Elena could hear yelling as soon as she stepped inside the enormous house. She could make out Niklaus' and Elijah's voices almost instantly. Both were angry. From what Elena understood, the others were getting ready to leave, and Niklaus was making threats against them.
Elena quickened her pace. No doubt things were about to get physical. She entered the room just as Niklaus advanced on Elijah. He had him by the shirt. Before it could escalate, Elena used telekinesis to push them away from each other. They both found themselves on the ground in different directions. She didn't want to hurt them, but they were both significantly stronger than her physically. Magic was the only way she had of breaking up the fight. "That's quite enough of that."
Both Klaus and Elijah stared at her in shock, neither expecting to see her nor expecting her to have the ability to best them. Elijah was the first to recover. "Elena?"
Elena smiled at him. "Hello, Elijah.
"You backstabbing, little bitch!" Rebekah snarled before lunching at her.
Elena used a hand gesture and sent the girl to the wall a few feet behind her. She pinned her to it. "I know you're angry, but you need to calm yourself."
Kol stepped in front of the doppelganger and smiled. "Well, hello there, darling. I take it you're the newest doppelganger, and a powerful one it seems. I'm…"
"Kol," Elena interrupted before placing a loving hand on his cheek. "It is so wonderful to see you, to see all of you."
Kol was taken aback to the point where he had no words. He had no idea who this girl was. He didn't even know her name, yet she spoke to him like she'd known him all his life. The way she'd touched him was the same as how his mother would.
Elena pulled away before walking over to Rebekah. She decided she would deal with her first. "Rebekah, your anger was justified, but I want you to know that she didn't enjoy daggering you."
"What?" Rebekah asked in confusion. The doppelganger was speaking as though it wasn't her who stuck the dagger in her back while pretending to be her friend.
"It was done as a way of protecting her loved ones, but she didn't like it. She felt a lot of guilt for it," Elena told her.
"You're not Elena," Elijah said as he pulled himself to his feet. "Who are you?"
Elena turned to look at him. "I am her now. I wasn't then, but I can feel the guilt she did for daggering your sister. I feel everything she does and she feels everything I do. We are one now. A part of me is her and a part of her is me. It's difficult to explain. I'm still adjusting to it myself, but I am Elena Gilbert. I'm just someone else as well."
"Who are you? How did this happen?" Elijah asked.
Elena got an annoyed look on her face. "This happened because a group of idiotic individuals thought it was a good idea to open a coffin without knowing its contents."
"You're the weapon that the Salvatores were hoping to use against Niklaus," Elijah realized.
"I suppose I am," Elena said.
Klaus gasped and backed away. He knew what was in that coffin, or more accurately, who. He didn't know exactly what would happen, but when he couldn't open her coffin, he'd concluded that she'd done something that would cause him harm if it was ever opened. He never imagined this though.
Elena walked over to him and knelt down by his side. He avoided her gaze and inched away. It broke her heart to see his fear. "Fear, Niklaus? Have I failed you so egregiously that you're afraid of me?"
"What the bloody hell is happening?" Rebekah asked in disbelief as she watched the doppelganger speak to her brother. There was not a trace of the fear or hatred she once felt for him. If anything, he was afraid of her. There was only one person she'd ever seen her brother fear, their father.
"Good question," Kol said as he too looked at his brother and young witch in disbelief. They weren't alone. Finn and Elijah looked just as perplexed.
"If you're going to kill me just do it," Klaus said while avoiding her eyes.
"Kill you? Is that why you think I'm here, Niklaus?" Elena asked in a horrified tone. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised. She had done a lot of damage to him. Her intentions were good, at least that was what she told herself, but she had a lot of regrets.
Klaus nodded.
"No, my darling," Elena said before standing up. She then extended her hand to him.
Klaus reluctantly took her hand and allowed her to pull him to his feet. Moments later, he found himself engulfed in the doppelganger's arms, only she wasn't just the doppelganger anymore. He knew who she was. If she came from that coffin, she could only be one person.
Elijah gaped as he watched Elena hug his brother as though they were friends. No, not friends, family. The way she held him was as if she loved him. It was quite possibly the strangest thing he'd seen in the one thousand years that he'd been alive.
Klaus pulled away after a moment and finally looked at the woman in front of him. "You don't hate me?"
"Hate you? Never, Niklaus. You are a part of me. I could never hate you. I don't deny being angry at first, but I've come to the realization that it was my fault. My actions led to that fateful encounter," Elena said.
"I didn't mean to. I was just so angry. It just happened," Klaus said.
Elena placed a hand on his cheek. "I know, my dear. It was an act of rage, and I deserved that rage. I stole a part of you when I performed that curse on you. I hope that you can forgive me for that one day."
There was a collection of gasps throughout the room as the rest of the Originals put it together.
Elena turned to the rest of them. "Look at all of you, strong, thriving, even if not the way I intended. My love for each and every one of you knows no bounds."
"This is impossible," Elijah said in disbelief.
Elena grinned. "Impossibility is subjective, Elijah. I think we all know that by now."
"Mother?" Rebekah asked in disbelief. She would almost say that there was no way it could be true, that the doppelganger was lying, but Nik believed it. He would know exactly what was in that coffin.
Elena grinned and stepped towards her. "I'm here, darling. I would like to release you, but I won't have you acting out in violence again."
Rebekah nodded vigorously.
Elena waved her hand and allowed her daughter to move again. Moments later, the girl flew into her arms. Elena smiled and gladly hugged her back. "It's okay. I have you, my sweet girl."
"How is this possible?" Finn asked in disbelief.
Elena let go of Rebekah and turned to him. "Punishment, my son. Ayana was livid with my choices, especially after your blood lust got the better of you. She wanted to punish me in death for my sins. She trapped me inside my own dead body. I was aware, but unable to move."
Finn shuddered. He knew what that was like. It was the same for him after being daggered for so long. He'd wanted to scream, but he couldn't. "Why? What was the point of that?"
"Other than to make me suffer? She also wanted me to be a weapon against you. She spoke to me while I was locked in my body. I could hear every word she said. She wanted to punish me and she also wanted me to undo what I'd done. It was the only way I could be free," Elena explained.
"Yet you say that's not your intention," Elijah said with suspicion in his voice.
"No, Elijah, it's not. Truthfully, I never wanted that coffin opened. It was a painful existence, but I knew what the alternative would be. Ayana made sure I knew. She considered it a bit of poetic justice. I used Tatia's blood to make you all what you were, and I would be placed in the body of her replica should the coffin ever be opened. I didn't wish this on that girl. Yes, she and I are the same now, but it still changed her life. Neither one of us will ever be who we once were. Anyway, Ayana's plan had a fatal flaw, and that is maternal love. I think she thought that by this point, I would be so tormented by being trapped for so long that I'd wish for death so much that I'd be willing to harm those I love the most. She was wrong." Elena said.
"That doesn't make any sense. You could just kill yourself in this body if you were desperate enough. Desperation wouldn't make you kill us," Kol said.
Elena shook her head. "No. There is a spell on me. I will not die until I've fulfilled what the Bennett ancestors believe to be my duty. Again, they miscalculated. I will never harm a single one of you, even if that means I can never rest. I've already done enough damage to you all to last a lifetime."
"It's really you?" Finn asked in disbelief. He still had a hard time believing it, despite her story. It was just so unbelievable, even for them.
"It's me, Finn. I'm here," she said before hugging him.
Finn hesitantly hugged her back. He wanted to believe this, but he was afraid to. He'd missed his mother so much. If he found out it was a lie, it would destroy him.
Elena let go after a moment, just in time for Elijah to step forward.
"I'm afraid I'm going to need you to prove it," Elijah said.
Elena smiled. She held no resentment towards him for wanting proof. It was who Elijah was. He had always been guarded, especially when to looking after his siblings. "Do you remember what I said to you the day that Niklaus was born? You were young, but I believe you will remember. I told you that you were his older brother and that it was your job to take care of him. I told Finn the same thing when you were born. I never should've said that. It wasn't your job, it was mine. It's just something that parents say when another child is born into the family. However, you took it seriously. You made it your mission to look out for your younger siblings. I let you because it made things easier on me, and that wasn't okay."
Elijah stared at her in disbelief. He did remember that conversation. She was right, he did take it seriously. He always looked out for his siblings, especially Niklaus. "Mother?"
Elena hugged him. "You did well, Elijah. You shouldn't have had to, but you did. You were a better parent than I was. I want to change that. I want to be the mother you all deserve."
Elijah pulled away, but he said nothing. He didn't have any words right now.
Elena turned to her last remaining son next. "My little ball of energy and chaos. I do hope you haven't gotten into too much mischief over the years."
Kol grinned and put his arms around her. "I wouldn't be me if I didn't."
"I love you, Kol, chaos and all," Elena said as she hugged him. She let him go after a minute and smiled at all of her children. This was not what she had originally wanted, but she would not pass up the opportunity to rebuild her family. She wasn't who she once was, but maybe that was a good thing. Maybe the parts of her that were Elena Gilbert would help her be the mother her children deserved. She was determined to do that, no matter what any Bennett witch had to say about it. She was going to make things right with her children, and not just the ones in this room. She had another child out there somewhere and she intended to get her back no matter what she had to do.