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𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 - 𝐂𝐡. 29
"insulting a bunch of dead witches
not your best move."

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        — "WHO'S THAT?" Damon asked as he and Skyler walked up to Alaric at Mystic Grill. He was sitting at the bar where a woman with tan skin, long brown hair, and kind brown eyes had just walked away.

"My doctor." Alaric responded, Skyler arched a brow.

"Kinky." She commented sarcastically.

"She's a doctor?" Damon asked surprised, Alaric hummed in the affirmative, "What's the damage?" He nodded.

"No damage." He responded with a shrug.

"Come on, Ric, a fact of life. A girl that hot, that smart..." he looked at Skyler, and they spoke in unison, "Damage."

"Well, I'm looking for red flags." He admitted, "Her ex called her a psycho case the other day."

She whistled while he shook his head, "Yeah but it comes from her ex, doesn't count." Skyler tilted her head, not so sure, while Alaric agreed. Damon picked a notebook off the table, opening it curiously before he tossed it to him, "That's yours." He told the man.

"Ooh, I wonder what my exes would call me?" Alaric wondered.

"Considering they're all dead... my guess would be nothing." Skyler responded.

"Huh. Well, her ex is the medical examiner so he is dead adjacent." He shrugged.

Damon frowned, his eyebrows furrowed, "She dated the medical examiner?" He hummed, "Well, I don't think he's dead adjacent. I think he's just dead." He told his friend.

"What?" Alaric asked in shock.

"Murdered." He replied, "Sheriff is trying to keep a lid on it because he was staked in the chest like a vampire."

"Bet the good doctor didn't say anything about that." She said studying Alaric's face, he shook his head. "Well, red flag number two."

"Who do you think killed him?" Alaric asked curiously.

Damon shrugged and told him, "I don't know but if I was a cop, your sexy doctor ladyfriend would definitely be a suspect."

ೃ⁀➷

"SO, what are we gonna do here?" Skyler asked as she stood in the waiting area in the hospital, waiting for Alaric's doctor friend, "Interrogate Doctor McSteamy?"

"We're not gonna interrogate her." Damon chided sarcastically, "We're just here to ask some questions." He looked at her incredulously, "And you know you really didn't have to come."

She hummed, "Yeah but it annoys you and I really like annoying you."

He glared at her pausing when he noticed Dr. Fell walking up to them, "You know, we never got a chance to officially meet, Doctor..." He read her nametag, "Fell."

"You're Alaric's friend right?" She asked, "Damon and Skyler Salvatore. I saw you two at the council meeting. What are you doing here?"

He shrugged, "Strolling the halls. You know, I like to wave to newborns through the window."

Dr. Fell smiled at him politely and started to walk away when Skyler called after her, "I'm sorry about your boyfriend." Damon nodded, "Oh yeah, right. Animal attack. Brutal."

"Ex-boyfriend." She corrected, "And thanks. I'm still kind of processing."

She nodded sympathetically, "Yeah, I'm sure. It must be tough."

"You know, I just thought I'd come by and tell you, that it wasn't an animal attack." He told her, looking down at some paper casually, "But then I realized. You signed the death certificate."

Dr. Fell glanced around and then back at them before she went into a room, letting Damon and Skyler follow her in before she spoke, "Would you rather I say he was staked like a vampire?" She questioned quietly.

"Wasn't he the guy, that coined the phrase "animal attack?"" He responded with an arched brow.

"Why do you even care?" Dr. Fell questioned staring at Damon.

"Because Ric likes you." He shrugged. "And if you are a psychopath, that would really suck for him." Skyler commented.

Dr. Fell stared at them in shock, "You think I killed my ex-boyfriend?"

"I think psychopaths are incredibly high maintenance and ex-boyfriends tend to be... rage-inducing." She responded rather simply as though she was talking about the news, not about whether the woman in front of her was a murderer or not, "Trust me, been there, done that."

The Doctor narrowed her eyes, a stern look, "If you care about your friend, go figure out how Alaric came into the ICU on his death bed and walked out an hour later without a scratch."

Damon and Skyler looked at each other before he shrugged, "Fair enough." The siblings started to leave when there was a quick, sharp pain in Skyler's neck which caused her to fall to the ground, unconscious, followed immediately by Damon.

When they woke up, the doctor was gone.

This was really gonna suck for Alaric.

ೃ⁀➷

"WHAT are you two doing here?" Alaric questioned as Damon and Skyler walked into his apartment while he was lifting weights.

"Ehm... looking for a bunny." Skyler gave Damon a strange look upon hearing the poor excuse, "You're good. For now."

"Are you still obsessed with Meredith?" He questioned as he put the barbell back on the rack and sat up, looking at them, "I mean, don't you have an original vampire to care about?"

"Uh ah ah! Do ten more of those. You're gonna wanna buff up if you start dating this one." He told him sarcastically, "Self-defense and all." He poured himself a drink. Skyler hummed thoughtfully, "Yeah you know, might be a good idea."

Alaric narrowed his eyes, "What's your problem?"

"Your doctor friend just shot us up with vervain and stole our blood." Skyler deadpanned, "Frankly, I think we should be asking what's your problem, she is your lady friend after all." She shrugged.

"What?" He asked in surprise, "I mean, when did you even see her?"

"When I went to the hospital to accuse her of killing her ex-boyfriend." Damon paused, and then continued incredulously, "Which by the way very sensitive subject."

She snorted in amusement, "That's an understatement." She told Alaric, "My neck still hurts."

"Damon, what the hell are you doing?" He questioned.

"Why are you mad at me?" He responded in outrage.

Alaric stared at him in disbelief, "I told you I'd handle this!"

"I proved your theory... Diagnosed psycho case." He said, adding sarcastically, "You're welcome."

ೃ⁀➷

DAMON and Skyler walked into the old witch house where the coffins were containing Klaus's family. Surrounding them and the area where the coffins sat were lit candles, and the coffins... well they weren't there. Or they're not visibly there anyway. "So this is where you've been hiding them?" Skyler asked eyeing the empty spots shaped like coffins where the dust had been disturbed.

Damon went to respond when they heard footsteps, pausing. They both went silent until Klaus walked in, "What took you so long? Hiding behind your witchy friends." He looked around, examining the room, "And in squalor no less."

Suddenly, the candles started to burn brighter and he fell to his knees, clutching his head as he shouted in pain. "Insulting a bunch of dead witches... not your best move." Skyler commented pointedly.

"I made the exact same mistake the first time I came in here." Damon added in amusement.

The pain subsided as Klaus spoke in a strained voice, "Well you know the funny thing about witches is, that living or dead, they care about their own." He said breathing heavily, "A hundred dead witches have a thousand living descendants."

The pain returned as Skyler tilted her head watching on amused as the great hybrid screamed in pain. "And I have no problem killing every last one of them if I don't get my coffins back." He forced out loudly, addressing the room no doubt filled with dead witches they couldn't see, "As we speak, my hybrid friend is prepared to end the Bennet line." The candles died out abruptly and whatever pain Klaus was in seemed to disappear.

He spoke to the room once more, "Now... please... show me the coffins." Right in front of their eyes, the coffins appeared. He smirked triumphantly, "Here we are." He looked at Damon, "Where's the fourth?" He turned, looking at the room, he shouted to the witches, "Show me!"

"Well, here's the thing." He began, taking a step forward, "They can't. It's not here."

Skyler's head snapped over to look at her brother, "What?"

"What did you do?" Klaus albeit growled.

He shrugged and told him nonchalantly, "Well, Bonnie gave me the heads up. I didn't have enough time to get all four but I did have time to get one."

"I will tear you limb from limb. And only then when you're a riving mass of blood and flesh will I rip your heart from your chest as your sister watches you bleed." He threatened, only seeming to remember last minute that Skyler was there as well.

"Sorry. The same rules apply here. You know leverage and all." He dragged out watching Klaus unafraid as the man glared dangerously.

Damon narrowed his eyes, holding his ground, "I know you want your family back. But something tells me you want what's in that coffin a lot more."

ೃ⁀➷

"OH, you two are still alive." Stefan said in place of a greeting as he walked into the Salvatore boarding house to find Damon standing in front of the fireplace, Skyler sat on the couch. "I assume that means Klaus didn't get his coffins."

"Oh, he did." She replied, turning to look at him, "Just not all of them."

"I was only able to get one of them out in time. The locked one." Damon added.

"Probably a good choice." He said with a nod.

"Yeah. You know if you're banking on Bonnie's mom to open it, you're screwed." He told him, "She doesn't have any powers."

Skyler once again felt like she had missed something however she said nothing. The less she was involved in the drama of Mystic Falls, the better. "Nah, doesn't surprise me. It's been that kind of night." He responded with a sigh.

"Is Elena okay?" He asked. Ooh asking about the girlfriend, probably not the best move.

Stefan turned around abruptly, punching Damon. Skyler winced, "Ouch."

"I take it you two had a heart-to-heart." He spoke, Stefan glared at him. He winced and continued, "And I take it, you don't want to talk about it. Noted. So why don't we talk about this?" He walked over, holding up the silver dagger they used to kill Elijah.

"Oh no." Skyler groaned, "What did you do?"

ೃ⁀➷

"YOUR great plan is a dinner?" Skyler questioned Elijah and Klaus incredulously. They all stood in the newest Mikaelson home — which she and Kol had yet to be invited to until now, not that she was upset at all.

"Our great plan is getting that coffin back." Klaus corrected sternly, "Do you know where it is?"

She shook her head, "They haven't told me much since..." She trailed off, shaking her head once more.

She looked down, fiddling with the ring on her middle finger — it wasn't her own but rather the ring she wore around Mystic Falls. The Salvatore ring. Identical to Stefan's, only slightly smaller and rounded, or in other words shaped in what was considered a more feminine style.
It had been her first daylight ring however after receiving her first engagement ring from Kol, she buried it in a box. She had to dig it out when she came back to town.

She hated how it looked and felt on her hand. An item that had once brought her comfort and made her feel closer to her family, had become a heavy weight on her shoulder over the years. Elijah looked at her curiously, "Since?"

She sighed, looking up from the blue gem, "Since they found out I wasn't compelled by Klaus," she narrowed her eyes at the hybrid in question, "that I willingly followed him around on his hunt. Thanks for letting that spill, Nik."

Klaus only gave a sheepish but non-guilty look. Her glare sharpened before Elijah cleared his throat and whisked the conversation to a different topic.

ೃ⁀➷

SKYLER was lying down on her bed, relaxed with a book in hand when Damon opened the door with a short and precise knock, he peeked his head in and with no explanation, demanded, "Get dressed. Wear something fancy."

She snorted. She flipped the page of her book and shook her head, "No thanks."

"It wasn't a question." He responded, "Elijah and I have scheduled a very old-fashioned sit down with you, Stefan, and Klaus." He told her. She looked up from the book as if suddenly interested, he continued, "I say go with something red. Makes you look all villainy."

She set her book aside, sitting up as she rolled her eyes, "Klaus isn't gonna make a deal just because you and Elijah planned some sit-down."

"He doesn't have to. All we're doing is buying some time to get that coffin he holds so close open." He replied.

She listened absentmindedly while she walked over to her closet to find something to wear. "So that's your plan?" She asked, looking over at him with an arched brow, "Stall the big bad?"

"Not my fault Stefan decided to go all villain on his hybrids and got rid of a lot of our options." He responded, he sat down backward on her vanity chair.

"And you woke up another original who probably hates us to help him out?" She questioned as she flipped through her dresses.

"Hey, undaggering him was smart." He said defensively, "After what Klaus did to him, he'll be in vengeance mode. It's perfect." At least it should have been perfect. However there was one flaw, they didn't know about Mikaelson's secret weapon. Her.

"What about this one?" She asked, turning back to him she pressed a dress to her frame.

He narrowed his eyes, studying the dress, he shook his head, "You can do better than that."

She shook her head, glancing at him after she put the dress back, "Fine, but there's nothing smart about trusting him or stalling Klaus. The last time you trusted Elijah, he went against you to save him." She pointed out, "He will always choose his family over anyone else."

"Well with the way you've been acting, I trust him about as much as I trust you." Damon responded.

She looked at him with a raised brow, "What have I done?"

"You want me to get the list out?" He replied.

She scoffed and turned back to her closet, "Whatever, just get out so I can get dressed for this little 'sit-down.'"

ೃ⁀➷

DAMON reached up, ringing the doorbell as Stefan and Skyler stood behind him. Soon enough, Elijah came to the door. "Niklaus, our guests have arrived." He called over his shoulder.

"Skyler, Damon, Stefan. Elijah tells me, you seek an audience." Klaus spoke with an amused look, "Very bold. Let's discuss the terms of our agreement like civilized men" He looked at her and reluctantly added, "And women, shall we?"

The group went into the dining room where the table was set, food was displayed perfectly on it and two women were standing nearby. "It's better to indulge him." Elijah told them amused.

Stefan narrowed his eyes, disagreeing, he spoke sternly, "I didn't come here to eat, Klaus. In fact, I didn't want to come here at all."

"Preach." She commented with a nod of agreement.

"But I was told I had to cause you would hear us out." He continued, looking pointedly at Damon.

"Well, we can sit and eat or I can reach down your throats and pull out your insides." He threatened, "The choice is yours."

They chose to sit down so they could keep their insides, well, inside. Everyone except Stefan ate and drank the meal set out for them as one of the women served Damon and Skyler glasses of red wine. "Thank you, love." He smiled politely. She nodded in agreement, "Finally a good drink."

"You lost your appetite." Klaus commented looking at Stefan.

Damon looked over at his brother with narrowed eyes, "Eat. I thought we agreed that we would leave the grumpy Stefan at home."

"Yeah, leave the grumpy Stefan at home." Skyler agreed. He glared as she nudged his side.

"That's the spirit." Klaus spoke as Stefan began to eat, "Isn't it nice? Five of us dining together? Such a treat." He looked at Damon curiously, "Is that what you had in mind when you pulled the dagger from my brother?"

"Well, I know how he felt about you, so I figured the more, the merrier." He responded, winking playfully at Elijah.

"Well, Elijah and I have had our share of quarrels over the century. But we always make it through." He smiled and he took a bite of food.

Stefan hummed, "Kind of like you and Rebekah, right? Where is she, by the way?" Skyler glanced over at Damon pointedly, "Last I checked, she was still daggered because you were afraid to face her."

His words caused Klaus' mood to visibly sour, he spoke dangerously, "If you're referring to the fact that Rebekah knows I killed our mother, I've already come clean to Elijah."

"Hey, Stef, remember when you killed our dad?" Damon pointed out. "Mmm, and my fiance." Skyler added, unable to help herself despite the fact Elijah and Klaus had previously been unaware of that particular fact. Their eyes widened slightly, however, they showed no other signs of being affected by this news. "Might want to dial the judgment until dessert." He continued, Klaus and Elijah eyed Skyler curiously.

"We're here to make a deal, Damon. Doesn't mean we need to kiss his ass for seven courses." He responded unamused.

Damon shrugged, "I'm just saying we have a long evening ahead of us." He said and gave him a look, "Pace yourself."

ೃ⁀➷

"STEFAN, where is the lovely Elena tonight?" Elijah asked curiously later on in the dinner.

"I don't know. Ask Damon." He responded sharply, he glanced at his brother.

Klaus laughed in amusement, "I'm sorry, you've missed so much." He said to his brother.

"Yes, there's some trouble in paradise at the moment." Skyler smirked.

Stefan glared at them both, "One more word about Elena and this dinner's over."

Klaus only smiled and he put a finger to his lips, a promise to keep quiet about Elena. "Of course, brother." Skyler agreed.

"You know, probably best just to keep Elena in the do-not-discuss pile." Damon told them all.

"You're probably right." Klaus replied, "It's just the allure of the Petrova doppelganger, still so strong." He looked over at his brother and asked, "What do you say, brother? Should we tell them about Tatia?"

"Tatia?" She asked on the edge of her seat.

"Now why should we discuss matters long since resolved?" He responded.

"Well, given their shared affection for both Elena and Katherine, I think our guests might be curious to learn about the originator of the Petrova line." Klaus told his brother.

Damon looked at them, curiosity sparked, "Well, we're not going anywhere Elijah. Please, do tell."

With a sigh, Elijah began, "When our family first settled here, there was a girl named Tatia. She was an exquisite beauty. Every boy of age desired to be her suitor."

"In other words, everyone wanted to fuck her." She commented bluntly. Klaus hid a chuckle. Elijah responded, "Yes well, I suppose that's what you'd call it nowadays." Clearing his throat, he continued, "Now as I was saying, everyone wanted to be her suitor, even though she'd had a child with another man. And none loved her more than Niklaus."

"I'd say there was one who loved her at least as much." He responded, looking pointedly at him.

"Wait a minute. So you both loved the same girl?" Stefan asked, now curious himself.

"Our mother was a very powerful witch." He continued with the story, "She sought to end our feud over Tatia and so she took her. Klaus and I would later learn that it was Tatia's blood we consumed in the wine on the night where our mother performed the spell which turned us into vampires." He continued further, "Tatia wouldn't make a decision between the two of us, so for a time Niklaus and I... grew estranged. Harsh words were traded, we even came to blows, didn't we brother?"

"But in the end, we realized the sacred bond of family." Klaus reminded his brother.

"Family above all." Elijah agreed as the brothers raised their glasses. "Family above all." Klaus repeated in his agreement as they all clinked their glasses together.

Maybe this dinner would be interesting after all.

ೃ⁀➷

SKYLER glanced over at Damon as his phone vibrated. Her attention was pulled away before she could figure out what was going on when Elijah spoke, "So, why don't we move this evening along and discuss the terms of this proposal?" He suggested.

"That's very simple. Klaus gets his coffin back, in exchange, he and the Original extended family leave Mystic Falls forever." Skyler wondered if the "extended family" included her, certainly not that Damon knew, "Me, Stefan, Elena, and Skyler live happily ever after. No grudges."

"The deal sounds fair brother." Elijah told Klaus who narrowed his eyes.

"I don't think you understand. Elena's doppelganger blood ensures that I will always have more hybrids to fight those that oppose me. I will never leave her behind." He told them all sternly before he stood up, beginning to pace, "Let's 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 caught between your feuding?" He questioned, paranoid as usual, "You see, each one of you brothers truly believes that you're the one that can protect her, and that is simply delusional, meanwhile, Skyler wouldn't blink if Elena was killed right in front of her." Gesturing to her, he continued, "I wouldn't be surprised if she's the one who kills her." He sighed, looking at the brothers, "Gentlemen, the worst thing for Elena Gilbert is... the two of you."

Damon gave a weak smile before he looked at his siblings, "I'm gonna get some air." He got up and swiftly walked out.

Elijah watched him carefully and pushed his chair back, "Let me deal with this." He told them, getting up. He followed Damon, leaving Klaus and the twins alone.

"All this talk has made me thirsty." Klaus started, looking at one of the women he had compelled to stay nearby. She walked up to him as he looked over at the twins, "What do you say? Can I interest either of you in a little after-dinner drink?"

ೃ⁀➷

"DELICIOUS. Aged to perfection." Klaus complimented after he finished his drink, dropping her dead onto the floor.

"Mine's a little... young." Skyler commented she pushed away her girl without killing her, she couldn't be more than seventeen. It didn't help that she wasn't her type either.

"Ah yes, I forgot." He responded, raising a brow at her teasingly, "You like them older." She snorted and hid her laughter behind a refreshing drink of wine.

"Well, I guess the only reason you agreed to this evening, Klaus, is to drive a wedge between me and my brother." Stefan said, getting tired of this game.

"Oh no, you're doing that well enough on your own." He told him, knowing that if he truly wanted to drive a wedge between the Salvatore brothers, all he would have to do was give Skyler the word. It wouldn't take much for her to drive a wedge between her own brothers. "Because of Elena," he continued, "you're going to lose your brother and your sister, and you'll only have yourself to blame."

As if on cue, Elijah and Damon walked back in, cutting the conversation short. "What do you say, Klaus?" Damon asked, "It's time for you to put something on the table. We've made our offer, now you counter."

"Does that mean no dessert?" She asked sarcastically.

"Okay. I offer Elena's future happiness." Klaus began, looking at the brothers, "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, you know the blonde one?" He suggested.

"Ratty Matty?" She raised a brow, "Really?"

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

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

"Consider it a small return on my investment in her well-being. See, after you hand me back the coffin, I'll ensure her safety for the rest of her natural life." He told them with a smirk, "You know it's what's best for her." He got up and walked toward Stefan, looking at the man curiously, "So what do you say, Stefan, hmm? Do we have a deal?"

Stefan walked over to him as the others watched, confused, "What are you doing?" Damon asked. "What's going on?" Skyler questioned.

Klaus held his hand out to Stefan, ignoring the rest. Stefan took hold of Klaus's hand, seemingly ready to agree. "Nice try, Klaus, but no deal." He said, immediately facing the consequences as Klaus broke his hand without remorse. He kicked his leg, breaking that too before he pushed Stefan's hand into the fireplace and watched as it began to burn.

Damon and Skyler tried to rush over however Elijah intercepted them, pushing him against the wall and throwing her to the side forcefully though not with full strength -- he didn't want to hurt her. "What are you doing?" She questioned. Klaus held Stefan's arm in the fire which left it badly burnt. "Stop!" Damon shouted.

The hybrid looked at them, his pleasantries expired in an instant, "Now, bring me my coffin before I burn him alive and make her watch." He demanded.

"I'll get it." Damon replied, giving in as he hoped he had stalled long enough.

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

ೃ⁀➷

"GO ahead and kill me." Stefan told Klaus as the hybrid continued to hold his arm in the fire while they waited for Damon and Elijah to return with the coffin. Skyler sat on the floor by the wall, hoping that it would seem she was scared to get up. In reality, she had gotten rather comfy and didn't feel the need to stop Klaus as long as he didn't try to actually kill her twin. "I know you'll do it when he brings the coffin." He continued.

Klaus abruptly pulled him out of the fire, "You really have given up, haven't you? Where's the fight? Where's the ripper?" He questioned, pushing Stefan who finally pushed back. Suddenly, Elijah and Damon came back, walking in next to the other women who were carrying a tray. "Elijah... why haven't you left?"

"Where are your manners, brother?" Elijah responded with a smile, "We forgot dessert." He took the cover off the tray, revealing two silver daggers.

His eyes widened, "What have you done?"

"What have you done? You see, I've learned not to trust your vulgar promises, Klaus." He told his brother conversationally, "We're doing this on my terms now." Kol walked into the room behind Skyler, surprising even her. He stole a glance at his wife but did little else so as to keep up appearances no matter how they both hated it. "Kol." The hybrid called in disbelief.

"Long time, brother." He greeted, his eyes finding his brother's.

Klaus began to back away just as a man Skyler hadn't seen before entered. Finn, she assumed. He grabbed one of the daggers, stabbing him through the heart with it. "Finn, don't!" Klaus begged, he rushed away only to run right into his sister, "Rebekah!"

She glared at her brother and stabbed him with another dagger, "This is for our mother." She told him. She pulled the dagger out causing Klaus to fall back into Kol's arms, he restrained him.

Elijah looked to Damon and Stefan who had circled around to their sister as she began to get up from the floor. "You're free to go." He told the siblings, "This is family business."

Skyler's brothers leave without hesitation, leaving Klaus's siblings to deal with the mess he has made however she is more reluctant. She glanced back to Kol and searched his eyes for something. He looked up, as if sensing her, and gave a small nod, telling her he was okay and that she could leave. Her eyes then found Klaus, who was clearly in pain. His eyes begged her for help, she felt guilt for what she was about to do however... her friend had crossed a line and she couldn't save him from the consequences.

She walked away. Following her brothers out of the house, she knew she would be back soon.

ೃ⁀➷

"YOU were right about Elijah." Stefan told Damon as the siblings walked through the woods, "Undaggering him was a smart move."

"Yeah, I guess you do have a brain somewhere in there." She teased.

"Wow, actual acknowledgment of a job well done. You two are going soft." He responded with a smirk.

"So I guess I shouldn't thank you for saving me from Klaus?" Stefan responded.

"Shut up, you don't get to thank me until I pay you back for all those times you've saved me." He told him sternly.

He shook his head, "You could have left me there. Klaus would have killed me and you would have had Elena all to yourself."

Damon's phone buzzed, he canceled the call and looked up, "I didn't do it on your account." He told him, adding a moment later, "He had Skyler too."

It was too late though, Stefan had already caught onto the double meaning, "I love her, Damon."

"So do I." He responded, walking away. Stefan looked at Skyler albeit desperate and she shook her head as if saying she was staying out of it before she walked away in the opposite direction.

Perhaps if Stefan was paying more attention, he would have realized that she was going in the direction of the Mikaelson home.

ೃ⁀➷

"I like what you've done with the new place, Nik." Rebekah spoke, throwing a vase into a painting.

"I wanted it to be for all of us. A place we could all call home. A place we could be a family." He told them, "None of us would ever have to be alone again. That was the whole point of my plan. Our plan."

"Well you're right, none of us will be." Elijah replied.

Finn looked at his younger brother with narrowed eyes, "You're staying behind."

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

"If you run, I will hunt all of you down." He threatened with a growl.

"Then you'll become everything you hate." Elijah told him wisely, his eyes narrowed, "Our father."

He growled and shouted at them all, "I'm the hybrid! I can't be killed! I have nothing to fear from any of you."

"You will when we have that coffin." He replied. They turned just then as a door opened.

An older woman with curly blonde hair and an old fashioned gown walked in, Klaus gasped in shock, "Mother?"

Esther, the original witch, the mother of the Mikaelsons, walked towards him as he avoided eye contact, "Look at me! Do you know why I'm here?"

He looked at his mother, tears in his eyes, "You're here to kill me."

"Niklaus, you are my son and I am here to forgive you." She told him softly, "I want us to be a family again."

Just then, the door opened again. This time, Skyler walked in. Looking around, she was surprised to find a new addition to the crowd, her brows furrowed, "Who's this?"

Esther turned around and studied the girl in front of her, "Good question." She responded, turning to her children, "Who is this?"

Rebekah, Klaus and Elijah glanced at each other uncertainly however it was Kol who stepped forward first. Going to Skyler, he put an arm around her shoulder and looked at his mother, "Mother, this is my wife."

ೃ⁀➷

𝟓,𝟒𝟑𝟎 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬