Elena walked into the living room and found Stefan and Damon laying on the ground with holes in their necks while Mikael cleaned blood from his mouth. She looked more annoyed than upset when she looked at her father. "Again?"

"A man has to eat," Mikael said with a shrug.

Elena sighed. "Well, I'll give them this. They may be idiots, but they're stubborn as hell. Most would've given it up by now."

Mikael nodded. "How are you today? I know you were having a hard time yesterday." He'd heard her conversation with Elijah. He would've liked to help her, but Elijah seemed to have it under control, and his interference just would've caused problems.

"I'm okay," Elena said. She more or less was. It still upset her that Bonnie thought so little of her, but she could handle it.

"I am sorry for pain this is causing you. I've made life difficult for you just by being your father," Mikael said.

"That's not your fault. It's not like you could've known this would happen. You didn't even know you could have children as a vampire. The truth is, I can accept what I am. It's certainly not easy, but I've been around vampires for months. I have no prejudice against them, so it makes it easier to accept that I'm part vampire. It's other people that can't seem to accept that," Elena said.

"And that is their problem, not yours. I agree with your brother. Do not put up with that kind of behavior from anyone," Mikael said.

"Thanks. Listen, I know you already… ate, but you should join us for breakfast," Elena said. Elijah and Klaus wouldn't like it, but it was the best way for them to start seeing the truth. They needed to see Mikael as he was now.

"That's not a good idea. You and I both now that your brothers don't want me there. In fact, it's probably only a matter of time before one of them shows up now to protect you from me," Mikael said.

"Which is why you have to start showing them that they don't need to protect me from you. You need to stop avoiding them," Elena said firmly. She had Rebekah had become broken records when it came to trying to defend their father to their brothers, and it made no difference. Elena was starting to realize that they never because it wasn't them Klaus and Elijah needed to see a change from. They could say anything they wanted, but only Mikael could prove that he was telling the truth, and he couldn't do that by avoiding his children.

"I'm not avoiding them. I've spoken to them," Mikael protested.

"Only when necessary. You've barely been in the same room with Klaus since we came here. You've told him and Elijah that you were cursed, but you never really talk to them unless they initiate it. You go out of your way not to be around them," Elena said.

"They're afraid of me, Elena," Mikael said.

Elena nodded. "Yeah, and they're not going to stop being afraid of you until you prove to them they don't need to be. You want them to believe you? You want them to start seeing you as the father they deserve? You need to start acting like it. Start being their father. Earn their trust. Otherwise, you just prove they're right about you."

Mikael said nothing as Elena turned and walked away. There was very little he could say. His daughter wasn't wrong.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Elena walked into the kitchen. Her siblings were all there sitting at the table when she arrived. "Morning."

"Good morning, Elena. I hope you're feeling better this morning," Elijah said.

"Well, I'm back to being mad at you, so does that answer your question?" Elena asked before going to pour herself some coffee.

"It does," was all Elijah said before taking a sip from his glass, which was filled with blood.

"Brother, have you had any luck in your search for our siblings' location?" Klaus asked Elijah.

"I have narrowed down some places that I intend to look into later," Elijah said.

"Should you guys be discussing this with the Salvatore's around listening?" Jeremy asked.

Elena sat down next to him with a cup of coffee and a piece of toast in her hand. "Stefan and Damon are unconscious in the living room. Mikael got hungry."

Jeremy stared at his sister for a minute. "You know how I know that I've gotten too used to this kind of talk? The fact that I still have an appetite after hearing about vampires feeding on each other."

"Oh, please. Nothing has ever been able to curb your appetite," Elena said before taking a bite of her toast.

"Elena, I would very much appreciate it if you were not alone with Mikael. In fact, I'd prefer none of you to be," Elijah said.

"Too bad," was all Elena said.

Just then, Mikael walked into the room. He took a seat at the table on the end opposite Elijah. "Good morning, children."

Elena smiled. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Father," Rebekah said.

Klaus glared at his father and then at Elena. He knew she'd urged him to do this. He'd heard their conversation. It seemed Mikael had decided to step up the mind games to appease him. Well, too could place this game. "Good morning, Father. It's been a while since we've dined together, hasn't it? In fact, I can't quite recall the last time. Was it when you murdered all of us and force fed us blood? Oh, no. We have dined since then. Mother insisted we keep up with family meals, of course. I think the last time was just before you tied me up and made mother curse away my werewolf side."

"Niklaus," Elijah admonished. He understood his brother's rage, but Elena and Jeremy didn't need to hear about this.

Mikael was tempted to leave, but he wouldn't. Elena was right. He needed to start being the father his children deserved. That meant facing the things he'd done to them and proving to them that he would never harm them again. "Niklaus, if I could take those things back, I would. All I can do is tell you how sorry I am."

"As though I'm truly to believe that you're sorry! You called me a beast! An abomination!" Klaus snapped.

"I called you a lot of things that I wouldn't have in my right mind. I was filled with rage that I couldn't control and had no idea why I felt it," Mikael said.

"Can I ask a question? If you were cursed to hate your kids when you were human, wouldn't that have ended when you died and became a vampire?" Jeremy asked. It wasn't that he didn't believe Mikael. He honestly wasn't sure if he did, but he was curious.

Elijah raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Father, please explain that one. You expect us to believe that this so-called curse survived your death, but not your desiccation?"

"I have no answers to that. I have no idea who cursed me, so I can't know how it worked," Mikael lied. He knew who did it, or he was at least reasonably sure who it was, but there was no point in his children knowing what he believed. It would only hurt them.

"Yes, you do. You know exactly who did it. Don't lie to them," Elena said. She knew he wanted to protect them, but he couldn't do that by lying. Lying only meant they were right not to trust them. They should hear the truth.

"Elena…"

"No, Elena's right. You know exactly who is responsible," Rebekah said.

"I don't, not for sure, and it wouldn't be fair to any of you for me to speculate," Mikael said.

"Oh, no, Father. By all means, enlighten us into who you believe is responsible. Who would hate children enough to unleash you onto us?" Elijah asked.

Mikael hesitated. He didn't want to make his children hate their mother, even if she deserved it. It would only hurt them, but they were asking, and they deserved the truth. "I don't think it was about hatred. I think the objective was control. Niklaus had the werewolf gene, which would've made him susceptible to rage and violence. One wrong move, and he could trigger his curse."

"Her secret would be exposed," Rebekah said with a shudder.

"You mean to tell us that Mother did this?" Elijah asked.

"I don't know for sure, but it's the only theory I have. If she did it, I truly don't think she meant for it to go as far as it did, but I've learned magic can be unpredictable," Mikael said.

"But she never took it off when it did go too far," Elena argued. She didn't buy that excuse that Esther didn't know how bad it would end up. She didn't really think Mikael did either. He was protecting the others."

"No," Mikael said.

"I will not listen to this any longer," Klaus said angrily before getting up and walking away.

"Niklaus, wait," Mikael said before stepping in his path.

Elijah got up and got ready to intervene if it became necessary. He wouldn't let his father strike his brother.

"Niklaus, I know that you hate me. I know that as far as you are concerned, I am a monster. You're right to feel that way. No matter the reason, the way I treated you was evil. But you are my son. I love you, even if you can never love me," Mikael said.

"Go to hell!" Klaus snapped before storming out of the room.

Mikael sighed before walking away in the opposite direction.

Elijah stared after his father, for the first time having just a flicker of doubt of his own beliefs. He'd never seen his father speak so emotionally before. He'd never seen anything from the man other than coldness. Niklaus' words just now would normally send their father in a rage, but all Elijah saw from him was defeat.

"Elijah, are you okay?" Elena asked.

Elijah shook his thoughts away. He couldn't waste his time on flickers of doubt. They weren't enough to alter his course of action. What he said to Elena last night was still true. He couldn't take the risk that his father was being truthful. Too much was at stake if he was wrong. "Yes, I apologize. Elena, would you mind taking the day off today and helping me search for places our siblings could be? You know this town better than I do."

"Sure. I'm not sure how much help it will be. Bonnie will have found a way to hide them. The Salvatore's are idiots, but she's not. But, yeah, I'll help," Elena said.

"Thank you. I suggest we start in about an hour," Elijah said.

Elena nodded and headed out of the room to get ready.