Stealing the coffins from the abandoned witch cottage proved more difficult than Riley anticipated when she made the deal with Klaus. Stefan spent most of his time at the cottage and would never allow Riley to enter the basement by herself. He outright stated that he did not trust her, considering her friendship with Elijah and her somewhat budding friendship with Klaus. Hearing Stefan's suspicions about her, the dead witches that occupied the house agreed with him. The coffins would vanish as soon as she entered the basement with Bonnie, meaning that Bonnie had to attempt to open the large coffin by herself. Riley was not going to bother fighting hundreds of paranoid witches. Changing her plans, she decided to wait until Bonnie managed to open the coffin before snatching all four of them. Klaus was growing more impatient with each passing day, wanting to walk into the cottage himself but Riley warned him that the witches would instantly burn him.
After Jeremy's departure to Denver, the tension between Riley and Elena only seemed to worsen. Riley refused to even look at Elena. If they made the tiniest bit of eye contact, Riley would yell at her for compelling Jeremy and sending him away from his family. Their other friends attempted to repair the friendship but Riley knew that Elena was expecting an apology and refused to be that person. While Caroline called her stubborn, Riley countered that she was tired of having to hide her true feelings out of fear that it would upset Elena. To avoid being around Elena, she spent more time with Jayden. One day after their classes, he proposed that Alison be let out of the Forbes cell. He wanted to teach her to use an animal diet to satisfy her hunger for blood. Riley doubted that Alison would agree to such an idea but was proven wrong when Alison immediately said yes, just wanting to be let out of the dirty cell. Each day, they would bring Alison to the woods and teach her how to hunt animals. If she ever lost control, Riley used magic to retract her fangs and restrain her. After about a week, Alison was easily draining blood from rabbits without a single complaint. Jayden joked that she was eager to accept any deal because she missed being the It Girl at school.
Riley was standing at the edge of the town line, checking her barrier spell. The previous night, she received a call from Bonnie, asking her to lower the spell for a minute. Through her dreams, Bonnie learned that her estranged mother Abby, who left her family when Bonnie was four years old, was the key to opening the coffin. Bonnie and Elena found her address and visited her to ask for her help. Stefan followed them and was shot by her foster son Jamie, who happened to be compelled by one of Klaus's hybrids. The hybrid wanted Bonnie to divulge the location of the coffins. Bonnie was able to quickly warn Damon, who removed the important coffin before Klaus arrived at the cottage. He hid the coffin in the cave near the Lockwood cellar, the same cave that had markings related to the Originals. After some convincing, Bonnie was able to get her mother to return to Mystic Falls. Riley had been anxious to lower the barrier, afraid that other witches or their lackeys could be lurking by the road for a chance to enter the town. She agreed to the request, knowing that opening the coffin was important.
Her fingers pressed against the barrier. Tiny ripples formed in front of her. Closing her eyes, she cast a spell to check for any unwanted visitors. She was interrupted by her phone vibrating in her pocket. Bonnie had sent her a text, informing her that she and her mother were working on opening the coffin. She promised to send her updates on their progress. Riley returned to her car, seeing Jayden in the passenger seat and Alison in the back, looking bored. Though Riley had been aiding her with the animal diet, putting her own dislike for the annoying blonde aside, Alison refused to thank her and continued to treat her poorly.
"What were you doing?"
"None of your business, Montgomery. Keep being nosy and I won't drive you back to your house. If you ask me, you still need some time"
Alison scoffed, playing with her ring. "I'm fine, Gilbert. I promise not to kill my parents, my brother, or anyone else in this town. If I get hungry, I will go into the woods"
"Or?" asked Jayden.
"Or I will go to the Salvatore boardinghouse to get blood bags"
"And who do you avoid when you get back to school?"
"Rebekah. I didn't like her that much anyway. We just had a common interest in hating Gilbert. What if she mind controls me? You said she can do that to other vampires"
"Well she's currently rotting in a coffin so we don't have to worry about her. If Klaus decides to undagger her, I'll have him warn her not to use you for any stupid schemes" said Riley.
Riley drove over to Alison's house. Alison looked hesitant to be in the sunlight. Once she was assured that the daylight ring created by Riley would work, she stepped out of the car. She thanked Jayden for his help, kissing him on the cheek. Riley scrunched her nose in disgust. Alison did not even acknowledge her, just turning on her heel and walking into her house. Jayden looked at her.
"You know she appreciates you too, Ri. Alison doesn't want to admit it"
"This was your idea, Jay. One sign of trouble and she's done"
"We won't have to put a stake through her heart. When she's back at school, she'll be in her element and everything will go back to normal"
"I'm not even sure what normal is in this town"
"Are you going to help Bonnie with that coffin?"
"No. I think I'll leave her to have some time alone with her mother. Let's have a magic-free day"
Riley spent the day at the Mystic Grill with Jayden and other people from school. As it neared dinnertime, she headed back to her house. Damon was rummaging through her closet, wearing a dark red v-neck shirt and a leather jacket. She leaned against the doorway.
"Hey shorty. How did it go with the newly released bitchy vampire?"
"I'm thinking of starting a bet on how long it will take before she messes up and we have to dump another body in the lake. Why are you in my room and touching my clothes?"
Damon pulled out a long-sleeved black lace mini dress. "This will look cute for tonight"
"Tonight?" she asked, walking over to him.
He placed the dress over her body, moving her in front of the mirror attached to her closet door. The dress stopped around mid-thigh and had a low-cut neckline, exposing some cleavage.
"Guess who is undaggered. I'll give you a hint. It starts with an E…"
"E—Klaus undaggered Elijah?"
"Nope, it was all me. It's part of my plan. I arranged a dinner with him, Klaus, Stefan, and me. You're coming too"
"A girl with four vampires…that doesn't sound like a terrible idea"
"I promise we will all behave, even Stefan. I need to make sure that Klaus won't kill us as soon as we enter the house. You're a guarantee that Klaus will be on his best behavior"
"I don't control Klaus, Damon"
"You think you don't but past experience says otherwise. Don't you want to see your favorite, well-dressed Original?"
Reluctantly, she agreed to attend the dinner. She was unsure how long Elijah would remain undaggered in Klaus's presence. Pushing Damon out of the room, she changed into the dress and a pair of ankle boots. She tried many different hairstyles before settling on keeping it down with its natural waviness. Grabbing her clutch, which contained vervain spray, she left the house with Damon. Stefan was waiting in the car. Riley ignored him as Damon drove over to the newly renovated mansion that served as Klaus's home. Just the thought of Elijah being alive made her stomach twist into knots. Damon knocked on the door a few times. As the door opened, she saw Elijah, dressed in a black suit. The first thing she noticed was that he had cut his hair.
"Niklaus, our guests have arrived" he said, his eyes on Riley.
"I thought Riley would make a fun surprise addition to our dinner. I'm sure you don't mind" said Damon.
"Of course not"
"And if we all behave, I will extend her curfew and let you have five minutes alone"
"Let's keep the eye-sexing to a minimum, especially in front of his little brother" he whispered in her ear.
Riley nodded, barely listening to him. Neither she nor Elijah said a word as Damon and Stefan walked into the dining room. His hand brushed against her cheek. It felt like a million butterflies were fluttering wildly in her stomach.
"I've missed you. Not a day went by that I did not think of you"
"Good"
"We have much to catch up on, I presume"
"Definitely. I like your hair"
Smiling, he looped his arm through hers and led her into the dining room. Four scantily dressed women stood around the room, holding trays. Klaus looked surprised to see her.
"Riley, I did not realize you would be here"
"Call her my insurance policy to make sure you don't throw our hearts around the room" said Damon, sitting at the table with Stefan.
"I could never refuse her company"
His expression seemed to darken at the sight of her with Elijah. He snapped his fingers. One of the women brought another chair to the table while a second woman placed a plate, napkin, glass, and silverware. Riley sat next to Elijah at the table. It felt slightly awkward when Klaus took the seat on the other side of her. The women put down all kinds of food on the table and filled their glasses with wine. For awhile, Stefan, being a giant baby, refused to eat any food. Riley assumed that he was forced to attend the dinner. Elijah's fingers brushed against the palm of her hand. She hid her smile by drinking wine.
"Is this what you had in mind when you pulled the dagger out of my brother?" Klaus said to Damon.
"Well, I knew how he felt about you so I figured the more, the merrier"
"Elijah and I have had our share of quarrels over the centuries but we always make it through"
Stefan questioned Rebekah's whereabouts, thinking that she remained in the coffin because she knew the truth about her mother's death. Klaus confessed that he was honest with Elijah. Damon told Stefan to be quiet, saying he had no right to judge since he killed their father during his early years as a vampire. When Elijah asked Stefan about Elena, the tension rose in the room. Riley stared at her plate, stuffing chicken into her mouth to keep herself quiet. Klaus chuckled, joking that there was trouble with their relationship.
"One more word about Elena and this dinner is over" said Stefan.
"Suppressing a smile, Klaus pressed a finger to his lips. "You know what? It's probably best to keep her in the do not discuss pile" said Damon.
"Agreed" replied Riley.
Elijah glanced at her, curiously. He had been around for their first real fight but compared to this argument, that fight was like an argument between children. She shook her head slightly, not wanting to discuss Elena. Klaus brought up the originator of the Petrova line, Tatia, who looked exactly like Elena and Katherine. Elijah explained that they met her when they first arrived in the states and how many men desired her despite the fact that she had a child from another man. Both Klaus and Elijah adored her. Riley was reminded of the little love triangle between Stefan, Damon, and Elena. Their mother ended the feuding between them by using her blood for the spell to create vampires. Tatia would not make a decision on which brother to choose, leading them to become estranged but eventually, they chose family over her. Riley was not comforted by the idea that Elijah was once in love with a girl who looked like Elena. She nearly downed all of her wine in one sip.
"Family above all" said Elijah.
"Family above all" repeated Klaus as they tapped their glasses.
"So I guess history might repeat itself then…with Riley. I mean, it's obvious you both care for her" said Stefan.
Riley glared. "Stefan, I think you should shut up"
"Do you have a problem?"
"Several and if you don't shut up, I'll be the one throwing your heart across the room"
As Damon stamped on his foot, shooting him a harsh look, Riley felt a hand on her knee. It belonged to Klaus. She kept her eyes on her plate. The conversation shifted to Damon's proposed deal. In exchange for the coffins, Klaus and the rest of the Original family left Mystic Falls forever. Klaus refused, acknowledging that Elena's blood was the key to creating more hybrids. He pointed out that if he left her behind, she could be turned into a vampire or killed by the feud between the Salvatore brothers. Riley found herself agreeing with him when he told them that it was best for Elena to not be with either of them. Damon left the room. Riley followed after him, Elijah close behind her. She spotted him in the room with the other coffins.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Just continuing with step two of the plan"
"Step two?"
Damon showed her the three daggers in his hand. She realized that he had undaggered the other siblings, including Rebekah.
"You couldn't warn me that you were waking her up? Alison is vulnerable, Damon. If Rebekah finds out that she's out of the cell, it will lead to bigger problems"
"Alison?" asked Elijah.
"The mean girl at school. Your sister turned her into a vampire on the first day and we had to lock her up. It took us an entire week to get her used to an animal diet. Rebekah could compel her or—"
"Riley, I promise that my siblings will not cause any trouble. You must not let Niklaus know that the daggers have been removed"
"How long until they wake up?"
"I undaggered them this morning. I'd say another ten minutes. I will tell you before I plan to bring them into the dining room so you can leave"
"Leave? Why do I have to leave?"
"Riley, my brother Kol has been daggered for a century and my other brother Finn for 900 years. If you stay, your blood will be the first thing they smell in all those years and they will certainly harm you. It is for your own protection"
Riley returned to the dining room with Elijah and Damon. She pretended to be consoling Damon and noticed one of the women on the floor, surrounded by a pool of blood with two bite marks in her neck. Klaus wiped the blood from his mouth. As a counter offer, he suggested that Elena marry a human, someone like Matt, and he would protect Elena for the rest of her life. Stefan argued that Klaus would want that to ensure the birth of more doppelgangers every few centuries. When he declined the offer, Klaus broke his wrist and forced his hand into the fireplace. Elijah, putting on an act, slammed Damon into the wall, holding him by the throat. Riley pleaded with Klaus to let go of Stefan. He tossed him to the floor. The burns on his hand slowly began to heal.
"Riley and I will get the coffin" said Damon.
"Go with them, brother. Keep him honest and when you return, I will make good on my promise to you and hand over our family"
Riley left the house with Elijah and Damon. Elijah sent Damon to check on his siblings. As Damon left, Elijah handed Riley her coat.
"I promise to see you tonight…after I've dealt with Niklaus"
"The last time you promised me something, he ended up putting you in one of those coffins"
"I will not break this promise. Go home. This won't take long"
She pecked his cheek. "Be careful. I'll know if something goes wrong"
Returning to her house, she sat in her bedroom, waiting for Elijah. She stared at her alarm clock, counting the minutes. Elijah did not tell her every detail of this plan. She was unsure what he and his siblings would do to Klaus once they were alone. As minutes turned to hours, she worried that he was in danger. She checked for any signs of a cut or bruise or even the smallest sensation of pain, hoping the connection between them would serve as an alarm that Klaus was hurting him. Around midnight, she was pacing around her room, repeatedly looking out the window. The door opened and Elijah entered the room. She jumped up, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Where have you been? Are you hurt?"
"No. I'm…Riley, I think it's best if you sit down"
"What's wrong?" she asked, sitting with him on her bed.
Elijah's expression was a mix of confusion and disbelief. "My mother was in that coffin. She's alive"
"Your—no, your mother died. Klaus—are you joking?"
"When my siblings and I were confronting Niklaus, she appeared at the house, looking exactly as she did on the night of her death. I suppose witches aided with her return. She forgave Niklaus and wishes to live in peace with us as a family"
"That's…great" said Riley, feigning a smile.
"Why do I get the feeling you don't mean that?"
"No, I do mean it. I'm glad that she's alive. I'm sure you missed her. It's just…while you were gone, your mother kind of tried to kill me"
Riley explained the night of the bonfire when Vicki's ghost appeared in Mystic Falls. The Original witch was the person who helped her gain access to the physical world. To remain there, she needed to kill both Elena and Riley. Only Bonnie and Riley were aware of the second part of the deal that involved her. Everyone else assumed that Vicki only went after Elena. When Elijah questioned why his mother would attempt to kill her, it led to a discussion of her witch problems, including her summer road trip with Klaus, the near-death experience in Chicago, and the prophecy she heard in New Orleans. As she told him about the prophecy, she left out the part relating to Klaus.
"These witches intend to kill you?"
"Let's focus on the happy moment. Your mother's back. That's nice"
"Riley, I assure you that my mother and the rest of my family will not lay a hand on you. I've already stopped Rebekah from attacking Elena at the hospital"
"Elena was at the—good that you stopped Rebekah"
"What has caused this rift between you and Elena?"
"Girl issues, Elijah. You wouldn't understand"
"Have you attempted to make amends?"
"I'm not the one that has to apologize. Can I ask you something? It's kind of personal but when you look at her, does she remind you of…Tatia?"
She was caught off guard by Elijah kissing her passionately. Pulling away, he cupped her cheek. She touched her lips.
"I only have eyes for one girl and that is you. I will not suddenly fall in love with Elena when I'm already very infatuated with you, Riley. You never need to worry"
Riley scoffed. "Who says I'm worried? If you said yes, I would've just told you that you're missing out because I'm a million times better"
He smiled. "I've known that since the moment we met. I should return home. Be dressed by eleven tomorrow morning"
"What's at eleven?"
"Quite some time ago, I made a promise for our second date. We will go to the grill and have hamburgers"
"As long as your siblings don't tag along"
Elijah vanished from the room. The next morning, Riley spent an hour getting ready for her date. She tried on at least a dozen outfits. Hearing a knock on the door, she hurried down the staircase, putting on knee-high boots. Opening the door, she saw Elijah.
"Good morning"
"Hey. I'm ready to go"
"Go where?" she heard.
Her father was in the doorway, holding a book. She looked at Elijah, shocked.
"I see you're out of that coffin, Elijah"
"Nice to see you again, Brendon"
"Riley, can you come here a minute?"
Riley followed her father into the kitchen. She explained what had happened the previous night, from the other Originals being undaggered to their mother returning from the dead. Her father did not even seem to care that the entire Original family, besides Mikael, was now alive and in Mystic Falls. He was more concerned that she appeared to be going on a date with Elijah. Struggling to come up with a good excuse on the spot, she lied that they were simply friends.
"We're just getting food at the grill"
"Will you be alone?"
"Dad, don't overreact"
"My daughter will be alone with a thousand year old vampire and I'm supposed to not freak out? What's going on between you two?"
"Nothing. Can't I be friends with a guy? You never act like this when I'm with Jayden, Tyler, or Matt"
"I just want you to be careful. We need to talk about that witch meeting. It's in two days. I've called up some old contacts who were invited to attend. They're not on Alec's side, trust me. They're going to help us get into the meeting. We'll have to leave tomorrow night"
"Are you sure you want to go with me?"
"You're asking if I want to see who intends to hurt my daughter? Riley, there is no chance that I would ever let you go near those people alone. You've met many nice witches over the years but there are always the crazy ones. I'll let you go to lunch. Have fun…but not too much"
Riley hugged her father and left the house. When she and Elijah arrived at the grill, they sat at a table and ordered drinks from a waitress. Riley kept her eyes on her menu, unsure of what to talk about with Elijah. She did not want to bring up his mother, who wanted her dead, or any of his siblings, especially Rebekah and Klaus. The waitress brought over their drinks. As Riley sipped her chocolate milk, she noticed Elijah staring at her.
"What? Do I have chocolate milk on my face?"
He chuckled. "No. I'm just enjoying this time that we have alone. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before either of us must deal with some sort of problem. I wanted to give you something"
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a white envelope and handed it to her. The envelope contained an invitation for a party at seven with the Mikaelson family. She assumed the Mikaelson was the last name used by the Original family.
"You're having a party? I'm guessing there won't be kegs and people dry-humping each other"
"It's a ball. My mother thought of the idea as a way for the town to get to know us. Your parents are invited as well. I hope you'll attend"
"Yea, it sounds—I mean, it's…I've never really been to a ball and I'm kind of having Cinderella flashbacks. I'll be there. Am I your date?"
Elijah's hand rested over hers. "I would like that very much and unlike Cinderella, you can stay past midnight"
"Your mother won't try to poison my drink, right?"
"My mother has no intention of harming you. She understands how much you mean to m—how we are very good friends"
"Just promise to keep Klaus away from my parents. I would worry more about my mother. She doesn't look too dangerous but when she takes off her earrings, that's a sign that someone is getting beat up"
"Niklaus will not be a problem"
The waitress returned to the table. Elijah ordered two hamburgers and a side of fries. Riley's phone vibrated in her pocket. Glancing at her phone, she saw a text from Klaus. A photo of the invitation to the ball was attached, along with I hope you save me a dance tonight. Hearing Elijah say her name, she put her phone in her purse.
"Is everything all right?"
"Yea, my dad sent a text. He's not really happy about this date. Well, I told him it wasn't a date so he wouldn't freak out but I don't think he believed me. It's not you. He's always like this when I'm alone with any guy"
"Perhaps I'll win him over tonight"
"Let's hope so or you'll wake up with a vervain grenade under your chin. I think it's worse that you're a vampire. Other guys I've dated were pretty normal"
"Pretty normal?"
"There was one guy in London who I was with for awhile. He was a lead singer in a rock band. It was during my little rebellious phase. He kind of looked like a werewolf…he even howled like one when he was singing. Not one of my best moments" she said, making Elijah laugh.
During their date, she was having the most fun in months. She had not felt this good since the day of their fight and he had been daggered by Klaus. All of her worries about psychotic witches seemed to vanish from her mind. Elijah received a call from Rebekah, asking him to return home. He kissed Riley on the cheek, telling her that he would count down the minutes until he saw her at the ball. As she finished the rest of her hamburger, she saw Caroline and Elena enter the grill. She failed at keeping herself hidden and they walked over to her table.
"Riley, who are you here with?" asked Caroline, surprised.
"No one. Just myself"
"So you ordered yourself two plates of food? Ooh, was it Elijah? Are you on a date?"
"It wasn't a—he was here but he had to go home. I was just about to leave"
"No, stay. We need to talk. You were so busy at that stupid dinner that you ignored all my texts"
Caroline filled her in on what happened the previous night. They learned that Meredith Fell, one of the doctors at the hospital, used vampire blood to save her patients. Riley doubted that her father would approve of such methods, aware of the risk if the patient died with the blood in their system. Mr. Forbes had been sent to the hospital after getting attacked by Tyler, who was helping to break the sire bond from Klaus. After Meredith injected him with vampire blood, he was found in the morning with a knife through his chest. He refused to transition into a vampire, eventually dying later that night. Tyler fled town without telling anyone, only leaving Caroline a short message. He would not return to Mystic Falls until he broke the sire bond. Elena's day was no better when Liz arrived at the house with a stake belonging to a set of weapons in the Gilbert lakehouse, the same stake used to kill a medical examiner. Elena's fingerprints were the only ones found on the stake. To make matters worse, she later found Alaric stabbed in the hallway and he had been sent to the hospital for his injuries.
The conversation shifted to the ball at the Mikaelson mansion. Elena's invitation included a message from Esther, asking to speak with Elena privately. Riley thought it was a terrible idea. If she and Elena were on speaking terms, she would warn her that Esther was not an innocent witch. Caroline urged her to attend the ball with Stefan. She mentioned the kiss between Elena and Damon, hearing it from Bonnie. Riley rolled her eyes when Elena acted all confused about the kiss.
"Let's move past the icky kiss. Riley, can I use your phone to call Tyler?"
"What's wrong with yours?"
"If I try to call, he won't answer"
She handed her phone to Caroline. "Riley, can we talk?" whispered Elena.
"We have nothing to talk about, magically talking chair" she said, magically refilling her glass of chocolate milk.
"This fight is silly. I know you're upset about Jeremy leaving but—"
Elena was interrupted by Caroline smacking Riley on the shoulder. Riley held her shoulder, wincing. Caroline showed the text from Klaus.
"What the hell is this? He invited you to the ball too? Riley! Please tell me you turned him down. Elijah's nice but Klaus…don't let him manipulate you with those puppy dog eyes"
"I am going with Elijah. Calm down, Care. Can we just ignore that text?"
Rebekah joined their table. Elena warned her about Esther's rule that the Originals could not harm anyone in town.
"Get over yourself, Elena. It's not all about you. Hello Riley. A little bird told me that you finally released Alison. I'm sure the two of us will have a lot of fun together"
"If you go near her, I'll put you back in that coffin"
"You wouldn't try that without my brothers here to protect you"
Smirking, she walked over to Matt, handing him an invitation. Caroline freaked out that Matt would be attending the ball with Rebekah. She looked at Riley, hitting her shoulder again.
"You let Alison out of the cell? Why didn't you say anything?"
"Jayden and I did it yesterday. She feeds off of animals. It took some time but she's used to it now"
"Look, I'm glad that you were honest with Jayden so we don't have to be all awkward around him with our supernatural talk but I think that was a bad idea. You hate Alison. Why would you agree to let her out?"
"Caroline, I'm not stupid. If Alison proves to be too dangerous, I'll get rid of her. Besides, the only person she would compel is Jayden and he wears his vervain bracelet. As for Rebekah, I'm going to make sure that she can't compel Alison to use her against us"
"How?"
"I have a plan. I thought of it last night when I heard Rebekah was getting undaggered"
"Well we'll go with you then we can go shopping for dresses and before you say it, no. I don't trust that you'll wear an appropriate dress"
Caroline drove them over to Alison's house. After checking that no one was inside the house, Riley waved her hand over the door. She heard the lock click and the door swung open. Caroline was worried that they would be caught breaking into the house. Riley entered Alison's room and found her perfume. She cast a spell on the perfume to act as a compulsion repellent. If Rebekah attempted compulsion, Alison would maintain her free will. The three of them stopped by a boutique to find dresses for the ball. Not being an expert on fancy dresses, Riley allowed Caroline to choose for her. She was given at least a dozen dresses and forced into a changing room. Riley disliked all of her choices, mostly for their length. Standing in front of a mirror, she looked at herself in a floor-length, puffy blue dress.
"Can't we make it shorter?"
"Riley, it's a ball. This is the kind of dresses you wear to that kind of event. I'm sure you look great"
She was snapped out of her thoughts as the dress began to change color. Her magic had a mind of its own, altering each part of the dress. Instead of chiffon, it was now a floor-length tulle dress. The bodice was black, adorned with matching black feathers, and had a sweetheart neckline. A green sash tied around the waist, accentuating her curves, and an array of silver rhinestones covered the bottom the feathers in an elaborate design. The skirt was a mixture of green and black. Stepping out of the changing room, she saw Caroline sitting in a chair. Caroline squealed excitedly.
"Riley, you have to buy this one. It looks amazing on you. Did I pick this out?"
"N—yea, you did. Good choice, Care" she lied, not wanting to admit that her magic picked out the dress.
"Elijah won't be able to keep his eyes off of you"
Once all three girls found their dresses, they paid for them at the counter. Riley had to secretly compel the woman to believe that the dress was from the boutique. Caroline dropped her off at her house. When she walked through the door, she could hear her parents arguing in the kitchen. Her mother was adamant about not attending the ball while her father attempted to persuade her, telling her that it would look suspicious to the council if they refused the invitation.
"I don't care about the council. They think he's so charming. He has Carol wrapped around his finger because he paid all that money for the bridge and other renovations in the town. She would rather accept his money than see what a monster he is, Brendon"
"We avoided him at the fundraiser. We can ignore him at this ball as well"
"You don't want to go because of Klaus?" asked Riley.
Turning around, they saw her standing in the doorway. Her mother spotted the bag in her hand.
"You bought a dress? You're going?"
"Yea, I was invited by—someone was compelled to give me an invitation. Caroline is forcing me to go with her. If you don't want to go, you can stay here. It's probably going to be boring anyway"
"At least Riley understands"
"Alice, she doesn't want you to go because Elijah invited her" said her father, seeing through Riley's lie.
"Pfft, Elijah didn't—that's not true"
"All three of us are going to that ball. Alice, you will feign a smile for the night and I will make sure that we avoid Klaus. Riley, I'm going to keep my eye on you. Elijah seems honorable but I don't trust the rest of them, especially their suddenly returning mother. If you get in any sort of danger, you leave straight away and return home"
Riley spent the next few hours, getting ready for the ball. Her mother usually enjoyed these types of parties but the mere idea of seeing Klaus ruined her mood. It was as if she and Riley had done a complete personality switch. While Riley focused on looking her best, her mother was prepared to attend the ball in a trash bag. Her father repeatedly assured her that it would be an enjoyable night. Around seven, they arrived at the mansion. A woman took their coats and handed them glasses of champagne. Her mother nearly downed all of it in one sip.
"Alice" hissed her father.
"If you want me to pretend that I'm happy to be here, then I need to drink"
Elijah, Klaus, and Rebekah were standing on the staircase with three other people, a man in his late twenties, a guy in his early twenties, and a middle-aged woman. She recognized their mother from her vision about Klaus's past, though her hair was much shorter. It did not look like she had been dead inside a coffin for a thousand years. Finn had a sophisticated air to him while Kol resembled Elijah in appearance. As Elijah spoke to the crowd, he noticed Riley and smiled at her. She subtly waved at him, feeling her heart beat faster.
"Whenever my mother brings our family together like this, it's tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance. 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"
"I'm going to look for Caroline" said Riley.
"I don't think she's wearing a tuxedo" replied her father.
Riley moved through the crowd, not even hearing Jayden call out to her from beside his parents. Elijah was waiting at the bottom of the staircase. His lips brushed against her hand delicately.
"Would you like to dance?"
"Sure"
He led her into the ballroom. Elena was paired with Damon and to her surprise, Caroline was with Klaus. As the music started, she thought of her dance lessons as a young girl. She had taken lessons with Elena and Caroline to prepare them for Miss Mystic Falls when they were old enough to be participants. While Caroline and Elena loved the lessons, it took every bit of strength from her mother to force Riley to attend each class. Elijah held her hand while his other hand rested on her waist.
"That dress looks stunning on you. It brings out your eyes"
Feeling the heat rising in her cheeks, she smiled. "Thanks. You look really handsome"
"After this dance, come with me to the balcony"
He spun her around, at the part where they had to exchange partners, and Kol caught her. She was reluctant to be around him, thinking that he would not be as controlled as his brothers around her scent.
"So you're the mysterious little witch my brothers are pining for in this town"
"Brother" she corrected.
"I see you're in denial. I'm Kol. You're…Riley, is it?"
"Yea. I guess you've heard about me"
"Quite a bit, darling. You smell even more enticing than your ancestor. I hope you won't toy with me like she did all those years ago"
"You are like some weird mixture of Elijah and Klaus. Let me welcome you to the 21st century. If your fangs so much as come out near me, I will set you on fire"
Kol grinned. "Aren't you a feisty one?"
As they continued to dance, she warmed up to Kol. He was charming and mischievous. She laughed when he talked about annoying Klaus all day as revenge for putting him in a coffin for a century. At the end of the dance, Elijah walked over to them.
"I see you've met Kol. I hope he was a gentleman"
"Always am, brother"
"Well, we would like some time alone, Kol. Go mingle with the other guests"
"You've gotten to know her, Elijah. I'm just getting started. I'll keep her company"
"Leave, Kol"
"Don't let mother see you taking off her dress. Be discrete"
Riley stifled a laugh. Kol disappeared into the crowd. Elijah brought her out onto the balcony. He apologized for Kol's behavior.
"He's not that bad. Why did you bring me out here?"
"I wanted to get away from all those people. I have something I wish to tell you" he said, holding her hand.
"So tell me. We probably won't be alone for long. Like you said, something always happens"
"You're very special to me, Riley. When we had that fight after I saved Niklaus, I regretted how much I hurt you. I wanted to return to your house and if he had not daggered me, I would have…to get your forgiveness. I'm over a thousand years old and yet around you, I feel young again. You're one of a kind. Riley, I l—"
Suddenly, Riley felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She clutched her stomach, leaning against the railing. Elijah told her to wait on the balcony while he retrieved some herbs from the study. His mother left some of her healing herbal mixtures in a cabinet. As he left for the study, the pain intensified and all of her spells failed to help her. She jumped down from the balcony, casting a spell to land softly on the grass. The pain spread to her lower back. She unzipped her dress, hiding behind a horse carriage.
"This party has gotten much more interesting" she heard.
"Shut up" she hissed through gritted teeth.
Klaus was behind her, looking concerned. "What's wrong?"
She handed her phone to him. "Just shut up and take a picture of my back so I can figure that out"
After another minute, the pain subsided. She zipped up her dress and snatched the phone. Klaus stepped towards her. She held out her hand.
"Don't"
"Riley, you're hurt"
"I feel fine now"
Looking at the picture, she saw a marking on her lower back. It resembled the symbol on the necklace that belonged to his mother. The butterflies in her stomach had now transformed into raging wasps. She was feeling an insurmountable amount of anger. Her phone cracked in her hand. Klaus took the phone from her, healing the cut on her palm with a drop of his blood.
"Riley, tell me what's wrong"
"Get out of my way"
"Your eyes…you're not going anywhere"
He gripped her shoulders. "Riley, listen to me. You're very angry and your magic is affecting you. You need to relax"
"Get off me"
The ground beneath them shook violently, causing her to fall against his chest. He advised that if she did not control her magic, she could destroy the entire house. Riley took slow, deep breaths. The ground returned to normal.
"You need to take your mind off of whatever is making you angry. Dance with me. I did say to save me one tonight"
"I don't want to dance"
"Come with me"
Klaus brought her into a room that was filled with paintings. He showed her some of his landscape drawings. There was a folder that contained a collection of animal drawings. She picked up a drawing of a cat.
"Is this…mine?"
"You gave it to me when I made a visit to your old apartment"
"And you still have it?"
"Of course. I always enjoyed your drawings. We used to compare our works and somehow, you won every time"
"I need to find Elijah. He's probably worried that I fell off the balcony or something"
Klaus grabbed her arm, stopping her from leaving the room. "Stay with me"
"I know what you're doing and I'm telling you to stop"
"Riley"
"No. I don't—just stop. I can't deal with this right now"
He followed her out of the room, attempting to speak with her. As she reached the drinks table, she bumped into Jayden. He immediately recognized Klaus and glared, moving Riley behind him. Seconds later, Elijah and her parents joined the table.
"He was bothering Riley" said Jayden.
"I think it's time for you to leave" said Klaus.
"No, I'll stay right here. You can't compel me to do anything"
"It's all right, Jayden. Why don't you and Riley go outside?" asked her father.
Klaus looked at her parents. "Done avoiding me, are you?"
"Brendon, did you hear that table mysteriously speak?" said her mother, her eyes on the table.
Elijah gently pulled Riley over to him. He hugged her after checking for any injuries. She assured him that she was feeling better and blamed the pain on the witches outside of Mystic Falls. There was a heavy tension between her parents and Klaus.
"We were on good terms until you sank your fangs into Riley's neck and almost killed her. Let's not forget when you blackmailed her into your little summer road trip of murder you where you scattered bodies across the East Coast"
"Not to point fingers but if you hadn't been hiding her scent all these years, I wouldn't have reacted that aggressively"
"Is he—you're blaming us?" asked her mother.
She removed her earrings, placing them on the table. Riley and Jayden glanced at each other, knowing that her mother was going to physically fight Klaus. Her father held onto her arm to restrain her.
"I don't care how old you are. I don't care that you're a hybrid and you can't be killed. I might be older now but I can still beat you into a bloody mess"
"Alice, don't make a scene"
Riley gasped, looking in a random direction. "Oh, no way. Mom, it's—you know that person we haven't seen in like forever? Well they're here now so we should go over to them and say hi"
Playing along, Jayden nodded. "It is that person. I'll walk with you, Mrs. Gilbert"
He grabbed her earrings and led her through the crowd. Her father followed after them, shooting a contemptuous look at Klaus. Riley yelled at Klaus for blaming her parents for his attack on her. She told him that despite being over a thousand years old, he acted no better than a stubborn child. Lying that she would meet with Elijah after going to the bathroom to fix her hair, she walked up the staircase. She opened one of the doors. The room was empty, smelling heavily of sage.
"Looking for me, dear?"
Esther was standing by the window. "How nice to see you face to face, Riley"
"I'd say the feeling is mutual but it would be a lie. To be honest, just looking at you makes me want to vomit"
"Quite the nasty mouth on you, young lady"
"Your son happens to like my mouth…and other parts of me. So what was that before? Your lame attempt at killing me?"
"It was only a message. I thought it would get your attention. I have no need to kill you myself. You'll do that all on your own"
"I doubt that. I like being alive. What's your problem with me? Are you jealous that I'm more powerful than you and I'm a lot younger?"
"As I said, I won't have to kill you. All that power growing inside you will do the job. You can't handle it. You can barely control it now, from what I've seen while I was on the Other Side. Soon enough, it will consume you and you will take my place there"
"I'll send you back there first. I have enough evil witches to deal with at the moment. Here's my message for you"
Riley pushed her hand forward. Esther fell to her knees as her legs snapped in half.
"If you don't leave me alone, I will gladly put you back in that coffin and this time, you won't be able to come back"
Slamming the door, she returned to the party downstairs. Elijah brought her over to Elena, who looked anxious. He questioned her about her conversation with Esther. She claimed that Esther had truly forgiven Klaus and there was no reason to worry about her intentions. The private meeting with Esther had been an excuse for her to apologize for almost killing Elena. Riley did not believe a single word. Esther appeared at the top of the staircase, addressing the crowd. Waiters walked around, passing around glasses of champagne. Elijah tapped his glass against hers. As Riley sipped the champagne, Elena watched him. For the rest of the party, she stayed by his side. He left her to tend to a problem upstairs. She searched for Elena, finding her with Damon.
"Am I interrupting?"
"No" he replied, sounding tense.
"Great. What was your meeting really about, Elena?"
"You're talking to me again?"
"Only a few sentences then it's back to the silent treatment"
"I didn't lie, Riley. She just wants to be with her family"
"I know you're lying to me. As always, you were probably naïve enough to believe in whatever she told you and she roped you into some scheme. If Elijah gets hurt, whatever happened to him…I'll do the same to you and it will feel a million times worse"
"Whoa, shorty. Dial down the threats" said Damon.
"It's not a threat. It's a promise. I want you to remember that, Elena. Have fun with your little lovers' quarrel"
She conjured a bottle of scotch, placing it in his pocket. "I'm sure you'll need this later after hearing the next crap to come out of her mouth while she speaks in stuttering confusion and tries to make you feel like the bad person"
Riley found her parents with Jayden and his parents. As Jayden's father discussed the bridge renovations, she heard a loud commotion. Running outside, she saw Damon kneeling beside an unconscious Kol. Stefan was nearby, looking shocked. Finn, Rebekah, Elijah, Klaus, and Elena were not far behind, standing next to the doors.
"Far be it from me to cause a problem" said Damon, staggering away.
"What's wrong with him?" whispered Jayden.
Finn picked up Kol's body, quickly bringing him inside the mansion. People began to leave as it neared midnight.
"Elena. Stay out of it, Jay. Could you tell my parents that I'm staying at your place for the night? I want to hang out here a little longer"
"You'll be okay by yourself?"
"Of course. I'll see you later"
Riley returned to the mansion with Elijah, following him up to one of the rooms. He tied a handkerchief around her eyes. She giggled as he opened the door, telling her to wait a few minutes while he spoke with his mother. It was not long before she heard the door open again.
"I apologize. She was upset about what happened with Kol. Apparently, Rebekah planned to harm your friend Matt and he was in on it. I'm not surprised. He's a troublemaker"
"Are you going to keep me blindfolded all night?"
"Just a second"
Elijah removed the handkerchief, revealing rose petals on the floor. There was a tray with a bottle of champagne and a plate of chocolate covered strawberries on the bed.
"Do you like it? We won't have to worry about someone hearing us. I borrowed sage from my mother's supply. It's good for privacy"
"Yea but let's not have any of that yet"
She moved the tray onto the dresser. "I think it's your turn for this blindfold"
Riley tied the handkerchief around his eyes, sitting him on the bed. She quietly unzipped her dress and pushed it aside. Just in her bra and panties, she stood in front of Elijah, her finger under his chin.
"It's a game. You can look but can't touch. Do you understand those rules?"
"They seem simple enough"
"Good"
She untied the handkerchief. His eyes widened slightly. She stopped him from touching her waist.
"No touching"
"You've made it quite difficult to follow these rules"
"I know"
Riley unbuttoned his shirt while kissing his neck. His hands were hovering near her waist. She pushed him down on the bed, straddling him. To her surprise, he flipped her over, ending up on top, and kissed her, smiling into her lips. He left a trail of kisses from her lips to her bellybutton.
"And you're supposed to be the honorable one"
"You're impossible to resist"
"Am I?"
Elijah looked deep into her eyes. "I…like you very much"
"And all this time, I thought you hated my guts. That is a relief" she teased.
Grabbing him by his collar, she pulled him into her and kissed him again. The kiss was far more passionate. With each passing moment, she could barely contain herself. He placed the covers over them and they spent the rest of the night in his room, not caring as the sage stopped burning…
A/N: Thanks for reading. Now that Elijah is back, his relationship with Riley is going to progress a lot more, despite skepticism from her parents and some of her friends. Though he is considered honorable, they still see him as dangerous because he is one of the Originals. The tension between Riley and Esther will only get worse as Riley learns why Esther wants her dead and how she plans to do that. The next chapter will also explore the faction of witches against her and the extent that they are willing to go to see her dead.