He was an honourable man. When he gave his word, he meant it, and he kept it. He treated women with respect, and handled them like you would fine china. He never went out of his way to wreak havoc, unless provoked. He always got his way. And although he knew his brother was stronger than all of them, he was still the oldest and demanded respect without actually demanding it. Not verbally at least.

Being an original, he enjoyed watching his subjects cower in fear at his name. He wanted them to be afraid, although he'd never admit it out loud. He relished in their submission towards him. There were few who needed to be reminded of their place in this world, and he enjoyed reminding them.

He never truly agreed with the way his brothers and sister handled disagreements, but he never stood in their way, unless he knew their way was going to end up hurting everyone involved. He lost count of how many times he had stopped his brothers from acting out. He lost count of the many men he'd slaughtered after they'd caused his sister any form of pain. He even lost count of how many times he'd stopped them from turning on each other.

He understood his brother's need for control. And even now, sitting across the room, watching his brother drink down the last of the bourbon in the house, slamming the glass down on the counter, only to have it shatter in his hands, he understood.

"Klaus. Perhaps forcing Caroline to turn to no one else, but yourself, is a tad… immature." Klaus glared at him, his jaw clenched. He met his brother's glare with a bored expression.

"You've chased Tyler away, her friends are slowly turning against her because you treat her better than any of them after the countless times she'd betrayed you, and for what?" Klaus left the room without a word. Elijah let out a frustrated sigh.

A loud scream sounded upstairs, followed by a crash and a deafening silence. Moments later, Kol appeared, his shirt drenched in fresh blood. Another sigh left Elijah before he could stop it. Kol looked at him curiously as Elijah glared at his brother's clothes.

"Just because we're monsters does not mean we have to eat like barbarians Kol. Have some dignity." Kol scoffed and smirked at his brother before answering.

"Oh come now 'Lijah. When was the last time you fed to enjoy it? It's a lot more fun to rip your victim's throat out after giving them hope for a chance of escape." Elijah ignored his brother's state of post feeding euphoria and left the room. Kol watching his every move.

Kol was right of course. It had been too long since he'd hunted to feel the thrill instead of just to feed. He refused to go back to that. He was a man of higher standings, and he would act like it. He expected nothing less from his siblings.

He heard Rebekah sneaking in, he could smell the dark-haired Salvatore on her from a mile away. He remembered the last time she'd come home after spending the night with him. Kol had called her a strumpet. Seeing the older Salvatore, and not ripping him apart took a lot of self-control. Since then, she'd been spending more time at the Salvatore mansion than anywhere else, and when she came home, she always tried to sneak past them so they wouldn't know where she'd been. But they knew. Elijah knew. But to protect her honour, he said nothing. None of them did.

His cellphone buzzed in his jacket pocket, he pulled it out and glanced at the message, his interest peaking instantly. He pocketed his phone again, and left the mansion without a word to his siblings.

The drive to town was fairly short. The whole drive he felt dread and excitement grow inside him as he neared The Grill. The message playing over and over in his head. He simply hoped the sender wasn't here for a fight. If they did, they wouldn't last very long against his siblings. Against him... One can only hope it wouldn't come to that. He read the message again as he sat in the car. His mind running through all the outcomes of this meeting as he made his way inside.

You didn't think you'd keep me in that box forever, did you?