"Are you sure you're okay?" Elena asked.
"I'm fine, Elena." Shiloh said.
"You don't have to be here." Elena said.
"Yeah, I do." Shiloh said.
"Can we get on with this?" Stefan asked impatiently.
"It was their mother Esther who was sealed in that coffin." Elena said, glancing over at Shiloh.
"As in the Original Witch?" Stefan asked.
"What? How is she even alive? Thought her hybrid freak show of a son ripped her heart out a thousand years ago." Damon said.
"I don't know. I'm guessing she has a couple connections in the witching community. Elijah said that she wants to live in peace with her family, including Klaus." Elena said.
"She was supposed to be the weapon to help us kill Klaus." Stefan said.
"Well, not anymore... at least not according to Elijah." Elena said.
"That coffin was the only thing stopping Klaus from tearing us to shreds." Stefan said.
"Anyone else feeling a little used right now?" Damon asked.
"Look, Elijah promised me that his family wouldn't hurt any of us." Elena said, pausing when the doorbell rang. "I believe him." She said as she went to answer the door.
"What is it?" Damon asked when she returned.
"It's an invitation. 'Please join the Mikaelson Family, this evening at seven o'clock. For dancing, cocktails and celebration.'" Elena said, reading the note.
"Who the hell are the Mikaelsons?" Stefan asked.
"The Original Family." Elena said.
"It's not bad enough they're moving into town, now they want a housewarming gift?" Damon asked.
"Wait, there's a note on the back. 'Elena, I think its time that we finally meet, Esther.'" Elena said. Lexi suddenly burst through the door and ran to Shiloh, attacking her with a hug.
"Shy, I'm so sorry." Lexi said.
"I'm fine, Lexi. He made his choice." Shiloh said. Lexi pulled back, looking at Shiloh with worried eyes.
"Are you sure? Come on, I'll take you home." Lexi said. "We can talk."
"Yeah, okay." Shiloh agreed.
"Okay, am I missing something?" Stefan asked.
"Your humanity." Shiloh said, following Lexi out of the house.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
"Hold on." Shiloh said, getting up and whipping the tears from her face. Lexi nodded, still sitting on Shiloh's bed. Shiloh made her way to the front door, opening it. She looked down at the box in front of her, taking the invitation and glancing over it. She opened the box and her eyes widened a bit at the beauitful dress inside. She put the lid back on the box and picked it up, headed back to her room.
"What's that?" Lexi asked.
"Looks like I'm going to the Mikaelsons' celebration." Shiloh said.
"What?" Lexi asked confused.
"Wanna be my date?" Shiloh asked.
"We're talking about this." Lexi said.
"We're doing it at the grill then, cause I'm hungry." Shiloh said.
"Hold on, Mikaelson as in..." Lexi said.
"Klaus Mikaelson and his lovely original siblings." Shiloh said.
"They're throwing a ball?" Lexi asked, reading the invitation.
"It would seem so. Come on, food!" Shiloh said.
"Fine, fine. I don't know why you even bother with that stuff." Lexi sighed.
"Food." Shiloh said.
"You're a vampire, you don't need food." Lexi said.
"No, I'm pretty sure I need them. I'll cry." Shiloh said.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
"What are you doing here?" Damon asked.
"Enjoying the lovely party." Lexi said.
"Let me rephrase that, why are you here?" Damon said.
"Because I was invited and I thought it'd be rude to pass such a thoughtful gesture." Shiloh said.
"Why didn't you tell me you'd be here?" Damon asked.
"Sorry I didn't check in with you. Didn't realize you were my mother." Shiloh said.
"Ms. Forbs. Kol Mikaelson. I've heard much about you." Kol smiled charmingly.
"Damon Salvatore. Have we met?" Damon introduced himself.
"I've met a lot of people. And you don't particularly stand out." Kol said. "
"Well, Kol, what exactly have you heard about me?" Shiloh asked.
"Only good, I assure you. And who is your friend?" Kol asked.
"Excuse me, Shiloh." Damon said distracted, walking off towards Elena.
"Uh, this is Lexi." Shiloh said, glancing over at Damon.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Love." Kol said.
"Good evening." Klaus greeted.
"Klaus. Your brother was just introducing himself." Shiloh said.
"That's a lovely dress." Klaus smirked.
"This? It was the only thing I could find on such short notice." Shiloh shrugged.
"If you'll excuse us, ladies. I must burrow my brothers." Elijah said.
"Of course." Lexi nodded.
"Save me a dance." Kol grinned at Lexi. The three brothers left and gathered with the other originals on the staircase.
"Uh, if everyone could gather, please." Elijah announced. "Welcome, thank you for joining us. You know, whenever my mother brings our family together like this, its tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance."
"Is that..." Lexi asked.
"I don't know." Shiloh replied, eyeing the woman.
"Tonight's pick is a centuries-old waltz, so if all of you could please find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ballroom." Elijah said.
"Care to dance, love?" Klaus asked, offering Shiloh his hand.
"Uh..." Shiloh glanced over at Lexi who shrugged.
"One dance." Klaus said.
"... Fine." Shiloh said, accepting his hand. Klaus led Shiloh into the ballroom. She glanced over at Lexi who was still watching her, clearly listening in.
"I'm glad you came." Klaus said as they began dancing.
"Can I just ask... Why did I get invited?" Shiloh asked.
"Why wouldn't you get one?" Klaus asked.
"Cause I'm a teenager girl of no real significance." Shiloh said. "I don't see how my presence could help you."
"You underestimate yourself." Klaus said.
"So there is a purpose for me being here?" Shiloh asked.
"So I could I enjoy your company." Klaus said. "I heard about your father."
"Not the best at small talk, are you?" Shiloh said.
"It seems Kol is having better luck than me." Klaus said, looking over Shiloh's shoulder. Shiloh turned to look over her shoulder and spotted Kol dancing with Lexi.
"Sorry to interrupt, but Shiloh, may I have this dance." Damon said.
"Where's Elena?" Shiloh asked.
"Does it matter?" Damon asked.
"I'm pretty sure the lady would rather continue dancing with me, mate." Klaus said.
"Uh, no it's fine. Klaus, you don't mind, right?" Shiloh asked.
"Course not, Love. We'll talk later?" Klaus replied.
"Uh, yeah." Shiloh nodded, taking Damon's hand and allowing herself to be pulled off. Damon was silent for while the two danced, watching Klaus carefully out of the corner of his eye. "Damon?" Shiloh asked.
"What are you doing with him?" Damon asked.
"We were just dancing." Shiloh said.
"Right, just dancing with the enemy." Damon said.
"Damon." Shiloh sighed.
"I don't trust him." Damon said.
"You don't trust anyone." Shiloh pointed out.
"I trust you." Damon said.
"No you don't. You don't even trust me enough to let me talk to someone." Shiloh said.
"It's not you I don't trust." Damon said.
"I can handle myself, thanks." Shiloh said.
"You're to nice. You don't even realize that Klaus is trying to use you." Damon said.
"For what?! What could I possible offer him?" Shiloh hissed.
"I don't know, an inside scoop on everything we do." Damon said.
"Ever think that maybe, just maybe, he was being genuinely nice?" Shiloh asked.
"It's Klaus." Damon said.
"People can change, Damon." Shiloh said.
"He's not people. He's Klaus." Damon snapped.
"I'm not some stupid little girl, Damon! I'm not just gonna go around spilling secrets to anyone who asks." Shiloh said, breaking away from him and storming off the dance floor and back to the foyer.
"leaving so soon?" Kol asked as Shiloh headed for the door. She stopped short when she saw Rebekah was with him.
"Rebekah." Shiloh said.
"Shiloh. Didn't bring any daggers this time, did you?" Rebekah asked.
"I'm sorry, Rebekah. I honestly didn't know. But I still should've taken the dagger out." Shiloh said. "I really am sorry."
"Your little friends don't let you in on many of their plans my family, do they? Why is that?" Rebekah asked.
"I... I don't know. They don't trust me, I guess." Shiloh said.
"I don't suppose Klaus would have anything to do with that?" Kol grinned.
"You'd have to ask them." Shiloh said.
"I don't suppose you'd want to earn back my friendship?" Rebekah asked.
"You need my help?" Shiloh asked surprised.
"I need you to figure out what your little friends are planning." Rebekah said.
"Seriously?" Shiloh asked, storming off once again.
"I think you've upset her." Kol said before the door shut behind her. Shiloh let out a sigh, noticing the horses. She made her way over to them, coming to a stop in front of one. She gently stroked it's muzzle. Looking up, she spotted the garden filled with beautiful and colorful flowers. She wandered over there, brushing her fingertips along the flower peddles.
"Beautiful, aren't they?" Klaus asked, walking up behind her.
"I used to have a flower bed in my room." Shiloh said.
"Used to?" Klaus asked.
"I stopped when my dad left." Shiloh said.
"Which are your favorites?" Klaus asked.
"Daisies." Shiloh smiled.
"Would you like one?" Klaus asked, grazing the daisies with his finger tips and stopping at a large pink one.
"Klaus, why did you invite me?" Shiloh asked.
"I fancy you. Is that so hard to believe?" Klaus said.
"What?" Shiloh asked surprised.
"Come now, love. Not like it's a surprise." Klaus said.
"Klaus, you can't." Shiloh said.
"Why can't I?" Klaus asked.
"I'm... I mean we... We're never gonna happen, Klaus." Shiloh said.
"Because of Damon?" Klaus asked.
"Not just because of Damon." Shiloh said.
"The rest of your friends disapprove as well." Klaus said.
"Klaus, you hurt my friends. You almost killed my sister. I can't... I can't just act like none of that happened." Shiloh said. "But I really hope we can be friends one day." Shiloh added.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
"Wow." Shiloh said, looking around at the art work.
"One of my passions." Klaus said.
"This is amazing, Klaus." Shiloh said.
"These sketches, did you...?" Shiloh asked.
"Yeah, um... actually one of my landscapes is hanging at the Hermitage, not that anyone would notice. Have you been?" Klaus asked.
"No, I don't really leave Mystic Falls. Well, I went to New York once but... I was kinda on the run." Shiloh said.
"On the run?" Klaus asked.
"Long story." Shiloh laughed softly.
"I'll take you. Wherever you want Rome. Paris. Tokyo?" Klaus said.
"Uh, wow. Tokyo, huh?" Shiloh laughed.
"Anywhere you want." Klaus said.
"You know where I really want to be right now?" Shiloh asked.
"Where?" Klaus asked.
"Right where I am. I thought I wanted to leave, I did leave, but... This is my home. My family, my friends, my memories. Everything that matters to me is right here." Shiloh said.
"You really are one of a kind." Klaus smiled.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Caroline let out a deep sigh, playing with the straw in her drink. She sat alone at a table in The Grill. She had been sitting there all night, waiting for her sister to come back from the ball. She glanced up in time to see Stefan walk in. "Stefan." She said surprised. He was still dressed formally, clearly coming from the ball. He joined her at the table.
"Hey, Caroline." Stefan said.
"How was the ball?" She asked.
"It was, uh, interesting." Stefan said.
"I bet." Caroline said.
"Well, nobody died." Stefan said.
"That's good." Caroline said.
"To an extent. Mayor Lockwood did make me dance, though." Stefan said.
"Really? Tyler's mom?" Caroline laughed.
"She's actually not a bad dancer." Stefan said jokingly.
"I'm sure." Caroline joked back.
"Are you ordering anything?" Stefan asked, grabbing a menu.
"Already did." Caroline said. As if on command, a waitress appeared with a plate of fries, placing them in front of Caroline. "Thanks." She said. Stefan reached over and grabbed a fry, popping it into his mouth.
"Hey." Caroline said.
"Sharing is a good thing. Didn't you learn that in girl scouts?" Stefan teased.
"I was never in girl scouts." Caroline said.
"What are you doing here alone?" Stefan asked.
"Nothing else to do." Caroline shrugged.
"So queen of the school, Ms. Mystic Falls, has nothing to do, no parties to go to?" Stefan asked.
"I'm not who I was." Caroline shrugged.
"No, you're not." Stefan smiled.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Shiloh walked into her bedroom, shoes dangling from her hands. "Shiloh." Damon said, climbing through the window. "I was hoping I'd make it here before you did."
"Damon, what are you doing here?" Shiloh asked.
"I came to apologize." Damon said, avoiding eye contact. His eyes landed on Shiloh's bed. "Flowers?" Damon asked. Shiloh looked down at the colorful display of daisies on her bed. She picked them up, taking the paper that was folded and stuck into the flowers. She unfolded it and looked down at the beautiful drawing of Shiloh holding a daisy. "What is it?"
"It's... it's nothing." Shiloh said, folding it and putting it on her nightstand. She placed the flowers there as well, gently as she could.
"Shiloh?" Shiloh looked up at Damon questioningly. "Can talk? I said I loved you..."
"Yeah, and you kissed Elena." Shiloh said.
"I thought you forgave me for that." Damon said.
"I did. Doesn't mean I can forget. I can't trust you and you can't trust me." Shiloh said.
"I want to." Damon said. "I want to trust you but... I want to protect you too."
"I don't always need to be protected, Damon." Shiloh said.
"I know. But I still want to." Damon said.
"Damon, I don't think we can work. I don't know if we ever will. But I... It's not fair for me to ask you to wait." Shiloh said.
"You're worth the wait." Damon said.
"I'm not even sure if we'll ever be together again, Damon." Shiloh said.
"But there's a chance? I have a chance?" Damon said.
"Well... Yeah. Maybe, one day..." Shiloh said.
"That's enough. That's all I need to know, Shiloh. I'll be here. Whenever your ready, I'll be here." Damon said.