Title: Thanksgiving
Author: Alysia
Summary: Very AU. Elena's parents did die, but she never learned who saved her, so she knows nothing about the existence of vampires. She finished high school before going away to college. She is now in her second year and she returns home to have Thanksgiving with Jenna, when she meets the mysterious Elijah
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters familiar to TVD
Author's Note: This is very AU in the way that things didn't progress like they did on the show, so certain characters won't even make an appearance in this.

Chapter 1

Fighting with her luggage up the steps, Elena Gilbert nearly cursed at it. She figured that since she'd return home for the weekend, she bring all of her dirty laundry and wash it there instead of at a laundry mat. However, as she continued to try and maneuver the older piece of luggage, she wondered why the plan sounded like such a good idea. The luggage was old, it belonged to her parents; but despite the age and obvious wear and tear, she couldn't part from it.

"Here, let me help you with that."

Elena shrieked, not expecting anyone. When she drove up to her childhood house and discovered the drive way empty, she assumed that she'd be alone for the time being.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you."

The college student looked up to see an attractive man standing before her. No, attractive didn't even seem to cover it. He was gorgeous. He wore a suit, which Elena found odd considering he was at her house, not at an office, but he certainly pulled it off. He looked as though he stepped off a magazine shoot, between his outfit and hair, nothing was out of place. He had dark brown eyes with mall flecks of gold and green around the iris. He was clean shaven and his lips…she shook her head to clear her thoughts. A small smile kissed his lips, and Elena forced herself to pull away from her perusal. Oh, god! She hoped that he didn't notice the fact that she'd just checked him out!

"No, I'm sorry," she shook her head. "I'm not normally so taken by surprise. I didn't see Jenna's car, so I assumed that I was alone." She didn't even factor the expensive car that was parked directly across the street.

"She had to run to the store to grab a couple things that she forgot for tomorrow," he supplied easily. He moved around her to take the luggage from her, frowning when he noticed that the deterioration of her luggage. "Here, let me help you with that." He brought it inside, waiting for Elena. "Why don't you lead, and I'll follow you where you want to go." The tone of his voice was polite, but stiff.

Feeling possessed by some unknown power, Elena found herself smirking at the man before her. "Hmmm, based on the tone of your voice, I'm going to guess that you don't say that to many people." No, he appeared to be someone that liked to be in control of all situations.

Elijah found himself smirking at the young woman. "You have no idea…"

Elena smiled at him before passing him and walking on the stairs. Using extra swag, she made sure to move her hips as much as she could, unable to tell if he was checking her back side out or not. Making her way to her bedroom, she opened the door, moving to the side so as not to be his way.

Elijah set her bag down, his eyes casting a glance around the room. Unknowingly to anyone, it wasn't his first visit to Elena's room. He found himself up there quite a bit, taking in the scent of her room. Her fragrance had faded from her time there over the summer, but there were still minute traces of it.

"Um, I never did catch your name," Elena said, watching him peer around her room. She suddenly felt insecure and young as he looked around her teen aged sanctuary. His gaze was even, no hint of what he was thinking was betrayed on his face. "I'm Elena, but I think you already knew that," she held out her hand. She wondered if this was the boyfriend that Jenna had mentioned over the phone. Her cheeriness dimmed just a bit at the idea.

A small smile lit up his face. "I'm Elijah," he greeted, taking her offered hand and gently shaking it. His thumb caressed her fingers. "I'm a friend of Jenna's."

Elena found herself unable to pull away from him. His eyes, no his mere presence seemed to pull her in as though she was a moth and he, a flame. Her heart rate began to increase and she nibbled on her bottom lip. "Oh, um, boyfriend?" Please sound casual, please sound casual, she chanted to herself.

"Just a friend," he acknowledged. Enjoying the sensations he was causing, Elijah relished in them for a moment longer before pulling away from her completely.

"So what's the deal with sexy in the next room?" Caroline Forbes asked as she and Elena finished up cleaning the kitchen.

There had been a full dining room that night. Not only were Jenna and Jeremy there, but one of Elena's best friends from high school, Caroline, had joined them. Elijah stayed for dinner and Jenna's boyfriend, Alaric Saltzman joined them. Once dinner finished, Jeremy left to meet up with some friends as the 'adults' moved towards the living room.

Elena started the dishwasher before turning to look at her blonde friend. "He's a historian. He came to Mystic Falls a couple months ago to find some research and he just…never left," the brunette supplied with a shrug of her shoulders. At least that was what Elijah had told her when they spoke earlier in the afternoon.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "No, I mean what's with you and him?"

Elena found herself blushing as she looked away from her friend's inquisitive gaze. Aside from the fact that she couldn't get Elijah on her mind, there was nothing between them. He'd been wonderful company during dinner, but that was as far as it went. "I don't know what you mean."

"I know you're lying! I know you're lying, you bitch!" Caroline laughed at Elena's reaction.

Elena giggled, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "Shhh! They'll hear you! And there's nothing going on, he's just being polite to Jenna's niece."

Caroline shook her head. "No, he was polite to me…he's into you. I caught him staring at you a few times during dinner. What's that about?"

"Of course he would look at me, we were sitting directly across from one another," Elena excused. She wasn't ugly, but she knew that there were far more handsome women than her. Besides, she was just a twenty year old, what could a man as attractive as Elijah see in her?

"I know you don't have a boyfriend, so why not try anything?"

Elena looked away from Caroline, her smile instantly slipping off her face.

The blonde sensing the mood change offered a small smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

Matt Donavon had been a close friend of hers growing up. They often traveled in the same circle of friends. When Elena began dating him her freshmen year of high school, it seemed like such a natural thing. In the beginning, she'd only accepted his offer because her friend Bonnie Bennett, had talked her into it. Elena did grow to feel something for him, and before she knew it, they decided to make a go at a long distance relationship when each were accepted into different colleges. Her freshman year, she met Daniel Lowry, and she was taken. He was handsome and charismatic, and she'd been taken by surprise. She ended things with Matt so that she could be free to try something with Daniel. They'd gone to a party, made out some, but when she told him that he was moving too fast, he left her stranded there and hooked up with someone else.

It had been the most embarrassing thing that she'd ever experienced. She couldn't believe that she'd been so worked over. She tried to call Matt and apologize when she realized the kind of guy that Daniel had been. He never answered her calls or called her back. Since then, Elena hadn't gone to another college party. She shied away from all college guys, not interested in anything they were offering.

"Don't be," Elena smiled tightly.

"So…why not try things with Elijah? It's obvious that the two of you are into each other. Honey, you need to fuck him."

Elena shook her head. "You know I'm not one for casual sex." She'd tried that once, and it didn't work out…hence the reason why she tended to stay away from members of the opposite sex.

"No, but Elena…he's hot, and you need sex. Mr. Big just isn't the same."

"Would you please not call it that? And could we please not discuss my sex life-"

"Or lack thereof-" Caroline interrupted.

"In the kitchen where anyone could walk in and overhear…" Elena finished, ignoring Caroline's barb. "Really, Mr. Big? How original."

With one ear listening to Alaric and Jenna, he kept his other open to eavesdrop on Elena's conversation with her blonde friend. Her friend certainly wasn't shy. It was like the filter that existed between the brain and the mouth on a normal person was non-existent for her. She was a hoot, and if the scent of blood that rushed through the kitchen was any indication, Elijah knew that Elena was blushing up a storm.

Excusing himself from Jenna and Alaric, he joined the two friends in the kitchen. The two were quietly debating over him. He knew that if he was human, he'd be confused; but he didn't a miss a word that was spoken between them. Caroline was clearly cheering Elena on to make a move on him, and she was vehemently denying it.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Elijah asked, clearing his throat. He knew he was, but they couldn't know it. He'd been in Mystic Falls since the end of summer, and no one suspected that he was a vampire.

"No! Not at all!" Elena exclaimed, thankful for the interruption.

Caroline turned around and smiled brightly at Elijah. "I was just telling Elena that I needed to get going. My mother wants to have some bonding time with me…apparently preparing a turkey dinner just doesn't count."

"It was a pleasure to have met you." Elijah smiled at her before turning his attention back to Elena.

"It was," Caroline nodded, moving behind him. She gathered Elena's attention and mouthed the words 'fuck him' before making her way to Jenna and hugging her goodbye.

Elijah schooled his features, his sensitive hearing able to discern her words. He smiled politely at Elena, watching her cheeks flame in embarrassment yet again. "So, we're going to watch a movie, Jenna sent me in here to see if you wanted to join us."

Elena looked around the kitchen, making sure that she cleaned all the dishes. "Sure. Oh, um, I'll make some popcorn."

He watched her shift things around on the shelves before she began muttering to herself. "Problem?"

"There's no popcorn, which is weird. Jenna always has it." When Jenna moved in with them after her parents died

Elijah stepped further into the room, coming up behind Elena. He took stock of the shelves, finding it on the top shelf. Instead of telling her about it, he leaned up, moving forward so that he brushed against her back side in the lightest caress. "Here it is," he held it out for her.

Peering over her shoulder at him, she offered him a small smile of appreciation. "Thanks." She walked around the kitchen and set about preparing the popcorn.

A few minutes later, she and Elijah walked into the living room to find Jenna and Alaric on the love seat, exchanging slow, languid kisses. The brunette smiled at her aunt, happy with the way things had turned out for her. She'd watched Jenna and Alaric during dinner, and it was obvious that Alaric was just as crazy for Jenna as she was for him.

"Okay, none of that now. Impressionable eyes here," Elena said.

Jenna pulled her mouth away from Alaric and scrunched her nose at Elena. "That would be so much more convincing if I hadn't walked in on you and Matt Donovan doing-"

Elena grabbed a pillow from the love seat she planned on sitting on and chucked it Jenna's direction.

Jenna covered her face, but before it could make contact, Alaric grabbed it and tossed it back at Elena. She ducked out of the way, Elijah easily catching it. Blushing, Elena refused to look in Elijah's direction. She may have been out of the dating game for a while, but she figured that the guy she was attracted to wouldn't want to hear about her history with another guy.

"So, Jenna mentioned that you had siblings…" Elena trailed off, wanting to know more about Elijah, but not wanting to offend him by her curiousness. The movie was long since over and Jenna and Alaric excused themselves, but Elena wasn't ready for the night to end. Elijah proved to be excellent company. He was so worldly, and she loved listening to his stories.

"I do. I have three younger brothers and a younger sister. She's the baby of the family." He hadn't seen them in so long…

"I always wanted a large family. I love Jeremy, but I always wanted a sister. Once he was old enough to know his own mind, I couldn't make him play dress-up with me any longer." She let out a small laugh. "I assume that you'll be staying in Mystic Falls for Thanksgiving, will your family be joining you?"

"No, it's been years since I've seen them," he admitted in a soft voice. "But Jenna was kind enough to invite me over tomorrow."

"Before my parents died, we had this tradition of playing football. The kids and most of the guys would play at the park nearby," she stared out into the blank space before her, a wistful smile on her face.

"You no longer play then?"

She shook her head, turning her attention back to her companion. "No. The first year that Jenna became our guardian was an…adjustment. My mother could and did anything. She always made the best food during the holidays. Poor Jenna wasn't so inclined in the kitchen. I started helping cook the food and Jeremy struggled for a little while. By the time we found a new routine, it was kind of just…tucked away in our memories, like we would be ruining the perfectness of what used to be." Elena offered a small smile. "What about you? Were there any traditions that you guys had?"

"Nothing like that," he shook his head. "From the moment I was old enough, my father had me working. There was always something that we were working on, things that needed to be fixed. It was like that with my siblings as well. We…were very close in that aspect. When it came to holiday celebrations, my father would take us boys out to hunt. What we hunted was what we ate for dinner." He could still remember Klaus and Kol's juvenile games on their treks into the wilderness. How angry their father would get when the younger boys would purposely make sounds to scare away animals because they couldn't bear the thought of killing it.

"Wow. It sounds like a different world," she admitted, impressed by his story.

"It was. There were times where we didn't eat until late because it took us that long to catch something." He shook his head, clearing away the thoughts of another life. "We weren't struggling by any means, but my parents always kept us humble…thankful for what we had."

"You are by far, the most fascinating person I've ever met," Elena confessed after a moment. When his head snapped in her direction, she looked away. "I'm sorry if I've offended you in some way. It's just, I've listened to you talk tonight and I don't your stories could ever get old."

Elijah took a chance to give his companion a once over. Elena Gilbert was a very beautiful woman, not unlike the two that had existed before her. However, she managed to make them both pale in comparison. She never went out of her way to hurt or manipulate people. Yes, she made mistakes, but she obviously knew that and tried to learn from it.

It wasn't by chance that he happened in Mystic Falls. He was a guest lecturer at her college one day. She didn't attend it, and it happened to be a coincidence when he saw her from across campus. The moment he saw her, he made it his purpose to learn everything about her. When he arrived in Mystic Falls, he tracked down her house, befriending Jenna. He wanted to learn everything he could about the doppelganger. Once, it was a mission. He planned on using her as a way to lure Klaus out of hiding. One day though, he found his plans changing. He no longer wanted to use her, he wanted her for himself.

"I saw you once, at your school." Lie. He'd seen her many times. Once he learned who she was, he would periodically return to her college and spend time observing her; learning her habits, her schedule, watching the people she interacted most with.

"Really?" Elena asked, surprised by his admission.

He nodded. "I was a guest speaker one day. I saw you on campus though and I was…taken with you."

"Yeah, sure…"

"You were sitting by yourself under a tree, reading a book. I don't know what made me stop originally." Lie, he knew what made him stop. For a second there, he'd mistaken her for Katerina. "When the wind would blow just right, it would blow the leaves of the tree and your hair would just…light up. You looked like an angel sitting there." He leaned closer to her, placing her hair behind her ears. "I don't know you very well, I won't pretend otherwise, but I find myself quite taken with you."

She watched as he leaned in closer to her, and for a moment she thought he would kiss her. From the moment she met him, she was attracted to him, but he made her nervous. She hadn't even kissed anyone in nearly a year. How could he possibly be interested in her? She felt both disappointed and relieved when he moved past her mouth. He placed a kiss on the crook of her neck-wait, did he just smell her?

His eyes closed and he almost moaned. Elena's fragrance was divine. It smelt similar to Tatia and Katerina, but there was a light floral scent that was all Elena. "You smell absolutely delectable." Realizing his actions, he moved his head back up. "May I kiss you now, Elena?"

Elena opened her eyes, immediately falling into his intense gaze. He looked at her as though she was a treasure waiting to be discovered…like he wanted to possess her. "Yes." Her eyes were closed, her heart pounding. A moment later when she felt nothing against her lips, her eyes opened and she looked at him.

When her eyes opened and she looked at him, he raised his hand up, cupping her face. His thumbs stroked her cheeks.

Elena's eyes closed again. No one had ever touched her like that. When his mouth covered hers, she nearly melted into him. They spent a minute trying to find the best rhythm, getting used to each other. Elijah's tongue begged for entrance to her mouth and the first time that their tongue met, Elena was overwhelmed with arousal.