"Mother…" Elijah breathed. Twice now his mother had died and twice now she returned when he thought he would never see her again. Despite the years and betrayals, the sight of her cut him deeply. He always had and always would love her, even if she was determined to kill her own children.

Try though he had, he could not hate her for her point of view. She saw them as the monsters of her own creation. She considered all their abominable actions, all the blood on her hands. He could relate. Had he not killed the woman he had loved for five centuries simply because he could not bear to allow her to continue to harm innocent victims for the sake of self-preservation or revenge.

"You look well, son." Esther said, a pleasant smile gracing her face. Her expression was kind and serene, but Elijah knew well the cunning mind hidden behind her calculating eyes.

"No thanks to you." He replied, stiffly.

"Oh, Elijah," Esther said taking a step toward him. "You know that my intention was never to cause you pain."

Elijah recoiled from her approach, "You attempted to kill my siblings and me."

"I attempted to give you peace." She frowned slightly. "I learned my lesson on the other side, Elijah. No one should live forever. It's unnatural. I made you and your siblings into this, it's my fault. I simply wish to fix my mistakes."

"By killing Caroline?" Elijah snapped, because he was well aware of her plan to rid the world of vampires at the price of Caroline Forbes' life.

"The girl's fate is pitiable, but what is one life next to the countless lives that will be healed, and the many more victims that will be spared an early death or cursed existence?" Esther indicated the graves all around them. "What's one girl in the grand scheme of things?"

Elijah bristled, "Not one life, mother. Three. She is with child. Twins. Niklaus is the father."

Esther paled, "Niklaus? It's not possible."

"Like anything in our lives is possible." Elijah said coolly. "All that matters is that she is, in fact, pregnant."

"All the more reason why her life must end, Elijah. Surely you must see, these infants were never meant to be born. They are unnatural."

"They are children, mother." Elijah snapped, feeling a flush rise to his face. Not only did he care for the unborn children but he also had come to love Caroline as a second sister. "They are innocent."

"No one is ever innocent, Elijah. You should know better than most that the sins of the father come down upon his children."

"We will stop you, mother."

"Perhaps you could…" Esther said. "But I think perhaps you may reconsider the side on which you stand."

"What do you mean?" Elijah demanded, he glanced at Klaus who was still unconscious, wishing he would wake so they could leave this place.

Esther looked over her shoulder, "You can come out, my dear."

Elijah's brow furrowed in confusion, but his expression changed to shock as the figure stepped into view.

"Katerina." He whispered.

"Hello Elijah." Katherine Pierce said, evenly, whatever thoughts of rage or revenge were hidden beneath her perfected calm demeanor. The only thing that betrayed the emotions she was experiencing was the fact that she wouldn't meet his gaze.

Elijah looked at his mother, "What have you done?"

"I told you, Elijah, I want nothing but peace for my children. I brought her back for you. You can be together, spend your life together. A human life. All you have to do is give me Caroline."

"Or I could kill you." Elijah suggested, as calmly as if he'd suggested they all go out for a nice dinner.

"You could…" Esther nodded.

"But if she dies, I die with her." Katherine said, looking up to look him in the eye, her own making it clear that she did not want to die again.

And Elijah knew that he could not let her… no matter the cost.


"So what brings you here, little witch?" Marcel asked as he poured himself a drink. He raised the bottle and gave the dark featured beauty a questioning look to offer her a drink. She shook her head slightly to refuse. She hadn't said that she was a witch, but it was rather obvious. She wasn't a vampire or a werewolf, Marcel would have been able to tell, but she had an authoritative look that came with the confidence of having the power to take care of yourself, that along with the judgy little frown that clung to the corners of her mouth that was a dead giveaway for witches.

"Bonnie," She said stiffly. "My name is Bonnie."

"Well, Bonnie. You must not be from these parts, because the witches in New Orleans know better than to bother the King of the Quarter."

"King?" She looked at him, skeptically. "And that would be you?"

Marcel laughed at her expression, "That would be me."

"That's a rather grandiose self-proclaimed title, don't you think?" The little witch said, her expression making it quite clear that she didn't find him the least bit impressive.

"Maybe so…" Marcel smirked. "But I built this city. I run this city. Give me a title that fits better?"

"Pompous?" Bonnie suggested.

Marcel laughed, "You know, I've killed people for less."

"Well, since you're Klaus Mikaelson's lap dog, I think you should probably hold off on the killing me." It was clear that she had no doubt that she could protect herself from him in the need arose. "Since I'm here at his request."

Marcel frowned when she called him a lap dog, but he didn't remark. "And what would that request be?"

"He says he needs the girl… said you would know what he meant." Bonnie said, obviously annoyed that she'd been assigned to relying messages.


Klaus came to back at his house in town, with Elijah sitting in a chair nearby, frowning deeply. He sat up an groaned because his neck ached terribly. A tell-tell sign that it had recently been broken.

"What happened?" He demanded.

"Our mother snapped your neck." Elijah said placidly.

"But not yours." Klaus observed, suspiciously.

"No," Elijah confirmed, "Not mine."

"Why not?" Klaus knew his mother. He knew she never did anything without a good reason, so if she'd spared Elijah it was because she had something she wanted to tell him that she didn't want Klaus to hear. Perhaps he was paranoid, but it had kept him alive this long and he wasn't about to take a risk where His Caroline and his children were concerned.

"She attempted to make me see things from her point of view." Elijah said.

"And did it work?"

Elijah gave him a look, "No, Niklaus, she didn't not present a case that would make me condone the slaughter of an innocent girl and her children."

Klaus frowned a little. He had an uneasy feeling surrounding his brother's words, but he hadn't quite decided why.

"Always and forever?" Klaus asked, he saw a flicker of something he couldn't quite find a name for cross Elijah's face.

"Of course." Elijah said, but he didn't say it back and for some reason, that said a great deal.


I'm probably going to have to cut back to updating every two weeks because of lack of time!

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