Klaus made his way home after changing back to his human form. As soon as he transformed, his first thoughts were on his niece. He managed to procure some clothing from a human and went straight home. He needed to make sure Elena had survived the spell with no ramifications. Once he knew she was alright, he could sufficiently rip into her and his siblings for the blatant disobedience and recklessness. When he got inside, he found Rebekah in the kitchen. "Where is she?"
"She's sleeping. She's fine. Nik, there's something you should know," Rebekah said.
Before either of them could say anything else, a third voice was heard. "Hello, Niklaus."
Klaus looked over and saw his brother in the doorway, and the look on his face made Klaus want to run right out the door, despite the fact that he knew he couldn't be killed. "Elijah, listen…
Elijah flashed over to his brother, grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the wall. "Six days, Niklaus! I spent six days not knowing where my daughter was or if she was alright!"
"I didn't know," Klaus said.
Elijah let go of his brother's throat and then promptly punched him.
Klaus fell to the ground. "I had that coming, I suppose. I told her no, Elijah. As soon as I knew who she was, I shut it down. She broke my neck."
"And that is the only reason you can still walk," Elijah said before extending a hand to his brother.
Klaus took his brother's hand and let him help him to his feet. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Elijah snorted. "Aside from the fact that you closed yourself off from just about everyone? I didn't trust you not to hurt my daughter. After all, you did tell me you'd dumped our siblings' bodies into the ocean. How was I to believe my child would be safe around you?"
As much as that hurt Klaus to hear, he supposed he couldn't blame his brother. He had left Elijah with no reason to trust him. "Well, I'm sure it's obvious to you by now, but I lied."
"Yes, obviously," Elijah said before glancing at Rebekah briefly. "I ought to punch you again for that."
"I would never hurt your daughter, Elijah. Never. Is Elena alright?" Klaus asked.
"Yes. She exhausted herself and slept almost a full day, but she's fine," Elijah told him.
Elena appeared in the doorway at that moment. She stopped the moment she saw both her father and her uncle.
Elijah turned when he heard someone behind him. When he saw his daughter, he immediately beckoned her forward. "Come. You have something you need to say to your uncle."
Hesitantly, Elena walked closer to them. "I'm sorry for breaking your neck, Uncle Nik."
Klaus regarded his niece sternly before looking to his brother. "May I?"
"You may," Elijah said, knowing exactly what his brother meant. He had the right to lecture Elena too. Although, Elijah would be there to intervene if he thought it went too far.
Klaus turned back to Elena while pointing towards a chair. "Sit!"
Wordlessly, Elena went over and sat down in the chair her uncle pointed to.
Elijah took a seat next to her but said nothing.
"I told you no! I told you I would not allow you to perform that spell because you were not experienced enough. You apparently took that to mean you could break my neck and do what you wanted anyway! You attacked me while my back was turned! Do you think that's acceptable?" Klaus asked angrily.
"Nik, stop! You don't need to yell at her," Rebekah said.
"Rebekah, stay out of this. If I feel he's out of line, I will intervene," Elijah said in a cool tone.
Klaus continued to glare sternly at his niece. "Well? Answer me!"
"It wasn't like that. I didn't plan it. It was a split-second decision when I saw your face," Elena told him.
"Explain yourself," Klaus said sternly.
"You turned so that I wouldn't notice, but I saw the disappointment in your eyes, and it was my fault. I promised you a ritual that could reverse your curse. I gave you hope, and in that moment, I saw that hope dissipate. I didn't think I had any other choice but to do it. You would've hated me, or at least resented me for it in the long run, probably Dad too," Elena explained.
"That's not true," Klaus said in a softer tone.
"Yes, it is. I'd resent me for it. I could take it, but Dad didn't deserve it, and you didn't deserve the position I put you in by getting your hopes up," Elena said.
"And do you think you put me in a better position by defying me? Do you understand what it would've done to me if you'd died freeing me from that curse? Do you understand what it would've done to Elijah? I have lived with my curse for more than a thousand years. I could not have lived with the curse that your death would've brought me," Klaus told her.
"I…I didn't think of that," Elena admitted.
"Yes, there's much you didn't think about. I never could've forgiven him, Elena, never," Elijah told her. If his daughter had died, even knowing that she'd done what she did against Nikaus' wishes, he would've hated him for it.
"But it wouldn't have been his fault," Elena argued.
"It doesn't matter. The only thing I would've been able to see is that you died for his cause, whether he approved of it or not. I would never be able to look at him without seeing what he cost me," Elijah told her.
"I would've never forgiven myself either, love. I would've been trading one curse for an even worse one. Your death would've haunted me for the rest of eternity. I would likely have spent the rest of eternity trying to find a way to end my own life. Do you understand now what I am saying to you?" Klaus asked.
Elena nodded as tears began to form in her eyes. "I'm sorry. Please don't hate me."
Klaus walked around to the other side of the table and pulled her up and into his arms. "I could never hate you, love. I care very much for you. That was the point I was trying to make."
Elena pulled away after a minute and turned to her father. "I'm so sorry, Dad."
Elijah sighed and took his daughter by the chin to make sure she was looking at him. "Listen, you and I have a lot to discuss today, and you will be punished quite severely, but it will be alright. I love you. Nothing you do will ever change that."
"I love you too," Elena said before hugging her father. "I'm really sorry.
Elijah hushed her and rubbed her back. "We will get through it. I promise."
Xxxxxxxxxxx
Later that day, Elijah led his daughter into his brother's study, which Klaus had offered to give them at least an illusion of privacy. Elijah pointed to the chair in front of the desk. "Sit."
Elena did as her father said and sat in the designated chair while he went and sat behind her uncle's desk.
"Alright, I want a full explanation, starting with when you started planning this, as I know it didn't start when my brother took you from the Grill," Elijah said.
"I found the spell a few weeks before that. I hoped that I'd have more time to gain experience before Uncle Nik showed up, but I also had the idea of using Uncle Finn and Uncle Kol. I sort of assumed that Uncle Nik had been lying when he said he buried them and Aunt Rebekah at sea. I didn't think anyone could do that to their siblings. I didn't tell you that because I didn't want to get your hopes up that they weren't lost," Elena told him.
Elijah did feel a pang of guilt that he'd never considered the fact that his brother might have been lying. In his defense though, Niklaus had done a lot of questionable things to them. "Keep going. What happened when Niklaus showed up? Did he kidnap you at all?"
"Not really. He did threaten everyone at the Grill, but I was going to go with him either way," Elena admitted.
Elijah nodded. "Continue. I want to know everything that happened up until you broke your uncle's neck and completed the spell."
Elena explained everything that happened during the six days she was away from her father. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to worry you."
"Yet, you did. You ignored all of my calls, knowing that I would be sick with worry," Elijah said sternly.
"Uncle Nik had my phone most of that time," Elena said. She knew it was a poor argument, but she had to at least try.
"And if he hadn't taken your phone, would you have answered me?" Elijah asked.
Elena grimaced and shook her head. "Probably not."
Elijah nodded. He appreciated the honesty at least, though not much else. "I went six days without knowing where you were. How much time is supposed to pass where I don't know where you are?"
"None," Elena said quietly.
"That's right, none. I am to know where you are at all times. That was one of the first rules I laid out for you, and you broke it! In fact, you broke nearly all of the rules. If this was so important to you, why didn't you come to me with it?"
"Because you would've said no. The spell I used was one of the ones that Esther enchanted to be blank for anyone who wasn't a Mikaelson witch," Elena told him.
"I see. So, that's another rule you broke, right? You deliberately defied me on that matter! What did I say would happen if you attempted any of those spells, Elena?" Elijah questioned in a hard tone.
Elena didn't say anything. She merely looked down at her hands.
"What did I say?" Elijah asked again.
"That there would be consequences. I was willing to accept those consequences to help Uncle Nik," she said.
"Well, I hope you still feel that way in a minute, because there will certainly be consequences. You not only defied my explicit instructions, but you also disobeyed another responsible adult when he tried to stop you," Elijah said sternly. The irony of the fact that he had just called Niklaus a responsible adult was not lost on him.
"I'm sorry. I know I was wrong now. I'll take whatever punishment you decide without complaint," Elena said. After hearing what her father and uncle had to say earlier, she knew she'd screwed up. She hadn't considered what it would do to everyone if she'd died. She was so certain she wouldn't. She knew there was a risk, but she'd figured that with her uncles' helping, it would be minimal.
"Oh, I know you will. You went off with my brother without telling me, and with the knowledge that he might be a threat to you. Then you performed two very powerful and dangerous spells without telling me. You put your life at risk! That will never be acceptable! Do you understand me?" Elijah asked in the most stern tone he had.
"Yes."
"You're grounded until further notice. This is what that will look like. I will drop you off and pick you up from school each day. I will be taking your car keys and hanging onto your phone. The only place you're allowed to go besides school is to Jenna's. You will have no visitors at any point unless it is necessary for a school assignment. Is that clear so far?" Elijah asked.
Elena nodded. "Does no visitors include Jeremy?" She didn't think it did, given that her dad had just told her she'd still be able to go to Jenna's, but she wanted to be sure.
"No. Jeremy is not a visitor. He is your brother, and it is his home too. I would never punish you by keeping you from a family member, which is why you will still be allowed to go to Jenna's. However, I will make sure she enforces your punishment," Elijah said.
"Okay," Elena said. So far, everything her father said was fair, and nothing she didn't expect.
"I'm also going to be confiscating my mother's grimoire."
Elena's eyes widened. "Dad, please…"
"No, not a single argument, Elena. You abused the privilege of having it, so I will be holding onto it for a while," Elijah said firmly.
"But I still need to practice my magic," Elena argued.
"And you will, under my supervision. You lost my trust, Elena, so until you get it back, you will only use the grimoire with me present. Do I make myself clear?" Elijah asked.
"Yes," Elena said quietly. She wasn't happy, but it was better than what she originally thought. She thought she wasn't going to be allowed to practice magic at all for a while. "I'm sorry, Dad."
"I believe you, and I forgive you. It's trust that we're going to have to rebuild, but I have no doubt that we will. Until then, you and I will be spending a lot of quality time together. Come here," Elijah said before standing up.
Elena got up and went over to him, throwing herself into his arms.
"Don't you ever do this to me again. I cannot bear the idea of losing you," Elijah said as he held her close.
"I'll never do it again, Dad. I promise," Elena cried. She meant that. This was one mistake she would not make again. She wouldn't misuse magic again.
Elijah pulled away after a minute. "I want you to know something. If you had come to me, I would've at least heard you out. I may have still said no, but I would've heard you out and considered allowing it sometime in the future. The next time, trust me to do what's right and fair."
"I'm sorry," Elena said again.
"There's no need to keep apologizing. I know you're sorry. As I said, it's more of a trust issue that we need to get through, but we will in time," Elijah promised her.
Elena nodded.
"Alright, why don't you go rest for a while. You still look a little tired, and I know today took a lot out of you. I'll be taking a walk with Finn momentary. He asked to speak with me. You will stay put. I'm leaving Niklaus in charge while I'm gone," Elijah told her. It really was a sad day when it was Niklaus he trusted with his daughter above the rest of his siblings. Elena was not the only one that had to regain his trust. It would be quite a while before he trusted Finn, Kol, or Rebekah with Elena.
"Okay. I promise, I'm not going to do anything else. I actually kind of do want to sleep for a while," Elena said.
Elijah nodded and watched her leave.