Elena made her way inside the Mikaelson house for the ball. She was not very happy to be there. The last thing she wanted was to be paraded around as Klaus' arm candy. That was not the relationship she had with him. However, he'd promised to make it up to her, and she fully intended to collect on that.
It only took moments after walking inside for Elena's irritation to grow. The first people she saw were Stefan and Damon. She supposed that she shouldn't be surprised that they'd found a way to worm their way inside. However, she knew they were going to be thorns in her side. At least Damon was. Stefan was currently glaring at her from across the room.
Damon approached Elena looking none too pleased. "Why am I not surprised you're here?"
"I don't know why you would be surprised. I received an invitation. Plus, I'm the date of one of the hosts. It makes perfect sense for me to be here. However, I find it hard to believe that out were sent an invitation," Elena said.
"I invited him," a new voice said.
Elena turned to see Bonnie there. She was pretty surprised to see her. To her knowledge, it was mostly only founding families that were invited. "Bonnie. I didn't think you got an invitation."
"Well, not at first, but I spoke with Esther earlier. She was grateful to me for opening the coffin, so she invited me, and I invited Damon as my date," Bonnie said. She'd angled for an invite the moment she found out about the ball because she knew Elena was going to be there with Klaus. That was also why she'd reluctantly invited Damon. She wasn't going to leave her friend in this house at the mercy of the original family.
Elena chuckled. "The two of you hate each other."
"The enemy of our enemy. We're here to make sure you don't get hurt because of your own stupidity," Damon said.
Elena shrugged. She was bristling inside. She was more than a little tired of her so-called friends treating her like a child who couldn't make her own decisions. But she didn't let them see that. She appeared to be unbothered as she spoke to them. "Well, if you want to waste your time with pointless things that don't concern you, be my guest. If you'll excuse me, I should go find my date."
"I'm right here, love.'
Elena turned just in time to be pulled into a kiss by Klaus, which she gladly returned. "Hey."
"Hello, love. Sorry I couldn't escort you here. I had guests to greet. Let's get you a drink, and better company," Klaus said as glanced at Bonnie and Damon.
"That sounds wonderful," Elena said as she took his hand and let him lead her away. "How long to we have to stay for."
"At least until the toast and subsequent dance. Then we'll take our party of two upstairs," Klaus said as they stopped at the Champaign table. He poured them each a glass and handed one to Elena.
"Good," Elena said before taking a sip of her drink. She looked around. She still found Stefan actively glaring at her. "I see Stefan found someone to bring him here. I know Rebekah toyed around with inviting him, but I watched her invite Matt instead."
"Yes, I believe Stefan is the mayor's escort. I believe Rebekah invited your friend, Matt, to
get under your skin. Did it work?" Klaus asked.
"Maybe a little. I don't want to see Matt get hurt. He's a good guy. But he knows who and what Rebekah is. He made his choice, just as I did mine. I'm in no position to tell him he's wrong," Elena said. She definitely resented being told who she should and shouldn't associate with. She wasn't going to do that to Matt.
Just then, Esther approached them with a smile. "Ah, Elena. It's lovely to see you."
"Hello, Esther," Elena greeted politely.
"Niklaus, perhaps you should make your rounds and ensure that our guests are having a good time. I shall keep Elena company," Esther said.
Klaus looked at Elena, who nodded that she was fine with it. "Very well. I'll be back soon, love," he told Elena before walking away.
"You invited Bonnie," Elena commented.
"Yes. She wasn't originally on the guest list, but she showed an interest in attending. I do owe her and her mother a debt for opening the coffin. Besides, she mentioned that you were friends." Esther said.
"Yes, although it's a bit of a strained one at the moment. You do realize she wants Klaus dead, right? That's the entire reason she opened the coffin," Elena said.
Esther chuckled. "Of course, dear. I'm no fool. Do you know why I threw this ball?"
"I'm guessing it's not just to introduce your family to the town," Elena said.
"Well, that's certainly part of it, but there's no better way to find out who your enemies are than to invite them into your home and get to know them," Esther said. That was her reason for throwing the ball now. It was, of course, originally for a different reason, but she was abandoning those plans for now, at least until she could see how the growing relationship between Elena and Niklaus changed him. That was another reason for continuing her plan to bring the town together. She could watch the two of them more and speak with Elena again.
"Ah," was Elena's only response.
Esther pouring herself a drink. "Elena, I know you don't like me much."
"Oh, good. I was afraid I wasn't clear on that," Elena said.
Esther smiled at her. She liked this girl, even though it was clear the girl didn't feel the same way about her. She had strength. She didn't mince words. She would fit in well with their family. "I can't blame you. I am responsible for the curse that caused you to lose your life briefly."
"You think that's the only reason? I don't like people who hurt their children," Elena said.
"Yes, I admit, I've made many mistakes when it comes to my children. You must understand though, it was a different time. I'm here now to make up for all of that," she said.
"You said you wanted to start fresh. That's all well and good, but things can't always be forgotten," Elena said.
"I agree. My intent isn't to erase it, but to try to begin something new. You know, Elena, you remind me very much of your ancestor," Esther commented.
Elena rolled her eyes. She really hated comparisons to Katherine. "Yes, I've been compared to Katherine too many times to count. I'm not her. Wait, weren't you dead when Katherine met your sons?"
"Well, I was able to watch them at times from the Other Side, but I wasn't referring to Katerina Petrova. I was talking about the woman that had your face a thousand years ago. Her name was Tatia. Niklaus and Elijah were quite taken with her," Esther said. She brought up Tatia for a reason. She wanted to see if Elena would have a reaction to it. And she did.
"Klaus was involved with the original doppelganger?" Elena asked in an uneasy tone. This shouldn't bother her. Klaus didn't mean anything to her. She hated him. He was just somebody she had sex with and used to hurt Stefan. Why should she care who he was with before her? However, the thought of him being with a woman that shared her face filled her with irritation.
Esther got exactly the reaction she was hoping for. Elena was trying to hide it, but she was jealous, which meant her feelings for Niklaus were definitely real, even if she didn't realize it. "No, he wasn't exactly involved with her. She only had eyes for Elijah, but he was taken with her. No need to worry though. I believe it was merely an infatuation due to Elijah's interest in her."
"I'm not worried. Excuse me," Elena said before walking away. She went in search of Klaus, who she found with Elijah by the stairs.
"Hello, Elena," Elijah greeted kindly.
"Hi, Elijah. How's your night going?" Elena asked.
"Very well, thank you. You do not look too happy," Elijah said.
"This isn't my thing. I would probably skip a lot of the school dances if Caroline didn't badger me into going," Elena said.
"It probably doesn't help that your friends appear to be watching your every move. One word, and I'll make them leave," Elijah told her. No matter the reason behind it, Elena was a part of his brother's life. He would see her treated with the respect she deserved.
"Thank you, but I won't give them that satisfaction. Let them do whatever they want. I don't plan to give them another thought," Elena said.
"That's my girl," Klaus said before kissing her.
"How much longer?" Elena asked him.
"Maybe an hour or so. Come on. Let's mingle," Klaus said before taking her hand and leading her away.
Elijah watched them. However this started out, this wasn't a show or revenge any longer. Elena had had her revenge against Stefan and Niklaus had had his fun with his enemies. Neither had any reason to stay together now, but they were. As Elijah watched them, he knew it was real, but he doubted they did. Niklaus was currently smiling as he and Elena talked about mundane topics. He wondered if just maybe Elena Gilbert had the power to do what he had been trying to do for a thousand years. Heal his brother's heart and save his soul. Well, if she did, Elijah intended to do whatever was in his power to make sure it happened. He wouldn't allow anyone to get in the way.