Chapter 16- "Midnight Hours"

It didn't take long for the last harvest girl to make contact with the Mikaelsons. Two weeks after Francesca had died, Klaus, Caroline, Elijah, and Elena had failed in their efforts to locate her, even though Klaus wanted to force Davina to find her to which Elena strongly opposed, they got an invitation in the mail.

While the four of them were having breakfast, Caroline gave the envelope to Klaus.

"You are cordially invited to a night of the harvest feast, tonight at 9 pm." Klaus read.

"Harvest feast, Niklaus?" Asked Elijah, his hand tightening on Elena's waist.

"It could be just a coincidence, brother." Said Klaus.

"What do you mean?" Asked Elena.

"This time of the year, when we were still human it was our village's tradition to celebrate the Harvest Feast or Skördefest. It was to celebrate the successful harvest of the year while we prepared for the months we wouldn't be able to rip anything from the land." Explained Elijah.

"Wait, so what are we thinking?" Asked Caroline. "Most of the harvest girls are dead, you two killed two of them."

"It's not the witches' ceremony love." Replied Klaus, holding her hand. "We don't think the final harvest girl came back, we think our mother came back inside her body."

"How is that even possible?" Asked Elena.

"She was consecrated on New Orleans grounds, and besides, Mother always has a few tricks up her sleeve." Replied Klaus.

"You're not going Elena. Last time Mother was in your presence, she talked you into a spell to kill all of us, and I can't let her do anything against you again." Said Elijah.

"I'm not leaving you alone with her, I'm coming with you." Said Elena, in a tone that left no space for argument.

"I'm not staying either. You said I'm queen, and a queen doesn't leave her king behind." Said Caroline, crossing her arms and looking at Klaus, who smirked at her.

Later that night, Elena was finishing getting ready to leave when Elijah showed up behind her. He was almost ready as well.

"You're afraid." She said, turning around. He stopped butting up his shirt, bringing her close to his body.

"I'm not afraid. I'm concerned. It's different."

"What's concerning you?" She asked, putting her arms around his neck.

"When Esther saw what vampirism did to me and my siblings, she wanted to destroy us. That's why she made our father a vampire hunter, and Alaric Saltzman a vampire hunter as well. I'm afraid Mother will see how happy and in love we are and try to destroy what we have."

"Remember what Bonnie said? No witch can break our bond." She moved her face to whisper in his ear. "And I'd love to make it even stronger before we leave."

Leaning her head back, she scratched her neck with her nail drawing some blood, watching his face transform. She'd never get tired of this sight. His eyes turned black, the veins popped up and his fangs came down, and he bit into her neck.

It doesn't matter how many times they've done this, neither one of them would ever get over the fact of how euphoric it made them feel. Her blood seemed like it was just made for him, just the right flavor. He was addicted to it. Not taking it anymore, Elena bit into his shoulder, ruining his shirt and quenching her thirst for his blood. This was more than just making sure Esther wouldn't break their bond, this was a reaffirmation that no one ever could. Elena clutched into Elijah's back, his blood being the best drink she'd ever had. Their life force mixed together, as it is always supposed to be.

Elena and Elijah stopped drinking and looked at each other, smiling. Elijah held her face and kissed her. As their lips locked, they both had an intense rush of pleasure pouring through their veins, as if they were alive once again. Suddenly, a bond more powerful than anything before began to form. It was as if their souls were connected and intertwined together, and nothing in the world could stop them. They embraced again, this time exchanging each other's blood with every caress. This exchange felt like the purest and most passionate form of love conceivable, and soon they were both overcome with emotion, Elena had no choice but to accept the intense feelings of love and devotion that Elijah was displaying. After a few moments, the intensity of the kiss had not worn. They then shared what seemed like the longest and most passionate kiss ever and soon after they did a rush of excitement and love overcame them both, and they knew that this was a real love, a love that was unbreakable and worth treasuring forever.

When they separated, satisfied, they knew Esther wouldn't be able to do anything against them. Or at least, that was their hope.

Klaus, on the other hand, was not taking any chances.

"You need me to do what?" Asked Bonnie inside his office. Caroline was beside him.

"I need you to do a spell to protect Caroline and one that links me and Elijah," Klaus replied.

"Putting a spell to protect Caroline I get it, but why would you want to link yourself to your brother?" Bonnie said.

"Well, let's just say that the last time me, Elijah, and a doppelganger were together during a harvest festival, it didn't turn out so well for Elijah later. That was the night our mother decided who to ask for blood to perform the vampirism spell, as you all know, Tatia was the one who gave her the blood."

"What does this have to do with Elijah though?" Asked Caroline.

"Love, you can ask me for anything in the world and I'll give it to you, but I can't answer that. Not even I know all the details, but… it took my brother decades to crawl out from what my mother did to him."

"Okay. But what about Elena? Doesn't she need protection too?" Asked Bonnie.

"My brother would die before letting anything happen to her. And besides, I'm pretty sure the blood sharing they've just done will not allow Esther to do much." Replied Klaus.

Bonnie went to work, grabbing one of Caroline's hands and putting over a golden bowl. She cut through the vampire's palm, letting a few blood drops fall, and reciting the incantation. Caroline's blood turned to fire, and what appeared to be a golden halo enveloped the young vampire, quickly fading away.

"You're protected." Said Bonnie, smiling. "Now, for you." She said, turning to the hybrid. "I'm gonna need your blood and your brothers as well, and I'm also gonna need you to write your name and your brother's name in runes. They don't teach runes anymore."

"No problem Bon-bon." Said Klaus, writing down his name 'Niklaus' (ᚾᛁᚲᚨᛚᚢᛊ) and 'Elijah' (ᛖᛚᛁᛃᚨᚺ), and then biting his own wrist, letting the blood fall onto the sheet. Bonnie started to recite another incantation, watching the blood fall onto Klaus's name and then to Elijah, linking both of the originals.

After thanking the witch, who left to continue teaching Davina, even though she didn't like the fact that the young witch made a new witch friend called Kaleb, who had been showing up to their meetings all the time, Caroline turned to Klaus.

"You want to protect your brother." She said.

"Yes, my love." He said, looking at her. "While my father has done unspeakable things to me throughout the centuries, I'm afraid my mother has done something far worse to Elijah." His tone in the last sentence left no room for question.

"Why do you call Mikael your father? He was not your biological father." Looking at his feet, he said:

"He has done damage only a father could make. Sometimes I wonder if I'm gonna do the same things to Hope." Tears fell from his eyes.

"You're not," Caroline reassured him, wiping his tears by kissing his face. "You know how I know?" He looked at her, while she held his face between her hands. "You're doing everything in your power to make this place a safer home for her. You've been doing right by her even before she was born. You love her, and you have forever to spend with her."

Klaus gently kissed her. She was truly his queen.

The ride to Esther's house was fast, but what they dreaded was inside. The four of them got into Esther's house and were greeted by Vincent. Both Elijah and Klaus had a deadly grip on Elena and Caroline's waist, ready to attack if they had to. They were led outside by the witch. There was a bonfire in the middle of the yard, a table set for six with various types of Viking food, and by the smell of animal blood in the air, it appeared that Esther had followed the tradition to a T.

"Welcome, welcome." Said Esther, in the body of the fourth and final Harvest girl. "Niklaus, Elijah, so great to have you in my house. But I don't remember inviting a young vampire and a third-generation doppelganger."

"You do anything against them Esther, and I'll rip your heart out." Said Elijah, in a threatening tone.

"That's no way to treat our mother!" Said Vincent.

"Mother? The only one who would say such a thing would be Finn." Said Klaus. "Wasn't it enough to come back from the dead? You had to bring our most annoying sibling along?"

"Niklaus." Said Elijah. "You can't say those things about our brother."

"Can't I?" Defied Klaus.

"You lock me up in a box for 900 years Niklaus. You expect me to thank you?" Said Finn.

"Children, we have visitors." Said Esther, trying to quiet her sons. "Now, let's eat." The six of them sit at the table, Esther and Finn at both ends of the table, with Elijah sitting next to Elena, and Caroline and Klaus seating next to each other facing the couple.

They all started to eat, Elijah serving Elena, with Klaus doing the same to Caroline.

"Now Elena." Said Esther, after a few minutes. "How's your brother? I heard he had become a hunter of the brotherhood of the five."

"Mother, don't." Warned Elijah.

"It's okay, Elijah," Elena said, holding his hand with more strength than she usually did. "My brother was killed by Katherine to wake up Silas."

"I'm terribly sorry for your loss, dear." Said Esther. "In the matters of the supernatural, is never good when a poor child loses their life." That got Klaus's attention, who looked at her. "One week our beloved Henrik was alive and running through the fields as if nothing mattered, the next he's dead because he and Niklaus went to watch the wolves." Caroline put her hand on Klaus's leg to calm him down, because he was about to snap. "By the way" Esther's turned to Klaus. "How's my little granddaughter doing?"

The silence was deafening. The four of them knew they couldn't deny and say she was dead, though the whole city thought so. If she knew, she had become a more deadlier threat than they had originally thought.

In a matter of seconds, Klaus stood up and held his mother by her neck. Finn stood up, but Elijah was quicker and held him back.

"You and Niklaus, always looking out for each other." Said Finn. "It's almost pathetic how devoted you are to him, Elijah."

"I swore my alliance to him the day you and Kol decided to leave me and Rebekah behind."

"He puts you in a coffin for decades and you still stand by him?"

"I'll never leave my family behind, not even if I have to stand against you brother."

"What do you know about Hope?" Klaus demanded to know, squeezing Esther's neck. "I've killed you once. I can easily do it again"

"I know she is not dead. Do you really think the witches wouldn't feel if a being so powerful like her died? You might have the entire city, the vampires and the wolves convinced she is dead, but the witches know better."

"If you make a move against my daughter, your life will be reduced to a never-ending agony."

"I don't need to make a move against your daughter Klaus… I just need to hit you where you hurt." And with that, Finn started to recite an incantation. The chains that had been used to restrain the animals for the harvest came off the ground, locking themselves on each of Elijah's wrists, and then tying to two branches of two nearby trees. Both Elijah and Klaus screamed in agony. The chains had been soaked in vervain and were piercing against the vampire's skin.

"No!" Screamed Elena, going to him to try and let him go. Finn tried to hold her back but she had transformed into full vampire mode and bit his neck, drinking his blood enough to keep him away. "Elijah!" Elena tried to take the chains out, but even with her strength, she couldn't open them up.

"Don't bother." Said Finn weakly. "You will never be able to open them up"

"Let him go!" Said Klaus, who had let off his mother when the chains had been tied to his brother.

"No." Said Esther. "I'm gonna make your life, and your brother's life as unbearable and agonizing as I can."

"Niklaus…" Said Elijah, debilitated. "Get her out of here."

"No, please Elijah, don't…" Begged Elena.

"She can't break our bond, love." Said Elijah. "I don't want you to stay here and get yourself hurt because of me."

"Elena, let's go." Said Caroline, trying to get her to go.

"I'm not going!" Said Elena, her tears mixing with the blood she had drank.

"Elena, look at me, please." Begged Elijah, having trouble breathing. "I know you'll be back for me. I need you to go, I need to protect you, my lovely Elena. Please."

Elena kissed him one last time as she leaned into him. Tears streaming down her face, she felt like time had stopped as they embraced and all her worries and fears seemed to disappear. She savored this moment, remembering how his lips felt as he did the same.

Each kiss they shared had been like a testimony to their time together, and this last one carried the weight of all the others wrestled with the knowledge of what it meant – she had to leave him. Tears blurred her vision as she stepped away.

If it wasn't for Klaus dragging her away, she'd stay behind, even though Elijah had asked her to leave. Elijah breathed out in relief, watching his brother take his love to safety and finally let the poison of the vervain overtake him.

Back at the compound, Elena was ready to give Klaus a piece of her mind.

"Elena, do you really think I would go to a dinner party with my mother and not have an advantage?" Said Klaus, pouring himself some scotch, while Caroline was trying to calm her down. "Before we left, I asked the Bennett witch to link me and my brother. That way, even if my mother tries to kill him, she can't kill me. I'll heal and so will him."

Elena flew across the room, holding Klaus by his neck, and throwing his cup away.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" She asked.

"Well, you and my brother were too busy sharing your blood. And besides, we're going to rescue him" Elena let go of Klaus.

"And how are we gonna do this?" Asked the brunette.

"Well, mother is in the body of a teenager. Knowledge is not her problem, but she is not as strong on that body, and she wouldn't be able to compete against a Bennett and a Harvest witch together."

Even though she didn't want to bring Davina into this, Elena knew the young witch would do just that. She considered Elena her older sister and would do anything to keep her happy.

"Fine." Said Elena. "Let's do it your way."

Elena got out of Klaus's office and went to her and Elijah's bedroom. She took her clothes off and put on one of Elijah's shirts, being enveloped by his scent. Laying on the bed, she started to cry.

"We're gonna bring you back." She whispered.

Back in Esther's yard, Elijah could've sworn he heard Elena whisper that they'd bring him back. His moment of hopefulness was cut short by Esther driving a stake with vervain on his chest, and he gave himself up to the darkness again.