Takes place at some unprecedented time in between All My Children and the finale. Elena, frustrated and only wanting to forget it all, runs without any idea where to go and finds herself in the Mikaelson's driveway. Rated M for some mature content.

Title came from the song "All That I'm Living For" by Evanescence

Disclaimer: I think it is pretty clear I do not own the vampire diaries, or Evanescence for that matter.

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My Ghosts are Gaining on Me

Elena ran.

She ran so fast that she wasn't sure if she would be able to stop.

Everything was wrong, she was wrong. Elena Gilbert was nothing more than a key to someone else's happiness. That was what it meant to be the Petrova doppelganger.

Tears were streaming down her face, streaking her skin, her hair flecked with white and the chill in the night reminded her that it was snowing, but that didn't mean she was going to stop.
Her chest began to hurt, her heart pounding and her breathing was rapid, short. She finally had no choice but to stop.

A few deep breaths turned into a gasp. In all of her blind running, Elena found herself in front of the Mikaelson home.
She wasn't about to try and enter, Rebekah would likely have her head on a platter, so she sat down in the driveway; the asphalt was frozen over already, freezing her skin. Her t shirt and jeans, the clothes she wore when she ran out, were far from appropriate for the weather. She was so cold, her limbs were becoming numb.

"Elena?" a voice came from her side, just close enough for her to hear. It was soft yet powerful, just like the man whom it belonged to.

"Elijah?"

She shot to her feet, quickly brushing the snow from her hair, embarrassed. The Original was before her in a second, a look of curiosity on his face as he examined her tear stricken expression.

"Are you all right?"

Had her nose not already looked like Rudolf the red nosed reindeer's, she would have blushed. He didn't ask why she was there, or what the hell she was thinking, he just wanted to know if she was okay, which was a nice thing to hear for a change.

"Yes…I'm sorry, I'll go." She sniffled, hoping he would brush it off as the cold, and not the fact that she had been crying. The hope was fruitless however, Elena knew Elijah could probably smell the salt from her tears, vampires were strange like that.

"Elena you are practically frozen, please come inside, warm up before you get the flu and I will take you home."

When Elijah reached out his hand for her to take, Elena hadn't even realized she was hugging herself so tightly that her arms were frozen to her chest. She looked behind her at the long distance she would have to walk, already clouded from the flurries in the dark.

"I don't think that is such a good idea…" her mind went away from how cold she was and straight to his siblings, she wouldn't be safe in that house as long as they were there.

"And I don't think you freezing to death is a good idea Elena, you are turning blue." He took off his suit coat and wrapped it over her shoulders, "My family is out for the weekend on some hunting trip, so don't worry. Now please come inside."

Elena looked up into his eyes, her hair frozen to her face and forced a frosty smile.

"I guess I am a little cold…" she gave in reluctantly. Putting one foot in the front of the other made the brunette wish she hadn't stopped running; her joints were also frozen in place. She could have sworn she heard him chuckle under his breath. "Not the time to use a sense of humor." She grumbled, as she trudged into the house slowly.

The living room was clear, besides one cup and heat emanating from the fireplace. It was extremely cozy, despite the family that lived there.

"It's warm." She smiled at the ability to stretch her arms out in front of her, enjoying being able to move again, even if her muscles burned from the change in temperature. She turned back around seeing Elijah descend the stairs, she hadn't even realized she was alone.

"Here…you should change, you're soaked." He handed her a bundle and Elena sorted through it briefly, a large t-shirt, sweatpants and an afghan blanket readily available.

"I really shouldn't stay long." She reminded the Original pointlessly, in theory she had nowhere else to be.
"I was going to put your clothes in the dryer for a half hour while you warmed up." He offered, his hospitality surprising Elena. She had always wanted to think of him as a friend, regardless of their confusing past, but she never imagined him to be so…warm.

"All right." She agreed, running her fingers through her hair which was now wet from the melted snow. "If you insist."

Elijah nodded to the bathroom where Elena disappeared to get changed.

"That's Rebekah's bathroom, so excuse the potential for mess." He was so apologetic even though she was intruding on his lifestyle; it was so strange and unexpected, he was being kind to her even after everything they had been through and it was comforting.

"Thank you Elijah." She smiled before walking into the tremendous double bathroom with full marble tiling. "I owe you big time."
"You can repay me by telling me you were in my driveway in the first place." He joked, giving her a crooked smile. Elena's eyes diverted to the ground and nodded before closing the door, listening as Elijah walked down the hall.

Quickly, Elena removed her clothing (somehow surprised at the thought of anyone in the Mikaelson family doing laundry) and slipped into the black oversized t shirt and black sweatpants that from the looks of them belonged to Elijah. The clothes weren't flattering, but she wasn't trying to impress anyone and wasn't planning on staying long regardless. Throwing her hair up, she looked at herself in the mirror before walking out the door, her eyes were still puffed from crying, her nose and cheeks looked like she had a battle with blush and lost, and lastly she was wearing Elijah's clothes. If you Google Image searched 'sight for sore eyes' a big picture of Elena Gilbert in this very moment would pop up.

Taking a deep breath, the brunette exited the bathroom after gathering her wet clothes. A part of her expected to see Klaus, or one of the other absent Mikaelson siblings on the other side of the door, but instead, the hallway was empty.
Elena didn't think she would ever feel comfortable being in this house, the people it inhabited made her uneasy, except for Elijah, the oldest, and that thought alone made her shiver. She shouldn't trust him, yet she did wholeheartedly.

Sauntering her way into the kitchen, she found the eldest Mikaelson brother pouring boiling water into a blue mug.

"I hope you don't mind tea, we don't have coffee as Kol burns through it at an unnecessary rate, I personally believe that is why he can be so irritable." He turned slightly so he could see her out of the corner of his eye, the side of his lip pulling into a smirk. "I apologize, I should have asked, but I'm sure you understand, I hadn't expected any company this weekend."

Elena shook her head violently, even though she was happy to have surprised the Original for once, he was always so…expectant.

"Tea is fine, as long as it's hot." She spoke softly, "I don't want to impose, and I really shouldn't be here…"

Elijah turned back to her and frowned at her distraught condition. "Don't be foolish lovely Elena ." he approached her, taking the clothes from her hands and disappeared to return a moment later. Crossing over to the cabinet, he motioned for her to follow and revealed his tea collection for her to choose. "I'm not sure which kind you prefer."

Some of the boxes were labeled in a different language she couldn't recognize so she pointed to the red box, hoping it was raspberry. Elena tried to reach for it herself, but couldn't make it so Elijah, who was only a couple of inches taller than her went to grab it. While doing so, his hand accidentally brushed against hers and Elena could feel her face burn in embarrassment. She has never spent time like this alone with this Original, it was strangely casual from the behavior she had grown used to from him.
It was actually very comforting, but this was an Original vampire, and although they were close she knew she should be frozen in fear, not blushing from his touch. He shouldn't make her feel that way.

"Sorry!" she instantly apologized, snapping her hand back to her side with a sheepish smile.

"Nothing to apologize for." He replied quickly, and Elena wondered if he was capable of feeling embarrassed or maybe he wasn't able to feel that way at all. She watched him as he took a tea bag from the box and placed it in the mug of water, allowing it to brew before handing it over to her.

"Your fingers are still purple." He realized as she took the mug, "Do you feel all right?" He was concerned about her hands, which she hadn't even noticed were purple, yet his eyes hadn't left hers. He could tell that she had been crying "Would you like to take a warm shower?"

Elena shook her head, "No, that's not necessary." She quickly replied and continued, "and yes, I'm fine Elijah." She didn't mean for her tone to sound as harsh as it did, so she turned her back to him, hoping he would lead the way to the living room.

"Okay then…" he walked past her to the living room and handed her the blanket she left on the back of the couch before peering through the blinds outside. "It's starting to snow heavier Elena, would you like me to take you home now instead?"

Elena could tell that her tone had offended him, yet one more thing she realized about the Original. She felt bad for upsetting him but she was still surprised that he reacted at all.

The girl, with the orange afghan blanket wrapped around her shoulders and tea in hand approached the window to stand next to him. The driveway was officially gone and Elijah's car was covered in the thick white sheet as well.

"The roads are probably terrible, I don't think you should be driving in this…" she reasoned although it was irrational. He was a vampire and if anyone could drive her home safely it would be him. The truth of the matter was that she didn't want to go home, but also didn't mean to impose on the Original. "I'm sorry Elijah, I should have gone home earlier, you were probably enjoying the peace."

With the blanket tangled around her feet, Elena shuffled back to the couch to sit on the far end, closest to the side table where she could put her mug on a coaster next to a book Elijah must have been reading.

"It was a pleasant surprise Elena." He smiled warmly, his features which were previously cold now shifting, and he turned his gaze to the roaring fire. "I'm just glad that you are not…physically harmed."

The brunette had nearly forgotten about how she ended up at his home and nodded. Physically she was fine, she may be a little sore in the morning from all of the running, but otherwise she was going to be fine. She watched him, and couldn't help but give him a smile as he sat on the couch as well, staying on the opposite end.

"How did you know I was in your driveway?" she queried, he hadn't looked like he had been sitting outside enjoying the scenery.

"I could actually hear you running , and when I focused enough I could hear your heart pounding. I thought that you were hurt…"

Had anyone besides Elijah Mikaelson said those words, Elena would have been bothered, but the Original had such a way with his delivery of what he needed to say that it made it impossible to find it odd.

"Well…thank you for your concern." She sighed, taking a sip of her tea. She could tell Elijah had more to say, but was holding back, possibly biting his tongue.

"Would you like to call the Salvatores? I'm sure they are concerned of your well-being."

Elena only shook her head again, "No…but thank you." She replied, her voice skipping momentarily, "I don't want to deal with them tonight."

The man who sat on the couch before her with his shoulders hunched forward slightly, seemed deep in thought, while Elena, looking as deathly as ever, was curled in the opposite corner, wrapped up in the blanket wearing his clothes. His very comfortable…warm clothes that smelled just light enough of men's cologne.

"I hope you don't mind me being so forward, but do you care to tell me what possessed you to go jogging so late at night, and in the snow?"

Elena knew he wanted to blatantly ask why she was crying, but it wasn't in his nature to pry so deeply into her personal life. Him asking why she was jogging in general was a big step for him in the conversation department as is.

"I wasn't jogging." She defended needlessly. "I was running."

Elena couldn't help but giggle slightly and she wondered how it felt for Elijah to have his own deceptive tactics used against him.

"By saying running, you are implying that you were trying to get away from something, so Elena , do tell…what is it that you are running from that led you to my home?" He leaned closer, and even though he was still a few feet away from her, the closeness was oddly comforting. None of it mattered though, she still didn't have the words to form an answer. After all, how many ways can one person say "myself"?

"I'm just tired of everything." She sighed, deciding to open up and instantly regretting it. His family was one of the greatest causes of her pain, and it seemed selfish to complain about them as if they weren't his problem too. "I guess I'm just feeling overwhelmed, and running was my only…temporary response."

Elijah looked to her directly, his presence, though delicate, seemed dangerously close, even though he was still a decent distance away, but it didn't matter as she never thought of him as a threat.

"You can say it Elena," his voice was soft, and extremely comforting, "I may seem as if I turn a blind eye to my brother's insanities, but trust me when I say I do not."

She matched his gaze, startled, but shook her head. Elijah's loyalty to his family was one of the few things he had left and the reminder that Klaus took that away from him as well upset her even more. It wasn't that she pitied him, but she could understand his motives in his actions.

Elijah was not an easy man to understand, but she did try. It was ironic that when it came to everything that had been happening, her and the Original always seemed to be at opposite sides, yet on many occasions, they met in the middle.

"I'll just never understand how you can't hate him." The brunette mumbled, now refusing to look at him, but she lied. Elena knew better than anyone why he couldn't hate his brother.

It was family above all.

"Elena…you say the word hate like it is all black and white." He said tenderly, choosing his words as careful as he could, but Elena still felt like she was going to crack. Of course she hated Klaus, in fact she hated Elijah's entire family, she even hated Elijah but only because he wasn't the same as the rest of them. He was different, and that complicated so many things. "Klaus is my brother, for that I love him, that does not mean I do not hate what he has done."

Elena listened closely, as if trying to dissect a lie, and played with the corner of the blanket, still feeling a chill as she heard the dryer stop.

She understood exactly where he was coming from. It was incomparable by action, but in theory her relationship with Jeremy suffered greatly as he struggled with drugs and while she still loved him she felt as if he wasn't there. It was a completely different comparison between him and Klaus but in her own way she could relate.

"I'm sorry Elijah." She looked to the window and she could see the frost forming on the glass. She didn't want to leave, regardless of how nervous she was being in this house, she felt a strange familiar sense of security around Elijah.

"Please stop apologizing." The Original's tone was rougher now and the brunette wanted to disappear deeper into her blanket, pretending she wasn't there. "You should know that for as long as I am able to, I will do everything in my power to keep you safe from harm, you and all of those closest to you. I believe I still have that list somewhere, it may be in need of some revising but…I'm sure we can make due."

Elena let out an unintentional laugh, even though the reasons for the revisions were not pleasant, the fact that he managed to make a joke was relaxing. Even though it was a dry humor, Elijah always had the ability to change the atmosphere of the room with his words alone.

"It's just…this is not where I imagined my life to be. I should be worrying about college and clothes, but instead I'm being hunted by your brother and everyone I love is in danger, I can't help but feel like it is entirely my fault." She paused, feeling the pressure building up in her eyes, the tears were coming again and she was struggling to prevent them from falling. The harsh realization had reared it's ugly head. Elena, even in her moment of weakness, theoretically running from her problems, ended her right up at the Mikaelson's, yet only Elijah was there.

It was a sick and strange twist of fate.

Elena looked up from her feet to see Elijah, now closer to her, his concern slowly breaking her protective barrier. She was almost at the point of falling to pieces, and his presence was piercing her armor.

"You need to stop blaming yourself. None of this is your fault." He placed a warm hand over her knee, his eyes refusing to leave hers, and hers his. She found herself stuck in a dance with a snake, but she genuinely trusted this one not to strike, making him that much more lethal.

She trusted him enough that the second her resolve broke and a single tear began to fall, she let it. She knew he wouldn't pass judgment on her, how could he?

"I just…I don't know what else to do." She choked, but had to stop herself as with each word that came out, more tears began to fall and before she knew it, the Original's arms were around her, pulling the brunette close to his chest while his hand supported the back of her head. The contact was a powerful combination of surprising and soothing, and once again Elena felt safe to cry again.

He whispered words of comfort to her, words meant to convince her everything would be fine, and for a moment, they did.

She broke away from him as she realized she was curved into a wet stain on his shirt, she hadn't meant to accept his contact, but at that moment, she needed his calming presence. She needed him. "I'm sorry Elijah." This time it had been her fault, so she was allowed to apologize. "God I am such a wreck."

His sympathetic gaze could have ripped her heart straight from her chest if she allowed it to, and when he lifted his hand, the image of him doing so flashed in her mind, causing her to freeze but instead, his thumb only brushed against her skin, wiping the tears from under her eyes.

"There is something…poetically beautiful about a powerful woman shedding her tears Elena. It gives you a light for only you to bare."

She shied away from his look, pulling the blanket closer to her body and found herself resting her head back on his chest. There was something extremely comforting about this new level of closeness between them and when the thought of him made her heart jump, she saw she wasn't wrong. They were friends and while she never thought of them as anything more, there had been a spark of something along the line. She cared for him and he made her feel comfortable in her own skin, something she hadn't felt since she discovered she was just another doppelganger.

"Thank you." She sighed, her breaths matching the strokes Elijah was playing on her back. "For everything, I don't know where I would be without you right now."

She knew where that would be, chances are Elena would be dead. Elijah was the most powerful adversary standing between her and his family.

She felt his lips rustle into her hair, where a soft kiss was placed, and suddenly, Elena was on fire. She had always imagined Elijah to be so cold and distant yet in the confines of his home, he was warm, affectionate and she found herself easily accepting it.

It seemed they both could be themselves around each other.

Elena raised her head to look at him, allowing his hand, previously supporting her head to pull closer to rest on her cheek, which Elena relaxed into.

She felt as if she had nothing to worry about any longer, she had forgotten her worries.

Her heart was pounding in her chest at his touch even though physically she seemed collected; he made her just as nervous as he interested her. It only took her a second to make the decision, but in her mind it took her hours to make her move.

She placed her hand, mirroring his own gesture, on his cheek; she pulled him closer allowing their lips to be alarmingly close.

"Elena…he warned placing his forehead against hers. Elena expected him to pull away, but instead he moved even closer, leaving her in control which was a feeling she was not used to. She took the chance, grabbing life by the reins for once and pulled him against her locking her lips with his.

Elijah was surprisingly soft, and equally as meticulous as he allowed his hand to travel up the base of her neck to her opposite cheek, cupping her face in his overpowering hands. The one problem with the Original was clear, as powerful as he was, as demanding as he could be while negotiating for her life he was slow moving and patient without a hair out of place, but right now she was the polar opposite. She was the yang to his yin (although many would think it be the opposite, not in this case) but just like the symbol, they were not opposing forces, but complimentary, She would not flourish without him, not now, and possibly for the rest of eternity, and she could see it was the same on his side as well.

They were connected.

Even if they didn't have some "epic love" that most wanted, they had an understanding, a fulfillment, and a powerful need for the other.

Elena pulled back slightly, leading Elijah towards her, laying her back against the couch cushion so she could pull him on top of her.

He moved against her, his hands now fumbling with the blanket Elena had herself tightly wrapped in. Assisting him by kicking it free, the girl moved to focus on his neck, planting her lips lightly on his skin, hot from the continuously burning fire. She had forgotten about how cold she was, how alone she felt when she first arrived and it didn't matter. Elena needed this, and she was tired of the slow burn.

Wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck she ran her tongue carefully over his lower lip, yet as always in her trivial relationship with the Original, she had control and he easily took it away by lifting her off of the couch, and her head hit the floor when she landed, although Elijah was careful to place his hand behind her head to soften the blow from his very intentional maneuver. Regardless, she could still feel her brain shake back and forth. She should have warned him that she is human and when she breaks something- it is broken until it slowly heals.

"Elena," he breathed into her mouth, giving her the life she needed to carry on as he brushed the brown locks from her eyes, she hadn't realized her pile of messy hair had fallen out of it's tie.

"Elijah." She replied, his face seductively close to hers again so she allowed him to eat her words as her lips crashed against his. They were the ocean, like waves of brilliance crashing against the shore.

Her fingers gripped into his dress shirt and she struggled to pull it off, not wanting to waste the time to fuss with each button. If she didn't have him now, she never would. Giving in, she began to rapidly undo each button all while allowing her tongue to explore Elijah's mouth; she was enjoying the taste of him as much as the serenity.

"You don't want this." He whispered, breaking away for a moment, holding her back to the ground, but Elena only laughed. Was he trying to compel her?

"Don't tell me what I want." She let out another laugh as she pulled him back to her again, "You are supposed to be different than the rest." She kissed him hard on the mouth, showing him just how tired she was of being told what she wanted and what she needed.

Elena turned her head to the side, staring into the fire for a moment as she exposed his chest and quickly removing his shirt. Running her hands along his skin, he smiled as he leaned into her ear tugging slightly at the lobe with his teeth.

"Then tell me what you want then Miss Gilbert." He hissed into her ear, running his hand up her shirt, a much more direct approach from what she expected, but took it by arching herself onto him, running her right hand over the bulge in his pants.

"I want you Elijah," she returned and soon, his arm was around her waist, tucking where she arched her back and lifted her so he could remove the t shirt he gave her, running his lips over her curves and stopped at the waistline before undoing the drawstring and sliding her sweatpants down.

"Are you sure?" he placed another kiss on her bikini line pressing his thumb into her skin. Her fingers entwined into his hair, Elena nodded as she led him down further.

Forcing her hips off of the floor with his arms, Elijah ran his tongue into her folds as she gasped, a chill overcoming her again from the excitement. She wasn't cold anymore.

Teasingly, the Original flicked his tongue over her bundle of nerves, causing a low moan to escape her lips, already preparing to move against him. He held his focus on her and gripped at the skin on her thighs, making her move until her moans increased, her body twitching over him until she gave in, pulling him back to her eyes, locking his lips again. She knew what she wanted and as her fingers unbuttoned his pants, she was going to get it.

Cupping her breast in his hand, Elijah ran his tongue gently over her nipple as he entered her warmth, a gasp followed by another moan escaped her as he moved slowly inside of her while she kissed every bare inch of skin she could reach and matched his movements in a perfect rhythm.

"Harder Elijah," she let out the words in an uncontrollable gasp, digging her fingernails into his back, oblivious to the world around them. None of it mattered anymore anyway.

At her request, he picked up his pace while she curved up for a much deeper penetration causing a cry to escape her lips, her muscles tightening around his length. She knew he could hear her heart pounding in her throat, leading his focus to her jugular where he placed his lips. When she felt his lips against her skin, she pressed him closer, breathing heavily and Elijah could sense her coming climax while she moved against him, even though her legs were more like jello. The Original nipped at her skin just enough to draw blood and quickly lick it clean bringing yet another moan of his name. Elena cried out as she ran her fingers through her hair while she came, and him following close behind her with a low groan.

Elijah fell to the side of her as she pulled him in for a kiss with a smile, this sudden rash moment of hers was not a decision she was about to regret. Her breath was ragged and even though she was sweating, she shivered from the cold and Elijah quickly pulled the blanket off of the couch covering their naked bodies. Elena curled against his chest and sighed deeply, not wanting to move from his embrace and planted a kiss on his chest. "Is it still snowing?" she asked through harsh breaths.

Elijah peered up, his arm supporting her head and his other hand around her waist and nodded, the snow had gotten heavier throughout the night and when Elena looked to the clock on the mantle, she could see it was three in the morning.

"Can I just…not move?" she complained, even though she wasn't sure if she would be able to move in the first place, but that wasn't the only reason. In Elijah's arms she felt comfortable finally, relaxed and even as her heart pounded against her chest she was calm.

Elijah nodded and placed a kiss on her forehead, "You can stay as long as you like."

"Will you stay with me? The fire is warm here…" she whispered, meeting his gaze with pleading eyes. She expected him to disappear into his own room, possibly leaving her to sleep on the couch, but she didn't want him to leave her side, not now, not after what they just did.

"You don't want to pretend this never happened?" he questioned, running his hand down her shoulder, and Elena was surprised at the thought, she hadn't even considered pretending it hadn't happened and while it did happen suddenly, the feelings may have always been there, just constantly ignored.

"No of course not! Unless you don't want to mention it ever again…" Now she was embarrassed, maybe her hidden feelings had not been returned, as suddenly as they hit, maybe he was only taking advantage of her.

"Never, lovely Elena." He pulled her closer as he played with her hair, running his fingers through it affectionately while moving it off of her shoulder before kissing her again.

They laid in silence, Elijah spending the time listening to Elena's breath as she closed her eyes against him, finally warmed comfortably by the fire. Her heartbeat steadied when she drifted to sleep and he watched her, not wanting to fall asleep. He was going to do everything he could to protect her from his family.

She deserved it.

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