act three, chapter fifteen: the ties that bind

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Elijah stood before Klaus, wiping the blood off his hands with a white handkerchief. His expression was unreadable, but there was something cold in his eyes.

"You look surprised to see me." He said, tilting his head slightly. "So it wasn't you that removed the dagger from my chest?" He wasn't sure what to be more upset about, the fact that Niklaus had lied to him again or the fact that he had no idea how his mate was doing. He had no idea what his brother could've done to her in the time he was in his coffin. He had no idea how upset she could've been with him all this time for his betrayal.

Klaus leaned back, forcing a smirk. "You look like you could do with a drink. And we have a lot to discuss, so shall we?"

Before Klaus could take another breath, Elijah attacked. Klaus flew backward, crashing through a window with a loud shatter. "Easy." Klaus groaned, brushing shards of glass off himself. "I just finished renovating."

But Elijah wasn't done. Klaus barely had time to move before Elijah rushed at him again, slamming him into a table. The wood cracked under their weight, breaking apart as Klaus hit the floor.

"You know." Klaus said, pushing himself up with a wince. "you have every right to be mad at me. But I kept my word—I reunited you with our family."

Elijah didn't seem to care, it only seemed to make him more mad. He lunged forward at his brother once more, sending Klaus flying back again into a row of their family coffins. Klaus's hand landed on the lid of the one next to him, and in one quick movement, he yanked it open. Inside, their youngest brother Kol lay still, daggered.

Klaus moved fast. Before Elijah could attack again, he grabbed him by the throat and shoved him against a closed coffin, holding up the dagger threateningly.

"Don't make me do this to you again, Elijah." Klaus warned, his voice low and serious.

Elijah met his gaze, breathing hard. "Come on. Use it. I dare you." He challenged. "You'll have Kol to deal with."

For a moment, Klaus just stared at him. Then, slowly, he lowered the dagger. "Mikael is dead." He said.

Elijah's face shifted, the anger flickering into something else—something like shock. "What did you say?"

Klaus loosened his grip, stepping back from his brother. "I killed him. With his own weapon. He's gone, Elijah. Forever."

Elijah's jaw tensed as he processed the words. But then his eyes moved past Klaus, to the coffins. "Then why do our family remain in these?" He demanded of Klaus. "Finn has been daggered for over 900 years. Kol for over a century. Rebekah for almost a hundred years."

Klaus exhaled, rubbing his jaw. "Because of Stefan Salvatore." He admitted. "He holds the one thing keeping me from freeing them."

Elijah frowned, confusion clouding his face.

"There are things you don't know about our past." Klaus continued, his voice softer now. "About our mother's death. Things I never wanted you to know. But I'm ready to tell you now." He held Elijah's gaze. "I only ask that you remember the oath of loyalty you once swore to me."

Elijah didn't say anything, just watched as Klaus walked to a small table in the corner. There was an urn sitting there. Klaus removed the lid and dipped the dagger inside.

Elijah's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing?"

Klaus didn't answer. He turned back to Kol's coffin and, without hesitation, drove the dagger into his brother's chest once more. Kol didn't even get the chance to wake up.

"Always and forever." Klaus murmured. Then, looking at Elijah again, he added, "I need you to stand by my side. Be my brother. Help me destroy Stefan, and I promise you—our family will be whole again."

And with that, he closed Kol's coffin lid.

Elijah's eyes remained cold as Klaus closed Kol's coffin, but there was a flicker of something else in his gaze now. It wasn't just the mention of family, or the talk of Stefan—something else was on his mind. He stepped forward, his voice steady, but with a dangerous edge.

"Enough with your games, Niklaus." He said, his tone hard. "You've told me about Mikael and our family, but you haven't said a word about her."

Klaus didn't look up, his hand still resting on Kol's coffin. "Her?" He asked, feigning ignorance.

Elijah's patience was running thin. "Buffy." He bit out her name. "What have you done to her, Niklaus?" His eyes narrowed, a dangerous warning in his tone. "If you've harmed her, I swear—"

Klaus's posture stiffened as Elijah's words cut through the tension in the room. He slowly lifted his gaze to meet his brother's, his usual mask of indifference faltering for a brief moment.

"Buffy..." Klaus repeated her name softly, almost as if the weight of it had settled heavily on his chest. He took a slow breath, his eyes darkening. "I haven't harmed her, Elijah. But..." He paused, his jaw tightening. "I've done things that hurt her, yes. Things I never intended to, but they happened. And it's tearing me apart."

Elijah's expression didn't soften, but there was a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "What did you do to her, Klaus?"

Klaus finally turned away, his fingers curling into fists at his sides. "I tried to protect her... but my actions..." His voice trailed off, and for the first time in years, the truth behind his words seemed to weigh him down. "I thought I was doing what was right, but in the end, I only pushed her away. I didn't give her the chance to understand why I did what I did, and it... it cost me her trust, but I'm planning on winning it back." It didn't matter what he would have to do, gaining her trust was the most important thing right now.

Elijah watched his brother, his gaze intense and unwavering. There was something in Klaus's voice that shifted the tension in the room, a rawness that he hadn't heard before. He stepped closer, narrowing his eyes as he studied him.

"You're planning on winning her trust back?" Elijah repeated, his voice laced with disbelief.

Klaus's jaw clenched, but there was no anger in his expression, only regret. He took a step forward, meeting his brother's gaze.

"I know it won't be easy." Klaus admitted, his voice steady despite the weight of his words. "But I have to try, Elijah. Buffy deserves more than the mess I made of everything for her. I have to prove to her that she can trust me. That I can be the man she needs me to be."

Elijah's expression remained unreadable, but the flicker of something deeper—maybe skepticism, maybe caution—was there in his eyes. He stood there for a long moment, weighing his brother's words, the room heavy with silence.

"You think you can fix this?" Elijah asked quietly, almost as if the words were spoken more to himself than Klaus. "Trust means a lot to her, Niklaus."

Klaus's eyes narrowed, his jaw tightening, but there was no anger in his gaze—only a quiet, almost painful determination. "I'm not asking for forgiveness right away." Klaus responded, his voice low and steady, each word deliberate. "I know it'll take time. I know I can't just make things right with a few gestures. But I will do whatever it takes to earn her trust. I just need a chance. A chance to show her that I can be different than the monster I have been to her."

Elijah remained silent for a moment, his eyes searching Klaus's face. There was something in his brother's voice, something almost... desperate. A shift in the way Klaus spoke about Buffy that hadn't been there before. It wasn't about control, power, or manipulation. It was about her. And that, Elijah thought, was perhaps the most surprising part of it all.

"You say you want to change for her." Elijah finally said, his tone softening slightly. "But can you? Can you truly change? You've been running from everything your whole life, Niklaus, hiding behind your rage, your plans, your power. Can you really step away from all that for her?"

Klaus's gaze darkened, but there was no longer the usual defensive edge to it. His voice was firm, though quieter, more sincere than Elijah had ever heard it. "I'll have to. For her." He glanced at the coffins in the corner, his face momentarily hardening as his thoughts seemed to shift. "I can't keep making the same mistakes, not with her. I won't."

Elijah looked at him for a long time, the silence between them heavy. Then, with a deep sigh, he nodded slowly, his voice low but resolute.

"I don't trust you, Klaus," Elijah said. "not fully. But I believe that you want to change, for her. That might be the first step."

Klaus gave a tight nod, his eyes narrowing as if to seal the unspoken understanding between them.

"Then let me prove it, Elijah." He said quietly, his voice almost a whisper of a promise. "Let me show you—and her—that I can be someone worth trusting."

For the first time in a long time, there was a flicker of something that resembled hope in Klaus's eyes. And though Elijah still held his reservations, there was a small, almost imperceptible nod of acknowledgment.

"Then don't waste it, Niklaus." Elijah said, his tone still stern but with a hint of something like encouragement buried beneath it. "You've got one chance. Don't squander it."

Klaus didn't speak again, but he met his brother's gaze with a quiet intensity that said more than words ever could.

Buffy had become their priority—his, Elijah's, and Rebekah's. It was a shift that Klaus hadn't expected, but somehow it had happened.

For so long, it had been about power, control, survival, and family loyalty. But Buffy has changed everything and he had know her for barely six months.

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Elena opened the door, her eyes wide when she saw Sheriff Forbes standing on the porch, holding a plastic evidence bag. Alaric stood behind her, clearly curious about what was going on.

"Sheriff Forbes, hi. Is everything okay?" Elena asked, her voice laced with concern.

Sheriff Forbes looked a little uneasy, glancing at Alaric before answering. "This is an unconventional conversation we're about to have. So I hope you'll protect me on it."

Alaric gave a reassuring nod. "Of course."

Sheriff Forbes took a deep breath, clearly preparing herself for what she was about to say. "I assume you both heard our medical examiner was murdered the night of the Wickery Bridge fundraiser."

"Yeah, Brian Walters. Why?" Alaric asked, already sensing that something serious was about to unfold.

Sheriff Forbes paused for a second, then continued, holding up the evidence bag with the stake inside. "We've been investigating. Someone drove this stake through his heart."

Elena's heart skipped a beat when she saw the stake. It looked way too familiar.

Alaric stepped forward, his eyes narrowing as he recognized it. "That's one of ours. I mean, this is one of a set from your parents' lake house."

"That's why I'm here," Sheriff Forbes said, looking at both of them with a grave expression. "I haven't told anyone, but forensics ran it for prints and found only one clean set."

She looked directly at Elena, her words hanging heavy in the air.

"Yours."

Elena froze, the world spinning around her for a moment. "What?" she whispered, completely thrown off by the accusation. But before she could process the shock, a voice interrupted her.

Buffy had been standing quietly nearby, having come by to visit Elena, sensing the tension. She stepped forward, her face serious. "What's going on?"

Elena just stared at the stake, trying to make sense of everything. "It's... it's mine. This stake, it's... I don't know how it got there."

Buffy exchanged a look with Elena, then turned to Sheriff Forbes. "And you're sure about the prints? There's no way this could be a mistake?"

Sheriff Forbes nodded. "I wish it was, but it's clean. Elena's prints are all over it. And considering the situation with Brian Walters, I think we need to figure out what's going on here, and fast."

Elena's mind raced, her heart pounding in her chest. What did this mean? How could her fingerprints end up on a stake used to kill someone? She had no idea.

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Damon's phone pressed to his ear, a smirk playing on his lips as he spoke to Elena over Buffy's phone. "So you're the prime suspect, huh?"

Elena's voice sounded frustrated but still calm. "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."

Damon chuckled, clearly not taking it as seriously as Elena was. "Well, why don't you just ask Jenna if her dirty little doctor friend had access to the weapons?"

Jenna's voice cut through, annoyed. "You're on speakerphone, dick."

Damon didn't miss a beat. "I'm just sayin', first suspects are usually the right ones. Don't get so defensive."

Alaric scoffed. "Brian Walters was killed days ago, alright? Meredith couldn't possibly know about this stuff!"

Elena's voice was sharp as she retorted. "It wasn't Meredith."

Damon sounded unconvinced. "But Brian Walters was her ex-boyfriend, and Ric saw them fighting that night."

Elena was quick to shoot him down. "It's not Meredith! Okay?"

Buffy, who had been standing nearby, overheard the conversation and stepped in, her expression serious. "Who else knows about your secret little slayer stash?"

Alaric, shrugging, added. "We got weapons everywhere, here, the school, my loft, your car, my car."

Damon's voice lowered, a sense of realization creeping in. "It's Klaus. It has to be. He's screwing with us."

Elena felt a chill run down her spine as she suggested. "What if it was Stefan? He was crazy that night. And you know he was trying to get underneath Klaus' skin. He was capable of pretty much anything."

Damon sighed dramatically. "Ah, makes me nostalgic for the time when Stefan was a bunny-snacking pacifist." He paused for a moment, his voice shifting. "Anyway, gotta go. You'll know more later."

Alaric, who was already starting to feel frustrated with the whole situation, called out. "Hey, where are you?"

Damon didn't answer, he just cut the call.

Buffy turned to look at Elena, who was still processing everything. "We need to figure this out. Because this could mean that someone is trying to give you the blame for murder."

Elena nodded, taking a deep breath. "I know. We'll figure it out."

As they all stood there, Jenna, who had been quietly listening in the background, spoke up, her voice comforting, a hand on Elena's shoulder. "We'll find the truth."

Buffy shot her mom a grateful look, while Elena simply nodded.

Suddenly the doorbell rang. "I'll go." Buffy offered. She moved quickly toward the door, trying to shake off the unsettling tension that still lingered from the conversation. As she reached the door, she paused, looking back at Elena and her parents, who were all deep in thought.

Buffy opened the door without hesitation, ready to face whoever was on the other side. But the moment she saw Elijah standing there, his expression unreadable but filled with a deep sense of hesitation, her heart seemed to skip a beat. Just with the look in his eyes, with the way he was looking down at her, she knew he thought she was angry with him for what he had done that night—maybe even disappointed.

But she wasn't anymore. And in that moment, something in her couldn't hold back. Before she even had a chance to process it fully, her arms were already around him, pulling him into an unexpected embrace.

Buffy felt his body stiffen for a moment, but she didn't pull away. Instead, she held him tighter, as if her arms could reassure him in a way words couldn't. She knew what he was thinking. She knew he was expecting anger, maybe even some kind of confrontation. But what she felt was relief—relief that he was standing here in front of her, that he was still here.

Elijah didn't move for a few seconds, caught off guard by her sudden embrace. But then he slowly relaxed into it, his arms coming up to wrap around her, almost as if testing if this was real. "Buffy..." His voice was thick with unspoken emotions, the guilt he was trying to suppress spilling out with her name.

"I'm not mad at you." she murmured into his chest, her voice barely above a whisper. "I mean I was at firt. But not anymore. I understand."

She could feel his breath hitch slightly, as if her words were a weight he hadn't even realized he was carrying until just now. She pulled back enough to look up at him, her eyes meeting his with a depth of understanding that surprised even her. "You had to do what you thought was right." She continued, her voice steady despite the emotions swirling inside her. "And I get that."

Elijah searched her face for any sign of the anger he feared, but all he found was sincerity. A small breath escaped his lips, his shoulders dropping as though a huge burden had been lifted. "I did not want to hurt you." He said quietly, his thumb brushing across her cheek. "I did not want to lose you."

Buffy's heart clenched at the vulnerability in his voice, and she stepped even closer to him, wrapping her arms around him again, this time just pulling him into the space they shared without any barriers. He smelled familiar—like his cologne and something deeper, something that was him. She didn't need to think about the reasons for everything that had happened. Not when they were like this.

Elijah's arms tightened around her as she pulled him in again, as if the closeness, the contact, could somehow fill the gap that had been growing between them. He buried his face in her hair for a moment, inhaling deeply, grounding himself in her presence. He didn't want to overthink it, didn't want to get lost in the weight of everything that had happened, not when she was here with him now.

Buffy held him as though she'd never let go, her heartbeat steady against his chest. The tension that had been there earlier seemed to melt away the longer they stayed like this, wrapped in each other's arms. There was no more room for anger, no more room for regrets. In this moment, all that mattered for her was that he was standing here.

Once Buffy pulled back from him again, she quickly glanced over her shoulder, but she saw Elena nervously pacing around and she guessed her parents were on the other side of the kitchen island, unable to see what was happening at the front door. "Come on." Buffy spoke, softly closing the front door and nodding her to the stairs.

He gave her a small nod, wordlessly agreeing, before letting her lead him upstairs.

As they walked quietly, the house seemed to grow more distant with every step, the muffled sounds of Elena and Buffy's parents fading away as they reached the top of the stairs. Buffy opened the door to her room without a word, letting Elijah step inside first. He hesitated only for a second before crossing the threshold, following her into the safe, quiet space where they wouldn't be interrupted.

Buffy closed the door behind them, then turned to face him, her expression serious but filled with warmth. She leaned against the door for a moment, taking in the sight of him.

Elijah stood still, his gaze never leaving hers, as if he couldn't quite believe he was standing here either. The distance between them felt tangible, and yet at the same time, he felt like he was exactly where he needed to be.

Buffy broke the silence first, her voice soft but steady. "Are you okay?" It was a simple question, but it carried so much more weight behind it, a question she truly wanted the answer to.

Elijah let out a breath, his shoulders visibly relaxing. "I'm..." He paused, as if searching for the right words, and then offered her a small but genuine smile. "Better now that I'm here. With you."

Her heart fluttered at his words, and without thinking, she stepped closer to him. There was a quiet tenderness in the way they moved around each other now, like everything that had once felt complicated was beginning to settle into something simpler. For a few seconds it felt like he had been here all along, not in a coffin for months.

Buffy reached for his hand, her fingers brushing his lightly before she entwined them together while sitting down on her bed.

Elijah followed her, sitting down beside her, his movements slow and deliberate as if testing the waters of their newfound closeness. The air between them felt charged, yet there was a sense of comfort settling in.

"Elskan?" Elijah repeated, his voice low and filled with an emotion Buffy couldn't quite place. She looked up into his eyes, feeling a soft warmth spread through her chest as his gaze held hers, steady and unwavering.

"Yes?" she replied softly, a quiet anticipation hanging between them.

Elijah took a moment, his thumb brushing the back of her hand in a slow, soothing motion, as if gathering his thoughts. His brow furrowed slightly, like he was trying to find the right words, but when he spoke, his voice was steady.

"Has Damon already informed you about tonight? The dinner with Niklaus?"

Buffy looked up at him, her brow furrowing in confusion for a moment. She hadn't expected him to bring up that topic, especially not after everything that had just happened between them. She gave a small shake of her head, her eyes narrowing slightly as she processed the question.

"No, he didn't mention anything." She replied, her voice tinged with curiosity. "What's this about?"

Elijah's gaze became distant for a moment, and Buffy could tell he was weighing his next words carefully. "Damon and I have scheduled a sit-down with my brother and Stefan."

"What for?" Buffy's brows knitted together with confusion. "You have a better chance of convincing Stefan to join a vampire support group than have dinner with Klaus."

Elijah's lips curled slightly in a small, almost amused smile, though the tension in his posture didn't fully disappear. "I can't say I disagree with you," he said, his voice laced with both seriousness and a hint of dry humor. "But it's necessary, Buffy. Klaus is... unpredictable, and we need to discuss certain matters with him, including the ongoing tensions with my family and the coffin."

Buffy crossed her arms, leaning back slightly as she took in his words. "So you're telling me you're going to sit down with Klaus... and Stefan?" She raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. "This sounds like it could end in World War Three."

"Quite likely." Elijah admitted, his gaze softening as he looked at her. "But if there's any chance of keeping things from spiraling further, this dinner is our best option."

Buffy sighed, clearly not thrilled about the idea. "If Stefan agrees to this, it's going to be a miracle. Like seriously"

"Damon will make sure he's on board," Elijah said, his tone calm but firm. He looked at Buffy, his expression growing more earnest. "I wouldn't ask you to be involved, but I needed you to know. I don't like keeping secrets from you."

She met his gaze, the weight of his words sinking in. She could see that despite everything, Elijah was doing what he thought was best for their family, for everyone involved. She nodded, though a part of her still felt uneasy about the whole situation.

"Well." She said with a half-smile, trying to lighten the mood, "I guess if anyone can make dinner with Klaus go smoothly, it's you."

"Do you want to attend, Elskan?" Elijah paused, his eyes searching hers with a mix of curiosity and caution. "I understand if you're hesitant, but I thought I'd offer."

"Would you like me to go?" Buffy playfully replied.

"Well, I certainly would not mind spending some extra time with you, Elskan."

Buffy couldn't help but smile at his words, feeling a warmth spread through her chest at the sincerity in his voice. She leaned back slightly, looking at him with a teasing glint in her eyes. "Okay."

Elijah wasn't sure when he realised it, but he didn't just know Buffy, she seemed to know him better than he had expected.

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Katherine xoxo

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WORDS: 4090

POSTED: FRIDAY 28/03/2025

WRITTEN: FRIDAY 28/03/2025