Chapter Text
Evelyn Salvatore grew up poor in the 1900s. Her mother was a lowly servant that was in love with her master. Her master had no love for her, only his wife, but he had still slept with her. Many times. And that resulted in Evelyn and Arthur.
Back then, it was lawed that the children take the father's name, no matter if it was a bastard. So she and her brother were named Salvatore after the man who had only used and thrown away their mother.
One day, when Evelyn was nineteen and her brother fifteen, a gaggle of vampires had swept through their small village and killed every last person. Everyone but Evelyn.
Evelyn had blood forced down her throat as a 'perfect specimen' for the men and had her neck snapped, waking up to find her village slaughtered.
For years, she was used and beaten and raped until she had grown strong enough to break free, running from them for twenty years.
Then she had learned of the existence of Salvatore vampires. She had thought maybe her brother and mother had survived, but in the end she found Stefan and Damon Salvatore. Two brothers who hated each other but agreed to help their descendant.
Evelyn bounced back and forth between them before she finally got the hang of it all and went to explore the world. Until she ended up back in Mystic Falls almost a hundred years after it all happened.
There she learned the existence of Salvatores that were human. Zach Salvatore. The descendant of her half-siblings. And his daughter, Mia Salvatore. Gail had already died almost a decade before.
The girl was only nine-years-old and curious just like Arthur used to be. So she took her under her wing and taught both her and Zach Turkish. The same as her mother did for her. Her Turkish roots that her mother never wanted her to forget.
Zach helped her find the descendants of her brother who had survived the attack. The only survivor. He moved far away from Mystic Falls, to Turkey. and cut all contact and had kids.
Evelyn visits often but she always goes back to Mia. She's like her daughter, after all.
Then everything else happened when Mia was sixteen. Stefan and Damon returned, caused chaos, Mikaelsons showed up, they learned about soulmates, and everything went to shit.
"EVIE!"
The vampire speeds up to Mia Salvatore's room, seeing the girl hunched over in her bed in pain. "Mia? Mia!"
She groans, leaning into her. "Elijah. He's awake."
Right. Elijah Mikaelson. Mia's soulmate. That was another thing.
Evelyn picks up Mia's ringing phone, answering it and putting it on speaker. "Hey, Amara."
"Evelyn!" Not Amara's voice. "Amara's hurt! But I don't see any blood!"
"They're fighting." Mia breathes out a breath of air. "Elijah's awake. They were fighting. But I don't feel anything else."
Evelyn holds her tight, squeezing her. "Amara, are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm gonna go try to get back to sleep. Remind me to kill Klaus in the morning." She hangs up the phone, leaving them in silence.
Mia's eyes droop after a while, breathes evening out.
Evelyn lays her down, pulling the covers back over her and walks out of the room, shutting the door quietly.
Her head raises as she hears a small creak on the staircase. "Leave her be. She's asleep."
The man steps up on the last step, looking right at her.
"With all the fighting, I was surprised she was able to. You hurt both her and Amara."
He bows his head. "I am sorry. I didn't think."
She scoffs. "Of course you didn't. You didn't think that being hurt would hurt her. The daggers hurt, so why should this be any different?"
"I had no idea. She never told me. How did you know?"
"Because my idiot uncles decided to try and kill Klaus twice and it almost killed Amara." She walks past him to the other hall. "Let her sleep. I'm sure she'll want to see you tomorrow."
He nods. "Your uncle left a note in my pocket."
"Yeah, well, Damon's a dumb bitch. If I were you, I wouldn't show up." Then she closes her door, leaving him to find his way out.
***
"So, you're the prime suspect, huh?" Damon says as they walk through the grass.
"She doesn't think that I did it. She's just trying to find out why someone used one of my family's weapons to kill a council member." Elena corrects.
"Well, why don't you just ask Ric if his dirty little doctor had access to the weapons."
"You're on speaker phone, dick." Alaric says.
"And Meredith is not his." Amara says. "He's still dating my mom. They're just friends."
"I'm just saying, first suspect's usually the right one. Don't get so defensive."
"Brian Walters was killed days ago, alright? I didn't show Meredith this stuff until last night." Alaric explains.
"It wasn't Meredith." Elena states.
"Yes, thank you!" Amara exclaims. "I know Meredith! She wouldn't do this."
"Yeah, but Brian Walters was her ex-boyfriend and Ric saw them fighting that night."
"It's not Meredith. Okay?" Elena says again.
Evelyn hums. "I mean, she's still a suspect, but it could be someone else. Like Alaric. Or Amara. Aisling. Elena. Anyone who has access to it."
"Alright." Damon nods at her. "Who else knows about your secret little slayer stash?"
"Who doesn't? I've got weapons everywhere. Here, the school, my loft, your car."
"The apartment. Nova and Bonnie's house. Caroline's house. The Lockwood's." Aisling adds. "I had stashed weapons everywhere. Have to be prepared."
"It's Klaus. Has to be. He's screwing with us." Damon says.
"Why does it always have to be Klaus?" Amara huffs. "Why can't it be you? It's always you."
"I wonder if it was Stefan." Elena says. "He was crazy that night. You know, he was trying to get underneath Klaus' skin. He was capable of pretty much anything."
"Ah, makes me nostalgic for the time when Stefan a bunny-snacking pacifist." Damon comments. "Anyway, gotta go. More later."
"Hey, where are you?" Alaric asks.
"Doing a stupid thing." Evelyn rolls her eyes as they stop in front of their company.
"Tea with an old friend." Damon hangs up the phone. "Elijah. My favorite Original, back from the dead. You clean up nice."
"You left something," Elijah pulls out a piece of paper. "In my jacket pocket."
"Oh, yeah. 'Dear Elijah, let's get together and plot the destruction of your brother.'"
"'XOXO'." Evelyn mocks.
"'Damon'." Elijah finishes.
"Was I right to undagger you or are we gonna have a problem?" Damon asks.
"I'm here. Let's talk."
"Well, let's start with an easy question. Any idea what kind of Klaus killing weapon could be magically sealed in a mystery coffin?"
***
"I think this one." Mia holds up a black dress with a smile. "You always look so pretty in it for my school events."
Evelyn hums, taking it from her. "If you like it, I like it." She smiles at her before laying it on the bed. "So, what are you gonna be doing? Because you're not coming with."
"But Elijah is awake, Evie!" She complains with a groan.
"Yes, well, Klaus is gonna be there, too and I don't trust him. Now Stefan, Damon, and I are going out so you need to go someplace where vampires are not invited in. Okay?"
Mia huffs. "Okay. I'll go to the cave and watch Nova and Bonnie work. Meet Abby."
"You can stay there for half an hour, but you're either gonna go to Amara's, Caroline's, or Aisling's. No debate."
She rolls her eyes. "Fine. I'll go to Amara's. Aisling will be there. And Caroline is working on something else. Her dad was killed by someone. We're not sure who, but Amara's aunt gave him vampire blood so he's in transition."
"Well, you're definitely staying out of that." Evelyn fluffs up her hair, turning back to the bench at the end of her bed. "What do you think?"
Mia smiles. "Pretty."
"Just what I was going for. Now go. We'll drop you off before we head to the Mikaelsons'." Evelyn rushes her out and gets dressed before meeting everyone in the parlor.
Damon raises his brows at her. "Wow. You look nice."
She smiles. "Thank you, Damon. I guess you clean up well."
"Such praise from you, Eve."
"Come on, boys. We gotta drop Mia off at Amara's." She leads them out, the two Salvatores scrambling to catch up with her.
***
Evelyn huffs, giving the two a look as she knocks on the door. "We're really doing this? What if something goes wrong?"
"Then it goes wrong and we get out of there." Damon shrugs. "Simple as that."
Evelyn rolls her eyes. "Dumbass."
The door opens, revealing Elijah. "Niklaus, our guests have arrived."
Evelyn eyes him before he turns and leads them inside to a dining room.
"Damon. Stefan. Evelyn." Klaus greets. "Elijah tells me you seek an audience. Very bold. Let's discuss the terms of our agreement like civilized men and women, shall we?"
"It's better to indulge him." Elijah says as he walks past them, making Klaus smile.
"I didn't, uh, come here to eat, Klaus." Stefan says, stepping down. "In fact, I didn't want to come here at all. But I was told I had to cause you would hear us out."
Evelyn gives Damon a look, brows raised.
He only smiles at her.
Klaus hums. "Well, we can sit and eat or I can reach down your throats and pull out your insides. Choice is yours." He smiles at them from his chair.
They each give each other a look before walking to their seats.
The compelled waiters, girls, of course, fill up their glasses of wine, Evelyn downing hers in one go before she fills it up again.
"Thank you, love." Damon says when she's finished filling his up.
"You lost your appetite." Klaus comments, noticing the full plate of food still on Stefan's plate.
"He's being grumpy." Evelyn says, giving the two Originals a look as she takes a bite of her steak.
"Eat." Damon says. "I thought we agreed that we would leave the grumpy Stefan at home."
Stefan clears his throat, looking up and smiling at Klaus across the table from him before digging in.
"That's the spirit." Klaus says. "Isn't this nice? The five of us dining together. Such a treat. Is that 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-" Damon puts the piece of stake in his mouth, raising his brows. "The merrier."
"Well, Elijah and I have had our share of quarrels over the centuries, but we always make it through."
"Kind of like, uh, you and Rebekah, right?" Stefan says. "Where is she, by the way? Last I checked, she was still daggered because you were afraid to face her."
"If you're referring to the fact that Rebekah knows I killed our mother, I've already come clean to Elijah." He smiles at his brother.
"Hey, Stef, remember when you killed dad?" Damon says. "Might want to kill down the judgement until dessert."
"We're to make a deal, Damon." Stefan rubs his hand against his fist. "Doesn't mean we need to kiss his ass for seven courses."
"I'm just saying, we have a long evening ahead of us. Pace yourself."
Evelyn raises her wine glass. "Oh, wine is my friend in times like these." She takes a sip then hums. "But Öküzgözü would be much better with dinner. My mother's favorite."
Elijah hums. "Turkish wine, correct?"
She nods. "It is. When my mother migrated from Turkey to America, she had taken six wine bottles from her family's orchard. One still exists today. A hundred years old and delicate. Just sitting and collecting dust in the wine cellar." She glares at the Salvatores.
Damon hums, pointing a finger at her. "That wine was technically our family's."
"I was the bastard child, wasn't I? He never accepted me and Arthur as his kin. That's why he sent the vampires to our village, isn't it?"
"You would have died, anyway, Evelyn." Stefan rolls his eyes. "Don't be a bitch."
Evelyn's glare hardens. "You know, I could just rip out your heart. Or pull a Lexi and lock you up in the Forbes jail cell and drain you dry."
"Stefan." Elijah speaks. "Where is the lovely Elena tonight?"
"I don't know. Ask Damon."
Klaus chuckles. "I'm sorry, you missed so much. Ah, trouble in paradise."
"One more word about Elena and, uh, this dinner is over."
"Oh, you don't care anyway." Evelyn rolls her eyes. "Your humanity's still off and Lexi's a bitch for leaving before getting it back on. Not to speak ill of the dead."
"You know what, probably best just to keep Elena in the 'do not discuss' pile." Damon says.
"You're probably right." Klaus agrees.
"Yeah."
Klaus sets his fork down on his plate. "It's just the allure of the Petrova doppelganger is still so strong. What do you say, brother? Should we tell them about Tatia?"
"Now why should we discuss matters long since resolved?" He asks.
"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."
Evelyn hums. "Sounds interesting."
"Well, we're not going anywhere, Elijah. Please, do tell." Damon urges.
Elijah starts, "When our family first settled here, there was a girl named Tatia. 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."
"Oh, I'd say there was one who loved her at least as much." Klaus says.
"Wait a minute, so, you both loved the same girl?" Stefan breathes out a chuckle through his nose.
"Sounds familiar, doesn't it?" Evelyn gives him a look.
"Our mother was a very powerful witch." Elijah continues. "She sought to end our feud with Tatia and so she took her. And Klaus and I would later learn that it was Tatia's blood we consumed in the wine on the night where our mother performed the spell which turned us into vampires. 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?"
"But in the end, we recognized the sacred bond of family." Klaus continues.
"Family above," He raises his glass, "All."
"Family above all."
They clink their glasses.
Evelyn takes a sip of her wine.
Family. It's what's most important.
Evelyn's eyes flick to Damon looking at his phone, eyes jumping to his face.
Damon looks up at her and ever so slightly shakes his head, unnoticeable unless you were really looking.
More time.
"So why don't we move this evening along and discuss the terms of this proposal?" Elijah says.
"Well, it's very simple." Damon starts, putting his phone away. "Klaus gets his coffin back, in exchange, he and the Original extended family leave Mystic Falls forever. Me, Stefan, and Elena live happily ever after, Evelyn and Mia get a peaceful life, no grudges."
Elijah narrows his eyes at Damon at the thought of Mia staying away, but agrees, "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." Klaus looks up at him. "I will never leave her behind." He picks up his glass and stands up. "Let's say I do leave her here, under your protection, what then? How long until one of you turns her into a vampire? Or worse, how long before she dies caught between your feuding? 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."
Evelyn blinks.
"Now, Evelyn, she might be better, but she would always choose Mia over anyone else. Even she is not good for Elena."
"I'm gonna get some air." Damon stands up and starts walking out.
"Let me deal with this." Elijah stands and goes after him.
"Mmm. Hmm. All this talk has made me thirsty." Klaus looks towards the woman who walks over. "What do you say, Stefan, Evelyn? Can I interest you in a little after dinner drink?" Then he vamps his face out, digging his fangs in the girl's neck.
Evelyn taps her fork against her plate. "Anybody got more wine?"
The other woman walks over, filling up her glass again.
Klaus pulls back with a satisfied hum. "Delicious." He drops her dead body. "Aged to perfection." He wipes the blood trail from the side of his mouth, linking his thumb clean.
"Well, I guess the only reason you agreed to this evening, Klaus, is to drive a wedge between me and my brother." Stefan stands up from his chair, standing behind Evelyn with his hands behind his back.
"Oh, no, you're doing that well enough on your own. Because of Elena, you're gonna lose your brother and you'll only have yourself to blame."
"What do you say, Klaus?" Damon asks, walking back in with Elijah. "Time for you to out something on the table. We've made our offer. Now you counter."
Evelyn stands up from her chair and stands on the other side of Evelyn. "That is how a deal is made."
"Okay." He sits down in the chair again, wiping his mouth with a napkin, clearing his throat. "I offer Elena's future happiness. You see, what she needs right now is to be rid of you lot, and to fall in love with a human. Maybe that nice football player. You know, the blonde one."
"Matt Donovan? Really?" Damon questions, making Evelyn snort.
"Yeah, why not? They'll marry, live a long and fruitful life, and pop out a perfect family."
"And continue the Petrova bloodline." Stefan summarizes. "Every few hundred years you'll have a new doppelganger to drain and never run out of hybrids, right, Klaus?"
"Consider it a small return on my investment in her well-being. See, after you hand me back the coffin, I'll ensure her safety for the rest of her natural life. You know it's what's best for her. So, what do you say, Stefan?" He stands back up, walking towards them. "Hmm? Do we have a deal?"
Evelyn and Damon both eye Stefan as he walks over towards the fireplace where Klaus stands.
"What're you doing?" Damon questions.
"Stefan?" Evelyn's eyes are wide.
They watch as Klaus holds out his hand, Stefan taking it, the Original smiling.
"Nice try, Klaus. But no deal."
Klaus breaks Stefan's arm, then his leg, and shoves his other arm in the fire.
Damon speeds forward but gets pinned to the wall by Elijah by his throat. "What are you doing?"
Evelyn speeds to Klaus, breaking his hand that holds Stefan in the fire only for him to hold her up in the air by her neck, quickly putting Stefan's hand back in.
"Stop!" Damon shouts.
"Now bring me my coffin before I burn him alive and tear out her heart."
"I'll get it." Damon glares at the Original before turning and walking out, bumping into Elijah as he goes.
"Go with him, brother. You keep him honest." He lowers Evelyn to the ground, making her gasp for air. "And when you return, I will make good on my promise to you and I will hand over our family."
Elijah turns and walks after Damon, Evelyn leaning against the table to catch her breath.
"Go ahead, kill me. I know you'll do it when he brings the coffin."
Klaus forces Stefan up and away from the fire. "You really have given up, haven't you, huh? Where's the fight? Where's the ripper?"
Stefan growls and shoves him back.
Klaus' attention goes to the doorway. "Elijah. Why haven't you left?"
"Well, where are your manners, brother? You forgot dessert." He takes a cloth off a tray, revealing three daggers.
"What have you done?"
"What have you done? See, I've learned not to trust your vulgar promises, Klaus. We're doing this on my terms now."
Evelyn's eyes widen. "What did you do, Damon?"
A man walks out from behind the wall with a smirk, going straight for Klaus.
"Kol." Klaus' voice is filled with guilt and fear.
"Long time, brother."
Another speeds in and grabs a dagger from the tray and to Klaus, holding up his hand.
"Finn, don't." He groans when the dagger digs in.
A blonde that's not Rebekah speeds in and digs her hand in Klaus' chest with a growl. "I should rip your heart out right now."
But he only gets free and speeds to the other exit, coming face-to-face with the final siblings. "Rebekah."
Rebekah digs the knife in his stomach, making him hunch over and groan. "This is for our mother." Then she pushes him back, Kol holding him in place.
"You're free to go." Elijah says. "This is family business."
Evelyn looks between each newly awoken Mikaelson, locking eyes with the second one that had walked in, in much older clothes than the others. Her wrist starts to burn and she looks down at it.
Her hands clench into fists. "Motherfucker." She turns and grabs Damon and Stefan's arms. "Let's go. Now. I need to check on Amara."
Finn Mikaelson watches her shove the two men in front of her, only giving a wide-eyed glance back before rushing out of the house.
Of course she had to have a soulmate. Because why wouldn't she?
Evelyn dials Amara's number as soon as they step outside. "Hey, are you okay?" She stays far back from the brothers.
"What was that? Who were they?" She asks.
"Klaus' siblings. They wanted revenge. Are you okay?"
Amara breathes out. "Yeah. It stopped. Hopefully for good. It hurt a lot."
"Well, Mia can stay with you tonight. It's safer that way. Just until Elijah has a chance to get them all up to date."
"Thank you, Eve. And you couldn't stop it if you tried. It would've tipped Stefan and Damon off."
She sighs. "I know. And I'm still sorry. Just get some sleep. Call your mom and check on her and Jeremy. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
Evelyn puts her phone back in her pocket and catches up with the brothers.
"Well, you were right about Elijah. Undaggering him was a smart move." Stefan says.
"Wow, actual acknowledgement of a job well done. You going soft, Stefan." Damon says.
Evelyn scoffs. "I wouldn't say 'well done'. It was still stupid. But it worked out."
"And praise from the great Evelyn Salvatore!" Damon gasps in mock shock. "Wow, I really did a good job."
She rolls her eyes.
"So I guess I shouldn't thank you for saving me from Klaus." Stefan continues.
"Shut up. You don't get to thank me till I pay you back for all those times you saved me."
"Well, I was actually talking to Evelyn. She tried, at least."
She smiles. "Don't. You saved me from being a ripper when you were one. I have a lot to make up for for that."
Stefan stops, looking down. "You could have left me there, could've left. Klaus would've killed me and would have had Elena all to yourself. You could've had your revenge."
Evelyn shakes her head. "My revenge time has long since passed. I don't blame you anymore. Not for a long time."
Damon takes out his ringing phone, barely looking at the caller I.D. before hanging up and putting it back in his jacket pocket. "I didn't do that on your account."
Stefan sighs. "I love her, Damon."
"So do I."
"Yeah, well, you two need to stop fighting over her." Evelyn glares at them. "She gets to choose, not you." Then she leads them down to the caves.
"Let's hope big witch, little witch, and littlest witch got that coffin open." Damon says as they walk through the tunnel.
"Something's gotta make this night worthwhile." Stefan kneels down beside the body in front of them. "Bonnie?"
"Shit. Something definitely happened." Evelyn says, her eyes wide.
"She's still breathing." Stefan takes his hand away from her neck.
"Mama's still breathing, I can hear her." Damon says, looking up at Abby's body.
Evelyn kneels beside the third body between the other two. "Nova's okay."
"Coffin's open." Stefan points out.
"Well, it's not going to do us any good. Whatever's in it's gone." Damon says.
Evelyn huffs. "Great. All that for nothing. Amazing."
Stupid Original vampires and their soulmate bonds.