• • • •

Faith walked in front of Damon as the vampire trailed after her while speaking on the phone. Once her eyes caught sight of the familiar Original across the field, she smiled and rushed forward. Immediately, her arms wrapped around his neck before pulling away from him.

"I'm so glad you're alive," Faith smiled despite feeling a lump in her throat. "A-again."

"What's wrong?" Elijah asked as tears began falling down the siphoner's face.

And for the first time since her mother's attack, Faith cried. She broke down and cried. Elijah pulled her into a hug as she buried her face into his chest. He combed through her hair as comfort before speaking, softly. "What happened, Faith?"

"M-my m-mother," Faith whimpered. "S-she attacked m-me."

"But she's dead," Elijah said, confused.

"T-there was a-a ghost problem," Faith stuttered as she tried to calm down. She wasn't able to as she continued to cry. "She killed my dad, Elijah! She's the reason why he died in that car accident! She hated me because my dad loved me more than her! What kind of mother does that? She was supposed to love me, unconditionally!"

Her throat hurt as her emotions just let out. She just felt dead inside. She didn't want to do anything. All she wanted was to jump off a bridge and escape. She wanted to see her father again. Faith knew it was selfish to think that, especially while having Dani in her life. She just couldn't take it.

"Hey," Elijah spoke, softly. "She didn't deserve to be a mother, Faith. I know you wanted her approval and for her to love you, your whole life. But she didn't deserve your love for her. Whatever she said to you is wrong. You're not weak. You're not an abomination."

"You're Faith Everly, a survivor," Elijah continued. "You might not be a witch, but that doesn't mean you're not strong. You could take down a handful of vampires if you wanted to and you're smart. You're also allowed to care about people and fall in love. It might not be easy to do so, but you will get there. You already have me as someone who cares and loves you, Faith. Your mother is wrong and she always was."

"Because you're allowed to love and to be free from anyone. You don't need anyone to control you," Elijah smiled at her and wiped her tears away with his handkerchief.

Faith sniffled and smiled, despite her red nose and puffy eyes. "I'm allowed to be free, loved, and to love."

"And you have me," Damon said with a half-smile.

Faith rolled her eyes but smiled. "I have you too." She wiped the corners of her eyes with the handkerchief and sniffled. "You can have your little meeting now. I'll just be over at that tree over there."

• • • •

The raven-haired girl stood in between the Salvatore brothers as they waited for the door to open. Faith grinned at the sight of Elijah once he opened the door. "Niklaus, our guests are here," he called out.

The Salvatore brothers walked in with Faith trailing after them. Once they appeared at the opening where Klaus stood with two other girls. The fireplace was lit and a table was placed in front of it with silverware and five seats. "Damon. Stefan. Elijah tells me, you seek an audience. Very bold. Let's discuss the terms of our agreement like civilized men, shall we?"

"And woman," Faith spoke up, appearing from behind the Salvatore brothers. She smirked at Klaus' glare, clearly, Elijah hadn't said anything about her coming.

"Elijah," Klaus looked at his brother, warningly.

"She was only trying to protect me, brother," Elijah defended. He then motioned for the Salvatore brothers and the siphoner to the table. "It's better to indulge him."

"Kill the hybrid with kindness," Faith mused with a taunting look directed at Klaus. "Sure, why not."

"I didn't come here to eat, Klaus," Stefan walked forward to the hybrid, threatening. "In fact, I didn't want to come here at all, but I was told I had to 'cause you would hear us out."

Klaus smiled. "Well, we can sit and eat or I can reach down your throats and pull out your insides. The choice is yours."

Everyone began eating and drinking after they all sat down. Faith made the bad decision to sit between Klaus and Damon. One of the girl servants poured Damon some wine and was about to walk away when Faith held her back. She took the whole bottle of wine from the girl and smiled, mockingly. "I'll take that, thank you. It's going to be a long dinner."

"Still underage drinking, Faith?" Elijah questioned with amusement.

Faith shrugged as she served herself wine. "With being a siphoner and being involved with you, Mikaelsons, my life expectancy is very low. I rather drink when I want. Don't go all big brother on me, Elijah."

"Of course," Elijah smiled.

Klaus glanced between the two. "Big brother?"

"He's like a brother," Faith explained before grinning, mischievously at the hybrid. "Why? You think Elijah would like me more than you?"

Klaus only smiled, mysteriously at the siphoner, feeling somewhat relieved before turning to Stefan, who hadn't touched his food. "You lost your appetite."

"Eat," Damon ordered his brother. "I thought we agreed that we would leave the grumpy Stefan at home."

"That's the spirit," Klaus said as Stefan began to reluctantly eat. "Isn't this nice? The five of us, dining together, such a treat. Is this what you had in mind when you pulled the dagger out of my brother?"

"Well, I know how he felt about you, so I figured the more, the merrier," Damon said as he playfully winked at Elijah.

"Well, Elijah and I have had our share of quarrels over the century, but we always make it through," Klaus smiled, deviously.

"Kind of like you and Rebekah, right?" Stefan spoke up. "Where is she, by the way? Last I checked she was still daggered because you were afraid to face her."

Klaus grinned, knowing what Stefan was applying to. "If you're referring to the fact that Rebekah knows I killed our mother, I've already come clean to Elijah."

"How nice of you," Faith said, sarcastically as she took a bite of her food. Klaus only looked at her with a mysterious smile he always showed her which always confused her. She only raised her eyebrows questioningly as the vampires noticed their interactions.

Damon frowned at the scene before turning to his brother with his glass of wine in hand. "Hey, Stef, remember when you killed dad? Might want to dial the judgment until dessert."

"We're here to make a deal, Damon," Stefan refused. "Doesn't mean we need to kiss his ass for seven courses."

"We already did that for two months, anyway," Faith agreed with Stefan.

"I'm just saying we have a long evening ahead of us," Damon abided. "Pace yourselves."

"Stefan, where is the lovely Elena tonight?" Elijah asked, causing Faith to chuckle, silently.

"I don't know," Stefan smiled, strained, and glanced at his brother. "Ask Damon."

Elijah had a confused expression as Klaus began to laugh. "I'm sorry, you missed so much. Trouble in paradise."

"One more word about Elena," Stefan looked at Klaus. "And this dinner is over."

Klaus smiled and placed a finger to his lip as a promise.

"What do you think Elena is going to think about us having sex?" Faith smirked at the vampire. "You're being quite hypocritical, Stefan."

It became silent as Klaus glared at Stefan and Damon strained a smile. "You know what? Probably best just to keep Elena, and Faith's and Stefan's night activities in the do-not-discuss pile."

"You're probably right," Klaus cleared his throat. "It's just the allure of the Petrova doppelganger is still so strong," he glanced at Elijah, "What do you say, brother? Should we tell them about Tatia?"

Elijah set his napkin back on the table and chuckled in amusement. "Now why should we discuss matters long since resolved?"

"Well, given their shared affection for both Elena and Katerina, I think our guests might be curious to learn about the originator of the Petrova line," Klaus explained.

"Well, we're clearly not going anywhere any time soon," Faith looked at the hybrid with blue eyes shining in curiosity. "And Rebekah did say the original was way prettier, so do tell."

"When our family first settled here, there was a girl named Tatia," Elijah began. "She was an exquisite beauty. Every boy of age desired to be her suitor, even though she'd had a child by another man and none loved her more than Niklaus."

Klaus smirked at the last sentence. "I'd say there was one who loved her at least as much."

"What is it with brothers falling for the same girl?" Faith asked before taking a sip of wine.

"Wait a minute," Stefan leaned forward, intrigued. "So you both loved the same girl?"

"I'm pretty sure that's what they're saying, Stefan," Faith said.

Elijah glanced around before continuing the story. "Our mother was a very powerful witch. She sought to end our feud over Tatia and so she took her. Klaus and I would later learn that it was Tatia's blood that we consumed in the wine on the night where our mother performed the spell which turned us into vampires."

"Well, I wouldn't want to meet your mother," Faith smiled.

Elijah smiled back at her comment. "Tatia wouldn't make a decision between the two of us, so for a time Niklaus and I...grew estranged. Harsh words were traded, we even came to blows, didn't we, brother?"

Klaus smiled. "But in the end, we realized the sacred bond of family."

"Family above all," Elijah agreed as they raised their glasses of wine.

Dinner had ended and things were beginning to turn serious. Faith drank the last drop in the wine bottle before setting down on the table. She turned to one of the compelled servants. "Do you have any more alcohol? Like, I don't know, cocktail? Bourbon? Gin?"

"I think that's enough drinking, love," Klaus dismissed the servant before Faith could protest. When his eyes traveled to Faith, he smiled to himself. The siphoner was getting tired and possibly drunk as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

She scowled at the hybrid before yawning and turning her attention to Damon. "So, Damon, what's our deal? I didn't get to hear what it is."

"That's very simple," Damon began. "Klaus gets his coffin back, in exchange, he and the Original extended family leave Mystic Falls forever. Me, Stefan, Faith, and Elena live happily ever after. No grudges."

Elijah turned to Klaus. "The deal sounds fair, brother."

"I don't think you understand, Elena's doppelganger blood ensures that I will always have more hybrids to fight those that oppose me. I will never leave her behind," Klaus rejected and began pacing. "Let's say I do leave her here, under your protection, what then? How long before one of you turns her into a vampire? How long until Faith decides she's too much trouble for her? Or worse, how long before she dies caught between your feuding?"

He leaned against the chair he was sitting on and glanced between the Salvatore brother. "You see, each one of you truly believes that you're the one that can protect her and that is simply a delusion. Gentlemen, the worst thing for Elena Gilbert is the two of you."

Damon gave a weak smile and glanced at his brother and Faith. "I'm gonna get some air," he said before standing up.

Fait sobered up a bit and clumsily stood up from her seat. "I'm going to check on him."

Elijah followed her actions and helped her get out of the house to where Damon stood. The dark-haired vampire turned his attention to the siphoner and Original. Both men looked down at Faith. She was blinking rapidly to sober up. "You think you can still go?" Damon asked her, doubtful.

Faith rolled her eyes and rolled her shoulders. "I'll be fine. I'm not that drunk, I can still pull a dagger even if I was high. Now go distract Klaus before he gets suspicious."

"That's going to be hard without you there," Damon scoffed, causing a confused look to appear on Faith.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Elijah pushed the vampire to the side and gave Faith a smile. "Nothing, just go wake up my siblings."

Still confused, Faith nodded slowly before disappearing from their sight. Elijah shot Damon a sterned look as he gave the Original a 'what' look. "Faith doesn't need to know my brother fancies her. I don't even think Klaus knows that he does, so I would like to keep it that way. Faith has suffered enough and I don't need her being in a relationship with my brother until she tells me she's okay."

"Well, I don't want your brother anywhere near her," Damon said with a strained smile and they both left to go back inside.

• • • •

Faith hummed as she observed the three coffins in the room. She walked up to the closest one to her and pushed the coffin open. With a sad smile, she studied Rebekah as she laid in the coffined in her red dress, and her arms laid across her body. The silver dagger was placed in the middle of her abdomen, Klaus had probably placed it there. Exhaling, she pulled the dagger out of her and did the same with the other two Originals.

"Faith?" Rebekah called out.

Faith smiled at her. "Hey," she tossed her a blood bag that the Original drank. "How you feeling?"

"Like killing Klaus," she remarked.

"Good," Faith smirked. "We kind of need that."

"Who is exactly 'we'?" a voice said from behind with an English accent.

Both girls turned their attention to a handsome man with brown hair dressed in a collared shirt with a black vest and dress pants. He was leaning against his coffin with a mischievous smirk. His eyes traveled to Faith. "And who are you?"

"Kol," Rebekah smiled.

"Faith Everly," the siphoner smirked at the Original. "I'm helping Elijah."

• • • •

"What have you done?" Klaus asked his brother.

"What have you done?" Elijah repeated back. "You see, I've learned not to trust your vulgar promises, Klaus. We're doing this on my terms now."

Faith smirked at Klaus as she entered the room with Kol following after her. Klaus' eyes widened at the sight of his younger brother as he began to back away. "Kol."

"Long time, brother," Kol greeted him with a sarcastic smile.

Finn suddenly appeared in the room next to the servant with a plate of silver daggers. "Finn, don't," Klaus protested, but he soon let out a scream of pain as Finn stabbed him through the palm of his hand.

Faith winced slightly at the sight as she knew how it felt to be stabbed on the palm. Soon came in Rebekah to which she stabbed him through the abdomen and Klaus was restrained by Kol.

"You're free to go now," Elijah told the Salvatore brothers and Faith. "This is family business."

Faith looked over the men across the room to Rebekah. "I'll call you tomorrow," she smirked at the blonde girl.

"See you later, Faith," Rebekah smiled back at the siphoner.