She was sitting in a porcelain white gazebo. Surrounding the colossal gazebo was a garden of various flowers. The array of colors astounded her. It felt like she was in a landscape painting she'd see at a museum. However, they weren't regular roses, orchids, tulips, etc. They were exotic or expensive.

Klaus was sitting on the opposite side of the marble table. He had been going over each type of flower in the garden. If anything, he was a precise tour guide.

"The Juliet Roses are Rebekah's favorite."

She peered at the elegant soft pink roses that were flourishing under the summer rays. Despite knowing little about Rebekah, they seemed like they would be her favorite.

"How much are they?"

"Around 16 million, I believe."

Lavish was a word. Stupid would be Grams' word. Yet, she still admired the beauty of the garden even if the price tag was ridiculous. How much did the garden cost alone? She hadn't kept up with the number but knew it had to be high. Hell, the mansion and land had to be hundreds of millions which made Bonnie wonder how rich Klaus was. She had once thought the Salvatores were unbelievably wealthy, but they paled in comparison to the Mikaelsons.

"The flowers on the outskirts of the garden bloom at night. The red Night Gladiolus is one of my favorites."

A fact about Klaus she would have never guessed. He seemed to be enthusiastic about anything regarding beauty from flowers to architecture to paintings. Slowly, she saw him in the house and in the landscape. The type of beauty he envisioned came to fruition in what she saw around her. He had given her sparse details about how he had conjured up the house from his mind to a plan for them to build. Every piece of furniture was picked by him. The colors had a scheme of elegance and timelessness that he aimed for.

She saw that humanity in him. He had hobbies and passions. He cared about his family in ways she hadn't imagined such as picking flowers they liked or furniture based on their tastes. She saw that glimmer in his eyes when he talked about art. She saw the tugging of a smile when she asked why he picked an item.

She turned to look at the grand white piano nearby the table so that she wasn't staring at Klaus' sapphire eyes that seemed more warm than cold. As if his guard too was melting away as they talked.

The house tour had been a good distraction and ending at the garden had given her a moment to pause. She shouldn't have cried in front of him, but her emotions had swept her up. Her thoughts had consumed her and then the tears had come.

She still felt raw.

"Your eyes aren't red anymore."

She consciously rubbed her eyes. Even if her eyes may not be red, they still felt puffy and watery. She looked back up and saw he had a pensive expression. His blue eyes hardened as his eyes gazed at the flowers.

"...Was Stefan wearing a suit when he told you about the coffins?"

The question had thrown her off.

"Yes." She brushed her hair out of her face. "For a long time, I blamed myself for that hiccup with the coffin."

She felt stupid in a way. She was destined to fail.

"I suppose some of that is my doing." Klaus's lips pursed. "However, Rebekah told us that Ayanna had told her about the spell and she hadn't revealed it until a week before you opened the coffin. Stefan must have visited the night you were trying to open it then."

She had felt a little relieved. Stefan hadn't had the time to warn her, but she still wondered why he hadn't told her after the fact. The coffin had caused a good chunk of misery and she had felt like a failure.

"She kept it secret for that long?"

"Yes." A smirk then appeared. "Speak of the devil."

Rebekah strolled out of the house and went toward them. When she was in the gazebo, Bonnie was able to see her better. She was wearing a flowy periwinkle dress with her long blonde hair braided. The way she carried herself was similar to Klaus. Self-assured.

"The only devil here is you." Rebekah glanced at her. "Have you been boring her with flower talk, brother?"

"She asked," he countered.

"Have you at least asked her if she's hungry?"

"I gave her a snack earlier." He paused. "However, if you are hungry, you could join us for dinner."

"You should. The chef's food is great."

Of course, they had a chef. Bonnie nearly rolled her eyes.

"That would be nice."

Klaus got up and went toward his sister. "I'll go make sure the chef knows an extra person will be dining with us. Rebekah, a moment please?"

She watched them leave and went into the house. She leaned back on the bench and let her breath slowly come in and out.

Then she felt a presence behind her.

She quickly turned around to see Kol leaning against the railing. His hair was muddied and his shirt was ripped to shreds while his jeans were soaked in crimson. She was going to ask why he looked so disheveled but he placed a finger on his mouth. At first, she raised an eyebrow. She then saw Elijah coming through the forest. She felt bad seeing him in a tattered and muddied suit. Obviously, the two had just had a scuffle. Based on Elijah's sulking demeanor, Kol had won.

He walked from a far away enough distance that unless he turned his head, he wouldn't see them. He went to what she assumed was the front of the house. As soon as he made it to the side of the mansion, he disappeared from her sight.

A few moments of silence pass before Kol lays his hand down.

"He'd be upset if you saw him so undignified."

She snorted. "What a gentleman protecting your older brother's honor."

"I prefer not to be a gentleman. That is reserved for the crypt keeper himself."

"Elijah is not a crypt keeper. He's a gentleman."

"Protecting his honor now, are we?"

Kol jumped over the railing and sat down beside her.

"Did you two get into a fight?"

"Nothing serious." He dismissed with a wave. "Since you are denoting titles to my family, I want one. Since Elijah is the residential gentleman, I should have something more chaotic."

"Troublemaker, shit starter, hellraiser..."

"Hmm."

"How about residential trickster?" She chuckled. "It is playful yet chaotic."

"I like that."

"We have to give the others titles. Finn would definitely be the hermit."

"My old friends and I used to call Rebekah Barbie Klaus."

"Barbie it is. What about Klaus?"

"Diva."

He choked on his laughter. "A fitting title."

Despite barely knowing Kol compared to Klaus and Elijah, he felt easy to talk to. Maybe it was due to the lack of past and baggage she was more comfortable with him. He had this boyish, mischievous personality that wasn't serious. Yet, she knew not to get too close. He had been daggered all those years ago for a reason. What may be harmless behavior to her was not harmless back then and who was to say that behavior wouldn't reappear.

"You should go get changed."

"But aren't you leaving soon? I saw you arrived here a few hours ago." He pushed a muddied strand of his hair back. "I didn't get a chance to talk to you properly."

"I'll be staying for dinner. We can talk more after you get changed, then?"

He gave a sad smile before whispering, "you look beautiful in green by the way."

When she blinked, he was gone. Thankfully, he didn't get to see her flushed cheeks.

She shook her head.

She slowly began to realize what she had just agreed to so willingly. Dinner with the Originals.

-X-

Elena's earlier words had done a number on him. She had the gall to bring up Sheila in front of him. Now, he was pacing around in Bonnie's living room.

Would Sheila approve? He had failed her. Would his atonement be enough?

His head ached when he saw Elena's name pop up on his phone. It took all his strength to ignore his phone and not chuck it out the window.

He could kill someone. He knew he could right now. His apathy and anger were mixing. He knew what made the Ripper feel better or at least alleviate the anger.

The Ripper would murder or fuck so that only apathy would be left. Stefan would write in his diary or used to talk with Lexi. Two sides of him with different methods to alleviate fury. An emotion that seemed to love him.

He sat down on the couch. He needed to get Elena to stop bothering him and Bonnie. He thought his prior words would have done it, but he needed to be more vicious. Rip the whole fucking band-aid.

His thoughts went back to Sheila. If she was watching him now, what would she think of him? What would Lexi think? Were both of them would be watching him with despair? Maybe they were expecting his fall. He was as much Stefan as he was the Ripper. He was as much a man as he was a monster.

Sheila would definitely be pissed I tried fucking her granddaughter earlier, a snarky side of him thought. The fact I so willingly allowed her to go to the Mikaelsons... Klaus loves collecting dark witches.

"I'm a shit protector..." He groaned.

Forbid her from going to them. She'll be safer that way.

"No." He shook his head. He wasn't going to allow his thoughts to control him. He wasn't going to try to control Bonnie.

But she's mine. She only needs me.

-X-

Kol had come back out to get her. He had offered his arm and she hesitantly had taken it. Every step felt awkward as she became more aware of Kol such as his movements and his scent.

Before she knew it, she was looking at the dining room from a distance. Rebekah and Elijah were already sitting at the marble stone table filled with wine bottles while Klaus was walking into the dining room with a glass of wine. A man followed behind who she realized was Finn. The last Original she had yet to meet. All the Originals were present.

Kol nudged her to her and she allowed him to drag her to the table. Her feet barely wanted to work.

Her witchy senses were screaming in confusion. Friend or foe? People she had once vowed to end... People she was now having dinner with.

"Well," Klaus paused as he placed his drink down. "Food is almost ready."

The rest went to sit down. Bonnie tried to calm her nerves as she sat between Klaus and Kol. Elijah sent a wary glance between the two of them as Rebekah merely sighed. It felt weird sitting across from Elijah after seeing the aftermath of his scuffle with Kol. She had to restrain herself from giggling.

"Miss Bennett," Elijah greeted. "I hope you are doing well today."

"I am doing fine."

He smiled. "Good, I was worried. How is Stefan?"

"He's alright. It was a rough night for him."

Klaus inquired, "what happened?"

"He's living with me temporarily... He can't stand living under the same roof as Elena and Damon. I understood and agreed."

Elijah nodded. "I do find the fact he barged in with a suitcase a bit upsetting. Did he tell you of this prior?"

"...No."

"You can kick him to the curb if you want." Rebekah took a sip of wine. "He can live here."

"It's fine. Besides, he's trying to make up for what's happened to me."

Elijah then poured himself a dark wine into his empty glass. "That's good at least."

Kol turned to her.

"Why are you close to Stefan?"

"He helped my Grams. She trusted him."

"That means a lot for a Bennett witch," Finn spoke. "To trust a vampire."

She nodded. So far so good...

Rebekah then asked, "have you chosen which path you'll go as a dark witch?"

"Path?"

"Like will you be murdering or fucking—"

Elijah clasped his hands. "Dinner, anyone?"

The food came in and she felt relief. She tried to keep her attention on the food.

However, she did have to face the music so to speak. If she didn't want to murder someone, she'd have to... choose someone. A few. The thought irked her.

She didn't want to hurt Stefan. Maybe she could find a way for it just to be them? But if she couldn't what was she going to do? She didn't want to hurt him like Elena did. She knew that Stefan had shared women before but that was the Ripper. Would she be okay if Stefan slept with other women? It would be fair if she was sleeping with other men... Surprisingly, the thought didn't bubble up any possessiveness.

Still, Stefan's words from earlier rung in her head.

Elijah's question pulled her from her thoughts. "Is Ayanna's grimoire of use?"

"I have been able to skim through some of it. So far so good."

"That's good."

"Did you read it?"

"Only after her death."

"Really? I thought all of you were close to her?"

Kol's eyes darkened. "Father forbade us from practicing magic especially us men. That also meant we couldn't read grimoires."

"Why particularly as a man?"

"He saw magic as a feminine thing. A man's power comes from his physical strength and feared leadership."

"What an asshole."

The Originals laughed. She was then reminded that one thing that unified the family besides principal was their hatred for their father.

Rebekah pitched in, "father never taught me how to fight and I was shit out of luck in the magic department. Even if I had been gifted, I doubt father would have been pleased either. He feared strong women like Ayanna."

"Were the rest of you magically inclined?"

Kol spoke first, "I was when I was young. Of course, mother would be punished for teaching me and Ayanna couldn't either out of loyalty to her."

"Father was even more paranoid when I and Finn were kids." Elijah sighed. "He was scared of us being alone with mother too long in case she thought it wise to teach us." Finn nodded to his words.

Klaus paused sipping his wine and stared at his glass. "I felt a connection to magic when I had my wolf side unleashed as a mortal."

"I didn't know that." Elijah turned to his brother.

"It was something I never wanted mother to know."

Silence fell upon the room for a couple of moments. When it was clear the silence would last, Bonnie decided to test the waters.

"Do you wish you could have your magic back?"

"I'd want it," Kol answered.

The others said something similar, but Klaus remained silent. When she looked over to him and expected an answer, he raised an eyebrow.

The rest of the dinner hadn't been bad. The Originals could be pleasant, and charming at times. She understood the Ripper a little more and the others that had pledged loyalty to them. But they did get a strike against them for being on the more nosy side of things.

When dinner had ended, Rebekah had offered to be her driver. Kol had left to do something but had given a warm goodbye. Elijah had gone to the library with Finn following behind him. Their goodbyes had been brief.

She had strolled outside with Klaus to wait on Rebekah to pick a car from one of the garages. The night wind blowing past them felt nice. The moon overhead dimly lit the area. Even at night, the beauty of the land evident. A well-groomed castle in the woods.

She turned to face him. "Didn't you wish to be part witch?"

"So the Ripper does spill secrets to pretty witches."

Her cheeks heated up.

He leaned close enough she could smell the merlot wine on his breath. "It's a dead dream. I don't need to have magic to be the scariest person in this room. I have enough power to make people shiver at the mention of my name."

His sapphire eyes shined against the moonlight. The devil, that was what he was. The embodiment of Lucifer, she reminded herself. Yet in that moment she found once again the devil beautiful and human.

She bit her lip. "But your name doesn't make me shiver."

He leaned even closer and chuckled. "Is that a challenge?"

"You don't scare me."

"I'm not trying to scare you." His eyes bore into hers. "The game between you and I is different now."

"The game between me and the devil."

"I supposed that makes you Eve?" He moved away. "Tell me, did the Devil tempt Eve or did she want to be tempted?"

She heard the car pull up near the front. Yet, she couldn't be pulled away as his eyes stayed on her. For a moment, she believed she was entranced.

"Goodbye, my Eve."

The trance only broke when Klaus walked away.

She blinked before stumbling to the car. She wanted to groan as her legs had once again decided to malfunction. She made it to the car thankfully without tripping. However, if Klaus had watched her, she was sure he had gained some satisfaction.

When she had closed the door, Rebekah took off. To her surprise, she was a calm driver. She didn't have to worry about her speeding like all her vampiric friends like to do.

She was catching her breath as a few minutes passed. Being around Klaus had suffocated her in a different way. A way she didn't want to think about.

"Go to Sheila and Abby's graves next Friday." She then gave a curt nod. "Go alone."

Her neck nearly snapped at the rate she turned to face her. Her mother and grandmother's graves? Next Friday? Wasn't next Friday the new moon too? A thousand questions popped up in her head but looking at Rebekah's pale expression made her even more alert. What would make Rebekah look that stressed?

"Why?"

"...I can tell you this much. It has to do with your bloodline, your family. I am merely passing the message on from a ghost, from Ayanna. Go to the graves next Friday. That's all I can say."

Bloodline. Ayanna.

Ayanna had given Rebekah the message and not her? What? She let herself lean back as the music fill the silence. She looked out the window and watched as they passed by trees. Her mind filled with questions and hypotheticals as each minute passed.

She needed answers. Yet, she could not shake off this feeling of dread that lingered in her stomach.