Rebekah made her way to Elijah's office. After breakfast, he had sent Elena and Jeremy to wait in their rooms and asked her to join him and Nik in his office. She knew she was about to get lectured. She could already hear Elijah's tedious tirade about her lack of responsibility.
Rebekah let herself into her brother's office. She found Elijah behind his desk, and Nik standing a couple of feet away from him. "Alright. Let's get the lecture over with."
Elijah's face made it clear that he was not amused in the slightest. "Rebekah, I find your inability to take this seriously very concerning, and also quite infuriating! I left you in charge with the expectation that you would follow the rules I set forth for the children in our care!"
"You never said they couldn't go to a party. I was with them. I thought…"
"Don't! Do not tell me you thought I'd approve. You did not. You very well knew I would not, but I suppose that was the point, wasn't it? You did this to get back at us for not letting you come with us. You know, I did expect some sort or retaliation, but I didn't think you'd go this far," Elijah said.
"That's not why I let them go," Rebekah said. Well, it was a small part of the reason, but it was only barely a factor. She'd done it because she wanted to go and because she wanted to give Elena and Jeremy a fun night."
"Yes, you did it because you wanted to go, isn't that right?" Klaus asked.
"Yes, but it was more for them. They really wanted to go and I wanted…"
"You wanted them to like you. You wanted to be their friend," Elijah realized. His voice was softer now, but he was still far from happy. "Rebekah, you can't be their friend all the time, and you certainly can't when I put you in charge of them. You are an adult in this house. I need to be able to count on you to look after Elena and Jeremy, even when it means they may not like you for it. If you can't do that, I can't leave you in charge again.
Rebekah shrank a bit. Elijah had a way of lecturing her that made her feel just a few feet tall. "It was just a party. I didn't see it as a big deal."
"It was a party with no supervision, and I'm guessing underaged drinking. There was a possibility for anything to happen, and something did happen," Elijah pointed out.
"Yes. You're bloody lucky it was only a fight between a bunch of teenaged boys, though even that could've had consequences, as one of my hybrids was a participant," Klaus said. If Tyler had accidentally hit Jeremy, the boy might have ended up dead, or at least more seriously injured.
"I need to know this will not happen again, Rebekah. I need to be able to trust you," Elijah said firmly.
Rebekah sighed. She didn't want her brother to stop trusting her, and she didn't want him to think he couldn't leave her alone with Elena and Jeremy. "I'm sorry, Elijah. It won't happen again."
"Should something like this come up again, you will either say no or you will call me. Do we understand each other?" Elijah asked.
"Yes, Elijah," she said.
"Very well. Please go get Elena for me," Elijah said. He didn't ask Rebekah for details on exactly what happened because he wanted to hear it directly from Elena and Jeremy themselves. He had a pretty good idea of what happened anyway, but he would give them a chance to tell them.
'Elijah, no! It was my call. Don't punish them," Rebekah said.
"If you didn't want them punished, you should've told them no when they asked to go to the party," Klaus said.
"Elena, Rebekah," was all Elijah said.
Rebekah sighed in defeat before leaving the room.
Xxxxxxxxxxx
Elena sat anxiously in her room as she waited for Elijah and Klaus to call for her. She wasn't really afraid of them. She knew they wouldn't hurt her, but she was also mostly sure that she would be punished, and this was a first for her since coming to live with the Mikaelson's. It was a new experience, and that made her anxious.
Elena soon heard a knock at the door. She immediately tensed. "Come in."
The door opened revealing Finn. "Hello. Sorry, I got a bit lost."
Elena relaxed slightly. "Hi, Finn.
"Are you alright? You seemed nervous when I first opened the door," Finn commented.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just thought you were either Elijah or Klaus. I figured one of them were coming to make me face the music," Elena told him.
"Face the music?" Finn asked with a frown.
"It's just a saying. It means that I did something I wasn't supposed to and now I have to face the consequences," Elena explained.
"Ah! I assume this is why Elijah seemed unhappy last night and this morning," Finn said.
"Yeah. We broke a lot of Elijah's rules the other night," she said.
"If you don't mind me asking, how does he punish you?" Finn asked a bit apprehensively. To his knowledge, the only form of punishment his siblings knew was the way their father punished them. He sincerely hoped his brother wouldn't do that.
"I'm actually not sure. This is a first. We haven't been here long enough to really get in trouble before now," Elena told him. She got a good look at his face, and he seemed concerned. "Elijah wouldn't hurt us though, Finn. I don't believe Klaus would at this point either.
"You may be correct about Elijah, but Niklaus is dangerous," Finn warned.
"I know he is, but not to us," Elena said. He wasn't anymore anyway. Klaus had become protective since he found out about their familial ties, even with Jeremy. He'd been angry when he saw Jeremy's face last night.
Just then, Rebekah appeared in the doorway. "Elena, Elijah and Nik want to see you now."
Elena took a deep breath and got up. She went to pass Finn and Rebekah, but Rebekah stopped her.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you into going," Rebekah said.
"Rebekah, you didn't push me into anything. I wanted to go. I knew if we were caught that Elijah would be pissed. That gave me some reservations, but if I didn't want to go, I wouldn't have. It's not your fault," Elena assured her before walking past her. She went down to Elijah's office and hesitantly knocked on the door.
"Come in," Elijah's voice called.
Elena sighed before walking inside. Elijah was waiting for her at his desk while Klaus stood just behind the chair in front of the desk.
Klaus pulled out the chair for her and gave her a tiny smile. "Come on, love."
Elena grimaced before walking over and taking her seat. She immediately opened her mouth to speak, but Elijah raised his hand to stop her.
"Not yet, Elena. You'll get your chance to explain in a minute, but first, I want to tell you exactly how this is going to go, since it's your first time in this position. You're going to be allowed to explain yourself uninterrupted, and I suggest you be truthful. Lies will only make your predicament worse. Do you understand?" Elijah asked sternly. He didn't think she was going to lie to him, but he wanted to be clear.
Elena nodded.
"Good. After you are finished, Niklaus or I may have questions. You will answer them truthfully. Once that is all done, I will decide appropriate punishment. Alright?" Elijah asked.
"Okay," Elena said.
"You may begin. Tell me what happened, including what led you to decide to go to a party without my consent," Elijah said.
"I heard about Tyler's party from Caroline. She wanted me to go. Initially, I told her no. I knew there was no way you'd agree to let me go. She was persistent though. She invited Rebekah, but I was still pretty sure you'd say no, since there was no supervision, and Rebekah really didn't count. Caroline suggested I lie about where we were going, but I wasn't going to do that, I swear," Elena said. She made sure to speak the last part of her last sentence quickly, so that Elijah wouldn't think she intended to lie to him.
Elijah gave her a reassuring nod but said nothing.
"I did, however, think that I might be able to get away with it since you wouldn't be home," Elena admitted.
"I hope you omitted that detail when speaking to your friend," Klaus said.
"Niklaus," Elijah admonished. He'd told Elena that she would be able to speak uninterrupted. They could ask whatever questions they needed to once she was finished. "Continue, Elena."
"I didn't say anything about you being gone for the week, I promise. Anyway, I spoke to Rebekah about the party. She wanted to go too and so did Jeremy. We all agreed that we would be screwed if you found out though. We didn't think anyone would need to find out. When we got to the party, Rebekah and I hung out outside with Bonnie and Caroline. Jeremy went inside to find Matt and Tyler. We sat outside for an hour or two before we heard a crash. We went inside to find Tyler and Jeremy in the middle of a brawl with three other guys. Rebekah broke up the fight. We went home not long after," Elena explained. She definitely left some things out, like the beers she had with her friends and Rebekah. Elijah had most likely figured out that they'd been drinking, but on the off chance he hadn't, she wasn't going to screw herself even further by volunteering the information.
"Is that all you want to say?" Elijah asked, his face remaining impassive.
Elena nodded. "Very well. I have some questions. I can tell you were being truthful, and I appreciate that, but I do believe you omitted some details. You attended an unsupervised party with a bunch of other teenagers. I assume there was alcohol. Were you drinking?
Elena grimaced at the question, but, again, she did suspect Elijah would figure that out. "Yes. I had two or three beers."
"Drugs?" Elijah asked.
"I wasn't doing any drugs, but I do think they were there," Elena told him. Tyler had indicated that he was high, which meant he at least had drugs. "Jeremy swears he didn't take any either."
"That's a conversation for myself and Jeremy. It's not your responsibility to worry about it," Elijah told her kindly. Sometimes he needed to remind her that she wasn't responsible for her little brother any longer. She'd gotten much better at letting go, but sometimes it was hard to break old habits.
Elena nodded that she understood.
"You said you came in once the fight started, so you didn't see how it happened, correct?" Elijah asked.
"No, but Jeremy told me…"
"Stop. Again, that is something for Jeremy and I to discuss. You didn't see it, so you can't speak to it," he said.
"Okay."
"Anything, Niklaus?" Elijah asked as he looked towards his brother.
"Yes, I have one question. Is this the only time you broke the rules while we were gone, sweetheart?" Klaus asked Elena.
Elena bit her lip and hesitated, thinking back to the night they left, when Rebekah offered her a drink. She'd really been hoping that wouldn't come out, especially with everything else she already knew she was in trouble for.
"Elena, answer the question please," Elijah said in a stern tone.
"No. Rebekah let me have a drink the first night you left," Elena admitted.
Klaus rolled his eyes at his sisters antics. "Of course, she did."
"Anything else, Niklaus?" Elijah asked.
Klaus shook his head.
Elijah leaned forward in his chair and regarded Elena sternly. "You have admitted to me that you knew I would not be pleased when you made the decision to go. True, Rebekah was in charge, but you knew you would not be permitted to go if you asked me, correct?"
"Yes, Elijah," Elena said.
"And you had the ability to ask me, didn't you? Niklaus and I both told you that you could call us if you needed anything, didn't you?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Which means that you willfully defied me, and I don't appreciate that!" Elijah said sternly.
Elena fidgeted a bit and cast her eyes down to her hands.
"However, I do commend you for taking responsibility. You could've easily blamed Rebekah. She was more than ready to take the responsibility. You didn't do that, and I appreciate that. That by no means gets you off the hook though," Elijah told her.
"I understand," Elena said.
"I want you to tell the circumstances in which you are allowed to consume alcohol," Elijah said.
Elena sighed. "I have to be in house, you or Klaus have to be home, and I have to have your permission."
"Good. I'm glad to know you understood that rule, less so that you ignored it. You knew you were not allowed to drink, even just here with Rebekah," Elijah said.
Elena nodded.
"Alright, I think I know all I need to. This is what is going to happen. Now, I know that you're not used to such firm parenting. I also know that according to society's rules, you are an adult and can do mostly as you please. However, you are in my care, and my rules are different. I believe in boundaries, and when you cross those boundaries, there will be consequences. Do you understand?" Elijah asked.
"Yes, Elijah," Elena told him.
"Good. Now, I'm prepared to let the first incident with you drinking with Rebekah go, as I would've given you permission if I'd been home, and you were honest about it when asked. However, if it happens again, I will not be lenient," Elijah warned.
Elena nodded.
"For the next three weeks, you will not leave the house other than to go to school. None of your friends will be allowed over, and the only activity you will be permitted to do other than schoolwork is reading," Elijah told her.
"And packing. We're moving in a week. She needs to pack," Klaus pointed out.
"Yes, and that. And you will be handing your cell phone over to me immediately," Elijah told her. He would consider letting her keeping it if Rebekah wouldn't be with her at school for emergencies, but Rebekah's presence made that unnecessary.
'No, Elijah, please! I know I deserve the grounding, but please don't take my phone. Talking to them is the only way I can keep my friends from freaking out and doing something stupid," Elena protested. Bonnie and Damon still called her daily to make sure no one had killed her, and that was even with Bonnie seeing her almost every day."
"That's not your responsibility. You are not responsible for other people. They will do what they will and it will be on them, not you. Hand me your phone please," Elijah said before reaching his hand out for it.
"But…"
"Elena, give it to me now," Elijah said in a tone that booked no room for argument. He would not continue to argue. This wasn't a negotiation.
Elena sighed before reaching into her pocket and pulling out her phone. She placed it in Elijah's awaiting hand and watched him put it in his desk.
"You can have it back when your punishment is concluded. Now, I would like you go get Jeremy for me please," Elijah requested.
"Okay. I am sorry, Elijah," Elena told him.
"I know, and you are of course forgiven. Truth be told, while I don't appreciate the disobedience, a part of me is glad that you feel comfortable enough around us to break the rules and trust that the punishment for it won't be anything you can't handle," Elijah said a tiny smile. He wanted her to know that while he wasn't happy, he had no intention of holding it against her.
"I know you wouldn't hurt us, Elijah. I know neither of you would. I'll go get Jeremy," Elena said before standing up and heading out of the room.