An hour later, they had returned to the house, he had kissed her one last time on the deck before opening the door for her; they crept in, still with there arms wrapped around each other as they tried to sneak through.

"I was wondering what happened to you two last night," Marcel appeared behind them, a loud gasp escaping Elena's lips at the surprise; Marcel poured himself a drink and grinned at the image of them.

Elena looked exhausted, she had blood smeared across her face, neck and chest but she had a glow about her that could only be caused by a perfect night and Klaus mirrored her perfectly, still covered in blood from the witches but also a fresher, sweeter smelling blood radiated from his mouth, "what have we here?"

The two quickly separated and she tightened his jacket around her; she flashed him an innocent grin before taking his drink from his hand and downing it. She spun on her heel and headed for the stairs, "I'm gonna shower, I'll see you later."

She started climbing the stairs and Marcel noticed Klaus watching her every move, every step she took and when she looked back to catch one more glimpse of him in his vulnerable state, she smiled sheepishly.

"So, you and Elena, huh?" Marcel grinned like a school boy who had just caught there two best friends making out; he poured them both a drink and he passed a glass to Klaus.

"No," he said, as he watched her disappear up the stairs and into her room, a wave of clarity washing over him in that moment, "she deserves better."

"She probably does but you're clearly into her and she's damn fine, man," Klaus pursed his lips together and shot him a disapproving glare at his vulgarity; he held his hands up in surrender and continued, "she seems good for you and she obviously likes you."

"It's more complicated than that."

"Well I never thought I'd see the day that Niklaus Mikaelson fell in love," he mused, holding his glass towards him and Klaus tapped his against it.

"Not exactly," he drank the remainder of his scotch before refilling it, "can heartless monsters even fall in love?"

"No, of course not," Marcel spoke bluntly, as he took the bottle from Klaus and poured himself another, "but you're not a heartless monster, Klaus, even if you like to pretend you are."

"I guess we'll never know then," they clinked their glasses together one more time and downed their drinks before Klaus retreated to his room, readying himself for the day.

Several hours later, Elena emerged from her room, showered, dressed and gleaming, ready for whatever the day could throw at her.

She joined everyone in the kitchen, Klaus, Elijah, Marcel and Davina were in attendance and she knew that meant something important was happening; as she walked past Klaus, there eyes met, sheepish smiles spread on there lips and he watched her path to the coffee machine, making herself a mug and leaning against the counter.

"So, what's going on?" She asked, before pressing the mug to her lips and taking a small sip.

"Davina had a vision last night," Marcel started, a look of concern spread across his face, "now that we've dealt with the witches, our biggest problem is on its way."

"This Great evil that Davina previously mentioned in the church is on its way to us," Elijah continued, standing from his seat and walking towards her, "the ancestors spoke to her, Elena, whatever is coming is solely focused on you and your doppelgänger lineage."

"In my vision, there was a fight, blood and bodies everywhere type of fight and nothing could stop it, we all died, even Klaus and Elijah," she sounded so nervous as she spoke, her concern etched onto her facial features.

"What?" Elena's lips parted slightly, information overload and not enough time to process it, "what can even do that? Who can kill an original without a weapon?"

"I've only ever come across one such creature," Elijah spoke and him and Klaus instantly looked at each other with widened eyes, "But it can't be, the last one was killed and the line ended."

"Well, I know from experience that isn't always the case," Elena spoke, taking another sip of coffee, "you thought the same about me until you learnt of Katherine's secret baby."

"The ancestors won't tell me who it is, they say it's to soon, if we where to act now, we'd all die," Davina reiterated.

"Why the wait?" Klaus asked, speaking in his usual 'down to business tone', "if there something out there that means to harm us then I'd rather not dilly dally."

"The imbalance," Elena spoke quietly, her eyes shifting between the brothers and Davina.

"Exactly," confirmed Davina, "until we can fix it then they'll be too powerful to face, as long as they have the nexus of dark energy to channel then we're screwed."

"How can we fix it?" Klaus asked, his patience thinning with all the threats in their lives.

"I'm not sure, we made it even worse last night when you both killed the coven," she paced up and down the kitchen, racking her brain for any small detail that may help, "we need an act of true good, something to start tipping it back to scale."

"I think you're in the wrong house for that, luv," Klaus smirked, turning his attention to Elijah who was hiding his amusement behind his usual collected self.

"I'll find out everything I can, for now, try and not kill anyone," Davina declared, before heading out of the plantation with Marcel.

"At what point did we start taking orders from Davina and Marcel?" Klaus spoke, a hint of distain in his voice before taking a seat at the table, Elijah and Elena followed suit.

"Now, apparently," Elijah smiled pretentiously, a small sigh escaping his lips at the notion of it, "but the witch is right, we must not upset the balance any further, we must rectify it before this Great evil descends upon us all."

"Do you really think it could be-,"

"I'm unsure, brother," Elijah quickly interrupted, cutting his sentence short and pointing his eyes at Elena, making Klaus aware that it wasn't the time for her to know.

There was an awkward silence between them, Elena rolled her eyes at the childish behaviour before her and stood from her chair, heading for the door, "fine, keep your secrets but that isn't going to protect me."

"Elena," Klaus called after her but she left, pacing through to the living room and standing by the window, "I think we've upset her."

"I'll handle it," Elijah said, patting his hand on his brothers shoulder before exiting the kitchen and following her; it took every ounce of strength within Klaus to not follow her, he wanted to be the one to comfort her but that wasn't his place anymore and it was going to be a hard reality to face.

Elijah walked into the living room, standing beside her and leaning on the window frame away from her, his gaze following hers out of the window, "it isn't my intention to keep secrets from you, Elena, I want to be certain of the facts before I divulge them."

"Spin it however you want, Elijah, it's still keeping secrets," Elena's eyes never left the outside, her mind was in a hundred different places and she couldn't make sense of her thoughts, all she was certain of was keeping secrets usually ends up with her life in danger, "I'm assuming I have to stay here as well, for my own safety of course."

Elijah took a quick deep breath, unprepared for her quips and resistance, "I wouldn't waste my breath asking you to stay behind, I know it would be futile."

At least he could agree on that, much to her surprise but she still felt as though she shouldn't be lied too or kept in the dark, "I thought we were past all this, the lying and keeping secrets."

"Yes, so did I, Elena," he said somewhat abruptly, his words causing a stir within her; she became nervous, her lips parted slightly as he had put her on the spot; he stood from the window frame to look her in the eyes, searching for the deceit within them that he knew to be true, "tell me, did Niklaus heal you?"

"I, erm," she paused for a long moment, trying to force the words to leave her mouth but she didn't want to hurt him, "he, erm, yes he did."

"You were both gone all night and you return completely healed," a small smile appeared on his lips but she knew the truth behind his cold demeanour, he felt betrayed by her, lied too and confused, he just hid it well, "and you're somewhat different, even the air around you seems clearer."

"Elijah, I-,"

He interrupted her stammering and nervous rambling by holding his hand up, forcing her to stop, "it's no bother, Elena but do remember if you're going to preach honesty, you must in fact, practice it yourself."

"Wait, Elijah," and just like that, he was gone, all that could be heard was the echo of the door slam on his way out of the plantation, "great," she muttered under her breath, a sad sigh leaving her lips.

She walked back into the kitchen, noticing Klaus still sat at the table with a newspaper in hand; she sat down opposite him and pressed her hands onto her forehead.

"Is there something troubling you, little warrior?" His voice was smooth and silky, quite endearing.

"I think Elijah is upset," she said, trying to come across as a worried friend instead of something more, "he's not usually one for storming out but he did just that."

"He'll come around, my brother is quite forgiving," he peered his eyes over the top of the newspaper, flashing her a smirk before returning his focus to the paper, "why do you think he is upset?"

"I think it's because we've been lying to him," she said in the hopes of provoking a rise in him, enough to want to participate in this conversation, at least.

"Well, that's our business, sweetheart, he has no right to be offended by our private matters," his eyes still remained on the newspaper and he was being too dismissive of her concerns.

"Maybe he is offended by them," she shrugged her shoulders lightly before standing up and kicking her chair back slightly; she grabbed a clean mug from the cabinet and continued to pour herself a cup of coffee.

Klaus had finally put his newspaper down and shifted in his seat to give her his full attention, "what is it you're truly concerned about, Elena?"

She kept her focus on the cup of coffee on the counter in front of her, her back facing him and she continued to stir in the sugar as she whispered, "a lot of things."

"I have excellent hearing, Elena, I heard that," she could feel the smirk on his face in his words, "come, sit, let's talk."

Elena turned around to face him and watched as he pulled the chair beside him out from under the table, and without much thought, she obliged; she sat down, nursing the cup of her coffee in her hands and fixing her gaze onto his.

"Tell me some of these things that you are worrying about?"

"Why are you being so clinical with me?" She asked, swallowing a harsh lump in her throat and suppressing her anxiety as much as she could.

His lips parted slightly at her abrupt honesty, completely taking him aback by her question, "I'm not trying to be."

"Yet, you are."

"How am I supposed to act around you?" His voice was straining and he was forcing back the emotion in his tone but it was hard, this was Elena, "You are part of this family now, I have to find a way to be around you without wanting you constantly."

"I, erm-," oh god, she found herself stammering again, leave it to her to rile up two original brothers in one morning; as much as she was a part of this family, she felt like she was ruining it and it was time to just be honest, with all of them, "I'm struggling too, Nik."

He took her hand in his, stroking his thumb along her skin before placing a soft kiss on the back of her palm, "we'll get through this, love."

"You really believe that? I feel like I'm drowning in all of this," she admitted, breathing a small sigh before continuing, "I know you keep saying I'm a part of this family now but I don't have a place in it, I've somehow managed to lose you, I've royally pissed of Elijah and as for this house and this city, it doesn't feel like home."

"And Rebekah detests you," Klaus grinned, a small laugh escaping his lips as she nudged him playfully.

"I'm serious, Nik," she whined as she pouted slightly, mostly in a playful manner.

"Alright," he sat up in his chair, silencing his laughter and fixing his gaze on her once again; he caught a loose strand of hair dangling next to her lip and tucked it behind her ear before placing his hand on the back of her neck, "for starters, Elijah would never remain angry with you, he thinks to highly of you, this house will always be your home, you belong here with us, we love you and you'll never lose me, Elena, we're connected, that just means something differently now and no matter what has happened between us, I'm always here for you, whatever you need."

She heard every word he spoke to her, taking it all in and taking a moment to try and understand everything, "okay, so I think that pretty much covers all of my worries," she laughed nervously, her cheeks turning a light shade of red, "and I guess we just figured out how to act around each other as well."

He grinned sheepishly as he pressed his forehead onto hers, "you continue to surprise me."

"Don't worry, Mikaelson, I'll keep you on the edge of your seat," she grinned, placing a soft kiss on his cheek before slowly pulling herself away, "so, all we have to do now is stop this Great evil or whatever, fix the imbalance and make things right with Elijah, should be fun."

"That about sums it up," he smiled, sitting back in his chair and returning to his paper.

Elena stood from her chair, heading through the hallway and out of the front door, she pulled out her phone and dialled Elijah's number, pressing the speaker to her ear.

"Yes, Elena?" A cold chill in his voice.

"It's important, meet me at Rousseau's," she hung up, not giving him the chance to argue before she climbed into the car and drove off towards Bourbon Street.

An hour had passed, Elena was sat at the bar at Rousseau's, staring at the beer in her hand; she pulled out her phone and checked her messages, nothing.

"Of course," she took the last sip of her beer before standing from the stool, she placed her phone in her bag and rummaged through the pockets for her keys; when she snapped her head up out of frustration, she saw Elijah before her

"I was just about to give up on you," she spoke softly and taking a deep breath, a small smile appearing on her lips at the sight of him.

"Why am I here, Elena?" He seemed cold and frustrated with her, understandably considering everything that happened.

"We need to talk."

Elijah held two fingers up to the barmaid and the blonde girl nodded, prepping them two scotches and delivering them to the bar; he passed her a fifty and turned to face Elena, handing her the glass and taking a sip of his own, "so, talk."

Every move he made was perfectly calculated and he seemed like he wasn't going to forgive her too easy but she was going to try; she spied a booth at the back of the bar, hidden away and quiet, she tilted her head towards and they both took a seat.

"I just want to say that I'm sorry for lying to you, Elijah, you deserved better than that," she said, watching him closely as he still remained collected.

"Noted," he replied, holding his glass between his fingers and tapping the edge on the table.

"Come on, Elijah, what can I do to fix things?" She pleaded with him, her tone of voice desperate for their friendship to be rekindled; she'd known since the first time she saw him that he was more than just another original vampire out to kill her and she had to hold on to that.

"I can assure you, Elena, there is nothing to fix," the smirk on his face had almost faded as he brought his glass to his lips and poured its contents into his mouth, the empty glass remaining between his fingers, "you hold no obligation towards me, I gave you my word to protect you and I will, we live in the same house as part of our family but beyond that, you needn't concern yourself with solidifying a bond between us."

Elena's eyes widened ever so slightly at his words, each one like a sharp pin being stuck in her skin repeatedly, "you really believe I hold no obligation towards you? Are you joking?"

"I don't tend to joke," he caught the attention of the barmaid and held his finger up, the blonde instantly nodded her head and fetched the bottle of scotch from the back of the bar and brought it over to them; as she poured the shot into Elijah's glass, she became aware of the tension between them and offered a kind smile.

"This one's on me, guys," a bright grin spread on her lips and Elijah returned her kind smile.

"Actually, if you don't mind," Elena paused for a long moment to take a look at her name tag, "Camille, can you leave the bottle, this one is on him."

Elijah smirked at her relentless stubbornness and handed Camille two 100 notes, she left the bottle on the table and took the money.

"Thank you, Camille," Elena said kindly before grasping at the bottle and filling her glass.

"Call me Cami, Camille is my grandmas name," a small chuckle escaped her lips.

"I think it's a beautiful name," she said, offering her a welcoming smile, "I'm Elena and this is Elijah."

"Right, you're the guy that came in a few weeks ago, looking for your brother and a girl," Cami remembered, her finger pointing towards Elena, "I'm guessing you found them?"

"I did, I'm grateful for your assistance in my pursuit."

"Anytime! It was nice to meet you both."

"It was nice to meet you too, Cami," Elena smiled and watched as she returned to the bar, her attention turning onto her drink and knocking it back.

"I appear to have offended you," Elijah spoke, somewhat unamused.

"Noted," she forced a fake smile and poured herself another glass, "but don't worry, you hold no obligation to me."

"You're being ridiculous now, Elena," he pursed his lips together, a slow breath exhaling from his nose.

"I don't think I am, I asked you to come here so I can be honest with you and you completely shut me down, I told you the night of the ritual that I had no control of the things that happen in my life and I'm trying to take it back, starting with you," she exclaimed, her frustration becoming ever apparent in her voice, "just this once, try not be so calculating and distant with me, you're actually very important to me"

"So be completely honest with me," he exclaimed, bringing his glass to his lips and taking it in one; he picked up the bottle and poured himself another one, his attempt at removing his calculating and cold wall, "indulge me one request?"

"Sure," she toyed with the glass in her hand, waving it in front of her and awaiting his response.

"I am fully aware of the relationship between you and Niklaus, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't continue to pretend you're seeking my forgiveness for anything more than to clear your own conscience."

"Even with your forgiveness, my conscience is far from clear, Elijah, I want your forgiveness because I need you in my life, it's selfish really," her gaze averted from his to the liquid in her glass, fixating on the swirl she caused by rocking it.

"I wouldn't put selfish on your list of traits, you're far from it," he spoke, the cold chill in his voice fading, "but a desire to have me in your life would make me reconsider putting reckless on it."

She looked at the amused grin on his lips, it was infectious, she couldn't help but return it, "there's probably a few more things you can add onto it now that I'm a willing part of your family. Delusional, maybe?"

"I won't argue with that," he raised his glass towards her and she tapped hers against it, both of them knocking it back in one and slamming the glasses against the table, "another?"

"This is why I need you in my life," she said as he poured them another drink.

"And why is that?" He placed the bottle back onto the table and gave her all of his attention, his fixated upon hers.

"Because even though we have many differences, we're the same, I can't talk to anyone like I do you and nobody understands like you do, you're the only person who doesn't expect anything from me," she caught a glimpse of the fleeting emotion within his eyes as she locked onto his gaze, watching as the walls around him began to crumble.

"Tell me, how does my brother feel about you being here with me? Drinking and bonding, as it where?" his voice had broke and his tone was softer, he had gave into his weakness and allowed himself to be open with her.

"It doesn't matter what he thinks," a small sigh escaped her lips as she knew that it was time to get it all out with him; she stood from her side of the booth and joined him on his.

She was slightly concerned by how this conversation could go but she was adamant to get through it so she could move past it; she shifted her body to face him, there eyes meeting once again and she was ready to be fully honest with him.

"We're not involved anymore," she paused, followed by a light shake of her head, "I mean, we were never involved like that anyway, never together romantically and I can't explain it any better than that, last night, when we where gone, yes we were together but it was the last time."

"You were both clearly infatuated by each other, I don't recall my brother ever being so open with another."

"And that's all it was, someone to be open with," her heart began to flutter slightly, her nervousness creeping up within her as she further came to understand her inner workings, "but I don't love Klaus, I was never in love with him."

The last of his defensiveness towards her vanished when she spoke those words to him, the verification he needed to fully start letting her in again, "I'm glad to hear it."

"You are?" A shy smile curled up on the corner of her lip and she dipped her head, feeling the air around them become free from tension was like a weight lifting from her chest.

"It would appear so," a warmth grew inside him as they continued to mend their relationship and he couldn't help but smile at the sound of her heart fluttering.

"I'm sorry, Elijah, I never meant to hurt you, I never wanted that," she hesitantly placed her hand over his, the touch of his skin sending an unfamiliar spark through her entire nervous system that made the butterflies in her stomach dance all over again.

"I forgive you," his voice was low and raspy, the effect his touch had on her was reciprocated tenfold, he was only glad she didn't have the same vampiric hearing as he did, otherwise he would be completely at her mercy.

Ring, ring, ring, ring.

A sharp breath exhaled from her lips as the sound of Elijah's phone broke there fixation; she pulled her hand back and took a deep breath, the intensity between them had caused a heated stir within her and she couldn't quite get her heart rate to steady.

Elijah reached into the inside pocket of his blazer and pulled out his phone, his eyes never left her as he answered it and pressed it to his ear, "you have caught me at quite an inconvenient time, Niklaus."

"Davina has found something, we need to meet them at the compound immediately," and he hung up the phone.

Elijah flipped his phone shut and pressed it to his forehead, tapping it once against it before returning it to his pocket, "we have to go."