[1] Consequences • The Vampire Diaries ✓

xliii.

chapter forty-three.

After several minutes of eating, Klaus noticed that Stefan hadn't even dared to touch his food. Matthias wanted to command him to eat but ultimately decided that by the end of the night, he would either remove his compulsion from Stefan as well as the spell, or he would activate the spell since he hadn't done so yet.

The spell was like making Stefan turn into a mindless zombie that only listened to Matthias. He thought about using it when he learned that Stefan took their family, but instead decided to save it. He wanted to test it out so bad and Stefan was only giving Matthias more and more reasons to use it.

"You lost your appetite." Klaus stated and Stefan gave him an 'oh really?' look.

"Eat." Damon told him. "I thought we agreed that we would leave the grumpy Stefan at home."

Stefan finally picked up his fork and knife, "That's the spirit. Isn't it nice? Four of us dining together? Such a treat. Is this what you had in mind when you pulled the dagger from my brother?" Klaus questioned Damon.

"Well, I know how he felt about you, so I figured the more," He ate a piece of his steak. "the merrier." He said while winking at Elijah.

"Bullshit." Matthias said while coughing to cover it up.

Klaus shot him an amused look but kept from laughing. "Well, Elijah and I have had our share of quarrels over the century. But we always make it through."

"Kind of like you and Rebekah, right?" Stefan stated and Matthias clenched his jaw. "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, I've already come clean to Elijah." Matthias spoke up and everyone frowned in confusion aside from Klaus and Elijah. "What, you thought that Klaus killed her?" Matthias laughed and shook his head. "No, I mean had he gotten there first then yeah but I killed her, and I'd do it again." Matthias admitted before downing his glass of blood once more.

Damon cleared his throat and gave Stefan a look, "Hey, Stef, remember when you killed dad? Might want to dial down the judgment until dessert."

"We're here to make a deal, Damon. Doesn't mean we need to kiss his ass for seven courses." Stefan told his brother.

"Oh, not mine." Klaus laughed. "Matthias' definitely since the only reason you're still breathing is because of Elijah."

Damon and Stefan shared a look before looking to Matthias, the man was drinking another glass of blood and they knew that they were screwed.

"He's not wrong." He told them. "I could easily tell Stefan to stab you right now Damon, and he'd do it." Matthias said while eating a piece of steak. "Or I could tell him to take off his daylight ring and to never wear one again and walk out into the sun in the morning." Matthias smirked at the worried look on their faces. "But I won't because for some reason, my girlfriend still cares about you."

Damon gulped and from the emphasis on who Elena was to him, he knew that Matthias knew about the kiss. Now, when it came to Stefan, Damon didn't care about his brother's reaction since the two weren't together and it was Stefan's own fault for him and Elena getting close.

However, Matthias was a different story.

Matthias terrified them both because he wasn't Klaus and while Klaus let it be known about what he would do to you, Matthias loved making people shake with fear as they anticipated what he would do.

"So, where is the lovely Elena tonight?" Elijah dared to ask, clearly not reading the room.

"I don't know, ask Damon." Stefan replied before sarcastically gasping. "Oh, wait sorry. Ask Matthias."

Matthias was about ready to snap then and there, "One more word about Elena and this dinner's over." He promised.

Klaus looked at Matthias and he could see that his brother was shaking with rage as Damon spoke. "You know what, probably best just to keep Elena in the do not discuss pile."

"You're probably right." Klaus agreed while silently sending his brother a look, but Matthias refused to look at him.

"Yeah." Damon nodded.

"It's just the allure of the Petrova doppelgänger, still so strong. What do you say, brother? Should we tell them about Tatia?" Klaus asked while looking to Elijah.

Matthias made a face at the sound of her name as he downed his glass of blood again. Klaus and Elijah had lost count of how many he's had at this point, but they knew that he was about to hit his limit at this rate.

Elijah let out a laugh, "Now why should we discuss matters long since resolved?"

"Well, given their shared affection for both Elena and Katerina, I think our guests might be curious to learn about the originator of the Petrova line." Klaus explained making Matthias want to leave already.

"Well, we're not going anywhere Elijah. Please, do tell." Damon said while lifting his glass of wine.

"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, even though she'd had a child by another man. And none loved her more than Niklaus." He said.

"Well, I'd say there was one who loved her at least as much." Klaus corrected him.

"Wait a minute, so you both loved the same girl?" Stefan said while pointing in between the two with a chuckle. "What about you?" He asked Matthias.

"I hated her." Matthias told him honestly. "She wouldn't choose between them, and it was insufferable having to hear my baby brother whine whenever Elijah was with her."

Elijah laughed softly as Klaus glared at his brother. "Our mother was a very powerful witch. 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 that we consumed in the wine on the night where our mother performed the spell which turned us into vampires. 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?" Elijah said.

"But in the end we realized the sacred bond of family." Klaus ended, no longer wishing to fall down the hole that was ready to consume him.

"Family above all." Elijah said while raising his glass towards Klaus.

Klaus raised his glass as well, "Family above all."

"I just wanna stab my eyes out." Matthias muttered under his breath while baby sipping his blood this time.