She compels a man to drive her back to Mystic Falls, asking him to pull over a few times along the way. She is hungry and while she had given the Salvatore brothers her ultimatum she lets the man drive back home unharmed. She does not need to kill wantonly, only if they give her reason to.

She wanders through the dark, now utterly homeless and wonders what to do. For the first time in years she does not have someone at her back, waiting to save her and the freedom this elicits is wonderful. She has no strong ties to anyone and as soon as she graduates she will take the insurance on the destroyed house and leave. New York has merit...

Her mind preoccupied so she realises she has walked to a familiar house when the light spilling from the windows shine on her. Rebekah's house.

"Elena? What are you doing here?"

The blonde vampire steps onto her porch and Elena shrugs.

"I'm homeless," she replies flatly and Rebekah's mouth curls.

"I see. You thought our little sister act extends to sleep overs? Sweet, really, deluded but sweet." She narrows her eyes, smile falling. "I thought you were staying with Damon?"

"Not any more," she answers and takes a step closer. "I didn't come here with the intention of staying. I was just walking…"

"Hum, I'm sure. Well why don't you walk a little further?" Elena thinks she is going to point down the street but she flourishes a hand towards the open front door. "Come on, before the neighbours start to talk and I change my mind."

Elena smiles and feels a faint bubbling of gratitude.


"This is only temporary. While our little road trip was fun and we surprisingly made a good team I think we both know we'll be trying to kill each other by the end of the week."

She walks into her homely sitting room, plonks down onto the couch and flicks on the television. American Idol is on and the ancient vampire snuggles into the cushions.

"Well I can see this is going to be stimulating."

"Don't like it go somewhere else. I need something mindless right now…" she gazes at the screen as Elena takes a seat in an armchair, watching as Rebekah's eyes lose focus. While she and Caroline act like mortal enemies they are more alike than either would like to admit. Rebekah's quips hide a deep hurt and Elena zeros in on that like a shark to blood.

"Something wrong?"

"Hmm? Oh nothing…just Elijah."

Elena feels a perplexing pulse go through her at his name. "What about him?"

"He comes across as this charming gentleman but underneath…" she shakes her head, looking sad before pinning Elena with an accusing look. "I love my brother and I know he wants to aspire to more than he is but when he enters the fray he will stop at nothing to meet his goal."

"I don't understand?" Elena says, toeing off Katherine's heels.

"Elijah has the cure but he won't give it to me," she replies and can not suppress her bitter sadness.

Elena straightens, eyes gleaming. "He has it? How did he get it?"

"Katherine gave it to him," she answers and waves her hand as if this is trivial.

"So he trusts her again?" The disappointment she feels is almost starling in its sharpness.

Rebekah snorts. "As you've no doubt summarized he's just as idiotic as the rest of them. He says he's learned from his mistake but he doesn't really see what a snake that woman is. Everything she does is for her own gain," she finishes, with that far off look in her eye again. Elena can see there is bitter blood between them and it goes back years.

"I never took him for a fool so I hope he doesn't fall for it again." She sighs and settles back in the comfortable armchair, watching the screen but not really seeing it. Rebekah regards her quizzically.

"What did happen when you got to the gazebo?" She asks. Elena's mouth curls coyly and she flicks amused eyes at Rebekah who seems to have got the gist with a dawning horror. "Oh god…"

"He's actually a really good kisser."

"Stop at once! First Katherine and now you! Though I'm less shocked at this news."

"You are? Why?"

"Because he's always been pathetically smitten with you," she says in a way that only a little sister can. Disgust and bemusement. She leaves Elena to digest this as she disappears into the kitchen.

Smitten? Affectionate yes but smitten?

Elena looks back at the TV and sucks at her bottom lip thoughtfully until Rebekah comes back with a bottle of wine and chocolate. She spends the next two hours regaling Elena with stories of her past before heading up to bed.

Elena lies back on her temporary mattress and stares out of the window, a finger trailing over her mouth. The cure is now found and safe, as safe as it can be and within walking distance. If she knows it is only a matter of time before Damon and Stefan find out. How long will it take them, with their arguing and moralising, before they come to the agreement that they need to shove the cure down her throat? For her own good of course…

This is why she could not stay with them and this house is her best bet. Here she is safe, for now. Once she tells Rebekah this, who desperately wants the cure, she should be more willing let her stay longer. The cure means nothing to Elena but she would rather have Rebekah take it than it being a bargaining chip for the woman who killed her brother.

How could he fall into her trap? The man who always seems two steps ahead. Is he so soft hearted? Like Rebekah who wears her heart on her sleeve. Wisdom does not come with age, that's for sure.

But for all her disparaging thoughts her mind can not stop turning to the image of him pressed against her, his mouth on hers. She had felt stunned, a feeling that had vibrated through the hollowness she felt since her brother died. Now it thuds inside, quiet but persistent, like a heartbeat. Of course she had always felt they shared a strange connection and trust, one she can not truly account for. He is a thousand years older but at their core they are the same. At least they were…

Smitten? She smiles slightly to herself, the pleasant thud turning into something lustier. She is not without feeling, the off switch a lie. Her emotions are not as strong as before and something's are barely noticeable, like compassion and love. She feels excitement and anger, happiness and lust, jealousy and disappointment. She is free from extremes of these, or so she thought. Her disappointment at Elijah's transgression had surprised her. If it had been anyone else she would not have cared. What is it to her who he sleeps with or trusts? His mistakes are his and he has to own them.

I don't care…so why can't I stop thinking about it?

Perturbed at her odd feelings Elena rolls over and closes her eyes, ready for sleep. As she does something makes her nose wrinkle but it is gone before she falls asleep.


His lips trail over her skin, soft and barely there before he settles a kiss on her mouth. She pushes against him, the traffic and people surrounding the gazebo growing distant until there is no one there but her and Elijah. His kiss is tender but with a growing pressure behind it and she leans into him, her hands gliding up his chest to rest on his shoulders. Her heart races and she groans, strong emotion cutting off his name in her throat. He pulls back and his arms wrap around her waist, pulling her tightly against him and she holds him.

"Elena," the name is a breath against her ear, hardly heard and she smiles. He knows. Elena moves to face him again when something catches her eye and she stills.

"What is that?" She points to something at the foot of the gazebo. All at once she is hit with a crippling fear and with it a smell.


Elena bolts upright into the morning light, sweat pouring off her and gulps in a breath. As she does she gags and throws a hand over her mouth. There is a smell, pungent and cloying coming from the foot of the bed and she edges over to look. Nothing, the plush cream carpet is spotless and the smell completely gone.

She sits back and looks at herself in the mirror, noting the way her face is strained and clammy and spends the next twenty minutes sitting there until all vestiges of her unrest is gone. As she gets up from bed she is a picture of composure and her nightmare discarded, along the rush of impossible emotion that came from the dream about Elijah.

But the smell lingers, the memory of it. The smell of putrefaction.


a.n:

I don't know about you but after that kiss Elena looked like she had her world rocked lol. What if she realises that she feels something for him? That's what this story will be about, amongst other things. This won't be as long as "Liaison" though, at least I don't plan for it to be.

This is set after 4x18 so there will be some mentions of Kalijah but this will be purely an Elejah story. However I was intrigued by Elena's reaction to them, for someone who doesn't care she seemed to...

The title is taken from "Hanna's Theme" by The Chemical Brothers, a song that somewhat inspired the story. Next chapter Elijah arrives...