A request on Tumblr: the-bamf-known-as-sandra

"Elena, I have to be honest with you…"

Bonnie's expression was torn, as if she had been keeping some inside for far too long; a secret, if you will. Elena stopping taking bites of the scone she held and placed it on her plate, brushing her hands against her lap. Her attention was fully on the brunette's eyes in front of her and Elena was well aware of the way Bonnie continued to bite her bottom lip.

"Okay," Elena smiled. "Let's hear it."

Bonnie let out a deep sigh and leaned forward. "Elijah's back in town…"

Elena froze, her eyes holding a sort of spark as the sentence unraveled from Bonnie's lips. She shrugged and smiled widely, holding back her excitement. She had missed Elijah and had been wanting to write or call but was unaware of his whereabouts or his cell phone number; did he even carry a cell phone, she wondered.

"That's great," Elena pretended to brush off, but she watched as Bonnie sighed from the corner of her eye and frowned. "What's the catch?"

Bonnie straightened her posture and exhaled. "He's trying to protect his family. What he's doing is not okay, Elena…" She fingered the napkin beside her plate. "And we have to be prepared to do anything to save you," She paused, tearing her stare to Elena's frown. "Anything."

Elena collapsed against the back of the chair. "No, Bonnie. You can't hurt him; Elijah's not a monster." She begged. "He's innocent." Her voice was thick and the anger traveled to her eyes as they welled them up with tears.

She sensed Damon was behind this.

"Elena, please try to understand…" Bonnie pleaded.

Elena stood, grasping her bag from the back of the chair and swung it around her shoulder. "Where are they?" She asked through clenched teeth. "Where are Damon and Elijah?"

Bonnie began to protest before Elena slammed her hands against the café's table, clattering the dishes against each other and filling the patio with an echo of silence. She stared into Bonnie's dark, horrified eyes and repeated, "Where is Damon and Elijah, Bonnie?"

Bonnie winked twice before answering. "Everyone's at Wickery Bridge."

Elena raised an eyebrow. "Everybody?"

Bonnie gulped. "Alaric, Stefan, Damon…"

Elena didn't reply, storming towards the direction of her car.

-She got there as soon as she could, yet her best was still human and the stop she had made affected her timing.

She met Stefan as soon as she arrived and her heart thumped against her chest from the agitation that unavoidably flooded her chest. She slammed the driver's door and began to march past Stefan.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked, grabbing her arm tightly. Elena glared up at him and automatically shook his hand off of her.

"I'm stopping Damon," She spat. "Lay your hands off of me."

Stefan rolled his eyes. "This is for your own good, Elena."

Elena's eyes were furious, now.

"That may be true, but I'm not letting Elijah die on account of me." Her tone was much more dense than usual and she knew this side had never been introduced to Stefan. He seemed perplexed by her sudden interest in the original, yet she ignored his arrogant expression.

Stefan raised his eyebrows, now curious.

"Why do you care about Elijah's wellbeing so much?" He wondered, eyes narrow.

Elena's jaw clenched and her eyes seemed to harden more as his cocky expression grew stronger. This was not the Stefan she had known or knew; what she loved was dead now. She refused to let his vague memory slither into her mind at this moment.

The memory she did let wander, however, was Elijah's.

The words fell off her lips with poise; no caution was necessary. She was convinced what she was about to say was truth. It wasn't the adrenaline pumping through her veins or the restlessness that surrounded her like a taut mist; what she was about to say was sincere.

And for the first time, she had been content with her decision.

"Because I love him," She growled.

Stefan froze, yet his hand seemed to grasp her arm more forcefully.

"So, get the hell out of my way." Elena grumbled.

Stefan released her and she pulled away quickly, stumbling to the direction of the bridge. Her legs took her as fast as they could manage and, finally, she spotted Alaric who she knew was close behind Damon.

If Elena knew him well, Elijah was near. She quickly hid behind a brush, making sure Alaric couldn't spot her and quietly fumbled inside of her bag where she felt the revolver press coolly against her palm.

Her forehead glinted; the last time she had used a gun was in middle school with her father's assistance. That was a shotgun; more sturdy and resistant. This was ahand gun and much harder to aim. What if she shot Alaric, who hadn't worn his ring since last week?

But as Elijah's stance crept into view, she knew the chance she was taking.

Carefully, as she clicked the bullets into place, she watched as Damon loaded the bow with the White Oak Tree's stake.

She took a deep breath as Damon aimed.

She aimed as well.

Suddenly, a rush flooded through her veins; something more powerful than she had ever felt before. Damon was going to kill Elijah, the man who had kept Elena safe throughout this trial. Hadn't Damon gained some respect for him? Or was he just insecure about his, seemingly, competition?

Elena knew this feeling; fury.

She aimed and finally, she fired. The bullet crossed the lawn and met with Damon's skin, sinking into his arm. A cry rang throughout the area and Elena exhaled with relief before she realized Damon had already fired on Elijah.

Was the cry from him or from Damon?

Damon was clutching his arm; the vervain bullets had worked, so she quickly sprinted towards Elijah while ignoring Alaric's shouting, and collapsed at his side. She surveyed as his chest heaved and his hands clenched into fists at his sides. It was already beginning to work; his skin arose to turn a slight gray and his veins were vivid against the color.

Elena's hands grasped the stake and began to pull it out little by little. It had gone deeper than she had expected, but she continued to use every ounce of strength she could. Finally, she had managed to separate the main part, as dense as it was, from Elijah's body. The color continued to rise to his neck and she noticed slivers embedded in his open wound.

She gulped.

Her hands, weak at this point, began to frantically burrow into his chest, her fingers now stained with blood. She pulled every trace of wood she could unearth out of his body until, unexpectedly, his natural color started to leisurely regain.

Elena tumbled backwards, staggering on her hands to scoot from Elijah's body. She observed from a distance as his eyelids fluttered open and the wound healed. Her breathing was unkempt but had slowed by the time he was fully aware of his surroundings.

"Elena…." He gasped.

Elena's eyes widened and she inhaled quickly. "Elijah…"

She crawled towards him, her crimson covered hands dragging against the ground; the sensation of his organs sliding against her fingertips continued to replay in her mind, making her feel unsteady. She crumpled against his, now healed, chest and clutched his jacket firmly.

"I love you…so much," He breathed weakly.

Elena didn't look up, her face still pressed into his torso. "I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry…" She repeated, weeping.

Elijah closed his eyes, exhaling gently, and let his head tilt back against the ground.