There was a fire blazing in the hearth, matching the moody atmosphere in the living room of the boarding house. "Damon. You have to listen to reason." I could've gone anywhere else. Should've gone anywhere else.

He poured himself a drink with more force than was necessary. "Elijah snapped my neck."

"You attacked him! What did you expect would happen?"

Stefan sat on the couch, his elbows resting against his knees, and his head bowed. He'd only just been released from the tomb, and hadn't even had the chance to shower before Damon opened his big mouth.

"When were you going to tell us that you were a Mikaelson? After Elena had already been sacrificed? Or maybe you were hoping to offer her up on a silver platter." Damon downed his glass, then abandoned it in favor of drinking straight from the bottle.

"It's not like that." I crossed my arms. "I had no where else to go."

"If you had waited, one of us would've found you." He spat back.

"Before or after someone went on a founding families on a killing spree?"

"That was us." Stefan finally spoke, raising his head.

"What?"

"When we went back, after we were turned, and we couldn't find you, it was assumed you'd perished in the chaos of the night. That was the day I found out I was a ripper." He finished solemnly.

"We targeted the council." Damon took a swig. "It was a bloodbath."

"I'm not proud of it." Stefan steepled his fingers together.

They'd gone after families we knew, people we were friends with, because they thought I'd been killed. I sat on the arm of the couch opposing Stefan, and laid my hands on the tops of my thighs. "After the two of you... died, I packed what I could, and left. I got on bus after bus and eventually ended up in New Orleans. From there, I encountered Elijah, who took pity on me." They didn't need to know what'd really happened. Better for them to believe my kinder version. "They raised me. Eventually I was turned by my adoptive brother." My relationship to Marcel was complicated. Technically speaking, he'd be my adoptive cousin, but also since he was into Rebekah, if they ever got married, he'd be my uncle as well.

It was all very weird.

"And the whole 'on the run' story, is that real?" Stefan had that analyzing look again.

Of course they'd have questions. Who wouldn't?

I took a deep breath. "Very much so. I'm not going to go into detail, but it's pretty bad. As in I may have severely pissed off several of the Originals."

"Great." Damon deposited himself on the other side of my couch. "That's fucking fantastic, Morgan. We don't have enough to deal with."

"I'm not looking for your protection. I tell you this so you can understand the gravity of the situation. Klaus is a force. Elena will be a target, the sooner the two of you realize there's no saving her, the better."

God help anyone who dared stand in his way.

"What happens if we don't?" Stefan wouldn't back down, I could see it.

"You'll die. Horrifically. He's gifted in torture, and has been known to favor things like the bloody eagle. If he's not in a rush, he will draw it out."

That spoke to what was awaiting me.

"You said you're not looking for our protection." Damon looked at me.

"I'm getting the hell out of here as quickly as possible. Want my advice? Get a witch to ward Elena, and do the same."

"So you're just going to disappear?"

"Nothing much I can do about it, Stefan. I'm not interested in dying. Maybe in a few centuries we can meet again, but you've seen what he's done to Kathrine, and he wasn't even really chasing her."

"What do you mean he wasn't chasing her?" He blinked. "She said she pissed him off."

"If he wanted to catch her, he would've."

"No one is that powerful." Damon stood, depositing the bottle back on the bar. "I don't believe it."

"Don't underestimate him. I'm risking my life talking to you now." Elijah specifically told me not to leave and I did. My leg started bouncing of its own accord, and I twisted my ring around my finger. "I really should get going. The dark makes it harder to find me."

"No need." I heard the door open, and I closed my eyes, my blood running cold. It was as if my very thoughts summoned him. "I'm not in the mood to chase you."

Stefan stood, he and Damon both put themselves bodily between me and Elijah.

"You're not taking her."

"If she knows what's good for her, she will return to my side. This game is making my patience wear thin."

Shit. I stood slowly, still well hidden behind my brothers.

Coward.

Why did I feel like I was going to throw up? It was just Elijah. "Guys. It's fine." I shouldered my bag, and sidestepped them. "I appreciate the effort."

"Not gonna happen." Damon crossed his arms defiantly.

"Morgan. Do you really want to measure your brothers' strength against mine?" Elijah looked deceptively relaxed, and I knew I was in deep shit.

Either that or one hell of a lecture.

"No."

"You swore to me that you would come when I called." He stuck his hands in his pockets. "You gave me your word, or was that another lie?"

I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. I couldn't look at him. "Elijah, what if I stayed here? I could help with the whole Elena situation and Nik isn't even here yet."

"I think not. Come along, dear one. We wouldn't want to miss another of your meditations, would we?"

The threat was clear enough. If I didn't go with him, he'd tell Stefan and Damon, that or he'd make me go into recovery. They watched the exchange silently.

I made my way toward Elijah, feeling much more like I was walking to my own execution.