New Orleans.

Elena was finally home and at peace with her decision to leave Mystic Falls behind; they had endured the flight, got through airport security and the tedious cab ride back to the plantation but it was all worth it, as soon as she stepped foot inside the house, she felt like a weight had been lifted.

She missed her life here in the quarter, the new friends she had made and the serenity of being with her family; of course, she missed everyone back in Mystic Falls but now, she could contact them everyday, something she couldn't do before the trip.

Klaus hadn't left her side for a moment, he was still reeling from what happened with Damon and he couldn't help but feel protective, Elena had tried to push it from her mind but she understood his concern and let him do whatever made him feel better.

As soon as she got back, she called everyone and they where relieved to here she arrived safely, her and Caroline had instantly starting planning there trip out here in a few weeks and they where excited to visit. Next, she had called Davina and she was so happy she was back in New Orleans, they agreed to meet up at the compound in the afternoon and catch up.

She had a few hours sleep and she was ready to start the day, she was barely even tired, just too excited to stay in bed any longer; she had coffee with the siblings, they talked and laughed andElena was starting to feel normal again.

"So, when's everyone flying out here, Elena?" Rebekah asked as she took a sip of coffee.

"They're coming out for Christmas break, they'll come the day after they finish school and leave on Christmas Eve, they want to spend it with there families and so do I," she smiled kindly towards them all, a new wave of excitement washing over her.

"Christmas?" Kol spoke, raising an eyebrow.

"I can't remember the last time we celebrated Christmas, it's been at least a thousand years since we celebrated as a family," Elijah smirked, poking fun at the daggering spree Klaus went on.

"Well, this year we're going big!" Elena exclaimed, a wide grin spread across her lips, "we have so much to celebrate, how can we not?"

"I'm totally on board with this, I love Christmas," Rebekah spoke just as excitedly, "shall we have a party on the run up? Invite everyone in the quarter?"

"That sounds amazing, I'd love that," Elena agreed, both of them getting all giddy and clapping there hands in excitement.

"A Christmas party?" Klaus reiterated, a small smirk appearing on his lips, "we've never had much luck with parties in the past."

"I'm always down for a party," Kol offered his opinion, curling his lips up into a charming smile.

"I agree with Niklaus," Elijah sided with his brother, much to the disappoint of the girls in the room.

"This one will be different, me and Rebekah will plan it and have a very tight-knit guest list," Elena argued, "plus, when the drama does start, I have more than enough power to handle it."

"And 4 original vampires and hybrid for back-up, come on, Nik," Rebekah pleaded with her brother, both her and Elena smiling innocently and batting there eyelashes.

"It's Christmas, we should spend it together, city included," she continued to smile and talk in a cutesy innocent voice.

Klaus looked between everyone at the table, everyone was excited about this except Elijah but he found it hard to say no to Elena, "if a party is what you want then a party is what you shall have."

"Yay!" Both Elena and Rebekah celebrated simultaneously, clapping there hands and smiling excitedly.

"We have so much to do in such a short time," Rebekah's lips parted slightly, her brain firing with the different ideas, "we need food, drink, decorations, a DJ, the guest list needs preparing."

"And we need to get the mansion ready for the arrival of everyone in Mystic Falls," Elena was starting to think this was near impossible to do, "we have to go shopping... soon!"

"Elena, sweetheart, you're supposed to be meeting Davina at the compound in 20 minutes," Klaus kindly reminded her, she shot up onto her feet and gasped.

"I'm going to be late," she shook her head slightly and made her way towards the door, she kissed Klaus on her way and said her byes to the others, she grabbed her purse and jacket and darted straight for the car.

-w-

She arrived at the compound 15 minutes later, she parked up the car and ran to the gate, it was already unlocked in anticipation of her arrival, she walked inside and went up the stairs, the courtyard was quiet so she assumed she'd be upstairs waiting.

She went into the main room of the house and saw Davina and Marcel sitting on the armchairs, "hey, guys, I'm so sorry I'm late, I got caught up."

"Don't worry, I'm just so glad to see you," Davina instantly grinned at her.

She darted for Davina and gave her a big hug, "you have no idea how much I missed you, D."

"Me too, it's been so boring here without you, Marcel's idea of fun is attending vampire meetings," they both chuckled at her words at his expense.

"Vampire meetings are fun," he defended, a small smirk appearing on his lips.

"They don't sound it," Elena spoke teasingly, before releasing Davina from her hold and switching to Marcel, her arms wrapping around his waist, "it's good to see you, Marcel."

"You too, Elena," he pulled her into a tight embrace before they separated and all took a seat around the dining table, he had some afternoon snacks prepared and a jug of freshly squeezed orange juice.

"So, how's everything been?" She asked, as she poured herself a glass, "it's so quiet around here, I don't think I've seen a daywalker yet."

"It's been quiet, things in the quarter have been running smoothly, the witches are practically gone, the wolves are still contained in the bayou and the tourists have been coming in at a higher rate, nothing to complain about," Marcel grinned with an ounce of charm.

"I got so bored one day, I snuck out to Rousseau's," Davina chuckled quietly, "Marcel sent a search party, it was fun."

"It was about as fun as a vampire meeting," Marcel quipped, squinting his eyes slightly towards Davina, "I thought someone had taken you!"

"You're being dramatic," Davina mused, a small chuckle escaping her and Elena's lips, Marcel could only roll his eyes and divert his attention.

"So, what's new with you, Elena?" Marcel asked, a pleasant smile curled up on his lips.

Elena filled them in on every detail from her trip to Mystic Falls, everything that happened with the witches, her power and Damon, they where mostly listening in shock, especially when she told them she had killed the 18 witches but they where more in shock about Damon. Elena was getting to the point of talking about the witches without crying or feeling a massive wave of guilt, it was only moderate guilt now, she had to learn to accept what she did and move on.

"Oh my god," Marcel murmured.

"Damon seriously tried to kiss you?" Davina reiterated, parting her lips slightly, "did he not know your husband to be is Klaus?"

"Oh, he knew," Elena spoke, before taking a large sip of her orange juice, "he just didn't care, I'm actually proud of Klaus for not killing him, if he hadn't of snapped his neck when he did, I probably would have killed him.

"I can't believe all that happened in like a week," Davina spoke, her eyes widening slightly, "I wish I was there to help."

"I wish you where there too, I missed you," Elena smiled kindly at her.

"I missed you too," she returned her kindness and they shared in a quick hug.

"So, your family are flying out here in a few weeks?" Marcel asked.

"Yep," Elena nodded her head slightly, "and we're throwing a Christmas party this year, it's gonna be huge, I want everyone there! Will you both come?"

"Of course," Davina spoke a wide smile appearing on her lips.

"Wouldn't miss it," Marcel spoke happily.

"I can't wait, Christmas is going to be so magical this year," Elena spoke with a warm smile on her face, before she turned her attention back on to Davina, "you should come shopping with me and Rebekah to get supplies for the party, there's so much to do and I'd love it if you helped."

"I'd love that!" Davina exclaimed excitedly.

"Great! We're going to start with everything in a few days, I'll text you all the information," Elena responded.

Ring, ring, ring.

Elena's phone suddenly began to ring, she rummaged around in her bag until she found it, she checked the caller ID and saw 'klaus', she accepted the call and pressed the phone to her ear, "hey, is everything alright?"

"Nothing to worry about, me and my brothers have some business to attend too now that we have returned, we won't be any longer than an hour, will you be home by then?" He asked.

"That sounds worrying, what business?" Elena's eyebrows raised slightly out of nervousness.

"Elijah has an old acquaintance in town and he's asked to meet us, I'm unsure on the subject," Klaus responded, he wanted to ensure complete honesty between them.

"I'll be home soon, just text me where you are all going so I know where to send the search party if you don't come back," she smirked out of amusement, meetings like these tended not to go well.

"Of course, be safe, my love," his voice was soft and love filled.

"You too! Text me if you need anything," she responded.

"You too, I love you."

"I love you too," with that, she hung up the phone and slipped it back into her bag, her attention returning to Marcel and Davina.

"What was that about?" Marcel queried, slightly taken aback by Klaus and his activities.

"They're going to meet with an old acquaintance of Elijah's, it shouldn't be anything bad, they wouldn't bring any more trouble into our lives now, not after we finally have some normal...surely," Elena was trying to convince herself at this point.

"If any of you need anything, let me know, keep me updated," Marcel spoke, a small smile appearing on his lips.

"I will, thank you, Marcel," she smiled kindly towards them both before standing from her chair and throwing her bag over her shoulder, "I better go, I'll call you."

She gave them both a hug before exiting the compound and returning to her car, she didn't want to seem panicked whilst she was with them but she couldn't help but worry, they've only just returned from Mystic Falls and she had a beautiful Christmas planned, she didn't want anything to ruin that.

-w-

An hour later, she was pacing back and forth the mansion, pottering around as much as she could as to not let her mind wander to the worst; no-one was home, not even Rebekah and she hadn't heard from anyone since her last phone call with Klaus.

She had deciding against leaving messages as to show her trust in him and she didn't know what his life was like outside of battles and trouble, this could just be one of those vampiric duties he had and she would inevitably have to support; she shook her head and wandered into the kitchen, reaching into the cupboard and pulling out a wine glass followed by a bottle of red, she filled it halfway and returned to the living room.

She sat down on the sofa and attempted to relax, there was a grimoire beside her and she decided to flick through it, keep her mind occupied and her emotions at bay.

A short while of reading and sipping wine had passed and the three brothers all returned home in one piece, Elena jumped to her feet and walked towards them all in the entrance hall, a smile curling up on her lips, "I'm glad you're all okay!"

"I'm sorry I didn't call," Klaus spoke as he softly placed his hands on the top of her arms and leaning towards her to kiss her lips, "the meeting ran longer than anticipated."

He took her hand and they all walked into the living room together, Elena sat down whilst the others stood in front of her, "so, tell me, what was the meeting about?"

"There isn't anything to worry about," Klaus tried to calm her nerves by approaching this gently, "news has started to spread about the events with The Order and your new power."

"I figured it would at some point," Elena responded, trying to seem brave, "is this bad?"

"No, not yet," Elijah interjected, his attention fully on her, "a vampire I turned several centuries ago came into town to relay this information to us."

"What information?" Elena asked hesitantly, she was becoming more nervous by the second.

"There are some out there who find this power to be unnatural, a coven he works closely with have heard whispers on the other side, the death of the 18 witches and the order has left a spike in the balance."

"What does all this mean, Elijah?" Elena shook her head out of confusion, her patience thinning.

"It means killing 30 plus witches will effect the balance of nature and evil will exploit that, vampires everywhere are feeling a surge of supernatural energy, they're killing and turning more, we need to fix it before it goes any further and something much stronger than a vampire will attack," Elijah cut to the chase, "the power you possess, Elena, is much sought after, we need to handle this and prevent anyone from trying to take it."

"How can we fix the balance?" She asked, more confused than ever.

"The Order used that magic for evil for centuries, we need to figure out a way to harness it for good without all the killing," Elijah continued to explain.

"We should go back to the compound, Davina might know something," she suggested, her attention turning to Klaus, "will you take me?"

"Of course," he nodded his head before turning his attention to Elijah and Kol, "we need more information, make some calls."

Elena grabbed her jacket and bag before exiting the plantation, she had her phone in hand texting ahead to Davina and leaving Bonnie a quick message, she needed advice; they had both jumped into the car and headed towards the compound, Klaus had a hold her hand and she was staring out of the window.

"Everything will be fine, my love," Klaus tried to reassure, before placing a soft kiss on the back of her hand.

"I hope so," she smiled kindly at him, "I'm more sad than anything else, I just wanted a normal Christmas with my family, now we're going to have to fix this, we're probably gonna have to cancel the party and maybe it's best everyone doesn't travel here from Mystic Falls."

"We're not cancelling Christmas, not unless we absolutely have too, this is our first one together, I won't let that happen," he spoke with complete confidence, "we're here now, Davina might know something, don't plan for the worst just yet."

He pulled up outside the compound and removed the keys from the ignition, they both stepped out of the car and she stood beside him for a long moment, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a passionate kiss, "thank you, for everything you said in the car."

"I just want you to be happy," he responded, his gaze filled with love.

"You make me happy," she smiled coyly before kissing him once again, "come on."

She took his hand and they both walked inside the compound, the gates had already been opened in anticipation of there arrival, they walked further into the courtyard and saw Davina and Marcel sitting at the table, as soon as the young witch saw her, she was on her feet and darting towards her.

"Is everything okay?" She asked, slightly panicked, "what's the emergency?"

"We better sit down," Elena and Klaus joined them at the table, they had greeted Marcel and exchanged niceties before starting with there latest revelations, "so, the meeting Nik and the others had this afternoon was about what happened with The Order and the magic I absorbed from them, I've apparently upset the balance in nature."

"What?" Davina exclaimed, quite shocked.

"How does that even happen?" Marcel asked, his eyebrow raised, "they where evil."

"Elena's the doppelgänger, she is a supernatural being in her own right and now she has consumed a vast amount of power and then she used it against the Sisters of the night," Klaus responded, trying to give as much explanation as he could without having to put Elena through reliving it all again.

"Also, that magic was used for centuries just for evil and now the scales are tipped," Elena responded.

"There's also less servants of nature across the country, All supernatural creatures will start to feel the imbalance subconsciously, there will be carnage if we don't tip the scales back to a perfect balance," Klaus explained as best he could.

"So, how do we do that?" Marcel asked.

"That's why we came here, I was hoping Davina might know something," Elena turned her attention to the young witch.

"Erm," Davina started racking her brain, trying to find anything she could to help, "I did read in one of the grimoires about a ritual that can harmonise a community of people, maybe we could use that?"

"Ah, mothers idea of stopping the villagers from attacking us when she first created vampires," Klaus smirked slightly, reminiscing about a time long ago, "it was her goal to bring the whole village together in harmony and synchronicity."

"We could do that," Davina trailed off slightly before her face lit up slightly and she turned to face Elena, "you could join a coven."

"How would that help?" Klaus quickly interjected, unsure of the idea.

"Well, a coven of witches is a large power of good, it may return the balance to nature, Elena would have a circle of witches and they would serve nature for good," Davina explained.

"There's hardly any witches left in New Orleans," Elena queried, "I don't even know how to be a part of a coven."

"There's a few witches left and a coven can have as many as 30 witches or as few as 3," Davina continued.

"What do you think?" Elena turned to look at Klaus, his face unreadable to her.

"I think if it could work, then I don't see what harm it could cause," he shrugged his shoulders lightly.

"And would you be okay with a practicing coven in the Quarter, Marcel?" Elena asked courteously.

"As long as you don't use your magic against me or any other vampire that I have working for me, then I see no issue, I would have to meet with any other witches who intend to join and we'll come to an agreement on working together," he responded, a small smile curled up on his lips, "I think it would be good for you as well, Davina, this might help your magic."

"I'd only ever join a coven for you, Elena," Davina spoke in response, full of kindness.

"Thank you, Davina," Elena extended her arm and placed her hand over hers, "for everything."

"Anytime, you're already like a sister to me, we'd be great in a coven together."

"Well, we're going to have to find other witches first, who already live in the Quarter," Klaus interjected, "I'm unsure of any or there whereabouts."

"Leave that to me," Davina spoke, "between me and Marcel, we'll find them."

"I'll head home, think some more into this and find that grimoire with the harmony spell in it, hopefully we can get this fixed before Christmas," Elena spoke excitedly, before once again, standing from her chair and preparing to leave.

She gave them both a hug before returning to the car with Klaus, as soon as the car door was closed, a large sigh escaped her lips, her mind racing at everything that has happened in such a short time frame.

"We'll get through this, sweetheart," Klaus spoke reassuringly, as she slumped back in the chair and clicked her seatbelt into place.

"I know we will," she sounded less confident then he did, "let's just get home and tell the others."

-w-

Once they arrived home, she had everyone gather outside in the back garden, she walked around the bushes and the trees on the outskirts of the garden whilst she waited; Elijah appeared first, followed by Rebekah then Kol.

Klaus remained standing near her, Elijah sat on the chair with Kol sitting on the other one a small distance between them and Elena was sat on the grass with Rebekah beside her and held onto her hand, the blonde vampire had understood where her misery was coming from and offered comfort wherever she could.

"Now that we're all here, what Davina say?" Elijah started, the worry apparent to Elena.

"She had the idea of Elena joining a coven," Klaus responded.

"Of course," Elijah murmured under his breath, his mind seeming to race as he dipped his head slightly, "if she was to join a coven and practice magic for nature, she would become a united front for good magic."

"Pretty much what Davina said," Elena spoke half-heartedly.

"Is this something you don't want?" Kol asked, his attention fixated on her.

"You're actually the first person to ask me that," Elena said, as she stared further into the grass beneath her feet, each blade appearing to sparkle before her, "and I'm not sure, I never wanted to be a full time witch, I just wanted to store this magic."

"This wouldn't have happened to you if the spirits didn't think you could handle it," Rebekah chimed in, her voice soft and sympathetic, "trust me, I know what it's like to be given a power you never truly wanted or care for but when you learn to accept it, not only can you move on, you might start to understand what your purpose is."

"I guess so," Elena spoke in response, shrugging her shoulders lightly.

"If you don't embrace it, you'll be miserable and I don't want that for you," Rebekah was kind towards Elena and she felt it, she looked towards the blonde vampire and pursed her lips together, speechless and saddened.

"Elena?" Elijah spoke, after a long minute of silence.

"Look, it's not that i hate having this power, I don't, I can live with it but I don't want it to change my whole life, it can revolve around practicing magic and being a part of a coven I have no desire to be in," she argued, her frustration apparent.

"Look at Bonnie, she has a normal life outside of being a witch, it may take some time to establish yourself as a practicing witch but then that just becomes a part of your normal life," Elijah interjected, "the balance will be restored and we can return to normal, maybe finally go on that retreat I promised you."

Elena couldn't help but smile amusingly at his words, a small snicker escaping her lips; she turned to face Klaus, trying to get a read on his expressions but unable, "do you think I should do this?"

"I don't know," he spoke after a minute of silence, his voice filled with confusion, he sat down on the grass beside her and took her hands in his, "I don't want you to be unhappy but I don't want you to miss out on normal life because of the upset balance."

A small sigh escaped her lips as she pondered her options, she felt like she didn't have many of them, the worst case scenario would be refusing to join a coven and the supernatural world would turn chaotic, something she wouldn't be able to live with but then she felt like she would be betraying herself if she did do it.

"Fine," she eventually spoke, standing from the grass and planting herself firmly on her feet, "I'll do it but if this doesn't work, I'm gonna be mad."

A small chuckled escaped each of the originals lips as they all stood on the feet and joined in a group hug, offering there support to her wherever they could, they knew this was a big decision for Elena, she didn't want a heavily supernatural life and now that she was to practice full time, her plans would inevitably change.