Let's Pretend That You Miss Me Chapter 1: Then I Defy You, Stars, a vampire diaries fanfic

Hi! Ever since the finale aired I had been thinking about Elijah and Elena, and if she would be the one to bring him back to life. I wrote this mostly for my own enjoyment because I couldn't find many fics that addressed this topic, but figured I might as well share it! I'm by no means a writer, and I know this isn't literary gold, but I had fun writing it!

**I own nothing related to The Vampire Diaries**

Let's Pretend That You Miss Me

Imagine a world without me - say you're falling apart
Let's pretend you've missed me for a while
Wouldn't you say you were lonely and love was breaking your heart?
Put on your Sunday best and fake a smile

Chapter One: Then I Defy You, Stars

Elijah was dead. Again. Like, really dead. Killed by the brother whose life he had spared only days earlier, using the only stake in the world that could actually kill an Original like him.

And Elena didn't know what to do.

When Katherine had come to Damon and Stefan's house with the antidote to the werewolf bite and informed them that Elijah was gone for good, and that Klaus and Stefan had run off together, she didn't know what news had upset her more: that her boyfriend had gone rogue and left with the most powerful vampire in the world, or that Elijah - the vampire that had sworn to keep her safe, and kept his word no matter how many times he was killed by her or her friends - was gone for good.

"What did Klaus do with Elijah's body before they left?" Elena asked calmly, working to keep her voice steady. She was upset, but she didn't want to show it.

"How would I know? As soon as I got the antidote for your boyfriend over here I got the hell out of there," Katherine replied, struggling as Elena did to keep her emotions in check.

When she had walked in on Elena and Damon kissing, she experienced some sort of emotion that was foreign to her. She couldn't quite figure out what it was. Could Katherine Petrova really be experiencing jealousy? Not a chance. She always chose Stefan over Damon, anyway.

"Oh."

"I think finding a dead vampire is the least of our worries right now," Damon said, sitting up slowly. He winced. He was still in pain, but he could tell the antidote was already working.

"Well when said vampire happens to be the one person in the world who might be able to help us find Klaus and Stefan, and who worked so hard to save my life, I think we owe him some sort of help," Elena reasoned.

"Your pet is right. The sacrifice is over; we can't draw him to us this time," Katherine said, walking over to Damon to check on his wounds. She pulled up his shirt. "They're healing."

"Yeah," Damon agreed, shivering at her touch. "That was pretty quick."

"When Elijah was about to kill Klaus, he told him he could take him to see his family if he spared him. There's got to be some sort of cellar or tomb or… something where he buried them all." Elena was pacing around Damon's bedroom. She knew she could figure it out. She had to.

"Yeah, and that place is probably at the bottom of the ocean. Look, Elena," he began as he stood and crossed the room to where she had come to stand for a moment. "Elijah being dead is a good thing. It's just one less Original to take care of. They're dangerous, Elena. Just like any vampire. No matter how good they seem," Damon reasoned, holding Elena in place by her arms.

Elena knew he meant Stefan. No matter how much of a gentleman Stefan was, after everything, he was still a vampire. A blood-thirsty vampire. Until tonight, Stefan had done such a good job at suppressing his bloodlust and vampire instincts. Some days Elena nearly forgot that he was anything other than human.

Elena sighed. "Fine. But how are we going to find Stefan and Klaus without his help?"

"Are you sure you even want to find Stefan?" Katherine chimed in.

"Of course I do!" Elena spat. "I love him!"

"Oh, so that's why I just walked on you in bed with his brother. Human love is so confusing."

"It wasn't what it looked like. I was trying to comfort him. I thought he was going to die!" Damon winced.

"Maybe that's what it took for you to realize you love him, too. It's okay to love them both, Elena. I did"

Elena was sick of being questioned. Because frankly, she didn't have the answers. Did she love Damon, too? Did she love Stefan at all? Why does she care so much about finding Elijah?

"Whatever. I don't need your help. I'll find them on my own," Elena said, turning to leave. Before she could blink, Damon was standing before her.

"Elena, you don't understand. I want to find Stefan just as much as you do, but there's nothing we can do for him right now. He's too dangerous," Damon told her, staring into her fiery gaze.

She sighed. "Okay, whatever you say. I hope you're feeling better, Damon." She had trouble pulling away from his stare. It was hypnotizing. It was as if Damon could compel her despite the Vervaine she wore around her neck.

Elena left the house defeated. But she wasn't going to give up this easily. If Damon wouldn't help her, she would find somebody who would.

When Elena got home, she hoped Jeremy would be asleep. She wanted to be on her own for a while. She needed to be away from everyone and everything so she would have time to think. She had figured that after the sacrifice, everything would go back to normal. Klaus would be dead so she would never have to worry about him again. Elena would be alive, thanks to Elijah's elixir, and everyone she loved would have been protected by Elijah, as well. It seemed that everything that could have gone wrong, did.

When she pulled into the driveway, she noticed Alaric's car was there. He had probably been taking care of Jeremy and decided to crash here for the night.

Elena walked up the stairs to her room. She didn't see Alaric on the couch when she came in, but she was too tired right now to think about where he might possibly be sleeping.

Elena changed into her pyjamas and was about to climb in bed when there was a knock on her door. She threw on her purple fuzzy robe and opened it.

"Hey, Elena," It was Alaric. "I hope you don't mind me sleeping here tonight," he whispered.

"Oh, not at all. You're always welcome here," Elena assured him.

He looked frazzled. He looked tired. He was a mess, really. She couldn't blame him though. He had just lost the woman he loved, and she knew he blamed himself for not being able to help her. That was the thing about someone dying so suddenly, and in such a tragic, preventable way. Those who loved them could spend weeks thinking about what they could have done to save them. Whether it was taking your best friend's keys from him when he had had too much to drink, or doing everything in your power to keep your girlfriend and an unimaginably old soon-to-be were-pire from ever crossing paths – it was all the same. There was always something more you could have done.

"Thanks, Elena. Are you okay?"

"Me? Yeah, I'm doing fine. I'm just exhausted from everything that's been going on. Damon's okay."

"Oh, thank God. Do you think I could go visit him tomorrow? I want to see if there's anything I can do for him."

"I'm sure that would be okay. Is there anything I can do for you before I go to bed?" Elena asked, rubbing her eyes. She was hoping he would say he was okay, because she really needed sleep.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Good night, Elena," he smiled.

"Sweet dreams," Elena whispered, reaching out to squeeze his arm. "We're gonna be okay."

"Yeah," Alaric sighed. "I hope so."

Elena watched Alaric tip-toe down the hall so to not wake Jeremy, and enter Jenna's room. Elena's heart broke for Alaric a little more every time she thought about him and her former guardian. Elena closed her door and took off her robe. She climbed into bed, ready to pass out, but sleep never came. She was too busy worrying about everyone she loved. Elijah had promised he wouldn't let anyone she cared about get hurt because of the sacrifice, but she couldn't think of a single person that hadn't been affected in some way.

Not even Elijah himself.

She knew it wasn't his fault, though. He couldn't anticipate everything Klaus would do. Things fell together in Klaus's plan differently than even he had imagined, and Elena wanted to blame God, or fate, or the stars.

It was no one's fault, really, but when Elijah – an ancient vampire of unimaginable power and stature – came to her and offered his help, she couldn't believe her luck. She was desperate at the time, and Elijah was making promises that he ultimately couldn't keep. But neither of them knew that. So she couldn't bring herself to blame Elijah for Jenna's death and everyone else who was hurt along the way – those affected either directly or indirectly by Klaus's reign of terror. She wanted to blame herself for being so blind, but she knew working with Elijah was the best option she had been presented with. She was thankful for him, actually, because she couldn't begin to imagine the damage that could have been done without his help and protection.

So she blamed God, and fate, and the stars.

It's short, but I'll have the next chapter up tomorrow, probably. Review if you'd like, I would really appreciate it!

"Fact - Fiction" by Mads Langer