Elena was at the mall looking through the racks of clothes. Elena looked off to the side and saw Finn leaned against a wall looking less than pleased. She couldn't deny taking a small amount of satisfaction in his displeasure. From the moment she met him, he'd been nothing but a thorn in her side. He locked her in a room the very first night and had apparently been spying on her for Esther. So far, she was her least favorite sibling, and, yes, that included Klaus.

Elena looked over at Rebekah, who was a rack away from her. "Sorry about this, Rebekah. I know it was just supposed to be the two of us."

"Don't be ridiculous. This presents me with a wonderful opportunity. I get to teach you how to properly torture your older brothers. We'll start with Finn, since he can't mind his own bloody business," Rebekah said with a grin.

Elena glanced over at Finn again, whose annoyance seemed to have kicked up a notch. "You know he heard you, right?

"Of course, I do. That was half the purpose of saying it. Just so you know, we were all pissed to find out he was reporting your conversations with us to Mother. Elijah was livid. He told Finn if he ever spied on one of his conversations with you again, he would be lucky just to receive a dagger to the heart," Rebekah told her.

"That doesn't surprise me. I know Elijah can be lethal when he wants. Although, I don't think I've ever seen him angry. I'v never really heard him yell," Elena said.

Rebekah chuckled. "That's because Elijah doesn't yell. Even when he's angry, he's calm about it. That's what makes him dangerous."

"Yeah, that sounds exactly like Elijah. I watched him calmly decapitate somebody the first time we met," Elena said. She'd been terrified of Elijah that day, but she'd come to learn that while Elijah was dangerous when crossed, he was also the person to have in your corner. She knew that she could count on him. Right now, he was probably the most stable part of her life.

"I can actually picture that," Rebekah said in an amused tone.

"So, how are we going to torture Finn?" Elena asked with a slight smile on her face.

Rebekah grinned at her younger sister from ear to ear. "Well, first, we're going to get you a whole new wardrobe, and we're going to do it at a ridiculously slow pace."

Elena laughed. "There's not much worse than a guy being forced to sit around a mall while the girls take their time shopping. Caroline, Bonnie, and I did that to Matt once."

Rebekah suddenly found a dress she liked very much for her sister and brought it over to her. It was low-cut and black. It was also very revealing around the breast area. "And this is how we torture all of our siblings at once. They'll never let you out of the house if they see you in this."

Elena snorted before taking the item from Rebekah. "I'm barely allowed out of the house anyway. I don't know, Rebekah. This isn't really my style."

"You only have to wear it once. I want to see the looks on our Nik's and Elijah's faces once they see you it. Even Kol will likely have a meltdown," Rebekah said.

Elena looked at the price tag before raising an eyebrow at her sister. "Three hundred dollars is a bit much to spend just for a reaction. I could never afford that much for one single item."

"Oh, Elena, darling, you don't need to worry about money ever again. Nik's credit card will handle it," Rebekah said with a smirk.

"Wait, Klaus is paying for this?" Elena asked surprised.

"Of course. Don't worry, a shopping trip won't even put a small dent in his fortune. Both he and Elijah have more money to last for eternity. Besides, I'm fairly certain there isn't anything Nik wouldn't give you," Rebekah said. Their brother rightfully felt guilty for sacrificing Elena to end his curse. She could ask him for an a million-dollar car, and he'd only ask what color she wanted.

"I guess it just feels a little weird that I'm shopping on his dime. Of course, this entire situation is weird," Elena said. Klaus wasn't just a murderous vampire that was a threat to her and her friends anymore. He was her brother. It was going to take a very long time before she got used to that fact. It was going to take a while to get used to the fact that her entire life had been more of a lie than she thought.

"Well, you're definitely trying on the dress. Let's keep looking," Rebekah said before she went back to searching the racks.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Klaus walked into the Grill. Caroline had asked to see him, and he had no intention of denying the lovely blond. Of course, he knew she had ulterior motives for wanting to meet with him, but he was still pleased by the invitation.

Klaus found Caroline waiting at a table in the back of the restaurant. He immediately went over to her and sat down. "Hello, love. I appreciate the lovely invitation."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Let's cut the crap, Klaus. You know why I wanted to see you. Rebekah told us everything."

Klaus sighed. "Yes, I'm aware, and I'm sure she also told you that Elena's situation is my mother's doing, not mine."

"Yeah, she did. I want to know what is happening with my best friend. Is she okay?" Caroline asked.

"Physically, she's fine. No one has laid a hand on her. She isn't handling it well emotionally," Klaus said.

Caroline snorted. "Well, that's shocking, isn't it? First, she's told that she was murdered as an infant and thrown years into the future into someone else's body, and then she's forced to live with people she doesn't know or fears. Yeah, why wouldn't you handle that wonderfully."

Klaus cringed at Caroline's words. He knew that part about Elena living with those she feared was about him. Elena was afraid of him, and she was right to be. He'd treated her with nothing but violence since they met.

"Why is your mother doing this? I get that she wants to know Elena, but forcing her to live with all of you as a prisoner is only going to make Elena hate her," Caroline said.

"I'm fairly certain we've already passed that point, love. I can't speak to my mother's motives, love, other than to say that she apparently feels that Elena belongs to her," Klaus said.

"Rebekah said she wasn't allowed to contact anyone. I've tried to call and she hasn't picked up, so I'm assuming that's true," Caroline said.

Klaus nodded. "My mother took her phone. She won't let her talk to anyone outside of the family right now. And even that is monitored. My brother, Finn, has been reporting her conversations with us, like a good puppet.

"Why are you letting your mother do this, Klaus? Elena isn't just the doppelganger anymore. She's your sister! You're supposed to be helping her. You owe her that much," Caroline fumed.

Klaus' eyes flashed dangerously. "Do not tell me of my responsibilities to my sister! I am well aware of them! There is little I can do right now."

"You're a hybrid! Surely you can stop your mother," Caroline said.

"And my mother's a powerful witch, who is linked to your witch friend! I would love nothing more than to end her life once more and be done with it, but as Elijah pointed out to me, she will be on guard this time. If I fail, she could decide to take Elena away. At least right now, she is in my home and has me and my siblings as allies," Klaus told her.

Caroline snorted. It was a sad day when the Originals were considered allies. Klaus was right though. This could be worse. "Has your mother always been like this? Has she always been so abusive and controlling?"

Klaus sat back in his chair. "I've been asking myself that question recently. Truthfully, I'm not sure. It didn't seem like it when we were children, but she was never the one we feared abuse from. There was always a greater threat."

"Mikael," Caroline replied.

"Yes, and we never fell too far out of line because of him. We knew what the consequences would be. When Mother said to do something, we did it because we feared him. So, I'm not sure what the consequences would've been from her if things had been different," Klaus explained.

"I think I understand what you mean. You were so concerned with Mikael's mistreatment that you weren't really looking for Esther's. So, Elena's just screwed? There's nothing you can do for her?" Caroline asked.

"Oh, I didn't say that, love. I swore the day Elena was born that I would never allow Elena to suffer abuse. I broke that promise, but I won't again! My sister will not be mistreated as I was!" Klaus vowed.

"What will you do then? You've already said you can't kill her like you did the last time," Caroline said.

"I don't know yet. Elijah and I have discussed options, but we don't know yet what we'll do. We will find a way though. We will see that our sister is protected at all costs," Klaus said. He had no intention of telling her that as of now, the best plan they had was to take Elena out of Mystic Falls and go on the run. He cared very much for Caroline, but he didn't trust her not to tell her friends and ruin the whole thing.

Caroling could tell that there was something Klaus wasn't telling her. He had an idea, but he wasn't going to share it. She decided not to press him on it now. She would normally be extremely concerned about whatever he had planned, but she knew that whatever it was would be to protect Elena. It was clear from the way he spoke that Klaus cared deeply for Elena. It was almost unfathomable given their history, but she could tell he was sincere about it. "How do I get in to see Elena. She needs to know that we're here and that we care about her."

"Getting you into the mansion isn't a problem. It's my home. I'll invite anyone I please into it. However, my mother currently controls who Elena sees. She has stated that she'll allow her to see any friends she approves of in time. You would have to gain her approval," Klaus said.

"So, I have to kiss your mom's ass," Caroline surmised. "I can do that?"

Klaus raised an eyebrow. Caroline was not the type to play nice with those she didn't like. "Can you?"

Caroline laughed. "Oh, I know how to kiss ass, Klaus. I just usually choose not to. There are very few things that I consider worth the trouble. Elena is worth it. Invite me to your house. I'll be sickeningly sweet to your mother."

"Very well. Come by tomorrow afternoon, say around four. You can give it a try. You need to come alone, and do not do anything to make things worse for Elena. I won't be forgiving," Klaus warned before standing up and heading for the bar. He needed a drink and then he planned to head home. He wanted to be back there before Elena and Rebekah returned.