okay. It was clear he wanted to talk to Damon alone.
Thea helped clear the table, wanting something to do and she went into the kitchen after Jenna.
"Thanks for inviting me," said Thea, as they piled the plates in the sink.
"Of course," said Jenna, turning on the coffee maker. "So, how are you liking Mystic Falls?"
"It's nice," answered Thea.
They chatted while the coffee brewed and Andie soon joined them.
"Thea, do you have any feminine products?" asked Andie, pleadingly. "I don't..."
"Sure," smiled Thea. "In my purse. Just a sec."
She quickly went to her purse in the dining room, where it was still slung over her chair and grabbed a tampon. When she came back into the kitchen, Jenna was pouring coffee.
"Thanks," smiled Andie as she took the tampon. "Here's your coffee. Cream or sugar?"
"Black is fine," answered Thea.
At that moment, Alaric rushed into the kitchen.
"Andie, Damon wants you," he said. "Jenna, can you get dessert together?"
Jenna looked annoyed at his request, but nodded. Thea carried the dessert plates out to the dining room and began handing them out as Jenna poured the coffee.
Jenna insisted Thea sit down, as she was a guest, and that she would handle dessert in the kitchen.
Soon, they were all settled back down at the table for dessert, minus Jenna. With Jenna out of earshot, Damon got a little less subtle.
"Elijah, did John tell you that he's Elena's uncle/father?" asked Damon.
"Yes, I'm well aware of that," answered Elijah.
"Of course, she hates him, so there's absolutely no need to keep him on the endangered species list," Damon continued.
"What I'd like to know," said John. "Is how you intend on killing Klaus."
Thea scoffed, drinking her coffee. "Why does it matter? Thinking of taking him on yourselves?"
"I just think we'd all feel better if we knew what the plan was," said Damon.
"Gentleman, there's a few things that we should probably get clear right now," said Elijah. "I allow you to live solely to keep an eye on Elena. I allow Elena to remain in her house, living her life with her friends as she does, as a courtesy. If you become a liability, I'll take her away and you'll never see her again."
Thea frowned, feeling lightheaded all of a sudden. She blinked as her vision started to fade.
Elijah's worried face was the last thing she saw as her eyes involuntarily closed. But the last thing she heard was Elijah's pained cry ring out, before everything faded to black.
o – o – o
When she awoke, she was being cradled against a strong chest. Looking beyond that chest, she saw it was Elijah who was carrying her and they were going up the steps to her father's apartment.
"You're awake," he said, looking down at her.
She nodded stiffly, as she still felt out of it.
"What happened?" she asked in a whisper.
She noticed there was a hole in his chest, with a bloody spatter there.
"They drugged you," said Elijah, jaw clenched. "And staked me."
"What?" gasped Thea. "Why would they do that?"
"It's unclear," said Elijah. "Perhaps they thought to determine the whereabouts of the moonstone from you. Another bargaining chip."
"You can let me down," said Thea, as they arrived at her father's front door.
Though she would love to stay in his arms longer.
He stiffened and gently set her down.
"Thank you," said Thea, looking into his warm brown eyes. "For bringing me home."
Elijah nodded. "Of course. I do require your assistance, however."
Thea frowned as Elijah opened the door to the apartment and walked in.
They quickly explained what had happened to a surprised Jonas and Luka.
"I need you to find Elena," said Elijah. "Now."
"Why?" asked Thea. "What are you going to do?"
"What I promised to do earlier," said Elijah, looking her in the eye. "Take her away. Then I'll deal with the Salvatores."
"She's just a kid, Elijah," said Thea, frowning. "I'm sure she didn't have anything to do with this. And they didn't harm either of us permanently."
Jonas just began getting his supplies together for the locator spell.
"I already let this go too far," said Elijah, harshly. "I will not allow her little friends to endanger my revenge. Nor attack us without retribution."
"But..." Thea began.
Elijah growled. "This is not up for discussion." He turned from her. "Jonas. The spell."
Thea clenched her jaw, angry at being dismissed. His earlier tenderness towards her, evaporating. Fucking arrogant Originals.
"I guess I was wrong before," said Thea, shaking her head. "You are just like Klaus."
Thea immediately felt guilty at the hurt look in Elijah's eyes, but she turned and went to the kitchen, wanting some healing herbs. She still didn't feel quite right.
She waited until Elijah had left to return to the living room. When she did, Luka and Jonas were talking about what had happened between Luka and Bonnie.
"What did she do to you?" demanded Jonas, angrily.
"I... I don't know," stammered Luka, clearly a little embarrassed. "I was playing pool one minute, then waking up in a bathroom stall the next. I was out for a few hours."
"She had no right," snarled Jonas. "Attacking a fellow witch."
"Can you blame her, Dad?" snapped Thea, still angry about Elijah. "We're working with Elijah, who won't tell them why he wants to kill Klaus or how he's going to kill Klaus."
"You think they found a way to get information out of him?" asked Jonas, though it was clear that's what he was thinking too.
Thea shrugged. "It's what I would do. Maybe they weren't after the moonstone at all. Maybe they staked Elijah to try and trap him or something. They must know he wants to sacrifice to happen."
Jonas was silent for a moment and then grabbed his coat.
"Where are you going?" asked Thea, looking worried.
Luka looked a little scared. "No, Dad."
"We'll continue our discussion," said Jonas, putting on his coat. "After I've dealt with Bonnie Bennett."
"What are you going to do?" asked Thea.
"A witch who uses her powers against her own?" stated Jonas. "I think an old-school punishment is in order."
Thea's eyes widened. "You can't kill her!"
Jonas frowned. "Not that old-school. Stripping away her powers until Greta is returned should suffice. She's brand-new. It shouldn't be too difficult."
Thea frowned, but didn't argue. He wasn't wrong. Using magic to attack a fellow witch was a serious offense, in any coven. If Bonnie had belonged to their coven back in Louisiana, her punishment may have been much more severe.
o – o – o
As Elijah approached the lake house where Elena and Stefan were staying, he tried to block out thoughts of Thea. He hadn't meant to be so harsh, but he was furious.
Not only had the Salvatores had the audacity to attack him, but they had drugged Thea and tied her up. He could only imagine the litany of torments they had been preparing for her... And his blood boiled once again.
He breathed in deep, focusing on the task at hand. Obtain the doppelganger, kill her lover, then go back to Mystic Falls and finish off the rest of that tedious gang.
Elijah heard the whispers between Elena and Stefan as he stooped to pick up a handful of rocks, intending to 'open' the door with them.
He threw the rocks at the door and it splintered before being blasted away, leaving the doorway wide open.
"You know, I might not be able to enter this house," said Elijah. "But I'm a very patient man. I'll wait you out."
He watched as Elena appeared and approached the doorway slowly.
He tried to keep calm as Elena offered apologizes on behalf of her friends. And then threatened to turn herself into a vampire, unless he agreed to not harm any of her friends or family.
Elijah almost believed it. He could see the determination in her eyes, but to stab oneself? That seemed truly unbelievable.
"I'm sorry, Elena," said Elijah. "I'm going to have to call your bluff."
Then he watched with amazed eyes as she stabbed herself in the gut.
"No!" he cried as she collapsed to the ground. "Yes, yes, you can have your deal! Let me heal you."
He looked all around, trying to find a way to get her out of the house.
"Give me your word," demanded Elena through her cries of pain.
"You have my word," said Elijah, rushing forward.
Elena got up, collapsing into him and he felt the prick to his heart, the telltale sign that he had been stabbed once again.
o – o – o
When Jonas returned, all he would say that it was done. Bonnie had been stripped of her magic and now they were the only witches in town.
Thea sighed, wondering where Elijah was, where he'd taken Elena. No place too far, as the doppelganger rumors had placed Elena in Mystic Falls.
Thea knew the ritual to break Klaus' curse inside and out, so she knew it had to take place in the birthplace of the doppelganger, which meant Mystic Falls.
Her face colored when she thought of her earlier confrontation with Elijah. He'd been so kind to her, considerate of her wishes, trusting her with the truth about his family. And then he'd just dismissed her opinion without a second thought. It hurt more than she'd like to admit.
Thea rolled over in her bed, trying to get some sleep, trying to forget her confusing feelings for Elijah.
A/N: Thought it seemed realistic that Damon would have a plan to handle Thea as well.
Also, when I was watching this scene, I thought it was odd that Elijah didn't even look for the dagger before going after Elena at the lake house. Given it could be used against him again, I plugged this plot hole by saying he thought he'd been staked, not daggered (Alaric stabbed him in the back), which is why Elena was able to dagger him again (he wasn't looking for it).