The Long Con

17. Family Matters

Elijah and Elena met up with Rebekah in the hall and the three of them all headed down to dinner together. When they got there, there were two women Elena didn't recognize. One of them stood up and tackled Rebekah in a hug. 

"Freya!" Rebekah squealed clutching tightly to her older sister. Elijah greeted the other one with a handshake and a smile. 

"Elena this is our sister Freya and her wife, Keelin." Soon enough the rest of the family had joined them in the dining room. They all sat around the massive table and Elena was surprised they would even be able to hear each other. Esther and Mikael each took a head of the table leaving the siblings and their partners to fill the sides. Freya, Keelin, Finn, Sage, Elena and Elijah sat on one side with the others sitting across from them. Brief introductions were made so everyone was acquainted. 

Caroline was stuck between Kol and Klaus, Bonnie just on the other side of Kol. The Mikaelsons were intimidating and all three girls were feeling the pressure. Elena tried to distract herself, questioning Henrik about his school work. Elijah loved watching her listen intently as the boy rambled on about what he was learning. Caroline chatted with Kol while Bonnie got to know Rebekah. 

Dinner went smoothly and soon enough they were on to dessert. 

"So, how did you all meet?" Esther asked, gesturing to the three new couples sitting at the table. Elena, Caroline and Bonnie exchanged glances, hoping they went unnoticed by the Mikaelsons. 

"Elijah and I met when he thought I was Katherine. He later apologized and took me out for coffee." Elena explained simply, sensing the tension at the mention of her sister's name. Elijah took her hand under the table, rubbing small circles with his thumb in an attempt to comfort her.

"Bonbon and I met in a bar. I bought her a few drinks and took her back to my place and-" 

"Kol!" Rebekah shrieked, reaching around Bonnie to slap her brother in the head. 

"Talked! Gosh Bekah, get your head out of the gutter." Kol shook his head at her and Bonnie rolled her eyes at him. 

"I actually met Klaus at one of his shows. I was looking at his piece and he came over." 

"She started hitting on Bekah and I had the unfortunate task of informing her she was after the wrong sister," Klaus smirked as a blush formed on Caroline's cheeks.

"That is not what happened!" She blurted out as the rest of the table laughed. She lightly shoved Klaus.

"So Elena, we have heard much about this sister of yours." Esther began and Elena felt her heart stop. 

"She's probably even worse then you've heard." Elena smiled sympathetically. 

"Are you telling us you're better?" Klaus asked and Caroline glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

"If by better you mean I'm not manipulating your brother into marrying me for money only to divorce him then yes, I would say I am better than my sister." Elena felt the guilt set in as the lie slipped from her lips. "I love him." Caroline noticed the look in her eyes. This part was not a lie. Elena had really fallen for Elijah. 

"You must understand our concern. Katherine was not the first to try to use my children for their fortune and she will not be the last." Mikael informed her, his stare cold. 

"Of course. I have been learning to deal with the messes my sister makes and I will do my best to earn your trust."

Dinner ended shortly and everyone retreated back to their rooms. Elijah disappeared after a moment, telling Elena he had a matter to discuss with his siblings. 

He went to his sister's room, hoping to discuss something with her. Usually, he would go talk to Klaus but he knew his brother wasn't overly fond of his girlfriend. He showed Rebekah the ring he had picked out, asking her what she thought. The blonde began gushing about how beautiful it was ad how excited she would be to attend their wedding.

After Elijah left, Elena heard a soft knock on the door. She opened it to find Caroline and Bonnie grinning at her.

"What are you guys doing in here?" Elena whisper yelled as her friends embraced her in a hug. As they pulled away, Caroline shut the door behind them. 

"I can't do this anymore." She announced. "I really love Klaus and I could see it in your eyes that you really love Elijah." 

"I agree." Bonnie piped up. "Screw Katherine and her stupid plan." 

"What can we do? We agreed to this." Elena sighed, sitting down on the bed. 

"We should tell them the truth. That Katherine manipulated us but we fell in love." Caroline suggested before remembering the way Klaus yelled on the phone when he thought Katherine was back in their lives. Seeing the looks Bonnie and Elena were giving her, she knew that wasn't an option. 

"We should just tell Katherine that we're done. She can keep her money and stay away from us." Elena shrugged, running a hand through her hair.

"Do you really think she'd go for that?" Bonnie asked.

"Probably not but what else can we do?" 

"It's settled then. As soon as we get back, we tell her we're out." Caroline pulled her friends into one last hug before sneaking back out of the room followed closely by Bonnie.