Elena and Rebekah made their way into the Lockhart mansion for Homecoming. Elena had received a call from Caroline explaining that Homecoming had been moved to Tyler's due to the school gym flooding. "Well, at least now that the party is here, I can start the 'getting drunk' portion of the evening sooner rather than later."
"Just go slow. I don't think you want to put on a drunken spectacle for all our classmates," Rebekah said.
Caroline soon came to greet them. "You're here. I almost wish you weren't."
"You practically bullied me into coming here tonight," Elena reminded her friend.
"That was before I realized Tyler threw this party for Klaus," Caroline said in an annoyed tone.
"What?" Elena asked in slight horror. This was the last thing she needed. To come face to face with the brother she hated mere hours after learning that that was what he was. There went her day of normalcy.
"Nik is here?" Rebekah asked in surprise. She knew he was coming, of course, but she didn't think he'd show up at the Homecoming party.
Caroline glowered at her. "As if you didn't know."
"I'm going to find the liquor," Elena said before walking away. She found the table with booze easily enough. It was really just an assortment of beers and some cups. "Damn it, Tyler. You couldn't spring for the hard stuff."
Suddenly a bottle of Scotch was put in front of Elena, and a British accent was heard seconds later. "Don't worry. I always come prepared, love."
Elena looked up and stared at Klaus for a minute before grabbing the bottle he'd put in front of her and a cup. She poured herself a generous amount. "Why the hell not? My day can't get worse."
"Careful with that, love. It's strong," Klaus said.
Elena ignored him and took a large gulp, which she instantly regretted as she began to feel lightheaded. "Whoa."
Klaus chuckled. "I warned you. You know, I wouldn't have pegged you for a heavy drinker."
"Yeah, well, I've had a day, which you are making worse by inflicting your presence on me," Elena said before taking another sip of her drink, this time a much smaller one.
"Well, you can't be surprised to see me. After all, you put a dagger in my father's heart. You knew I was coming. I must thank you for that, love. You've saved me a lifetime of misery. However, I do wonder if perhaps all is not as it seems. Are you and your little friends still plotting my death?" Klaus asked.
"Yep," Elena said matter-of-factly. What was the point of denying it? Klaus knew they hated him. He knew her friends were looking to kill him.
Klaus raised an eyebrow in surprise. It wasn't often someone could take him by surprise, but he didn't expect her to be quite so honest. "I'll admit, I wasn't expecting that. I figured you'd at least attempt to deny it."
"Why? It's not like it's a secret. I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. Of course, my friends want you dead. They will always want you dead," Elena said.
"Hmm. I noticed you left yourself out of that. I would think you'd want me dead more than anyone else. After all, as long as I live, you belong to me. I do hope you haven't forgotten that. I allow you to live your little life here, but I could take it away at any moment," Klaus whispered into her ear.
Elena glared at him before emptying the contents of her drink down her throat and pouring herself another. "I don't want anyone dead. No matter how much easier your dead would make my life. I'm not you, Klaus. Excuse me," Elena said before taking her drink and walking away. She went over to one of the couches and sat down. She knew already that this was going to be a long night.
Rebekah joined Elena moments later and sat down. "Hey. Are you alright?"
"Your brother's a dick," Elena grumbled.
"I believe he's our brother now, and, yes, he is," Rebekah agreed.
"You should call Mikael," Elena said quietly.
"I…I don't know," Rebekah said hesitantly. She didn't trust Mikael. She wanted to. The part of her that longed for a parent wanted to believe his story, but every day of her life with that man told her that he was a monster.
"I'm not sure you have any choice. I'm sure Stefan's here somewhere. He probably already let Damon know that Klaus is here, or he will soon. Look, I know you don't trust Mikael, but I really don't think he wants to hurt Klaus," Elena said.
Rebekah sighed. She supposed her sister was right. Her father would show up one way or another. It would only be made worse if the Salvatores' were with him. She should at least know what he was planning. "Alright, I'll call."
"Great. I'm going to get another drink," Elena said.
"Switch to beer please. The last thing I need is you hammered when things go down," Rebekah said.
Elena said nothing as she got up and walked away.
Rebekah took out her phone and dialed Damon's number. She didn't have a number for her father, but he should be at the Salvatore house.
"What do you want. We're getting ready to come kill your brother," Damon said as he picked up the phone.
Rebekah was less than thrilled that he already knew about Nik, but it didn't change what she needed to do. "Put him on the phone."
There was a shuffle with the phone before Mikael's voice could be heard. "Rebekah, hold on."
Rebekah waited. No doubt her father wanted to get away from Damon before they spoke.
"Alright, I'm outside. Speak very quietly," Mikael said in a barely audible tone. A human would not be able to hear him in the slightest.
"Well, obviously you know Nik is here. What is your plan?" Rebekah asked.
"To explain things to him. I need you to get him outside. This conversation can't take place in a crowded party with an invisible barrier between us," Mikael said.
"And can I be assured that you're leaving your stake where it is?" Rebekah asked distrustfully.
"I have it with me. I knew the Salvatore's would wish to see it, and I needed their cooperation until the end. I will take care of them momentarily and be on my way. I have no intention of using it, Rebekah. I only want my family back, which includes Niklaus and Elena," he said.
"I suppose I have no choice but to trust you. Fine, I'll get him outside. Don't make me regret this. If you hurt him, I don't care what I have to do, I will put you down!" Rebekah swore quietly.
"I… Hold on, Rebekah."
Rebekah frowned. Her father had taken on a slightly worried tone. That couldn't possibly be a good thing.
"Rebekah, Damon is gone, and he has my stake," Mikael said in a frantic tone.
"What? You gave it to him?" Rebekah asked in horror.
"Of course not. It was in my jacket pocket. He must have taken it. This changes everything. You need to warn Niklaus. Get him and Elena out of there. I'm on my way," Mikael said before hanging up.
"Bloody hell," Rebekah swore before getting up and searching for her brother. She found him in the next room with Tyler. "Nik, we need to talk."
Klaus looked over at his sister before addressing Tyler. "Give us a minute, mate."
Tyler nodded before leaving the room.
"Rebekah, I wondered where you had gotten off to. I saw you come in with the doppelganger, but not since. Since when do you spend your time with her anyway? I thought you hated the doppelganger over Stefan," Klaus said.
"Nik, we don't have time for you to be you. Damon Salvatore is here and he has Father's stake," Rebekah told him.
"What?! How did he get that?" Klaus demanded to know.
"He took it from his jacket when he wasn't looking," Rebekah said.
"When he wasn't looking? He isn't dead then," Kaus deduced in a cool tone.
"No," Rebekah admitted. There was no point in denying. Their father was on his way, and they had other problems.
"You tricked me! You brought him here to kill me!" Klaus snarled in a furious tone.
"You murdered our mother! And yet, I still wouldn't have been able to go through with it.
Klaus could only stare at her. He'd spent centuries trying to hide what happened to their mother. Now that secret was out.
"Look, we can discuss this later. We need to leave. We have to find Elena first though," Rebekah said.
"Obviously. The bastard would kill her just to spite me. I'm not taking anymore chances. The doppelganger comes with me," Klaus said. He wasn't concerned about Damon Salvatore. He could take the little vampire easily. However, his father was another story.
"Come on," Rebekah said before leading the way back to the party to search for Elena.
Xxxxxxxxxxx
Elena was outside with a beer in her hand. She needed a few minutes away, especially considering the family drama that was going to fall on them all at any second. She couldn't believe how much her life had fallen apart in one day. Yesterday, all she had to deal with was Stefan not having his humanity and Klaus wanting her blood. Now, her father was a vampire and she was related to Klaus. It was all just unbelievable, and the alcohol was not working fast enough. She was definitely a bit drunk, but not nearly enough.
Elena soon felt another presence. She turned and saw Damon heading for her. "Damon, what are you doing here? Where's Mikael?"
"I'm sure he'll be here soon, but it will be all over by then," Damon said with a grin before taking the white oak stake from his pocket.
"Where did you get that? Mikael wouldn't have given it to you," Elena said. Even if Mikael did want Klaus dead, he wasn't the type to send others to do his dirty work. He would've come himself.
"Of course not. I took it when he was talking to Rebekah. I'm not trusting him with this. I'm sure he's up to something. I'll end this myself. You need to go now," Damon said.
Elena shook her head. "No, you can't."
"It'll be fine. He may be stronger than me, but I have the one thing that can kill him. I will end this. Now, get out of here," Damon ordered.
"No, I can't let you kill him," Elena said. She didn't think Damon could kill Klaus, even with the stake. He wasn't strong enough. However, she wasn't willing to take the risk. Whether she liked it or not, he was her brother.
"What?" Damon asked in disbelief.
Just then, Klaus and Rebekah came out. "Hand over the stake, Damon, before you don't live to regret your actions tonight."
Damon grinned at Klaus. "Sure. I'll imbed it right in your chest."
"Damon, no! Just give me the stake and walk away," Elena said as she held her hand out for it. This was going to end badly if he didn't give up. She didn't think he could kill Klaus, but even if he couldn't, it would end in bloodshed. Mikael wasn't going to take kindly to someone trying to murder his son. Elena didn't want either Klaus or Damon to end up dead.
Klaus laughed. "Even your little girlfriend knows you're on a suicide mission. You should listen to her."
"Elena, come over here," Rebekah told her sister as she held out her hand.
Damon looked at Elena like she was crazy. "What the hell are you doing? Why are you protecting him? This was the plan the whole time, only Mikael won't be the one to do it."
"That plan went to hell this morning. Truthfully, it was never going to happen because Mikael doesn't want Klaus dead, neither do I," Elena said.
Klaus blinked in surprise at the doppelganger's pronouncement. He wasn't sure why she was under the impression that Mikael didn't want him dead. Of course, he wanted him dead. He hated him. He'd always wanted him dead.
"Why?" Damon asked in utter confoundment.
"Because he's my brother," Elena finally told him. There was no reason to hide it at this point. It would come out soon anyway.
Klaus gaped at the girl in disbelief. What game was she playing? They were in no way related. That wasn't even physically possible. Was she lying or had she actually lost her mind?
Damon looked at Elena like she'd grown a second head. What she was saying was completely insane. Klaus wasn't her brother. He was nothing to her, except the evil hybrid that had murdered her and wanted to use her for her blood. "I think the alcohol has addled your brains. Jeremy is your brother.
"So is Klaus," Elena said as she stared at Damon. She made a point not to look back at Klaus. She didn't want to see his reaction.
"You know what? I'll figure out what's wrong with you later. Right now, I'm taking this bastard out," Damon said before lunging towards Klaus.
Elena dropped her drink before pushing Damon back. She then grabbed ahold of the arm holding the stake.
Damon was taken aback by how strong Elena was. She wasn't stronger than him, but she was putting up a good fight. He was literally struggling with her. "Let go, Elena!"
Damon, stop!" Elena yelled as she struggled with him.
"Elena!" Rebekah yelled in concern.
Damon tried to pull his hand lose, but it wasn't working. He moved the stake down, hoping it would give him some friction, however, what happened next horrified him. His hand slipped, and the stake embedded itself into Elena.
Elena screamed in pain and finally let go of Damon. She noticed the stake piercing through her shoulder and she fell to the ground.
