Damon ignored all of Stefan's questions when he finally made it downstairs and they headed towards the meeting he'd set up with Klaus and Elijah. He knew how this was going to end. Stefan didn't but he did and he was in no mood to try and describe the nature of his relationship with Kol.

Damon mostly ignored his brother on the way over, and the questions ranging from what the hell were you thinking? To Are you sure you aren't being compelled? They stopped when they finally reached Klaus' and it actually went better than Damon had expected.

Even Klaus' jabs about Elena didn't bother him like they should have, like they might have before he'd opened the wrong coffin. However, the look on Klaus' face when Elijah entered the room surrounded by, not just Kol, but Rebekah and Finn as well was priceless. He kind of wished he'd had a camera to capture the moment.

He'd dragged Stefan out of the room just as Kol had pinned Klaus' arms back, holding him in place. Damon had only turned back briefly to meet Kol's eyes before the door closed and the grin that Damon was becoming to think of as Kol's trademark and the wink he received in return had the smile forming on Damon's face as well.

The smile didn't fade until much later when Kol did not show back up.

Xxxxxx

"It was their mother Esther that was sealed in that coffin."

"As in the original witch?"

"What? How is she even alive? I thought her hybrid freak show of a son ripped her heart out a thousand years ago."

Damon paced, only half paying attention to the conversation Stefan and Elena were having. He hadn't seen Kol since he and Stefan had left him with his siblings at Klaus'. He wouldn't admit it to either of the two people in the room with him currently but he hadn't exactly slept-at all-the night before.

A part of him had been worried that maybe, despite the fact that he had been outnumbered, Klaus could have gotten the upper hand. Or, that Kol had decided to simply skip town with Elijah and the others.

This, however, was a bit surprising. Kol had hardly spoken of either his father or mother when they had known each other a century ago.

"Damon." Stefan's voice and a hand on his shoulder broke him out of his thoughts and he turned to the two of them.

"What?"

Stefan took a step back, eyeing him. "Maybe Elena should know all the details. Like the fact that Elijah wasn't the only original you decided to wake up. Or that you seem to be a little bit too close to one of them."

Damon glared briefly at his brother. This was payback for not answering Stefan's questions from before, and probably a little bit for kissing Elena.

"I wouldn't talk, brother. Just how close did you and Rebekah get back before you decided to grow a conscious?"

"This isn't about me, Damon. And I don't give a damn about Rebekah now. You, on the other hand…from what I heard…"

"What is he talking about?" Elena was frowning. There was a hint of something in her eyes that might have been jealousy along with the confusion.

"Fine." Damon scowled at his brother. "I met Kol a little over a hundred years ago. Actually, we met up a lot back then over the course of I'd say…ten years."

"Ten years?" Elena repeated, her voice going high. "You…you and an original? Why didn't you say anything?"

"Didn't actually know he was an original at the time," Damon answered with a shrug. He kept his voice casual but he couldn't help but to notice that look in Elena's eyes growing.

Elena opened her mouth to answer that when the doorbell rang and Elena was distracted enough by the invitation Esther had sent that Damon slipped out without her even noticing.

Xxxxxxxxx

"Tell me how handsome I am." Those were the words that greeted him when Damon stepped into his room. Kol was standing in front of his mirror, decked out in a suit, complete with a bow tie.

"I would but I've been told that I lie too much already," Damon retorted automatically but he did take a second to admire how the suit fit the older vampire.

Kol grinned and pulled something that looked suspiciously like another suit, covered, off his wall. "Get dressed," he ordered. He threw the suit on top of Damon.

Damon set it aside with a scowl. "Why would I want to do that?"

"Come on now, darling. I've already promised Mother that I'll…behave myself tonight. No killing-"

"You promised to behave yourself?" Damon cut him off, a little incredulously.

"Yes and I can see it now. But I'm going to be forced into this, I may as well have some fun with it."

"So this is what you've been doing since I last saw you? Suddenly you're one big happy family?"

Kol took a few steps closer to him. "Are you angry with me?" He asked, amused.

"I'm just a little confused about why you want to play nice happy family with a guy who left you to rot for a century."

"Angry on my behalf then? That's sweet, darling but you can't kill Nik. And as delusional as it is of her, Mother seems rather determined that we should be family again." His tone turned mocking at the last bit.

"But it is a delusion?" Damon pressed.

"Of course. Nik will never accept someone who doesn't follow every one of his orders. Pretty sure that's why he left us all to rot. Mother will see it again as well. Maybe when he tries to rip her heart out again."

"And yet you still want to pretend?"

"I'm not much for worrying about the future, at least not at this moment." Kol picked up the suit he'd gotten for Damon. "So, are you coming with me? You can't kill Nik but I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities to annoy him tonight."

"Well, gee," Damon started, voice heavy with sarcasm, "how could I pass up an opportunity like that?" But he accepted the suit from Kol and it had nothing to do with wanting to annoy any of Kol's siblings.

Xxxxxxx

"Mayor Lockwood. We haven't formally met. Kol Mikaelson. I hope your lovely town embraces us just as much as we plan to embrace it."

Damon watched the display with some amusement. Kol had disappeared on him sometime earlier and he tilted his head and held out his own hand.

"Damon Salvatore. Have we met?"

Kol took his hand and pulled him a bit closer. "I've met a lot of people. You don't particularly stand out."

"Ohhh. That hurts." Damon put his free hand against his chest in mock anguish. "Or maybe it's the old age getting to you." He was vaguely aware of Carol staring at him like he was crazy for what she most likely thought was antagonizing a thousand year old vampire.

"Perhaps you should try again to make an impression," Kol suggested, almost in his personal space.

"I don't know about that. You don't look like much yourself. Sure you can keep up?"

There was a choking noise from beside them that stopped Kol from answering and they both turned to Carol, who was red in the face and had a hand over her mouth.

"I'm sorry," she said, her eyes wide as she stared at them.

"It's alright," Kol stated, stepping back from Damon. "I should mingle, I suppose." He paused, appraising Damon. "Later," he promised before he slipped away from them.

"Are you going to tell me why you were just flirting with that…man?" Carol demanded. Damon was about to answer, smirk forming on his lips but he stopped short when he spotted Elena coming through the front door.

"Dammit," he cursed, striding quickly away from the mayor. He said nothing at first, simply grabbed her arm and dragged her back out, hopefully out of earshot of the vampires scattered through the crowd.

"Damon-"

"Are you insane?" He hissed, cutting off her protest.

"No, but I-"

"What? Thought it'd be a good idea to mingle with a bunch of originals?"

"You're here," she pointed out, stubbornly.

"I can defend myself. Also, I'm not the one who got a suspicious personal invitation."

"No, just one from Kol, right?" She sounded angry then and she crossed her arms.

"This isn't about Kol. Why didn't you tell me you were coming here? I thought at least Stefan would try and talk some sense into you."

"I'm capable of making my own decisions, Damon. I thought it'd be a good idea to find out what Esther wants."

"With no regard for your own life. Beginning to become bit of a theme, isn't it?" He matched her anger.

"Why do you even care?" She demanded, her eyes flashing. "You came here for someone else, didn't you? Why don't you go find him and leave me alone?"

He studied her expression a moment. "You're jealous," he stated, no doubt in his voice.

"I'm not," she insisted. "I also don't have time for this." She tried to push past him but he stopped her, grabbed her arm.

"No, seriously, Elena. I saw it in your eyes."

She hesitated briefly. "Would it matter if I was?"

Damon paused, thought about it. He'd loved her, still did he was pretty sure. But he'd also spent ten years of his life always going back to Kol. He'd considered giving up his search for Katherine because of Kol. And he'd only, finally, switched off his emotions after he'd thought Kol had left.

"I don't know," he answered finally, honestly.

Elena nodded, sighed, and then started away from him. "I really hope you're not making a mistake."

Xxxxxxxx

Her insides had turned to lead. Elena was sure of it as she walked away from Elijah, after lying to him, telling him what he wanted to hear, that his mother simply wanted their family together. Not the truth. Not what that woman was really planning.

It was wrong. The thought rang through her head again. Was it wrong? To let this happen? To sacrifice Elijah just for a shot at getting rid of Klaus? And not just Elijah. Elena stood at the bottom of the stairs, searching the crowd and she found them.

They were in a secluded corner of the large room. Damon and Kol. Elena had yet to meet Kol. She had no clue if he was just as much of a monster as Klaus was. But she did know Damon. Even with the distance between them, she could see his expression, see his eyes shining in a way that they rarely, if ever, did.

She had been jealous before. But, now, standing there, watching them and knowing, the jealousy was completely drowned out by a nearly overpowering sense of guilt and wrongness. She practically sprinted from the room, unable to watch as they drank those glasses that Esther had promised would kill them all.