A.N. I don't own TVD or TO and I'm not writing this for profit. I've also posted this on my AO3. Please don't repost. If this story inspires any fanart, I'd love to see it!
Finn accompanied her up the staircase, his hands held tightly behind his back, his posture stiff. Elena got the impression that he'd rather be anywhere but here.
He didn't say anything while they walked, keeping his eyes forward and almost ignoring her existence.
She trailed behind him like a duckling until he came to a stop in front of a closed door at the end of a hallway. He slipped into the room, beckoning for her to follow his lead.
Elena contemplated her situation for just a moment, her hand hesitating as she reached for the doorframe.
What was she doing here? Why had she thought that this was a good idea?
Because Stefan wanted Klaus dead. That's why she was here.
Did she want Klaus dead? What part did she really play in this? How many of the choices that she was making were really hers?
A niggling voice in the back of her mind told her that she'd come this far, she may as well open Pandora's box.
Did she want to?
The choice was taken from her when the door swung open, Finn staring down at her as if he could read her mind,
"You may enter."
That didn't really sound like a request to her ears, so she just nodded, pushing herself into the room with a bravado that she was sure she didn't really have.
She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but a well-lit sitting room certainly wasn't it. The walls were a stark white and the room itself was bare but for two cream leather sofas that faced each other, a coffee table between them full of small sandwiches and a pitcher of water.
Standing beside the sofa closest to Elena, with one hand on the back of it and the other on her chest, stood Esther Mikaelson. She wore a black floor length gown, her blonde hair trailing down her shoulders and Elena suddenly felt very young as she took in the woman from her visions, the Viking lady who had raised the Mikaelson's, who had been the witch to create vampires all those years ago. Esther didn't need to be a vampire to be intimidating, Elena thought, she could go toe-to-toe with all those society ladies downstairs and outwit any of them.
Her eyes were locked on Elena, a strange smile taking over her lips as Esther seemed to evaluate her,
"Hello, Elena."
Her voice was strangely soft, it didn't seem to match the image that she was portraying, and Elena was thrown slightly,
"Um, hello?"
Esther turned sharply to Finn, waving one hand at him,
"Thank you for bringing our guest to me, Finn. I'd like it if you would wait outside for me."
Finn inclined his head, leaving the room without a word and shutting the door behind him.
Elena watched him go with nervousness building in her stomach. She turned back to Esther when she heard her heels clicking across the floor.
She watched as Esther picked up a bundle of what looked like plant scraps and lit the end of it with a match, waving the smoke around the room. Something about the action seemed familiar to Elena, but she couldn't place it,
"It's just sage, a little trick to make sure we have some privacy."
Elena cocked her head to the side, her confusion on her face,
"But vampires have exceptional hearing?"
Esther rolled her eyes as she took a seat, leaving the sage burning on a silver platter on the table,
"The sage will stop even Finn at the door from hearing anything we say. You don't raise so many children without learning a few tricks," Esther waved her hand towards the other sofa, "Please, take a seat."
Elena stepped forward cautiously, lowering herself onto the seat opposite Esther slowly, as if she were afraid of the sofa.
For a while, Esther just stared at her, almost as if she couldn't believe that Elena was truly there.
When Elena began to fidget under her stare, Esther cleared her throat and gestured towards the table,
"Please, help yourself. I just need a moment."
Elena carefully picked out a cheese and cucumber finger sandwich, placing it on her provided plate after taking a small nibble while Esther collected herself. She was sure the food was lovely, but her nerves had it turning to ash in her mouth.
When Esther finally turned back to her, she smiled,
"I'm sorry, Dear. I'm just having trouble believing that you're really here,"
Elena frowned,
"You invited me, though?"
"I did. I wasn't sure if you'd be willing to see me, if I am being honest, but I am very glad that you're here."
Elena took another nibble of her tasteless food while she waited for Esther to continue and when she didn't, Elena cleared her throat before asking,
"I'm sorry, but was there something you wanted from me? My friends-"
"Your friends want me to help them kill my son, yes, I know," Esther cut her off, "But that's not why you're here. I was telling my children the truth last night, I want to rebuild my family."
Elena shook her head in confusion,
"I'm not sure how I come in to this, what is it that you want from me?"
Esther leaned forward, locking her blue eyes with Elena's brown ones,
"You have to understand, I'm finding this all very difficult, My Dear. You've grown so much since I last saw you," Elena felt vaguely horrified as tears filled the elder Mikaelson's eyes, "And I missed it all."
"I'm sure I'd remember if we'd met before," Elena began, "And you've spent the last thousand years dead. Is everything okay? Do I need to go and get Finn?"
Esther let out a wet laugh,
"Oh, I am more than okay. You're right," Esther reached a hand forward and very gently cupped Elena's cheek, "I've been gone, but I'm here now and I found you. My little Elena."
Klaus's words from earlier filled her mind as horror raced through her veins, his little sister had shared her name,
"Listen, Esther, I think you need your children right now. I'm so sorry, but your Elena died, a long time ago."
Elena went to stand, but Esther's hand circled around her wrist in a firm grip, her face suddenly fierce,
"My daughter didn't die; she went missing, and I've found her. I'm looking right at her," Esther's eyes never left Elena, "She's right in front of me and I have no intention of losing her again."
Elena's blood was rushing in her ears as her heart pounded against her rib cage,
"I'm truly sorry, Mrs Mikaelson, but you're wrong. And I'd like to leave now."
Esther narrowed her eyes at the shake in Elena's voice, pulling the girl to her feet,
"You belong here, with your family. Where you've always belonged."
Elena shook her head, swallowing thickly,
"I need to go home."
Esther considered her for a moment before sighing, her shoulders falling,
"If you insist on doing this the hard way, then the hard way it is."
With a wave of Esthers hand, Elena found herself unable to move, her muscles clamping into place almost painfully. She struggled against the magic in vain, her panic rising as Esther stroked her cheek, a tender look on her face,
"Oh, how we missed you," Her fingers gently trailed Elena's hair, "Don't you worry, we have all the time in the world to make this right."
Then she turned sharply, marching towards the door that Finn was no doubt stationed in front of, calling over her shoulder,
"I'll return when the guests have left, and we can continue our conversation. I'd suggest you get comfortable when you can."
Elena watched as Esther left, the door shutting behind her and a small click told her that Esther had locked the door.
A tear slid down Elena's face, she should have stayed at home.
Clearly, Esther was completely insane.
Elena wanted to stomp her feet, to break down the door and make a run for her car, but she couldn't even tilt her head. She wondered how she looked, frozen in her fear as she'd tried to get away from her jailor.
She wasn't sure how long it took for the spell to wear off, it could have been minutes, it could have been hours. All she knew was that the time had seemed to her to drag, and her legs had shaken like a lamb finding its feet when she'd tried to walk to the door, collapsing like a Disney princess after a few steps, her gown pooling around her on the floor as she let out a broken sob.
She wanted to go home, to hide beneath her blankets like she'd done as a child and pretend that she'd never come in to this room to begin with.
There was no way that she was who Esther thought she was, Elena thought, her parents were John Gilbert and Isobel Flemming and she'd been born eighteen years ago. She'd grown up here in Mystic Falls, raised by Miranda and Grayson Gilbert with Jeremy, her baby brother.
She was the doppelganger, for crying out loud.
Esther had lost her mind, clearly, she'd been dead for so long that she'd gone insane, and Stefan Freakin' Salvatore had gone and woken her up!
For a moment, she considered the little bag tied to her wrist, her phone was in there, she could call for help!
Except, she got the distant impression that Finn was standing guard outside her door, and she desperately didn't want to admit that Damon and Stefan were right, that she'd been in over her head. She supposed she could call Caroline, but then she'd be telling every vampire in the building that she had been trapped by Mama Mikaelson.
Would her phone be affected by the sage? Would they even hear her if she called?
Elena fumbled with her bag, her hands shaking as she pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contacts, hitting call on the only person who's voice she desperately wanted to hear.
It took a few rings to get an answer, but when Jeremy's sleepy voice came through the speaker, Elena let out a silent sob,
"Hello?" She squeezed her eyes shut as his voice washed over her, "Elena? Is that you?"
"Yeah, yeah it's just me, Jer."
Her voice shook and she pulled herself into a ball as she held the phone to her ear, ignoring the tears streaming down her face,
"What's wrong? Is everything okay? Is Ric alright?"
Elena let out a broken laugh,
"No, I'm fine, everything's fine. I just… I just need you to know that I love you."
She could hear shuffling as Jeremy moved in his bed, his voice sounded panicked when it came back through the speaker,
"What's wrong? I can hear you crying!"
She sniffled,
"It's nothing really, I just made a mistake, and I needed to hear your voice."
There was a pause,
"What did Damon do?" Jeremy's tone had darkened, and Elena sighed,
"Nothing. It's nothing, I shouldn't have called. You go back to bed, Jer. I miss you."
"Have you been drinking?" She could almost imagine the frown on his face, his concern for her radiating through the phone,
"Yeah. Sorry, I'll let you go back to sleep now."
He hummed slowly as if considering what she'd said before she heard the bed ruffle again, she heard his head hit his pillow with a soft thud,
"Yeah, okay. Night, 'Lena."
"Night night, Jer."
And then the phone cut off.
She slid her phone back into her bag before dragging herself off the floor, using the wall to brace herself as she approached the door. She was getting out of this madhouse, one way or another.
Her suspicions that the door was locked were confirmed when she tried the handle at it wouldn't budge. She dropped her forehead onto the wood and let out a groan.
She trailed her eyes across the room, eyeing the window and biting her lip before heading towards it. She threw it open, but Esther had clearly suspected that Elena might not be receptive to their conversation as the window was only barely big enough to squeeze her head out of it, she'd have to crush the rest of her body into dust and leave her dress behind to squeeze out of it. She ran her hand through her hair, gripping the open window and taking in large lungful's of the fresh air while she tried to keep her heart rate under control.
What was she meant to do?
"Get comfortable," Esther had said. How was she supposed to do that?
Why was Esther so much scarier than Klaus?
She slid down the wall, leaning her head back against it and kicking her feet out in front of her, her hands falling limply beside her.
All she could do now was wait.
Elena lost track of time while she sat there, her back and head pressed into the wall behind her. She didn't move a muscle as hours passed her by, letting her eyes remain fixed on the ceiling. She spent the time almost meditating, chasing her own thoughts away and drifting into blissful silence while she waited.
She was so lost in her silence, in fact, that she didn't notice when the door swung open and the Original's slowly walked into the room, following Esther with confused looks on their faces. Elijah frowned when his eyes found Elena, speeding to her side and placing his palm on her forehead,
"What have you done to Elena, Mother?"
Esther shut the door to the room when the last of her children entered the room, gesturing to the sofas,
"She's fine, Dear. Do take a seat, I'll sort out Elena."
Her voice offered no room for argument, but Elijah's concern only grew as the girl failed to react to any of their presences at all. She didn't even flinch when Klaus stalked over to their mother, fury written all over his face,
"What is this? What have you done to my doppelganger?"
Rebekah didn't even spare Elena a glance as she plopped down onto one of the sofas, choosing instead to inspect her nails.
Esther glared at her children, crossing her arms over her chest until all but Klaus had taken their seats. Klaus was towering over her, but she just raised an eyebrow at him, as if she were completely unaffected,
"Do sit down, Niklaus. Elena is fine."
Slowly, very slowly, he retreated and sat on the arm of the sofa that sat Rebekah and Elijah, the fury never leaving his face.
Esther waited for a moment before turning to Elena, who still hadn't moved. She approached the girl without hesitation,
"Elena, dear, come take a seat beside Finn."
She took Elena's wrist in her hand, and it was like a bucket of cold water had been splashed over the girl, Elena blinked rapidly and looked around the room, her heart beginning to hammer in her chest as she pulled her arm away from Esther.
She stumbled to her feet, looking very much like a deer caught in headlights as she backed away from Esther, who was shaking her head as she examined the window,
"I'm sure this was shut when I left this room. You weren't trying to run away, were you, Dear?"
In that moment, Elena was hyper aware of her situation. She was locked in a room with the six most dangerous people in the planet, at least one of whom was certifiably insane. Her hands shook as she pressed herself into the corner. Elijah rose to his feet, extending his hand out to her slowly, as if she were a frightened animal,
"Come to me, Elena. Come sit with me," He kept his voice soft, ignoring Rebekah's scoff as he took in the terrified girl before him.
She shook her head until Esther clapped her hands, a delighted smile on her face,
"Yes, Dear, go to your brother now."
Everyone in the room froze, ignoring the choked sob that tore out of Elena's throat. Elijah straightened, pulling his hand back as he regarded his mother, but it was Kol who broke the tense silence, his voice almost deadly,
"What was that, Mother?"
Esther had apparently had enough of Elena's hesitation, and she stepped towards the girl, putting her hands on her shoulders and pulling her away from the wall, each step felt like a challenge to Elena, she was sure her legs had turned to lead beneath her.
Esther only got her so far though, until Elijah gently took her hand, pulling her almost behind him while they all waited for Esther to speak. They didn't have to wait for long,
"Oh, my children! Tonight, has been a glorious success, I'd say. The ball was magnificent, was it not?"
Rebekah spoke next, her eyes never leaving her nails,
"It was alright, I suppose. Next time, we should take more care about who we invite."
Esther simply nodded, a large smile on her face as she took in her children. Klaus had slipped into Elijah's seat, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at her,
"Yes, yes, the ball was lovely. Now, what have you done to terrify my doppelganger?" his voice was low and dangerous as his eyes darkened, " And why would you call Elijah her brother?"
Elena almost whimpered at the last question. Esther, though, simply continued to smile. Elena waited for her to speak, but she didn't. Even Elena could feel the tensions rising and she desperately didn't want to be caught in the crossfire of whatever happened here.
Kol turned his eyes to her, observing the way she shook and at the way her makeup had run before turning back to his Mother,
"Perhaps we can let Elena go home now, it's quite late and I'm sure she'd like to get out of that gown and go to bed?"
Esther frowned, her smile falling,
"Elena is already home, Son. Do none of you see?" she looked confused, as if she couldn't understand why her children didn't share her delusion.
"No, actually, I don't think any of us 'see'," Klaus cut in, a sneer on his face, "This is most certainly not Elena Gilbert's home."
Esther pursed her lips, as if she hadn't thought she'd have to explain herself. She'd definitely been dead for too long, Elena thought.
Elena took a deep breath, her voice barely a whisper when she spoke,
"Your mother is confused, she thinks I'm her daughter, the Elena you told me about in the garden," she addressed Klaus, her voice raspy, "She wouldn't let me leave."
Klaus clenched his jaw so hard that she heard the bones crunch, and all of the siblings tensed, even Rebekah started paying attention.
It was Finn who growled out,
"What is the meaning of this?"
Elijah's voice was acidic when he spoke to Esther,
"You go too far, Mother."
Kol lurched to his feet, his eyes hard and Elena flinched as he pulled her out from behind Elijah,
"You cannot replace our sister with the first Elena you find. You dishonour her memory," he hissed as he pulled Elena towards the door, his grip on her arm almost bruising, "I won't hear this. I'm taking her home. You lot can try and fix whatever insanity has overcome her."
Esther slammed her hand out and an invisible barrier stopped Kol in his tracks,
"I'm telling you all, that girl is your sister. I sensed it when I awoke-"
"Our sister died a thousand years ago, as we should have." Finn's voice was laced with an anger that Elena had never heard from him. Esther shook her head, a deep sadness in her eyes,
"I thought so, too, until I was woken," Esther turned to Elena, "You've been having flashbacks, haven't you? Whatever spell bought you here is failing; I can feel it. You should be remembering us."
Elena froze; her breath stuck in her throat. She had been having visions.
But they couldn't be her memories. They were just a symptom of her trauma, that was all.
Out of sheer reflex, her head was shaking as she denied the accusation and Esther's eyes narrowed,
"You lie."
Her tone was colder than ice and Elena flinched into Kol. Her world felt like it was collapsing around her as she tried desperately to hold on to her sanity,
"Esther, what you're suggesting is impossible! I was born here, in my house in Mystic falls! Eighteen years ago! I'm so sorry, but I'm not who you think I am."
Klaus rose to his feet, stepping between Esther and Elena, his back to Kol and Elena as he glared down at his mother,
"That's enough from you. Kol, take Elena to her car. I think we need to have a family discussion."
Kol jerked his head and looked pointedly at his mother who narrowed her eyes,
"You're all letting your emotions cloud your judgement. Look at her back, she has the birth mark! And the scar, the one on her shoulder," Esther pointed a crooked finger at her and Elena straightened, a frown on her face as she bit out,
"I'm a doppelganger. Nothing about me is unique, I am just a copy of Katherine."
Esther frowned as if her being the doppelganger hadn't occurred to her and the spell dropped,
"I'm right about this," she stated, her voice unwavering, "You'll see. You are Elena Mikaelson. You'll be back here soon enough."
No one answered her as Kol pulled Elena from the room, scooping her into his arms as he sped down the stairs, appearing by her car before she could blink. She shook her head to overcome the nausea as he gently put her feet on the ground.
He watched her fumble with her keys for a moment, his eyes narrowed as he looked at her. His voice was quiet when he broke the silence,
"I felt you freeze. Was she right? Have you been having visions?"
Elena didn't meet his gaze as she unlocked her car,
"I haven't been having memories, if that's what you're asking. I'm pretty sure I have PTSD from the sacrifice, though. I'm going to send Klaus the bill for my therapy," her joke fell flat as she pulled on her car door and slid into the driver's seat, finally meeting Kol's eyes as he studied her, "Thank you, for, you know, getting me out of there."
Kol turned back to the house, all of his earlier playfulness now gone,
"You should go home."
Elena nodded, turning her car on and ignoring the check engine light as it flashed at her. She didn't say goodbye as she reversed away from him and drove away from the manor.
As she got further from Esther, Elena felt her chest lighten and her shoulders finally let go of the tension that she'd been carrying.
She pushed her car hard to get her home, almost racing to the front door in her eagerness to get to the safety of her bed.
She almost missed the three vampires that were sat in her kitchen, actually, she would have totally missed them if Caroline hadn't flown at her, nearly knocking her to the ground as she swept Elena into a crushing embrace,
"Oh my god! You're alive!"
Elena wrapped her arms around her blonde friend, relaxing completely for the first time in hours. She didn't say a word until Caroline pulled back to inspect her face, allowing Elena to see the tear streaks on her friend's face. She imagined they probably mirrored each other in that department. Caroline gave her a once over before her face hardened and she turned to Stefan and Damon, pointing to the door,
"Go home. Elena needs to sleep right now."
"No can do, Blondie. We need to know what the witch wanted from Elena."
Elena clasped her fingers around Caroline's as the blonde girl stepped towards the older vampire,
"No. I'm sure Elena will tell us tomorrow, but for now, you both need to go," Caroline turned her blue eyes on Elena, "Do you want me to stay?"
Elena hadn't known how badly she wanted her friend until Caroline had offered, and then it was like the dam in her chest had burst and she flung herself into Caroline's arms, ignoring her friend's 'oomph' as they collided.
"Okay, okay," Caroline giggled, "I'll stay."
Stefan stepped forward, his face blank as he stared at the girls,
"I just need to know if Esther is going to help us deal with Klaus."
Caroline squeezed her tighter, getting ready to throw the boys out by their ears, no doubt. But Elena sighed, turning to her ex and his brother with tired eyes,
"No. She's not. Now go home, please."
Stefan cursed and Damon grit his teeth before they both nodded tensely, their faces betraying their disappointment as they left without another word, the door slamming shut behind them.
Caroline stayed still for a moment, likely listening to make sure the Salvatore's had actually gone before she gently pulled Elena upstairs,
"Come on, let's get out of these dresses," She tried to offer Elena a smile, but it was strangely wobbly, "I'll need to borrow some pjs, okay?"
Elena just nodded, diligently following her friend into her bedroom before beginning the task of getting ready for bed. Caroline helped her when her hands were shaking too much to undo her corset, being strangely tender with her as she helped her out of the gown.
The girls pulled on matching pjs, a simple white set that she'd bought several pairs of specifically for girls nights, before they crawled into Elena's bed as they'd done hundreds of times before.
As they lay in the dark, Caroline reached out her hand and squeezed Elena's fingers,
"Are you okay?"
Elena was about to tell her that she was fine, that everything was okay, when she found her voice stuck in her throat and a strangled sob came out instead.
Caroline didn't say anything else, she just tucked Elena into her chest and gently brushed her hands through the tangled mess of curls that her hair had descended into while she cried, her tears soaking the front of Caroline's pj top.
"I-I think I'm losing my mind, Care."
"Shhh, you're okay. Just let it out, I've got you."
And Elena told her everything.
She told her about how the visions had begun after she'd woken up from the sacrifice, how she was losing so much time in her own mind, how she'd only gone to this stupid ball in an attempt to get her Stefan back, how much she'd enjoyed dancing with Kol. She told her about Klaus' story in the garden and then she told her about Esther, how the woman was totally insane and was convinced that Elena was her long lost daughter, how she'd trapped her in that room for hours and, finally, she told her about the arrival of the siblings and how angry they were at Esther.
Caroline listened in silence, just continuing to run her fingers through Elena's hair as she absorbed the story.
When Elena had been quiet for a few minutes, Caroline gently nudged her,
"And what do you think?"
Elena looked up at her, her bloodshot eyes meeting Caroline's blue ones,
"I- I don't know what I think. That's what scares me, Care. I don't know what's worse," she hiccupped, "The idea that I've lost my mind or the idea that I could be Klaus's long lost baby sister."
Caroline gently wiped the tears from Elena's cheeks now that she'd finished crying and her voice was quiet and contemplative as she thought out loud,
"I guess it's down to you, really. But, I think if it were me, I'd want to know for sure, either way."
Elena slumped back into her pillow, talking to Caroline had been therapeutic, but it had drained the last bits of her energy from her,
"I think I'll sleep on it," she looked at Caroline, "You looked beautiful, by the way. Did you enjoy the ball?" She felt guilty for not asking sooner, but Caroline just smiled widely,
"Thank you! I loved your dress, too!" The blonde girl rolled onto her side, "The ball was fun, I guess. But afterwards, when I thought you might be hurt or maybe even dead, that was awful. I was the last person to leave, you know. Klaus had to all but throw me out, he said I must have missed you, but your car was still parked out front."
"I'm sorry for scaring you."
"It's not your fault, well, it kind of is for going to see Esther alone, but I forgive you."
Elena curled around Caroline, offering her whatever comfort she could,
"Goodnight, Care,"
"Night, 'Lena."