The Threat

"You must be joking."

"You haven't left this room in almost three days," Elijah explained when Julien rolled her head to the side specifically so he would see her rolling her eyes at him. "I want you to enjoy yourself. Seeing as Mystic Falls has already been alerted to your presence, I see no reason why you should remain pouting in here for the remainder of our stay."

"I am not pouting," Julien argued, though the purse of her lips and the whine in her tone would beg to differ. "I've only stayed here because if I see he who shall not be named again, I don't think I'll be able to resist flaying him in the middle of the town square. Besides, I thought you wanted our connection to remain a secret?"

Elijah shrugged, confident that Julien's loyalty to him far outweighed her thirst for revenge. Semi-confident. Hopeful, at the very least. "I believe that cover was blown the moment you were spotted. As foolish as these people are, they aren't so idiotic as to believe our arrivals are merely coincidental. Especially considering their friendship with Rose-Marie – no matter how temporary. And I thought you enjoyed tea parties?"

"I think you're confusing me with our other sister. Though it has been quite some time since I've had a nice warm cup of tea. Everyone around here adds ice. Who in their right mind enjoys cold tea?"

"Then you'll come?"

Julien sighed before she answered, "I suppose. Though I'm still not sure why exactly you're so insistent on me attending this farce."

Elijah merely offered Julien a cryptic smile before informing her that the festivities were to begin within the hour. "Cocktail attire – or whatever these people consider that to be. And do something with your hair, would you? It looks like a bird is currently renovating its nest."

If Elijah wasn't so quick to exit the room after that, the harsh thunk of a shoe hitting the door would have been far less amusing.

It took a little more persuasion for Elijah to convince Julien to make it all the way to the Lockwood's home, but the moment her foot touched the ground outside the car, her sullen demeanor suddenly shifted.

With a smile so dazzling it put the sun to shame firmly in place, Julien reveled in the confidence she felt walking towards the stairs leading up to the home. Though she found little time in her day-to-day life for simply enjoying herself, she had always thrived when given the chance in a party setting. She had played the part of a royal for decades, after all.

Though Elijah's hand tucked in the crook of her elbow would suggest that he was escorting her, Julien's bravado shone through. At least it did to Carol Lockwood, who stood at the open front door to greet her incoming guests.

"Elijah," she said with her practiced-and-perfected picturesque smile, offering her hand for him to shake. "I'm so glad you decided to come after all. And I see you've brought a friend as well."

"Yes, well I thought it might be rather embarrassing to show up to such an event without a date," Elijah joked as he released Carol's hand, motioning towards Julien. "Carol, this lovely woman is Julien Michel, a dear friend of mine. Julien, this is – "

"Carol Lockwood," Julien interrupted, leaning forward as she shook the woman's hand. "A pleasure. I've heard nothing but wonderful things about you from Eli."

Carol laughed politely, waving her hand dismissively as if to say oh, stop it. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you as well. As much as I do love this doorway, I think this conversation would best be continued inside. Come on in, I'll show you where the rest of the guests have gathered."

A small weight lifted from the vampires' shoulders as they passed through the front door, unhindered. "You have such a lovely home," Julien complimented as she and Elijah followed behind the temporary mayor.

"Oh, thank you! I recently had the foyer redecorated. I've been thinking about changing the flooring in the parlor, but it's simply impossible to choose between birch and cherry oak. The walls are cream with white furniture, which makes Tyler – my son – think any color will do, but what do teenage boys know of interior decorating, really? Of course, that furniture has been around for nearly a decade now, so perhaps I should just redo the entire room. Although, if I do that, I doubt I'll be able to keep myself from renovating the entire house!"

Julien glanced at Elijah from the corner of her eye as Carol rambled and saw that the polite smile on his face hadn't dropped the slightest bit. Ever the gentleman, he was. "I'm impressed that you find such time to dedicate to your home," she mentioned casually. "Especially considering your political duties, as well as parental. You truly are a woman of all trades."

"I wouldn't say that," Carol said in such a way that conveyed just the opposite. Julien chose to ignore this fact, rather than point it out and make a fool of herself. She had a persona to uphold.

"I'll have to mention you in my writing," Elijah said as they entered the living room, looking around at all the people who had gathered in the area. "Such talent deserves recognition."

"I would be absolutely flattered! Speaking of your writing, have you spent much time in Richmond for your book?"

"Oh, no," Elijah replied with a small shake of his head. "I'm focusing mostly on the smaller regions of Virginia. Mostly history, lots of research. Strictly academic."

"That's fascinating."

"You don't have to lie to him, Carol," Julien chuckled, gently slapping a hand against her "old friend's" chest. "Eli has been told he's a boring old stiff far too many times to be offended by it now."

As Carol opened her mouth to open, her eye was caught by a figure approaching her side. When she turned to see who was interrupting her conversation, she was pleasantly surprised, as shown by the first genuine smile that day brightening her features. "Damon!"

If it was possible, Julien would have thought her blood had literally come to a boil as the arrogant baby vampire came sauntering up to their little group. "Carol."

"What a surprise," Carol laughed lightly. "Oh! Elijah, Julien, I'd like you two to meet Damon Salvatore. His family is one of Mystic Falls' Founding Families."

"Mm-hmm," Damon hummed as he looked the two vampires up and down. The fact that the two had come together was just further proof to the theory that Julien was also an Original, meaning he had been right to warn Stefan and the others about her. "Such a pleasure to meet you, Elijah. But I believe I've seen you before, haven't I?"

Julien bristled at the question directed towards her, especially since it caused Carol to look towards her with apparent curiosity. Elijah took a subtle step closer to her, placing his hand over the one she had on his elbow in clear warning. Now is not the time. It wasn't necessary.

"Yes, I do believe we have crossed paths," Julien answered with a smile that not even Elijah would have thought to be disingenuous had he not known her true feelings towards the man. "Weren't you the one at the Mystic Grill the other night who had that blonde woman throw a drink in your face? Terrible manners she had, that one."

While Elijah and Carol looked amused, Damon was clearly anything but if the clench of his jaw was any indication. Still, his grin remained in place. "Well, you win some you lose some."

"Words to live by," Julien agreed. She patted Elijah's hand then before pulling away from his side. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a short trip to the ladies' room."

Elijah bent down slightly to place a kiss on Julien's cheek before she left – a gesture that she returned by squeezing his shoulder. "Don't wander off too far," he called to her with a teasing smile, though his gaze was serious. At least she shouldn't cause too much trouble as long as the Salvatore boy remained close to him and far away from her.

"I should be going too," Carol sighed lightly. "So many people to mingle with, so little time."

Which left Elijah and Damon locked in a staring contest, each wearing a false grin with hatred in their eyes. "I didn't realize you and Mayor Lockwood were so close," Elijah mentioned casually. "I'll have to keep that in mind."

Damon's first instinct was to warn Elijah not to threaten him, but instead he swallowed those words. "I didn't realize you and Julien were so close," he repeated instead. "I'll have to keep that in mind."

For the first time that day, Elijah's smile disappeared completely. Damon had to keep himself from taking a step back when the Original moved uncomfortably close, just tall enough to be intimidating as he looked down on him. "Let me make something very clear to you, here and now. You are not to speak to Julien. You are not to think of Julien. You are not even going to look at Julien. Is that understood?"

Instead of answering, Damon simply motioned towards the closed study doors that offered a sense of privacy. "Maybe we should take this conversation elsewhere? I have a few things I'd like to explain to you as well."

Elijah chuckled mirthlessly, smirking at Damon before nodding for him to lead the way. This talk should prove interesting, at the very least.

Meanwhile, Julien had taken great interest in the buffet table set up in the parlor. As she plopped a grape in her mouth that she imagined was Damon's head when it popped between her teeth, she looked towards the floor with mild interest. Cherry oak would definitely be the better choice of flooring in here. Birch would simply wash the entire room out, obviously. The Lockwood woman clearly had no idea what she was talking about.

"Well, well. If it isn't Elijah's little puppet."

Julien tensed at the words, turning to see who had dare spoken them. John Gilbert stood close behind her, his hands shoved into his pockets as he smirked at her. "I have to say," he continued, stepping leisurely around her to lift a grape from the same tray she had been eating off of. "I'm rather disappointed. Katherine seemed rather convinced that you had the most influence of the Originals, but so far you've failed to impress."

"Well, I suppose it's a good thing that I'm not here to impress you, then."

"Hmm," he hummed thoughtfully, twisting the grape between his fingers before dropping it back onto the table. "And why exactly are you here?"

"You're either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid to think that I'll simply allow you to speak to me in such a manner," Julien laughed quietly.

"Considering your track record of letting people walk all over you, I wouldn't really consider myself very brave at all."

All amusement drained from Julien's features as her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Why I'm here is absolutely none of your business, you insignificant little boy. And I highly suggest you speak to me with a little more respect, if you must at all."

"Your business becomes my business when it involves my daughter," John disagreed. "You and Elijah need to stay away from Elena. Feel free to take the Salvatore's as a consolation prize."

"Tempting offer," Julien admitted. It really was for her, seeing as she truly wanted no part of the doppelganger business in the first place. She only wanted revenge on the Salvatores for hurting Elijah. But what she wanted right now didn't matter. "Unfortunately, I don't think we'll be accepting your white flag today. Now run along, before I decide to pay your vampire girlfriend a visit. What was her name again?"

John's confidence had disappeared in a second, replaced entirely by indignation as he stepped even closer to her. "You stay away from Isobel, or I swear to – "

"That's enough, John."

John's anger only seemed to flare when Alaric placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're seriously going to defend her?"

Alaric glanced at a blank-faced Julien before returning his steely gaze to John. "I'm not defending her. I'm stopping you from making a fool out of yourself. This isn't the time or place for a confrontation."

"She threatened Isobel," John whisper-yelled, turning more than one head in his direction. "Does that not matter to you anymore?"

Though Alaric's jaw twitched, his stance didn't change. "Go home, John."

John stared at Alaric a moment longer before turning his burning glare to the Original who easily returned the look. "Nobody threatens my family," he warned, only loud enough for her to hear.

"You took the words right out of my mouth."

There was a flicker of confusion behind the fury, but it died quickly after as John pivoted on his heel to brush past Alaric and towards the front door. Julien watched him go until he was completely out of her sight before turning to her savior. If she had any questions before about what their relationship was, the look on his face answered all of them. Still, it wasn't as if she had lost all sense of her manners. "Thank you."

"Don't," Alaric said tensely. "Don't pretend that we're still friends – that we were ever friends."

"Well that hardly seems fair."

"Fair?" Alaric scoffed, shaking his head. "None of this is fair. You lied to me, pretended to be something you're clearly not. And for what? To get closer to Elena? How long did you think that would last?"

"I didn't lie to you," Julien argued. When Alaric rolled his eyes, she sighed and rephrased. "Okay, I lied to you. But only because I had no idea who you were. You can't honestly tell me that you would expect me to tell every drunk stranger I meet in a bar who I am."

"That…" Made an irritating amount of sense. Not that he was going to tell her that any time soon. "That doesn't matter. As long as you're on Elijah's side, we can't be friends."

"As long as you're friends with the Salvatores', I don't wish to be your friend anyway." When Alaric furrowed his eyebrows, she elaborated. "I don't associate myself with those who attempt murder on the people I care about."

"Well, at least we can agree on that."

Tense silence filled the space between the two who hadn't said all they wanted to, but all they really needed to. Neither was sure how to proceed with or end the interaction. Thankfully, the choice was made for them when Elijah appeared at Julien's side. "I don't mean to interrupt, but I believe we've overstayed our welcome."

Julien looked towards her brother to agree, but froze when she saw the small droplets of blood that stained the cuff of his usually pristine white shirt. Her fingers wrapped around his wrist to tug the arm forward, her eyes scanning the blood before lifting to meet his own. Her voice was rough; quiet and dangerous. "What happened?"

"It isn't mine," he answered simply before turning his gaze to Alaric, who had been watching the exchange warily. "You might want to check on your friend, and advise him to keep his distance from now on."

Alaric glanced once more at Julien, whose worried eyes refused to leave Elijah's face, before nodding reluctantly and breaking away to go find out what stupid plan Damon had attempted this time.

Elijah waited until Alaric was out of his sight before turning back to Julien. He adjusted their hands so that it was him holding onto her, guiding her towards the exit. "It's past time for us to be on our way."

"You are going to explain to me what happened while you were with Damon," she told him, her tone harboring no room for argument. Elijah only nodded in assent, which eased Julien enough for her to stop resisting his pull and follow him towards the front door. The two of them nodded at Carol on their way out before stepping outside. The party was far from over, but they had accomplished all they needed to.

It didn't take long for Elijah to explain everything that had happened inside the study to Julien. Though she wasn't happy that Damon had tried to hurt Elijah, she was practically giddy to learn who the blood staining his cuff belonged to and how it had ended up there.

"It's about damn time that little boy learn a thing or two about messing with a Mikaelson," she had praised her younger brother with an approving nod of her head.

"Yes, well, I'm afraid there are others out there that aren't very happy with the Salvatore brat at the moment," Elijah had sighed, glancing over Julien's shoulder to the sky outside. It was beginning to dim into night, meaning he would have to pay the boarding house a visit soon. "He managed to anger a group of werewolves in town that I've heard have yet to evacuate as I warned them to do."

"That's his problem."

"Which unfortunately makes it my own. I promised Elena that none of her friends would be harmed while she's under my protection."

"A treaty which he has broken at every single opportunity," Julien reminded Elijah fervently. "It is not your responsibility to look after that child. If he didn't want to die, he should have kept his nose where it belonged."

"I agree wholeheartedly."

"Good."

"But that doesn't change the fact that I gave Elena my word," he finished. Julien groaned in response, leaning against the back of the couch they had occupied for the duration of their conversation. "As long as she holds up her end of the deal, I will do the same."

"And where exactly is Elena, hmm?" Julien asked, sitting back up straight. "We haven't seen the doppelganger in a few days now. How do you know she hasn't run for the hills while her friends devise a way to save her?"

"Elena is staying with the younger Salvatore at her parents old summer house on Dunham Lake," he explained away. "I'm not so foolish as to let an asset such as her simply leave without having knowledge of exactly where she's gone." When Julien offered no further argument, Elijah stood from the couch and fixed his jacket. "I won't be gone long, but apparently if I want something done correctly then I must do it myself. Once the dogs are dealt with, I'll return."

Elijah placed a kiss on Julien's forehead before turning on his heel and leaving their temporary home. She waited patiently until his footsteps were no longer audible inside the building before allowing a smirk to grow on her features.

Julien hadn't meant to trick Elijah, exactly. Knowing where the doppelganger was hiding out, however, was certainly an added bonus to her doubts pertaining to his plans. She didn't have an address, but she did know the general location of the girl. Finding her beyond that would be simple.

Standing from the couch, Julien strode towards the door with the confidence that the plan sprouting to fruition in the back of her mind would surely save everyone a bit of heartache.

By the time Julien made it to Dunham Lake, the light of the moon filtered through the clouds high above her in the sky. She had no idea how long Elijah planned on being gone, but she was also confident that he wouldn't look for her here, giving her plenty of time to carry out her plan.

Julien made her way through the trees circling the lake, following the distinct scent of a burning fire. Two or three other houses dotted the lake, but seeing as it was the middle of winter, only one of them housed any inhabitants. It wasn't until she was standing ten or so feet away from the break in the tree line that a new smell assaulted her senses.

Werewolves.

"Must be a Salvatore thing," she mumbled to herself before continuing forward, this time tactically. If she got the drop on the wolves, they wouldn't stand a chance. A bite wouldn't kill her, but violent hallucinations were pretty low on her list of things she wanted to experience.

The front door to the house was wide open, as was the door to the smaller shed on the house's left. The inside of the house was relatively silent besides some casual footsteps, so she stepped cautiously closer to the shed. Inside she heard hushed voices and pained groaning. Who had been hurt was up in the air until she smelled the blood seeping from the wound – vampire.

Julien tilted her head slightly, listening in on the one-sided conversation.

"Keep him down. If he moves, kill him."

Inside the shed, Tyler looked away from Stefan to accept the gun and wooden stake from Brady. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but was stopped by a single look from the older werewolf. Returning his gaze to Stefan on the ground as Brady moved to leave the shed, he nodded his head shakily. "You heard him. Don't move."

"You dogs are such a rude bunch," a new voice chimed in at the entrance to the shed. "It's about time somebody teaches you some proper manners."

Both werewolves looked up to see who had spoken, but they weren't quick enough. Using advantage of the fact that she had the element of surprise, Julien easily snapped Brady's neck before rushing forward and grabbing Tyler's wrist, aiming the gun towards the ceiling before he could pull the trigger. He struggled against her grip, but a newborn werewolf's strength was nothing compared to an Original's.

Julien twisted the boy so that his back was against her chest, keeping him relatively still in a chokehold. She was just about ready to end his life as well before Stefan pushed himself onto his elbows, shaking his head violently as he croaked, "Wait, don't!"

She glanced down at the vampire on the ground, pausing in her actions. "He was going to kill you," she said patronizingly. "But you don't want me to kill him?"

"He's Elena's friend," Stefan explained, trying to talk while also digging around in his chest for the wooden bullet clawing itself closer and closer to his heart.

"Very well," she relented with a click of her tongue. Instead of twisting Tyler's neck, she merely pulled the gun from his hand as he streamed curses at her before using it to knock him unconscious. He joined his friend on the ground, but he would wake up in a few hours while Brady would never see the light of day again.

Stefan finally pried the bullet from his chest with a strangled gasp, hurtling the blasted object towards the wall with hatred. It took a minute for his breathing to return to normal while his body tried to heal itself, but when it finally did he pushed himself onto his feet and stood face-to-face with his savior. Though he had never met her in person, he had heard plenty about the woman from Elena and Damon. "You must be Julien."

"In the flesh," she replied with a smile and mock curtsy. "And you must be the brother of the vampire who plunged a coatrack into my brother's chest."

"Damon was only trying to – wait… your brother?"

Julien tapped the gun loaded with wooden bullets against her thigh, humming thoughtfully before walking towards the shed door as she motioned for Stefan to follow. "I believe it's high time you, Elena and I have a little talk."

Stefan had no choice but to follow after the Original vampire as she sauntered towards the lake house. He saw Elena standing on the porch with a confused expression, and immediately sped up his steps so that he would reach her side before Julien. The Original didn't seem bothered.

"Stefan? What is she doing here?" Elena asked, standing close by his side as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "What happened? I thought I heard gunshots."

"I'll explain later," he promised her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before trailing his knuckles lovingly down her cheek.

Julien rolled her eyes from her place at the bottom of the stairs leading to the open front door, but otherwise remained quiet until after Stefan had quickly ushered Elena inside the house where she wouldn't be able to reach her unless she was invited in. "Are we finished with the displays of affection, or shall I come back later?"

"Why are you here?" Elena ventured to ask, though her bravery was undermined by the fact that she behind an invisible barrier protecting her from the big, bad Original. "We've kept up our deal with Elijah. What else could you want from us?"

"That's a rude way of speaking to the woman who just saved your life," Julien pointed out. When Elena shot Stefan a confused look, he sighed before explaining what had just occurred in the shed.

"One of the werewolves from Jules' pack showed up and shot me before trying to come and get you. Julien showed up and… stopped him."

"For which you are quite welcome, by the way."

Elena's eyes widened significantly as she turned her eyes from Stefan to Julien. "You saved him?" She waited for the woman to nod before sighing gratefully. "Thank you."

Julien merely hummed once more in recognition of her gratitude. "Now, as for your deal with Elijah. There are a few things I think you're unaware of concerning my dear brother that you would be quite interested in learning."

"Your what?"

"That's what I said," Stefan chimed in, all the while his gaze never leaving Julien – especially when she stepped onto the bottom of the short staircase leading closer to Elena. He stepped protectively in front of the door, partially obscuring her view of the doppelganger and crossing his arms over his chest. "You said you wanted to talk. You can do that from out here."

Julien stared past Stefan with an unimpressed expression, meeting Elena's thoughtful gaze. "I don't divulge information lightly," she warned. "Especially not to those who are designed to be my enemies. That being said, I believe that if you are willing to sacrifice yourself for my brother – whether those are your intentions or not – then you have earned at least a small part of our story."

Elena pressed her lips tightly together as she engaged in a staring contest with Julien, her thoughts whirring at a million miles an hour. When she remained quiet for a time, Stefan looked over his shoulder to see her face. "You're not seriously considering this?"

Instead of answering him, Elena asked Julien, "You're really Elijah's sister?"

"I am."

"And you're going to help us kill Klaus?"

Julien faltered slightly, though not quite long enough for either of them to notice. "That's the plan."

"Then come in."

Stefan's heart sunk low in his chest while Julien – feeling the familiar weight lifting from her shoulders as she was allowed entrance into the home – moved up the stairs into the house. "Elena – "

"I know what I'm doing, Stefan," the doppelganger insisted with pleading eyes. "Trust me."

Julien waited patiently for Stefan to step aside before she stood silently before Elena. The girl gave her one more contemplative look before gesturing for her to enter the house. Julien did so unhindered, casting a cursory glance around the large living room before seating herself in an arm chair by the dying fire and looking back to the door.

Elena twisted her hands uncomfortably in front of herself as she walked further into the house, Stefan trailing behind her. "Well, you're here," Elena pointed out needlessly. "So. Tell me why you're here."

Julien chuckled at how bold the teenager was before shaking her head. "Not quite yet. I said I would tell you. Not your little boyfriend."

"Absolutely not," Stefan interjected, immediately catching on to her meaning. "I'm not leaving you alone with Elena."

"It's okay – "

"No, it's not okay, Elena. I don't care what kind of deal you have with these people. I don't trust them to keep you safe."

"I can handle myself, Stefan," Elena insisted, her voice portraying confidence that Julien couldn't quite make out as true bravery or mere arrogance. "Why don't you go get that firewood we talked about? We'll be fine in here. I don't think Julien would betray Elijah's trust."

Stefan huffed with irritation, looking back and forth between Elena and Julien cautiously, before finally landing on the latter. "If you do anything to hurt her, I swear I will kill you."

Julien didn't bother to point out that he had absolutely no way of accomplishing that task, instead nodding to show that she understood his vague threat. Stefan stared at her for a moment longer in what she was sure he thought was a threatening way before whispering more words of affection to Elena and finally exiting the house.

Once the Original and the doppelganger were left alone, Julien motioned towards the couch to her left. "Please, sit."

Elena did as she was told, sitting on the end of the couch furthest from Julien and crossing her legs as well as her arms so that she sat in what certainly couldn't be a comfortable position. "Okay. I let you in, and we're alone. So what did you come to tell me?"

Julien's fingers toyed with a loose string on the arm of the chair she sat in, observing Elena silently for a few uncomfortable silent moments before speaking quietly. "You know, it truly is remarkable just how exactly alike the Petrova doppelgangers are in appearance. Your personalities couldn't be more different, but your looks… I have seen many things in my life, but the Petrova girls will always astound me."

"What do my looks have to do with your story?"

"You know, I truly believe my brothers are doomed to fight over a Petrova for all eternity. I'm sure another will come after you, and this little war of theirs will start up all over again."

"Brothers? As in plural? If Elijah is one, who's your other brother?"

Julien twisted the green string around her index finger, pulling it out of the chair and discarding it onto the floor as she waited for the girl to figure it out on her own. It took a bit longer than she had expected, but a small gasp from the couch indicated that she had indeed worked it all out.

"Klaus is your brother?"

"Hmm. I guess you're not as stupid as I initially thought you were."

"Wait," Elena groaned slightly, cradling her head in her hands as she furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "So, you, Elijah, and Klaus are a family? That's so… so… why are you and Elijah trying to kill your brother? And what does it have to do with the curse?"

"Those are questions you'll simply have to ponder in your own free time," Julien evaded. "I've come to tell you something very specific, and that is all I will tell you. What you do with the information is completely up to you."

Elena shook her head as she pulled her legs on to the couch, leaning closer to Julien. "You mean you're going to drop a bomb like that on me and not bother to explain it?"

"I could simply leave now and tell you nothing, if that's what you would prefer."

When Julien stood from the chair, Elena hurried off the couch and waved her hands frantically. "No, wait! Don't. Don't leave, I'm sorry. What did you come to tell me?"

Julien waited to make sure that Elena was truly going to comply before returning to the arm chair, casually situation herself once more until she was comfortable. Elena sat quite literally on the edge of her seat, leaning forward as she stared impatiently at the Original.

"From what I've gathered, you're quite protective of your friends," Julien began. Elena nodded, signaling for her to continue. "Which I would assume translates to your family. Though I'm sure you think you would do anything for your family, I can assure you that you haven't the faintest idea what that might entail for someone like me."

As if confirming her theory, Elena shook her head with pinched eyebrows. "I don't understand what you mean."

"What I mean is that when you have seen your family go through hell and back – quite literally in some cases – it can change you. Sometimes not in the most favorable of ways. I have seen my family in the absolute best and worst of all times possible throughout the last thousand years. I would do anything in my power to ensure that they suffer as little as possible at the hands of others. I have maimed, tortured, and murdered more people than you could count for crossing my family. Sometimes for only considering it. Yet here you sit. Because I need you."

"To help you kill Klaus," Elena said with a nod.

Julien shrewdly searched Elena's face, while keeping hers carefully devoice of emotion. Whatever it was she saw in Elena, it was enough to help her decide that she could continue her speech. "I don't want to kill my brother."

Elena blinked, her lips parting slightly though no sound came out. Julien waited patiently for her human brain to catch up to what she had said. Her voice was clearly forced when she spoke again, sounding raspy and a little frightened. "But I thought you were on our side?"

"I never have been, and will never be on your side," Julien clarified. "I have supported Elijah thus far, and consequently you have been aided. However, I have found it quite… difficult to come to terms with killing Niklaus, to say the very least. Despite all he has done, he is still my family – my baby brother, that I have spent a hundred lifetimes trying to protect. It's my understanding that you also have a younger brother. Though it's a very different situation, I think you can gather at least a fraction of my reluctance to harm Niklaus."

"Okay," Elena whispered, drawing the word out into a sigh. She was clearly very confused. "Yeah… I guess I can understand not wanting to hurt your family. But Jeremy isn't a killer. He isn't searching for people to sacrifice to break a curse. It's completely different."

Julien chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip, thrumming her unoccupied fingers against the arm of the couch as she considered how to continue her approach. "I'm not trying to justify his actions. I am only trying to explain to you why I find myself in such a difficult position. It is only because Niklaus has done such terrible things and because it was Elijah who asked that I have even been willing to entertain the thought of stopping him for a fraction of a second."

"Is that all you came to tell me? That you don't want to hurt Klaus?"

"No. I came to warn you, so that you might warn your friends that Elijah is out risking himself to protect at this very moment, while you sit here and pretend that all is right in the world."

Julien stood once more from the chair, moving towards where Elena sat on the couch. She placed her hands on either side of the doppelgangers head, leaning down until the girl's face almost blurred from the close proximity. She could hear the wild beating of Elena's heart, but in a somewhat impressive fashion she managed to keep her face almost completely passive.

"I will not lose Elijah. He will settle his quarrel with Niklaus with whatever means he deems necessary, using whatever and whomever he deems necessary, and though it tears me in half, I will reluctantly allow him that because he believes it to be right and I trust his judgement. But I will. Not. Lose. Him. If you or any of your friends so much as thinks of betraying him, you will have me to deal with, and I can guarantee you that you would sooner pray for death than see my bad side. Is that perfectly clear?"

As Elena had no choice but to meet Julien's smoldering gaze, she couldn't help but think back to the pure terror she had witnessed on Rose's face at the thought that Julien was coming for her. Sitting here now, she felt a fraction of that fear flickering to life in deep in her chest, and she could do nothing but nod at the Original.

Julien remained hovering over Elena for only a moment longer before standing back up. The smile she offered Elena then was almost as frightening as the dead expression she had worn a moment ago. She took the time to pat the doppelganger on the shoulder before stepping around the couch, calling out to her over her shoulder as she exited the lake house.

"I'm glad we had this little chat."

And thus ends another chapter.

I wanted to delve just a little bit into Julien's feelings on the current situation, since I know most of you have been lamenting over the fact that Julien seemed so willing to turn on Klaus. I hope this chapter cleared that up a little bit, and of course as we approach the night of the full moon, we'll see how everything goes down with the ritual.

There was also the reunion of Alaric and Julien – no matter how short-lived. We'll be seeing more of them in the future, but right now is a bit of a critical time for Julien's family life, rather than her social life.

As always, let me know what you thought of the development in this chapter. What did you think of Julien's interactions with John, Alaric, and Elena this chapter? Was anyone OOC? What do you think will happen next?

I have half of the next chapter completed, so it should be up within the next two weeks or so. See you all then!