The Mystic Grill was as busy as always, with everyone going about their day while being oblivious to the truth about their tiny little town. But that was good at least for the supernaturals that resided with the town so all was good and lovely but the tension at the table where Elena and Stefan sat could have been cut with one of the kitchen's steak knives. Elena kept glancing toward the front door, her fingers nervously tracing the rim of her coffee cup.
"Stefan, I'm not going crazy," Elena insisted, her voice low. "I felt it again this morning. Like someone was following me, just out of sight. Every time I turned around, there was nothing but shadows."
Damon, who was standing a few feet away, took aim and launched a dart. It hit the bullseye with a satisfying thunk. "Well, we all did try to execute a certain Mr. Hybrid and ended up with his dear old Papa being a pile of ash instead," he drawled without turning around. "So, yeah. It's not exactly a stretch to think he's put his personal secret service to watch over us."
He turned around, leaning against the dartboard with a smirk that didn't reach his eyes. He addressed Elena directly. "You most of all, Elena. You're his human blood bank, after all. He's not going to let his favorite juice box wander off."
Stefan leaned forward, his expression grim. "He's letting us know he can get to us at any time. It's a classic Klaus power move. He wants us looking over our shoulders."
"Yup," Damon agreed, popping the 'p' sound. "It's not good. Not one bit." He began to pace toward them, his eyes glinting with a new piece of information. "By the way... speaking of our favorite Original nightmare, Bonnie mentioned something interesting today. Seems she had a dream. About some coffins. Four of them, to be exact."
Damon stopped walking, his gaze flickering between Stefan and Elena. "Which we are guessing contain the rest of Klaus's daggered kinsmen."
Stefan and Elena shared a look of pure confusion.
"Wait, what?" Elena asked. "Why would Bonnie tell you what she's dreaming about?"
Stefan's brow furrowed. "Yeah, Damon. Since when are you and Bonnie on dream-sharing terms?"
Damon froze, looking confused for a split second before the realization hit him. A slow, sarcastic grin spread across his face. "Ohhh. Well, that would be because I, being the perfect gentleman, asked how her night was and if she happened to dream about me. Naturally."
Elena rolled her eyes. "She didn't tell me anything about dreaming of Klaus's family."
"Daggered family," Damon corrected, pointing a finger. "And for some reason, she was particularly hung up on the fourth coffin. Said it felt... special."
"How so?" Stefan asked, his interest finally piqued.
Damon did his best impression of a high-pitched, studious voice. "Well, Hermione Granger said, and I quote: 'I felt whatever was inside it could help us.'"
"Help us?" Elena repeated, hope and skepticism warring in her voice.
Damon's smirk turned sharp. "Against Klaus. Apparently, the witch thinks there's a secret weapon tucked away in the one box Klaus is too afraid to open."
Damon leaned back against the bar before continuing, "She said it's been reoccurring for a while now, ever since the whole dead on vacation to the world of the living ended. Of the four coffins she's been dreaming about, there's one that always creeps her out. And that, folks, is something we need to find out.
Before Stefan or Elena could press for more details, the front door of the Grill swung open. Jeremy walked in, looking more grounded than he had in weeks, with Anna at his side. Trailing slightly behind them was Tyler, who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else.
"Well," Damon drawled, eyeing the trio. "At least we know some people are getting a good night's rest. Or at least... staying busy."
Elena looked at her brother, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. She didn't even have the energy to start the lecture. Damon, bored with the teenagers, spotted Alaric sitting at a corner table, red pen in hand, surrounded by a mountain of student essays.
Damon sauntered over and tapped the stack of papers. "Really, Ric? We have a crisis on our hands and potentially world-ending family drama and you've taken to... what, grading papers?"
Alaric didn't even look up. "Yeah, well, let's not forget, Damon, this is my work. I can't just stop the wheels of education just because there's an ancient vampire who's most likely going to kill us all by Friday."
Damon shrugged, his expression momentarily softening into something uncharacteristically grim. "All good things, Ric," he murmured. Then, his tone shifted, turning cold and sharp. "Even the bad ones."
Across the room, Stefan and Elena moved to join the table with Anna, Jeremy, and Tyler.
"Hello, Anna," Stefan said, his voice neutral.
"Stefan," Anna replied, her posture shifted into a defensive one.
Elena looked at Jeremy, her brow furrowed. "Really, Jeremy? After everything?"
Jeremy held up a hand, cutting her off. "Look, Elena, I know what you're going to say, and I'm sorry. Okay?" He took a breath, glancing at Anna before looking back at his sister. "I'm sorry about how it ended with Bonnie. It was never my intention to hurt her or break her heart. But I'm also not going to lie to myself, or to her. I love Anna. I never truly got over her, not completely."
Stefan shifted in his seat, "You know, Jeremy, history has a funny way of repeating itself when you choose an old flame over a new light."
Anna let out a sharp, dry laugh. "Oh, you would think that, wouldn't you? Coming from a guy who got roped into a hundred-year love triangle with Katherine Pierce. Glass houses, Stefan."
Before anyone could snap back, the temperature in the room seemed to drop. A smooth, melodic voice drifted over the table from the entrance.
"Now, isn't this a pleasant surprise?"
Klaus stood in the center of the Grill, his gaze fixed on Stefan. The expression on his face wasn't just shock but also a cold, simmering lack of amusement. He had watched Mikael rip Stefan's heart out; he had seen the body fall.
"You're supposed to be dead," Klaus said, his voice a dangerous whisper. "I saw it. How are you here?"
Damon sauntered over, stopping beside his brother with a slight grin. "Well, we have your brother to thank for that. Turns out Michael is a bit of a magician when it comes to family reunions."
Immediately, Klaus's expression turned sour. A vein pulsed in his neck as he let out a sharp, bitter breath. "Of course. It's always Michael. My brother truly does have a penchant for ruining my peace of mind."
"Why are you still here, Klaus?" Elena snapped, standing her ground. "You've got everything you wanted. You're free from running. Why don't you just leave us all alone and go?"
Tyler spoke up from his position as well with a more rigid posture. "Yeah. Aren't there more poor werewolves out there you can hunt and turn into your half-breeds?" He spoke with a concentrated degree of hate, but he kept his voice level exactly as Brandon had taught him.
The control seemed to irritate the hybrid standing beside Klaus. Tony stepped forward, his lip curling into a snarl. "Watch your mouth, weakling."
In an instant, Tyler's eyes glowed a vibrant, predatory yellow. "Oh yeah? Want to find out which of us truly is the weakling?"
Klaus let out a soft, amused chuckle, holding up a hand to steady Tony. "Ok, ok. As much as I'd love to see what you can really do, Tyler and understand how exactly my brother has fashioned you into... this," he gestured to Tyler's glowing eyes and the claws beginning to peek from his fingertips, "I don't think poor Elena here would want the two of you tearing yourselves apart in public. It would be such a mess to clean up."
Tyler took a breath, the yellow fading as he forced himself to calm down.
"Well, that was entertaining," Damon said, crossing his arms. "But what do you want, Klaus? Really?"
"Oh, I don't know. I just wanted to come and say hello to my would-be murderers," Klaus said, his eyes scanning the room with terrifying boredom. He straightened his jacket and looked at Elena. "If I wish to stay, I will stay. If I wish to do anything, in fact, there's nothing you or anyone can do or say about it. Besides, with you here, Elena... let's say I'm not ready to part with your precious blood just yet."
With a mocking tilt of his head, Klaus and Tony turned and walked out of the Grill, leaving a heavy silence behind.
"That's the man who was following me this morning," Elena whispered, her voice trembling.
"What? Seriously?" Jeremy asked, his hand instinctively moving toward his pocket where he kept his stake.
Elena nodded, her face pale. Stefan looked at Damon, his expression grim. "It would seem we need to consult Bonnie."
"Already on it," Damon muttered.
———-
Michael stood across from the man he had incarnated the day before. Mikael was now fully clothed, standing tall in the body of the hybrid vessel.
"Why have you brought me back?" Mikael asked, his voice a gravelly rasp. "And in this... abomination's body?"
Michael rolled his eyes. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's for you to come and serve? I mean, why else would I fucking incarnate you in that body? For the company?"
Mikael's eyes narrowed, his ancient pride bristling. "As punishment."
"Ok, ok, yeah, that too," Michael said with a wave of his hand. "But no. I brought you back so you can resume your great work."
Mikael's face hardened into a mask of singular purpose. "To hunt and kill Niklaus."
"What? No. No, no, no," Michael groaned. "I want you to hunt down some real abominations in your words for me."
Michael stepped closer, his expression turning serious. He began to explain the troubles he had been having tracking down an unruly banshee. "She is a harvester of souls for Cade, a man who has been a thorn in my side for too long. She's a leak in the system that I need plugged."
He pulled out a picture of a woman with hollow, haunting eyes and showed it to Mikael. "Although she might not be alone. She's creating things that shouldn't exist. Your job is to work with my people, locate them, and end them. You're a hunter, Mikael. I'm just giving you a bigger forest."
Mikael's lip curled in a snarl, his new chest heaving with indignation. "And why would I do this for you? I am not your slave, boy. I am the hunter, not the hound."
Michael let out a sharp, genuine laugh that echoed through the room. "Ohhh, but you are, my dear Mikael. You have been since Constantinople."
Mikael froze, his brow furrowing as a flicker of a forgotten, hazy memory tried to surface. "What?"
Michael stepped closer, his eyes dancing with a terrifying light. "Why, yes. The compulsion I used back then never truly faded. Not even your death could make it vanish, as it attaches itself onto your very soul. Death was just a temporary nap for the command I laid into your core."
Michael's grin turned devious, almost feline. "All I need to do is give you a command, and you will be mine again. And the best part? There's no way to break it. You're hardwired to obey me, BOY."
Mikael's jaw tightened so hard it looked ready to shatter the bone of his new face. He wanted to strike out, to tear Michael's throat out, but he felt a cold, immutable weight in the back of his mind that forced his hands to remain at his sides.
"Now, enough of this," Michael said, waving a hand dismissively as if shooting a fly. "Off you go. The trail is getting cold."
Reluctantly, with a look of pure, concentrated loathing, the new body of Mikael blurred away, disappearing into the tree line in a streak of supernatural speed.
Michael watched him go for a moment before pulling out his phone. He scrolled through a short list of contacts and pressed a number. After two rings, a smooth, female voice answered.
"Hello, Boss."
"It's been a while," Michael said, leaning against a nearby stone pillar. "How have you been?"
"Oh, you know," the voice replied with a dry hum. "Enjoying my peace and quiet. Well, that was until Tamara called an 'all hands on deck' because of this new job you have all of us on."
Michael chuckled. "Yeah, well, my bad."
"I know you didn't just call to say 'hi' and check on my tan," she said, her tone shifting to business. "So, what's up?"
"Mikael is going to be joining in on the hunt," Michael stated plainly.
The line went silent for a long beat. The only sound was the faint crackle of static. "Is that really a good choice?" she asked finally, her voice skeptical. "The man is a loose cannon with a god complex."
"Well, the team needs the extra experience, and nobody knows how to track an 'abomination' better than him," Michael said. "Besides, he's in a new body now, one of Klaus's hybrids so he wouldn't be recognizable to the locals. But I thought I should give you the heads-up."
The woman on the phone sighed, a sound of weary resignation. "Well, what's done is done. You did allow them to wake him up, after all, so I know it's all part of your master plan. I'll keep him on a short leash if he crosses my path."
"Yeah," Michael said, his eyes darkening as he looked toward the horizon. "Oh, and you should prepare yourself, darling. You'll be getting some visitors soon. The Mystic Falls welcoming committee is looking for answers."
"Is that so?" she replied, a hint of a dangerous smile in her voice. "Well then, I guess I'll give them a warm welcome. I've always been a fan of hospitality."
Michael chuckled once more and cut the call. He stood up, stretching his limbs, his mind already moving to the next piece of the puzzle. He walked toward the door of the estate, but stopped with his hand on the frame.
"Now," he murmured to the empty room. "About those coffins."