Chapter Text
“You were wrong, you know, or lying. I’m not sure which is worse, in this case.”
Elijah barely stirred, his gaze still lingering on the view outside the window; Hayley was picking flowers in the garden for the memorial. Behind him, Klaus was sorting legal papers and various statements in preparation for their move across the river. Elsewhere in the mansion, Marcel was caring for the baby, either rocking her to sleep or feeding her some formula.
“Elijah.”
He blinked, gaze shifting slightly. He hummed in acknowledgment. “About what, brother?” His voice was muted, dull, quiet.
“You said you don’t let people in,” Klaus said, tone almost bland. Even so, he stood from the desk to approach the window, watching his elder brother from the corner of his eye as he came to stand beside him. “That Hayley was the only one. That’s not true. Though I can’t quite tell if you’ve ever noticed or not.”
Elijah’s head tilted, and he finally turned to look at the hybrid, brow raised. There was a peculiar look in his eyes, something that bordered on a warning.
“I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about, Niklaus,” he mused.
The younger man scoffed and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Come, now, big brother,” he scolded dryly. “We both know you have a thing for intelligent brunettes with hearts of gold—and bravery to match.”
His mouth twitched slightly as he shook his head. “And you have one for blondes with green eyes and dry wit, who are already involved with other men.” He shrugged. “I don’t see your point.”
Klaus sighed, leaning against the wall. “My point is, as much as you care for Hayley, it’s a disservice to say she’s the only one outside of the family that you’ve allowed past your walls. Even to say she’s the only one in the last two years.”
Elijah turned back to the window, silent. Contemplating.
“By the way, have you spoken with her since your… encounter?”
He snapped a look at his brother. “Who told you?” he demanded, voice low.
Klaus held up his hands in surrender. “I might have overheard her talking to Caroline about it, some months ago.”
Just as quickly, Elijah turned his back on his brother, pacing away. He poured a glass of bourbon from the decanter near the desk, followed by another, taking the first for himself and leaving the second on the table; his drink was sipped slowly as he walked over to the second window in the room.
The hybrid scoffed, lips tilted in a smirk. “‘She talked about me?’” he said, mocking his brother’s voice. He grabbed the glass from the table, lifting it as if in salute. “She did, brother,” he added cheerily. “I gather that your little meeting nearly managed to flip her switch, as it were—and given that her little friends had been trying for quite some time to achieve that feat, and even longer after the fact, I’d say you’re not the only one between you to have developed some sort of feelings.”
Elijah laughed under his breath; the sound was less than humorous. “You got all of that from a bit of eavesdropping?” he drawled, skeptical in the face of his brother’s grin.
Klaus sipped at his bourbon, then clicked his teeth and chuckled. “Perhaps not,” he conceded with a shrug. He shook his head. “Did you really think I would leave Mystic Falls behind without putting my own spies in place? Honestly, Elijah—you know me better than that.” His grin twitched wider. “You’re not the only one who left something behind.”
The elder Original sighed and rolled his eyes. “Niklaus—”
The tumbler was slammed back on the table with a loud clang, and the hybrid lifted a finger in his brother’s direction, taking a threatening step forward.
“Do not,” he warned. “Do not pretend with me, Elijah. I know you better than anyone—better than you know yourself, some might say. You cannot hide the truth from me for long, even despite your attempts to do so in these last months.”
“What would you have me do?” Elijah demanded, facing him finally, meeting his gaze.
Klaus blinked, startled. His brother’s eyes were lit with frustration, an almost haunted look buried beneath that; even in a thousand years, he could count on one hand the number of times he’d seen him like this. (In fact, he could do it on three fingers.)
“She does not wish to see me, or speak with me—would you have me leave here, our home, our family, to return to her side, as if that would solve anything?” He shook his head, scoffing. “With all our family has done to her, to her family, it would be a wonder if I did not end up in a box once more.” His head bowed as he leaned over the desk, hiding his face. “I am not a fool, Niklaus, nor have I succumbed completely to the madness of the last ten centuries. There is nothing to be done about these feelings, but there is little I am willing to do with them, either. She is, after all, just another Doppelgänger.”
“Elena Gilbert has never been just another Doppelgänger,” Klaus scolded. “Especially not to you, brother. If you—”
Whatever the hybrid might have said was interrupted when his phone began to ring in his pocket, the sound loud and shrill and echoing through the cavernous study. He took it out, brow raising as he read the name on the display.
His thumb swiped the display, answering the call, and he frowned with some concern as he drawled out a greeting. “Caroline, love,” he announced, gaze flickering to his brother before he turned away slightly. “To what do I owe the—”
“Klaus.”
Even Elijah’s instincts were put on edge by the tone in her voice. She sounded more than upset—her voice was gravelly with tears, breathing ragged as if she could break down into sobs at any moment.
The brothers’ eyes locked for a split second before Klaus spoke into the receiver again:
“Caroline, what is it? Are you alright?”
“I’m—” She laughed, just short of hysterical. “See, physically, I’m fine, but—but I’m not. I’m not, it’s all screwed, everything is wrong—”
“Calm down, love,” the hybrid ordered. “Tell me what happened.”
“The Other Side,” she managed finally, with hiccupping breaths. “It’s gone.”
“What?”
“Silas, Qetsiyah—she turned Bonnie into the Anchor, and then the Travelers… anti-magic barrier… Damon and Elena died to save Stefan—” She broke off with a sob. “They’re dead, Klaus—Damon and Bonnie are dead, and I couldn’t do anything, and Elena—”
“Elena what?” Elijah asked when she broke off once more. “Is she…” He swallowed thickly.
Caroline breathed, trying to calm herself. “She’s alive,” she said quietly. “She’s alive, but she’s—something’s not right. She’s not the same. She’s not okay.” She sniffled. “I can’t… It’s like the world is falling apart, and we’re all suffocating, and I don’t even know why I called, I just… I just needed to talk to somebody. Elena is in denial, and Bonnie is gone, and Damon is gone, and Stefan left us, and Tyler’s worried about triggering his curse again and I—I just—I don’t have anybody left. I can’t even help my best friend, Klaus, she’s going off the rails, I'm scared she’s gonna flip the switch again, and I can’t lose her, not again, I can't. But I don’t know what to do, this sucks!”
She took a breath, finally, and Klaus sighed, cutting her off before she could start up again.
“Caroline, love—” Another sigh. “We’ve had a bit of a situation in New Orleans.”
“Oh.” Her tone dimmed slightly. “Sorry. I know you’re busy. Hayley is probably due soon, right?”
He grimaced. “It’s… complicated, sweetheart.” He glanced briefly at Elijah. “In fact—”
“Listen,” Caroline interrupted again, making Elijah nearly roll his eyes, which was quite the feat for someone outside of their family. “Don’t worry about it. You’re busy, with the baby, and New Orleans, and… whatever else—you don’t have time to w—”
“On the contrary,” Klaus said, cutting off her ramble quite smoothly. “I think it may just be the perfect time for a visit. Especially if the Mystic Falls situation is as dire as you say.”
The blonde vampire was quiet for a second, utterly shocked. Then, tiny and quiet and just a little hopeful, “But you promised.”
He held in a laugh and studiously avoided his brother’s questioning gaze. “That was a long time ago, love,” he replied cheerily. “And you called me first.”
Caroline sighed, a little exasperated. “I panicked, okay?” She did seem calmer now.
“That says more about your feelings than you think.” Klaus couldn’t help his grin, though it faded a second later. “We’ll be there soon, sweetheart. Don’t let Elena out of your sight.”
“I won’t,” she agreed immediately. Then, smaller, “We?”
“Yes,” he said simply, looking at his brother. “I believe my sister would prefer to meet in neutral territory. And perhaps we could teach you lot a thing or two about disrupting magical barriers.”
Elijah’s gaze softened at the mention of Rebekah. He nodded.
“I’m sure there’s a lot I’m missing,” Caroline said slowly, “like why Rebekah isn’t with you, and how you know anything about magic when you’ve been dead for a thousand years.” A sigh. “But I don’t even care about any of that right now. I just want to help Elena,” She paused. “and… I know things are different now. So just—help her, okay? I know you don’t need her, but you won’t hurt her and she… I think she needs him right now.”
Klaus blinked. “Damon?”
“No.”
The line went dead, but they heard the truth, loud and clear.