Mrs Mikaelson

Prologue

*****************************************************************

"So, I assume the Martin witches are no longer with us?" Elijah asked as he and Elena made themselves comfortable in the Lockwood sitting room. He'd gotten changed into a fresh suit that a compelled Mrs Lockwood was kind enough to supply before she stepped out and left the two of them alone in her home.

"No," Elena answered.

"And Katerina? She would've been released by my compulsion when I died," Elijah inquired, sounding almost worried for the vampire.

"Klaus took her. We think that she may be dead," Elena explained.

Elijah merely smiled knowingly, his lips seeming to hide a thousand secrets. "I doubt that. Not Klaus's style. Death would be too easy for her after what she did. He is also not the only one that wants her to suffer," Elijah informed her, however, Elena mistook his last sentence for meaning he wanted Katherine to suffer.

"I don't understand. You say you want Klaus dead, but you still made Katherine pay for betraying him?"

His face darkened. "I do have my own reasons for wanting Katerina to pay." His face softened slightly as he slipped into memories that evoked feelings he bottled deep down, behind his red door. "There was a time, I'd have done anything for Klaus. He's my brother after all," he said, and Elena's jaw dropped. "Klaus is my brother," he repeated, a small smile on his lips at the girls' shock.

Elena shook her head. "I heard that. I'm still processing."

"Yes, I'm a little behind on the times, but I believe the term you're searching for is OMG?" he said, raising a teacup to his lips.

*****************************************************************

Katherine fumed as she tried to reach for the handle to Alaric's door and failed, Klaus' compulsion kicking in. She spun, however, at the sound of the door handle rattling before it was pushed open to reveal Damon Salvatore and his compelled girlfriend, Andie Star.

"Thank god," Katherine said as she beheld the two and Andie walked straight in.

"Wow. You were right, she looks exactly like Elena," she said as she looked Katherine up and down before walking past her.

"Yep," Damon said as he frowned at the door, not being able to enter. "Thought you might me dead," he said to the doppelganger.

"Unfortunately not. What are you doing here?" Katherine questioned.

"We are here to rescue you," Andie said as she continued to walk further into the apartment.

"No, sweetie. We are here to see if she deserves to be rescued," Damon corrected the new anchor.

"Right."

"I figured you still might be kicking," Damon said. "Alari-Klaus was blending in way too easily. I figured he probably had some coaching." Damon then held up a vile that instantly caught Katherine's attention.

"Is that-"

"Vervain, your salvation," Damon finished.

"It's not gonna undo anything," she pointed out.

"There's always a loophole," he replied, and Katherine frowned. "Did he tell you to stay until he said it was ok to leave?"

Katherine opened her mouth to answer but nothing came out.

"You can't say," Damon said, eyes widening. "Did he tell you to do absolutely everything he said until the end of time?"

"No," Katherine said defiantly and then her eyes widened.

"There's your loophole," Damon smirked. "Drink this and it'll prevent any further compulsion."

Katherine walked forward to take it, but Damon held it back to where she couldn't reach. "Give it to me," she demanded.

"Answer one question first. You double-crossed us with Isobel. Why?"

"I didn't think you stood a chance against Klaus. I was looking out for myself," she admitted.

"And where did that get you?"

Katherine only huffed a smile as she shook her head.

"Here. Be careful with it," he said tossing her the bottle. "If he finds out you have that, you're never getting out of here," he warned as Katherine took a sip and immediately started coughing as the liquid literally burned its way down her throat. "You owe me," Damon glared as the girl recomposed herself and wiped her mouth. "And I will collect," he promised before turning to Andie who was still snooping through Alaric's things. "Come on," he said as he turned to leave, Andie putting down whatever she was holding and chasing after him.

"Nice to meet you," she said hurriedly to Katherine as she closed the door behind herself, leaving Katherine alone once more.

*****************************************************************

"There's a whole family of Originals?"

"My father was a wealthy landowner in a village in Eastern Europe," Elijah said as he stood in front of a mirror to fix the buttons of his borrowed suit. "Our mother bore seven children."

"So, your parents were human?" Elena asked as she stood, and Elijah turned to face her, resting a hand on the mantle above which the mirror was placed.

"Our whole family was," he clarified. "Our origin as vampires is a very long story, Elena. Just know that we are the oldest vampires in the world. We are the Original family and from us, all vampires were created."

"Right, but Klaus is your brother. And you want him dead?" she questioned yet again.

"I need some air," was Elijah's only response. "I'm still feeling a tad... dead," he said as he walked towards Elena and then past her. "Come."

Elena could do nothing but gape and follow.

*****************************************************************

"Greta. Finally," Klaus smiled as a brown-skinned woman walked through the door after several men carrying countless bags.

"Hello, love," the witch said as she approached Klaus, moving a strand of his hair from his face.

"Hello."

"Nice body. Ready to get out of it," she asked as two more men wheeled in a large leather case.

"And the other thing that was supposed to come along with me?" Klaus asked.

Greta smiled. "She'll be along shortly. She had a couple of errands she wanted to run first."

Klaus grinned at Katherine as he spoke to Greta. "Let her know that I anxiously await her arrival. And I have a gift for her."

*****************************************************************

Two witches knelt in a circle of candles with Alaric and the leather case, now stood upright, as they chanted. Katherine stood, watching in fear as the flames of the candles flared and the witches' chanting ceased as they looked up at the case. Alaric's eyes opened as his head shot up, gasping loudly before his eyes landed on Katherine.

"Elena?" he asked in confusion before collapsing to the floor.

The male witch, Maddox, then stood, moving towards the case. Katherine's palms were sweaty as he grasped the handle and pulled it open, a man walking out.

He stared at Alaric's collapsed body before looking at Katherine and saying in a smooth British accent, "Now that's more like it."

His smile was truly sinister as he looked at the feared look on Katherine's face. She was right to be afraid. Everyone should be afraid.

Because the worst hadn't just arrived. The worst has yet to come.