Title: One Moment
Author: Alysia
Couple: Elejah
Summary: Based on the rumors of an Elejah kiss. This is my own little spin.
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters familiar to TVD.
Author's Note: It's a little late, and I apologize. It is also way off of what took place in the show, but oh well. I was going through my folder and stumbled across this. I wrote this one night (obviously more than a few weeks back) to test my hand at a short drabble of sorts. I hope you guys enjoy it!

It was only when his minty breath fanned over her face that Elena finally regained herself. From the moment that she'd seen him on the street, she was pulled to him as if a moth was drawn to a flame. She had approached him casually, or as casually as possible as she could; drawing on hazy memories of Katherine's mannerisms when she dealt with Stefan or Damon. Even as the words were spewed from her mouth, Elena was unable to stop herself.

She'd come so far in her quest. She never asked to be a vampire. It didn't matter that she loved one or was bonded to another; as a human, she never wanted to live forever. She didn't like the person that she'd become. Her selfishness, a trait that she once thought absent from her characteristics was brought forth. She'd ruined the friendships that she spent years cultivating. She'd betrayed her friends and family countless times. Hell, she was personally responsible for the deaths of thousands, possibly tens of thousands, of vampires. And instead of paying the price for her grievous mistakes, it had been Jeremy. Upon his death, she made a silent vow that his death would not be in vain.

As the conversation with the Original continued, it was as if she'd been on autopilot; though she admitted that thanks to Damon's actions, she was just a shell of her former self. He had stepped up to her with the same cordiality that he always possessed, though his calling her 'Katerina' came off reserved. And instead of correcting him, she allowed him to continue on with his assumption.

Looking back, she wasn't sure how the conversation took such a turn. She'd been aware of the fact that with every word that was exchanged, the space between them lessened. She was aware when air around them became stilted and tantalizing. She was very aware when his hands settled on her hips, pulling her even closer to his body; yet it wasn't until she felt his breath fan over her face as their faces drew closer together that she finally broke the spell that had been woven around them.

Looking away from the intensity of his gaze, Elena shook her head before pulling back from him. The steps that she had retracted were only a few feet, but it felt as though a canyon had settled between them. "I can't do this. I'm sorry, Elijah," oddly, her voice cracked with emotion. "God, I'm so sorry…for everything."

The Original was both relieved and disappointed when Elena stepped away from him. Elena had always possessed a quality that he found himself reflecting upon. She crossed his thoughts far more than she should have; more than he wanted her to. Despite his absence from Mystic Falls, he was very aware of her transformation and all that had taken place since then. The moment he spotted her on the street, he knew who it was. Yet, instead of responding how he should have, he allowed her to approach him. He pretended to play coy, calling her 'Katerina.' He didn't miss the way that her body stiffened at the name, and he found himself wondering just what sort of affect the first doppelganger had on her lovers.

"It's okay, Elena…" he replied as he watched the emotions flitter across her face. It wasn't really, but then, nothing between them had ever been simple or easy.

As soon as his words registered in her mind, Elena's heart stuttered. "You…you know who I am?"

The Original blinked several times at her question. "Of course I knew who you were," he responded in a stiff tone. He had studied Elena's scent and mannerisms a long while earlier. They had plagued his thoughts more often than he had desired. In latent wonderment, he questioned how it was that neither Stefan nor Damon could decipher the difference between the two doppelgangers.

"Yet you…went along with it?" It wasn't as though she considered him a simpleton, but since no one else had been able to tell the difference between them, she just assumed that no one else would be able to sense the difference.

"I was curious as to why, you, of all people, would approach me," he observed in a stiff manner. He didn't require further depth into his words. When he watched her shift away from him, he felt a small sense of satisfaction; tied with a small measure of relief. At least Elena realized the ramifications of her previous actions… She was not beyond saving; though he supposed that it was not his job to save her. It was a relief, nonetheless.

Frowning, Elena felt the sting of tears in her eyes. "I've been on this damned quest," she admitted with a shake of her head. "But it's like every step I make, I get pushed three spaces back. I…when I saw you, I thought that maybe I could find out answers from you." Though she knew she wouldn't get any from him as Elena…

"And you chose to masquerade as Katerina?" He asked, the amusement was easy to see. His hand moved to her hair, his fingers twirling around the highlighted locks.

Elena nodded in stupidity. "I…I should go," she whispered. She'd already taken so much from him, was the cause of so many things gone wrong in his life. "I know that I must be the last person you desire to see…" Her eyes trailed up his form before staring into his eyes. She hoped that the short inventory she'd just committed to her memory would be enough, because she knew that she would never be alone with him again. The lines had been drawn ages ago, both settling on their respective sides… "I…you won't have to see me again," she whispered timidly before she turned away from him.

Other than killing her where she stood, Elijah knew the next best thing to do was let her walk away. However, he found himself unable to do so. Elena managed to twist and turn his life around, and instead of attempting to find reprieve someplace else, he insisted on punishing himself. He couldn't stand the thought of her walking away from him, not like that, not that day.

He moved before he even realized it. His hand stretched out, curling around her wrist. With a gentle force, he tugged her back around and pulled her small, appealing body closer to his. One hand moved to her waist as the other trailed up and down her arm. "You know nothing of my desires," he growled out in frustration before his moth claimed hers.

Shocked by his actions, Elena gasped into his mouth.

Instead of allowing her actions to cease his movements, he took advantage, plunging his tongue into her mouth; all the while, his lips tried to coax a response from her. When it seemed as though she would remain complacent in his actions, he moved to pull away from her.

When she felt him begin to draw away from her, Elena responded to his actions. Her tongue easily dueled with his as she attempted to caress and claim it. She knew that it was possibly one of the most stupid decisions she'd ever made, but she was unable to draw up even a drop of regret. When she felt his arm lock around her back and pull her even closer to his body, she willingly moved, pressing her body against his form.

Neither participant knew, or cared, how long they traded kisses. For them, though unknowing to the other, it was a long time coming. Granted, nothing would ever come of it, both were content to let the moment continue. However, when oxygen became an issue, they parted. Both wisely, though grudgingly, stepped away from one another.

Words were not exchanged, at least not in that moment. There was an unspoken acknowledgment of sorts that their moment would not be ruined, though both knew that was all it was. A moment. One measly moment in time that would forever haunt them.