Klaus' POV

Stood before him, in a bar crowded with vampires and tourists, filled with the stench of alcohol and insecurity, the vampire Klaus had met when he was a mere child, Marcellus, the boy he had taken in as if he was his own.

"Well, if I had known you were coming back into town, if I'd had a heads up-"

"What, Marcel?" He spat, his rage and paranoia starting to surface; he took a few steps towards him, watching him cautiously, "What would you have done?"

"I'd have thrown you a damn parade," the entire bar filled with cheer, laughter and positive energy as Marcel grinned, pulling his mentor in for a quick hug; Klaus responded by returning his kindness, offering a smile and a pat on his back.

"Niklaus Mikaelson, my mentor, my saviour, my sire," Marcel declared, placing both of his hands on the hybrids face, before leading him towards the back of the bar, "let's get you a drink."

Marcel grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the bar, laughing cheerfully as he took a seat opposite Klaus, filling the two glasses to the rim, "It is good to see you."

"It's good to be home," he actually sounded happy when he spoke, excited even, New Orleans always did bring out the positive sides to him "but please tell me the current state of bourbon street is not your doing?"

"Somethings got to bring in the out-of-towners, otherwise we'd all go hungry," he responded, bringing his glass to his lips and downing the shot in one.

Klaus peered his head around his shoulders when his peripherals caught the shine of a ring placed upon one of the vampires fingers, " I see your friends are daywalkers."

"Yeah yeah, I shared the secret of your daylight rings with a few buddies, just the inner circle though, family," he spoke whilst he poured himself another drink.

"Tell me," Klaus leaned over the table, pointing his finger for a quick moment towards him, "how did you find a witch willing to make daylight rings?"

"I got the witches here wrapped around my little finger," he spoke proudly, sitting back in his chair.

Klaus laughed, shifting his gaze to the glass nestled in his hand and back onto Marcel, "is that so? I'm looking for a witch, by the name of Jane-Anne Deveraux, she has some business with me."

"You're looking for Jane-Anne?" Marcel looked towards his friends, his gaze flickering between them, "Then you probably oughta come with me."

He stood from his chair, the inner circle following as he started to walk out, "Show time!"

Elena's POV

Elena had sat with the witch for over an hour and she was starting to become impatient; she had to listen to a lot of information, mostly concerning her future and the dangerous predicament the young doppelgänger had found herself in but once they had began chatting more, the physic was more willing to share some of the secrets hidden within New Orleans.

And Elena was shocked to say the least.

She found herself walking through Bourbon Street, attempting to locate Rousseau's; the night was starting to draw in and the atmosphere was starting to change, there was fires lit in the street, crowds of people dancing and drinking, it was wild.

As much as she was trying to embrace it, she couldn't help but be trying to air on the side of caution; she was in a city filled with witches and vampires and her only protection had left her alone, she was furious, to say the least.

Suddenly, she saw a large group of vampires walking down the street, jumping from car to car, bottles of liquor in there hands and speeding around the place without any need to obscure themselves, this place was weird.

She watched as they all seemed to follow the vampire up front, he was leading them towards the street corner; on the opposite side of the street, another group of vampires were approaching, several of them holding onto a woman who looked like she had been captured.

"There you are," Klaus had appeared beside her in a flash, his arm instantly around her waist and his neck dipped to look down at her, he was stood so close, she couldn't help but gasp at his sudden contact, "stay behind me."

Elena wanted to yell at him, hit him and tell him how stupid he had been for leaving her for so long on her own but to see him so serious and protective, she knew it was best to just keep her mouth shut and nod in approval; she followed him, watching as they both came closer to the front of the crowd, standing behind the vampire she assumed was Marcel, the witch had told her some things about him and his presence in New Orleans, he was the leader, the one who controlled everything that happened within The Quarter.

Klaus slowly removed his arm from around her waist, taking a few steps in front of her to create enough distance so no-one would assume she was with him; if his enemies knew who she truly was, that she was the last Petrova doppelgänger, then her life would be in danger and he couldn't risk it.

Marcel stood beside Klaus, further leading his group of vampires towards there destination, "So, how's your family?"

"Those who live hate me more than ever," he responded, not an ounce of care in his voice; Elena could only listen, follow behind them and stay out of the way.

"Well, when blood relations let you down, you make your own, huh?" Marcel spoke with a grin, turning to look at his sire, "you taught me that."

Elena caught Klaus shooting her a quick look and she only offered one filled with disapprovement and disgust in return; she knew what that meant and it was the whole reason she was here in New Orleans, the family of hybrids Klaus wanted to create in order to replace his siblings.

"And what's mine is yours, as always," Marcel announced whilst raising his hands as a gesture of offering, "even my nightwalkers, the riff raff."

Elena watched as Marcel pulled down a branch from a passing tree, completely unaware of the intention with it; Klaus slowly spun on his heel, watching as the vampires leapt from building to building, jumping on the cars and pouncing around the street, "they're hardly subtle, are they?"

"Ain't no such thing as subtle, baby," Marcel mused, before bringing his fingers to his lips and whistling, everyone surrounding him beginning to cheer as the two groups merged.

"Jane-Anne Deveraux, give it up for Jane-Anne." he announced, the clapping and cheering only becoming louder the more he encouraged; watching as the witch was thrown before him, her hands where bound with rope and she looked terrified, "You have been accused of the practice of witchcraft beyond the bounds of the rules set and enforced by me, how do you plead?"

Elena was a mess, she watched as all these vampires encouraged the murder of a young woman and the all too familiar feel of fear started to rise up in her, along with nausea. She wanted to leave, she had too but she knew she wouldn't be able too, Klaus was a part of this, he was allowing this too happen and her distain for him was growing.

She watched as Marcel turned and approached Klaus, "Was that convincing? I studied law back in the 50's... Hold that thought!"

Elena rolled her eyes at the enjoyment the original hybrid was gaining from this, she really needed to remember who he truly was.

"Seriously, Jane, tick tock," Marcel intimidated as he neared her, "You know the drill, how do you plead?"

"I didn't do anything," Jane finally spoke, the fear apparent in her already shaken voice.

"That's a lie," Marcel spoke, becoming impatient, "you know it, I know it, and you hate that I know it, it drives you witches crazy that I know your every move, that you can't do any magic in my town without getting caught, so why don't we just cut to the chase, huh? You tell me what magic you were brewing, you tell me and you know I'll grant you leniency, I am after all, a merciful man."

"Rot in hell, monster," Jane-Anne stood firm, Elena admired her strength and her bravery but she knew now more than ever what was too come and she couldn't see it, couldn't be near it, she thought she might vomit from the disgust growing in her stomach.

She wanted to scream, cry and run all at the same time but she couldn't, she was forced to stay put and watch as this innocent witch was to be murdered right in front of her; her anxiety started growing and her breathing was becoming laboured, there was too much going on for her to comprehend and she thought she might pass out.

"I'll tell you what, I'll give you one more chance-"

Before she knew it, in the flash of a second, she felt a body collide with hers, grabbing her and blurring her away from the scene before she could watch the violence unfold in front of her; she found herself in an alley between two buildings, her back pressed against the brick wall and a hand covering her mouth.

And there he stood before her, towering over her and holding her close; his protective nature completely revealed on the surface as he tried to shield her from the violence surrounding her.

"Shh," Elijah brought his index finger to his lips and slowly started to move his other hand away from her mouth, resting it on her shoulder; Elena's head was spinning, she'd never been happier to see someone in her life. She nodded her head at his request for silence, this was the safest she'd felt in days, even though they had a bad history between them, she knew his intentions to be honourable and that of her safety.

Elena's eyes started to well up with tears when she heard the sound of the branch whipping and the crowds cheering, she knew they did it, she knew Marcel had killed her; Elijah easily caught on to her fear and upset, using the moment of distracting from the crowd cheering, he got them out of there, using his speed to sneak past the edge of the crowd, Elena had instinctively grabbed onto him, wrapping her arms around his waist and prayed no-one would see them.

Elijah chose the quietest and safest place in the city at that current time, the plantation.

Arriving on the porch, his grip of Elena lingered for a long moment, his hand pressed onto her waist as he watched as she caught her breath, "Pleasure to see you again, Elena."

"Thank you," she responded within seconds, her arms instantly wrapping around his neck and pulling him into a long embrace; she bit down her lip, trying to control her crying and forcing the tears back as she nestled her head into the gap between his neck and his shoulders, "You have no idea-"

"You're welcome, Elena," he was taken aback by her sudden need for contact but he could only assume she was feeling scared and vulnerable; he slipped his arms around her waist and held her for a few long moments, smoothing his hand over her back at an attempt for comfort, "I do apologise for my brother, you shouldn't have been anywhere near that horrific scene."

Elena took a deep breath, after finding comfort in his words and embrace, she slowly started to release him, taking a few steps back and taking him all in; he wore his usual suit, black in colour with a crimson red tie to match, his shirt was buttoned up and he had a pocket square folded neatly into his blazer pocket.

"How did you know that we're here?" Elena asked, her voice still shaky and breathing jaggered.

"You have Katherine to thank for that information," he watched as she became confused and uncomfortable, the two responses that typically occur at the mention of her ancestor, "she informed me of the witch Jane-Anne Deveraux plotting against my brother and when I was made aware of your disappearance, I put the two together."

"Klaus will be looking for me, Elijah, we have to go back, he'll think I tried to escape and he'll kil-" Elena was starting to ramble and panic, he simply raised his hand and interrupted.

"I'll deal with my brother, you're safe now, Elena," he waved his hand towards the front door of the plantation, gesturing for her to enter; he placed his hand on her lower back and lead her inside, closing and locking the door behind them.

"What is this place?" Elena asked as she glanced around, taking in the rooms and the features; it was dark and dusty but she could see what this home used to be.

"This was once mine and my siblings home," Elijah responded, slipping his hand into his pocket and looking towards the ceiling, "we lived here for nearly 200 years, we built this city from the ground up and we intended to make it our forever home."

"Klaus didn't mention any of this," Elena spoke, as they started walking through the building more; Elijah lead her into the main sitting room, pulling off a large plastic cover that protected an old leather sofa, and pointed his hand towards it.

"Please, do sit," he spoke and she obliged, thankful for the relief on her overly tired legs; he took a seat next to her, his hands flicking the end of his blazer up in order to not sit on it, "what happened, Elena? What happened in Mystic Falls that my deranged brother thought it appropriate to kidnap you?"

"Your mother happened, Elijah, once she linked and attempted to kill you all, he got paranoid," her gaze shifted from the floor to him, her eyes locking onto his, "once Damon changed Abby and he knew Esther couldn't attack, he took me, locked me away and had a witch spell me to sleep for 2 days, I'm assuming that's when Katherine told him about Jane-Anne and we left, I had no idea."

"Elena, I can't apologise enough for Niklaus' behaviour," he caught her gaze and looked over her carefully, he brought his fingers towards her neck and smoothed them over the two puncture wounds that Klaus had gave her when she tried to escape the mansion; a sharp breath escaped her lips as she remembered that night, the images of him feeding from her flashing in her mind.

"I'm okay with my decision to stay here, Elijah, he's away from Mystic Falls and my family, he can't harm them anymore," she admitted to him, the most confident and clearest she'd spoke since he rescued her from Bourbon Street, "as long as I play along, let him have my blood for his hybrids, then he'll stay away, for good."

Elijah was becoming more enraged with his brothers actions in his absence, "but you won't be able to see your family again, that has to be too sad to be true."

"I'd rather be sad than see them dead, I can't cause them anymore pain," she closed her eyes for a long moment whilst she spoke, "Bonnie was distraught when Abby was transitioned and that happened because of me."

"Elena, you can't think like that."

"But it's true," she finalised there small argument, watching him as he attempted to sympathise with her, "you should call him, before he rips through every vampire and witch in the city."

"Perhaps you're right," He agreed, before standing from the sofa and walking towards the centre of the room; he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and hit Klaus' speed dial, pressing the phone to his ear and listening to the dial tone.

"Bad time, brother," Klaus answered.

"Ah, Niklaus," Elijah spoke, a small smirk appearing on his lips, "I'm truly sorry for the poor timing but I thought you ought to know, I have Elena."

"What did you do, 'Elijah?" He yelled, a small growl following, "Where is she?"

"We're home, brother," and without waiting a response, he ended the call, returning the cell phone to the pocket inside his blazer; he turned to face Elena, watching as she became nervous now she knew Klaus was on his way, "he'll be here momentarily."

"Great," she spoke sarcastically, a look of sadness etched into her facial features; using his speed, Elijah sat beside her on the couch, grasping her face in both hands and looking her dead in the eye, "I give you my word, Elena, that I will protect you, not just from my brother but from the evil within this city also."

She looked into his eyes, looking for any sign of dishonesty within them; she was trying to not be paranoid but she was tired of putting her trust in people and being let down, hurt and put into horrible situations, "thank you."

"Do you trust me?" He asked, his voice low and his gaze still locked on hers; she placed her hands over his, leaning further into the grasp he had of her face.

"I want too," she spoke honestly, before slowly pushing his hands down from her face and separating there touch completely, "I really do."

"I'll prove it to you."

Before she had the chance to respond, the front door burst open and broke from its hinges, the slam of it against the floor caused Elena to gasp slightly; Elijah was instantly on his feet before Klaus had sped through the corridor and appeared in front of Elena.

"Glad to see your safe, Elena," Klaus spoke through clenched teeth and bent down so he was eye level with her, "I almost tore through every vampire in Marcel's inner circle looking for you, I assumed someone had taken you."

"Enough, Niklaus," Elijah rolled his eyes slightly, placing his hand on his shoulder and forcing him to his feet again.

"And you, brother," he said, knocking his hand away from his shoulder and squaring up to him, "you have involved yourself in my business for the last time."

"Don't be so childish," Elijah narrowed his eyes, carefully watching his brother and his every move, "you have gone too far this time, Klaus, what were you thinking?"

"This is none of your concern, Elijah," he warned, before walking away from the eldest original brother, approaching Elena and extending his hand towards her; he watched as she obliged, the disappointed look on her face indicating the power he held over her, "I suggest you leave town, brother, return to Mystic Falls and stay out of my way."

Klaus grabbed Elena by the waist and attempted to speed out of the house but he barely made it to the exit before Elijah intercepted him, pulling Elena away from him and using his vampiric strength, he sent him flying back towards the ground.

"Oh my god," Elena spoke under her breath as she watched Elijah speed in front of him, catching Klaus around the neck before he could land on the floor; they where a blur before her, she could barely make out the fight and who was throwing which punch, she had to run and follow them through the house to ensure they don't kill each other.

"Elijah," she called out as she ran into the kitchen, seeing the hybrid in full armour as his vampiric teeth snared and his golden eyes shone; it was seconds before Elijah had broke himself free from his brothers grip and brought his fist down upon him, "Klaus!"

Her yells were in vain as they continued, she saw no end to the quarrel, neither of them could truly hurt each other, they were family.

"Why must you interfere, Elijah," Klaus spoke through gritted his teeth, the grip he had of his neck tightening.

Elijah quickly swung his arm and broke the hold he had of his neck and done the same, threw him into a wall and clutched with all his strength at his life source, "if I don't, Niklaus, no-one will and someone has to save you from your own foolish decisions and protect the innocence around you."

"That's enough," Elena finally spoke out, running between them and placing her hand on Elijah's arm, encouraging him to let go of Klaus' neck; he obliged and took a few steps back, brushing off his suit and composing himself.

She looked at Klaus, who looked as enraged as ever and remained stood firm between them, worried for his next move.

"I am taking Elena home, now," he held his hand out towards her and waved his fingers at her, urging for her to go to him, hopefully follow him out of the house and allow him to take her home; as much as the thought of returning to her loved ones brought her a new found happiness, she just couldn't.

"I can't, he will kill us all," she spoke in hushed tones, her eyes closing for a long moment before turning her gaze to Elijah, revealing the sorrow within her eyes, "I have to stay."

"This conversation is finished," Klaus declared before speeding towards him, his hand reaching into his pocket and removing the dagger and plunging it into his heart.

A loud gasp escaped her lips as she watched Elijah scream out in pain and slowly start to turn to grey, the desiccation starting to take form; when Klaus stepped away from his brother, she was instantly in front of him, trying to hold him up and attempting to remove the dagger before he fell to the floor, taking her with him.

"I wouldn't remove that dagger if I was you, my patience is already tested and it would be a shame to end our arrangement over something as futile as my brother," he warned.

A few tears released from her eyes as she held the now desiccated Elijah, his head resting in her laps as she stroked his face, she had just watched her last chance of survival wither away right in front of her, there was no hope.

Klaus sped towards her, grabbing Elijah's body and removing it from the plantation; she remained on the floor for a long moment, pressing her hand to her forehead and taking a long, deep breath in attempt to compose herself. She heard Klaus talk on the phone and assumed it would be to have Elijah collected and hidden, placed back in his coffin for however long he saw fit.

He appeared behind her, a small gasp escaping her lips as he held onto her waist, his fingers pressing into her skin harder than he had realised, "time to go."