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Chapter 18

LATER THAT NIGHT

"Thank you, love," Damon said to the woman pouring wine into his glass.

"Lost your appetite?" Klaus asked Stefan who looked like he hadn't touched his food.

"Eat," Damon demanded. "I thought we agreed to leave the grumpy Stefan at home."

Stefan waits for another heartbeat before picking up the fork and knife and eating.

"That's the spirit," Klaus said. "Isn't this nice? All of us dining together. Such a treat. Is that what you had in mind when you pulled the dagger out of my brother?"

"Well, I knew how he felt about you, so I figured the more, the merrier," Damon said. "In the case of the others. I didn't know they were back in town. But the last statement stands either way."

"Elijah and I have had quarrels, but we always make it through."

"Kind of like, uh, you and Rebekah, right?" Stefan asked. "Where is she, by the way? Last I checked she was still daggered because you were afraid to face her."

"If you're refering to the fact that Rebekah knows I killed our mother," Klaus started before Ralf interrupted him.

"You killed your own mother?" he asked shocked. We students of St. Vladimir's had our eyes popping out of their sockets.

Klaus looked at us with annoyed eyes. "Yes I did. Not something I wanted everyone to know." He looked back at Stefan. "I've already come clean to Elijah."

"Hey Stef, remember when you killed Dad?" Damon asked causing our wide eyes to widen even more and look at them. "Might want to dial down the judgement till dessert."

"We're here to make a deal, Damon," Stefan said. "Doesn't mean we have to kiss his ass for seven courses."

"I'm just saying, we have a long night ahead of us, pace yourself."

D/R D/R D/R D/R

"Stefan, where is the lovely Elena tonight?" Elijah asked.

"I don't know," Stefan replied. "Ask Damon."

Klaus laughed and we all looked at him. "I'm sorry," he said not sounding sorry at all. "You missed so much. Uh – Trouble in paradise."

"One more word about Elena and, uh, this dinner is over."

"Hey, you know what?" Damon asked as Klaus mockingly put a finger over his lips. "Probably best to keep Elena in the do-not-discuss pile."

"You're probably right," Klaus said.

"Yeah."

Klaus put down the utensils in his hands. "It's just the allure of the Petrova doppelganger is still so strong. What do you say, brother? Shall we tell them about Tatia?"

Elijah chucked slightly. "Now, why should we discuss matters long since resolved?"

"Given the Salvatore's shared affection for Elena and Katerina, I think our guests might be curious to learn about the originator of the Petrova line."

"We're not going anywhere, Elijah," Damon said. "Please. Do tell."

"We came to this town for a history lesson," Guardian Hathaway said. "This would help us greatly."

"When our family first settled here, there was a girl named Tatia," Elijah started. "She was an exquisite beauty." He paused. "Every boy of age desired to be her suitor. Even though she'd had a child by another man. And none loved her more than Klaus."

"Oh, I'd say there was one who loved her at least as much," Klaus said.

"Wait a minute," Stefan said. "So you both loved the same girl?"

"That's gross," Jessie said. "Isn't there some brother code against that?"

"There wouldn't have been that long ago dumb ass," Christian said.

"Our mother was a very powerful witch," Elijah continued. "She sought to end our feud over Tatia and so she took her. Klaus and I would later learn it was Tatia's blood we consumed in the wine on the night where our mother performed a spell which turned us into vampires. Tatia wouldn't make a decision between the two of us so for a time, Niklaus and I grew estranged. Harsh words were traded. We even came to blows, didn't we, brother?"

"But in the end, with the help of our little sister, we recognised the sacred bond of family," Klaus said.

"Family above all."

"Family above all." The clinked their classes together.

"But how could your sister help?" I asked. "Weren't women not really recognised that well back then?"

"By that time she had already lost a little brother and her husband," Elijah said with a far off look in his eyes. "She said that she didn't want to lose anyone else."