Hello, all! First, I would like to apologize for having taken so long to update. Between work, studies, the holidays, and the pandemic, I haven't had much time to dedicate to writing. Still, I am happy to finally get a bit of time off, which I will use to write. I am happy to announce that I have already written Gwen and Kol's meeting, so look forward to that.

Now, I'll respond to your wonderful reviews:

-xenocanaan: Yes, I wanted to show a bit of change in Klaus in regards to his relationship with Gwen. This type of thing happens in families and friends. Gwen is special to Klaus, so he won't treat her exactly like he treats his own siblings. Rebekah saw this, and I will show how the other Originals react to this change in Klaus. I won't do a complete annihilation of the Salvatores, but I am going to give them closure in my story since I will also move on with the Originals. Still, there will be a closure of some kind for the Mystic Falls gang. I didn't give them one in my previous story and that had affected my writing because there were too many loose ends, which also influenced my decision in doing this remake. And there WILL be consequences. Thanks for the love!

-chimera629: Thanks for the input! For what I have planned, I can't have Stefan and Katherine dying just yet, so yeah. And I want these characters and their personalities to stay canon. Otherwise, they would be different people and wouldn't be a fanfic of TVD. If I have them act different from the personalities they were given for the show (which is what attracted me to them), then I would just be using their shell. I want to make clear that I am not attacking or complaining, 'cause I value everyone's review and I will take it into consideration.

-brigitcharlesmathew: Yeah, I did ship Klaus/Caroline because their dynamic was refreshing for both characters, but their origin/start never made much sense to me (him saving her out of nowhere). So, not too much of an unpopular opinion. And since I want these characters to stay as true as who they are, then it doesn't make sense in my story for Klaus to save Caroline out of the goodness in his heart, which leads Gwen to do so and have a reveal. Klaus not telling Gwen about his siblings saved him a lot of discussions and arguments, and he is not above omitting information; I mean, it's Klaus we're talking about here, LOL. In Gwen's mind, he was the Original hybrid and an only child. Stay tuned! We're getting to the meetings and reunions!

-DawnDream9435: Sorry that there won't be any Klaroline in this story. There MIGHT be some conversations, but they just didn't happen along the way. I debated and analyzed how to naturally/organically lead Klaus to Caroline in this story, but then it would be a Klaroline story and not Gwen's story. The June and Klaus thing is still in the air, but there is potential. I just haven't decided yet. As always, love the comments and support!

-Guest: The pleasures of being a guardian/parental figure, LOL. There will be a lot of poking fun here and there.

-GhostGypsy: I'm excited that you're excited! Yes, the whole point is getting Gwen out of that bubble Klaus put her in, so I hope I'm doing a good job in portraying that. You won't have to wait too long, since I have already written the chapter where Gwen meets the other Originals and I am working on the ball. So happy for the support!

Disclaimer: I own nothing from The Vampire Diaries and claim no ownership over anything pertaining to it.


huckle buckle beanbag

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A dream.

With the sun high in the sky, Gwen was vaguely aware that she had to be in a dream as her bare feet carried her through a forest she didn't recognize, but it was as if her body knew where it was going. She was wearing what she recognized as one of her pajamas, which consisted of a pair of navy-blue lounge shorts that matched with a white, short-sleeved tee that had a front graphic of a sleeping pink triceratops with the text 'Dino-Snore' over it.

Everything felt so odd. The woods were a bit too bright as if they were made of crystal and the sunlight was reflecting from it. The only sound she heard was the occasional snap of twigs beneath her feet with every step she took. There were no singing bords and no wind that breezed by. There was no other sound, no sign of life.

Also, it was as if time had been frozen for everything but herself.

After surveying her surroundings, her eyes settled on a figure in the distance, which had her brows furrowing when she recognized the person. It was a woman wearing a mauve T-shirt midi dress that had a V-shaped neckline with cuffed sleeves and a flowy dolphin hem, matching the outfit with a pair of cream sneakers. Gwen remembered the woman with the brown hair parted on the left that cascaded down to the middle of her back in waves and the long bangs framing an oval-shaped face. As she stepped closer to the familiar figure, the half-fae locked her brown eyes with greyish-blue ones.

"Hello?" Gwen called out, now standing some ten feet away from the other brunette, but the only response she got was the woman offering a smile before turning around and beginning to walk away.

'This way,' the halfling heard an echo in her mind. It was a bit unsettling to hear someone else's voice in her mind, but Gwen felt no malice.

The pair of women didn't speak, since the older female maintained the ten-foot distance. It was after what felt a good amount of time had passed that Gwen saw that they were walking toward an old, dilapidated lodge.

'It's a burial ground,' said the soothing voice once more, echoing in Gwen's mind.

Gwen looked to the brunette standing to the side staring at her, her lips unmoving. "Why am I here?" she asked the woman. "Who are you?"

'This is the place you want to find, but have care when you do,' responded the woman. 'The spirits who live here will not be friendly to your loved one. As for who I am, I believe that is best reserved for another time.' She gestured to the old house with a nod of her head. 'Inside is where you will find what was stolen.'

Nodding at the woman, Gwen looked up at the old house and stepped up to it. It was quite intimidating. Also, the closer she got, the more distorted whispering she heard, which bothered her ears a bit. She could tell that there was a good amount of power coming from the house, as if the place was alive and breathing, which was perturbing for the young hybrid with the ominous aura the house gave off in waves.

Just as Gwen was about to enter the cottage, a voice whispered behind her, "Oh, my." The half-fae spun around and held back a gasp when she came face to face with the redheaded woman with brown eyes who had appeared to her on more than one occasion. "Aren't I the lucky one?" said the redhead with a toothy grin.

Just when the redhead lifted a hand to reach for Gwen, the brunette appeared between them both with a hand extended toward the redhead. "Stay away from her," said the brown-haired woman to the redhead before pushing away the latter, causing her to fall back a few feet on the ground. The woman turned to Gwen and smiled softly. "It appears that our time has been cut short." She placed a hand on the halfling's chest. "Wake up, sweet thing."

Gwen locked eyes with the brunette before she was pushed backward.

Gasping awake, Gwen's body jerked beneath her sheets before bolting up into a sitting position. She panted while looking around her dim room that was illuminated by the light of the moon filtering in through the curtains that blocked the small balcony that was attached to her bedroom and gave her a view of the mansion's vast backyard. She took deep, calming breaths to have her fast-beating heart settle down as she leaned back against the headboard of her bed.

The door of her room opened, revealing Klaus in grey sweats and a dark T-shirt. "Lyn?" he asked with concern lacing his voice, the sound of her distressed heart having roused him from sleep. "What's wrong?" His eyes looked around the room in search of any possible threats, but he didn't move away from the doorway.

Gwen gulped, struggling to regain control of her voice. "I'm fine," she mumbled as she calmed down, exhaustion coming back to claim her. "It was just a dream."

"More like a nightmare," he countered.

"Just a weird dream," Gwen said with a shake of her head, feeling a bit awkward as she now recalled that her last conversation with Klaus was her blowing up at him some hours ago. She knew that they needed to address their argument, but she thought it would have to wait for a more appropriate time when they weren't both groggy from sleep. "What time is it?" she mumbled as she began to lie down against her beige pillows, bringing the maroon comforter up to her neck.

Klaus stared at Gwen, debating on what to do. It had been so much easier for him to join her on her bed when she was a child and needed comfort after a nightmare, but it was different now. She was a teenager who preferred her own space and was certainly not in the age where she needed her parental figure staying with her all night.

"Around five in the morning," he told her. "Are you all right?"

Nodding, she told him, "I'm fine."

Klaus hummed. "Try to go to sleep," he said before stepping out of her room and closing the door behind him.

Gwen released a heavy sigh as she turned on her side to stare at the gap between the curtains of the balcony doors, waiting for sleep to come back as she thought about her dream. It was too real to shelf it as her subconscious playing tricks on her.

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"On today's top news," the male reporter began. "Mystic Falls finds itself shocked and confused by the recent death of the medical examiner, Brian Walters. It is yet unknown the circumstances of his death, but it's being ruled as a homicide."

Gwen stared at the television for a moment longer before turning her attention back to the maps of Mystic Falls that she had spread out on a corner of the dining room table with the largest one being a road map of the town. She used colored markers to pinpoint well-known landmarks or any other places that would match the description of the decayed house she saw in her dream with the help of a book she borrowed from the town's library after having breakfast. Having crossed out what were tourist attractions, she now knew that what she was looking for was something the town did not want to draw attention to.

"What's this little project you've got going on?" Klaus asked, announcing his presence as he entered the room and stepped closer to Gwen to inspect what she was doing. "Is this what had you running out of the house in the morning?"

"It's about the dream I had," Gwen explained as she held the tip of a marker to her lips with her uninjured hand, lost in thought while staring down at the map with her other hand wrapped around her stomach. "I find it hard to believe that people like us have such detailed dreams out of nowhere. I think it was telling me where the coffins are."

Klaus raised his eyebrows at this. "And you didn't think to tell me that little tidbit?"

Gwen shrugged her shoulders, keeping her eyes on her work. "You disappeared the entire morning without saying anything either, so I think we're even."

"I was only paying Stefan a visit, see what other demands he had in exchange for my family, but it seems that he is set on making things unnecessarily worse for everyone," explained Klaus.

"Imagine that," Gwen replied absentmindedly.

The silence that came after irked Klaus, since Gwen was not a person who spoke in clipped sentences. "How's the hand?" he asked, trying to get her to converse more.

"Getting better," she answered as she lifted her bandaged right hand for him to assess the wound himself, wiggling her fingers before putting the arm back around her abdomen.

A loud sigh left Klaus as he threw his head back. "All right. Let's get the bloody elephant out of the way," he began as he turned to face Gwen. "My behavior last night was unacceptable, and it was mostly me taking out my frustrations on you, which is still no excuse to do that to you." He cleared his throat. "Even though what you did was pretty risky."

"Your way of apologizing amazes me," Gwen hummed, still refusing to meet Klaus' gaze.

"I am sorry, Lyn," Klaus sighed, trying to portray as much sincerity as he could. "I shouldn't have yelled at you, let alone treat you like you're an idiotic child. I was completely out of line." When he was met with silence, his eyes narrowed when he noticed that she was keeping her smile at bay by biting the marker she was using. "I'll grovel. You know I'll do it."

"Oh!" Gwen finally turned to face him. "The great Niklaus is lowering himself to such methods. I am so honored."

"You should be. I don't grovel just for anyone," said Klaus, grinning.

Gwen raised an eyebrow, one corner of her mouth twitching upward. "You have yet to start groveling," she said as she pushed back her side bangs that were beginning to fall over her left eye.

"Do I have to?" asked Klaus, hoping that he wouldn't have to drop to his knees, which he was prepared to do.

"Well, apologies coming from you are a rarity, since I am probably the only person who gets an honest one," said Gwen. "Although, I was looking forward to the groveling."

"Isn't the intention that counts?" asked Klaus.

"If you don't want to grovel, then you can make it up to me by granting a request," the halfling suggested.

"I'm not un-daggering Rebekah, so don't even bother," Klaus told her through an exhale.

"Okay," Gwen mumbled with a huff, pursing her lips. Her dark brown eyes brightened when an idea came to her. "Can we make a bet?" she asked as she looked up at Klaus to find him looking over the maps that she had on display.

Klaus frowned at her. "What?"

"A want to make a bet to see who finds the coffins first, you or me," Gwen repeated, elaborating a bit more. "If I find them first, then you have to un-dagger Bekah."

Taken aback by her proposal, Klaus could not help but find himself amazed and very much proud. The image of innocence he always painted her in lost a small fragment, another reminder that she was growing up. Oh, how he wished she would stop growing, but that was his selfish side. Still, he found that he rather liked this side of her that he could enjoy having fun with.

"Well?" Gwen prompted, breaking Klaus away from his thoughts.

"I have to say, I'm impressed. I didn't see that coming," Klaus told Gwen, matching her playful smile with his grin. "So, you want to make a deal with me? You must know that I don't play fair and I always get what I want."

Gwen hummed, nodding. "It's a good thing that I have sixteen-plus years of experience dealing with you."

"All right," Klaus sighed. "And what do I get if I win?"

"I don't know." Gwen shrugged her shoulders. "I mean, what would you want from me? I don't think I have anything to offer that could compare to what I want." Just as Klaus opened his mouth to respond, she immediately cut him off. "If you make some snarky comment about how I should be a 'good little girl' and listen to your commands, we're having problems."

"I wasn't thinking about that, but it is a nice thought," said Klaus, chuckling when she slapped his arm. "I'm kidding."

"No, you weren't," countered Gwen.

Klaus shook his head, grinning widely. "No, I wasn't." He thought about what he could want that Gwen could provide, but he was coming up empty. She wasn't an enemy he could betray or torture, nor was she someone he wanted to use for his gain. But then, something came to mind when he thought about her paintings. "Well, there is something I want," he told her, excitement shining through his eyes.

Gwen was skeptical to ask due to how happy he looked, but her curiosity won out. "What is it?"

"I would very much enjoy a painting," said Klaus, lifting his hands to show the size he wanted. "I'd like a canvas big enough to put above the fireplace."

"You want a painting?" Gwen groaned, not too pleased with his request. "I just picked painting. I'm not that good at it." It wasn't that she didn't want to paint him a canvas, but she wasn't sure of her ability just yet to create something decent and have it displayed. "You paint way better than me. Why would you want one from me?"

"Because it's from you," Klaus answered matter-of-factly. "Also, you always need a good push to have you be more confident in your skills. If win our little game, this is what I want." He smirked at her as he taunted with, "Don't you want to un-dagger Rebekah?"

Gwen's eyes narrowed and shook her head at Klaus before extending her hand toward him. "Deal."

Grinning, Klaus took Gwen's hand and shook it. "Isn't this nice? Your first deal with the devil." He smiled as he released her hand, stepping away from her to leave the room. "First thing you need to learn is to never show me your hand," he threw at her over his shoulder, stopping at the doorway to look at her as she glanced at her maps before her mouth hung open and narrowed her eyes at him. "You saved me a few trips around town as possible hiding spots, so thank you for that. I'll just go ahead and claim my victory." He then left the room, chuckling when he heard her hiss out a curse.

After hearing the front door open and close, Gwen groaned as she gathered everything and placed it aside to give more room for the road map on the table, deciding that she wasn't going to get anywhere researching like a normal person. It didn't help that she saved Klaus some time by crossing out places he had planned to investigate. At the rate she was going, she was not going to even leave the mansion to start her search.

The dream she had in the early morning was a clue, that Gwen was sure of, so she was going to use that. Taking a deep breath as she placed her hands flat on the map before closing her eyes, she focused on the image of the ruins of the house she had seen in her dream. "Show me," she murmured. "Where are you?" she asked no one in particular.

With her eyes closed, Gwen felt the warm feeling of her magic begin to course through her body. She remembered the few lessons Juniper taught her on how to manipulate magic. Since faerie magic is an ancient power and much more different than a witch's magic, Juniper couldn't teach her much, but what the halfling learned was enough to help her understand her power a bit better. It was hard since she found that her magic was difficult to control and manipulate. Whenever she tapped into it, it felt so dense and heavy and ready to burst out, but Juniper always told her to keep it in check. They had yet to know the full extent of her power, so it was best not to test it unnecessarily. Once she gained some control and allowed only a little bit to come out, Gwen found that it was so light and free.

Opening her eyes when she felt like something was hovering next to her, Gwen found that she was alone, but something was comforting in the air. Her attention went back to the map and she couldn't help but smile when she saw that green lines encircled a certain spot on the map. She took note of where the spot was before picking up the book she had taken from the library, leafing through the chapters that were divided by areas of Mystic Falls, showing points of interest of each one. Reaching the page that had information about the area her magic pinpointed and a picture of the dilapidated house of her dreams, she was not at all surprised to find out that it was supposed to be the burial ground of one-hundred men and women who were accused of being witches and burned to death. Gwen deduced that the spirits of the dead witches still haunted the house and were the ones interfering with Juniper's locator spells.

Happy that she probably found out where the coffins were, Gwen went into the kitchen where there were a few keys to cars Klaus had in the garage. Even though she was still rather new to driving, she was so glad that Juniper was also kind enough to teach her how to drive and helped her get her license. She picked out the keys to a metallic grey Porsche Cayenne, which she found to be the most comfortable car to drive due to its size.

After picking up her purse and taking a photo of the address of the house's location that was on the map on her way out, the half-fae left the mansion.

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The sun was close to setting when Gwen stopped the car a good distance into the woods and away from the main road, having followed the directions of the GPS that was installed in the car to get as close as she could to her destination by car. She had to stop the vehicle when she found that the woods were becoming too thick, something she was not too happy about.

"Of course," Gwen mumbled as she put the car in park and leaned on her hands that still grasped the wheel to look out into the forest. "Why did it have to be a creepy forest that looks like a place in a horror movie where the unsuspecting victim gets killed?" Her trepidation almost had her call Klaus, but she pushed the thought away, determined to win her bet.

After grabbing her phone and car keys, Gwen stepped out of the parked vehicle to continue her journey on foot with what little light the sun still provided to guide her way through the darkening forest. The halfling wrapped her arms around herself to hug her denim jacket closer, glad that she had the mind to bring it along and put it on over the burgundy mini dress that had a mock neckline with scalloped lace trim and a self-tie velvet pussycat bow in black, front pleated detail at the bodice, short sleeves with shirred shoulders and button cuffs, and a flared skirt. She wore black tights. And she completed her outfit with dark brown booties that had a low heel.

All she had to do was follow the pull of strong magic she felt coming from further within the forest and then she would reach the ruins of that old house from her dreams, and probably find the coffins of Klaus' family.

Gwen trudged through the forest, growing antsy as the sun slowly dipped beyond the horizon, having hoped that she would have been able to make it to the house before the sunset. She miscalculated. She blamed herself for having driven so slowly, which had her losing precious daylight.

Feeling a slight pressure behind her, as if she were being watched, Gwen stopped in her tracks and turned around to find nothing. "Why am I here?" Gwen whispered as she looked around for any sign of movement–alive or undead. She was honestly not in the mood for the eerie suspense she felt in the air, which was one of the reasons that she so despised horror movies. "This is not happening right now," she grumbled, hugging herself tighter as she turned back around to be on her way.

"Boo!"

A high-pitched scream left Gwen, completely blind to who stood in front of her and having no control of her body's movements. Her right hand connected with a person's cheek, which was a bad idea, since she used her injured hand that had her sucking in a sharp breath as pain shot throughout her body from the throbbing wound on her palm. "Shit," Gwen whimpered as she cradled her wounded hand close to her chest with her left hand. She glanced at the person in front of her and almost growled in annoyance. "Seriously?" she yelled, eyes scowling. "What is wrong with you?"

Klaus chuckled as he rubbed his reddened left cheek. "Honestly, I should have known better," he said, dropping his hand from his sore cheek that had already healed. "I am well aware that you react in the most unpredictable of ways, but I couldn't resist." He laughed as he thought about the scared look she previously had. "It was too good of an opportunity."

"You're a jerk," Gwen scoffed as she stomped away from him once her hand stopped pulsing and her heart was no longer beating a mile a minute.

"Come now," Klaus called out as he followed her. "Can you blame me?"

"I can. You almost gave me a heart attack," she threw at him over her shoulder.

"Well, I do so hope that fragile heart of yours is strong enough to venture into the haunted house that's housing around one-hundred dead witches," said Klaus, causing Gwen to stop in her tracks to turn around to face him with a raised eyebrow.

"You found the house?" Gwen asked him as he stood in front of her with a cocky smirk that almost made her want to wipe it off. "How?" She was genuinely curious to know.

"Just because Stefan made me send my hybrids out of town doesn't mean that I can't give them orders through a simple phone call. I had one of them do a little bit of blackmailing here and there and voilà," Klaus explained, smirking. "I don't know what strategy he was going for, but he should learn how to be a better villain if he wants to beat me."

"Well, no one can be as good a villain as you," Gwen remarked with a playful roll of her eyes.

"True," said Klaus. "Also, I won our little bet."

Gwen frowned at this, her arms dropping to her sides. "What?"

"I found the house first," he told her matter-of-factly.

Outraged, Gwen's eyes furrowed. "Wait, but…" she trailed off, her shoulders rising as she processed his words. "Did you find the coffins?"

"While I did find the house, I found myself with a peculiar snag," Klaus said as he began to walk toward the house's location.

"A snag?" Gwen asked as she walked beside him.

"There are around one hundred souls of dead witches in that decrepit lodge who are not particularly welcoming. They're making it quite difficult for me to enter," Klaus explained as they finally arrived at the place just as the sun disappeared from the sky.

Gwen was surprised to find that everything about the house and the surrounding area looked the same as her dream. She was becoming even more curious about the women she had seen twice now, but she shook that thought away to focus on the task at hand. The young hybrid glanced at the Original with a frown and asked after processing his words, "What do you mean? What are they doing?"

"Their voices are too loud," said Klaus. It was the best way he could describe the incessant whispering he constantly heard when he tried stepping inside the house earlier, growing in volume the more time he spent within the building. The pain he felt in his head forced him to leave the premises, which then led to him finding Gwen when he picked up her scent. "It's quite bothersome. I also think they were beginning to try to boil my blood."

"That's not good," mumbled Gwen as she came to stand in front of the entrance to the old house. "That means that you haven't found the coffins," she pointed out as she looked at him over her shoulder.

Klaus grinned. "No, but I already know they're in there. My hybrid was kind enough to confirm that for me, so I still win."

"Damn," Gwen whispered under her breath, which had the older hybrid laughing. She rolled her eyes and offered her hand for Klaus to take. "Here," she said, waiting for him to take her hand. "Let's just get this over with."

Klaus released a few more chuckles and took Gwen's dainty hand before heading inside the house, noticing the lack of indistinct whispers that had been previously cursing him. It truly was an advantage to have Gwen with him in situations like these. It wasn't that she was immune to witchcraft, but her magic automatically countered any magic from a witch to a certain extent. Like at that moment, Klaus was surrounded by her magic to allow him easy entrance to the dead witches' abode. While the Original still felt the pressure of the spirits of the witches, it wasn't as bad as before.

As the pair walked inside the rundown building, they found many lit candles placed in different spots around the house. They inspected every room on the first floor but always came up empty, finding no sign or trace of the coffins. They doubted they would need to search any other floor since the stairs were gone and there was no other way to reach any floor above.

All that was left to investigate was the basement. As the pair of hybrids got closer to the room below the house, Klaus felt the hostile magic beginning to weigh heavier on him, but it suddenly vanished when they finally reached what appeared to be a barren cellar.

"There's nothing in here," Klaus mumbled as he released Gwen's hand, finding that he was all right without her protection for now. He walked around the room, looking for his coffins.

Gwen frowned when she felt that something was off as she looked at what appeared to be a space barren of anything in front of her. "No, there is," she told Klaus, her eyes squinting as she tried to find what the magic in the house was doing. "Something's in here." She stepped closer to the middle of the room with her hands slightly extended as she worked to get a feel of the magic that she found was being condensed in the room for some reason. "We just can't see it."

"Can you do something about it?" Klaus asked as he came to stand next to her.

Just then, they both turned to the stairs when they heard footsteps, telling them that someone was coming down to the basement. Damon entered the room and froze when his eyes zeroed in on the two hybrids, his mouth falling open, but he wasn't too surprised after Bonnie warned him about Klaus knowing where the coffins were.

The Original hybrid grinned at the oldest Salvatore. "Look at that. One of my least favorite people," Klaus chuckled as he approached Damon. "Hiding behind your witchy friends. And in squalor, no less," he added while gesturing to the room with a wave of his hand, but then he shouted and clutched his head before falling to his knee when his head was assaulted by excruciating pain.

"Nik!" Gwen gasped as she ran over to his side, looking around as the candles burned brighter.

"Yeah, insulting a bunch of dead witches, not smart," said Damon, amused to find Klaus being brought down to his knees. "I made the same mistake the first time I came here."

"It merely caught me by surprise." Klaus chuckled through the pain when he grew accustomed to it. If it were any other vampire, they would have surely lost consciousness, but being a thousand years old gave him a lot of advantages, which included having some resistance to certain spells. He looked up at the ceiling, addressing the spirits of the dead witches. "You can do better than that." He then shifted his gaze to Damon. "Unlike you, I didn't come unprepared."

Gwen placed a hand on Klaus' shoulder and covered him with her magic, which allowed him to climb back onto his feet with ease. "You okay?" she asked him.

Klaus nodded at Gwen in answer before he turned to Damon with the halfling keeping a hand on his arm, since the candles still burned bright as the witches tried to fight through the young girl's magic to get to Klaus. "You know, the funny thing about witches is that living or dead, they care about their own," the Original hybrid explained without trouble, shaking off the remaining pain the witches caused him. "A hundred dead witches have around a thousand living descendants, whom I have no problem killing if I don't get my coffins back." He spoke calmly and with a cocky grin directed at Damon before looking up at the ceiling, speaking to the witches' spirits. "As we speak, my hybrid friend is prepared to end the Bennett line. If I don't send him a message in the next five minutes or so, you'll have the remaining members of the Bennett family joining you."

Just as the words left Klaus' lips, the candles died down, shocking Damon as he mentally cursed the thousand-year-old hybrid for always being one step ahead.

Gwen looked around and tentatively pulled her hand away from Klaus, finding that he was no longer a target of the dead witches' anger. "You always get what you want, huh?" she remarked.

"I do. Now," Klaus began as he addressed the witches with such innocent eyes. "Please, show me the coffins."

That was all it took for the resident spirits of the old house to lift their magic from the room, allowing the two hybrids and vampire to see the coffins they had been hiding from sight.

"Here we are," Klaus hummed as he walked toward the coffins, counting them. His delight vanished when he found that he was one coffin short, which had him glancing at Damon. "Where's the fourth?" But he was met with silence and a smug grin from the oldest Salvatore.

Gwen lifted an eyebrow at Klaus. From what Rebekah had told her, the halfling concluded that there were only three other Originals apart from Klaus and Rebekah. "What do you mean?" she asked the older hybrid, glancing at the three coffins. "I thought you only had three other siblings."

"Yes, but there's a fourth coffin," was the only explanation Klaus offered before glaring up at the ceiling. "Show me!"

"Well, here's the thing," Damon began as he walked around the coffins. "They can't."

"What?" Gwen asked Damon as she stood beside Klaus.

"It's not here, shortie," Damon responded as he stood opposite Klaus and Gwen.

"What did you do?" Klaus asked with narrowed eyes as he approached Damon.

Damon braved squaring up to Klaus. "Well, Bonnie gave me the heads-up," he said as he stared straight into the Original's glaring eyes, mustering up a smirk. "I didn't have time to get all four, but I did have time to get one."

"I will tear you, limb from limb," Klaus hissed as he stepped closer to Damon, coming up to the vampire's face. "And only then, when you're a writhing mass of blood and flesh, will I rip your heart from your chest."

"There's a thought," Gwen piped in.

"Sorry, same rules apply," Damon sighed with a shrug of a shoulder. "You know, leverage and all. I know you want your family back, but something tells me you want what's in that coffin a lot more." He then walked around the hybrids and took his leave.

Klaus was about to lunge at him, but Gwen stopped him with a hand to his chest. "Let's worry about the coffins we have and worry about the one we have no idea where it is later," she reasoned, not wanting him to risk his family while still inside a house full of unfriendly witch spirits. She turned to stare at the three coffins before glancing at Klaus. "So, I get the car and you carry them out?"

With a roll of his eyes, Klaus exhaled a sigh.

.

"This is so wrong on so many levels," Gwen sighed as she looked at the coffins in the living room of the mansion that had been cleared for them, her arms crossed over her abdomen.

It had been quite the struggle of getting the coffins to the mansion. Gwen had no physical strength to help move the caskets, so Klaus had no choice but to call for one of his hybrids to help them, the same one that had been threatening Bonnie and the witch's mother for the location of his family. Now that he had retrieved most of the coffins, Klaus found that he didn't have to honor the deal he made with Stefan about keeping his hybrids out of town.

"Are you going to keep them daggered, too?" Gwen asked Klaus with a huff when she saw that Rebekah's coffin had also been placed in the room. She was peeved that she could not win the bet. While they were both there when the coffins were revealed to them, Klaus did get to the old house first, which was what decided who was the victor.

"Only for a little while longer," Klaus answered when he joined Gwen where she stood at one of the doorways that led into the room that was now filled with coffins housing the majority of the Original family.

"When will that be, a thousand years from now?" Gwen scoffed as she turned away from him to leave. She was halfway across a small parlor room that had a fireplace when her wrist was grabbed, and she was tugged back by Klaus.

"No," Klaus said with a sigh, forcing her to face him as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "I can't very well keep my sister daggered for too long. I don't want to add to the future argument by having her sleep indefinitely, which will only make her angrier."

Gwen's brows furrowed as she looked up at him. "What are you going to do?"

"I'll take your advice and talk things out with Rebekah," Klaus said, noticing how she perked up at this. He raised a finger to calm her before she got excited. "Only after I deal with some unfinished business. Then, I will wake them and introduce them to the pain that you are."

Shaking her head, Gwen chuckled before she frowned. "Does this unfinished business have to do with that other coffin?" She got her answer with his silence and the impassive look in his eyes. "What's in it that's so important?"

"Hey." Daniel–Klaus' hybrid with reddish-brown hair and brown eyes–stepped into the parlor room after he finished arranging the coffins and caught the attention of both the Original and the halfling. "Need me for anything else?"

Just when Klaus was about to answer, Daniel squirmed when his body jerked slightly forward with a groan, and his face twisted in pain. He gasped before falling to the floor, unmoving. Both Klaus and Gwen stared at the dead body in shock before they lifted their eyes to find a familiar face to both standing next to Daniel's body with the dead hybrid's heart in his hand.

"So, Niklaus," greeted Daniel's killer.

"Elijah," Klaus gasped, being able to work through his shock to stand in front of Gwen.

The second eldest of the Original siblings dropped Daniel's heart as he stared at Klaus with a hardened look. "What'd I miss?" he asked as he reached into his suit's jacket to pull out a white handkerchief, using it to wipe the blood off his right hand. He sighed when Klaus stayed silent, taking notice of the girl his brother tried to shield behind him. "You look surprised to see me, so I guess it wasn't you that removed the dagger from my chest."

"You look like you could do with a drink," Klaus told his older brother, his voice slightly wavering due to his surprise. "And we have a lot to discuss, so let's change to a more appropriate setting."

Elijah tossed his handkerchief aside and sped over to Klaus with supernatural speed. The older Original pushed Gwen aside before punching Klaus and sending him through double doors, causing the glass on them to shatter.

"Easy!" Klaus snapped at Elijah while on his hands and knees. "I just finished renovating."

Gwen grunted from where she had fallen on the floor, her right palm throbbing after using it to cushion her fall. She sat up to find Klaus had rushed at Elijah before lifting him and throwing him into a table in the room that was next to the halfling, which had her squealing in surprise and turning away to keep from getting hit by pieces of the table.

"You know," Klaus panted as he glared down at his older brother, who was slow in sitting up due to having been recently un-daggered and without any fresh blood to replenish his strength. "You have every right to be mad at me, but I kept my word." He grinned and opened his arms as he walked around Elijah. "I reunited you with our family."

This comment from Klaus hit a nerve in Elijah, prompting the older Original to attack his younger brother with punches of breathtaking speed that sent the hybrid into the room where the coffins were. Another punch knocked Klaus against a coffin, so the Original hybrid opened it and took out the dagger embedded in his younger brother's chest just as Elijah attacked him once more. Taking advantage of Elijah's weakened state, Klaus grabbed him by the throat and held him against the other closed coffin, holding the dagger over his chest.

"Don't make me do this to you again, Elijah!" Klaus threatened.

Gwen was able to gather herself and broke through her shock at having witnessed a fight between two Originals, finding herself in awe at having seen the power the brothers exhibited. "Nik!" she said as she came into the room and stood some feet away from the brothers. "You don't have to do this."

"Come on. Use it," Elijah challenged as he raised his hands in surrender. "I dare you. You'll have Kol to deal with."

Klaus sighed as he lowered the dagger and released Elijah after he sensed that the tension in both himself and his brother had lessened. "Mikael is dead," he revealed.

Elijah straightened up as his brown eyes widened in surprise, staring into Klaus's dark blue-green orbs. "What did you say?"

"What a way to drop some vital news," Gwen remarked, not at all surprised by Klaus' lack of tact.

"I killed him with his weapon," Klaus explained, finding some relief in being able to share what he considered joyous news with his older brother. "He's gone, Elijah, forever."

Elijah's eyes narrowed as he placed a hand on the coffin he had been held against. "Then why do our family remain in these coffins?" he countered. "Finn for over nine hundred years, Kol for over a century."

"Because of Stefan Salvatore," Klaus answered. "He holds the one thing keeping me from freeing them."

"Nik," Gwen warned him, gaining the attention of both Originals.

Klaus stared at Gwen as he debated his options, but he knew that he'd have to start somewhere in revealing the truth, so who better to do so with than the most understanding of his siblings. "There are things that you do not know about our past, Elijah," he said as he turned his attention back to his brother. "Our mother's death…" he sighed as he gathered himself, his eyes downcast. "Things I never wanted you to know, but I'm ready to tell you now." He lifted his eyes to lock gazes with Elijah. "I only ask that you remember the oath of loyalty you once swore to me."

Walking over to a small table where there was a small urn, Klaus removed the lid and dipped the dagger in his hand into the ashes of the white oak tree that were stored inside. He then stepped over to the open coffin where his younger brother still slept.

Guessing his intentions, Elijah was tempted to stop Klaus. "What are you doing?"

"Seriously?" huffed Gwen.

Ignoring Elijah's protest and Gwen's pointed look, Klaus inserted the dagger back into Kol's chest before turning to Elijah. "Always and forever. I need you to stand by my side as my brother," he said as he reached up and closed the lid of the coffin. "Help me destroy Stefan and I promise you that our family will be whole again."

Elijah pondered his brother's words and exhaled, deciding it was best to follow Klaus' lead. "All right, so long as you keep your word."

Gwen's eyes were then drawn to the coffin that Klaus had just closed, her ears deaf to whatever the two brothers were talking about. She had not been able to see who was inside the casket, but she found herself curious.

"Gwen!"

The halfling started when she found Klaus in front of her with Elijah beside him, both staring at her with raised eyebrows. "Sorry, what?" Gwen asked Klaus.

"You spaced out there, but no matter," Klaus said as he gestured to his brother. "Allow me to introduce you to my older brother, Elijah."

Gwen offered a small smile to the handsome man with angular facial features who stood around the same height as Klaus, possessing dark brown hair and eyes the same color as his tresses. "Hello," she greeted, feeling a bit anxious to meet another member of Klaus' family. She honestly didn't know if she should feel scared or excited. "I'm Gwen Moone, but I think we've already met."

Klaus frowned at this, shifting his eyes between Gwen and Elijah. "You have?"

Smiling, Elijah nodded. "Yes, it was before I arrived in Mystic Falls. I had just missed you," he told Klaus before looking back at Gwen, "but I was very curious to know about a living faerie."

"I'm only half," Gwen corrected before turning to Klaus. "And I didn't know he was your brother back then."

"In any case," Elijah said as he grabbed Gwen's hand before bringing it up to his lips to place a chaste kiss on the skin of the back of her hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Moone."

Gwen would be lying if she said that her heart didn't skip a bit when being treated in such a way by a handsome man, a reaction she supposed many would also have. First, it was Rebekah and now Elijah. The halfling was beginning to think that every member of the Original family was sculpted like a Greek deity with such beautiful features that easily distinguished them from other people.

Shaking her head, Gwen nodded while smiling. "The pleasure is mine, sir."


End of chapter!

I'm very happy to know that many of you are still sticking to the story, even after this small hiatus. Also, Gwen almost saw Kol, but I want the meeting to be later, so bear with me.

Remember to review to your heart's content! Your words of support or criticism or whatever give me the motivation I need.

Happy Holidays!

See you all in the next chapter!