Hello, everyone, I just want to say first and foremost, thank you for deciding to check out my story! This my first Vampire Diaries fic! The idea for this has been plaguing me for a while now and I just couldn't get it out of my head. So I figured why not write it down and see where it goes. This will be an Elena/Elijah fic, mostly because I think that they have such amazing chemistry and that Daniel Gillies is just too awesome at what he does. Anyone agree?

The story will more than likely be a Season 4 AU. Elena is a vampire, so she's dealing with her heightened emotions and blood lust by essentially running away from everything. She ends up in Atlanta, Georgia, where you guessed it, Elijah happens to be. And you'll just have to read to find out what happens...Enjoy!

VVV

Chapter 1- Hate Me

The door closed softly behind Elena as she stepped onto the front porch of the Gilbert home, one meager suitcase in hand. It held everything that she thought she would need- a few changes of clothing and toiletries that she had managed to squeeze in beneath the stockpile of blood bags. Her passport was stuffed into the outside zip pocket (in case she needed it) along with her cell phone and a wad of cash she had been saving. It wasn't much but, if she used it wisely, it would get her far away from Mystic Falls.

It was early morning, still dark, but she could feel the dawn approaching, as any vampire could. The colors of the coming daylight shown brightly in the eastern sky, as she seated herself in her car, nervously twisting her daylight ring around her finger. She breathed a weary sigh and started the engine, taking one last look at her childhood home before pulling away from the curb. Tears gathered in her chocolate eyes but she blinked them away, what she was doing was for the best. Or so she told herself.

She sucked in a deep breath to calm her anxiety as she passed the town limit, leaving everything that she had ever known behind. She took the country roads, hoping to make it harder for anyone to follow her. She wasn't exactly sure where she was headed just as long as she got away. She had been driving for a little while when her cell rang, she glanced at the number, recognizing it as Stefan's. Choking back tears, she let it go to voice mail.

Another few minutes passed and it rang again- Damon this time. Again, she let it go to voice mail, not in the mood to deal with his nagging. The Salvatore duo were one of the reason's she had decided to leave to begin with. She loved them both dearly, but she just couldn't bear the constant competition for her affection. It felt as if she was being pulled in two different directions and she was slowly ripping down the middle. She just couldn't choose between them, knowing that if she chose one it would hurt the other and tear them apart...no matter how much they denied it. She just couldn't choose, especially since her emotions had been heightened into the confusing bundle that they now were. So, even though it was breaking her heart, she chose to leave.

The brothers weren't the only reason for her sudden departure, however. Lately, she had found it difficult to look her friends in the eyes. With her new vampire senses, she could read so much in their eyes and facial expressions- weariness, sadness, fear, and, in some- Bonnie in particular, a minute sliver of hatred. After her transformation, even knowing that Klaus was dead, she had found it difficult to withstand the constant amplified guilt that she had suffered through silently as a human. So she had decided to leave and not interfere in their lives anymore than she already had. She knew that her friends and family loved her and they would sacrifice everything for her, but they shouldn't have to.

Another reason was that she was tired of being told how to live her life. Stefan wanted her to be one person, Damon wanted her to be another, but she just wanted to be herself again. However naïve it was to say. Her cell rang again, so she flipped on the radio to ground out the noise. Eventually, after countless more calls, she decided to turn it off and leave it off.

When she felt herself getting thirsty, she pulled out a blood bag and drank. She wasn't sure what she would do when she ran out. She didn't trust her control enough to drink from a human, she had only been a vampire for a couple of weeks. She was proud of the fact that she, so far, hadn't killed any one. (Thanks to the constant supervision of Stefan or Caroline, unsurprisingly Damon thought it was inevitable and didn't try to reign her in.) But according to Stefan it could always happen, her small amount of control could snap and she would end up a 'ripper.'

Elena silently prayed that she never allowed herself to turn into something like that. Then again the only reason she hadn't at this point was that someone had always been there to stop her. Whilst traveling there would be no one to hold her back, no one to keep the darkness as bay. As the thought crossed her mind, Elena began to second guess her decision. 'Am I making the right choice?' she thought. She battled her inner turmoil, convincing herself for the thousandth time that what she was doing was right. Eventually, when her resolve over shadowed her doubt, she decided to continue on.

She had driven most of the day and through the night, thankful for once that she could now go without sleep at longer intervals. The next day she was surprised to find herself in the outskirts of Atlanta, but happy to have at least made it to a large city where she could hide more easily. She knew the Salvatore's would come after her, but she was doing her best to make it hard for them to find her. Of course, she wasn't sure what would happen if they ever did locate her but she was sure whatever it was, it wouldn't be pleasant...at least coming from Damon. He would most likely drag her back to Mystic Falls kicking and screaming, if Stefan allowed him to and, though she hated to admit it, he probably would.

She pulled into a parking space outside a small diner, located on the fringes of town. She would get directions to the nearest motel where she could get a room for the night, nothing more, she convinced herself. As she walked through the door the scent of the human customers overtook her senses. "Control yourself." she whispered quietly to herself, swallowing dryly, as she approached the counter. "Excuse me?" she managed to ask.

"How can I help you, darlin'?" a woman asked.

"I was wondering where the closest motel is?"

"It's a couple of miles away from here."

"Could you give me directions, please?"

"Of course." The waitress was kind enough to write them down on a napkin, as she offered Elena a cup of coffee.

"Oh, yes, thank you." Elena couldn't resist taking a sip from the warm cup and she couldn't hold back the sound of delight that escaped her lips.

"There you go. It's not in the best neighborhood though, so you might want to try somewhere else closer to the heart of the city." said the waitress, handing her the directions. As Elena reached for them she couldn't help but notice the woman's pulse, beating steadily beneath the skin of her wrist.

"This will do, thank you, for your help and for the coffee..." she said quickly whilst swallowing the sudden lump in her throat, throwing a small bill of money on the counter, and jumping up from her seat. She could feel her face changing, the veins protruding under her eyes that had no doubt gone black. She was thankful in that instant for her long hair, using it to shield her face from the surrounding customers so they wouldn't see her vamping out.

"You're welcome." the waitress called, as she practically ran out the door.

Once outside, Elena leaned against her car, heavily breathing in the fresh air. The overwhelming scent of blood had nearly caused her to attack that poor waitress. A great sense of guilt was starting to settle in the pit of her stomach nearly shattering her steely resolve, until she reminded herself that she hadn't attacked. 'Not yet.' her vampire mind whispered. 'You could have just one taste, one little taste.' "No!" she told herself firmly, forcing herself to get in her car and drive.

She followed the directions to the shabby motel, but sat in her car for over an hour, reigning in her meager amount of control. Though she was proud that she had been able to force herself to leave the diner, she didn't want any more potential mistakes or near slip ups on her part. She finally walked up to the front desk and managed to check in, all the while holding her breath when she could. Grabbing the keys from off the desk, she stumbled up to her room and scrambled inside, glad to be away from any humans.

She sat down on the bed and drank another bag of blood, before she decided to take a shower and try to get a few hours sleep. Gathering her toiletries and a couple of the motels proffered towels, she stepped into the small bathroom. The hot stream of water helped to calm her and she eventually found herself dozing into a dreamless sleep on the room's bumpy but somewhat comfortable bed. Resting peacefully for the first time since she had died.

VVV

Hopefully this first chapter doesn't suck to badly. Our 'favorite original' will more than likely show up in the next chapter or so, so stay tuned or keep reading or whatever it is you're supposed to do while waiting for another chapter...*shrugs* Oh, just another note- Elena thinks that Klaus is actually dead. Neither she nor anyone in her circle of friends, know about Bonnie's little switcheroo Tyler, so the original hybrid will probably show up again in some distant future chapter.

Also the title for each chapter will be the name of a song I think coincides with the chapter. For example, this first chapter is titled "Hate Me" referencing the song "Hate Me" by Blue October. So, if you want to, you should check out the artists.

Please, leave a review and tell me if I should continue or if this is a completely lost cause. It will be good to hear what you think, regardless. =)