SALVATORE BOARDING HOUSE

As dawn broke, casting a soft golden hue over the boarding house, Aella's weary figure traversed the familiar corridors with heavy steps. Her eyes bore the weight of sleepless nights and tear-stained cheeks, a testament to the tumultuous events that had unfolded.

Entering the kitchen, Aella's tired gaze met a surprising sight: Stefan, standing behind the counter, diligently stirring a steaming mug of coffee. A flicker of gratitude sparked in Aella's eyes as she approached him, a growing grin spreading across her face.

"You are a saint," she declared, her voice carrying a note of genuine appreciation.

Stefan's attempt at a smile faltered slightly, his usual distaste for the moniker evident. "Usually, that would be a compliment..." he murmured, his tone tinged with self-deprecation.

Setting her coffee down on the counter, Aella moved into Stefan's welcoming embrace, seeking solace in his comforting presence. "Saint Stefan. Damon can kiss my ass," she grumbled playfully, her words laced with affection.

Stefan pressed a gentle kiss to her head, his arms enveloping her in a protective embrace. "Grams good?" he inquired, his concern evident in the tender tone of his voice.

Aella nodded against his chest, her heart heavy with the weight of their shared grief. "We needed that time. Everything has been so crazy, we haven't really sat down and talked about the inevitable," she admitted, her voice tinged with a hint of vulnerability.

Stefan held her closer at her confession, his touch a silent reassurance of their shared strength. Another presence intruded upon their moment of solace, a knock at the kitchen door drawing their attention.

As Aella and Stefan turned to the door, curiosity etched upon their faces, Elijah entered the room with a soft smile. Stefan felt Aella's grip tighten on him for a fleeting moment, a subtle reaction that did not go unnoticed.

"I apologize for the intrusion, but tonight is the full moon. We should assume that Klaus is prepared to break the curse and we have no time to waste," Elijah stated solemnly, his tone tinged with a sense of urgency.

Aella pulled away from Stefan with a small smile, her determination evident as she made her way out of the kitchen, coffee in hand. "I'll go wake everyone," she declared, her voice resolute despite the gravity of their circumstances.

Pausing at the threshold of the kitchen, Aella cast a glance back at Stefan, her expression a mixture of concern and determination. "Get that coffee pot on," she instructed, her words carrying a note of playful command.

Stefan saluted her in mock obedience, a playful grin tugging at the corners of his lips. "Yes, ma'am," he replied with a chuckle, his gaze following Aella as she exited the room.

Left alone with Elijah, Stefan turned his attention back to the task at hand, setting about making enough coffee for the impending wake-up call. As he worked, Elijah's wistful gaze caught his attention, prompting him to speak.

"She seems sad," Elijah observed quietly, his tone reflecting a depth of empathy that belied his stoic demeanor.

Stefan paused in his task, considering Elijah's words carefully before responding. "Her grandmother is dying, and despite everything, one of her best friends could die tonight. She's past sad," he explained, his voice heavy with the weight of their shared burdens.

Elijah nodded in understanding, his expression reflecting a mixture of sympathy and contemplation. Taking a seat at the kitchen counter, he offered Stefan a poignant quote, his words carrying a sense of wisdom borne from centuries of experience.

"'It's part of the privilege of being human that we have our moment when we have to say goodbye,'" Elijah quoted softly, his gaze meeting Stefan's with a solemn understanding.

Stefan paused at the profoundness of Elijah's words, the weight of mortality settling heavily upon him. Despite all the advantages Elijah had as a vampire, death was something he'd never face, and that was as frightening as death itself.

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In the dimly lit library, the group had gathered, their faces etched with varying degrees of concern and anticipation. Elijah, ever the composed figure amidst the turmoil, stood at the forefront, his demeanor grave as he explained the significance of the approaching night. Jenna, her eyes filled with worry, cast a concerned glance at Elena before turning her gaze to Elijah, seeking reassurance in his words.

"We're sure? That it's tonight?" Jenna inquired, her voice tinged with apprehension.

Elijah's response was unwavering, his words devoid of any hint of uncertainty. "I do not see why my brother would wait another month, or he would not have made himself known," he stated matter-of-factly, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

Elena, her stomach churning with unease, took a shaky breath, the weight of their impending confrontation settling heavily upon her. "Tonight," she whispered, her voice trembling with a mixture of fear and determination.

Sensing Elena's distress, Aella reached out and clasped her hand in a gesture of solidarity, her grip firm and reassuring. "Tonight," she echoed, her tone infused with newfound confidence as she repeated the word, willing herself to believe in their ability to face whatever lay ahead.

Meanwhile, Nate, ever the inquisitive soul, directed his attention to Elijah, his curiosity piqued by the mention of the curse that loomed over Klaus. "This curse on your brother. Do you know how it was placed?" he asked, his voice tinged with curiosity.

Elijah's demeanor remained unchanged, though his tone sharpened slightly as he regarded Nate. "Why?" he responded, his gaze unwavering as he awaited Nate's explanation.

Elijah's inquiry hung in the air, a sharp edge to his voice that did not go unnoticed by Aella. As Nate began to explain, his obliviousness to Elijah's shift in demeanor was palpable, but Aella, ever observant, caught the subtle change and readied herself for the exchange that followed.

"Until recently, I had no clue that hybrids even existed and a curse placed upon one," he remarked, his expression a mix of disbelief and fascination which continued with a mind-blown gesture from him, a small gesture that managed to alleviate some of the tension that had settled over the room.

Aella, ever the strategist, nodded in agreement, her words a reminder of the importance of understanding their adversary. "Know thy enemy," she affirmed, her voice laced with determination as she prepared herself for the challenges that lay ahead.

Elijah, ever the wise figure among them, nodded in agreement with her sentiment and proceeded to quote a well known passage, "'If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle,'" Elijah recited, his tone imbued with the weight of centuries of experience and knowledge.

Aella, however, reacted with a roll of her eyes, her frustration evident at Elijah's propensity for speaking in cryptic phrases. "I hate when he speaks riddles," she muttered under her breath, her tone tinged with annoyance.

Jenna, always the voice of reason, intervened with a playful nudge and a quick clarification. "It's not a riddle. It's Sun Tzu: 'The Art of War,'" she explained, her gaze shifting between Aella and Elijah as she sought to dispel any confusion with a touch of humor and insight.

Nate, unable to resist a flirtatious remark, expressed his admiration for Jenna's intellect with a whistle and a compliment. "That's hot," he remarked, his tone laced with appreciation.

Aella, caught off guard by Nate's comment, couldn't help but laugh, her amusement evident as she playfully elbowed her uncle in response. "Okay, Paris Hilton," she quipped, her words infused with sarcasm as she affectionately teased him.

Jenna, meanwhile, shot Nate a pointed glare, unamused by his flirtatious remark, before turning her attention back to the conversation at hand.

Aella's gaze shifted to Elijah, her curiosity piqued as she sought answers about the curse and its origins.

"My uncle's not wrong, though," she began, addressing Elijah directly. "You told me about the curse being placed but not anything about the curse itself. What do you know?"

Elijah's demeanor shifted slightly, a flicker of discomfort crossing his features as he prepared to offer what knowledge he possessed.

"Magic wasn't exactly my forte," he admitted with a hint of unease. "However, recollecting is."

As Elijah spoke, his gaze drifted pointedly towards Stefan, a silent acknowledgment of their shared history and the complexities of their intertwined fates.

"When a vampire is created," Elijah continued, his tone measured, "we must drink the blood of a human to transform fully. Luckily, or some would say, unluckily for you, our first taste of human blood was given to us, my father making the kill for us. We were forced to drink from a poor girl from the village, but once that smell entered our heightened senses and the hunger screamed out to be fed, we were slaves to our own bodies."

Aella nodded in understanding, her knowledge of vampire lore allowing her to grasp the gravity of Elijah's words.

"Werewolves are turned after their first kill," she interjected, drawing a connection between the rituals of transformation for both vampires and werewolves. "By your dad providing the blood for you all, Klaus's werewolf side wouldn't have been triggered, right?"

Elijah affirmed her understanding with a nod, acknowledging the accuracy of her assessment.

"His first kill was the beginning of the end for us as a family," Elijah confessed, his tone heavy with sorrow and regret.

Stefan, struck by the weight of Elijah's revelation. "Klaus's being of a werewolf bloodline could only mean he wasn't a part of your bloodline—the Mikaelson bloodline," Stefan concluded, his eyes widening with the realization.

Elijah's response was a subtle bow of his head, a silent acknowledgment of the profound implications of Klaus's true nature and the devastating consequences it had wrought upon their family.

Elijah's voice wavered slightly as he recounted the tragic events of their past, his gaze distant as memories of pain and loss resurfaced.

"My father could not forgive my mother's infidelity," he began, his tone heavy with sorrow. "He hunted down and killed Niklaus' father, and his entire family. I discovered Niklaus after his first transformation, the bodies of six other villages slaughtered in his wake. Niklaus was scared he'd hurt more; he and my mother knew that something had to be done."

As Elijah spoke, his eyes glazed over with a distant sadness, the weight of the past bearing down on him. Aella watched him closely, sensing the depth of his emotions.

"My father wanted to be there," Elijah continued, his voice faltering slightly. "But our mother forbade him and us, but Ast-"

Aella's attention sharpened at the mention of Asta, sensing a shift in Elijah's demeanor. He cleared his throat and pressed on, seamlessly concealing his slip.

"-My mother found a witch in town, the only one who would help us after my family was shamed."

Aella pressed him further, her determination unyielding.

"Why would she help?" she questioned, her tone probing.

Elijah hesitated, stumbling over his words momentarily, a rare display of uncertainty for the typically composed man.

"She-she knew Niklaus would only cause more pain to our village," he replied, his voice strained with emotion. "My father and I should have been there, but she forbade it."

Aella's persistence echoed in the library, her determination palpable as she sought answers to the looming threat they faced.

"And then?" she pressed, her gaze fixed on Elijah, urging him to continue unraveling the tangled web of their family's past.

Stefan exchanged a meaningful look with Elena, silently questioning Aella's insistence on delving deeper into the matter. Why was she pushing so hard to uncover the truth?

Elijah took a moment to gather his thoughts before responding to Aella's inquiry, his voice carrying a weight of solemnity.

"And then it was done," he explained, his words laden with significance. "The curse has kept his werewolf aspect from manifesting, but if he breaks it, he'll be a true hybrid."

Before further discussion could ensue, Damon strolled into the library with an air of annoyance, his presence injecting a tense energy into the room.

"Then why are we letting him break the curse?" Damon interjected, his voice laced with impatience. "We can kill him today. With Bonnie."

Stefan sighed wearily, weariness etched across his features as he attempted to defuse the situation.

"Damon..."

But Elena, sensing the need to intervene, raised a hand to silence Stefan, her expression grave with concern.

"No," Elena interjected firmly. "Bonnie can't use that much power without dying."

Damon's response was callous, his indifference chilling the room.

"I'll write her a great eulogy," he quipped, his words devoid of empathy.

Jenna, unable to tolerate Damon's callousness any longer, spoke out with righteous anger.

"Enough of this shit, Damon," she snapped, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade. "If you need an adult to be the one to say it, I'll be it. Bonnie is not being sacrificed because of the fetish you harbor over my niece."

The room fell silent at Jenna's bold proclamation, the weight of her words hanging heavily in the air. Nate whistled lowly at Jenna's courage, impressed by her outspokenness.

"Damn!" he exclaimed, unable to contain his admiration.

Damon's rage simmered beneath the surface as he advanced menacingly towards Jenna, but Nate stepped in to protect her, his threat dripping with sarcasm.

"No can do, my dude," Nate warned, conjuring a flame in his hand. "You try anything with her, and I'll introduce you to B-B-Q Damon. Not so tasty but a delight for everyone to enjoy."

Reluctantly, Damon retreated, his glare fixed on Jenna as Aella rolled her eyes at Nate's theatrics. Turning to Elijah, Aella redirected the conversation back to the spell, eager to uncover more about the impending threat they faced. Jenna rubbed Elena's back in comfort, her gaze never wavering from Damon, a silent challenge in her eyes.

"So the curse was a garden-variety curse you and your brother spiced up for a doppelganger to be found," Aella summarized, her tone tinged with skepticism.

Elijah, ever composed, simply nodded in affirmation. "Precisely."

Aella arched an eyebrow at him, her words measured as she sought further clarification. "And it's the blood of the only doppelganger line you know of? You're sure?"

Elijah regarded Aella with a curious gaze before confirming, "Indeed."

Satisfied with his response, Aella nodded thoughtfully, her gaze lingering on Elijah for a moment longer before Stefan redirected their focus back to the task at hand.

"All right, how do we break this curse?" Stefan inquired, his tone resolute.

Elijah's attention remained fixed on Aella for a fleeting moment before he resumed his explanation. "As I told Aella previously, the ritual itself is relatively straightforward. The ingredients, so to speak, you already know."

Stefan nodded in understanding. "The moonstone."

Elijah confirmed Stefan's observation with a nod. "Yes, a witch will channel the power of the full moon to release the spell that's bound within the stone."

Aella interjected with a revelation of her own. "Greta, Jonas's daughter."

Elijah acknowledged her contribution with a nod before elaborating further. "Yes, after that, Klaus, being both werewolf and vampire, must sacrifice one of each."

Aella and Stefan exchanged meaningful glances at this new revelation, while Elena shifted uncomfortably, realizing the gravity of their situation.

"And where do I fit into it?" Elena questioned, her voice tinged with apprehension.

Elijah's gaze shifted to a wooden box resting on a nearby shelf. With deliberate movements, he retrieved the box and unveiled its contents—a vial nestled within silk.

"The final part of the ritual," Elijah declared solemnly, his words hanging heavily in the air as the group braced themselves for the challenges that lay ahead.

Elijah's movements were deliberate as he retrieved the old wooden box from the shelf, the anticipation in the room palpable. With careful precision, he opened the box to reveal a vial nestled within silk, its contents shrouded in mystery.

"Klaus must drink the blood of the doppelgänger... to the point of your death," Elijah declared, his words carrying a weight that settled heavily upon the group.

As Damon approached the table, Aella instinctively took Elena's hand, offering her a reassuring grin before turning her attention to Damon's suspicious scrutiny. With a skeptical expression, Damon lifted the vial from the box, eyeing it with distrust.

Elena directed her question to Elijah, seeking clarity amidst the uncertainty. "And that's where you come in?"

Elijah nodded solemnly, reclaiming the box from Damon and carefully closing it before placing it back on the table. "This is an elixir that I acquired some 500 years ago for Katerina. It possesses mystical properties of resuscitation."

Elena swallowed heavily, the gravity of their plan sinking in. "So I'll be dead?"

"And then you won't," Elijah affirmed, his confidence unwavering in the face of doubt.

Damon's skepticism pierced the air like a sharp gust of wind, his disbelief evident as he scoffed at the plan laid out before them.

"That's your plan? A magical witch potion with no expiration date?" he questioned incredulously, his gaze shifting from Aella to Elena in search of answers.

"You want to come back to life; what about John's ring?" Damon pressed, his tone laced with doubt as he grasped for alternatives.

Aella's response was swift and resolute, her huff signaling her frustration with Damon's persistent skepticism. "It won't work," she asserted firmly, her words leaving no room for argument.

Elijah, ever the voice of reason, offered his support to Aella's statement. "Aella is correct. Those rings only work on humans. The doppelgänger's a supernatural occurrence. Odds are, the ring won't work."

Damon's response was petulant, his shrug conveying his unwillingness to accept their proposed solution. "I'll take those odds over your elixir. What if it doesn't work, Elena?" he challenged, his skepticism unwavering.

Elena took a deep breath, her resolve unshaken despite Damon's doubts. "Then I guess I'll just be dead," she conceded, her words tinged with a hint of resignation.

Damon's expression remained unimpressed, his dissatisfaction evident as he glanced toward Jenna for confirmation. Jenna met his gaze with unwavering resolve, silently affirming Elena's decision.

With a dismissive shrug, Damon turned and walked away, his frustration palpable as he grappled with the uncertainty of their plan. Nate watched him go, his gaze lingering for a moment before redirecting the conversation back to their pressing concerns.

"Do we know if Klaus has everything he needs to do this?" Nate inquired, shifting the focus of the discussion. "Does he have a werewolf? I thought Tyler was the only one here, and he high-tailed it outta here."

Elena's eyes widened with realization as Nate's words sank in, prompting her to glance at Stefan and Aella for confirmation. Their unmoved expressions spoke volumes, signaling that they had already begun to piece together the puzzle of Klaus's preparations.

"Klaus has been waiting to break this curse for over a thousand years. If he doesn't already have a werewolf, my guess is by tonight, he will," Elijah stated, his words carrying a weight of certainty.

Aella wasted no time in formulating a plan, her mind working quickly to address the imminent danger. "So we need to figure out who he's going to use. Until then, all vampires are grounded," she declared firmly, her gaze locking onto Stefan to forestall any objections.

Stefan began to protest, but Aella silenced him with a warning look before turning to Jenna. "Can you call Anna and have her and Jeremy stick where they are?" she requested, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Aella then turned to Elena, issuing her next command without hesitation. "Call Caroline and warn her to stay inside places Ric or Klaus cannot enter without permission or without looking sketchy. Or here. I'd prefer her here," she instructed, her concern for her friend evident in her words.

Finally, Aella turned her attention to Elijah and Stefan, her resolve unwavering. "And us? We need to figure out the werewolf situation," she stated firmly, her determination palpable.

Nate interjected with a playful gesture, eager to contribute to their efforts. "What about me?" he asked with a pout, his enthusiasm evident as he mimicked boxing moves.

Aella couldn't help but stifle a smile, knowing that she was about to dampen Nate's spirits. "I want you to keep looking at those runes," she replied, her tone serious as she conveyed the importance of his task. "...there's something that's bugging me about that place."

Nate's demeanor visibly deflated at her response, but he quickly rallied, sensing the significance of their mission. "Spider senses tingling kinda-of feeling?" he quipped, his eagerness to assist shining through.

"Bingo," Aella confirmed with a wink, her confidence unwavering as she entrusted Nate with a crucial task.

As Nate dashed off with a maniacal laugh, Elijah raised a weary brow, questioning the wisdom of losing a valuable ally. "Is that an important task for us to lose a man?" he inquired, his concern evident in his tone.

Aella met Elijah's gaze head-on, her determination unyielding. "A witch sealed off that cave from vampires for a reason, and I'm not going to be a step behind anymore when it comes to this town. Is that a problem?" she challenged, her resolve unshakeable.

After a moment of tense silence, Elijah relented, acknowledging the validity of Aella's decision. "No problem here," he conceded, his expression reflecting a mixture of respect and admiration.

"Good," Aella replied firmly, her gaze unwavering as she prepared to face the challenges that lay ahead.