Klaus found her again, she was in the private sector of the gardens, away from prying eyes and ears – was also where Klaus goes to think and paint, when his thoughts are being overcrowded.
"If you're here to scold me for eavesdropping on your conversation with Caroline, I didn't hear much."
He glanced at the rose in Elena's hand. "It's fine, love."
There Elena was, like a golden flame and he was the pathetic moth, drawn to it – to her, he paused when their eyes locked – God, he was a fool.
How could he possibly have feelings for Elena? And if he does, what says she feels the same? – Elena Gilbert should hate him, after everything he had done to her, her friends and family.
And yet, there was something that seemed to be pulling these two together – it was an annoyance to Klaus.
He was Klaus Mikaelson, the Original Hybrid! He cannot be killed or defeated and yet this weak, defenseless human was making him appear as a lovesick fool!
"Why are you doing this to me?"
Elena blinked. "What?"
Before she could even register what, he was talking about, Klaus pulled her in for a kiss, it was deep and passionate – more passionate than the kisses she shared with Stefan, more intense than the one she shared with Damon, well he more like forced it upon her.
Klaus pinned her against the wall, a soft moan escaped from her as he trailed small, delicate kisses down her neck; one of his hands pinned her arms above her head and the other began to trail down beneath her dress – it took only seconds for his fingers to find their way between her thighs.
"Klaus…" Elena moaned, wanting him – needing him.
Soon he pulled away as footsteps echoed, a wayward waiter seemed to have wandered off for a smoke, annoyance danced across Klaus's face as he was interrupted.
"I'll find you after," Klaus whispered, smirking devilishly. "I intend to finish this off, and you know I always keep my word, Elena."
Elena nodded breathlessly at almost being caught in a comprising position with Klaus, thankfully it wasn't one of his siblings or worse – Stefan, but still, the waiter could easily blab.
Not that Caroline would care, but Bonnie would.
And who knows what Damon and Stefan would do, they'll probably keep her on a short leash and prisoner in the Boarding House cause she can't be trusted to make sensible decisions.
It was Finn that found her as she made her way back inside, steading her heartbeat, if he could sense Klaus on her – he made no notion of it.
"Come, my mother will see you know that my siblings are distracted."
"What happened?"
Finn's smile tightened. "Apparently, Kol tried attacking the human boy Rebekah's smitten over, Matt, and Damon Salvatore snapped his neck."
"Are you sure that is the truth?"
Finn arched an eyebrow. "You believe it is a lie?"
"Damon is a lot of things, he wouldn't snap a vampire's neck without reason – he cares little for anyone, Matt included." Elena shrugged. "Perhaps Kol provoked him or Damon provoked Kol."
"You see the good in people, including monsters,"
"You and your siblings are not monsters, Finn." Elena sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "None of you were asked to be vampires, just like Klaus wasn't asked to be a hybrid – you really want to know who the true monsters are? Your parents."
"But …"
"It was your mother that used the spell to turn you all into vampires, it was your mother that laced the wine you all drank that night with Tatia's blood, it was your father that killed you all with his own sword." Elena added, stopping outside a room were the scent of sage and other burning herbs reached their noses. "And it was your mother that kept Klaus's true parentage a secret and instead of owning her mistake, she blamed Klaus and turned her back on him – leaving him open to all Mikael's anger and abuse. No person with motherly instincts will do that."
Noticing Finn's guilt, Elena decided it was best to leave him with his thoughts, she entered the room and was immediately bombed with an overload of different scents, sage and lavender were the ones she could name.
"That will be all, Finn." Esther called, making Elena regret not telling anyone that she was here. "Thank you."
Finn stood in the doorway for a few seconds, making Esther arch an eyebrow at his refusal to listen to her – was her son going back on their plan?
Smiling as Finn closed the door, Esther turned to face Elena. "Do take a seat, Elena."
"What do you want to talk about, Esther?"
"Straight to the point, unlike your predecessor." Esther laughed. "Did you know that it was she that almost destroyed my family?"
"And you were the one to end it." Elena retorts, rolling her eyes. "I've heard the story."
"And I need your help to stop it from happening, again."
Elena watched as Esther lit some candles, the scent of Sage burning began to get really thick, making it a little hard for her to breathe- let alone think.
"I understand that Rebekah has shared with you the story of my family. How I upset the balance of nature by turning my children into vampires."
Elena nodded, coughing a little. "She said you did it to protect them from the wolves."
"It's true." Esther replied, sitting beside Elena once again. "But in no time at all, they began to feed on human blood. They ravaged the town with no remorse. Eventually, Niklaus turned against me."
"Only because you bound his wolf side."
Esther arched an eyebrow, not amused by Elena's comment. "Do you care for him, the abomination I birthed?"
"What?"
Esther grabbed hold of Elena's hand, making the doppelganger gasp as the woman was much stronger then she looked. "Do you care for Niklaus? Does your feelings for him cloud your judgement about the monster he is?"
"Let me go… You're hurting me!" Elena snapped, pulling against Esther's hold. "My feelings have nothing to do with it! The only monster here, is you!"
Esther chanted some spell, Elena hissed out in pain as there was a burning sensation through her entire body. "You've lain with him!"
"What does that have to do with anything?!" Elena snarled, yanking against Esther's hold again.
"Everything." Esther hissed, revealing a knife and began to remove Elena's glove. "You both are bounded by blood- your blood runs through his body, that is why only your blood can create hybrids."
Elena let's out hiss of pain as Esther slices the knife across her palm, pouring her blood into a chalice that began to sizzle with smoke.
"And it will be your blood that will end him." She adds, with a deadly look. "End them all."
"And I said let me go!" Elena snapped, suddenly there was a burning sensation on Esther's hand as if Elena was made of fire, she pushed Elena away once she had enough blood.
Did the human doppelganger have magic? No, impossible.
The door to the room opened up to reveal Finn, the doppelganger looked at the older Mikaelson sibling, who lowered his head in shame.
"I love my family, Elena, but they are an abomination. I betrayed nature when I created them." Esther adds before stabbing Elena in the abdomen. "It's my duty to kill them."
"No… Wait."
Esther waves her hand, sending Elena flying into the wall, Finn closed his eyes as he heard the sickening sound of Elena's unconscious body fall to the ground, her human blood seeping onto the floor – calling out to him.
"Did you really have to do that, mother?"
"It would be best if she dies," Esther spoke, wiping the blood of the blade and handed it over to Finn. "And if she survives, then Elena will not remember a thing, we cannot risk her to run off and warn your brothers, now, can we?"
Bonnie had given Jermey the slip, as she was still angry at him, she saw Elena being escorted up the stairs by Finn, she watched with keen eyes as both Esther and Finn walked down the stairs but no Elena.
A second ticks on by, then a few- something was nagging at the back of Bonnie's mind that something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Why hasn't Elena shown back up?
She makes her way over to Caroline, who seemed to be avoiding her date, Klaus. "Hey."
"Bonnie! You look beautiful."
"Thanks- listen... Have you seen Elena?"
"Not since the gardens, why?" Bonnie looked a little pale, worry began to dance across her face that did not go unnoticed by the blonde vampire. "Bonnie, what's wrong?"
"I just got this feeling that something bad happened to Elena."
Caroline nodded her head, eyes scanning the crowd, and they landed on the person she was searching for.
Klaus.
She motioned for him to follow; confusion danced across his face but followed her anyway.
"What is it?"
"Elena's missing."