Chapter 22
Dinner Party
“Thanks for meeting me,” Bonnie said to Luka. “Sure. What is this about? You said it was urgent?” Luka questioned the young witch. Bonnie sighed. She wondered if she was doing the right thing by going to Elijah’s witch to help protect her best friend. “Look, I know you work for Elijah, and he has vowed to keep Elena safe. But I don’t trust him.” Bonnie said with a concerned look on her face. Luka grew suspicious of the witch. He felt like she was planning something, “What is on your mind? What are you going to do?” Bonnie looked down at the table they were sitting at before looking back up, “I will do anything to keep my best friend safe. Even if it means killing an original.”
Luka sat back in his seat, “If that’s your plan, I can’t help you.” He stands up to leave, “You’re on your own.” Bonnie grew panicked, she wanted to gain another witch and their power to help her get rid of the Originals as well as the rest of the vampires in her hometown. Since Luka refused, Bonnie will have to contact the ancestors for help. Hopefully they’ll listen. Bonnie continued to contemplate her plan as she watched Luka walk out of the Grill.
Jonas looked up from the grimoire he was reading when his son walked into the apartment. He could see the meeting with the young Bennett Witch did not go well. “So, how did it go?” Luka sighed and shook his head, “She’s very narrow minded. I thought I found a friend in her but it seems she’s too concerned about the doppelganger.” Jonas shook his head, “Well, we’ll not be here much longer, just until we talk to Greta.” Luka nodded as he sat down next to his father and picked up his own grimoire to read.
Narcissa walked through the Evans’ household with a grumpy Scorpius on her hip. The little one had woken up early from his nap and wanted his father. Narcissa entered the basement and knocked on the potions lab door. Draco opened it and the smells from the brewing potions fumed the basement hallway. He quickly stepped out and closed the door before the smell became too much for his mother and son. “Hello mother. Scorpius. Shouldn’t you be taking a nap?” Draco went to grab his son but Narcissa stepped back, “Not until you have showered. You smell awful.” She scrunched her nose in disgust. “Alright mother. Then we’ll sit down and have some lunch,” Draco moved to head to his room with his mother and son following him.
As the three of them were climbing the stairs to their floor, Leilani was coming down. Lei was going to meet Damon at the Grill for a late lunch. Damon was telling Leilani that Elena’s aunt Jenna was to escort Elijah on a tour of the history of the town. Lei laughed when Damon told her Elijah was posing as a writer. Leilani has recently learned Jenna, Elena’s aunt, knows about the supernatural after dealing with John and Alaric’s dead-not-so-dead wife. It was a very confusing but eye-opening conversation for Jenna. Jeremy was relieved that Jenna knew, and he didn’t have to lie to his aunt anymore, but Elena threw a hissy-fit.
Lei rode her motorcycle to the Grill where Damon was waiting outside for her. Damon hadn’t seen her ride the motorcycle and stood open-mouthed as she parked next to his car. “Well, if I knew you were going to ride, I would have asked for a lift,” Damon said with a serious expression, but his eyes were playful. Lei smirked, “I don’t know. You don’t seem the passenger type. It would put a damper on your bad-boy image.” Damon smirked in response. The two moved to enter the Grill not noticing the soon-to-be hybrid watching from afar.
Klaus had learned from his and Elijah’s witches about the odd family of magic users. He wanted to meet this family and see if they are as powerful as he has been told. Klaus had ventured out into the town to spy on the doppelganger. He had found Elena at the Grill with one of her friends, the young Bennett witch, having lunch. He observed the two and listened to their conversation and became irritated to learn she is very similar to her ancestor. Klaus heard the two plotting to rid the town of the supernatural beings so the doppelganger would remain safe. The young witch was very confident in her plan to have the ancestors imbue her with a lot of power to be able to kill an original in hopes to drive the others from the town. Klaus shook his head at her naivety.
“You know it’s rude to spy,” Stefan was leaning against a tree near his old friend. Stefan’s voice jolted Klaus out of his mind. He turned to Stefan, “Well, I don’t know. I can’t exactly introduce myself to those who want to kill me.” Stefan laughed, “But that is so your style. To let those know who they’re plotting against.” Klaus turned to face Stefan fully, his face showed his confusion, “How…How do you know that?” Stefan pushed himself away from the tree and stood closer to Klaus, “I remember.”
When Stefan got closer to Klaus, the Original could sense something different about the Ripper. And he voiced this, “You seem different.” Stefan nodded, “I remember everything and accepted the Ripper. Among other things.” Stefan pulled a familiar necklace from his pocket and handed it to Klaus. He had taken it back from Elena when he officially broke up with her. Now, he remembers who it really belongs to. “I picked this up the night you and your sister left Chicago. The night you compelled me.” Klaus normally doesn’t feel guilt but he felt guilty when he compelled his friend, “It was for your safety. I wouldn’t have done it if I had a choice.” Sighing to himself, Stefan could tell Klaus was being truthful. Stefan nodded, “Try not to draw attention. We have enough drama with that one.” Stefan nudged his head towards the doppelganger. They stood in silence for a moment before Stefan left.
As Klaus turned his attention back to the Grill and continued to watch the two girls, he saw a young vampire and a very powerful witch enter the Grill. When his eyes landed on them, something strange happened. His wolf, his binded, dormant wolf, was growling. Not in a threatening way but in a way that seems to feel like his wolf wants to claim the both of them for his own. They were his. They belong to him.
Of course, Klaus was not going to give into his wolf. He doesn’t know them; they could be luring him into a trap. Coming to this town could have been a trap. Now, feeling stupid for rushing into this town without scouting it out may come to bite him. Klaus will not go down so easily; he will continue to observe both pairs from a distance until he knows he can subdue them. He will not be taken down by the children of this town and he was a fool for coming to this town without a plan. Klaus reluctantly left his hiding spot and returned to the mansion that he was having built for him and his siblings.
Once Elijah and Jenna had completed the tour, they had adjourned to the Grill for some food. They walked into the Grill and saw Damon and Lei sitting a few tables away from Elena and Bonnie. Jenna cast a glance at her niece and noticed Elena was leering at Elijah. Ever since the Salvatore brothers stopped paying attention to Elena, she has tried to get any man’s attention. Jenna is disgusted by her niece’s promiscuous behavior. One day Elena was in bed with her ex, Matt, the next she brought home some random guy. Leaving Matt heartbroken once again. Jenna moved to Damon and Lei’s table to join them with Elijah in tow.
“Hey, you two. Mind if we join you?” Jenna politely asked. Since it was not an actual date, Damon and Lei saw no problem with it. The younger vampire wanted to speak with the original in regard to the safety of the town. Or more importantly, the safety of Leilani and her family. Damon knows Lei and her family can handle themselves but he rather they didn’t have to. Damon gave a half-smile, “Not at all. Leilani and I were about to order.” Lei smiled at the two. Lei liked Jenna; she seemed like the “cool” aunt from what Jeremy had told her. “Hey, Jenna. How have you been?” Lei asked as Jenna took a seat next to her with Elijah on her other side.
Jenna quickly glanced at her niece before answering, “I’m doing fine. Had an interesting conversation with my wards and learned a lot.” Jenna saw Elena wince from the hurt in Jenna’s voice. Damon nodded, “Yeah, we wanted to tell you but Elena insisted you were safer in the dark. And we haven’t really seen you since Stefan and I stopped going over to your house.” Lei jumps in, “Although, Jeremy comes over a lot. He hangs out with the twins mostly. Those three together are dangerous.” Damon laughed since he was reminded of Stefanie. The rest of the table looked at him, but he just waved them off.
Elijah sat back in his chair listening to the three of them, realizing Jenna knew of the supernatural. He felt a little awkward for having lied to her about his identity, and he was grateful Damon and Lei hadn't revealed it. He clears his throat, “Since we’re on the topic. I would like to apologize for my deception, Miss Jenna.” Jenna sighed, “Don’t tell me you’re the guy after my niece?” Elijah chuckled at her, “No, I am not. I vowed to help protect Miss Gilbert.” Jenna relaxed a little before asking, “Are you really a writer or was that a ruse?” “I am actually. The only ruse was my surname. I am truly interested in the history of this town since much has changed since I resided here.”
The four spent the rest of the meal in quiet conversation about the history of the town. Once the conversation died down, they were about to depart from each other when John Gilbert waltzed in like he owned the place and headed straight for their table. Elijah kept a polite smile on his face while Damon, Lei, and Jenna sneered at the man. John was soon joined by Elena and Bonnie, who had been eavesdropping the entire time. Elena had texted John saying Lei and Damon were conspiring against her. John was shocked to hear Leilani Evans had survived the attack but that would not deter him. He will get rid of the witch one way or another.
John stood next to Jenna with Elena and Bonnie behind him. John's smug face looked down at the occupants of the table. He wanted to get under both Damon’s and Lei’s skin. “It appears this town is being overrun by those who are not welcomed. Now, you see. This is my hometown, and I don’t appreciate those who feel they could invade my town.” Lei was itching to hex him but refrained due to being in public. Elijah, however, had no problem standing to face John, “If that were the case then you need to recognize that this town was my hometown centuries before you were even a thought.” John was either very brave or very stupid, standing in front of Elijah and not backing down, “Only one of us is still considered alive.”
Lei snorted, “Gentlemen and Ladies. Why don’t we resolve these matters privately? Say, tonight? Damon and I are hosting a dinner party in my home, and you’re invited. I’m sure we can all come to an agreement that will benefit everyone. I don’t know about all of you, but I am tired of having to look over my shoulder. I did enough of that before moving to this seemingly quiet, small town.” John wasn’t going to agree until Bonnie said, “We would love to.” Bonnie figured she could snoop about Lei’s home and see what she could get her hands on. She wanted to be more powerful than Lei and her family, she thought Lei or Hermione may have a grimoire she could permanently borrow.
Elena just wanted a reason to see both the Salvatore brothers again. She thinks Leilani put a spell on the both of them and that’s why they don’t want her or pay attention to her anymore. Elena strongly believes if she got rid of Leilani and the rest of them, she could get both Stefan and Damon to fall for her and fight for her affection. She didn’t realize how delusional she was.
So, after further discussion, it was decided that Leilani and Damon will host a dinner party. Jenna made it a point to invite Jeremy even though Elena whined about it. John tried to stop her, but he was not Jeremy’s guardian, Jenna was. The group went their separate ways until dinner at seven. Leilani turned to Damon, “Tonight is going to be interesting. It probably won’t stop the hostility but it’s worth a shot.” Damon entwined their hands as he led them out of the Grill, “We won’t know until after. I know I’ll be looking forward to Winky’s cooking and so will Stefan.” Lei smiled as she mounted her bike, “Yes, she loves cooking for many. I’ll see you in a few hours.” Lei leaned over and pecked Damon on the cheek.
Dinner time came around and the kitchen was bustling with activity. Narcissa had insisted her own house elves help with preparations. Kreature grumbled the entire time as he worked on the desserts. He couldn’t help but feel saddened when he put the final touches on Master Regulus’ favorite dessert. Kreature shook his head at how much that boy loved chocolate lava cakes with powdered sugar and raspberry, mint garnish.
Soon the guests were arriving. Jenna and Jeremy arrived shortly after Damon and Stefan. Elena, Bonnie, and John arrived at the same time. Fenrir answered the door, “Do I need to remind you about the wards?” Elena and Bonnie shook their heads but John looked confused. Fenrir sighed, “If you have any bad intentions towards anyone inside this home, you will not be able to enter.” John grew angry, he had planned to kill one of the vampires before the night was over and now, he can’t. At least not while he was inside the Evans’ household. He took a deep breath to calm himself and pushed his plans to a later time. Then the three of them were able to enter the home. Bonnie had to also rethink her plans before entering.
A short time later, Elijah arrived with his brother in tow. Niklaus had invited himself after learning where his brother was going. Once again Fenrir answered the door, “Evening gentlemen.” The Originals had to take a step back after scenting the wolf. Fenrir caught the action, “No need to worry. The home is warded against violence. We’re hoping to have a civil dinner and discuss what’s to come. Please, come in.” He stopped them from stepping over the threshold, “However, any time intentions change, the wards will throw you out. Quite literally.” Both Originals relaxed a little knowing they will not be harmed but tensed at the thought all the same.
Carefully entering the home, Elijah and Klaus could feel the magic radiating from the very walls. It was very overwhelming, as well as comforting. The house felt like their home when they were human with three witches living in their longhouse. Fenrir led them through the foyer where Fenrir was tackled by his twins, “Daddy!” The werewolf chuckled as he scooped up his children, “Time for dinner little ones and then it’s off to bed.” Conri looked over his father’s shoulder to the men following them. The boy focused on Klaus, “Daddy, he smells funny.” “Conri, that was not nice,” Hermione scolded her son as they came into the dining room.
Damon couldn’t help but laugh, “Children are like drunk adults, absolutely no filter.” Klaus just shrugged it off, but he was curious about the children, “Are they both wolves?” He asked Fenrir. “They are. As am I. We also have magic.” Both Klaus and Elijah’s eyes widened. “You’re hybrids?” Klaus asked. Fenrir tilted his head in thought, “Hybrids? That sounds much better than Half-Breeds.” Lei stood near her seat at the head of the table, “Yes, it does. Please everyone take a seat. Dinner is to be served.” Jeremy could be heard whispering, “I love this part.” As everyone sat down the food magically appeared.
Klaus and Elijah were wide-eyed at the display of magic. They have never seen anything like this. Narcissa caught the expression, “Magic is a wondrous thing, is it not?” Klaus nodded his head. Elijah just stared at the beautiful woman he sat across from. Leilani set her utensils down, “It seems there are introductions to be made. For those who don’t know, I’m Leilani Evans.” Lei looked at Damon. He introduced himself, “Damon Salvatore.”
Everyone introduced themselves one by one until reaching Elijah. He recalled the names on the list Miss Evans gave him. He then introduced himself, “Elijah Mikaelson.” Then he resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his obnoxious younger brother, “Klaus Mikaelson.” The way Klaus stated his name like he was expecting the occupants at the table to tremble with fear. He was disappointed when he got no such reaction besides John, Elena, and Bonnie.
The dinner proceeded without incident. It was when the food was cleared and discussions were started about the happenings around the doppelganger, Elena. “Tonight’s dinner party was organized to discuss what has been happening in this town as it correlates with Elena being the doppelganger. Now, after much reading and research, some of us are still in the dark. I would like to come to an agreement about moving further without too much or any bloodshed.” Hermione took over, “The research we have done covers a ritual where doppelganger blood is a key ingredient. Several different formats describe this “Sun and Moon Curse”, but it seems to be a bunch of poppycock. So, to move any further, we should know what the true ritual consists of?”
Elijah and Klaus held a silent conversation with their eyes before Klaus shrugged. Elijah turned to the other occupants in the room, “The curse that has been widely spread throughout the centuries is a fake. The real curse is…” Klaus quietly spoke, “Is on me.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, “When my siblings and I were turned into the very first vampires, it was discovered that I wasn’t my father’s son. I took a life when I couldn’t control my bloodlust and triggered my wolf. Once my bones stopped breaking, I was locked inside our home. My father had threatened my mother to bind my wolf. She agreed to it, if only to continue to hide her shame that I was a bastard. Elijah was forced to hold me down with father while our mother cursed me. And I have been trying to break the bindings on my wolf ever since.”
Elena couldn’t keep her mouth shut, “All the deaths, the tomb vampires, Katherine coming to town, and all the drama is because of you? How selfish can you be?” “Elena! What’s wrong with you?” Jenna scolded. John glared at Jenna, “Leave my daughter alone!” “Oh, now she’s your daughter! What about the first seventeen years of her life? Where were you?” Jenna shot right back. Elena jumped in to defend John, “Hey! You leave him alone, Aunt Jenna!” Jeremy glared at Elena, “You’re one to talk. You throw toddler tantrums when nobody pays attention to you. Talk about being selfish.” Jeremy leans closer to Elena, “Can you tell me the name of the last guy you brought to the house?” Elena huffed and crossed her arms; she couldn’t answer Jeremy since she didn’t know the answer.
All the while the rest of the table was getting irritated with the arguing. Lei withdrew her wand from its holster and shot off a spark following a loud bang. The supernaturals in the room had to cover their ears. Everyone quieted down and faced Lei, “Now that I have your attention.” She took a breath then stood from her seat, “Everyone put their hands on the table palms down.” She watched as everyone in her family complied, followed the Salvatore brothers, the Mikaelson brothers were next, then Bonnie and John. Lei turned to Elena, “Hands on the table, palms down.” Everyone had their eyes on Elena. She finally did what she was told.
Lei tapped the table twice with her wand, pinning everyone’s hands to the table. A few, Klaus, Elena, Bonnie, and John, struggled against the holding spell. Klaus was the one to say something, “Release me before I rip your heart out! And kill everyone in this room!” Lei didn’t even flinch at the threats. She continued with the spell she was casting.
Everyone stopped struggling as a ghost of a wolf manifested on top of the table. It was being held down by chains. The ghost-wolf could be seen trying to take in large breaths, the torso expanding with each inhale. Small tendrils of wispy magic could be seen extending from the ghost-wolf to the hands of those at the table. Soon, everyone was overwhelmed with feelings of pain in their bodies, a feeling of something crawling under their skin, body temperatures rising to the point of sweating, as well as severe agitation.
Lei slowly walked around the table as this was happening. She wanted these feelings to sink in for a few minutes before explaining. As everyone struggled against the feelings, Klaus’ face was stony. Lei could see it was not affecting him like everyone else since he already feels this constantly. Lei stops at her seat at the head of the table, “I want everyone to understand what you are feeling. You have only felt this for a few minutes. Imagine feeling like this every moment of every day for over a thousand years. The pain of the wolf trying to rip itself free. The feeling of your skin crawling, your body overheating, extreme bouts of anger and agitation. To suffer like this for long periods of time, I’m surprised Niklaus hasn’t gone clinically insane.”
Elijah was panting, trying to breathe through the pain. His beast wanting to come to the surface, roaring and rattling the red door in his mind practically knocking off its hinges. When Lei started talking and mentioned his brother’s mental health he turned to Klaus. He saw no expression on his face, but his eyes gave away how angry he was at the humiliation of being called out. The guilt Elijah felt the night he helped his father and their mother curse his brother rose to the surface and he vowed to himself to help break the curse.
Lei spoke again, “Well, every day except three days out of every month.” Leilani held up three fingers, putting each down as she counted off, “The day before, the day of, and the day after the full moon. Those three days, the bindings on the wolf slacken just a smidge.” The ghost-wolf’s chains became looser, and the wolf struggled harder, sending stronger jolts of pain and more body heat towards everyone. She let this go on for a bit longer before, “Now, once the curse is broken and those bindings are shed. The wolf is free.” The ghost-wolf’s chains fell away, and the wolf was able to stretch and stand to its full height before howling as it vanished, and everyone was released.
Lei sat down in her seat, “It is my understanding that the ritual calls for the doppelganger to be sacrificed. However, that doesn’t seem right.” She looks at Klaus, “When you were cursed, was there a doppelganger present?” Klaus and Elijah shook their heads as Klaus answered, “No. Tatia was not present. She had already been killed, only a portion of her blood was used.” Lei nodded in understanding, “Well, the full moon is in a couple of weeks. Should give us all time to review everything and come up with a plan where the blood shed is to a minimum.”
Elena couldn’t believe what was happening, what she was hearing, “So? That’s it? I’m still going to be sacrificed so this guy could get in touch with his mutt?!” Jenna and Jeremy were so done with Elena’s antics. John was just as angry as his daughter, “I won’t allow it! You’ll have to go through me first!” Klaus smirked at the stupid human. He was thinking he had just found his vampire. “If you insist mate,” The smirk grew when John flinched.
Lei observed John and noticed something silver gleaming inside his jacket pocket, “Accio!” A silver dagger flew out of John’s inner jacket pocket and into Lei’s hands. “Hey! That doesn’t belong to you! Give it back,” John yelled as he stood. He didn’t even get to push his chair away from him before he was violently thrown out of the house onto the front lawn. Bonnie and Elena rushed outside to stand with John. Lei kept the dagger in her hand as she stood on the front stoop, “As of this moment, you three are no longer welcome inside my home!” Bonnie felt the magic of the wards shift as her invitation was being revoked. The young witch vowed to get revenge on the Evans family, and so an idea came to her.
Leilani watched as the three newly evicted people left. Then went back inside her home. Klaus and Elijah were standing in the foyer not too far from the front door for different reasons. Elijah wanted to make sure nobody did anything rash. Klaus wanted to get the dagger back, as well as make sure Leilani was safe. Elijah spoke quietly to his brother, “How did John Gilbert get one of your daggers?” Klaus shrugged. He wasn’t going to reveal that he gave it to Isobel to stop Elijah from getting in his way of breaking his curse. Elijah sighed and shook his head in frustration, “I vowed to protect the doppelganger. However, that was before tonight.”
Klaus whipped his head so quickly towards his brother, you would think he broke his neck, “You would let me sacrifice the doppelganger? I thought you would have fallen for her and try to stop me, as you did with Katherine? And speaking of, where is the manipulative, two-faced, brother-bouncing wench anyway?”
Lei walked past the two originals, “I killed her after she attacked Hermione.” She stopped and looked over her shoulder at them, “Nobody attacks my family and gets away with it.” Her Emerald greens eyes glowed brightly at her declaration to make her point even more clear. Elijah swallowed the lump in his throat, fearing the small woman just a little more. Klaus won’t admit it, but his vampire is falling for her just as much as his wolf.
Bonnie was furious. She had contacted the ancestors so she could gain more power, but they refused. Emily was the one to speak with Bonnie, “We don’t have the power that you seek. The ancestors are vanishing from the Other Side as well as the Ancestral Well. You will have to find the power you seek somewhere else, in another form.” Bonnie didn’t get to ask any further questions before the connection was severed. So now, Bonnie is desperate. She wanted to find Luka and try to ask for his help again, but she found his sister instead. Greta listened to Bonnie’s idea and agreed to help. Of course, Greta had her own selfish reasons, but she will not be divulging those details to the young Bennett witch.
AN: Well, Klaus is here finally. He met Leilani and her family and will interact more soon. His paranoia will get the better of him. Elena has lost almost all her protection. And Klaus has found his vampire, so Jenna lives. And the Martins’ have a couple of werewolves captive. The ritual will be happening soon.