Everything just felt right. 

   No, everything just felt perfect. Audrey thought it might be awkward between them, but things just seemed to click instantly between her and Elijah, and the pair were a lot closer than before he was daggered. From the second she woke up to him in front of her, the pair hadn't left each others sight for more than a second. After their long moment in the living room, Elijah helped Audrey upstairs to bed, making sure she washed off the the dried blood. The pair then fell asleep together, their bodies laying on top of the covers, Elijah's arm curled protectively around her waist. 

   With a small yawn, Audrey rolled over as she woke up that morning, to see Elijah was gone from his spot beside. Her brow furrowed in confusion, pushing her hands down flat on the bed as she sat up, looking around their room for sight of him.

   "Good morning." Her eyes snapped across the room, to see Elijah giving her a small smile from the doorway. Dressed in a new suit, his hair looking freshly cut and neat. Almost as if the last few months hadn't happened at all. "How do feel?"

   "Better." Audrey nodded, a small smile of her own tugging at her lips. "A lot better."

   "I'm glad." He nodded, moving closer and sitting on the edge of the bed beside her. He rested his hand flat on the bed next to hers, both their eyes flickering downward as their fingers touched, soon lacing together. "I am so sorry you had to suffer because of me."

   "Elijah, it's not your fault." Audrey looked at him seriously, shaking her head. "You had no idea your brother was going to stick a dagger in your chest. Klaus and Rebekah looked after me, and you're back now." She squeezed his hand lightly as she shuffled closer. "I'm okay, I promise."

   His eyes locked with her doe brown ones, holding a look of awe and slight confusion. "But you could have--"

"But I didn't." She cut him off, and gently rested her forehead against his as she shuffled closer again. "I didn't, and it's over now. So stop thinking about it."

   "You, my dear, are much more understanding than anyone deserves." He said gently, as he rested his spare hand on her cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. 

   Audrey felt her smile grow, and looked at him for a long moment, before she slowly leaned in closer. It took Elijah a few seconds to register the action, and he didn't fight it when he did. Instead, he let go of her hand cupped her face properly, pressing his lips against hers. Her hands slowly rested on his shoulders as she kissed back, her arms wrapping around his neck. She felt that feeling in the pit of stomach ignite, as the two melted into one another touch. So many things had led up to this one moment, and neither of them made any attempt to end it.

   Eventually, Elijah pulled away, but kept his forehead resting against hers. "Sadly, my dear, I have matters I need to attend to this morning." He said, an pressed a kiss to her forehead. "But we shall continue this later, I give you my word."

   "Okay." She smiled softly, and pecked his lips once more before he stood up. 

   When he was gone, Audrey lay back on the bed with a giddy grin, having not felt as happy as was for a long time.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

   When Elijah informed Klaus and Audrey he'd arranged a dinner between them and the Salvatore brothers, Audrey was sceptical of the idea. Apparently, he and Damon had came to the arrangement, it being an evening to negotiate some form of peace between everyone. But it was clear the last thing Stefan wanted was peace, and he wouldn't make reaching a deal easy. But, Audrey agreed to go through with it, trusting Elijah's judgement. Dressed smartly for the occasion, Audrey shook her head as she glanced into the dining room when she came downstairs, seeing the compelled waitresses in skimp gold outfits. 

   "Niklaus's touch." Elijah mused, walking behind and resting his hands on her shoulders. 

   "I thought as much." She raised a brow at the hybrid in question. "Really?"

   Klaus simply sent her a grin in reply. "Now, who said making a deal had to be boring?" 

   Audrey walked toward the door as the bell rang, pulling it open to see Stefan and Damon waiting. She didn't spare the youngest Salvatore a glance, and wrapped her arms around Damon, hugging him tightly as she muttered into his ear. "Thank you."

   Damon didn't hesitate to return the embrace, giving her his usually smirk when he pulled away. "Well, I don't have many friends, little Gilbert. It'd really suck to lose one when it was so easy to save her." 

   "Come in." She shook her head with a small smile, stepping aside.  "Klaus, Elijah, our guests have arrived." She called over her shoulder, as the boys made their way inside. Before Stefan was fully over the threshold, Audrey pushed the door into his shoulder forcefully, not even attempting to feign as innocent smile as he glared at her. "Whoops."

   Klaus chuckled and smirked when she rejoined the two Mikaelson's in the dining room, and Audrey just grinned back as she moved to Elijah's side. "Damon. Stefan." Klaus greeted the pair. "Elijah tells me, you seek an audience. Very bold. Let's discuss the terms of our agreement like civilized men and women, shall we?"

   Elijah laced his hand with Audrey's as he led her over to the table, giving the two men a look. "It's better to indulge him." 

   "I didn't come here to eat, Klaus." Stefan crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly. "Fact, I didn't want to come here at all. But I was told I had to cause you would hear us out." 

   Klaus wasn't fazed by his attitude. "Well, we can sit and eat or I can reach down your throats and pull out your insides. The choice is yours."

   Damon shot his brother, and reluctantly, Stefan took a seat at the table. Elijah pulled out a chair, and guided Audrey sit down in it, pushing her chair in before taking the seat beside her. The food was served once Klaus sat down, the compelled servers pouring each of them a drink, hovering behind in case any of them needed anything more. 

   "Thank you, love." Damon flashed one of the girls a smile, as she topped off his glass.

   Klaus glanced at Stefan, who sat with a blank expression on his face, pushing his food around his plate. "You lost your appetite."

   "Eat." Damon nudged him, giving him the look once again. "I thought we agreed that we would leave the grumpy Stefan at home." 

   Rolling his eyes, Stefan took a bite of one of his potatoes, and Klaus sat back in his chair in amusement. "That's the spirit. Isn't it nice? Five of us dining together? Such a treat." He mused, taking a sip from his wine glass, as he looked at the pair. "Is this what you had in mind when you pulled the dagger from my brother?" 

   "Well, I know how he felt about you, so I figured the more, the merrier." Damon playfully winks at Elijah, before his eyes landed on Audrey. "And, of course, had to save her life."

   Audrey rolled her eyes, Klaus speaking up again before she could say anything. "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 shot back. "Where is she, by the way? Last I checked she was still daggered because you were afraid to face her."

   Audrey glanced at Klaus, seeing his grin of amusement drop slightly. When Elena gave them Rebekah, who she'd daggered on the night of homecoming, Klaus decided not to remove the dagger from her chest. Rebekah was angry with him, angry enough to allow Mikael to try and kill him, which he used as reason to justify keeping her asleep. Audrey had tried to talk him around, but he didn't listen to her. 

   "If you're referring to the fact that Rebekah knows I killed our mother, I've already come clean to Elijah." He shrugged. 

   "Hey, Stef, remember when you killed dad?" Damon piped up. "Might want to dial down the judgement until dessert."

   "We're here to make a deal, Damon." Stefan replied, the judgement and resentment not leaving his tone. "Doesn't mean we need to kiss his ass for seven courses."

   "I'm just saying we have a long evening ahead of us. Pace yourself." 

   Audrey tuned out the conversation as she felt her phone vibrate, checking it to see a message from Caroline on the screen. The second she saw what it said, she removed the napkin from her lap and pushed to her feet, making all eyes fall on her.

   "I need to go, I'll explain later." She promised in a quick ramble. "It's important."

   "Go." Elijah nodded in understanding, not pressing for an explanation. He pressed a short but sweet kiss to her lips. "I'll catch you up on this later."

   She nodded gratefully, and grabbed her jacket from the coat rack, leaving the house as quickly as she could.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

   "Caroline!"

   Caroline looked up from where she sat on the porch steps, relief filling her face as she locked eyes with Audrey. Jumping to her feet, the blonde ran down and path and threw herself into her arms, gripping onto her tightly as she buried her face in her hair. Audrey hugged her back tightly, feeling the Forbes girl shake slightly as she began to sob into her shoulder. 

   "Care..." Audrey let out quietly, closing her eyes as she felt her own tears form. 

   "I can't do it, Rey." Caroline let out as she pulled away, shaking her head. "I can't say goodbye to him. I--I'm not ready to lose him." 

   "I know." Audrey nodded. "He's your dad. No one is ever ready to say goodbye to someone like that."

   The second Audrey saw Caroline's message, she knew there was no else she should be but at her side. Bill Forbes had died, but he died with vampire blood in his system, and had made the decision not to complete the transition. He hated vampires, something that nearly ruined his relationship with his daughter when he found out the truth about Caroline. But he was still her father, and as much as Caroline knew she should hate him for what he did to her, she still loved him. 

   The two girls moved to sit on the porch together, Audrey keeping an an wrapped around her shoulder, as Caroline rested her head on her shoulder. Audrey knew better than anyone what it was like to lose a parent, she'd been unlucky enough to lose four during her life. The second news hit about her parents passing, Caroline was one of the first people at her side, and Audrey was going to do the same for her. 

   "You look pretty." Caroline let out quietly, wiping at her eyes. "I interrupted your night, didn't I?"

   "No." The Gilbert girl shook her head firmly. "I'm exactly where I need to be."

   Caroline managed a weak smile at her words, slowly lifting her head up from her shoulder. "How'd you do it?"

   Audrey looked down for a moment as she thought, turning so she could lean back against the railing. "I didn't." She admitted after a moment, looking back up at her. "I never got the chance to say goodbye, at least, not in person." She offered her a sad smile. "And I know you're not ready, that you don't want to let go. But you need to take that chance, Caroline. Say everything you need to say, before it's too late. Don't let there be an regrets."

   Caroline gave a small nod as she looked down, considering Audrey's words, while trying to make sense of all her other thoughts. "You don't need to say." She told her quietly. "This...it's something I need to do on my own."

   "Are you sure?" Audrey asked gently, reaching for her hand. "Because I can stay. I can just sit out here in case you need me, Care. I don't mind."

   "It's okay." Caroline gave a small, reassuring smile. "Go. Get back to the person you've got all dressed up for." Audrey's cheeks went slightly red, making the Forbes girl giggle despite everything. "I expect to meet Elijah at some point, by the way. He still needs my seal of approval."

   "I promise on our rings, you'll meet him." The Gilbert swore wholeheartedly, before wrapping her friend in one more hug. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

   "No." Caroline shook her head slightly, as she held onto her tightly. "But I will be, eventually."

   Eventually. With the way things seemed to be going lately, that's all any of them could ask for. That eventually, things would get better. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

      Heels in her hand, Audrey walked back up the drive toward the door of the mansion, her eyes checking her phone. In the end, after Liz insisted, Audrey ended up staying at the Forbes household for a while. She sat in the living room with Liz, while Caroline spoke to her dad, Liz knowing Caroline would need Audrey if the conversation didn't go well. When it became clear the pair would be okay, Audrey left to give the family some privacy, but kept checking in case Caroline decided to call her back over. 

   Before Audrey could say anything as she walked inside, a body collided with hers, making her yelp in surprise as a blur of blonde filled her vision. "Finally!" A familiar voice huffed from the figure, who hugged her tightly. "I was about to come drag you here by your hair."

   "Rebekah?" Audrey looked at her in surprise, a smile forming on her lips. Rebekah grinned as her as she pulled away, and within a few seconds, the two girls were embracing once again. "I missed you."

   "I missed you too." Rebekah mumbled, before pulling back and holding the girl away at arms length. Her eyes looked her up and down, examining the outfit she had on carefully. "Your style improved while I was gone. Perhaps there is a silver lining to your brat of sister daggering me."

   Audrey opened her mouth to retort, when a new face appeared in between them, a smirk pulling at his lips. His clothes were old and worn, his brown hair messy and spiky on his head, with dark brown eyes filled with mischief. "Well, well, well. This is her, then?" He mused, raising a brow at her. "What's your name, darling?"

   "Audrey." She said warily.

   His smirk grew, taking her hand and brushing his lips against her knuckles. "Kol Mikaelson." He pulled her closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Don't worry, darling. I know how dull my big brother can be. I'm here now to help keep you entertained."

   "Kol." Elijah warned in a low voice. 

   He rolled his eyes, holding his hands up innocently. "Only introducing myself, Elijah. Audrey should know the rest of her family, shouldn't she?"

   Elijah gave him a look as Audrey walked toward him, accepting the hand he held out to her. "I'm sorry, my dear." 

   "No, it's okay." She assured, shaking her head with a small smile. "But I'm a little confused what's going on."

   As Elijah went to answer, a new voice cut in. "I'm making my family whole again." Audrey looked to see an older woman stood nearby, with shoulder length blonde hair, wearing a dress Audrey couldn't date. "You must be Audrey Gilbert." She nodded. "It's nice to finally meet you. My name is Esther." Audrey's eyes went wide, and glanced at Elijah, who gave a nod of confirmation. A tight lipped smile pulled on Esther's face, eyeing Audrey with an unreadable expression, making the girl shuffle on her feet uncomfortably. "I look forward to truly welcoming you into the family."

   A feeling formed in the pit of Audrey's stomach, her eyes never leaving Esther as she turned and walked out of the room. Something was wrong, she didn't know what or why she felt it, but she was sure of it.

   Something was very wrong.

Sorry to everyone who wanted me to write the full dinner party, but I couldn't see Audrey not at Caroline's side when hearing about Bill. But she's met Kol, a new brotp I look forward to writing for you all, and she's met Esther...

The less said about her, the better. 

I hope the Audrey and Elijah moments were good, I loved writing them together so much. And there's a lot more coming up in the next chapter.  Sorry this update took longer than I promised, but I managed to sunburn myself yesterday, so I was uncomfortable and had a headache. I didn't have the energy or focus to finish the chapter. The next chapter will hopefully be posted later today, if not, it will definitely be out tomorrow.

I hope you all enjoyed!