GOAL: 10 COMMENTS THAT DON'T SAY "UPDATE!"
THIRTY-EIGHT; HOUSE OF MEMORIES (S3E13)
~
Estella walked down the stairs of the Gilbert, rubbing her eyes as she walked into the kitchen. She blinked slightly, eyes adjusting to the light.
"Morning. Coffee?" Elena asked her.
"Is that even a question?" Estella replied with a smirk. Elena laughed and handed her a mug.
"Blood bags are outside, in the freezer. I took a few from Damon and Stefan," Elena remarked.
"You're very kind, and I want you to know I appreciate you as a human," Estella declared, turning on her heel to mix the blood with her coffee.
She returned to see Alaric walking into the kitchen, looking very hungover. Estella sat on the barstool, sipping her coffee as she watched the man stumble around.
"I thought vampires didn't need sleep?" Alaric asked her.
"Doesn't mean we don't like it," Estella replied. "It's like human food. Not necessary, but fun to have."
Alaric hummed, blinking the sleep away from his eyes.
"You're hungover," Estella declared.
"Yeah, sorry about that. It was a bit of a weird night," Alaric mumbled, shuffling through the refrigerator.
"I told you you don't have to feel guilty about inviting Meredith over here," Elena told him.
"Oh I know. And I thank you for that. But I do feel guilty for whiskey dialing her at two in the morning," Alaric remarked, wincing at his stupidity. Estella snickered in her coffee yet didn't say anything.
"No you didn't," Elena said to him disbelievingly.
"Oh, yes I did," Alaric replied.
"Brutal," Estella commented with a shake of her head.
"Oh, was she cool about it?" Elena asked him with a small frown.
"Well, as soon as these aspirin kick in and I remember the conversation, I'll let you know," Alaric declared.
The doorbell rang behind them. Elena and Estella went to open the door, Alaric trailing after them. Behind it, Sheriff Forbes stood with a plastic evidence bag, only making Estella grow confused.
"Sheriff Forbes, hi," Elena greeted, also confused. "Is everything okay?"
"This is an unconventional conversation we're about to have. So I hope you'll protect me on it," Sheriff Forbes stated, looking at Alaric.
"Of course," Alaric agreed.
"I assume you both heard our medical examiner was murdered the night of the Wickery Bridge fundraiser," Sheriff Forbes declared.
"Yeah. Brian Walters. Why?" Estella asked her, remembering hearing something on the local news.
"We've been investigating. Someone drove this stake through his heart." Sheriff Forbes pulled out a stake from the evidence bag. Estella recognized it immediately.
"That's one of ours. I mean this is one of a set from your parents' lake house," Alaric informed.
"That's why I'm here. I haven't told anyone but forensics ran it for prints and found only one clean set." Sheriff Forbes looked at Elena dead in the eye. "Yours."
"What?" Elena and Estella asked her at the same time in shock.
~
"So, you're a prime suspect, huh?" Damon asked over the phone.
"She doesn't think that I did it. She's just trying to find out why somebody used one of my family weapons to kill a council member," Elena stated, yet she still looked stressed.
"Well why don't you just ask Ric if his dirty little doctor had access to the weapons," Damon suggested to her.
"You're on speaker phone, dick," Alaric snapped at him.
"Oh! That means my lovely baby sister is there too," Damon stated. "Hi, Estella. Still mad?"
"Yes," the blonde declared.
"Brian Walters was killed days ago, alright? I didn't show Meredith this stuff until last night," Alaric explained.
"It wasn't Meredith," Elena stated with a confident nod.
"But Brian Walters was her ex-boyfriend and Ric saw them fighting that night," Damon counteracted.
"It's not Meredith! Okay?" Elena looked at Alaric with a look. "I refuse to believe that your luck with women is that tragic."
"Who else knows about your secret little slayer stash?" Damon asked his (sort of) friend.
"Who doesn't? Got weapons everywhere, here, the school, my loft, your car," Alaric informed them.
"It's Klaus. It has to be, he's screwing with us," Damon declared.
"What if it was Stefan?" Elena suggested. "He was crazy that night. And you know he was trying to get underneath Klaus's skin, he was capable of pretty much anything."
"You guys are all terrible at guessing," Estella noted.
"Well, Stella, I don't see you bringing anything to the table," Damon retorted.
"That's because I haven't researched anything. I need to do a little digging, Damon," Estella snapped back.
"Hey, where are you?" Alaric asked him, noticing the crunching leaves and other wood-like sounds.
"Tea with an old friend," Damon replied before hanging the phone up.
"Tea?" Estella whispered to herself in confusion.
~
Estella decided to do the digging up she said she would. Joining Caroline (who was going to see her dad in the hospital), she would meet Meredith--Alaric's doctor friend and possible murderer.
"Hey, you ready?" Estella asked her bubbly friend.
"Yes, but please don't do anything too 'Estella-Salvatore' like," Caroline begged. "Meredith's actually pretty cool."
"Relax, Care. I'm only checking her out," Estella stated.
Caroline let out a breath and nodded, walking inside the hospital with Estella next to her. They met Meredith in a hallway.
"Are you Caroline?" Meredith asked. "And you're the vampire, Estella?"
"Yes. Dr. Fell, hi!" Caroline greeted with a large grin. "Elena told me you helped out my dad."
"Did," Meredith corrected her. "Do you think you can get him to be a little more grateful? He spent half the night threatening to get my medical license revoked for saving his life."
"Yeah, my dad's a little set in his ways. He spent his whole life hating vampires, so..." Caroline trailed off with an awkward chuckle, running a hand through her hair.
"So...he's not psyched about it being vampire blood that healed him. Yeah, he made that clear." Estella raised an eyebrow at the slightly rude remark. Meredith noticed, obviously. "I'm sorry. My bedside manner sucks, on no sleep."
"So, can I take him home?" Caroline asked her.
"I signed his discharge papers late last night, just to shut him up," Meredith explained with a roll of her eyes.
"Oh, I...he didn't call or anything," Caroline muttered to herself, frowning.
"That's gotta be hard. When your dad hates the one thing you can't change about yourself," Meredith stated with a sympathetic look. Estella made another face, shocked she knew that Caroline was a vampire. "I make it my business, to know who the vampires are in this town. Medical curiosity. I don't blab."
"Yeah, we've all had our ups and downs," Estella declared. "Thanks, Dr. Fell, you've been immense help."
Meredith walked away from them, walking into another room to check on a patient. Estella and Caroline made their way down the hallway, meeting Elena there as well.
"That was fast," Elena commented.
"Yeah, he's not here. He was already discharged," Caroline explained.
"She seems perfectly nice by the way...a little intense, maybe," Estella stated.
"I think it's sweet, you wanna make sure Alaric's not dating a total psycho," Caroline said with a smile.
"He's my family. I have to look out for him," Elena replied.
Caroline looked down at her phone, starting to call her father on his phone. Estella frowned when she could hear the ring of his phone near them. The two blondes locked eyes, both wondering why the phone was still in the hospital; why Bill Forbes was still in the hospital.
"What?" Elena asked them.
"I hear it," Estella responded quietly.
"Hear what?" Elena questioned.
"My dad's phone," Caroline replied.
They walked around the hospital, using the hearing to travel to a medical supply room. Estella opened the door carefully, flicking the lights on so Elena could see. They passed by many shelves, and at the back of the room sat Bill Forbes slumped against a shelf, dead with a knife in his chest.
"Dad! Dad?" Caroline cried out, sinking to her knees.
"Oh, my god," Elena breathed out.
"Don't be dead, don't be dead, don't be dead! Oh my god!" Caroline covered her mouth, tears springing up in her eyes. She pulled the knife out of his chest.
"Caroline..." Estella realized. "He has vampire blood in his system."
"What?!" Caroline exclaimed.
Bill woke up, gasping for air.
~
FROM: DICK BROTHER 1
Get dressed. We're going to the Mikaelson's for dinner.
Estella rolled her eyes, typing back a message.
TO: DICK BROTHER 1
Fight your battles on your own, brother. I'm busy.
FROM: DICK BROTHER 1
That wasn't a question. Be at the Mikaelson house by 7.
Estella scowled at her phone, checking the time to see 6:00 P.M. on the screen. She shut her phone off, turning to her freaked out blonde friend, the doppelgänger, and the in-transition vampire.
"So, I need to go to some dinner Damon needs me for," Estella stated. "Do you need me?"
"No, you go to your thing," Caroline said and sniffed. "I've got this covered."
Estella nodded in response, flashing to the Gilbert House to quickly get ready. She slipped on some dress (knowing very well that the dinner was going to be fancy if it was at the Mikaelson's) and straightened her hair, then applied makeup hurriedly. While doing all this, Damon explained over the phone what his plan was to do: undagger all the Mikaelson siblings and reveal the mystery coffin. Estella agreed to the plan, not finding it overly complicated.
She rushed to the Mikaelson house, knocking on the door.
Elijah opened the door with a pleasant smile, making Estella blink in shock.
"I thought you were daggered," Estella stated.
"It appears I am no longer," Elijah replied to her. "Please, come in."
Estella let out a breath and stepped inside, her heels clacking against the tile as Elijah escorted her to the dining table. She immediately spotted Klaus and her brothers, making her stomach twist in annoyance. Klaus smirked when he spotted the blonde walk in, moving over to kiss her hand. Estella let him, finding it better to indulge him than deny him.
"I didn't come here to eat, Klaus. Fact, I didn't want to come here at all. But I was told I had to cause you would hear us out," Stefan stated.
"Well, we can sit and eat or I can reach down your throats and pull out your insides. The choice is yours," Klaus declared.
Klaus pulled out her chair and Estella sat down in it, thanking the woman who poured her wine. She was drinking it immediately, the liquid soothing her nerves.
"You lost your appetite," Klaus said to Stefan and Estella, noticing they weren't eating the food in front of them.
"Eat. I thought we agreed that we would leave the grumpy Stefan at home," Damon reprimanded him like a child. Damon looked at his sister. "You too, missy."
Estella picked up a fork, twirling it in her fingers as she glared at her brother.
"I will stab this fork through your eye if you speak to me like that ever again," Estella snapped at him. She held the fork up, as if ready to chuck it at him.
Damon held up his hands in mock surrender, going back to his food. Estella looked down at the food, eating a piece of chicken and chewing it slowly.
"That's the spirit. Isn't it nice? Four of us dining together? Such a treat," Klaus commented. "Is this what you had in mind when you pulled the dagger from my brother?"
Estella looked over at her older brother, eyebrow raised in question. She didn't know he had awoken Elijah.
"Well, I know how he felt about you, so I figured the more, the merrier." Damon winked at Elijah playfully before going back to his food.
"Well, Elijah and I have had our share of quarrels over the century. But we always make it through," Klaus declared.
"Kind of like you and Rebekah, right?" Stefan rhetorically asked. "Where is she, by the way? Last I checked she was still daggered because you were afraid to face her."
"Here we go," Estella muttered to herself, taking the wine glass and sipping it.
"If you're referring to the fact that Rebekah knows I killed our mother, I've already come clean to Elijah," Klaus stated to them with a smug smirk.
"Hey, Stef, remember when you killed dad?" Damon asked him. "Might want to dial down the judgment until dessert."
Estella choked on her wine, coughing slightly.
"You killed dad?!" Estella exclaimed, looking at Stefan with wide eyes. She hadn't even heard this.
"Oh, get over it, Stella. It's been, like, a century," Damon said with a roll of his eyes.
"An heads up would've been just fine," Estella retorted, glaring at him.
"Why do you even care?" Damon questioned. "You didn't even like him that much."
"Maybe because after everything I've done for you two idiots, I would like to actually be included in this stupid family instead of being treated like shit," Estella seethed. The blonde leaned forward in her seat, ready to pounce on her brother any second.
She felt a hand on her thigh suddenly, making her tense before calming down. The blonde leaned back, releasing her death grip on her fork.
"How about we all take a breather for a moment?" Klaus suggested.
Everyone agreed, going back to eating the meal in front of them. Klaus traced soothing patterns on her thigh, helping her cool down after her minor blow up before her brother.
~
"Stefan. Where is the lovely Elena tonight?" Elijah asked obliviously, looking at the younger vampire expectantly.
"I don't know. Ask Damon," Stefan replied bitterly.
Estella rubbed her forehead, already sensing an argument over the doppelgänger starting. Klaus laughed, finding the situation amusing more than anything.
"I'm sorry, you've missed so much," Klaus remarked, still chuckling. "Ah, trouble in paradise."
"One more word about Elena and this dinner's over," Stefan snapped.
Klaus grinned, putting a finger to his lips to signal he wasn't going to speak about the topic anymore.
"You know what, probably best just to keep Elena in the do-not-discuss pile," Estella stated.
"You're probably right," Klaus agreed. "It's just the allure of the Petrova doppelgänger, still so strong. What do you say, brother? Should we tell them about Tatia?"
"Now why should we discuss matters long since resolved?" Elijah questioned.
"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. "Except Estella, of course. She knows all about Tatia."
The blonde sunk in her chair, not wanting to hear the story told once more again.
"Well, we're not going anywhere Elijah. Please, do tell," Damon encouraged. He took a sip of his wine.
"When our family first settled here, there was a girl named Tatia," Elijah started. "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."
"I'd say there was one who loved her at least as much," Klaus counteracted.
"Wait a minute," Stefan interrupted. "So you both loved the same girl?"
"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 looked over at his sibling.
"But in the end we realized the sacred bond of family," Klaus declared.
"Family above all." The two siblings raised their glasses in cheers.
Damon glanced at his sister, who only glared at him in response before taking a big swig of the wine.
After awhile of chitchat, Estella (along with a few others) were growing restless.
"So, why don't we move this evening along and discuss the terms of this proposal?" Elijah asked them, looking at his guests in question.
"That's very simple. Klaus gets his coffin back, in exchange, he and the Original extended family leave Mystic Falls forever. Me, my sister, Stefan, and Elena live happily ever after. No grudges," Damon informed simply.
"The deal sounds fair, brother," Elijah said, looking at Klaus.
"I don't think you understand. Elena's doppelgänger blood insures that I will always have more hybrids to fight those that oppose me. I will never leave her behind," Klaus stated. "And Estella would join me, too, of course. She is my wife after all."
"You're not taking my sister with you," Damon argued.
"Your sister seems to dislike you two at the moment. Who's to say she's finally had enough of you leaving her out?" Klaus questioned. "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? You see, each one of you truly believes that you're the one that can protect her, and that is simply a delusion. Gentlemen, the worst thing for Elena Gilbert is...the two of you."
Damon sent him a weak smile before standing up, declaring he needed some air. Elijah joined him, following him outside.
Estella sighed in her seat, rubbing her face. She glanced over at her wine glass, noticing it was empty. The blonde was about to call for more until Klaus stood next to her, smirk plastered on his face.
"Your wine glass is empty," Klaus stated. "Is my company that boring?"
"No. This dinner isn't how I wanted to spend my night," Estella replied. "But, once I get some more wine, I'll soon be enjoying this."
Klaus chuckled and motioned for one of the girls to serve Estella more wine, then deciding to leave the bottle on the table for the blonde to serve herself for whenever she needed it.
"All this talk has made me thirsty," Klaus remarked. He beckoned one of the servants over. "What do you say Stefan? Can I interest you in a little after-dinner drink?" Klaus bit into her neck, drinking up her blood.
~
Klaus dropped the girl to the ground, licking around his lips to drink up any of the red liquid around his mouth.
"Delicious. Aged to perfection," Klaus commented. "Estella, you looked parched."
"No, thank you. I'm fine," Estella replied to him.
"Well, I guess the only reason you agreed to this evening, Klaus, is to drive a wedge between me and my family," Stefan remarked.
"Oh no, you're doing that well enough on your own," Klaus told him. "Because of Elena, you're gonna lose your brother and you'll only have yourself to blame."
Damon and Elijah re-entered the household, looking as if they had resolved a conflict.
"What do you say, Klaus? It's time for you to put something on the table. We've made our offer, now you counter," Damon declared, sitting back down at his seat.
"Okay. I offer Elena's future happiness," Klaus said. "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 blond one?"
"Matt Donovan? Really?" Estella and Damon asked at the same time, both sounding disinterested.
"Yeah, why not? They'll marry, live a long and fruitful life, and pop out a perfect family," Klaus explained his theory.
"And continue the Petrova bloodline," Estella finished for him. She sipped out of the wine bottle, completely ignoring drinking from a glass.
"Every few hundred years, you'll have a new doppelgänger to drain and never run out of hybrids, right Klaus?" Stefan asked him.
"Consider it a small return on my investment in her well-being," Klaus remarked. "See, after you hand me back the coffin, I'll ensure her safety for the rest of her natural life. You know it's what's best for her."
Klaus stood up and walked towards to Stefan, asking, "So, what do you say Stefan, hmm? Do we have a deal?"
Stefan walked over to him.
"What are you doing?" Damon hissed at his brother.
Klaus held his hand out, and Stefan made a grab at it before smirking.
"Nice try, Klaus. But no deal."
This made Klaus angry. He broke Stefan's arm and kicked his leg, breaking that as well. He pushed Stefan's hand into the fireplace, and it started to burn. Damon attempted to rush over to him, but Elijah intercepted him and slammed him against a wall. Estella stood up with wide eyes, watching the scene with her jaw open.
"Klaus! Let go of him!" Estella yelled out.
Klaus continued to burn Stefan's hand, making Estella set the bottle of wine down on the table and walk around the table.
"Now, bring me my coffin before I burn him alive," Klaus growled out.
"I'll get it," Damon declared with a small groan.
"Go with him, brother. You keep him honest," Klaus said to Elijah. "And when you return, I will make good on my promise to you and I will hand over our family."
They left, yet Klaus still kept Stefan's hand in the fire, much to Estella's protest.
"Go ahead and kill me. I know you'll do it when he brings the coffin," Stefan stated.
"Klaus, just let go of him," Estella pleaded.
"You really have given up, haven't you?" Klaus questioned. "Where's the fight? Where's the ripper?"
Suddenly, Elijah and Damon reappeared much too early. Estella sipped her wine to keep herself from smirking. A female stood next to Elijah, carrying a tray.
"Elijah...why haven't you left?" Klaus asked his brother in confusion.
"Where are you manners, brother?" Elijah inquired. "We forgot dessert."
Elijah swiped off the black cloth from the tray, revealing two silver daggers on it. Klaus' eyes widened in horror.
"What have you done?" Klaus whispered.
"What have you done?" Elijah retorted. "You see, I've learned not to trust your vulgar promises, Klaus. We're doing this on my terms now."
A man with shaggy brown hair entered the room, dressed in old time clothing. Estella raised an eyebrow at this.
"Kol," Klaus breathed out.
"Long time, brother," Kol remarked.
Klaus started to back away, yet backed right into another man. This one with early tenth century clothing and long hair. He grabbed a dagger and pushed it through Klaus' heart.
"Finn, don't!" Klaus pleaded.
He tried rushing away yet bumped straight into Rebekah, the blonde Original glaring at him. Estella smirked slightly at the appearance of her favorite Mikaelson.
"Rebekah!" Klaus cried out.
"This is for our mother," Rebekah yelled.
She stabbed him with a dagger, a furious expression on his face. She pulled it back out, Klaus falling back into Kol's arms.
Elijah turned to the three Salvatore's, saying, "You're free to go. This is family business."
Estella locked eyes with Klaus before she turned away, walking out of the Mikaelson house.
~
estella was extra savage tonight i'm laughing it's great.
do you want damon/stefan and estella to act like siblings again or do you still want estella want mad at them?
-holly