『Chapter Thirty-Three』
『family above all』

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Bodie wasn't sure what to think as a whole when it came to seeing Elijah before him. There was a part of him that wondered whether or not Elijah might try and hurt him given the way that Bodie decided to leave things with them. He knew that there was a chance that dealing with Bodie wasn't on Elijah's priority list, but it was still something that somewhat worried him. He knew that there was no way on earth that Elijah could kill him, but Bodie wouldn't be surprised if Elijah found a way to put him down long enough to plan out his actual death.

"You look surprised to see me." Elijah said. He was cleaning the blood off of his hand. He came walking towards Klaus and Bodie found himself taking a step back wondering whether or not he should run. "So, it wasn't you that removed the dagger from my chest."

"You look like you could do with a drink." Klaus said. "And we have a lot to discuss, so shall we?"

"How about I get those drinks while you two talk out any issues." Bodie suggested. He knew that there was a chance that Elijah would love to talk to him, but he found that he didn't want to move, even after his suggestion. He knew that both Klaus and Elijah would prefer if he did stay but he really didn't want to.

However, before Bodie could fully get an answer or fully go to leave, Elijah had ran and punched Klaus, then grabbed him and threw him through the double doors, consequently breaking the doors and the windows within said doors. Bodie found himself backing away, knowing that the last thing that he wanted to do was be part of any of this.

Klaus, now leaning up on his toes and hands, somewhat glared at Elijah. "Easy. I just finished renovating." Klaus pounced then, rushing forward and then tackling Elijah and destroying a table in the process.

Bodie wished that he could eat something while watching this play out. He knew that this shouldn't entertain him, but it was something that he couldn't help in the slightest. He had no idea, fully, about anything but he always found it somewhat amusing watching both Klaus and Elijah fighting though he never fully agreed with it. He supposed he found it amusing because it meant that they weren't focusing their attention on what Bodie ever done wrong or what he was planning, meaning that it gave him time to do whatever he wanted.

"You know, you have every right to be mad at me." Klaus told, standing over Elijah. "But I kept my word. I reunited you with our family."

Nothing else was said given that Elijah rose to his feet and began punching Klaus in the face repeatedly before kicking him back. Klaus fell back onto the coffins, he ended up opening Kol's coffin and pulled out the dagger.

"Don't make me do this to you again, Elijah." Klaus yelled. He'd pinned Elijah by the neck against the coffin he originally fallen on.

Elijah slightly rose his hands. "Come on, use it. I dare you. you'll have Kol to deal with."

"Oh, I'd love to deal with Kol." Bodie said to no one in particular.

Klaus lowered the dagger, though he didn't fully release Elijah. Instead, Klaus just glared at Elijah. "Mikael is dead."

Elijah rose up then, looking at Klaus in somewhat shock. Bodie was somewhat sad that they weren't fighting anymore, meaning that his entertainment was over for now. "What did you say?"

"I killed him with his own weapon." Klaus repeated. "He's gone, Elijah, forever. Ask Bodie."

Elijah looked briefly towards the coffins. "Why do our family remain in these coffins? Finn for over nine-hundred years, Kol for over a century."

Bodie always felt bad for Finn, despite getting the feeling that Finn never liked him—and he fact that he wasn't a big fan of Finn anyway—but he still felt a little bad. Whenever he'd ask Klaus about Finn, it was always the same answer, and it was that answer that never sat right with Bodie as a whole. He thought that Finn should have had the chance to have a life the same way that all of them did. It was cruel to keep Finn in a box for so long.

"Because of Stefan Salvatore." Klaus explained. "He holds the one thing keeping me from freeing them. There are things that you do not know about our past, Elijah. Our mother's death, things I never wanted you to know, but I'm ready to tell you now." He looked briefly towards Bodie. "As do Bodie, he plans to share his secrets maybe about our past." He walked back, towards Rebekah's coffin. "I only ask that you remember the oath of loyalty you once swore to me." He opened a small jar, covering the tip of the dagger into it.

"What are you doing?" Elijah asked. Klaus had walked back over to Kol's coffin, placing the dagger back through Kol's heart.

Klaus looked back towards Elijah. "Always and forever." He moved to look at Elijah. "I need you to stand by my side. Be my brother. Help me destroy Stefan and I promise you our family will be whole again." He closed the lids of Kol's coffin, and they slammed in the process.

Bodie looked between the pair of them and for a moment, Bodie wondered what else could possibly happen. He knew that there was a chance that all the fun stuff was over and done with but there was a part of him that wished that it would continue so that something interesting would happen.

As much as he's found all of this—Stefan stealing the coffins, everything leading up to it, and such—entertaining, it felt like there was something missing and Bodie wasn't sure what it could be. No matter how much he tried to think about it, he found that he was coming up short. He wasn't sure if it had to do that he hadn't had both Henry and Will by his side as it's happened, but whatever it was, he somewhat hoped that whatever was to come, he at least had them with him once more.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but between the fight between Klaus and Elijah, and then morning, Bodie found himself waiting outside of the Snow's house. He didn't know why he was here, Klaus hadn't asked him to do anything, in fact, he wasn't asked to do anything, so he thought himself free of doing anything that he wanted. But even still, there was a part of him that wondered as to why he'd decided to come here of all places.

He sat outside in his car, watching as if he was tracking their movement. Which he wasn't, but the more that he thought about it, the more weird he felt as a whole about it. He knew that he should just leave, that there was no point of him being here, that there was a likelihood that if he were to talk to them, they'd hate him as a whole. He knew that he ruined his relationship with the Snow's but there was a part of him that wanted to repair whatever he'd done.

For a moment, Bodie wondered whether or not he should leave, if him being here was a good idea. He knew that being here was bad, that it was something that he shouldn't be doing, but he couldn't help but wanting to look out for them. He knew that his relationship with them was basically over, but he wondered whether they would be willing to forgive him for threatening them and then basically ruining their chance of having Klaus gone from their lives. He knew that he'd fucked up but no matter how much he wanted to fix this, he found that it was rather hard to do such a thing.

Bodie closed his eyes for a moment, he knew that he shouldn't be here, that his priority should be trying to fix things with Henry and Will, but he already felt like he was on the way to do that already and he didn't want to bombard them. Which he supposed was why he was here and not with Klaus. Now that he thought about Klaus, there was a part of him that wondered whether or not he should have stayed with Klaus, but he found that he would rather not. And he didn't fancy being around Elijah once more, knowing that there was more of a chance that Elijah would say something to him.

What drew him out of his thoughts was the fact that Leo opened his car door and got in beside him, slamming the door behind him. Bodie found himself giving Leo an odd look, wondering if there was a chance that Leo got into the wrong car by mistake. He found himself just staring at Leo for a brief moment, as much as he knew that he was the weird one in this situation, he couldn't help but wonder whether or not Leo was weird for just getting into his car.

"What are you doing here, Bodie?" Leo asked. Bodie noticed that his family were looking out the window, well his grandparents were, his parents and brother were on the porch.

Bodie was somewhat hesitant to respond for a moment, as if he were unable to find the right words to explain. Though, in all honesty, it was because he didn't know what to say or how to explain any of it fully. He knew that he needed to apologise for what he's done to them, but Bodie couldn't find the right words even for that. He tried to think for what he could say but nothing came to him.

"I don't know. . ." Bodie said. "I supposed there was a part of me that felt bad for everything that's happened."

Leo gave him a look. "And why did you do it? Why stop us from killing Klaus? Why go onto his side when you know better than anyone else how many lives he's ruined, including yours?"

Bodie sighed. If anyone knew the truth, they would know that it was Bodie that ruined Klaus' life the night that Henrik died. He tried not to think about the ways that he's ruined Klaus' life, but at the same time, he supposed that Klaus ruined his in return without knowing. "Because you know my history with him. And the fact that your original plan included the one man that scares the living shit out of me."

For a moment, there was silence and Bodie knew that he needed to continue, he knew that what he said wasn't enough. "And," Bodie continued, "I wouldn't be able to live in a world that wouldn't have Klaus. Being a vampire heightens your emotions, and I loved Klaus with my entire being when I was human, and that was enhanced when I became this. I don't want to live in a world that doesn't have him. And if I have to betray people in order to make sure that he survives, then so be it. It's not something that I like to do because the bonds that I make with some of you mean a lot to me, but I made a promise long ago to make sure that Klaus Mikaelson is safe and okay, and I intend to keep that promise no matter what."

He knew that there was a chance that Leo wouldn't believe him, but Bodie didn't need Leo to believe him, he needed Leo to know the truth. He needed everyone to know the truth, and he didn't care if anyone believed him. As long as it was out. He made a promise to look out for Klaus and keep him safe, and that was something that he wanted to do knowing that there were moments where he failed that promise.

"And I'm sorry for the way that I treated you and your family, Leo." Bodie added. "I know that there's a chance that you won't believe anything that I say, but it's the truth. I never wanted to treat your family the way that I did, I always thought of your grandparents rather positively."

Leo was silent. All Bodie wanted to do was fill the silence, but he knew that he's said enough, that there was nothing else that he needed to add but he felt like he needed to. He tried not think too much as a whole, there was no point in overthinking everything, but he couldn't help himself. What else would he do?

He tried to rid himself of anything, of all thoughts, but he knew that it was always difficult when his mind was too loud. So, he tried to focus on any movements outside in hopes that it would distract Bodie from the silence that was in his car. He knew that he couldn't deal with silences all that well and he wished that Leo would talk and say something, he didn't even care if Leo decided to insult him as a whole for everything that he's done.

After what felt like forever, Leo spoke. "Henry told me some of it when you spoke to him, that you made a promise to your old alpha." Bodie was going to say something but found himself holding his tongue. "But he's dead, Bodie. You don't have to continue with it anymore. You could help us, instead."

Bodie shook his head. As much as he would want to help them, he knew that he couldn't. It wasn't the fact that he couldn't, no, it was because he didn't want to. If he killed Klaus, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. No matter how much Klaus annoyed him or drove him over the edge, he wouldn't want to actually kill Klaus. He would threaten Klaus with death, knowing that he was one of the few who could take him on in combat, but that was all that Bodie would do—he wouldn't kill Klaus.

"I wouldn't, Leo. I couldn't." Bodie said. "Even after all that I've done to Klaus and all that he's done to me, the one thing that I know that I wouldn't be able to do is kill him. If I lost Klaus, it would mean losing everything that I hold dear, including myself. And that's something that I can't deal with and that's something that none of you would be able to deal with because not even your most powerful spell could stop me."

He'd thought over about the possibility of losing Klaus over the centuries mainly because of Mikael, and as much as he knew that he couldn't just predict how he would act, it was just something that he feared. All his life, he's had Klaus, knew that he was alive and well, and if he knew that Klaus was gone and was never coming back, then he wouldn't know what to do with himself.

"After all you've done to Klaus?" Leo repeated. It was only then that Leo looked at him and he looked confused. "What could you have possibly done to Klaus that makes you feel like this?"

Bodie found himself staring at Leo. "I killed someone he loved and consequently was the reason why vampires were created in the first place." The look on Leo's face was something that made Bodie somewhat sick. He knew what he did was terrible, but he always tried to block it out as best as he could. "He doesn't know."

There was a moment of silence and for a moment, Bodie wondered whether or not Leo would run away and leave him sitting alone. But at the same time there was a small part of him that worried just in case Leo decided to run with this and tell Klaus about it before he was ready. Though there was a part of Bodie that wondered whether or not Elena told Leo the story about the Originals and what lead to the creation of the entire species. Though, Bodie had to remind himself that the chance of Elena telling the story to her friends was likely.

Bodie wondered whether or not he should have said what he said, wondered whether or not he should have kept it to himself, but he found himself not wanting to care. He knew that he should care given that this was something that he's been hiding for centuries, but there was a small part of Bodie that wondered that if he told Leo this then it would prove to Leo that he was trying his best by being honest. He hoped that by him being honest, it would mean something.

Leo looked down. "You're trying to repent for your crimes before they know about it. You're hoping that Klaus would forgive you for what you've done before he knows."

Bodie nodded. "Yes. But even still, I know what I will tell them will shatter all of the siblings. I'll be unsafe in Mystic Falls."

"You'll leave then?" Leo asked. "Once you tell them, I mean."

Bodie shrugged. "Probably. Depends on how bad it gets. Which is why I'm glad that Stefan convinced Klaus to get the hybrids out of the town. Though, I will say, whatever is in that sealed Coffin you all still have, that's got me worried, whoever or whatever is in there could kill me too if I dare speak what I told you."

"Would that be too bad?" Leo asked. "If whatever is in there kills you too?"

"I like being alive, thank you." Bodie somewhat scoffed. He shook his head. "Hybrids really are a pain in my ass, sometimes." He muttered, though he knew that there was a chance that Leo heard it.

"But isn't being alive for a thousand years, like, too much?" Leo asked.

Bodie thought about the time that he's been alive for, the thought that maybe being immortal wasn't what Bodie wanted. He knew that being a vampire was forced onto him, that it wasn't his choice to become this, but there was a small part of him that was grateful for this for multiple reasons, one of them being that he's not bound by the full moon and forced to change. "I suppose that it is too long and too much, but for a thousand years, I've watched empires rise and fall, I've watched music and art grow and change. I've seen what mortals will do in such a short amount of time. As much as I know being alive for as long as I have has been far too long for anyone, I've realised that it doesn't matter, that what matters is seeing how things change, knowing that I'll have to adapt with the times."

He could ramble on about his thoughts when it came to the life that his lived but didn't want to bore Leo as a whole. Not only that but Elijah wanted him to have a little sit down with Stefan as if Bodie was the one to have an issue with Stefan as much as Klaus does. Though he supposed that there's a chance that Elijah thinks that Bodie has an issue with him which was something that wasn't exactly true, though Bodie supposed that Elijah was doing damage control on Bodie's side given his betrayal.

"Do you care if you live or die?" Leo asked. "I mean, you've already seen too much, and I know that you don't care, but being alive for this long is unnatural no matter what."

"I care for my life, Leo." Bodie told. "I care for my life because I'm not just living for myself, I'm living for my family that can't be here with me. Plus, there's still so much that I need to see for myself. I'd like to live until I find a place where I can permanently stay without the worry of anyone finding it weird that I don't age."

For a moment, Bodie wondered whether or not Leo was going to question him more about the fact that he was a vampire and his life. He wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about the life that he's lived and whether or not he wanted to die, he's thought about too much and didn't fancy sharing his thoughts about it with someone that he didn't know if he could trust fully.

Bodie went to say something though he realised that he had no idea what he wanted to say. There was a small part of him that wondered whether or not he wanted to kick Leo out and go back to Klaus' home, but he found himself wanting to stay in Leo's company just a little longer. He knew that there was a chance that he was being weird, but he found that he didn't care all that much, knowing that there was a slight chance that he could get to know Leo just a little more.

Leo looked down. "When you told my grandparents that either you or Klaus could turn my brother and I, was that true? And everything else you said about my brother and I?"

Bodie sighed. "Yes. You two are something that I haven't seen before, in my life I haven't come across a were-witch. I wonder, now that I've met you, what would happen if you were to become a vampire. Would nature allow you to keep your magic? Or would nature decide to rid you of your magic like it does with normal witches?"

He knew that he should keep his mouth shut about this entire situation, but he found that it was rather hard. It was all that he could think about most of the time, wondering whether or not there was a chance that Leo and Elliot could become something more powerful, though he knew that there was a chance that they wouldn't. No matter how much he hoped, he knew that the chance of anything that he hoped would be unlikely. As much as he hoped that he could ally himself with someone powerful in hopes for some form of protection, he knew that nature would spit on him for thinking such a thing.

"I'm not like Will or Henry," Leo said. "The likelihood of me keeping my magic if I ever did become a vampire would be unlikely. I'm not a siphoner. Whatever you think I could become, you need to forget it. I would rather die than become a vampire and if I lost my magic because you or Klaus decided to turn me, I'd hate you too."

Bodie nodded. "I had a feeling that you would say that." He looked quickly to the Snow's who were still watching them. "Go back to your family, Leo. I would hate for them to make an attempt to kill me just for keeping you here for as long as I have."

"I'll tell them that you apologised for everything that you done to our family and want to work on fixing what you broke." Leo stated.

"You won't tell them about anything else?" Bodie asked. He realised that he mistakenly shared a lot with Leo that other people wouldn't know.

Leo shook his head. "No. What you told me was enough to know that you mean well. Even with your thoughts about what I could become, as long as you keep what I am from Klaus. I know that he's been made to drive his hybrids out of town, but I don't want him to turn my mom, or my brother, or myself. Understood?"

"I never planned to tell him." Bodie told as Leo got out of the car. "And I don't plan to."

Leo gave him some form of a smile. "Thanks, Bodie Erikson." He then turned and headed back towards his family and his home.

Bodie wondered whether or not he should make sure that Leo got in safe, though realised that he was already overstaying his welcome. He decided that he needed to make his way back to Klaus,' knowing that there was a chance that Elijah would find a way to find him and drag him back in order to deal with everything that's happened since he's been away.

As much as he didn't want to have this dinner, knowing that it didn't concern him all that much, there was just a small part of Bodie that wanted to see how it would all play out, knowing that there was a chance that Klaus wouldn't enjoy it for whatever reason. Plus, he wanted to see what Stefan would do throughout the dinner, see if there was a chance that Bodie could piss Stefan off in some way.

He knew that there was a chance that he couldn't annoy Stefan, but if he found something to exploit, then he might as well pick at it. On his way back to Klaus,' Henry messaged him telling him that tonight's dinner was to distract Klaus long enough for them to unlock the coffin. It was moments like this that he found himself loving Henry a lot more than anything, given that Henry just gave him something to play with, something that could get a reaction out of both Stefan and Damon.

As much as he knew that he could exactly tell anyone where he got this information from, he knew that it was going to bring him joy, though a part of him wanted to know who or what was in that coffin for Klaus not to tell him as a whole. Though he supposed Klaus always had his secrets as did Bodie.

By the time that he got back to Klaus' home, Elijah was standing waiting to greet him. There was a small part of him that wondered how long Elijah had been waiting for him, though he didn't want to know. It already felt like Elijah was acting like a father who was planning to bust their child for sneaking out without his consent.

"How long are you going to stare at me like that, Elijah?" Bodie asked with a grin. "If I wanted someone to wait for me, I'd resurrect my family."

"Now's not the time for jokes, Bodie." Elijah stated. "Our guests will be here shortly."

"How short is shortly?" Bodie asked. "Five minutes? Twenty? Would I have time to stretch my legs?" He knew that he was taking the piss, but it was something that he found rather amusing, knowing how serious Elijah seemed about this entire situation as a whole.

Elijah gave him a look and Bodie could tell that Elijah didn't want to deal with Bodie as a whole. "Remind me again why you're here."

"Because I prevented you from losing your brother when Mikael came to kill him." Bodie stated. "Plus, you seriously think that Klaus and I wouldn't find a way to work together once more? It's almost as if he can't stay away for long." Bodie walked past Elijah, turned to walk backwards, and waved. "I'll put something nice on for our little meal with the Salvatore's."

He half expected Elijah to say something or do something with his back now turned on him, but when Elijah didn't, there was a part of him that felt somewhat relieved. Though Bodie was sure that once this situation was all over, Elijah might start stuff with him to get back at him for what happened in Wembley. Of course, he still expected Klaus to find a way to get back at him, but he supposed that Klaus getting back at him was something that was going to be when he least expected it.

The moment that Bodie came into his room, the one thing that he didn't expect to see was Klaus standing in front of the mirror with one of Bodie's shirts on. Of course, Bodie didn't mind if Klaus did borrow his clothes, but for some reason there was a part of him that felt a little awkward knowing everything that's happened between them and yet here Klaus was, stealing his clothes for the night.

"Hope you don't mind." Klaus stated. "Nothing I had felt right."

"Surprised that you're going through this." Bodie stated. He didn't want to fully acknowledge the shirt. "Though I suppose Elijah made you do this."

"Elijah does what he sees fit." Klaus stated. He turned to look at Bodie. "You don't mind with the shirt and all?"

Bodie shrugged. "As long as I can steal one of your shirts."

Klaus somewhat smiled at that. "Where did you go today?"

"Just tried to fix some relationships that I ruined in order because I'm working with you." Bodie briefly explained.

Klaus' expressions lightened then. "The Snow's?"

Bodie somewhat tensed. "How'd you know? I didn't realise that you knew of them."

"I met them at the council meeting." Klaus responded. "They said that they didn't want anything to do with me because of you."

Bodie didn't know what to say, both he and Klaus made their way to Klaus' room where he could steal one of Klaus shirts. Bodie knew that there was a chance that he wouldn't care about the relationships that he had nor the fact that he wanted to wear one of his shirts. He knew that there was a chance that Klaus would want to know about the relationship that he did have with the Snow's, but Bodie didn't want to risk their safety as a whole. He didn't know what Klaus would do to them if he found out what Leo and Elliot are.

He forced a smile onto his face. "They trusted me, once. And they're pissed off the way that I did it."

Klaus didn't say anything, he somewhat hummed as if it was the most important thing for him as a whole. "I'm surprised that you had people that you could piss off."

"Well, I was desperate when I allied myself with them." Bodie stated. Once they were in Klaus' room, Bodie took notice of the many shirts on Klaus' bed and took one of them. "Your room's a mess Klaus."

Klaus just gave him a look, though he didn't say anything. Bodie was somewhat grateful for that, given that he wasn't sure how much longer he could deal with being in a conversation with Klaus about his alliances with anyone that's not Klaus. For a moment, Bodie remembered Henry's text and there was a small part of him that wondered whether or not he should tell Klaus about it, that it was in a cave and that tonight was a distraction for the town witch to try and open it. Though, yet again, Bodie found himself shaking those thoughts off, he wanted to keep it as much as a secret for Henry's sake—he didn't know what Damon or Stefan would do to Henry if they found out that it was Henry who was telling Bodie everything.

He'd changed his shirt into one of Klaus' and there was a part of Bodie that had forgotten what it was like to wear Klaus' shirts once more. He tried to rid his mind of the thoughts of what it made him feel, knowing that once Klaus finds out the truth, his relationship would be over. He could basically feel Klaus' eyes on him as he moved, and it was something that was rather annoying Bodie in a way, a part of him wated to snap at Klaus but found that he didn't have the energy to do such a thing.

"Niklaus, Bodie," Elijah called out. "Our guests have arrived."

Both Klaus and Bodie looked out of the door, despite knowing that Elijah was at the front door and that they couldn't see them. Bodie shut his eyes for a moment, he didn't want to have this dinner at all. He wanted to see how Bonnie, and such were doing with the coffin and see what this threat was on Klaus' life and just to see who was in that last coffin.

The pair made their way downstairs rather quick, though, as they did, they both noticed how both Stefan and Damon were coming into the house. Bodie wondered just how entertaining this evening was going to be for him and whether or not he was going to wish that he were doing something else.

"Damon. Stefan." Klaus somewhat greeted. "Elijah tells me you seek an audience. Very bold." Both Bodie and Klaus were standing beside a large round table seated for five. Three servants were behind them. "Let's discuss the terms of our agreement like civilized men, shall we?"

Elijah walked past the Salvatore's. "It's better to indulge him."

Stefan—with his hands behind his back—walked down the stairs. "I didn't, uh, come here to eat, Klaus. In fact, I didn't want to come here at all, but I was told I had to because you would hear us out." By now, Stefan was in front of Klaus.

Klaus chuckled slightly. "Well, we can sit and eat," he walked to one of the seats where one servant pulled the chair out, "or I can reach down your throats and pull out your insides." He sat down. "The choice is yours."

Between everything that was going in Bodie's mind, he found himself trying to catch up on the fact that they were all sat around the table, halfway through a meal. For a moment, Bodie wondered whether or not there was a chance that he could have more, realising that he hadn't fully eaten throughout the day—of course, if he chose to ignore the blood he'd had.

One of the servants filled Damon's glass while another filled Bodie's. "Thank you, love."

"You lost your appetite?" Klaus directed to Stefan.

"Eat. I thought we agreed that we would leave the grumpy Stefan at home." Damon said, looking at his brother.

"That's the spirit," Klaus said as Stefan picked up his knife and fork once more. "Isn't this nice? The five of us dining together. Such a treat. Is this what you had in mind when you pulled the dagger out of my brother?"

"Well, I knew how he felt about you, so I figured the more, the merrier." Damon stated.

"I'm surprised that you wanted to upgrade to having three Originals in town once more." Bodie said, sipping on the wine. Stefan gave him a look which Bodie somewhat smiled at.

Klaus briefly looked towards Bodie before turning his attention back to Damon. "Elijah and I have had quarrels over the centuries, but we always make it through."

"Kind of like, uh, you and Rebekah, right?" Stefan asked. "Where is she, by the way? Last I checked she was still daggered because you were afraid to face her."

"If you're referring to the fact that Rebekah knows I killed our mother and Bodie helped, I've already come clean to Elijah."

Elijah looked towards both Klaus and Bodie. Bodie found himself watching as everything played out, although everything within him was telling him to run away and never look back, though he found that this was something of interest to Bodie in some way.

"Hey, Stef," Damon began. "Remember when you killed dad? Might want to dial down the judgment till dessert."

Bodie looked between both the Mikaelson brothers and the Salvatore's. "Wow, what a table. Might want to start a club called 'we killed our parents!'" He somewhat snorted to himself. He knew that he shouldn't judge, but it was something that was rather amusing for him as a whole to hear.

Stefan ignored Bodie's comment while Klaus glared at him. "We're here to make a deal, Damon. Doesn't mean that we need to kiss his ass for seven courses."

"I'm just saying, we have a long evening ahead of us, pace yourself." Damon warned.

"Might want to listen to your brother, Stefan." Bodie said.

Stefan gave him a look. "And why shall I do that?"

Bodie leaned back on his chair. "Because I heard cave walks are something of interest." Bodie then turned to both Klaus and Elijah. "Do you remember the months of the full moon? My pack would drive you all underground for a night. I don't remember, but did you ever enjoy those nights?"

Bodie could feel the way that Stefan and Damon somewhat stiffened, acting as if what Bodie hadn't said anything of importance to them. It was something that made Bodie smile, he somewhat loved confusing Damon with the knowledge that he knows. There was a small part of him that wondered whether or not Damon had figured it out yet, that it was Henry that was still in contact with him and was telling him things of importance.

"I wouldn't advice roaming the caves, they're a little unsafe." Damon warned. "Rocks falling and all."

Bodie somewhat hummed, an amused smile on his face. He knew that there was a chance that he was going to get bombarded with questions later on, but that was something that he didn't care for as much as he thought he should. He found himself wanting to annoy the Salvatore brothers as much as he could.

After a moment, Elijah decided to speak up. "Stefan, where is the lovely Elena tonight?"

"I don't know. Ask Damon." Stefan stated.

Klaus laughed. Burying his head into his hand as if a way to snuffle his laughter. Elijah looked towards his half-brother like he was somewhat done with him. Bodie, however, was smiling into his drink.

"I'm sorry, you missed so much." Klaus said, now wanting to explain everything to Elijah. "Uh, trouble in paradise."

"One more word about Elena and, uh, this dinner is over." Stefan told.

"Then there's no deal." Bodie muttered. There was this small part of his mind that was craving murder in some way, though he couldn't tell as to why.

"Hey, you know what?" Damon cut in. "Probably best just to keep Elena in the do-not-discuss pile."

"You're probably right." Klaus said, returning to his food. A second later, he placed his fork down. "It's just the allure of the Petrova doppelgänger is still so strong." He looked to Elijah and Bodie. "What do you say, brother? Bodie? Shall we tell them about Tatia?"

Bodie rolled his eyes. It was one of the few times that the Erikson siblings and Mikaelson's had a bit of an argument with each other, given that it was Elijah and Ingrid—Bodie's younger sister—who had fallen for Tatia. That and the fact that Bodie had worried just in case Klaus had fallen out of love with him and was crushing on Tatia. Of course, this was when they were all human.

"Now, why should we discuss matters long since resolved?" Elijah asked.

"Who said its resolved?" Bodie asked. "Ingrid is still pissed at you. I can feel it in the air."

Klaus laughed at that while Elijah gave him a look. "Given their shared affection for both Elena and Katerina, our guests might be curious to learn about the originator of the Petrova line."

"What and the feud between two families?" Bodie asked.

Damon somewhat sighed. "We're not going anywhere, Elijah. Please. Do tell."

"When our family first settled here, there was a girl named Tatia." Elijah explained. "She was an exquisite beauty. Every boy of age desired to be her suitor, plus some girls the same, even though she'd had a child by another man. None loved her more than Ingrid—Bodie's sister."

"Oh, I think she would argue that there was one who loved her Tatia a little more." Bodie stated.

"Wait a minute." Stefan said. "Both your sister and you loved the same girl?" He pointed towards both Elijah and Bodie, though it was clear that he was entertained by the thought.

"Our mother was a very powerful witch," Elijah said, meaning Klaus and himself. "She sought to end the family feud over Tatia and so she took her. Bodie and I would learn that it was Tatia's blood we consumed in the wine on the night where our mother performed a spell which turned us into vampires. Of course, Bodie turned later, but the point stands." He took a swing of his drink. "Tatia wouldn't make a decision between Ingrid and I, so for a time, our family and Bodie's family grew estranged. Harsh words were traded. Even came to blows that Bodie had to get between, right, Bodie?"

"I wanted to kill you for fighting my sister." Bodie admitted. "But, eventually, we rekindled our bonds with one another. We were like family with each other, and that was all that mattered." He would be lying if he didn't admit that he saw Elijah like a brother-in-law and the same with the rest of the siblings who were welcoming to when Bodie and Klaus first announced their relationship with each other.

"Family above all." Elijah stated. He grabbed his glass and rose it.

Bodie grabbed his own glass as did Klaus. "Family above all."

The three clinked their glasses together.

The rest of the dinner went smoothly, or Bodie thought that it did, though he couldn't tell if it was going poorly. After a while, they'd finished their meal and the servants cleared the table. Damon's plate was the last to be removed, and another servant poured Bodie another glass.

"So, why don't we discuss the terms of this proposal?" Elijah suggested.

"Oh, it's very simple, Klaus gets his coffin back." Damon told. "In exchange he and the Original extended family and co leave Mystic Falls forever."

Bodie found himself glaring at Damon then, wondering if Damon realised that it meant that there was a chance he was aware that it meant he took Henry and Will with him. Though, at the same time, Bodie wondered whether or not Damon cared about Henry and his place his group. As much as Bodie knew that it would be Henry's choice on whether or not he comes with him, Bodie worried for his safety more than anything, knowing that there was a chance that the others might turn on him.

"Me, Stefan, and Elena live happily ever after." Damon added. "No grudges."

"The deal sounds fair, brother." Elijah said.

"I don't think you understand." Klaus told. "Elena's Doppelgänger blood ensures that I will always have more hybrids to fight those that oppose me." He leaned forward then. "I will never leave her behind." He then rose to his feet, taking his glass with him. "Say I do leave her here. Under your protection. What then? How long before one of you turns her into a vampire? Or worse, how long before she dies between your feuding? You see each one of you truly believes that you're the one that can protect her. And that's simply a delusion. Gentlemen, the worst thing for Elena Gilbert is the two of you."

Nothing else was said for a moment. Damon was looking down while Stefan gave Klaus a hard glare. Bodie found himself smiling at that. He knew that he shouldn't be finding this amusing but seeing how the Salvatore's act now that Klaus spoke, was something that brought Bodie some form of happiness. Vampires always found ways to destroy the lives of the humans they chose to love.

"I'm gonna get some air." Damon said after a moment. He pushed his chair back and left. Stefan stayed giving Klaus looks.

"Let me deal with this." Elijah said, following Damon.

Klaus hummed slightly. "All this talk has made me thirsty." His gaze was towards the blonde server. "What do you say, Stefan? Bodie?" The blonde server came towards Klaus, and he brushed her hair away from her neck. "Can I interest you in a little after dinner drink?" His fangs popped out and he then bit the blonde's neck, wrapping an arm around her to make sure that she wouldn't fall.

Bodie found himself somewhat rolling his eyes. He knew that he shouldn't judge Klaus for the ways that he consumes blood but there were moments where he thought that it should be done another way or a way that wasn't so. . .close.

After a moment, Klaus stopped. "Hmm, delicious." The blonde dropped to the floor. Dead. "Aged to perfection." He wiped the blood that fell from his mouth away.

"Well," Stefan pushed himself up, "I guess the only reason you agreed to this evening, Klaus, is to drive a wedge between me and my brother."

"Oh no, you're doing that on your own." Klaus stated. "Because of Elena, you're gonna lose your brother and have yourself to blame."

Before Stefan could respond, Damon came walking back in. "What do you say, Klaus? Bodie?" He opened his arms open for a moment. "Time for you to put something on the table. We've made our offer, now you counter."

Klaus walked round and joined Elijah opposite the Salvatore brothers. Bodie found himself standing beside Elijah. "Okay." He sat down in the chair Elijah was previously sat in. "I offer Elena's future happiness. You see, what she needs right now is to be rid of you lot and to fall in love with a human. Maybe that nice football player. The blond one."

"Matt Donovan?" Damon said. "Really?"

"Yeah, why not?" Klaus countered. "They'll marry, live a long and fruitful life, and pop out a perfect family."

"And continue the Petrova bloodline." Stefan added. "Every few hundred years, you'll have a new doppelgänger to drain and never run out of hybrids, right, Klaus?"

"Consider it a small return on my investment in her well-being." Klaus stated. "See, after you hand me back the coffin, I'll insure her safety for the rest of her natural life. You know it's what's best for her. So," he rose up once more, "what do you say, Stefan? Huh?" He walked back over to the brothers. "Do we have a deal?"

Klaus held out his hand as Stefan came over to him. Bodie wondered whether or not Stefan was going to agree to it. Though, when Stefan took Klaus' hand to shake on the deal, he thought that he was surprised, but he wasn't.

"Nice try, Klaus," Stefan said. "But no deal."

Klaus snapped Stefan's arm and leg for refusing Klaus' offer. He then put Stefan's arm into the fire, which caused Stefan to let out a yell of pain. Damon went to aid his brother, but Elijah stopped him and pinned Damon to the wall by his neck.

"What are you doing?" Damon struggled out to ask.

Stefan continued to yell out in pain as his hand burned. Bodie found himself looking onto what was going around him with nothing but a smile. For a moment, Bodie considered whether or not he should get involved in the situation but found that he rather enjoyed the show.

"Stop!" Damon yelled.

"Bring me my coffin before I burn him alive." Klaus instructed.

Stefan continued to yell out in pain, but Damon looked towards Klaus as if he were miserable. "I'll get it." He pushed passed Elijah to leave.

"Go with him, brother." Klaus told. "You keep him honest and when you return, I will make good on my promise to you, and I will hand over our family."

"And I will make good to both of you and tell you what you need to know." Bodie spoke up.

For a moment, Elijah didn't move, but eventually he did, leaving to allow Stefan to continue to be tortured by Klaus. Bodie knew that he should probably step in for now, in hopes that this stops but at the same time, there was this very small part of him that was growing irritated over the way that Stefan had been acting, and he was sure that everyone around Stefan was finding it rather annoying too.

"Go ahead, kill me." Stefan edged on. "I know you'll do it when he brings the coffin."

Klaus pulled Stefan out of the fire and pushed him into the centre of the room. "You really have given up, haven't you? Where's the fight? Where's the ripper?" Stefan somewhat growled and pushed Klaus off of him. Klaus looked behind Stefan. "Elijah."

Sure enough, Elijah and Damon were there again, as if they never left. Another servant appeared and walked in with a tray in hand.

"Why haven't you left?" Klaus asked.

Elijah opened his arms. "Well, where are your manners, brother? We forgot dessert." He then grabbed the piece of cloth on the tray and pulled it off, revealing two of the silver daggers.

"What have you done?" Klaus asked.

"What have you done?" Elijah shot back. "See, I've learned not to trust your vulgar promises, Klaus. We're doing this on my terms now."

Behind Elijah, Kol appeared, walking towards Klaus. Klaus looked at his younger brother with an almost shocked expression. "Kol—"

"Long time, brother." Kol said.

Klaus backed up though he then rushed forward, though it was then that one of the daggers disappeared and Finn was there, blocking Klaus from either running or daggering them.

"Finn don't—" Klaus pleaded. Finn then stabbed Klaus through the hand. Klaus let out a yell of pain and it was then that Finn pulled the dagger out.

The great feared hybrid, turned and went to flee, though was stopped by Rebekah who was still in the homecoming dress before she was backstabbed.

"Rebekah." Klaus said.

She stabbed him in the stomach and once more, Klaus let out a yell of pain. "This is for our mother." She pushed him back, Kol caught him, and Rebekah came towards him, narrowing her eyes at her older brother.

"You're free to go." Elijah said. Damon and Stefan took that as a way out of the now crowded Original room before anything else happened.

Bodie made an attempt to leave, knowing that there was a chance that if Rebekah remembered his promise, she might demand it out of him now. And that was something that he didn't want, given how mad Finn, Kol, and Rebekah were at the moment. However, when Bodie went to walk past Elijah, he'd grabbed Bodie by the neck, pushing him back. In other situations, Bodie would have fought back, but he found himself bound by fear that he couldn't find the strength to do such a thing.

Elijah pushed Bodie into Finn, who seemed a little too happy to restrain Bodie. Which also further proved Bodie's point in the fact that Finn didn't think of Bodie in a positive light given that Bodie could feel the bones in his arm strain as if they were about to snap. Bodie wanted to tell Finn to let him go, though found that he couldn't.

"This is family business." Elijah said.

Bodie found himself glaring at Elijah. "Well, that's fantastic, given that I'm not a Mikaelson and haven't married into this shit-show of a family, I can leave."

Finn broke his arms and Bodie found himself groaning in pain. It was Elijah who spoke. "You stay. Or have you forgotten?"

Bodie clenched his jaw. For a moment he wondered whether or not he should fight them all. He knew that he could take all of them on, right? He could just. . .bite them all, throw them off and bolt. Then he wouldn't have to tell them about his secrets despite his promise, not after he's seen them react this way towards Klaus. He would hate to see how they would react once he told them everything.

He wasn't sure what happened in the following moments, but Rebekah was now looking around the home, though Bodie could basically feel the inner anger of the blonde. "I like what you've done with the new place, Nik."

Kol had a glass in his hand, Klaus somewhat sat on the table and Bodie was in the chair, leaning against the table. Rebekah picked up a vase and threw it at a piece of artwork causing it to fall.

"I wanted it to be for all of us." Klaus muttered. "A place we could all call home. A place we could all be a family. None of us would ever have to be alone again."

"Well, you're right." Elijah said. "None of us will be."

"You're staying behind." Finn said. "Both of you."

"We're leaving you, Nik." Rebekah told. "Right after I kill that doppelganger wench. Then you will be alone. Always and forever."

"If you run, I will hunt all of you down." Klaus threatened.

Bodie found himself looking between the two sides of the siblings. With Kol, Rebekah, Elijah, and Finn on one side and Klaus opposite them. As much as he knew that there was a chance that he would be able to escape or leave and as much as he wanted to stand by Klaus' side, he knew that it was best if he stayed put. He was somewhat hoping that if he stayed silent long enough, they would forget that he was there.

"And then you'll become everything you hate." Elijah said. "Our father."

Bodie rose his eyebrows at that, his chin digging into his arm. He wanted to say something, but this was Mikaelson drama, and no matter what anyone says, Bodie would prefer to stay out of it. As much as he knows that Elijah and Rebekah see him as their brother, he would rather stay out of it.

"I'm the hybrid!" Klaus yelled. "I can't be killed! I have nothing to fear from any of you."

"You will when we have that coffin." Elijah stated.

Bodie coughed. "May I just. . .counter this." He stood up from where he sat, drawing the attention of the siblings. "If you make more of an attempt to single out and turn on Klaus and I. . ." he reached into his boot, drawing something out, "I might have to use the one thing that holds true fear."

In his hands was his stake, the one that he stole so long ago. He saw the way that Rebekah and Elijah looked, the way that Klaus didn't want to smile given everything that was going on. However, the one thing that Bodie didn't expect was the door opening, and although the white oak stake in his hand drew enough attention, the sound of someone coming in and heels clicking on the floor was something rather distracting.

Bodie found himself rushing to put the stake away, as if he were afraid that whoever it was would give Klaus or someone else the opportunity to steal it from him. Though, once he focused on who it truly was, Bodie felt like everything was being sucked out of him, he didn't understand. How could she be here, he saw the body. He saw her body.

"Mother." Rebekah said, shocked.

She came down the stairs and passed her other children. Bodie found himself backing away, how was this possible? He didn't understand, how? Klaus lowered his head as if there was something that he needed to say but couldn't for reasons that Bodie though related to the fact that Esther was here and alive and well.

"Look at me." Esther instructed. Klaus did as such. "Do you know why I'm here?

"You're here to kill me." Klaus whispered.

"Niklaus, you are my son. And I am here to forgive you." Ester said. She then turned to face the other siblings. "I want us to be a family again."

Bodie didn't know what to think, he didn't know what to feel as a whole. He didn't understand. He wanted to wrap his head around all of this, but this hollow feeling inside of him was something that grew, something that he didn't realise was drowning him. As much as he knew that Klaus' siblings would be undaggered, that was something that he was fine with, but to see Esther here, to see her alive and well was something that Bodie couldn't comprehend. He thought he remembered seeing a body, it was her body, wasn't it? He wondered whether or not it was his mind playing tricks on him, whether his memories had faded and were all messed up with other memories.

Maybe it wasn't her body that he saw, maybe it was someone else's body that he saw which caused him to get mixed up. As much as he wanted all of this to be some weird and fucked up dream, he knew that there was a chance that none of this was a dream, but he wished that it were, he would rather a dream than this fucked up reality.

Now that he knew that Esther was here, he knew that it was going to be harder for him to tell the truth. They had Esther, she would kill him, he knew she could. He was already rethinking on his promise to Rebekah, now he was certain that he didn't want to tell them. He thought about his hybrid army that he could make, he wondered what Leo could become and whether he should turn him just to go against the Mikaelson's.

He shook his head. He knew that he was going to be dead the second he spilt his secret.