"Well, tonight was a total bust," Damon says, pouring himself a drink now awoke from his slumber thanks to Elijah snapping his neck. "Not only is the weapon that supposedly can kill Klaus missing but now the whole original family is in town."
"It was either to help Elijah or let Stefan become a marshmallow." She takes the glass from Damn. "I think I made the right choice."
"Right or not, they're awake." Says Stefan.
"And free to torment Klaus, which almost makes tonight worth it. Almost." Alyssa says, taking a drink from her cup.
"Either way, they need to be dealt with," Stefan says.
"Great idea, Stefan, why don't you go do that? Wait…they can't be killed. And the weapon that was supposed to kill him is gone." Damon says in annoyance.
"While you go hide with your tail between your legs." Alyssa mocks and sits her cup down. "I'm going to get proactive."
"Elijah?" He's coming out of her house when she walks up. "What are you doing here?"
"Assuring Elena's safe return."
"Why wouldn't she….?" She asked but didn't finish her thought because she already knew. "Rebekah."
"Yes, my little sister can be quite vindictive when crossed. I hope you won't hold it against her, as I'm sure you can relate."
She smiles softly. "I'm working on it." She walks towards the swing and sits down.
He turns to face her, putting his hands in his pocket. "How is that going?"
She bends down and takes off the heels she still has on from dinner. "Slow." She leans back up. "But that's the good thing about being able to live forever; I have a lifetime to work on personal growth."
He looks at something that interests him over the railing. "Unfortunately, a thousand years' worth of chances for personal growth hasn't yielded many results for Niklaus."
"Your father did a lot of damage that won't be easy to overcome."
He looks at her. "I thought finally killing our father would make him happy. But he seems angrier than ever."
She kicked her feet, and the swings started to move. "Can you blame him? Mikeal's one purpose in life was killing him. Klaus knew it and spent his entire immortal life looking over his shoulder, ready to run immediately. He knew deep down he could never find happiness, not with Mikeal out there, because the minute he did, he could come and take it away. So yeah, the boogeyman might be gone physically, but mentally he'll never be for Klaus. Blood or not, Mikeal was his dad, and that unwillingness to be accepted by a parent leaves damage that can't be undone."
"It's why I'we can achieve peace together."
She gets up and walks over to him. "In the interest of peace," she folds her arms, "you wanted to tell me what's in the coffin that Klaus was so eager to get back."
"Well, that's rather a long and tedious story, but it appears that after a thousand years, my mother has found a way to cheat even death."
"Your mother? She was who was in the coffin? She was the weapon that could kill Klaus?"
"She claims that she wants us to be a family again."
"You believe her?"
"I want to."
"This probably isn't my place to say, but I know if it were me and I had the opportunity to have my family back together, I would trust it. Until she proves otherwise," she leaned against the railing but still looked at him, "which, let's be honest, with your family, she just might."
"Until then, I'd chosen to give her the benefit of the doubt."
"You should. I hope you won't regret it. But then again, I know how protective you are over your family. So for her sake, I hope she means it."
"What my mother says and what she does are entirely two different things."
This means the original family is staying in town.
"Mikealson."
"Well, Elijah Mikealson, it's been a long night so I will say goodnight." She moved from where she leaned against the railing and grabbed her shoes. "We'll talk about how to achieve that whole peace thing later. Though you might want to run it by Klaus first." She turned to him, but he was gone.
The porch light comes on, and Elena steps out.
"I thought you'd be asleep." She tells her and walks into the house that was safe from all originals.
"I was talking to Caroline." Elena closes the door. "Her dad died today."
"How?" They walk upstairs, and Alyssa follows Elena into her room. Elena filled her in on what she missed.
"You're still no closer to figuring out who it is?"
"No. I'm going over to Caroline's in the morning."
"Let her know that I'm here if she needs anything. I know we're not the closest, but I know a thing or three about losing a parent."
"We've never really talked about that."
She gets off Elena's bed. "And I don't want to, at least not tonight. But we do need to talk. You're not going to believe what I found out."
She waits into the morning when she's called both Damon and Stefan over to tell them everything Elijah had told her.
"Their mother, Esther, was sealed in that coffin." She says, pouring herself a cup of coffee.
Stefan asked, "As in the Original Witch?"
Damon asks, "How is she even alive? I thought Klaus ripped her heart out a thousand years ago."
"I don't know. I assume she has a couple of connections in the witching community. Elijah said she wants to live peacefully with her family, including Klaus."
"She was supposed to be the weapon to help us kill Klaus," Elena says.
"Well, not anymore...at least not, according to Elijah."
"That coffin was the only thing stopping Klaus from tearing us to shreds," Stefan says.
Damon looks at the group of four with a furrowed brow. "Anyone else feeling a little used right now?"
"Look, Elijah promised me his family wouldn't hurt us." She tells them. The doorbell rings. "I believe him."
Elena goes and opens the door. No one is there, but on the doormat is an ornately handwritten "Elena Gilbert" envelope on the front. She picks it up, closes the door, and turns around.
Damon and Stefan are in the lobby near her.
"What is it?"
She opens the envelope and removes a card.
"It's an invitation." She answers as Alyssa joins them by the door. Elena reads off the card. "Please join the Mikaelson Family this evening at seven o'clock. For dancing, cocktails, and celebration."
"Who the hell are the Mikaelsons?" Damon asks.
Alyssa responds by taking the card. "The Original Family."
"It's not bad enough they're moving into town. Now they want a housewarming gift?" Damon says.
Elena turns the card over and sees there's writing on the back. "Wait, there's a note on the back. "Elena, I think it's time we finally meet, Esther."
Elena turns to them. "If Esther wants to talk to me, maybe I should find out why."
Damon was unsurprisingly against it. "Well, that's a dumb idea. She already tried to kill you once."
Alyssa saw no harm in it and said, "Elena is right. Bonnie was led to open that coffin for a reason. I think there is more to this than just some family reunion."
Elena agrees."I should find out what she wants."
Damon tells her. "You can't protect yourself."
"Then I'll go." Alyssa volunteers.
"You've pissed off enough Originals to last a lifetime. Stefan and I will go." Damon snatches the invitation out of hand.
She snatches it back. "I also helped to reunite them, so if anybody is going to go to this thing, it's me. Stefan can go with me as my date."
"Only problem is I don't trust you. We'll both go with you."
She hands the invitation back to him. "Fine with me." She looks over at Stefan. "Stefan?"
"Only to keep you out of trouble." He says, walking away from the door.
"Rebekah? Tell me how handsome I am."
"Ah, Kol, you know I can't be compelled," Rebekah says, answering the door.
Alyssa looks over her shoulder to see Elijah in the other room set up for the ball with another one of the Mikealson and another standing in front of a mirror trying on a suit. "Is this a bad time?"
"Just a little friendly quarrel between siblings." Rebekah turns and walks back inside, taking that as an invitation. "We're just preparing for the ball."
She walks past, whom she assumed was Khol checking himself in the mirror. He stops when he sees Alyssa walk in and turns to them.
"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend Beck's?"
"Alyssa, meet my brother Khol." Rebekah introduced herself, sitting on the couch where her nails were done. "He's slightly less deplorable than Niklaus but twice as annoying."
He holds out his hand. "Kol Mikealson."
She shakes it, "Alyssa Gilbert."
"We weren't properly introduced last night."
Elijah came from the main room he had been decorating and stood between them. "And you won't be if I have anything to say about it."
"Calling dibs, brother?"
"You've spent the last century in a coffin, Kol, so perhaps you've forgotten your manners. In any case, I'd be more than happy to teach you."
"That won't be necessary, Elijah; I'm sure Kol didn't mean anything by it."
"See Elijah," he brushes his non-existent lint off his jacket, "no harm done. No need to go defending her honor."
"I'm not the damsel type. If you do something to offend me, I'll snap your neck, or would you prefer the coffin I pulled you out of."
To Elijah, he says, "I like her. She's feisty. You sure you can handle her brother."
"No one's handling anyone," Rebekah says, getting up. "She's here for me."
"Didn't you just try and kill her sister?"
Alyssa looks at Rebekah, "And I've tried to kill her brother," she looks back at Kol, "It's all in the past." "Speaking of, we should go before Klaus comes back." She entirely turns to her.
"He's not happy with me right now, which means I am." They start walking towards the door.
"I'm famished," Rebekah says after they spent all morning shopping for the perfect dress.
"Shall I compel us something to go?" She says, looking around for something to eat.
"Can't, mother's rules."
"Right, no feasting on the locals" She looks behind her. "We could always go to the grill."
"What I need is a date."
She hooks her arms through hers. "Well, I can help with that." They walk towards the grill. "That's Matt's car." She says as he spots his truck. She looks at Rebekah, who gives her a curious look. "We haven't talked since I helped Klaus turn Tyler into a hybrid."
"Why did you?"
"It was the only way to keep him safe. It was the only way to keep them all safe."
They walk into the grill, and Rebekah spots Matt at the bar and Elena and Caroline at a table. Rebekah passes them, but Alyssa stops at the table, knowing that Rebekah wants to talk to Matt.
"Careful, Caroline. It's all good until she stabs you in the back." Rebekah says.
"What are you doing here? You know your mom's rules. No hurting the locals." Elena reminds her.
"Get over yourself, Elena. It's not all about you."
Rebekah walks away over to Matt and gives him an invitation envelope to the ball.
Caroline looks horrified. "Oh, my god. She's inviting him to the ball." She looks at Alyssa. "Why is she inviting him?"
"Probably to get this reaction from you."
Caroline scoffs, "What are you friends now?"
"Caroline, we are." She turns to Elena. "It's too bad you're not coming tonight, Elena, but I promise to take good care of Stefan." She smiles and walks away with Rebekah.
"Come in," Alyssa answers the knock on the door by putting in her diamond stud.
She sees Stefan standing at the door through the floor-length mirror and turns around.
"So? What do you think?"
She wore a red sequin gown that touched the floor with a slide split. She curled her hair and wore only studded diamond earrings.
"Do I look ready for the ball?"
Stefan doesn't reply; he stares.
"I know. I know." She says, picking up her jacket. "It's a little much, but do you know the last time I went to a party where I wasn't plotting to kill someone 'cause I don't."
Still no reply.
"Stefan?"
That seemed to snap him out of it. "You look nice."
She grabs her jacket off the bed. "Thanks." She gives him a weird look as she leaves and shakes her head before going downstairs, where Damon is waiting in the conservatory.
"You're brothers acting weird." She says she made sure she had everything in her purse and then looks up to see him looking at her like Stefan. "What?" She looks at Stefan, who just joined. "Do I look that bad?"
"No." They say in unison before Damon says, "We should go."
"Glady, you guys are freaking me out," She says, leaving the boarding house.
The party was in full swing by the time the three of them arrived. Alyssa scans the room until she finds who she is looking for and starts towards him but is stopped by Damon when he sees her making a move.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"It's a party, Damon. I'm going to do what people genuinely do at a party."
"What about Ester?"
"She wants to see Elena, and Elena isn't here yet."
"Elena isn't coming," Stefan reminded her.
"Elena is who Ester wanted to see. You think I wasn't going to make that happen?"
"What did you do?" Damon asked.
"I might have implied that I would make a move on Stefan if she didn't show. Elena might not know which of you she wants, but she won't be able to handle the thought of someone taking one of you away from her."
She turns and walks away without waiting for a reply and starts towards Elijah, but it stops by Kol.
He takes her hand and kisses it. "You look ravishing."
"You clean up pretty nice yourself. I couldn't even tell you spent the last century in a magical slumber locked in a coffin. Now if you'll excuse me." She tries to walk around him, but he steps in her way.
"I was hoping that you would honor me with a dance later. I won't take no for an answer."
"You really should," Elijah says, appearing behind them.
Kol turns around, annoyed. "You have the worst timing, dear brother."
"I surmise I'm right one time." He extends his hands toward her. "Shall we."
She gives Kol an apologetic smile and takes Elijah's hand, letting him lead her away from Kol.
"Your brother is pretty persistent."
"I can't entirely say that I blame him." He stops and turns to her. She smiles, and he regrettably excuses himself to make an announcement.
He joins his siblings on the stairs. "Uh, if everyone could gather, please."
Esther walks down the staircase from upstairs.
Elijah continues. "Welcome; thank you for joining us. You know, whenever my mother brings our family together like this, it's tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance. Tonight's pick is a centuries-old waltz, so if all of you could please find a partner, please join us in the ballroom."
Alyssa sees Esther retreat silently back upstairs, and Elena moves to go upstairs, but Damon blocks her way.
She looks for Stefan to dance with while Damon is preoccupied with Elena but doesn't see him. She starts to make her way to the ballroom, but instead of Stefan, she finds Elijah. Or rather, he finds her.
He once again extends his hand, "Shall we."
She takes it with a smile and follows him onto the dance floor, and starts to waltz.
"Your mother left in a hurry. Did you know she asked to speak with Elena?"
"I'm not entirely surprised."
"Still suspicious of her?"
"Well, her ability to forgive my brother after everything he's done to destroy this family strikes me as a little strange, to say the least."
"Do you think that it's an act?"
"It has me asking questions I never thought I'd ask."
"I'll find out what she wants from Elena, and as soon as I know, I'll tell you."
He looks at her, surprised.
"I spent so much of my human life angry and sad. I don't want to spend my immortal life the same way. I want to be happy. Keeping the peace between our families is the only way I'll be able to find it. So I'll help you."
Before he could respond, it was time for a partner switch, and she danced with Stefan.
"You and Elijah look cozy."
"We both want the same thing."
"I guess you wanting peace means you're done hating Klaus."
"You were listening."
"As I said, you looked cozy."
"I appreciate you are looking out for me, Stefan, but when it comes to Elijah, you don't have to worry. I know what I'm doing."
She changes dance partners and ends up with Damon.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Not you too."
He shrugs.
"Well, if you were listening, then you heard what I said to Stefan, so there's no need for a repeat."
She walks away from him and runs into Elena.
"Shouldn't you be meeting with Ester? If she's secretly on our side, we need to know."
"Damon won't let me go anywhere near her without protection."
"We need to get him somewhere alone. Text Damon and tell him to meet you in the library." It was the one place she knew no one would go.
She nods and does what she says, and Alyssa leaves so he wouldn't see her.
Elena is standing by the window when he walks in.
"Got your text. What are we doing here?"
Alyssa comes back into the room and breaks Damon's back. Damon collapses on the floor, unconscious.
Alyssa looks down at Damon. "Well, better hurry up. He won't be down for long."
"What about Stefan?"
"I'll handle Stefan. You go."
She nods and leaves the room, and Alyssa drags Damon behind the desk so no one can see him and walks back inside and looks for Elijah. Both Damon and Stefan seemed concerned about the attention she was showing him so that she would use it to her advantage.
She found him where she had left him in the ballroom dancing with someone she recognized from school and walked over to them. "Go dance with someone else."
When she doesn't move, she grabs her hand, turning her around to face it. "I don't think you heard me. Leave now." She compels her, and she walks away.
She turns to Elijah when she's gone and asks, "Where were we?"
"I believe you promised to find out what my mother is up to."
They start dancing. "It's proving to be more difficult. Your mother has clarified that she wants to speak to her alone. Only Damon wasn't letting her out his sights."
"I'm guessing you've taken care of it fr, om your sudden departure."
"Damon won't be a problem. Stefan, on the other hand, might be."
"Well, his attention appears to be elsewhere for the moment."
Alyssa looks over her shoulder to see what he's referring to and sees him dancing with Rebekah, but his eyes are on them.
He stops dancing and holds out his arm. "Maybe we can take advantage of the situation."
She takes his arm and follows him back to a stable full of horses.
"Horses," she walks up to the first one she sees and pets it. "Klaus spared no expense when it came to renovating this place."
"Klaus always had a taste for the finer things."
She looks over her shoulder at him. "What about you? I've never seen you wear anything but a suit. Klaus isn't the only Mikealson who appreciates the finer things." She turns to face him.
"Over the years, I've come to appreciate the beauty of something rather than monetary value, and in case I haven't said it, you look radiant. We should head inside. I'm sure Elena is done talking to Mother by now."
She follows him inside and walks off to find Elena. She finds her with Stefan.
"Lecture later," she tells both brothers when they notice the disapproval looks on their faces. She looks at Elena. "How did it go with Ester?"
"She wanted to apologize for trying to kill me."
"So she has forgiven Klaus?"
"Looks like it."
"Elijah will be happy to hear that."
"Guess that means we're back to square one," Stefan says.
Alyssa goes to find Elijah to tell him the good news. Crystal rings, and Ester emerges downstairs, addressing the guests from the staircase.
She has a glass of red-tinged champagne in her hand as servers come around with glasses of the same champagne. Alyssa takes one and is joined by Elijah.
"I guess you heard the good news."
"Mother has forgiven Klaus."
"Sounds like it."
"You don't believe her?"
"Klaus killed her and carried her around with him as a trophy. Child or not, I don't think I would take that for granted."
"Good Evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. Waiters are coming around with champagne." Ester begins. "I invite you all to join me in raising a glass. It provides me with no greater joy than seeing my family back together. I want to thank you all for being part of this spectacular evening. Cheers!"
"Cheers!" The crowd says in unison, and everyone drinks from their glass.
Alyssa spots Elena watching Elijah looking guilty before she walks off, and Damon follows, and he isn't happy. She excused herself and followed Damon, knowing how he gets when he's angry.
"No, I'm mad at you because I love you!" She catches him, saying it doesn't hurt as much as she suspected.
"Well, maybe that's the problem." She sees Damon is visibly rocked by what Elena said, and she tries to backtrack. "No. That's not what I-"
"No, I got it, Elena. I care too much. I'm a liability. How ironic is that?"
Caroline approaches her to ask, "Have you seen Matt?"
She hadn't seen Matt since he came in with Rebekah, and she wasn't sure whether or not it was a good or bad thing he wasn't there. "I'll help you look."
Ten minutes of looking and she couldn't find Matt, but she did find Damon, standing outside of the Mikealson home, standing over Kol after just snapped his neck.
"Damon! Are you crazy?"
The rest of the Mikaelsons and Elena exit the opened door and see what happened.
"Maybe a little." He answered, looking at Elena. "Far be it from me to cause a problem." He turns his back and walks away.
"Damon could have ruined everything," Alyssa says, ranting from one of the guestrooms in the boarding house. "What the hell got into him tonight?"
"Could be yours and Elena's plan."
She uses her free hand to take off her shoes. "Don't look at me; it was your girlfriend's idea, surprisingly good."
"She could have been killed."
"There's a chance that every day that she takes a breath. Being a doppelganger guarantees it, but she always lives to fight another day."
"You don't sound so disappointed when you say that."
"Since you were listening in on my conversation with Elijah, you know I'm done with that. I'm doing as you suggested. I'm trying to find something that makes me happy. Something that makes me want to get up in the morning."
"Does it have to involve Elijah?"
"Who says it does?" She turns around. "Now make yourself useful and unhook me. I'm dying to get out of this dress."
She moved her hair to one side so he could reach and hold the top of her dress so that it didn't fall when it was unhooked.
She turns around when it's unhooked and waits for Stefan to leave so that she can change.
"Uh, Stefan?" She nods towards the door.
"Right," he turns around and starts to head out. She lets her dress fall and steps out of it.
She leaves the room when she's dressed in her regular clothes and sees Damon and Rebekah enter Damon's bedroom in a heated make-out session before the door closes, and she is confused.
It shows when she goes downstairs and joins Stefan for a drink.
"Did you see that?"
He's fixing himself a drink. "You mean Damon and Rebekah?"
"Yeah. I thought they hated each other."
"It's Damon."
She gives him an authentic look. "Well, at least she's gonna have fun." She smirks. "I know I did."
"I don't need the image, thanks. So you're okay with that?" He nods upstairs
"With Rebekah and Damon? Yeah. She's not Elena, which is who he wants." She saw the sad look on his face when she said that. "Sorry, I know that's a sore subject, but if there's any consolation, I heard him tell her he loves her tonight, and she told him that was the problem which is why he's up there with Rebekah."
He sets his cup down. "Doesn't make it any easier."
"No. It doesn't. But she loves you, and that's more than I can say, and if I choose not to dwell on it, then neither should you. We shouldn't hear whatever is happening up there, so you and I will continue this party elsewhere."
"I'm not…."
"Well, too bad I am." She grabs his hands. "So come on, Mr. Grouchy." She pulls him towards the door, and he follows without much protest.