Esmeray couldn't help but feel anxious.

They heard nothing of the Originals for a few days. Surely, something was going on. Esmeray should have gone into heat in that time, but she didn't, because she was too worried. Alaric had been attacked the night they'd been at dinner, and with no news from Klaus, she wondered if perhaps his siblings had all managed to kill each other.

Elena seemed to be on edge, too, because she had invited Damon, Stefan, and Esmeray to her house one morning for an apparently essential conversation.

"What's the 'important' thing we needed to talk about?" asked Damon as Elena wiped down the table, presumably after having breakfast.

"Rebekah attacked me last night," said Elena. "I admit, I expected it to have happened sooner, given the fact you all woke them up four days ago, but the point is, Elijah saved me, and told me that it was their mother, Esther, who was sealed in that coffin."

Esmeray said nothing, because she had known this, and hadn't told them, but the Salvatore brothers each had a comment to make.

"As in the Original Witch?" asked Stefan.

"How is she even alive?" said Damon in disbelief. "I thought her hybrid freak show of a son ripped her heart out a thousand years ago."

"I don't know," said Elena, shrugging. "I'm guessing she has a couple connections in the witching community. Elijah said that she wants to live in peace with her family, including Klaus."

"She was supposed to be the weapon to help us kill Klaus," said Stefan.

"Well, not anymore... at least not according to Elijah," Elena replied.

"That coffin was the only thing stopping Klaus from tearing us to shreds!"

"Anyone else feeling a little used right now?" said Damon with a grimace. "The runes weren't useful, Klaus ended up killing Mikael, and now Mama Original is going to be nice to him after he killed her?"

"Look," said Elena, drawing their attention back to her. "Elijah promised me that his family wouldn't hurt any of us." The doorbell rang, and Elena said, "I believe him," before going to open it. There was no one there, but Elena knelt down and picked up something from the floor. An envelope was in her hand as she closed the door. It bore her name in an ornately-handwritten font.

"What is that?" said Damon.

Elena shook her head and tore it open, revealing a card. "It's an invitation," she said before reading it aloud. "'Please join the Mikaelson Family, this evening at seven o'clock for dancing, cocktails and celebration.'"

"Who the hell are the Mikaelsons?" said Stefan.

"The Original Family," murmured Esmeray, making Damon snort as Elena turned over her card. "It's not bad enough they're moving into town, now they want a housewarming gift?"

"Wait, there's a note on the back," she said, reading out, "'Elena, I think it's time that we finally meet, Esther.'"

There was a moment where they all stared at each other in disbelief, not knowing how to react to this. Elena blinked several times before beginning to walk back to the kitchen, sealing the envelope to the best of her abilities. "Well, I should start picking a dress to wear."

"Ha!" said Damon as he, Stefan, and Esmeray followed Elena back. "Very funny, not happening."

"Why not?" said Esmeray, confused. "I would think she isn't in danger, considering Esther has been around for days and hasn't done anything."

"Exactly. If Esther wants to talk to me, maybe I should find out why," reasoned Elena, leaning back onto the table.

"Well, that's a dumb idea," countered Damon. "She already tried to kill you once, or did you forget?"

Stefan held his hand up. "No, Elena is right. Bonnie was led to open that coffin for a reason. I think there is more to this than just some family reunion." Elena and Esmeray both looked at him in agreement, but Damon groaned. "Can we go back in time where the old Stefan cared if Elena lived or died?"

"What for? It's your job now."

The brothers shared a tense look. "We already talked about this, Stefan," said Damon in a hard voice, gesturing toward Esmeray.

Stefan didn't look convinced. "Prove it, then, because from my perspective, you don't seem to be making much of an effort to commit. At this rate, Elijah and Klaus are going to move in on her before you make it official."

Esmeray actually found this quite funny, but Damon looked annoyed, so she didn't let out a laugh. Elena pursed her lips, changing the subject, because she didn't want the brothers to fight. "Stefan and Esmeray have a point, Damon. I should find out what she wants."

"You can't protect yourself," said Damon in exasperation.

"Okay, fine, then I'll go," offered Stefan.

Damon looked at him like he was crazy. "You've pissed off enough Originals to last a lifetime. I'll go." He snatched the invitation out of Elena's hand, making her let out a cry of protest. "End of story!"

He walked out, and Stefan followed. Elena let out a frustrated noise, and Esmeray kept her from going after the brothers. "I'll go with you," she whispered when the other two had left the house. "If they want to argue about it, then I can be the neutral party. I want to check on Klaus anyway."

Elena gave her a pained look. "Esmeray, I'm sorry," she said quietly. "You've... you've been too nice to me even when I'm causing all these problems for you."

The hybrid shook her head. "You're not causing any problems for me. Damon and I aren't together, and we won't be until we both figure stuff out. I get it. You're sweet and you're pretty and I would be into you, too, if I didn't feel attracted to him. I already told Anya about her and I not becoming a thing... but we still talk nearly everyday, and it's hard for me to push aside my growing feelings for her even when I'm interested in Damon. It's complicated, but it's not your fault. Damon and I are trying to work this out in a mature way. If it doesn't work out... then it doesn't work out. Don't worry."

Elena half-smiled, clearing her throat. "Just to check, are you sure it's safe for you to go with me? What if they hurt you? Didn't you say the other day that it was Esther who got you put to sleep?"

"Well, I don't intend to speak to Esther at all. So I don't think I need to be worried. You, on the other hand, should at least try to hear her out. She invited you for a reason. Stefan is right, there has to be more to this. If the Original Witch really wanted to protect you this time, she wouldn't have asked you to walk into a lion's den. She wants something from you."

Elena bit her lip. "You think... it might have something to do with putting down Klaus?"

"I would expect so. What else might it mean?" She wrung her hands together. "I can't say I support that, but listening to her might bring light to the situation."

Elena looked over the invitation. "You're right. How about we meet here after four? We can get ready together and head there alongside each other."

Esmeray nodded. "I'll be here, once I find something to wear."

But it seemed she didn't have to stress herself out looking for anything.

She had found that Damon and Stefan hadn't come back to the Salvatore House just yet, because there awaited a package on the porch with her name on it, which she supposed they would have taken in if they'd returned. Raising an eyebrow, she picked it up. The box was fairly light, and had an envelope taped over it. In the most elegant way possible, someone had used ink to write 'Esmeray Victoria Poldark' over the top of it using the same font that had been on Elena's invitation.

Her heart skipped a beat as she took it up to her room, waiting until she closed the door to tear the envelope open. The invitation looked the same except for the note on the back. "'Hoping you will be up for spending just one more night under my roof,'" she read from Klaus's handwriting. "'Know that you are free, no matter what you decide. P.S., I had a feeling you would like this dress.'"

She opened the box and the envelope fell out of her hand. Her hands shook as she pulled out the delicate and sparkling teal fabric that seemed to have been put together especially for her. She didn't know if it was because of Klaus having seen into her memories that he'd found the exact fit, but it didn't matter, because she was too focused on how gorgeous and comfortable it was. It flowed smoothly down to the floor, a simple v-neck with spaghetti straps that surprisingly, had very minimal cleavage, just as she preferred it. There was more of a greenish tint to the dress, which she knew would make her eyes stand out.

"I can't wear this," she gasped once she'd tried it on. "I simply can't... it's too expensive... I'll set it on fire without realizing it..."

But her excitement was releasing the type of magic that certainly wouldn't set her dress alight. Flowers the same color as the dress were sprouting by her window, and when she realized what she'd done, she plucked them, waving her hands delicately to make a flower crown that would sit over her dark mane of hair. She twirled once, and covered her mouth in disbelief. It fit so perfectly that it felt like a crime to wear it. But she thought back to Klaus telling her she was beautiful... and her confidence skyrocketed.

"Wow," said Elena when she saw the dress. "This is... wow." She held it up for Caroline to see, since the blonde had been asked to come with Elena as Elena's plus one, granted the fact Esmeray had received her own invitation.

"I am so jealous right now," Caroline said bluntly, looking at the dress. "This thing is gorgeous. I didn't even know they made glittery fabric that was this smooth to the touch..."

It had taken a lot of time for the two other girls to stop fawning over her dress, but by six fifty-five, they were ready to go. Matt Donovan had offered them a ride, since Rebekah had asked him to be her date. Caroline and Esmeray sat in the back, since their dresses weren't as poofy as Elena's. Once Matt parked on the grass of the Mikaelson Mansion, Elena and Esmeray were the first to get out.

Elena had on a strapless dress that had black and beige aspects to it, with glitter everywhere, along with black gloves. Her hair had been curled and beneath the gown, she had put on some elegant heels. Esmeray barely had on some wedges, because she didn't feel like twisting her ankle in front of everyone, and she'd used magic to give her hair more of a wavy appearance.

The two girls walked in side by side, and they saw that both Damon and Stefan were there, which was an unexpected sight. The brothers walked over to them, looking at the girls in shock.

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked Stefan sharply, since he got to them first.

"I could ask you the same thing," said Stefan, staring at her like he was judging her.

"Surprise, surprise," muttered Damon as he came to a halt beside Elena. "Nice tux," he told his brother before facing Elena directly. "You're not supposed to be here. Esmeray can do a little witchy woo or claw someone in the face, but you can't."

"I'm not leaving until I find out what Esther wants," muttered Elena. "So, shall we?"

Stefan offered Elena his arm immediately. Damon did the same to Esmeray, as if to prove a point to Stefan. Esmeray put her hand on his elbow, looking around nervously.

"Why did you come?" asked Damon. "I would think this is the last place you'd want to be."

"I was worried about Klaus, I already told you that," she muttered. "Besides... he invited me."

Damon stopped. "He invited you?" He looked down at her dress, realizing what it meant. "And he gave you something to wear, too. Doesn't that strike you as creepy?"

"If you would have done it for me, would you want me to think of it as creepy?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I've seen into his mind, Damon. I know him pretty well. I don't think he intends to hurt me." She looked over at Elena, who had gone to get herself a drink. Esmeray wiggled out of Damon's hold before following the girl off to the side.

Damon watched her go, and gritted his teeth. He couldn't recall the last time he felt this ticked off. Klaus had the audacity to invite her, even when he knew Damon was trying to start a relationship with her? He didn't expect the hybrid would care, but still, dick move. He was just lucky that Esmeray hadn't actually invited Damon to be her plus one, because otherwise... Damon might have turned the party into his own funeral, because he wouldn't have been able to resist challenging Klaus.

Elena groaned as soon as she felt Esmeray arrive beside her. "Why did they come?" she muttered, fiddling with her gloves. "What business would they have had here, even if I hadn't shown up?"

"Probably mocking Klaus, or something," said Esmeray, looking around. She had yet to see the Original hybrid.

Before they could get any drinks for themselves, someone walked up right in front of them, taking two glasses of champagne and handing it to each girl. "Elena Gilbert, I presume?" the man told the younger brunette. "I'm Finn Mikaelson. You're here to see my mother."

Elena straightened up. "Is she here?"

Finn did not answer. "Her request did not include your friends."

"They're protecting me," said Elena simply. "You may not know, but your mother's already tried to kill me once."

Finn was unfazed. "If you want to see my mother, you'll need to be alone." He turned his attention to Esmeray. "You're Esmeray Poldark. Niklaus had quite a bit to say about you."

She half-smiled at him. "I came at his request."

Finn took a glass of champagne for himself, raising an eyebrow at her. "I cannot imagine why you thought to accept."

"Contrary to whatever you may believe, your brother isn't always so foul."

The Original's lip quirked slightly, but he said nothing, as Elijah had called out to the crowd, "Uh, if everyone could gather, please."

"Excuse me," Finn told her, patting her arm as he went to where the rest of his siblings had arranged themselves going up the staircase, which had Christmas lights adorning it all over. Elena and Esmeray made their way over, seeing Esther herself walk out from the upper floor, looking down at those who had come to the party as she descended beside Kol, who was nearest the top followed by Klaus, Rebekah, Elijah, and finally Finn, who had finished walking up to them.

Esmeray looked over at all of the siblings, seeing Rebekah in a gorgeous green dress, her hair smoothed back elegantly. All the brothers wore a suit with a black bow tie except for Klaus, who contrasted with a white bow tie instead. The hybrid found herself blushing a bit at the sight of him. He cleaned up quite well. She'd seen it before, in his mind, but seeing it up close was different. He was scanning the crowd, as if searching for her. At last, his eyes fixated on her, and he offered her a smile, which she returned, her cheeks turning pinker.

"Welcome," said Elijah, looking around. "Thank you for joining us. You know, whenever my mother brings our family together like this, it's tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance. Tonight's pick is a centuries-old waltz, so if all of you could please find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ballroom."

Elena began to walk toward the stairs to see Esther, and Esmeray made to move off to the side and simply observe the dance, but Finn Mikaelson cut her off, offering her his hand. "Would you like to dance?" he asked her.

She blinked up in surprise. "Oh... I er... I just wanted to watch."

"I assure you, it's quite easy to figure out," he said as she took his arm, looking back and not seeing Klaus anywhere.

"Alright," she said quietly, when after a few seconds, he still hadn't approached her. She suddenly felt very exposed and embarrassed. Surely he would have wanted to speak to her, given the fact he'd invited her.

Finn led her out into the dance floor, and she tried to act as though she wasn't getting more and more nervous. She saw Rebekah dragging Matt with her, she saw Stefan with Elena, and Damon with Carol Lockwood. Elijah and Kol had each taken a partner that Esmeray didn't recognize in the slightest. And still, no Klaus.

She linked her hands with Finn, imitating what the woman in front of her was doing. The music began and they started to move in a line, slowly forward following each beat. Esmeray tried to keep up, her eyes fixated forward. She could sense Finn was looking over at her, as if trying to read her mind. The time came for them to face each other and begin to dance more traditionally, and Finn delicately wrapped his arm around her upper back. One of her hands met his, and the other moved to hold his shoulder.

Esmeray still didn't see Klaus anywhere. She knew she was making it incredibly obvious that she was looking for him, but she didn't think Finn would really mind. He knew, after all, that Klaus had been the one that invited her.

"You are a rather good dancer for someone who hasn't ever attended a formal ball," Finn observed, trying to make conversation.

"Thank you," she said gently. "I suppose I'm getting better at fitting with the times."

"I believe I saw you once, long ago," he told her, spinning her around before catching her again. "I accompanied my father on a journey to gather supplies for our village when I was eighteen. My siblings and I hadn't yet been turned into vampires. Your father, Rayan, I met him— he gave us what we needed. You were only a little girl then. You must have been around seven years old, practicing magic inside your hut with your mother. You likely don't remember, we never greeted you."

"Oh," she said, biting her lip. "Yeah... I don't remember that. I apologize."

Finn didn't look insulted. "Please do not be sorry," he said, continued to sway with her. "I promise, I did not look at you then nor do I look at you now with any intent. I understand that we were quite different, in that time. I know that I am far too old for you, even though we were born only eleven years apart in reality. What I wish to do is warn you. My brother is not someone you can trust. I wouldn't even advise you to trust myself or any of my other siblings. Be careful."

The music changed, and she saw that everyone was switching partners. She had every intention to move off to the side, but another pair of arms grabbed her, and she looked up at Elijah. "Hello," she said quietly, looking off to each side once more. Where was Klaus? She could see Damon was now dancing with Rebekah, Stefan was with Caroline, and Elena was with Matt. Several people had already stepped off to the side, Finn included, but even with the clearing crown, the Original hybrid wasn't anywhere in her line of sight.

"You look incredible," said Elijah, holding her waist a bit more firmly than Finn had done. "You have grown quite a bit more confident than when you first woke up."

Esmeray laughed sheepishly. "Well, it's been months since then... I've had time to adjust." She noticed Elijah was looking at her as if he had something important to say. "Elijah... I really hope I didn't give you the wrong impression about anything..."

"I understand," he told her honestly. "I needed to hear it from you. You and Damon...?"

"Are seeking out a relationship," she confirmed. "Might not happen anytime soon, but it's... intended."

"What of my brother?"

"What about your brother?"

"You have feelings for him."

Esmeray became flustered. "I don't have feelings for him. I just... am attracted... a little more often than I wish to be."

Elijah smiled at her. "Close enough. Niklaus has taken quite a fancy to you, at any rate. It's been centuries since I've seen my brother be so... assertive when it comes to someone he is interested in."

"If 'assertive' is your nice way of saying that he's displaying blatant jealousy and possessive behavior..."

"You know my brother well."

"Yes, I do. I don't wish to see him as a bad person, I'll tell you that honestly. He can be... frustrating... but he's got kindness in him. I would like to be his friend, at least. He's..." she stopped for a moment, lowering her voice even more. "He's the only one that's helped me."

Elijah raised a brow. "I must admit, I'm confused. What do you mean by that?"

"Well... the others have been kind and all that... but Klaus is the only one who's helped me get what I need for my ritual. Soon enough, I will be able to place a half-bind on my witch nature to grant me control of my wolf side."

"And you trust him?"

"He's given me what I need for the ritual, and when I saw into his mind, I saw that he was telling the truth about it. I value that. I can't say I'll rejoice at every spell he asks me to do for his benefit... but I wouldn't mind helping him, if he needed it. My Pack wanted everyone to get along. I know there is tension, but..."

"But you're intrigued by him, and wish to know him more than you already do," concluded Elijah. He led her off to the side. "Niklaus is in his art room. I believe... he was a bit too nervous to approach you upfront."

As he walked her to where she could find his brother, Elijah thought back to how Klaus had been, long ago, with Aurora. The shy manner in which he first approached her... that was how he acted with Esmeray. It was hard for him to let go of his abrasive nature, but there was a more gentle aspect that was starting to make itself abundantly apparent after these weeks they had spent together.

Elijah had a feeling that Klaus had already fallen in love with Esmeray.