A/N: I don't even know what this is. AU if something happened to Katherine, I guess? Elijah caught between affections for doppelgängers? I guess we will see!

"Katherine's done, Stefan. I took care of her."

Rebekah's voice wafted through the background, and Elijah nearly crushed the phone in his hand. A panicked breath came from the other end.

"Elijah-" Stefan said.

"I'll tell Elena you said goodbye," Elijah growled before snapping the phone closed and shoving it into his pocket.

Elena's eyes widened briefly when she saw the rage upon his face, and she winced when he snatched her arm into his grip. "Are you sure-"

"They were warned. Now walk."

"If you're going to kill me, you might as well do it right here. Make a big bloody statement. Why waste time?"

"Walk, Elena."

His eyes flashed as she stood stubbornly still. She swallowed at the adrenaline starting to course through her, and she knew her best chance at survival would be to go along with his demands. She wasn't sure why she cared if she lived... she wasn't exactly afraid of death, she wasn't exactly anything. But the timing - and the vampire who planned to murder her - didn't seem right. Of all the ways she'd imagined her death, this wasn't one of the scenarios.

So she walked, down the street, to his car. His eyes flitted about and kept watch for either of the Salvatores, his hand protectively under her elbow and ready to pull her into the shadows, But she felt as though she was in a daze. She didn't want to die, but she didn't want to deal with Stefan or Damon either.

He was quiet until they were on some desolate stretch of country highway, his black Mercedes purring along conspicuously. Surely the farmers weren't used to this sort of vehicle passing by everyday, and if the others traveled this way they would find her. Again, the thought left her numb, and she crossed her arms uncomfortably.

"I know you think I'm a fool, after all the trouble she's caused," he began.

Elena shrugged without moving her gaze from the road. "You can love whomever you like, Elijah. I don't care."

"You seemed to care when you called me an idiot."

"I would have cared once. I don't now."

"Ah, I forgot. No humanity, no compassion."

"Nope," she said, raising her chin defiantly as their eyes met. "And I suppose you're no longer enamored with me, the compassion-less Elena. Should make it easier to kill me, rid yourself of this doppelgänger affliction you have."

His mouth twisted, eyes narrowing as he studied her. "Are you trying to wound me?"

"No, but I can't understand how you could defend her after finding out that she murdered Jeremy."

"Much as I've defended you, to myself, after finding out you had a hand in the murders of Finn and Kol."

His expression was one of morbid satisfaction now, as though he'd caught her in her own trap. And that left her feeling irritated. "Your family has tried to destroy mine since they've arrived in Mystic Falls. It's not like it's ever been unprovoked. And honestly, if Klaus didn't sire our whole bloodline, he'd be dead now too."

"Is that so?"

"I'd only be doing what you promised before the sacrifice and never followed through on."

"Stefan and Damon would have died," he reminded her.

"And they've lived for over a hundred years. Unlike us lowly humans - Jeremy and Ric, Jenna, John..." She stared him down. "Me."

He sighed. "I never meant for this to happen to you... I know the role I played. And I carry more regret than you can imagine."

"And yet you stayed away. You left me in the hands of the Salvatores and Caroline to figure out how to be a vampire. Excellent judgement call."

"I thought I'd be the last person you'd want to see."

She settled back into her seat, shaking her head, but apparently her avoidance piqued his curiosity.

"Wasn't I?"

"Does it matter? Whatever I felt then, I don't now. And you've been in love with Katherine this whole time... and now she's dead and you want to kill me as an act of revenge."

"That's where you're wrong, Elena. It means everything."

She paused in contemplation, fighting against the urge to spill the contents of her soul. "Why should I confess my deepest darkest secrets to you if I'll only die in the end?"

"Because I need to know if I'm one of those dark secrets. Please, Elena." His face broke, only for a second, but it was enough to startle her. She realized he was on the verge of breaking down, underneath that carefully constructed suave exterior. "If Katerina is gone, then it's a lesson... I can't waste centuries more burying what I feel, only to lose it in the end."

It took her a moment to clear her head, to find her voice. "What... what are you saying?"

"That I knew it was you," he confessed.

He leaned in closer, and she held her breath in anticipation as his mouth descended on hers. There was no awkwardness as there was earlier, when she was playing in an uncomfortable role. No, now it was just her and Elijah as she lost herself in the moment. And somewhere, underneath the switch, she felt the jealousy dissipating.