[3x14; Dangerous Liaisons]

Lucy squirmed under Esther's gaze, feeling nervous, excited, and awkward all at once. The memories she had of her first mother were full of nurturing moments, magic lessons, and love. She couldn't see the monster that Klaus had called her, even if he was right. Esther certainly didn't look like a horrible person; she gazed at Lucy with loving, blue eyes.

When Lucy came back to Klaus' mansion after spending the night with Caroline, she was astonished to see Finn, Kol, and Esther with modern haircuts and clothing. Apparently, they had been busy while she was sleeping.

They had breakfast as a family and it was amazing. Lucy had been so happy to be around her oldest siblings all at once, even if one of them had killed her aunt and was using her sister as a human blood bag. It felt like she was Luciana once again and they all went back a thousand years ago to make more memories with each other.

The siblings all caught up with one another; Klaus told Finn and Kol about becoming a hybrid—there was a little side-eyeing Esther, but she looked unbothered—and Lucy told them about her life now as a part of the Gilbert and Saltzman families. Esther had looked delighted about the fact that she was part of the town's planning committee and had promptly announced that they would be having a ball to celebrate their reunion.

Lucy and Rebekah were the only Mikaelson children not to object but, with stern looks from Esther, the boys quickly gave in. After breakfast was finished, Lucy and Esther met to start the planning.

They had already sent out invitations and hired the decorating crew and caterers by the time Esther allowed them to have their first break.

"So, darling, tell me about your siphoning skills," Esther took a sip of the tea one of Klaus' maids brought her.

"Well," Lucy bit her lip nervously. "I just learned that I was a siphoner a year ago, so I'm not sure I'm doing it the right way."

Esther raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Once I siphon the magic, I forget about it. It's like I'm not paying attention to the way my body holds it," Lucy tried to explain. "I've been trying to last longer between siphons."

Esther hummed and set down her teacup. "You should be able to hold your siphoned magic for up to forty-eight hours. Of course, that depends on how much magic you have siphoned."

Lucy furrowed her eyebrows, ashamed that she could hardly last half an hour with the magic she siphoned. "How much magic should I be able to siphon, though?"

"It depends on the type of spell and how much you practice," Esther informed her. "The more you practice, the more magic you'll be able to siphon."

Lucy bowed her head and nodded

Esther, seeing the embarrassed look on her youngest daughter's face, reached forward and squeezed Lucy's hand comfortingly. "Don't fret," she said soothingly. "You will have time to practice."

Lucy looked up and gave her a weak smile.

"You should go spend time with your siblings," Esther suggested, pulling her hand away from Lucy. "I'm sure you will need to have your dress fitted for tonight."

"Oh," Lucy raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I have dresses at home."

"Nonsense," Esther grinned at her. "You shall have a new dress. Go on, I'll finish up here."

Lucy gave in and left Klaus' office where she and Esther were set up with a sweet smile toward her first mother. She wandered toward the large living room where Elijah, Rebekah, Finn, and Kol were waiting, in various stages of getting their formal wear fitted.

"There you are," Rebekah beamed at her; she was dressed in a beautiful emerald-green gown with a seamstress working down at the bottom. "Hurry, I picked you out a gown."

Five minutes later, Lucy was wearing a form-fitting blue gown with a mermaid skirt and beaded bodice. The dress was beautiful and she was so grateful Rebekah picked out something that she actually liked. The dress didn't fit her perfectly, but that was why she currently had another seamstress at her feet, hemming the bottom of the skirt.

While her dress was being fitted, Lucy enjoyed her time with her siblings. Finn was quiet and thoughtful, not sharing much since he hadn't lived many years outside of his coffin. But Kol was mischievous and rambunctious, like a rowdy toddler. He reminded Lucy of what Joel was like before their parents died. He often said things that would earn Elijah's disapproving glare but he wasn't bothered. He enjoyed flirting with Lucy's seamstress and the woman doing Rebekah's nails, all the while making sure his tuxedo fit him perfectly.

"Rebekah, tell me how handsome I am," Kol requested, adjusting his jacket as he looked into the mirror someone had brought out.

Rebekah barely glanced up from her nails. "Ah, Kol, you know I can't be compelled."

Finn smiled at Rebekah's remark as Lucy giggled. Kol just huffed and turned his eyes to his youngest sister.

"Ana, darling?"

Lucy raised her eyebrows in his direction and smiled sweetly. "You look lovely, Kol. You're a real peach.

Kol didn't catch the sarcasm in Lucy's voice like Elijah and Rebekah did; he grinned smugly into the mirror. "Thank you. At least someone has taste in this family."

Elijah clicked his tongue as he compared different colored shoes with his own tuxedo, disapproving of Kol's comment. Lucy suspected that he was offended on the behalf of the suits he always wore.

The French doors into the living room flew open, a furious Klaus striding into the room. Lucy rolled her eyes, wondering what had angered him now.

"You went after Elena?" Klaus glowered at Rebekah. "What is wrong with you?"

Lucy had already gotten the story from Elena and Rebekah. After leaving Alaric at the hospital—he had been stabbed by the mystery killer but had fully recovered—Elena ran into Rebekah, who was a little mad about the dagger Elena had plunged into her back. Thankfully, Elijah was there to stop Rebekah from killing Elena.

Lucy was disappointed in Rebekah but she knew there was nothing she could do about the rivalry Rebekah and Elena had going on—and Elena did stab Rebekah in the back…It was all complicated.

Rebekah sighed as the woman painting her nails backed off. "Oh, here we go."

Klaus loomed over her where she was sitting on the couch. "Do you want another dagger in your heart?"

"Again with the dagger threats?" Kol spoke up in Rebekah's defense, turning away from the mirror to glare at Klaus. "Don't you have any other tricks?"

Klaus sent him a scathing look. "Oh, go back to staring at yourself."

"And who are you, my father?" Kol smirked at him.

"No, Kol, but you're in my house."

A threatening look came over Kol's face as he stepped up to Klaus. "Then perhaps we should go outside."

Lucy pressed her lips together in annoyance. Klaus and Kol never got along, even when they were all children. Their two conflicting personalities sparked against one another and Klaus had always been closer to Elijah and Rebekah. Lucy remembered Kol once telling her—Luciana—that he felt left out sometimes.

Lucy wasn't an psychologist, but she figured that the reason Kol lashed out so often was to get the attention of his siblings.

"Enough!" Esther joined them, giving Klaus and Kol stern looks. "Niklaus, come."

Klaus sent Kol another hard look before following their mother out of the living room. Kol sent his back a triumphant look, seeming to have won this round. He plopped down onto the couch next to Rebekah, a satisfied smirk on his face.

"What a dick."

"Oh, Kol," Elijah rolled his eyes; Kol shrugged innocently.

Stefan crossed his arms over his chest as he stood between Joel and Damon, waiting for Elena to tell them about her run-in with Rebekah and Elijah the previous night. She took her sweet time as she wiped down the island with bleach to get rid of the evidence of the attack on Alaric.

"It was their mother, Esther, who was sealed in that coffin," Elena finally told them, squirting more cleaner onto the counter.

Stefan raised his eyebrows at her; he hadn't heard anything from Lucy about the fact that her first mother was back from the dead. "As in the Original Witch?"

"What?" Joel asked in surprise. "How is she even alive? I thought Klaus killed her."

Elena shrugged and finished wiping off the counter, throwing the rag into the sink. "I don't know. I'm guessing she has a couple connections in the witching community. Elijah said that she wants to live in peace with her family, including Klaus."

Damon scoffed in disbelief. "She was supposed to be the weapon to help us kill Klaus."

Stefan looked at him in confusion as Elena answered, "Well, not anymore."

"Wait, wait," Stefan spoke up, looking between Elena, Joel, and Damon. "Our plan wasn't to kill Klaus. We're supposed to just get him out of Mystic Falls."

"No, that was your plan," Damon corrected him shortly. "Our plan is to kill him."

"You're joking," Stefan's voice was flat as he looked over to Joel and Elena. "You're going to kill Lucy's brother?"

"He's using me as a blood bag, Stefan," Elena reminded him firmly. "I'm sure Lucy will get over it."

Joel looked much more unsure. "Klaus killed Jenna."

"And you guys are gonna put Lucy through more grief," Stefan stated seriously.

"Oh, cry me a river," Damon spat, rolling his eyes at his brother. "Twitch's feelings are the least of our concerns right now."

Elena nodded in agreement. "Look, Elijah said that his family wouldn't hurt us and I believe him, but we still have to find a way to kill Klaus."

Elena's statement was emphasized by the doorbell ringing. She hurried to the door, Damon following close behind her, while Stefan turned to Joel, his eyebrows raised.

"Do you really want to do this to Lucy?" he asked him quietly as they made their way to the door together.

"No, I don't," Joel answered. "but I want Klaus dead. It's not anything he doesn't deserve."

Stefan agreed with Joel, he really did. Stefan knew, out of almost all of them, that Klaus deserved to die. He had done so many bad things and he made Stefan do bad things, too. But he couldn't do that to Lucy. No matter how much it made Stefan uneasy that Klaus was alive and each look at his face reminded him of a dark period in his life, he couldn't kill Lucy's brother.

One of the things that Stefan loved most about Lucy was the fact that she loved deeply. She loved her siblings more than herself and with her mind and Luciana's—and Lucia's, for that matter—melded together, he knew that it was impossible for her to just stand by while one of her brothers is killed.

Stefan didn't blame her, really. If someone was trying to kill Damon, despite all that Damon had done to him—and other people—he wouldn't let it happen.

"What is it?" Stefan's attention was pulled as Damon asked Elena what she was holding.

Elena passed one of the envelopes in her hand to Joel before tearing open the one she held onto. "It's an invitation," she told them. "Please join the Mikaelson family this evening at seven o'clock for dancing, cocktails, and celebration."

Damon furrowed his eyebrows. "Who the hell are the Mikaelsons?"

Joel rolled his eyes as he read his own invitation. "The Original family, idiot."

"It's not bad enough they're moving to town, now they want a housewarming gift?" Damon snarked.

Elena turned the invitation over and hesitated. "Wait, there's a note on the back," she started reading, "Elena, I think it's time we finally met. Esther."

"Why does she want to talk to you?" Stefan asked Elena, confused. Wasn't this the same witch that tried to kill her from the Other Side?

"I don't know," Elena shrugged and walked into the living room. "but if Esther wants to talk to me, maybe I should find out why."

"Well, that's a dumb idea," Damon stated. "she already tried to kill you once."

"Actually, I think it's a good one," Joel spoke up, leaving against the living room threshold.

Damon gave him a look of disbelief. "Are you kidding?"

"Nope. Elena should find out what Esther wants," Joel insisted.

Elena gave her brother a grateful look.

Damon shook his head and turned to Elena. "You can't protect yourself."

"I'll go with her," Stefan suggested; if something was gonna go down with Klaus, he wanted to be there to break the news to Lucy. Damon, Elena, and Joel seemed very determined to kill Klaus.

Damon scoffed at his brother. "You pissed off enough Originals to last a lifetime. I'll go," he took the invitation out of Elena's hands, ignoring her protest. "End of story."

As Damon waltzed out of the living room, Joel called after him, "You know I'm going, right? I can protect my sister just fine, thank you!"

It was kind of late for lunch, but Lucy's stomach growled as she and Rebekah walked into the Grill. Rebekah wanted to invite Matt to be her guest at the ball and after Lucy texted Matt to see where he was, they set off to the most popular restaurant in town.

Lucy thought it was kind of cute that Rebekah was asking Matt to the ball, especially since they didn't get to go to homecoming together.

"We'll get you something to eat while we're here," Rebekah told her as they walked between tables. "Caviar is delicious but it doesn't soothe hunger very well."

Lucy wrinkled her nose. "I've never had caviar."

"You will tonight," Rebekah insisted. "and you'll love it. Oh, look, it's Elena and Caroline."

Before Lucy could protest, Rebekah dragged her over to Elena and Caroline's table. It wasn't that she didn't want to see her sister and her best friend, it was the fact that Rebekah currently hated Elena and Elena was still angry with Lucy about Stefan.

"Careful, Caroline," Rebekah greeted the younger blonde as they walked up to the table. "It's all well and good until she stabs you in the back."

"What are you doing here?" Elena glared up at her. "I know your mom's rules. No hurting the locals."

Lucy rolled her eyes at Elena's know-it-all tone while Rebekah pursed her lips angrily. "Get over yourself, Elena. It's not all about you."

Rebekah spotted Matt bussing a table, so she walked away to give him the invitation she wanted to hand deliver. Lucy slid into the booth next to Caroline and greeted her and Elena with a smile.

"So, are you guys going to the ball?"

"You're going?" Elena raised her eyebrows at her younger sister.

"Of course," Lucy nodded. "My family's putting it on. So, are you going?"

"I was invited."

"Me too," Caroline added onto Elena's statement, her eyes traveling to where Rebekah was pulling a invitation out of her purse to hand to Matt. "Oh, my God. She's inviting him to the ball. Why is she inviting him?"

Elena narrowed her eyes at Rebekah. "Probably to get this reaction from us."

"Actually," Lucy defended Rebekah. "She likes Matt. And, they were going to go to homecoming together, but…" she trailed off, giving Elena a pointed look.

Elena rolled her eyes in annoyance.

Caroline huffed as Matt accepted the invitation with a smile. "What time is this stupid dance?"

"It's a seven," Lucy informed her with a grin, happy that Caroline agreed to go. "You're gonna love it."

Lucy smiled at Finn's lost expression as a waiter walked up to them, holding a tray of caviar. Just like she had never tried it, Finn hadn't either. Lucy couldn't imagine what it was like losing nine hundred years of your life; Finn had to be struggling.

"What is this?" Finn asked his little sister, eyeing the dark-green goo with trepidation.

"Caviar," Lucy informed him patiently while taking some from the waiter. "I haven't tried it but Rebekah says that it's amazing."

Finn hesitantly took the caviar off the tray and nodded at the waiter before turning to Lucy. "And what is this caviar made of?"

"I'm pretty sure it's fish eggs," Lucy said. "Rich people eat it during fancy occasions."

"Ah," Finn nodded. "Shall we?"

Lucy grinned at him and popped the caviar into her mouth, the eggs popping on her tongue as she chewed. The caviar was slightly salty and tasted lightly of fish which turned Lucy off. There were some expensive foods she liked, but it seemed that caviar wasn't one of them.

"Do you like it?" Lucy asked Finn as she chased the taste away with some champagne.

"It is nice," Finn confirmed, discarding the spoon it was served with on the tray of the waiter. Lucy did the same and thanked the waiter, allowing him to slip away. "Did you like it?"

"I don't think so," Lucy shook her head. "It's just not my taste."

Finn hummed and looked around the room, studying the select choosing of the Mystic Falls population gathered in the large, marble foyer of Klaus' mansion. His eyes stopped on someone and he turned to Lucy to ask, "Is that one of the vampires who was here last night?"

Lucy followed Finn's gaze and saw Stefan walking toward them, handsomely dressed in a classic black tuxedo. He was stopped by Mrs. Lockwood, who greeted him kindly, but gave Lucy a small smile over her shoulder when he saw her looking.

"That's Stefan," Lucy told Finn.

"Ah, the one who stole our coffins."

Lucy didn't have the heart to tell him that she helped Stefan keep his coffin away from Klaus—or that she didn't undagger him while she had the chance. It was selfish, but she didn't want her brother to think less of her.

Instead of answering Finn, Lucy kept quiet, making the silence between them awkward. Lucy could feel it and it seemed that Finn did too.

"Well, he seems to be making his way over," Finn pointed out to her. "so I will take my leave."

Lucy gave him a quick smile as he walked away. It only took Stefan ten more seconds to approach her, a soft smile on his face as he subtlely looked her up and down.

"You look beautiful."

Lucy's cheeks flushed with warmth and she felt her heart skip but she tried to pull herself together. She was still irritated with Stefan from when he told Elena everything, without consulting her—but man, did he look good in that tux.

"Thank you," she gave him a closed-mouth smile. "You look handsome. I like the black buttons."

Stefan absentmindedly brushed his fingers over the black buttons on his white shirt. "Thank you."

"You know, I don't think you were invited, Stefan," Lucy raised a playful eyebrow at him, knowing that Klaus was still pretty angry with the youngest Salvatore. "How did you even get in?"

Stefan slowly smirked. "I just charmed my way in."

Lucy laughed. "Okay, sure."

Stefan was charming but Lucy knew that he hardly, if ever, used that to his advantage. If he wanted something to be done—by a human or non-human—he was forceful and he didn't stop to ask questions. It was hot, sure—but Lucy was pretty sure she was the only one who thought that.

"You're right," Stefan chuckled, giving in. "I just snuck past the doorman when he was occupied by Mrs. Fell."

Lucy smiled and shook her head fondly. "So, what are you doing here? I would have thought you wanted to be a hundred miles away from the Original Family."

"No," Stefan denied softly. "That's a hundred miles away from you."

The amused smile fell from Lucy's face as she stared at Stefan. He looked completely serious and his eyes were full of emotion that had Lucy's heart racing and her stomach flipping pleasantly.

At the same time, her mind was split. There was a part of her that wanted to give into him and enjoy the feeling that came with Stefan's affection. But that other part of her—the rational part—kept her from doing that.

From the moment Lucy had met Stefan, he was in love with Elena. He had never given Lucy a second glance until he left Mystic Falls and by that time, Elena had been falling for his brother. He was bound to be hurt and confused. And Lucy loved Stefan but she knew that she didn't deserve his indecision. She deserved to be completely and overwhelmingly loved.

Was Stefan willing to do that? Lucy didn't know, but she wasn't giving in until he decided what he wanted.

Stefan saw her mind's war behind her hazel eyes. He quickly picked up a fresh glass of champagne for her and himself as a waiter passed by and handed it to her.

"Sorry," he murmured as he took her empty glass.

He knew what he was doing to Lucy and he absolutely hated it. It wasn't like he was lounging around, waiting for a reason to figure out his feelings. He was constantly thinking about his feelings for Lucy and whether or not they're real or just something to focus on other than the fact that Elena was practically in love with his brother.

Lucy gave him a weak smile. "It's fine."

A microphone squealed softly, interrupting the soft music being played on the other side of the room.

"If everyone could gather, please," Elijah requested through the microphone.

Lucy and Stefan joined the other guests as they all crowded in front of one side of the marble staircase, decorated in twinkling lights. She faintly saw Joel and Damon come up on the other side of Stefan but she was too focused on her original siblings, who had gathered on the staircase in front of them.

They looked like something out of a magazine photoshoot. They were all dressed spectacularly and had the pose of people who didn't care if you were watching them but they knew you were.

"Welcome, thank you for joining us," Elijah ditched the microphone as he stood on the step below Finn and Rebekah. He gestured to Esther as she slowly joined her children and continued, "You know, whenever my mother brings our family together like this, it's a tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance."

Lucy looked over to Esther, who was smiling down at all of her guests.

"Tonight's pick is a centuries-old waltz," Elijah informed everyone. "so, if all of you could please find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ballroom."

After Elijah started down the stairs, there was a slight buzz in the room as people searched for a dancing partner. Lucy looked around at the gathered guests and decided that she'd sit this dance out. There really wasn't anyone she wanted to dance with.

"Would you join me for a dance?"

Okay, there was one person she wanted to dance with.

The corners of Lucy's painted lips quirked when she saw that Stefan had stepped in front of her and held his hand out with a hopeful smile that was kind of cheesy. He had a playful look in his eyes and she knew that he was trying to lighten their mood from the tense moment before.

"Come on," Stefan wiggled his fingers at her. "It's our tradition."

"Well, how could I say no to tradition?" Lucy grabbed his hand and allowed him to lead her to the ballroom.

They joined the many other couples who were getting lined up for the waltz. Lucy and Stefan ended up behind Matt and Rebekah, the sisters exchanging smiles. As the music started up, Lucy smiled in recognition.

Ed Sheeran was always a yes from her.

Give me love like her…

Stefan and Lucy stood side-by-side, their hands reached over to hold each other. They stepped to the beat, following Rebekah and Matt down the ballroom.

"Why am I not surprised that you know this waltz?" Stefan asked Lucy quietly as their line turned to face the other—which housed Caroline, Klaus, Elena, and Damon.

"Because you know me," Lucy replied, passing Caroline and Klaus as they slowly stepped across the room to the beat.

Paint splattered teardrops on my shirt…

Stefan lifted his arm, still holding onto Lucy's hand, and Lucy twirled underneath it, coming to a stop as they rearranged themselves to start the waltz. Lucy smiled as they danced in a small circle, stepping backward each rotation so they would complete a circle with the other couples around them.

Stefan's green eyes were searing as he stared at Lucy and she swore he was trying to read her mind. She had tried to keep from making eye contact with him but she couldn't help it. The look in his eyes when he stared at her…She had seen it before.

No, I just wanna hold you…

As the chorus started, Lucy looked down at her feet unsurely. She was a confident dancer, and she always had been, but Stefan—and the way he was looking at her—was making her falter.

"You don't have to hide from me," Stefan murmured, letting go of her hand for a second so he could gently lift her chin. "You've never done that before."

Lucy sighed. "That was before everything happened. Everything's changed."

"Not everything," Stefan disagreed. "You're still you and I'm still me."

"Are we?"

"Of course, we are," Stefan smiled down at her. "We're Stefan and Lucy. I brood too much and you get me to laugh. You get lost in your head sometimes and I bring you out of it."

"When you put it like that, it seems like we compliment each other," Lucy mused.

Stefan grinned. "I know we do."

Give me love…

Lucy's lips twitched as she and Stefan pulled away from each other and he spun her to her next partner. To her surprise, she was pulled into Klaus' arms, where he continued the dance without missing a beat.

"You look amazing, Luciana," Klaus complimented her. "Are you enjoying this evening?"

"Yeah, I am," Lucy admitted with a small smile. "I like dances."

"That's not surprising," Klaus laughed a little, the dimples that he and Lucy shared coming out with his smile. "You loved dancing as a little girl. During Samhain you'd be off with all the others your age. Henrik would throw a fit when you tried to persuade him to dance with you."

Lucy could recall what he was talking about. The memories flashed through her head like a movie. "I remember," she hummed and looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "You've been alive for over a thousand years. How do you remember that?"

Klaus shrugged modestly. "Some memories are more important than others."

Give a little time to me…

Lucy couldn't help but smile at him. For the past few weeks, she had wanted Klaus out of Mystic Falls for good and for longer than that, a part of herself hated him for killing Jenna. She would have never imagined herself at this moment, finding herself comfortable in his presence.

She supposed that it was the Luciana part of her. The part where she knew that Klaus would never let anything hurt her. The part where she was nurtured and taught how to paint by him. Lucy was used to being conflicted about her siblings—mainly Klaus, Elijah, and Katherine—but she was sick of it. She just wished everyone could live in harmony. She knew that would never happen, but she hoped it would. She really hoped.

The song ended and everyone went back to their previous partners; Lucy gave Klaus a weak smile and went to leave his side but he grabbed her hand to stop her.

"I would like to show you something," he requested kindly. "If you don't mind."

Lucy bit her lip and looked for Stefan; he was talking to Caroline and Matt while sipping on a glass of champagne. She turned back to Klaus and agreed, "Sure."

Klaus' face lit up. "Excellent," he began to lead her out of the ballroom to the restricted area of the mansion. "I wanted to show you earlier but you've kind of hated my guts."

Lucy rolled her eyes at him. "With good reason, Nik."

Klaus shrugged. "I suppose."

He stopped in front of one of the doors in the hallway and unlocked it, ushering Lucy into the room. Lucy gasped when she discovered what he was showing her; the room was full of his paintings, finished and in-progress, with various art supplies organized neatly around the room. It was everything Lucy loved and wished for in an art room.

Klaus' paintings were absolutely beautiful, with great techniques that she assumed came with his years and years of experience. She only wished that she'd get to his level of painting. She was great at what she did but Klaus was leagues ahead of her.

"Stefan told me you still painted," Klaus spoke up as she walked from painting to painting in complete awe. "I don't know if you remember, but I was the one who taught you to paint."

"I remember," Lucy confirmed, turning to him. "You showed me how to mix paints and to prepare the animal fur as a canvas."

Klaus smiled fondly. "We always had fun together."

"Yeah, we did," Lucy's smile faltered as she turned back to one of the large landscape paintings hung on the wall. "I wish I could paint like you, though."

"You will one day," Klaus assured her. "Elijah told me that you're quite talented. I was wondering if I could see your paintings for myself one day."

"Of course," Lucy agreed. "I'll bring some over soon."

Klaus looked happy with her offer, glad to be bonding with his favorite sibling once again. It had destroyed him when he accidently drained her all those years ago and it took him a long, long while to forgive himself like Luciana would want him to. He always looked back on memories with Luciana and Henrik fondly, it was some of the best times of his life while also being a reprieve from Mikael's violence.

"Excellent."

"Where were you two?" Caroline asked Lucy and Klaus as they joined her and Stefan in the foyer.

Lucy smiled gratefully as Stefan gave her a glass of water—she was feeling a little tipsy from the champagne. "Klaus showed me his art room," she told Caroline. "You should see his paintings. They're fantastic."

"Yours are as well, I'm sure," Klaus said humbly.

Lucy rolled her eyes at him and then looked at Stefan and Caroline. "He's being humble. One of his paintings are at the Hermitage. You should see some of them, Care."

Caroline hummed, her eyes flickering between Lucy and Klaus, who seemed to be getting on well. "Maybe."

Lucy grinned and stepped closer to Stefan's side, noticing how tense he seemed with Klaus close by. She gave him a reassuring look, squeezed his hand, and whispered, "Don't worry. I'll protect you."

Stefan relaxed and chuckled. "You're my hero, Luce."

The chiming of silver against crystal caught everyone's attention. All eyes went to Esther, who stood on the right staircase, a glass of pink champagne in her hand.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," Esther smiled kindly as she looked over everyone. "Waiters are coming around with champagne. I invite you all to join me in raising a glass."

Lucy, Stefan, Caroline, and Klaus took the champagne from the waiter that walked over to them, giving him polite smiles. Lucy smelt the champagne, noting that it smelt slightly of strawberries.

"It provides me no greater joy than to see my family back together as one," Esther continued, smiling down at her children. "I'd like to thank you for all being a part of this spectacular evening. Cheers."

Lucy raised her glass with everyone. "Cheers."

She put the glass to her lips and took a sip, forcing herself to swallow the bitter bubbles. The champagne was not as tasty as its scent suggested; Lucy much preferred the champagne they were serving earlier.

As the waiters took away empty glasses, Klaus and Caroline slipped away so he could show her his art room. As soon as they left Lucy and Stefan, Stefan turned to Lucy with a smile.

"Another dance?"

"Actually, I wouldn't mind food that wasn't caviar," Lucy laughed and grabbed his hand. "Come on, I think they have a chocolate fountain."

Stefan allowed Lucy to drag him over to the sweets table, where, indeed, there was a chocolate fountain with various types of fruits and sweets to use. Lucy happily skewered a strawberry on the small silver rod and drenched it with chocolate before popping it in her mouth.

"Are you gonna have one?" she asked Stefan as she swallowed her chocolate-covered strawberry.

"Nah," Stefan shook his head, his eyes focusing on the small bit of chocolate on her upper lip. "You have a little…"

Lucy watched with wide eyes as Stefan gently wiped the chocolate off her upper lip and then stuck the tip of his thumb into his mouth, licking it off.

Was that one of the hottest things she had ever seen? Yes.

A hint of a smirk settled on Stefan's lips when he saw Lucy's pupils dilate. It was nice to see that he affected her as much as she affected him. He couldn't count the nights where he stayed up, thinking about her; there were too many.

The smirk faded as something caught Stefan's attention. There was a fight going on outside and some of the grunts suspiciously sounded like Damon. He excused himself from Lucy and walked to the front entrance; Lucy and some of the Originals followed him, wondering what was going on.

Stefan was right; Damon was in the thick of it. He was crouched over Kol's body, the Original's neck having just been snapped.

"Damon!" Stefan yelled at him as he rushed out of the house. "Are you crazy?"

They had no idea if the Originals were going to retaliate; if they were offended with Damon's actions, they were dead. The Salvatore brothers were already on the Mikaelsons' hit list.

Damon's eyes went to Elena, who had rushed out behind Lucy, Joel—who Lucy hadn't seen until then—and the Original siblings. "Maybe a little," he admitted. "Far be it from me to cause a problem."

Elena gave him a disapproving look and Damon smirked, stalking away from the mansion.

Lucy grimaced as she looked down at Kol's unconscious body. "We should probably move him before someone sees."

Elijah sighed heavily. "Mother will not be happy."

That was an understatement.

"Thanks for taking me home," Lucy smiled at Stefan as they entered her bedroom. "Elijah was busy with Esther."

"I don't envy him," Stefan scoffed in amusement.

"Me either," Lucy agreed as she set the bag full of her day clothes on her bed. "Esther hardly was ever angry but when she was," she shook her head. "she was bad. Not as bad as Mikael, of course."

Stefan made a noise of agreement as he watched her cross the room to her vanity and slip the diamond earrings out of her ears.

"Did you have fun?"

"Yeah," Stefan confirmed, walking over to sit on her bed. "But that's not surprising when you planned it."

Lucy smiled bashfully and turned toward him. "I didn't plan it all."

"Most of it," Stefan insisted before hesitating. "So, you're getting along with Klaus now…"

Lucy bit her lip, knowing that this was boing to be a tough subject for Stefan. She had to tell the truth, though, because she couldn't lie. She was tired from all the conflict she had and maybe she should keep it to herself, but she wanted to explain a little of it to Stefan so he could understand where she was coming from.

"I know he's done terrible things, Stefan," Lucy sighed. She took off her high heels and neatly stacked them in her closet before joining him on the bed. "I mean, look at what he did to you and Jenna…"

Stefan looked at her intensely. "But…?"

"But it's so hard for me to hate him," Lucy confessed, playing with the bracelet Stefan had gifted her long ago. "I have all these memories from my life as Luciana. Memories where Klaus held me when I cried, where he taught me to paint, where he protected me from Mikael."

Tears stung Lucy's eyes as she tried to say what she was feeling. It was hard for her to explain because no one understood what it was like for her. It wasn't anything that anyone could relate to.

The thing was, she didn't want to persuade Stefan into forgiving Klaus because what Klaus did was unforgivable. She doesn't blame Stefan for hating Klaus, she just wants him to understand that she couldn't hate him.

Lucy tried to hate Klaus—she had tried so hard—but she just couldn't hate him.

"Um," Lucy wiped her eyes and looked up to meet Stefan's eyes. "I know it's not really a comparison because Klaus did worse things than Damon but you still love your brother right? After all you've been through together? What you're going through?"

Stefan nodded, swallowing harshly. When Lucy put it like that, he could understand. He loved Damon just as much as Lucy loved her siblings—all of her siblings—so he knew a little of what she was going through. He knew how hard it was for Lucy to separate her feelings as Luciana and Lucia. He was one of the only people who knew.

This in no way meant that Stefan would forgive or even like Klaus but he understood why Lucy couldn't hate him. He understood probably more than anyone.

"I get it," he said quietly.

Lucy's eyes widened as she looked at him hopefully. "You do?"

"Of course, I do," Stefan confirmed, reaching up to wipe away her tears and a little mascara. Even when she resembled a raccoon she was beautiful. "You love so much, Lucy. I don't think you could hate anyone."

Lucy giggled. "Yeah, I can."

"Nope," Stefan grinned at her. "That's just not who you are."

"If you think so," Lucy huffed playfully. "Thanks for tonight. I had a great time with you, even if you weren't invited."

Stefan beamed at her, his green eyes sparkling with humor and adoration. "I'd sneak into any party to be with you, Goofy."

"Should we hit the Met Gala next then?"

"No violence," Esther told Elijah as she stormed into her room, her son on her tail. "That was all I asked. Rebekah and Kol disgraced our family tonight."

"It won't happen again, Mother," Elijah assured her as she turned to look at him. "I'll deal with them."

Esther sighed, feeling a tingle of guilt in her belly. She slowly walked forward and placed a doting hand on his left cheek.

"Thank you, Elijah," her voice had lost all sharpness. "I wish the others were more like you."

Elijah grabbed her hand and brought it away from his face, squeezing it affectionately. He left the room and within a second, Finn was walking in, closing the doors shut behind him.

"Are we all right to speak freely?" Finn asked as Esther walked over to her desk.

"Yes," she glanced back at him as she pulled out a medium-sized length of parchment and fountain pen. "the sage still burns."

She set to work on writing the names of her children on the parchment, guilty thoughts flying through her head. Finn picked up the expression on her face.

"You're not having second thoughts, are you?"

"Of course not," Esther huffed, finishing up her writing. "It's just Elijah…he's so moral. And Luciana, she's young and innocent."

"You're doing the right thing, Mother," Finn consoled her.

Esther's eyes stung as she kept her gaze away from her oldest son. "You understand what this means, don't you?" she looked toward him. "The spell I'm casting tonight will bind you all together as one."

"I understand," Finn nodded solemnly. "When it is time, I will be ready to die."

"Then we must complete the link," Esther stood up and grabbed a knife, slicing through the hand that Finn offered her.

As the blood dripped from Finn's hand onto the parchment, Esther began casting her spell. The blood started at the bottom of the page and spread upward, covering each of her children's names.

Kol.

Rebekah.

Finn.

Elijah.

Niklaus.

Luciana.

Esther finished speaking, looking down at the tree the blood made on the parchment.

"The link is complete," Esther declared. "You are one."