CHAPTER ONE
' ballroom negotiations '

Elena was curious to say the least, Esther had requested a private meeting with her. Despite originally being so keen to open the fifth coffin, she now couldn't help but worry what she may be getting herself into. What with the 'secret weapon' being the mikaelsons' mother and all.

Despite all their previous wrongdoings, Elena found it difficult to believe that their own mother would be willing to turn against them. Nonetheless, she felt it was worth at least hearing what Esther had to say.

Unfortunately, Damon didn't seem to agree.

. . .

"Don't even think about it."

Elena sighed at the man in front of her, attempting to move past him. "She wants to see me alone, Damon."

"Well sucks to be her then," Damon hissed, "was I not clear this morning?" This was not the first time they'd argued over Elena's meeting with the original witch, Damon insisted it was sketchy and had heavily protested against it multiple times throughout the day.

"I was invited."

"You have to tell me before you walk into a lions den." he gestured towards the Mikaelsons, frustration evident in his eyes. He couldn't understand why Elena constantly went out of her way to put herself in danger.

She shook her head, "Why so that you can stop me?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed incredulously, perhaps a little loudly as well based on the various dirty glances being thrown their way.

Elena tilted her head at him, her patience clearly running thin. Damon mocked her actions, both equally as stubborn and reluctant to back down.

They continued to glare at each other for a minute before Damon sighed, softness overtaking the irritation on his features. "It would be rude not to dance, you know"

Elena scoffed at this, though she found herself unable to fight off a smile, "It is tradition."

With that they made their way to the ballroom, there would be plenty of time for negotiations later. For now she just wanted to enjoy herself in preparation for the argument that would likely follow.

. . .

Fortunately, there was so argument that followed.

Unfortunately, that was because she had convinced Stefan to snap his brother's neck.

Elena knew this meant she would be forced deal with an even angrier Damon later, but that was a problem for future her. Besides, she hadn't forgotten the time he snapped Jeremy's neck, now they were even.

It also allowed her to attend the meeting with Esther by herself, as requested.

"You're alone, wise choice." Finn opened the door to his mother's room for her, allowing her to enter.

Elena nodded at him in greeting, hesitantly making her way to the centre of the room before her eyes landed on Esther casting a spell. A sense of panic rushed through her at this, still not fully trusting the witches intentions.

It must have shown on her face as Esther quickly reassured her, "It's only sage. I've spelled it so we can speak freely without fear of being overheard."

"That'll be all Finn, thank you." she nodded her head at her son, having convinced him to leave her and the doppelgänger alone in their negotiations under the pretence of Elena likely being more comfortable without an original in the room.

In reality, she just didn't want her eldest to discover her true plan.

"You must have a million questions for me elena, please" she motioned towards a velvet sofa in the corner of the room.

Elena hesitantly took a seat, pondering what to ask first before settling on "How are you alive? I mean are you a ghost, or..?"

"Not exactly" she replied, "When I died the witch Ayanna preserved my body with a spell." Esther smiled fondly at the memory of her late friend, "She was a close friend of mine, an ancestor of your friend Bonnie."

"So that's why only Bonnie and her mother could open up the casket?" Elena guessed.

"They complete the Bennett bloodline." Esther confirmed with a nod, "I drew power from them and their ancestors with me on the other side."

"So you've been on the other side for a thousand years?"

"Natures way of punishing me for turning my family into vampires." she explained, somewhat bitterly. "But there is a way for me to undo the evil I created."

Elenas eyes lit up as she lent forward slightly in her seat, "You're gonna help us kill Klaus, aren't you?"

Esther smirked in response, "One thing at a time, Elena. For now, I simply need your help."

The witch got up and approached the table, lighting a few candles which surrounded what appeared to be a map. "I understand Rebekah shared the story of my family." she began, "How I upset the balance of nature by turning my children into vampires."

"She said you did it to protect them from werewolves."

"It's true. But in no time at all they began to feed on human blood." Esther explained, regret lacing her tone. "They ravaged the town with no remorse. Eventually, Niklaus turned against me."

Elena shook her head, already familiar with the results of the vampirism spell, "How are you going to kill him? He's immortal."

"It will take time, magic, and your assistance." Esther turned around to face her, now holding a small knife.

Elena glanced hesitantly towards the knife before swallowing, already dreading the answer to her next question. "What do I have to do then?"

"As you well know, it was your blood used to cast the spell which gave my children immortality. A side effect of this spell was the creation of soulmates."

"Soulmates?" Elena's lips parted slightly as her mind attempted to process this new revelation.

Noticing her confusion, Esther proceeded with her explanation. "When my children became vampires, a large portion of their humanity was lost in the process. To counteract this issue, nature transferred it into another body, into their soulmate's body."

Elena tilted her head, still not quite understanding.

"Soulmates quite literally contain part of each others spirits, making them a perfect match in every way, shape and form."

"That's great and all, but what does it have to do with me?"

"Like I said your blood was the binding agent for the spell, making you directly linked to every pair of soulmates across the world." Esther approached Elena as she spoke, not at all put off by the doppelgänger slowly inching back. "This means that using your blood, I will be able to do a locator spell in order to find my children's fated."

Elena looked taken aback at all the information she had just been told, "Wait but I thought you wanted them dead, now you're just going to find their soulmate for them?"

"When a vampires' soulmate dies, so do they. Originals or not, the death of my children's soulmates will still kill them."

Elena's eyes widened at this, "All of them?! I thought you just wanted to kill klaus?"

Esther stood strong, as though she had anticipated this reaction from the girl. "I love my family Elena but they are an abomination. I betrayed nature when I created them. It's my duty to kill them."

"Maybe, but what about their soulmates? They are innocent, they don't deserve to die." she protested.

"Being mated to such monsters in itself is a curse, I am doing them a favour."

Elena was conflicted, a war going on in her mind. Part of her wanted to agree, the part that still mourned the death of her aunt, and the life she had before all of this. Although deep down she knew she lost that long before Klaus came to town, he was merely the final nail in the coffin.

The other part reminded her of the kindness and generosity Elijah had shown her from day one. Would this be how she repaid him, sentencing both his soulmate and himself to death? It didn't take her long to reach her conclusion, the negatives outwaying the positives.

Enough innocents had lost their lives, no more.

"I can't," Esther tilted her head at Elenas words, "The moment I help you kill an innocent I become no better than Klaus himself, I refuse to stoop to his level."

"Very well then, I had hoped you would make the correct choice." Esther sighed, using her magic to put out the sage. "No matter, I will just have to take your blood by force. Finn!"

"Wait, what-,"

Finn sped into the room, walking up behind Elena and holding her in place as Esther slowly peeled off one of her gloves.

Elena thrashed in his hold, though ultimately was no match for his vampire strength as Esther pricked her finger with a knife, allowing the blood to drip into a glass beaker.

"How could you do this?" Elena shouted at Finn, "She's your soulmate for gods sake!"

He froze, looking down at the girl with furrowed brows, "What are you talking about?"

Realisation dawned on Elenas face as she whispered, "You don't know."

Panic surged through Finn's body at the doppelgängers words, both with the realisation that his soulmate was still out there and that she may be in danger. "Don't know what?" he rushed out desperately, "Elena what do you know of my mate?!"

"Your mother, she-," Elena hadn't the chance to finish her sentence as Esther quickly used her magic to knock the girl unconscious.

"Come Finn, we will collect the ingredients for the linking spell in the other room."

Finn followed out hesitantly, glancing unsurely back at Elena as her words replayed in his mind.

. . .

Elijah glanced down at his watch, a frown creasing in his brow. In all the time he had known Elena, one thing which he had always deemed reliable was her punctuality. It was a habit they both shared and prided themselves on.

Which was precisely why her absence was so concerning.

Over an hour ago now, he had approached the doppelgänger and requested she report back to him on his mothers' no doubt spiteful scheme. He seemed to be the only one of his siblings to find her immediate forgiveness odd, something Elena had agreed with.

Yet, despite their shared suspicions, the girl had still not returned.

The unsettling circumstances of her absence propelled him through the house, wandering the halls searching for some sign of her. He had been searching for quite some time when the overwhelming stench of burnt sage filled his senses. This solidified his apprehension, he had worked with enough witches over the years to learn that sage meant secrets. And secrets, he knew, often meant deception.

Still, he tried to keep an open mind. After all, this was his mother.

Perhaps this was all a misunderstanding. Perhaps her meeting with Miss Gilbert had nothing to do with her children at all.

Any lingering doubts however, were quickly put to rest as he opened a door to reveal an unconscious Elena Gilbert laying on the floor. Blood trickled from her fingers, and her dress, both ruffled and torn, suggested a struggle.

Without hesitation, he snatched a glass from a nearby table, stripped off his suit jacket, and rolled up his sleeves. Biting into his wrist, he let his blood flow into the glass. It was a desperate act, one born from his need to protect his family and find out just what his mother had been hiding.

Kneeling beside her, he gently placed the glass to her lips.

It took a moment for the blood to enter her system, but once it did, the reaction was instantaneous.

Elena jolted awake, a startled gasp escaping her lips as she spluttered on his blood. He placed a steadying hand on her shoulder, concerned eyes taking in her frantic features.

"Elijah! There's something you need to know.."

A/N: here we are, 4 months later, and i've finally published the first chapter😭😭yay?

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!

Words: 1994
Originally published: May 11th 2025