A/N Dear readers, I know it has been an awful long time since the last update and I can only offer you my sincerest apologies. I had quite a rough time but as you see, I haven't forgotten you. Plus, it's a rather large chapter, so I hope I could make it up to you. I hope you enjoy it and please let me know if you have anything to say; be it criticism, praise or some ideas ;)

"I will only say it one more time, Nadia, you're not coming with us. End of story!" Katerina blocked the front door with her body with her hands on her hips. Her eyes were grimly fixated her daughter who stood opposite of her in the same position.

"Oh no, it's not! If you're going, I'm going, too. That witch seems to be mental and eve if you're willing to risk your life, I'm not."

"I'm not going to meet her alone. Elijah's there, even Klaus and Rebekah, although the latter two won't be much of a help, I have to admit. Still, there's no need to blow your cover yet. As you said, Esther is mental."

"I don't need your protection. Compared to certain other persons in this room, I'm a vampire. I can take care of myself."

"Then why the hell are you acting like a spoiled child?"

Klaus stepped closer to Elijah and cleared his throat. "As much as I would enjoy a good old bitch fight, but shouldn't we intervene? I just had the walls painted and blood is so hardly covered white."

"Do you really want to step between the two of them?", Elijah asked with a raised eye brow. "I can barely handle one Petrova alone."

"Even I can he your, dumbasses", Katerina yelled and glared at Elijah. "Tell her there is no need to come with us and that I will be perfectly safe with you."

"No! Tell her she can need any protection she can get. Esther wanted me to come, maybe she'll be pissed when I don't and then Katerina has to suffer it."

"Oh, don't worry, love", Klaus chimed in with a big grin. "Mother will be pissed either way. We killed her and tried to do so multiple times after she came back and made our live a living hell. Again. You're not the only one with a hot tempered mother."

Elijah loudly cleared his throat. "You're not helping, Niklaus."

"Not? Well, then I'll go looking if our darling sister is done smearing lots and lots of make-up onto her face and you solve this here. Have fun."

Elijah sighed and stepped between the mother-daughter-duo. "Look, Katerina", he began seriously. "My mother is dangerous and as long as I don't know what this whole dinner is about, I would like to have as many allies as possible there. Nadia is strong and she can fight. I won't be able to have my eyes on you the whole time." He then turned to Nadia. "I assume you have a gun with you, don't you?"

"One gun?" Nadia smiled dangerously. "One gun, three throwing knives and an additional mag. Trust me, concerning weapons I'm covered. I would give her one thing or another, but I bet she can't handle it."

"Hey, I once saved Matty Blue-Blue's ass with a shotgun, alright? I'm not a complete noob."

"Right. What about a deal? Nadia is allowed to come along and starting tomorrow she shows you how to handle a gun and all this stuff so you can defend yourself while you're still human. What do you say?"

Katerina stayed quiet a long while and alternately glared at her daughter and her lover. "You're not getting laid anytime soon", she finally threatened Elijah before turning to Nadia. "And you… If you're doing anything stupid this evening, I'll kill you myself. Got it? You won't provoke or put yourself in unnecessary danger."

"Fine!"

Elijah breathed a sigh of relief. Could this evening become any worse? He hoped that it couldn't. It would be difficult enough to keep his siblings in check and he was nervous about Katerina coming along. It was too dangerous for her but of course she wouldn't listen to him. She seldom did. So yes, he was glad Nadia would be there, too. He was almost one hundred percent sure, that Nadia wouldn't let herself get distracted and instead keep her eyes all the time at Katerina.

"You're done fighting? Great", Klaus commented while towing Rebekah to the front door and then further towards the car, so his sister and Katerina didn't have a chance to claw each other's eyes out. Not that he feared Rebekah could lose, but he knew Elijah would never forgive him if at least he didn't try to prevent a fight. Klaus did have a much easier when Katerina still had been in Mystic Falls.

It only was a short drive to the address given on the invitation card, but all of the passengers were keyed up. Elijah got out, opened the back door and helped Katerina and Nadia out of the car. His hand rested at the small of Katerina's back while they walked to the front door.

A dark haired, middle-aged woman opened before they even knocked. "You made it. All of you. That's good. Hayley thinks I prepared so rich a meal to feed a whole army. Now, come on in." With a warm smile on her lips she stepped aside, making room for them to enter the house.

Elijah and Klaus exchanged a glance, but then followed their mother along with the others into the dining room, where a very pregnant Hayley put the last plates in the table.

Esther sighed and put her hands on her hips. "I told you to sit down and stay quiet, didn't I?"

"I'm pregnant, not sick", Hayley answered and rolled her eyes, but a thankful smile played on her lips.

Katerina glared at her. "What is she doing here?"

"Why, this is a family dinner. Hayley here is carrying my grandchild and after Elijah left she came to me to protect her from the witches. Really, my son, I would never have thought you one to break your word on a lady. I'm very disappointed, Elijah."

"You gotta be kidding me, right?" Katerina snorted and crossed her arms in front of her chest, then turned to Klaus. "When I told you what was going on, I expected you for once to be a man. Couldn't you just lock her up somewhere until she pressed out your bastard?"

"Hey, you're the one who was trying to kill me!" Hayley glared at Katerina, one hand protectively over her swollen belly. "If it wasn't for you, Elijah wouldn't have left me with the witches."

"Oh, sorry sweetheart, was life mean to you? Poor thing." Venom dropped almost visibly from her lips and Katerina was close to going at her; it was only Nadia's hand on her shoulder that held her back.

Elijah sighed. "I already told you multiple times, Hayley, that I left New Orleans because I had a promise to keep. And you were save. Niklaus-"

"Well, well, my dears, I won't have any of this at my table. You will manage to get along for this dinner or there won't be any dessert for any of you." Esther glared at her visitors in turn, hands firmly put on her sides.

Hayley smiled sweetly at Katerina. "Oh, I wouldn't worry, Esther. Since Katherine is human again she could do with a little less sugar."

Now Katerina really tried to launch herself at the werewolf, but was held back by Elijah and Nadia. Even Klaus deliberately blocked her path as he grasped Hayley at her shoulders and gave her a painful squeeze. "You might carry my child, but beware. This fact does not make you invincible. My loyalties also lie with my siblings and since Katerina to my utter annoyance seems to belong with my brother, she deserves at least part protection. Do you understand, love?"

Hayley nodded hastily and countered Katerina's glare with even loathing. The moment Klaus released her, she turned around and vanished into the kitchen. Klaus groaningly met the floor one heartbeat later.

"That wasn't necessary, Niklaus", Esther chided, while her gaze seemed to pin her son to the floor. "Hayley is a decent girl. It's bad enough that you are unwilling to take care of her but threatening her? That's not the way I raised you."

"Let him go!" Rebekah's sorrow pitched her voice up. Elijah readied himself to distract his mother but Esther was faster. Soon he joined Klaus on the ground.

"You are not here because I want to punish you", Esther said with a calm voice, her focus lying mostly on her sons. "But if you are unable to behave under my roof, I will punish you. So, can you sit down at this table and behave like the men you are or can you not?"

"Fine", Klaus barked.

Esther turned around and the magic vanished with her focus on the brothers. Katerina, who had been held back by Nadia, now rushed to Elijah and seized his arm to hold him steady while he stood up. "Are you hurt?", he asked her quietly and shook his head to cast out the pain that had dominated his skull before.

"No. You okay?" Concern laid under the surface of her voice but her eyes promised bloody murder. She would like nothing better than to rip that woman' heart out. Elijah only nodded, his gaze wandered to Esther and Hayley in the kitchen. Everything in him screamed to get Katerina out of this house and as far away as possible but he honestly did not know how his mother would react.

"We will go as soon as possible. We need Marcel to sign a truce if he refuses to join forces." His voice was low so that even the vampires could barely hear him.

Katerina nodded. "I'll take care of him. He owes me one."

Elijah laid his arm protectively around her shoulders and let the way to the dining table, where he pulled out a chair first for Katerina then for Nadia, so Katerina was sitting between the two of them. Rebekah briefly pulled a face while looking at Nadia and then choose the chair next to Elijah. Niklaus rolled his eyes, joined Nadia and ended next to Hayley. Esther brought a plate of steaks to the table and took the remaining seat. "Please, help yourselves. I hope you like it. It's been a while for me to prepare a dinner for such a group. And no, the food is not poisoned."

"Then why are we here if you don't plan on killing us?", Niklaus asked, completely ignoring the food. "The last time you wanted to reunite our family, you did exactly that."

"Are you sure you want to talk business before trying the sauce? I remember you to be a better eater." Esther frowned.

"Tell us, mother!" Rebekah sat very still, hands folded in her lap. Anxiety flickered in her eyes; one reason more she chose the place next to her eldest living brother.

Esther sighed, but nodded eventually. "Very well. I asked you to come because before everything else, I am still your mother and I want you to be happy. As you see, I abandoned my former body and chose to live in the one of this witch. Not only took I over her body but also her abilities."

"Yeah, so much I noticed", muttered Niklaus under his breath but loud enough so everyone could hear him.

Esther ignored him. "I would like to offer you the same. To leave behind your vampire bodies and live a mortal live in the body you would chose. Elijah, I learned that you saved dear Katerina here-"

"For you, it's Katherine", Katerina interrupted. "And I'm not your dear. Since I am already in this goddamn human body and I would rather be dealing with all my enemies at the same time than dining with you, why am I here? There is nothing you could offer me."

"Well, Katherine", Esther emphasized her anglicised name, "I guess we can agree on the fact, that a mother should always protect and her for her child, don't we? We don't abandon our children to follow our own selfish goals, no matter what."

"I did not abandon her! If you-"

"Katherine, you have to learn that not everything is appointed to you." Esther's gaze flickered to Nadia, but quickly returned to Katerina. "As I side, I learned that my son saved your live and is unwilling to leave your side. I would offer your daughter the same deal. She gives up her immortal body and can live on in a human one. A long, human live with her mother. Buying a house. Founding a family. Wouldn't you wish your daughter such a life as I am wishing it for my children?"

"Why don't you ask the daughter herself?" Nadia's gaze was furious. "I'm not a vampire because it was my only chance to survive but so I could find my mother. To protect her. This I can only do as a vampire. So no, thank you, bitch. I don't need your so-called gift."

"Never thought I would say that, but I agree with the younger Petrova. Exchanging being a hybrid for being a weak human or a witch? Hell, no. I have a city to rule. And even if I don't care about Hayley – who is a werewolf by the way – I do care about my unborn heir. What would happen to him if Hayley chose to live in another body?"

"The child would die. But of course you could father another child in a human body. So-"

Hayley cleared her throat. "I would wait until I gave birth. If I choose to live in another body. I have it under control turning into a werewolf, so I don't know yet."

"It is only an offer, my dear", Esther said with a warm smile. "I wouldn't dare to force you."

"No, of course not." Elijah's look was pure coldness. "As if you would not force your own children, right? We lived for over a thousand years as vampires. Do you not think we accustomed to this lifestyle over the time? Rebekah wanted to take the cure, I give you that, and I won't restrain her from accepting your ever so generous offer. But for my share, I have to decline. As Niklaus already pointed out, there are some benefits of being a vampire. Though I would like nothing more to start a family with Katerina, I know that she wants to be a vampire again. So why should I give up my immortality?"

"Love does make blind, doesn't it?" The warmth in Ester's face vanished and turned to hatred as she faced Katerina. "As much as I would love to see you happy, but if you don't choose life, you choose death, my son. I thought it wouldn't be necessary to convince you, but I won't underestimate you again."

Katerina flinched as Nadia groaned suddenly and held her head, sinking on the table. "Make it stop", she whimpered, tears threating to steal themselves from her squinted eyes. It only took Elijah and Niklaus the fraction of a second longer, to launch themselves at their mother, but both were brought down. "I wouldn't do that, brothers." A huge man stepped in the room, the black hair cropped short, and held his hands out.

"Who are you?" Nklaus groaned from the floor, not able to push Rebekah aside who was hovering over him.

The man sadly shook his head. "Well, I can't expect you to recognize the one you kept in a box for nine hundred years."

"In his defence, let it be said that you are a pain in the ass, Finn", Elijah answered and fought against the power that threatened to split his skull apart. "Turning against your family? Fatal decision, brother." The last word he said with so much loathing, that even Katerina blinked in surprise.

The former vampire left her place at Nadia's side, simply ignored Elijah's attempts to stop her and strutted towards Esther. "You will let them go right now or so help me God, I will make your life a hell. Trust me, you wouldn't be the first witch I'd let burn at a stake. And just in case you are going to underestimate me, let me tell you this: I don't need to be a vampire to do so. So call off your lapdog and let us go. Now."

Katerina already wanted to turn around, but Esther approached her and held her wrist in a firm grip. Then she leaned forwards to whisper in Katerina's ear: "Don't worry, Katherine. You and I are not as different as you think we are. We both get what we want, but I fear this time you won't stand a chance. I won't let my children live a life as monsters. If you are the one to stand in my way, you will regret it. And don't you think I wouldn't have a leverage I could use against you. Your daughter is more fragile than you think. This pain she had to go through… it left scars. Scars deep enough to break open at every reminder of what happened. Would you really dare to trade your daughter's sanity for a love that's doomed to end? Five hundred years are a long time for feelings to change. Do you think it a coincidence, that Elijah fell for Hayley, promised her to protect her? He's a family man, but you hold him back. As long as there is you, he won't choose a human life. So if I have to destroy you first, I will do so. It's your choice."

Katerina snorted and answered her just as quietly. "If you think you could stand between Elijah and me or my daughter and me, you're making a grave mistake."

"If you say so, darling." Esther smiled sweetly and nodded towards Finn who reluctantly released his brothers. Niklaus pushed Rebekah unwillingly aside as she tried to help him and glared at his mother. "You are free to leave, my children. But never fear, I will contact you when I found the right vessels for you." Then she simply turned around.

Katerina tremblingly breathed out, then turned around. Elijah already stood again and looked at her with concern in his eyes, but she ignored him and rushed towards Nadia, who only slowly recovered. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead and her gaze flickered through the room like the one of a hunted deer. "Nadia?" Katerina's voice was soft and her touch careful just as to not scare her further. "We're getting out of here. Come on, I'll bring you home."

Nadia shakenly stood up and let Katerina take her hand to lead her out. She flinched when Elijah laid her his jacket around the shoulders and walked on her other side.

"Niklaus?", he called over his shoulder. "Are you coming?"

"I think I'm gonna stay a while longer, brother", Niklaus answered without taking his gaze from Finn, who still calmly stood in the doorframe, shielding the way Esther and Hayley had gone. "Take Rebekah with you."

"I'm old enough to step up for myself, Nik. If you think you need to pro-"

"Stuff it, Rebekah, and move your bottom out of this house. Now."

The blonde vampire huffed, but followed the older brother, Katerina and Nadia outside. Without talking about it, Elijah and Rebekah took seat in the front, while Katerina joined her daughter on the rear bench seat, holding her tight.

"What did she tell you, Katerina?", Elijah asked, his voice strained but he forced it to sound at least partly calm, as if not to startle Nadia. "Our mother normally is not a woman to give up easily."

"It was nothing. Or nothing important, anyway", Katerina replied in a tone that made clear she wouldn't say another word concerning this topic. Elijah knew her too well to press her further and instead speeded down the street towards the mansion. Nadia slowly gained her composure back, but she still was unusually quiet. Katerina tried not to let her worries show through.

When they finally reached the mansion, she brought her daughter to an unoccupied room on the same level as Elijah's apartment and forced her to sit on the bed. "Can I bring you something? Anything?", she asked and took Elijah's jacket from her shoulders.

Nadia shook her head. "No, I just… I'm just gonna need some time. I'm fine, really. It just was quiet messed up in there."

"That's the Mikaelson-way of family", Katerina quipped, but then she frowned. "If you want me to stay, you only have to ask. Just in case you wanna talk or something."

"I know, but not right now. Thanks anyway."

"You're always welcome. If you need something, I'm just two doors away. Just call, alright?" Katerina gently kissed her on the forehead and tucked her in as Nadia laid back. She softly closed the door behind her and leaned against the wood for a moment, her eyes closed.

"Is Nadia alright?", Elijah asked quietly, gently cupping her cheek.

Katerina sighed. "No. But she won't tell me. She says a little sleep will help her, but I don't know. I don't know what Esther had let her see and I don't know what happened to her in the past five hundred years. So how can I help her?"

"You can help her by being there for you when she asks you to", Elijah responded and pulled her into an embrace. "Your daughter is a strong woman. Whatever she saw earlier, she will go through it. But you do not look all too confident, either."

Katerina waved his concerns tiredly aside. "Esther thought she could blackmail me. Something about standing between you and your happiness and that it's me to bar you from humanity. That kind of bullshit."

Elijah was quiet for a while, then he let go of Katerina to took her hand and lead her to their own rooms. "You know… in one millennia there are times when you think about being human again. Rebekah had those times, one only recently. I had those, too. If you'd choose to stay human, I would probably join you. She was right, you know? About wanting to start a family."

Katerina let go of his hand and looked at him with a mixture of disbelief, sadness and hurt. Then she quickly locked her feelings behind her Katherine-façade. "Then she was right."

"No." Elijah shook his head, one hand on the doorknob. "Katerina, if I can have an eternity with you, I will be the happiest man that ever lived. Of course I would love to hold a little girl with your eyes and give her the world, but if that should not be our path, then so shall it be. You already have a daughter and although I know that I cannot replace her father, I hope that she will accept me as someone like her stepfather. Really, Katerina, starting a family of my own is not on the top list of my concerns."

Katerina didn't seem persuaded, but followed Elijah into their apartment anyway.

Elijah silently opened the door and was greeted with a look out of brown eyes. "I am sorry. I did not want to disturb you. Katerina is still sleeping and I wanted to check on you. I will just-"

"No! I mean… you can stay if you like." Nadia sat propped up against the cushions, her legs pulled up against her chest and her fragile frame covered by a thick blanket.

Elijah sat down at the edge of the bed, his face turned towards the younger vampire. "My father was an aggressive man, especially towards Niklaus. One day he beat him bloody and I intervened. I could not have been older than nine or ten. Father was so outraged that he beat me instead of my brother. Although one thousand years have passed since then, I still dream about this day, waking up in cold sweat. Some memories quite never let us go."

Nadia remained silent for a few moments. "Mother once asked me about her grandchild. I couldn't answer. Not because she died very young or something like that, but because I never saw her again after birth. I gave her away immediately and went to get myself turned into a vampire. I couldn't stand looking at her."

"What happened?" Elijah's voice was soft, concerned. Not necessarily the voice of a father figure, but at least the one of a friend. He didn't talk with her because he needed to gain her trust; he was honestly worried. Not even for Katerina's sake and because Nadia was her daughter, but because he wanted to ease the pain of the younger vampire.

"My stepmother hated me from the very first day. Father on the other hand was more understanding; I think he spoiled me to make it up to mother. That he lied to her and left her. One day I asked him to choose my husband for myself. Out of love. He agreed. I turned twenty and still wasn't married, but my stepmother wanted me gone. She gave my hand to a man of the village we were currently living in. My father was out of town, he didn't know. My wedding night was… terrible. Neither was he kind nor careful. I remember crying myself to sleep. Father found out when he returned the next morning and brought me home, but the damage was done: weeks later I noticed I was pregnant."

"I understand", Elijah said quietly. "I am sorry. And I do not know how my mother knows about this part of your history, but she will pay for this. I promise you. Sure, she is not responsible for what happened to you, but there is no necessity for her to let you relive this episode over and over."

"You… Don't tell mother", Nadia pleaded. "She already blames herself for not having fought enough for me back then. This she doesn't have to know."

"No. Not until you choose to tell her", Elijah nodded solemnly. "Don't worry, your secret will be safe with me. Would you like a blood bag? I could bring you one."

"Please. Thanks for listening."

"You're welcome", Elijah answered with a smile.

Well, what do you think? I just fet like it needed the family feels at the end of this chapter after everything that happened.