Title: Blind

Pairing: Elijah & Caroline

She wasn't stupid. She knew what was happening, she just hadn't realised soon enough.

It was an endless game of tug of war and she was the rope. She remembered judging Elena for her stringing along of the Salvatores. Not wanting to choose a brother. Coming between the two of them even though she'd had no plans of being a vampire. Now she understood. Now she knew how harsh she'd been to judge. How blind.

She knew how she had gotten caught up in Klaus' web. He was always lurking in the background. Saving her from the immediate dangers lurking in Mystic Falls. He gave her the one thing she'd craved her entire human existence; attention. He showered her with gifts she'd merely scoff at and shove in a drawer or the back of her closet. But slowly he'd worn her down. The one thing he had shown patience with was his pursuit of her.

It was through Klaus that she'd developed a bond with Elijah. She'd gone to return Klaus' latest attempt at wooing her and ran into him instead. He was calm and gentle. The complete opposite of his brother. She knew from Elena that the eldest Original would never try to hurt her. Whenever she would come over and Klaus wasn't around they would sit for hours and talk about the past. Ever since becoming a vampire, learning about history fascinated her. His age made him the perfect companion. She was enthralled listening to him and was curious as to how he coped with advancements in technology and society. Sometimes they'd end up spending the entire day together much to the annoyance of the others. She'd always wondered why he put up with her, she was a baby vamp, blonde, bubbly and never stayed quiet. She'd been under the impression that he was just lonely. Being alive for over a thousand years wouldn't leave you with many friends. And having people constantly daggering you couldn't help. It was then that she finally figured out the real reason. It was the same as hers for him.

They kept each other sane.

Then it changed. Everything shifted. She didn't know when or how it happened. One morning she was lying on the carpeted floor playing with the fibres and waiting for him to arrive for their daily chat. She felt a sudden change in the air and her eyes shot up to see him standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with smiling eyes. She returned the greeting, her eyes crinkling as she smiled. He joined her on the ground. For the first time during their friendship she was suddenly aware of how close he was sitting to her. She studied his features. The way his lips twitched up at the sides when he was recalling a fond memory. The brief darkness that appeared in his eyes when he spoke of his old life as a human.

She knew all about Tatia.

He had found her sobbing uncontrollably in the woods near their home one night. He could barely make out a word and had brought her back to her house. Once he'd managed to get her to calm down she told him about her break up with Tyler. And after a failed attempt to cheer her up he did the only thing he could think of; he told he a story from his past. He confessed to her his love for the girl, how her blood had been used in the turning of his entire family and his constant feeling of guilt. He told her truthfully of his weakness for the doppelgangers. How their similarity to her caused him to dwell on the past and his mistakes. He kept Klaus' love for the girl a secret from her however, she'd had enough of an inferiority complex and was in pain. He held her tight as she drifted off to sleep in his arms, her breath finally slowing and her body no longer shaking from the silent sobs. He realised his mistake in getting too close to her as he pushed a blonde lock away from her face. He had been insistent that he wouldn't make the same mistakes with the doppelganger. But he would've never considered the idea that her cheerleader friend posed the real threat.

A/N: Let me know what you think.