Elena, Jeremy, and Rebekah walked back into the house several hours later. They'd spent the last four to five hours at the mall. Elena had tried not to go crazy, but Rebekah had made that difficult. She'd insisted on going to all the most expensive shops and buying top priced items. They still didn't hit even close to the thirty grand Rebekah and bargained for them, but they had hit more than Elena had ever spent on shopping trip in her entire life. Still, Elena had a nice time. It took her mind off Stefan, and spending time with Rebekah wasn't so bad. They'd gotten along pretty well.
Elijah met them all in the entry hall as they came in. "Good you're back, and I see Rebekah made sure you bought a good portion of the mall."
"They were both in dire need of new wardrobes, plus we picked up new computers and cell phones. Another trip will of course be needed once we move into the new house for furniture and other things, but this will do for now," Rebekah said.
"Of course," Elijah said while giving his sister a knowing look. He then turned to Elena and Jeremy. "Well, dinner will be in an hour. You should both get ready, but first, I would like a word with you, Elena."
"I'll take your bags up to your room," Rebekah said before relieving Elena of bags she was carrying and heading out of the room.
Jeremy was hesitant to leave his sister alone with an original, but after a reassuring nod from her, he reluctantly followed Rebekah.
"I hope you had a good time today, Elena," Elijah said.
"I did. When she doesn't hate me or want me dead, Rebekah is actually easy to get along with. It took my mind off Stefan for a little while, which was what I was hoping for," Elena told him.
"I'm glad to hear it. I wanted to let you know that Niklaus and I have been discussing it and have decided that the guardianship paperwork will be in my name," Elijah said. His brother had not been thrilled when he proposed it, but he'd agreed when Elijah explained that it would make Elena and Jeremy a bit more comfortable.
Elena breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank you so much, Elijah."
"I want you to understand that this does not mean you don't have to answer to Niklaus, but I thought it might make you feel more at ease," Elijah told her.
"I understand. I know it's just a formality, but it does help. Thank you," Elena said. She didn't know why she was so bothered by a piece of paper, as it literally meant no difference to someone like Klaus, but it still did help. It made her feel just a tiny bit better about it. She didn't know why. "At the risk of not sounding grateful for all you've done, can I ask one more favor?"
"You can always ask, Elena. I can't promise that I can oblige you, but always feel free to ask," Elijah said.
"I want to make sure Alaric isn't hurt tonight. I know Klaus said he wasn't going to hurt him, but I just want to be sure. If you say he won't be hurt, I'll believe you," Elena said.
"You have my word that no harm will come to Alaric Saltzman. However, that's the only promise I can make you. Any other means necessary will be used to acquire his signature," Elijah told her.
"He can't be compelled. He's on vervain," Elena told him.
"I'm aware. There are ways that don't involve violence or compulsion," he said.
Elena wasn't sure she would like whatever ways Elijah was talking about. In fact, she knew she'd hate them, but she didn't have much choice. At least she got an assurance that Ric wouldn't be hurt. "Alright, I can live with that, but will you at least give me a chance to get him to sign myself?"
Elijah nodded. "Certainly, but I must be honest that I don't believe you will be successful."
"Neither do I, but I have to try," Elena said. She doubted very much that she could get Alaric to willingly sign away guardianship to Elijah. He was going to hate the idea of her and Jeremy living with the originals. He would fight against it as hard as he could. Unfortunately, he had no chance of winning that fight. One way or another, Klaus and Elijah would get what they wanted.
"Of course. You should get ready for dinner," Elijah said.
Elena nodded and headed out of the room.
Xxxxxxxxxxx
Klaus opened the front door moments after hearing the doorbell. He immediately smiled and stepped aside for his dinner guest. "Mr. Saltzman, please come in. You're just in time. Dinner will be shortly.
Alaric walked inside and glared at Klaus. He didn't know why he was there, but he knew it wasn't as simple as Klaus wanting to host dinner. He only even showed up to see Elena and Jeremy, and hopefully figure out a way to get them out of there. "Where are Elena and Jeremy?"
"They should be along shortly," Klaus said before the two of them heard footsteps. Elena and Jeremy entered the room seconds later. "As I was saying. You can see they are both in one piece."
"Are you two okay?" Alaric asked, ignoring Klaus.
"Yeah, we're good, Ric. We're sorry for worrying you," Jeremy said. Worrying him was really unavoidable though. The second they went home with Klaus, there was no way to avoid worrying Ric.
"Klaus, give us a few minutes alone, please," Elena asked. He'd be able to hear them from the dining room anyway, so there wasn't any real privacy, but at least they would have the illusion.
"Very well, Love. Don't be long though. Dinner will be served in under ten minutes," Klaus said before leaving the room."
"What were the two of you thinking? Why in the world would you come home with Klaus?" Ric asked in disbelief.
"Ric, we didn't really have an option. True, we didn't fight it, but it wouldn't have made a difference if we had tried," Jeremy said.
"I'm sure you've spoken to Damon by now. He told you everything, right?" Elena asked.
"Yeah. Why didn't you say anything, Elena? We could've prepared for this," Alaric said.
Elena sighed. "I guess I told myself that if I didn't tell anyone about my connection to Klaus, I could pretend it wasn't real. The only people who knew were Bonnie and Caroline, and I made them promise never to bring it up again after the sacrifice. I wanted to forget about it. I told myself Klaus never had to find out. It was a naïve belief, one that Stefan crushed."
"I'm really sorry about Stefan. Did he hurt you?" Alaric asked.
"Not physically, but, yes, he definitely hurt me. I don't want to talk about it though. Look, Ric, I'm sure you've figured out by now that Klaus didn't ask you to come here just for dinner," Elena said.
"I realized that seconds after he hung up on me," Alaric said.
"He and Elijah want you to sign a form transferring guardianship of me and Jeremy to Elijah," Elena told him.
"There's no way in hell I'm doing that," Alaric said immediately.
Before Elena or Jeremy could respond, Elijah came into view. "Dinner is about to be served. Please join us in the dining room."
Elena nodded, and she and Jeremy followed him to the dining room. Alaric reluctantly followed as well. When they got there, Klaus and Rebekah were already seated. The others took their seats. Alaric sat across from Elena. Dinner was brought out moments later by the maid.
"Let's be clear. I'm not signing a damned thing," Alaric said firmly. He didn't care what Klaus or Elijah did. He was not handing Elena and Jeremy over to them.
Klaus smiled at him. "I believe you will, Mr. Saltzman, but lets save the unpleasantness for after dinner."
"Yes, I agree with Niklaus. There will be plenty of time to discuss such matters later. Please, eat," Elijah said politely once they'd all been served.
Elena reluctantly began eating. She wasn't exactly hungry, but she was even less ready for the conversation that was about to take place.
"How are the renovations on the new house in Mystic Falls coming, Niklaus?" Elijah asked his brother.
"Agonizingly slow for my tastes, but we should hopefully be ready to move in within the next few weeks," Klaus answered.
"You're planning to move to Mystic Falls?" Alaric asked. He had mixed emotions about that. He didn't like the fact that Klaus would be in town for the foreseeable future, but if he couldn't get Elena and Jeremy away from the originals anytime soon, at least he'd know that they were close.
"Of course. That was already the plan, but Elena and Jeremy would like to finish school here, so we have even more of a reason to stay," Klaus said before turning to Elena and Jeremy. "Oh, and since we're on the subject, I will need to get with each of you soon to get an idea of how you would like your rooms to be."
"Really?" Jeremy asked surprised.
"Of course. It will be your space after all. There are certain expectations that will need to be met, but other than that, it's up to you on how you want them to be," Klaus said.
For the next hour, there was a bit of small talk, but it was mostly quiet as everyone ate. Once they were done, Elijah spoke once more. "I suppose it's time to get down to business," he said as he opened a file that was laying next to his plate and took out a form.
"I'm not signing it," Alaric said once again.
"Ric, you have to sign it," Elena said. This was going to be her last chance to do this before it turned ugly. She doubted it would work, but she couldn't give up without giving it her best effort. "I know you don't like it, but you can't change the way things are. This is the reality that Jeremy and I are in now. We've accepted that."
"Well, I will never accept it, and the only reason you do is because they haven't given you a choice," Alaric said.
"No, that's not the only reason. I spent twenty-four hours being held hostage by my ex-boyfriend, who has access to my home," Elena said.
"Alright. I know Stefan is part of the reason too, but he can be dealt with," Alaric said.
"Really? Well, you did a wonderful job dealing with him when he kidnapped Elena. And how will you deal with the much more advanced vampires that will come after her just because she's related to us?" Klaus asked.
"Like it or not, Klaus is right. I'm sorry, Ric, but you can't protect us from the supernatural world. You may be a great vampire hunter, but you can only do so much. I'm sorry, but I don't even feel safe at home anymore," Elena said sadly.
"And you feel safe here? You trust these people?" Alaric asked in disbelief.
"I trust Elijah at least. And, yes, I feel safer here. Last night, I slept better than I had in a long time, even before Stefan kidnapped me, because that at the very least, they wouldn't let anything happen to us. I knew they wouldn't let anyone hurt us," Elena said.
"And what's to stop them from hurting you. Klaus literally murdered you and Jenna. He's been a threat to all of us for months," Alaric reminded her.
"Perhaps that was the case in the past, but not anymore. If anything, this arrangement negates the need for such tactics. So long as my family is safe, no one has anything to fear," Klaus spoke up.
"Ric, believe me, I don't trust Klaus, or even like him," Elena said.
Klaus chuckled. "Give it time, sweetheart."
Elena ignored him. "But he's not going to hurt me or Jeremy. He almost killed Stefan to save me and then to avenge me."
"He wants your blood," Alaric said.
"He's already promised not to touch another drop, and, yes, I believe him because he has no reason to lie. If he wanted my blood, he'd take it. Look, it's not the most ideal arrangement in the world, but it's the best one for everyone. Please, Ric. Sign the papers," Elena pleaded with him.
Alaric shook his head. "No. I can't just sign you over to them. Jenna would never forgive me if I did. I won't do it."
Elijah sighed. "I'm sorry, Elena. We tried it your way, but I'm afraid it was never going to work."
Alaric glared at him. "Do whatever you want. Kill me if you have to. You can't compel me. I'm on vervain. And there's no amount of torture that will get me to give you what you want."
"Oh, there is no need to resort to such tactics. Besides, I gave Elena my word that you would leave unharmed. Truth be told, Mr. Saltzman, I don't need your signature. It would be easier for all of us, especially them," Elijah said as he pointed to Elena and Jeremy. "But it isn't necessary. We can do this the hard way and have you ousted as guardian. It wouldn't be too difficult. I probably wouldn't even need to use compulsion. After all, you haven't been the most suitable guardian.
"That's not true. Ric's been a wonderful guardian," Jeremy protested.
"He's been a kind guardian, which is important, but it doesn't necessarily make him suitable. I took the liberty of getting your school records today. If I'm to be your guardian, I decided it was best to get a good look at what I would need to start with," Elijah said as he once again opened the folder in front of him.
"How were you able to get our records before you got the guardianship papers signed?" Elena asked. She figured it out mere moments after the question left her mouth. "Compulsion."
Elijah smiled. "I've spent most of the day studying this information. Elena, I'm not too concerned with the information I've learned about you. Your grades are decent, though there is room for improvement. Jeremy, however, is a different story. His grades alone are atrocious, and his behavior has been even worse. There are reports of suspicions of drug use, as well as several fights."
"That was mostly from like a year ago, and it's none of your business," Jeremy said with a glare. He accepted the fact that he had to live with these people, but he wasn't going to be lectured by them, especially after only living with them for a day."
"It is certainly my business, given that I am now responsible for you. However, I don't bring it up to scold you. You are correct that it is in the past. I will not penalize you for something that happened before you came into our care. Besides, the blame falls more to those responsible for you than it does on you," Elijah told him.
"We did the best we could, Elijah," Elena said somewhat defensively. Honestly, she did feel guilt for Jeremy's issues. She tried to get him through things after their parents died, but she had so much on her plate herself, and that was before vampires entered her life.
"This does not fall on you either, Elena. You were a child as well. You should never have been responsible for your brother. No, this falls on his guardians. Now, I do believe that your aunt and Alaric Saltzman tried, but it wasn't enough," Elijah said.
"What the hell would you know? You know nothing about anything but killing people for sport," Alaric snarled. He knew he wasn't the best guardian. It was why he was uneasy about it when he started caring for Elena and Jeremy, but he wasn't going to be judged by a family of psychotic vampires.
Klaus chuckled. "Oh, I assure you, we know more than you. We know enough that we will not all be in a bar while one of them is kidnapped under their own roof."
"Okay, he couldn't have stopped that," Elena protested.
"Yes, I agree, sweetheart. That's just another problem with his guardianship. He's unable to protect you and he's unable to provide either of you with the structure you need, which is why if he fights us, he'll lose without us even having to do anything unsavory," Klaus said.
"Yes, but that would involve us most likely destroying any good standing you have in this town, and that would hurt Elena and Jeremy. I will be most displeased if I have to do that. Sign the papers, Mr. Saltzman," Elijah said before sliding the papers and a pen towards him.
"Please, Ric. Please don't make it worse," Elena begged him. She really did not want to see this go to court, where a judge would find Alaric unfit one way or another.
Alaric sighed. He hated this, but he could see that no matter what he did, he would lose. Even if a judge wouldn't find him unsuitable under normal circumstances, and they might, the originals would just use compulsion to get what they wanted. He didn't want to put Elena and Jeremy through that.
Reluctantly, Alaric picked up the pen, read over the document and signed his name. He then got up to leave because he could not bear sitting there another moment.
Elena got up and followed him out of the room. "I'm sorry, Ric."
Alaric turned back to her. "No, don't apologize to me, Elena. I'm the one that failed you, and Jenna, again!"
"You didn't fail us, Ric. We will be okay," Elena told him.
"No, you won't. Even if they keep their promise not to hurt either of you, they will never let you go," Ric said before storming out.
Elena didn't stop him this time. He wasn't wrong. She knew that Klaus at least would never let her go.
