Life had turned pretty much back to normal, or as normal as Elena could get, Kol had made himself quite comfortable in the Gilbert's home, opening up himself to Jermey and Elena; it was as if Elena had an older brother and Jeremy had a friend.
An Original, but Elena wasn't going to judge – at least he was staying away from drugs.
Now the three of them sat in front of the T.V skimming the DVD collection as it was movie night, a Gilbert family tradition that Miranda started when they were little and still is in effect to this day – If they couldn't find anything to watch, on DVD they had Netflix and HBO.
Caroline and Tyler were running late, Bonnie didn't want to be in the same room as a vampire and wouldn't listen to Elena as the doppelganger called her out on Bonnie's hypocrisy.
Bonnie didn't want to be around vampires, yet she teamed up with Stefan and Damon. Who both were, shocker, vampires!
"When has Bonnie been so judgey?"
"She's always been like that, Elena." Caroline spoke over the phone. "Just not to you."
Elena was about to respond when the doorbell rang. "I'll see you soon, Care."
Opening the door as she pocketed her phone, Elena groaned as both Salvatore brothers stood on her front doorstep. "What do you both want now?"
"It's movie night," Damon replied, holding up a bottle of scotch and a bucket of microwavable popcorn.
Elena arched an eyebrow at Damon's statement, completely ignoring Stefan. "And?"
"Come on, Elena. You can't stay mad at Stefan forever."
"I'm pretty sure I can, Damon." Elena hisses, making the vampire brothers look at her with wide eyes. "He treated us all like crap for months all because of his hatred for Klaus. Hate is an emotion, Damon – Stefan had his humanity on this whole time. So he treated his friends, his girlfriend and even his brother for like shit for what? Petty fucken revenge and where did it get him? Nowhere!"
"Elena – .."
"And he hasn't even apologised." Elena hissed, glaring at Stefan – who lowered his head in shame. "Threatened to turn anyone else into a vampire against their will or drove them off a bridge and leave them to fend for themselves lately?"
"He's sorry- Okay?"
"I don't need or want an apology from you." Elena glared at Damon, who rolled his eyes at her stubbornness – where was the Elena Gilbert that would forgive them so easily?
He missed that girl.
"Elena-."
"No."
Damon took a step forwards, but somehow was pushed up against the wall by someone. "The lady said no."
"Great, one of Klaus's dogs are here." Damon groaned, rolling his eyes.
The male hybrid let out a small growl, he was flanked by another hybrid, a female this time.
"Hey, it's okay... You can let him go - … Uh." Elena spoke, tapping the unknown male hybrid on the shoulder. "What do I call you?"
"Derek." The male hybrid introduced himself, with a small smile towards Elena. "And that is my cousin, Chyanne."
Both hybrids stood guard until the Salvatore brothers left, knowing that they wouldn't be able to go inside with hybrids guarding the Gilbert residence and an Original being 'friendly with Baby Gilbert' – Damon's words, which did not go over well with Bonnie, as she gave him a powerful aneurism that lasted for hours.
"Did Klaus order you both to come here?"
"We were ordered to protect the doppelganger, since you're human." Chyanne spoke, looking a little annoyed with everything. "Derek thought you sounded distressed."
"Thank you," Holding the door open a little more, she gave them both a small smile. "We're having movie night, if you both care to join?"
"What's the movie?" Chyanne asked, peeking inside to see a normal looking home.
"I think it's a toss between Nightmare on Elm Street and Jurassic Park." Elena replied, with a small shrug. "Depends on what Kol chose."
"Nightmare on Elm Street." Jeremy called, answering her question.
Chyanne eyes lit up as Peter let out a small chuckle. "She's a Freddy Krueger fan."
"Then come on in."
Returning from a day of food shopping and bonding with her new hybrid friends – bodyguards, Elena paused as a crème-coloured envelope with elegant scrawl on it, stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the other mail.
There seemed to be some kind of invitation and a letter inside, the letter was addressed to her personally whilst the invitation was for both Gilbert siblings.
"What is it?"
"It's an invitation to a ball for us both." Elena replied, handing him the invitation as she began to read the letter - it was from Elijah.
Elena's eyebrows knitted together as she flipped the invitation over, noticing Elijah's elegant scrawl in the bottom right hand corner.
Save me a dance, Elena.
-Elijah
"So, we're going- right?"
Elena gave Jermey a small smile. "Of course. You'll finally get to see Kol in a suit."
Jeremy gave her a small look, but he never denied or confirm that there was nothing going on between him and Kol.
The youngest Mikaelson male stood in front of the mirror as the tailor finished the final touches on his suit, Kol smiled at his reflection but eyed Rebekah in the distance as she inspected her freshly manicured nails.
"Rebekah, tell me how handsome I look."
"Oh, Kol." She quickly replied, eyeing her brother with a small smirk. "You know I can't be compelled."
That made the other Mikaelson siblings laugh, Elijah and Finn were playing a game of chess whilst Klaus was off in the corner sketching away.
"Besides," Rebekah added, wanting to see how far she could push her older brother. "I don't think it is my opinion you want, but that of a certain young Gilbert."
That had caught the attention of Klaus, his eyes narrowed slightly at Kol, well Rebekah had gotten one of her brothers to react- even if it was not the one, she was mainly teasing.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Kol let out a small chuckle, fidgeting with the sleeve of his suit. "What we have is nothing more than a mutual friendship."
"Is that why you spend most of your time over there?"
"And what of you, dearest sister?" Kol quips, turning away from the mirror. "Still fawning over that human busboy- Matt?"
"I only invited him personally just to get under the doppelganger and Caroline's skin- he is after all... Their ex-lover."
The charcoal that Klaus had been holding broke, the hybrid rose to his feet and walked out of the room, with his siblings watching him retreat.
"What's up his arse?"
Rebekah said nothing, sharing a small look with Elijah – there was something brewing between Klaus and Elena Gilbert, even if Klaus was blind to see it.
Elena appeared on the front steps of the Mikaelson residence, Jermey had already headed inside, leaving her to suck up the courage to enter into the lion's den.
With a deep breath, she walked over the thresholds and handed the girl at the front her coat, the place before was beautiful but now- it was fully decorated.
The Mikaelsons seem to favour the expensive things, she was sure the crystal beads in the ribbons were actual diamonds.
Smoothing out the creases of her dress, Elena felt several pair of eyes on her, but she ignored the feeling as she began to fix her gloves.
"Elena, what are you doing here?"
She glanced up to face Damon, with an eyebrow raised. "I was invited. What are you doing here?"
"Stefan and I were invited, look- why didn't you explain anything?"
Elena let out a small sigh, wanting to be anywhere but here. "Because I wanted to avoid- this. Your reaction to me coming here."
"You need to leave."
"No."
Her eyes then spotted Bonnie, not giving Damon another chance to try and talk her into leaving, Elena followed the direction of where she saw Bonnie head but was stopped by Stefan- who appeared out of nowhere.
"Elena." He looked her up and down, taking in the gold gown she wore, her loose curled hair that framed her face. "Didn't know that you'll be here."
"Surprise, I am." She replied, rolling her eyes in annoyance.
Her eyes then fell onto a familiar shade of blonde curls - Caroline.
She watched as Klaus approached her best friend, Elena's eyebrows knitted together in confusion and a small look of annoyance danced across her face.
It was then that Stefan was pulled away by Carol Lockwood, Elena turned only to almost run into Rebekah and Finn.
"Here she is." Rebekah spoke, sounding bored and pushed Finn onto Elena. "You two chat, I'm going to get some booze, bye."
"So, you're the newest doppelganger?" Finn spoke, after what seemed like awkward seconds of silence. "Forgive my rudeness the other night – I did not know we had company."
"Yeah- I'm Elena," Elena replied, head tilted slightly. "And you are. Finn – the eldest brother?"
Finn nodded. "We did have another."
"Rebekah told me of Henrik, I'm sorry that he died."
Finn looked a little confused but shook his head. "You've misunderstood me, Miss Gilbert. We lost two siblings; the others may not know of her existence, as our parents did not speak of her as it was too painful for them, but I remember her. Our sister and Mikael's favourite - Freya."
"What happened to her, if you don't mind me asking?"
"She was taken." Finn replied, looking rather sad. "Mother said it was the plague – but I believe otherwise."
"You believe she was kidnapped?" Elena whispered, eyes widened as she felt sadness towards the eldest daughter of Mikael and Esther – not ever knowing her siblings.
There was that feeling again, like she was being watched, Elena shivered slightly but she was not cold- the hair on the back of her neck stood on end.
Something was warning her, screaming at her to run.
"Are all your siblings planning dating my friends?" Elena asked, ignoring the feeling that she was unsafe – she was in a house filled with vampires, wolves, hybrids and witches; of course her survival instincts were telling her to bolt.
Finn looked at her slightly confused, she then motioned over towards Jermey, Caroline and Matt were huddled around together with Kol, Rebekah.
"Not that I have a problem with it."
"You don't?"
"Should I be?" Elena replied, with a small shrug as Finn handed her a glass of champagne from a passing tray. "My brother and friends are quite capable of looking after themselves."
"Did you know that Niklaus gave everything that blonde, Caroline is wearing? The dress and the bracelet... Rumours state they once belonged to a princess."
Elena arched an eyebrow. "Am I supposed to be impressed?"
"If you wish to be." Finn replied, downing his own glass of champagne and observed Elena some more. "Care to save me a dance?"
"Maybe."
It took quite some time for Elijah to make his appearance next to her, offering her his arm as he escorted her through the crowd, her eyes then connected with a familiar shade of blue.
Klaus was having a conversation with Caroline, though he was looking directly at her, Elena quickly looked away - hoping that Elijah hadn't noticed.
Someone had caught Elena's attention, they were standing on the first floor, observing the guests below; Elena shivered again as Elijah escorted her up the stairs and out of sight.
"I have in good authority that my mother will seek an audience with you," Elijah spoke, fixing up a loose strand of her hair. "Can I trust you to tell me what you speak of?"
Without a second thought, Elena nodded her head. "Of course."
.
The five Mikaelson siblings stood on the stairs as Elijah began his welcoming speech, Klaus kept glancing towards the Gilbert girl as she stood out amongst the crowd like a golden flame, he wondered where Elena could have possibly got a luxurious gown but remembered that Elijah had ordered a dress from a fashionable online boutique.
The gold material matched her olive skin tone perfectly, she wore no jewellery aside from a rhinestone hairpiece within her curls and she wore white, satin gloves.
His mother moved from the shadows into view as Elijah introduce her officially and Klaus couldn't help but narrow his eyes darkly as his mother stared directly at Elena Gilbert.
As if she could feel his eyes on her, Esther turned from the doppelganger and locked eyes with him, smiling pleasantly at him, as if she'd been a loving mother all this time.
But he knew the truth.
Esther Mikaelson couldn't be trusted.
Elena's dress: /36Nfvg2GV
Elena's hair: /45JQie1WH