Elena and Elijah were walking towards the tomb where they'd all once held Katherine prisoner. It was one of the last places Elena could think of that might be capable of hiding coffins without someone stumbling upon them.

"Do you know what I felt when Damon first told me you were my sister?" Elijah suddenly asked.

"Um, shock? Disbelief?" Elena asked. She imagined those would be the first things anyone would feel after hearing something like that. She certainly had. "Vampires aren't supposed to be able to have children. It's supposed to be impossible. I imagine you were even more skeptical because it came from Damon."

Elijah chuckled. "Yes, I thought of all of that. It certainly crossed my mind that Damon was lying. I knew he was at least lying about some of the things he told me. That was confirmed when he tried to refuse to let me see you."

"Because he wanted you to take out Klaus and Mikael before I could tell you that he was a liar. He's an idiot," Elena said.

"Quite," Elijah agreed. "But the fact that Niklaus and Rebekah hadn't fled when our father came back into their lives made me think that Damon was probably telling the truth about you. And that was when pure terror set in."

Elena sighed. She knew where this was going now, and she wasn't too keen on having this conversation again. They didn't agree, and it would do nothing but cause another argument. "Do we really need to go through this again?"

"Mmhm. I need you to understand where I'm coming from. I know I seem like a tyrant to you. I'm forcing you to do something that you don't want to and I'm saying it's for your own good. I probably seem no better than the Salvatore's to you," Elijah said.

"I've made the correlation," Elena said a bit coolly.

"My intention is not to control you, Elena. That's not what I want. I just want you to be safe. I want you to go through your life without losing who you are the way the rest of us have," Elijah said.

Elena sighed sadly. "I know that I can never understand what it was like for you to grow up under Mikael's cruelty. You've said yourself that that's why I can't see things the way you do, and you're right, but what if that's a good thing? I'm capable of seeing the situation more rationally than you are. I'm not blinded by anger and pain."

"You think that I am blinded?" Elijah asked.

"Yes," Elena said before stepping in front of him, halting him from walking any further. "I think that you would look at it a different way if you weren't taught to distrust Mikael. You're the most rational person I know, Elijah, but you refuse to consider that this might be possible."

"That's not true. I have considered it. I know that anything is possible with witchcraft. I've seen what a spell is capable of doing to a person. I've also noted our father's behavior this morning. I admit that he was different today than I'd ever seen him before," Elijah said.

Elena looked at him in surprise. That changed things. Maybe she could get him to listen now. "That is what Rebekah and I have been trying to tell you. He's not the way you remember him."

"And there could be any number of reasons for that, including the fact that he is playing games to gain your trust," Elijah said.

"But one of those reasons could also be a witch's spell," Elena said.

"Yes, it could," Elijah acknowledged. "However, the simple fact of it is, Elena, it just doesn't matter. Trusting our father is not something I'm capable of doing, not with you and our other siblings. I am still mostly certain he's lying. Unless I am given concrete proof that he is telling the truth, my decision stands. We leave here as soon as we locate Kol and Finn. You can hate me for that if you like. I can live with that. I can't live with you learning the hard way who our father is."

Elena was tempted to go off on him again, but instead she took a few breaths to calm down. She needed to handle this rationally. She needed to handle it the way Elijah usually would. "Let's make a deal then."

Elijah shook his head. "I will not make bargains with your safety."

"Just hear me out, please," Elena said with a bit of frustration in her voice.

Elijah sighed but motioned for her to go one.

"You want proof. Give me a chance to get you that," Elena said. She had no idea how she was going to do that, but making a deal now would at least give her a chance to figure it out.

"How do you intend to do that?" Elijah asked.

"I'll figure it out. Give me one month to prove to you that Mikael isn't a threat to us. One month after we find Finn and Kol," Elena added.

"And if you can't?" Elijah asked.

Elena paused for a minute. She knew that she was going to have to follow through with what she said next. Elijah took deals very seriously. He wouldn't let her welch if it didn't go her way. "Then I'll go with you without a fight."

Elijah thought about it for a minute. He really didn't want to force Elena into the car. That was not who he wanted to be in her life. At the same time, he had to make sure she was protected though. "If I were to agree to this, there would be conditions."

"Okay," Elena said, prompting him to go on.

"You are not to be alone with Mikael for any reason. You can spend time with him if you desire, but one of us is to be in the room with you," Elijah said firmly. He would not budge from that. He already didn't like that she was alone with him. He wouldn't let a month go by with her being alone with that man.

"Alright," Elena reluctantly agreed. She didn't like the idea of having to be supervised when she wanted to speak to her father, but she understood where Elijah was coming from, and maybe it would be a good thing. It would force her siblings to spend time with Mikael as well. It could go a long way in proving that Mikael was telling the truth.

"And if I see him try to strike you or our other siblings even once, the deal is off and we leave. Likewise, if he becomes emotionally abusive again. You need to agree that you will not fight me on it," Elijah said.

"Agreed. If any of that happens, it will mean I was wrong. I have no interest in a relationship with someone that would willingly hurt me or my siblings," Elena said.

Elijah stuck out his hand for her to shake. "One month. You have my word."

"And you have mine," Elena said before taking her brother's hand.

Elijah let go and smiled at her. "I sincerely hope this agreement goes better than our last one."

"Hey, you went back on our deal too," Elena said. She wasn't angry or anything. She was glad he hadn't killed their brother. She still felt the need to point it out though.

"I know. I was including myself when I said it," Elijah said.

"I'm sorry for daggering you," Elena said. She'd said it before, but that was before they were siblings. She felt she should say it again.

Elijah smiled and put an arm around her. They continued to walk. "It's alright. You were under the influence of two idiotic young men, one of which you were in love with. Speaking of which, I do hope you know that you are far too good for the likes of Stefan Salvatore."

Elena rolled her eyes and groaned. "Rebekah warned me that you guys were never going to let me have a love life."

Elijah chuckled. "Now, that's simply not true. In the extremely unlikely event that you find someone deserving of you, you will our blessing. Again, however, that is very unlikely. I would almost say it's impossible, but we've both learned recently that not much is impossible."

"Ugh, you guys are going to drive me nuts," Elena said. She tried to sound indignant, but the smile gave her away. It was actually nice to have people that cared enough to be crazy about who she dated. She hadn't had that since her dad died.

"Yes, that's part of the job description. Just so you know, when I finally knew you were okay, I was very happy to find out that you were my sister," he said.

"Thanks," Elena said as they reached their destination. She pulled away from him and made her way to the tomb. The second she reached the entrance, she found herself halted by an invisible barrier. "Well, the good news is that I think we found what we were looking for."

"But we can't get in," Elijah finished for her.

"This means Bonnie was definitely involved," Elena said in a furious tone. She had been pretty sure Bonnie was involved, but knowing it for a fact made it different. Her best friend had kidnapped her siblings to use as bait, despite Elena's anger and stress over it all. "Do you still have witches that will work for you? Can you get someone to undo the barrier spell?"

"Yes, but it would take time. I have no idea where any of those witches are. I would also need leverage to get them to help. I'm not comfortable waiting that long for the Salvatore's or Bonnie Bennett to make another move. There's another option, but I don't think you'll like it very much."

"I don't like any of this, Elijah," Elena said.

"We need leverage. We need someone to use the same way Bonnie is using our siblings. What I am suggesting would destroy your friendship with Bonnie Bennett," Elijah said.

Elena took a deep breath. She was very certain what Elijah was suggesting. She wasn't an idiot. She knew the kind of tactics that her siblings used. However, Bonnie was now using those very same tactics. She was leaving them with no choice but to strike back. "She destroyed that when she used you and our brothers in whatever game she and Damon and Stefan are playing."

"You don't have to be a part of this. I can handle it with Niklaus and Rebekah," Elijah said.

Elena shook her head. "I'm already a part of it, Elijah. Kol and Finn are my family too, and Bonnie is using me as an excuse for all that she's doing. I need to be a part of it. I need these people to understand that I'm done letting them interfere with my life. Tell me your plan."

Elijah nodded and began to explain.