"We were innocent once Elijah, this bloodlust was force upon us by our parents, turning us from prey to predator. We are the demons lurking in shadow, we are the savage villains in fairy tales told to children, but not for my child. Not for Hope. In her story, we are the knights in shining armor. Without you by my side, I don't think I can survive my own love for my daughter, I need you, brother. The monster in me, can only be checked by the monster in you. Only together can we defeat our demons and save our family."

I couldn't get Klaus' words to leave my head.

I'd watched him wake Elijah. The whole thing felt like I shouldn't have been there. Like it was just supposed to be between the two of them.

Elijah had opened his eyes with a gasp.

"When am I going home?"

The two brothers hardly spared me a glance, their heads bowed in a whispered conversation.

Any attempt I'd made at leaving had been met with increasingly violent threats, including when I'd tried to slip away under the cover of night. Why was I needed? Elijah was healed.

So here I sat, curled on the secluded corner of a couch, messing with my sleeves. I hadn't slept at all. Despite the fact that the bed I was given was the most comfortable I'd ever laid on.

My bandages needed a change and I highly doubted a bunch of vampires would have anything resembling a first aid kit.

Klaus let out a sudden, sharp breath, before storming out the door.

"I apologize for ignoring you." Elijah moved to sit at the edge of the coffee table. "And for the inconvenience my family has caused. You will be allowed to return home soon."

"Soon?"

"I fear we may yet have need for your expertise." His brow rose, something amused twinkling in his eyes. "Niklaus tells me you are the healer for the wolves, odd how I've discovered more about you from my brother than our several days together."

His mismatched green and brown eyes.

A smile tugged at my lips. "I don't suppose I'll be able to distract you with riddles again?"

"Perhaps." Elijah gently took my arm in his hands, and pushed my sleeve up. The bite wasn't faring as well as I hoped. He tutted. "You have not been taking care of this."

"I can manage my own wounds, thank you very much."

"Niklaus warned me he smelled blood on you." He reached into a compartment on the table, surprisingly drawing out some gauze and even some healing ointment.

Nimble fingers undid the bandages around my wrist. At the time I'd been more worried about pressure and efficiency than looks.

It was sloppy, I knew, and partially why it was still, rather slowly, bleeding.

I hadn't applied proper pressure, even if it really did feel like it.

In my defense, the bite was on my dominate arm and doing things one handed is already notoriously difficult.

He expertly wrapped some gauze atop a thick cotton pad. "I do not smell infection."

"I'm not that careless."

His suit hid any unhealed injuries.

"How do you know how to do this? I thought vampire healing took care of everything."

Elijah's head tilted as he started in on my hands, gentle as ever, even though his shook. Just slightly. "Something from my youth. It matters little now."

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know what you mean."

I grasped his hands with mine, unfinished bandages and all. "Esther told me what she did to you. You're not going to sit here and tell me that it didn't affect you."

Those eyes found mine and there was a hurt and grief there that wasn't when we were in the tomb.

"I'm perfectly alright."

He was lying. Badly.

"Sure."  I shifted, and Elijah slowly began finishing his task. "You said my expertise might be required, for what exactly?"

"My brothers are, at the moment, human. They have grown emboldened by their magic." He seemed more than relieved to not be talking about him anymore. "During my time... unconscious, Marcellus and his friends took them from under my mother's watchful eye."

"And that would require medical attention how?"

"To start, they've been in magical cuffs all night. We have a long morning ahead of us." Elijah tied off my bandage. "We have more than soup to offer for your time."

"Wow." I deadpanned. "So excited to be well compensated for this totally optional experience."

Elijah huffed out a laugh. "We will go down to breakfast with my brothers. Do not engage. They will look for any opportunity to use you to their advantage."

"Why am I eating with them?"

He stood, drawing me with him. "Afterward I would like you to examine them, ensure my mother hasn't done anything else to them."

"You're aware I can't tell if she's used magic on them, right? I can only treat physical issues."

"I am."

"Good..." I didn't understand why I was necessary. They could just use vampire blood to heal any injuries their brothers... acquire.

Elijah and Klaus were Originals. They didn't need me.

"For what it is worth, I'm glad you're on my radar again."