1x5

The months Elena had spent in New Orleans had been the most enthralling time of her life; to see another culture, be plunged into the depths of vampire problems that weren't focused on her and being without restraint was something she thought would never be within her reach. Doomed to spend her eternity in the never ending pit of Mystic Falls was what she feared would become of her. But once she took that first step out of her hometown, she knew she would never return again.

She knew it was certainly time to move on, she couldn't stay a day longer for fear of becoming more intertwined with the Mikaelson's, their battles, the daily routine she had found herself accustomed to and the growing bond between her and Hayley. The pregnant girl even had her do midnight ice cream runs when her cravings peaked.

Marcel reached out to her most days, whether it was as simple as a text or an invitation for drinks at Rousseau's, he was becoming too friendly with her too. It was disconcerting and, well, boring for her.

And as for Klaus, although their relationship mainly stayed the same -they fought, argued, continued in their game for power like they were two generals on opposing sides- their had been genuine moments of understanding between them, moments shared in kind when they agreed on something, talked of fine art or classic literature, or told a story during a drunken night on the town that were wholesome and resonating. She couldn't possibly hate it, no emotions, but it made her uneasy.

She was becoming too wrapped up in it all, though it was inevitable, it was what she warned the siblings about when she first arrived in New Orleans, that she wouldn't fall so deep into their carefully woven infrastructure of family and war but it happened regardless, and it was time to leave.

Elena didn't know where she was going to end up, whether it be on a beach somewhere in Europe or a dive of a bar on the outskirts of Tennessee... But that was half the fun, there was nowhere she was expected to be, nowhere she had to be and now, it was about her, the way she wanted to live her life and following her own set of rules -which she had none of, she was going to delve straight into the chaos- but New Orleans would stay with her forever.

Like a bird in the sky or an unconfined breeze swaying across the trees, she was free.

Her and Rebekah were in Elena's bedroom, finishing up the last of her packing with music blaring through the stereo and an eagerness between them that could only come from the excitement of leaving all commitments behind.

"Where should we go first?" Elena asked, as she folded one of her shirts and threw it into her suitcase, "I was thinking Vegas."

"Do you know how many times I've been to Vegas?" She looked at her with disapproval, "it's actually a crazy high number."

"Yeah but how many times have you been with someone that isn't one of your brothers?" She retorted, raising her eyebrows and radiating amusement.

"Once," She responded, looking defeated, "but I went on my own and threw a party that nearly destroyed Caesars Palace."

"Well, imagine that again but with me, we'll have a wickedly good time."

"I can't argue with that," Rebekah smirked, "I concede, Vegas it is."

The girls were laughing and dancing when they heard a blast of wind emerge from behind them and they spun to face the sound, they saw Klaus standing in the doorway and leaning against the frame.

"So, you're both really going to leave us tomorrow, then?" He asked, arms folded and demeanour unreadable, "Vegas, I hear?"

"That's right," Elena said with a grin and the two girls high-fived, as they continued to pack.

"That's not a problem, is it, Niklaus?"

Rebekah tested him, every time she had tried to be free of Klaus and the burden of Always and forever, she found herself waking up a century later after being daggered for her supposed treachery. It tore her up a little bit each time when her supposed family, her brother, would treat her so maliciously.

"Not at all," he walked inside the room, approaching Elena's dresser and picking up the book that was perched on it. He flicked through the pages of Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, taking a moment to appreciate her choice before speaking, "Rebekah, would you mind giving me and Elena a moment alone, if you would be so kind?"

The girls looked at each other with a furrowed brow, Elena shook her head and Rebekah shrugged her shoulders at her, "Sure, Nik."

Elena picked up the pillow on her bed and launched it at the Original Vampire as she headed through the door and rolled her eyes with a smirk, "what can I do for you, Klaus?" She asked, continuing in her packing.

He closed the door and turned around to face her, arms behind his back and gaze locked on her, "I would like to say thank you for everything you have done for my family-"

"Don't get mushy on me now, Klaus," she said with a slight look of playful disgust and he smiled, head dipped and dimples showing.

"Believe me, no 'mush', I have no feelings towards you whatsoever but that doesn't mean I'm without basic manners," he retorted, walking towards the bed and taking a seat, "you've been useful these past couple of months and you have used your particular set of skills-"

"You know that line is from a movie right?" She cut him short abruptly, anything to end the tedium of Klaus actually being nice and, well, she could never pass up an opportunity to showcase her movie knowledge. Shamefully, it was vast.

"I did not," he said with a small smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you," she sat beside him on the bed, laughing as she glared playfully at him, "Liam Neeson, taken."

"Well, your brand of skills have been a nightmare for me, so I shall say that line does resonate with you," they chuckled, "and you don't have money either, as proven by my credit card bill."

"I have money, all my family is dead and I'm the last living Gilbert, I inherited everything," she laughed as she watched him give a look of playful shock, "I just preferred spending your money."

"A small price to pay for your involvement in securing Elijah's return."

"I'm officially a spy, I was paid for my services," she said comically and held her hands together in the shape of a gun. He laughed, a genuine laugh and it was a pleasant surprise for her.

This was the Elena he sought to save with the aid of his family, the one that wasn't held back by the reigning terror of Mystic Falls, haunted by the past sins he and his family had committed against her and free from all torment. Free to live her life as she pleased, he only wished he had more time to switch her emotions back on and return her to a state of happiness.

Even if only to quell his own guilt in the atrocities he had made her suffer through.

He never thought he would feel anything towards the doppelgänger but now that he has had the chance to see her in a different light, he was riddled with guilt and remorse. And he hated it. He was Klaus freaking Mikaelson, void of humanity and emotions and the very monster everyone knew to fear because of his lack of remorse, yet he had it for her.

"Joking aside," Klaus said, eyes meeting hers once again, "I would like to extend the offer of you staying in New Orleans with my family, or at the very least, make you aware that you are welcome here anytime."

"You want me to stay?" She asked, lips parted ever so slightly and she was completely taken aback.

"No," he answered too quickly for it not to be suspicious and he started rambling, "Yes- I mean, if you wanted to stay, I wouldn't kill you for suggesting it."

"Yeah, nice save, Mr. Smooth," she rolled her eyes playfully and smirked, before standing from the bed and continuing in packing the last few items of clothing she had, "as for the offer of staying, whilst I think you're being nauseatingly kind once again and it's a very disconcerting look on you, I would respectfully decline."

"The offer is always there," he said, walking towards the bedroom door and holding it open, "care for a drink before I have to go and kidnap Sophie Devereaux?"

"Now that sounds more like you," she smiled and followed him out, "Classic Klaus."

Finalising the details for their departure, Elena and Rebekah were stood in the kitchen, glass of scotch in hand and booking the tickets for a hotel stay in Vegas. They decided on a plane, booked a rental car and now they were perusing through the casino websites, listening to Klaus scold Sophie in the background.

"We had a deal! You protect my unborn child, I dismantle Marcel's army. And whilst I've been busy fulfilling my part of the bargain, you allowed Hayley to be attacked and almost killed by a gaggle of lunatic witches."

Elena shook her head and chuckled, before clicking on the next website in the list and opening the page, "Ooh, the Bellagio," she said with an impressed look, "we have to go there."

"It's incredible," Rebekah agreed, eyes glued to the screen, "I must take you to a Cirque du Soleil show.. And show you the Hoover Dam."

"Sounds amazi-"

"What kind of vision?"

"She has them all the time. They are totally open to interpretation. I'm guessing she's wrong on this one."

Elena and Rebekah furrowed their brows and instantly left the kitchen, walking through the corridor and joining with the others in the main sitting room. Klaus was sat in the armchair in the corner, Hayley stood under the arch with a decaff in hand and Sophie had been deposited onto the chair opposite Klaus.

There was something about Hayley that she resonated with, something about her and her unborn child that made Elena protective when they were spoke of in a threatening manner. She was lacking emotion, void of humanity and didn't much care for the girl, but yet, she would not see Hayley come to harm.

Perhaps it had been that growing bond Hayley had inflicted upon her during the months she made her sit through the tedious heart-to-hearts the wolf seemed to enjoy so much.

"Well, how, may I ask, was this particular vision interpreted?" Klaus asked.

"Pretty much that your baby would bring death to all witches," Sophie responded with a tight-lipped smile and a shrug of her shoulders. Elena instantly sniggered and leaned against the doorframe with her arms folded.

"Ah, well, I grow fonder of this child by the second," Klaus mused, a wicked smile spread on his lips.

"I may even be inclined to babysit now," Elena met Klaus' gaze and they both grinned, sharing in the amusement of the witches torment.

"Sophie, look, I promised Elijah that I would protect the Mikaelson miracle-baby whilst he tries to win your witch Davina's loyalty. Why don't you tell me just how extreme this faction is?" Rebekah returned the subject topic back on course and sat down on the sofa opposite Sophie.

"Elijah's talking to Davina?" Sophie was shocked, it was obvious.

"Yeah. As we speak, I imagine," Rebekah commented.

"I'm guessing she'll have plenty to say about that crowd," the look of concern that etched into Sophie's face almost instantly at the mention of Davina and Elijah made them all wary.

"Do tell," Klaus was intrigued. Defensive, protective and ready to kill.

"I-" she paused for a long moment, grimacing, "wasn't always an advocate for the witches."

"I'm gonna need a drink for this," Elena rolled her eyes, completely uninterested and went to walk out of the room to fetch a bottle when...

"Make that two," Klaus called out after her.

"Three!" Rebekah shouted through too and Elena just grinned amusingly as she went to the kitchen to grab the bottle and glasses before returning to the living room.

She poured them out and passed them around, listening to Sophie Deveraux tell the story of how she left New Orleans to travel, to be away from the witches and the responsibilities that came with it. A sickeningly human notion that she hadn't expected from the witch.

Elena handed Klaus' glass to him before sitting down on the sofa beside Rebekah, she crossed her legs beneath her and continued to listen to Sophie.

She went on to explain about The Harvest ritual, how four girls would have to be sacrificed to return power to the witches in the Quarter. By appeasing the ancestors, they allow the witches to continue to channel their well of power and restore them to full strength.

"They had the girls of our community preparing for months. Four would be chosen for the Harvest. They said that it was an honor, that they were special. I thought it was a myth," Sophie explained, filled with a look of guilt and remorse. There was still more to the story, everyone could tell and they knew it was going to end well.

Ancient rituals and covens of witches sacrificing young girls for power was something Elena was inept in, she hadn't cared much for magic before besides Bonnie's growing power, but since being in New Orleans, she'd had gained slightly more knowledge in the craft.

"Was it?" Rebekah asked, glancing between Sophie and Klaus with a look of shock confusion on her facial features.

Klaus' phone started ringing and brought an abrupt end to the conversation, he removed it from his pocket and read the caller ID before standing from his chair and answering, "Marcel, bit early in the day for you, isn't it?"

"I know, I make this look easy, but I still have an empire to run," he responded, sounding far too chipper considering the current situation.

"Rather you than me. All that responsibility seems like such a bore."

"Well, this might spice things up-- I just heard about a bunch of dead witches out in the Bayou. The kinda damage a werewolf might do, only there was no full moon. I have an informant out there I need to meet, and I would love for you to go with me."

"Dead witches in the Bayou. Sounds like less of a problem, and more like a cause for celebration," Klaus raised his eyebrow, trying to deflect the truth behind the attack.

"Well, something killed them and may still be out there. And with your blood being the only cure for a werewolf bite, I would love for you to accompany me," he offered once again, "And bring Elena, I'm sure she'll be able to help. Besides, I haven't seen her since the festival."

Elena's back went suddenly straight and she pursed her lips together, shaking her head and pointing her finger at him, "No, Klaus, don't you dar-" she mouthed.

"Don't tell me the King of the Quarter has a crush on our sweet Elena?" He looked at Elena, amusement spread all over his face as he continued to taunt.

Elena widened her eyes and she looked at him with pure irritation, "I'm going to kill you," she mouthed.

"Now wouldn't that be just crazy?" He paused, musing, "Are you both coming or not?" Was he deflecting too? God, she hoped not.

"Oh, why not? Haven't been to the Bayou in ages and I'm sure Elena is going to just love it," she threw a cushion at him, landing it on his chest and he had to suppress the laugh, "we're on our way."

"Peace out, brother."

As soon as the call ended, Klaus laughed, Rebekah and Hayley laughed and even Sophie tried to hide the fact that she was thoroughly amused. But Elena was far from it, to even imply any sort of romantic notion about Marcel made her stomach knot and Klaus' laugh alone made it unbearable.

Elena sped onto her feet and raced towards him, intent on, at least, knocking him over but he zoomed to the opposite side of the room to dodge her, stood firmly behind the sofa she was just sat at. "so, you and Marcel-"

"You are so dead," she raced towards him once again but he dodged, swapping positions in the room with her once again and she grew impatient. She grabbed the glass from the table and sent it hurling towards him. He ducked down as it shattered against the wall behind him and pointed his finger towards her.

"That was a bit much, love," his amusement was unending, he even allowed the attack against him, just to relish in the torment that was Elena and Marcel.

"I'm not going," she folded her arms, strong in her stance and her chin was pointed up slightly, she was sure she wasn't going to change her mind.

"You can't disappoint your boyfriend now, can you?"

"You're insufferable," she said with a voice as cold as ice, "I'm not going to the bayou, I'll ruin these perfectly good Jimmy Choo's you unwittingly bought me."

"I'll buy you more, sweetheart."

Oh, he was good.

She conceded, slumping onto the sofa beside Rebekah and she dropped her head on her shoulder, feigning disappointment as the Original Vampire smoothed her hand over her hair and switched on the sarcasm, "there, there, love, take the shoes and negotiate a new purse whilst you can."

"Fine," she said defeatedly and stood back onto her feet, joining by Klaus' side and nudging his waist with her elbow. Obviously, he laughed, her suffering bringing only a raw amusement to him.

"You can't go out there now. I need to gather the witches' remains and consecrate them. If I don't get to them before sundown, we'll lose the link to their magic," Sophie protested avidly.

"Those witches tried to kill Hayley. I'd prefer for Marcel's informant not to find anything that would lead him back to us, to her, or to, you know..." he pointed at her stomach, "That."

Hayley rolled her eyes, looking at him with a blank expression, "You are all class."

Klaus headed for the door, quickly spinning and pointing towards Sophie, "Stay put. And save the rest of your story 'til we return. Come now, little doppelganger, time to go."

"Vegas. Think of Vegas." She mumbled to herself and Rebekah nodded her head sympathetically as she walked towards Klaus and headed for the door, "let's get this over with."

Bayou bar.

A long car ride later and Elena found herself at a bar. Granted, this was better than the alternative of trudging through swamp to find the bodies of the dead witches but when she read the sign 'Big Auggies Bayou Bar', it was safe to say, she still wasn't thrilled about their venture.

She was sat at the bar, nursing a glass of scotch in a tumbler that she was certain hadn't been washed since the establishment opened and listening to Marcel talk about the potential werewolf threat that could make its way to the Quarter. She knew this to be false information, the attack had been committed by a lone wolf, desperate to save Hayley from the witches that tried to murder her. But Marcel didn't know that.

Klaus had stepped outside to make a call and she found herself switching on the charm and false sense of emotion to keep up her ruse.

"I'm going to see what's taking Klaus so long," she quickly interrupted him before he started on the topic of more potential threats and swanned out of the bar.

"What's the matter Rebekah? You're cross that I'm out with your ex?" Klaus spoke with a sardonic attitude.

Elena approached, standing at his side whilst she listened in to the conversation between the siblings.

"What is that dreadful hillbilly ruckus in the background?" She sounded angry and Elena wasn't surprised.

"According to the dreadful signage, it's Big Auggie's Bayou Bar," he said amusingly, this was far from the usual bars he had grown accustomed too and she could see the pretentious smirk he had crafted.

"Well, order up a few rounds of moonshine and steer clear of the dead witches for a few. The witch is on a burial mission, your baby mama is on a spirit quest, and I'm keeping Elijah's promise to keep her safe. So, stall, please?"

Rebekah hung up the phone and Klaus was now visibly angry, his orders hadn't been followed and now Hayley was in danger.

"I guess that answers my question of 'can we get the hell out of here soon before I kill somebody, please?'"Elena sighed, a bored and impatient sigh and he was completely agreeable.

"Sorry, love, looks like we're stuck here."

They both re-entered the building, joining with Marcel again and this time, Elena ordered a bottle of scotch.

"Elena, sweetheart, is that really necessary?" Klaus raised his eyebrow, goading her and continuing in her torment.

"Yes," she glared at him, grabbing the bottle of scotch and pouring one out for each of them, "I'm sure 'Big Auggie' would approve."

Marcel chuckled, taking the glass and extending it towards her, "we don't want to disappoint Big Auggie now, do we?"

"My thoughts exactly," she tapped her glass against his with a slight more force than usual and drank the shot in one, Marcel following suit and they both looked to Klaus, who had the coldest of looks aimed at Elena and they were positively amused, "Don't be a droner, Klaus, drink up, I'm sure we have much to discuss."

"I'm contemplating in which manner I should deliver your death first, whether it be roasting you alive or simply removing your head," he grabbed the glass, drinking the scotch in one and landing it back onto the bar with a clank, "depends on my mood."

"I would suggest a simple staking, you wouldn't want to ruin my face now, would you?" She smirked, pouring them out another one and catching the glimpse of malice in his hues, "you looked for it for over a thousand years."

His face softened, eyebrows raised and he parted his lips as if he was going to say something but just smirked instead. Speechless, amused but speechless.

Marcel looked from Elena to Klaus and back to Elena again, brow furrowed and significantly more confused than ever, "you're really going to have to tell me this story soon."

Elena and Klaus caught each other's gaze, sharing in a look of suspicion as they both drank a sip of scotch at the same time.

"We'll save it for another time, sweetheart, it isn't relevant," she said, tapping a quick kiss on his cheek and sitting back in her bar stool.

"I'll let it go for now, if only to keep the peace and gain more off those sweet kisses," Marcel grinned, sliding his arm around the back of her chair and he made her chuckle. Klaus certainly didn't look amused, not even in the slightest.

Klaus was growing more and more concerned about their relationship by the day, even though Elena shared all secrets Marcel revealed to her, there was still a lingering ache in the back of his head that warned him to not to trust her, that she only had her own self-interest at heart and would betray them the second a better offer came along. Most emotionless vampires did.

"What is relevant," he cleared his throat, causing Marcel to tut and return into an upright sitting position, "where your informant is?"

"Tomas? He's out sniffin' around. We'll finish our drinks, and then we'll chase him down," Marcel reassured, sipping at his scotch and relaxing in his chair some more.

"Well, I suppose it will give us a chance to talk things over, like why you haven't returned Elijah. Maybe your young witch has grown partial to his company? She must get so bored," he was relentless, always prying as much information as he could and it certainly riled up the King.

"You never stop, do you?" Marcel exasperated, looking down at his glass for a long moment and wondering whether it was worth having him here for his werewolf bite curing blood after all.

"You never answer, do you?" Klaus retorted.

"Why're you so curious about Davina?"

"If I had a 16-year-old all-powerful witch at my beck and call, you would wonder about her, too."

"You're never going to get her," Marcel plastered a fake smile on his lips and refused to break eye contact with the hybrid, ensuring he knew who was in control and refusing to relent in his dominance battle.

"Okay, okay. I'll ask the harmless questions, then. How did you meet her?"

"That might surprise you. This was eight months ago, before I banned the witches from using magic. Relations between vampires and witches weren't what you'd you call friendly, by any means, but let's just say we were a little less... divided. In fact, some of us were getting along just fine."

Elena listened eagerly as he went on to explain his indiscretions with Sophie, how she had informed him of the harvest ritual and the militant witches that intended to sacrifice four girls to appease the ancestors.

"You and Sophie?" Klaus was in a completely incredulous state and they all laughed.

"You slept with Sophie?" Elena blurted out uncontrollably, "my, my, Marcel, fraternising with the enemy, who knew you had it in you? I'm impressed."

"You hypocrite! You torture those witches, and yet there you were, getting positively Romeo and Juliet with Sophie Deveraux," More laughter and disbelief.

"Oh, hey hey hey, it wasn't like that. It was a... mutually satisfying hook-up," Marcel defended, looking more smug than he should have.

"So, if Sophie didn't turn to you, her secret vampire lover, in her hour of need, what did she do?"

"She did what any good girl would do. She went to her priest."

He explained about the meeting with Father Kieran and the witches, how he refused to allow them to go through with the ritual but they didn't take lightly to it and they cursed his nephew.

"The witches were furious with Kieran. Sophie told me that the witches put a hex on his nephew Sean, made it seem like he was slowly losing his mind in order to distract Kieran while they kept planning for the Harvest."

"So they attacked Kieran's nephew," Klaus looked to Elena and she could see the rage in his eyes, she knew everything about Camille and how Klaus had promised to get to the bottom of her twin brothers sudden mental decline.

"Yeah. Kid wasn't the same after that. Ended up going postal, killing all his fellow seminary students. All of them. And then himself."

"I might have read about that. The boy... killed a twin, or he was a twin, or something," Klaus feigned his ignorance and took a large swig of scotch.

"Ah, no, no, no, they said he had a twin sister."

Their conversation was interrupted by Klaus' phone ringing once again and he groaned out of annoyance as he took it from his pocket. Once he read the caller ID, he went outside the bar to take it and talk to Rebekah.

"Let me understand this-- against all logic, you and Hayley went to the Bayou, where you ran into a man you think may be Marcel's informant, and then you lost him?" Klaus spat, his patience with his sister all but dwindled.

"Yes, and now that we've established that I am a failure as a sister, and a friend, and an Original, you should probably know he's on his way to Marcel right now to rat me out. Skinny guy in a hurry, looks like he saw a ghost."

"I'll handle it, Elena can distract."

He shook his head, returning to the bar to see Elena and Marcel laughing and drinking away. There was subtle signs of Marcel's growing affections and he just about caught onto them. The way he spoke to her with a softened voice, placed his hand on the back of her chair and caught a catch of her hair when it swung around his fingers and how even when she wasn't looking, he would gaze.

He cleared his throat as he approached the bar stool and the pair turned to look at him, all smiles and amusement simmering down.

"Your sister again?" Marcel asked.

"She craves attention," he offered up an excuse, drinking the remainder of his drink before he spoke again, "So, come along, you were just getting to the juicy bits."

"I can't joke around about this. I've done a lot in my day, but I do have a rule about kids," this he was certain of, Elena could hear it in his voice, it was unshaken and powerful, firm in his words and he wouldn't relent.

The last part of the story was revealed, the witches had lied to the chosen girls, they had intended on sacrificing them the entire time, offering only the lie of a simple cut along their palms. They were slaughtered, and the only person that was trying to stop the ritual was Sophie Deveraux.

And how, at the last minute, just as Davina was about to be sacrificed, Marcel and his vampires intervened, slaughtering the witches and anyone involved in the murder of four innocent girls. He rescued Davina after watching her defend herself against a man trying to restrain her and intended on sacrificing her.

"There was something about seeing Davina fight. She didn't just go along to the slaughter, you know?" He spoke with a quiet voice, the love he had for this witch was profound, he talked about her like they were family and had been their entire lives.

"I do," Klaus smiled lightly, "Marcellus."

"I obviously don't," She shot Klaus a quick smirk and it was reciprocated, before kicking back the remainder of scotch in her glass.

"I felt like she and I," he paused a beat, talking sombrely, "we were kindred spirits."

"You were quite the knight in shining armor. Though Davina must realize you owe her as much as she owes you. You never could have banned the witches from using magic without her," Klaus said.

"She's not exactly besties with them. I'm protecting her. A lot of them would like to get their hands on her and kill her to finish the Harvest. If they don't, the other girls stay dead, and they lose their power."

"And if they do, you lose yours."

"And Davina loses her life," Marcel seemed to genuinely care about the young witch's wellbeing, even though she was powerful and he had all that magic at his disposal, Elena reckoned he would trade it all, just to keep her safe.

Elena went to grab the bottle of scotch before she feigned realisation that it was empty, her eyes widened slightly and she coldly changed the subject, "when did we drink all this?" She smirked, offering up a distraction for Klaus to leave the bar - she heard the phone call, she knew what she was supposed to do.

"I think I drank most of it," Klaus feigned his drunkenness and slurred his words amusingly, "Elena, sweetheart, I think it's time you divulge Marcel the story regarding our past. I'm gonna use the loo, back in a tick."

Klaus walked towards the bathroom and quickly exited the bar, Elena knew it was to kill Tomas, she heard most of his and Rebekah's conversation earlier and she was being used to distract Marcel.

"A story for a story, huh?" Elena said with a smirk, before ordering two more drinks and turning to face Marcel attentively.

"I'm dying to know," he encouraged, leaning towards her just that touch more and opening an attentive ear.

Elena had been cautious in her time spent with Marcel, to not reveal too much of her past with the Mikaelson's, she didn't want him to know of the sacrifice or her doppelgänger nature in case it would be used against her. She was in a city filled with powerful witches, for all she knew and it'd be just her luck, if they could somehow find a way to restore it or use it against Klaus somehow, she was his trophy after all, the mere object of his symbol of power gained from breaking the curse that made him the strongest creature on earth.

"If I tell you, you have to swear you won't tell anybody. As much as it is ancient history, I still don't want anyone to know that I haven't allowed," she was put on the spot by Klaus once again and forced into a corner.

"I swear," his voice was low and firm, both indicators of his vow and she relented.

"Okay, long story short, I'm the reason Klaus unlocked his hybrid nature, he had to drain me completely of blood during a ritual sacrifice to break the curse Esther put on him a thousand years ago," the big reveal, he finally got the information he sought from her and he did look positively shocked. She found it funny.

"What?" He exasperated, his mouth open agape as he processed, "He killed you?"

"Yep," she said, toying with her glass in her fingers and staring at the liquid within it, "I came back though, my father -who I actually thought was my uncle for years but later found out he gave me up at birth- cast a spell, so that his life would be taken in place of mine."

"Why did he have to sacrifice you specifically?" He asked with a furrowed brow.

"I'm the doppelgänger," her eyebrows raised slightly, an amused smirk spread on her lips as she watched him stare at her curiously and with bewilderment riddled on his features, "a supernatural occurrence created by powerful magic from a time long before The Originals. My face has popped up over the centuries, I've met one of them, she was a real bitch though. My blood was a powerful binding agent that witches could use to seal spells of great magnitude. It was also used as a power source in spells that require more magic than the witch in question possessed. Kinda like a full moon, witches draw power from it."

"Was?"

"When I became a vampire, it lost the mystical properties needed to be used in spells," she gave a light shrug of her shoulders and held her drink near her mouth as she spoke, "but here's the kicker, Esther installed a failsafe, if I died, then Klaus wouldn't be able to make any hybrids."

"Your blood is what made hybrids?" More shock.

"Yep, the murderous Mikaelson mama used the blood of my ancestor to lock away his werewolf side and only the blood of the doppelganger could be used to break it. He was relentless during my human days, would drain bags worth of my blood to make more hybrids in order to further his need for a powerful army at his side, he terrorised my life for the closer part of a year."

"This is unbelievable, Elena, I can't belie-" he paused, collecting himself and finding the words, "I'm sorry you went through that."

"In hindsight, wasn't a big deal," she was so nonchalant, it irritated him.

"How can you say that? Why are you even with this family if this is how they treated you?"

A subject she often thought about, especially in her human days when she was consumed by compassion and she sympathised with him on some level, it was never truly his fault. He was shackled away, forced to run for centuries and feared any true happiness because of it. It was comparable to the life she had lead, people died for her during the ritual that was forced upon her, her very nature being the reason everything became so twisted in her life and those of her loved ones. Back then, things weren't so black and white.

And as for now, she just didn't care.

"You know, bygones or whatever."

"Either you're really well adjusted and amazing at compartmentalising or there's something missing."

"And story time is over," she had revealed enough, "now you know."

"I was not expecting that," he still looked at her with compassion in his eyes and also a tad bit of awe, "I guess you and Davina have a lot more in common than I thought."

"Yep, just your two average sacrifice girls," she said amusingly and they both laughed, although Marcel probably had every intention of introducing her to Davina at one point, possibly when he could trust her more, even if only to relate in their shared trauma, Elena had no desire to do so whatsoever. Faking humanity was starting to become not only tiresome but a problem.

"Excuse me, sweetheart, I need to run the bathroom."

Klaus returned a few minutes later, glancing around the bar before setting his confused gaze onto Elena, "Where's Marcel?"

"Bathroom," she spoke with a sudden furrowed brow at the realisation... "but that was a few minutes ago now."

"He didn't tell you he was leaving?" Klaus asked, his confusion heightening, as well as his concern.

"...No, Do you think he realized we were stalling him?"

Klaus, pondering his thoughts and brainstorming conclusions, gave a look of concern, "No. Unless... he was stalling us."

"What could he possibly be up too?"

"Head home, ensure Hayley and Rebekah have returned safely and I'll go find out what Marcel has planned."

Elena nodded her head and vanished from the bar.