It was only the three of them, again. Esther and Finn were gone after the plan to kill them all had failed. Kol left Mystic Falls in seek of excitement that a small town couldn't provide him.
Elijah, himself, had thought of leaving after he kidnapped Elena and used her for blackmail against the Salvatore brothers. But he knew his guilty conscience would follow him anywhere. Change of setting did not necessarily mean change of mind, he realized.
With a drink in his hand, he passed by the living room and saw Klaus in his favorite chair, staring solemnly into the fireplace. He had been like this for the past week.
"Klaus?" Elijah stood behind his brother. "I noticed you have been…preoccupied lately." He kept his tone passive. Klaus hated it whenever he pried into his personal life.
"Leave me be, Elijah." Klaus did not look at him, but continued to stare at the fireplace, the flames reflecting in his eyes.
"Is this about Caroline?" Elijah asked slowly. He wasn't familiar with the blonde vampire but from Rebekah's tales, Klaus was apparently enamored with the girl.
Klaus growled lowly. "Caroline and I are finished. Or should I say, we never really began."
Elijah placed his hand on the back of Klaus' chair. "You still felt that she betrayed you." It wasn't a question but an observation.
Klaus' shoulders stiffened slightly. "I told you that love was a vampire's greatest weakness. I let her distract me with her feminine charms while my own brother was stabbed. No more. I've burned my feelings."
Elijah's gaze fell to the opened sketchbook lying on the Egyptian rug. The pages were blank but he noticed paper stubs on the binding that hinted some sketches were torn out. He didn't have to ask to know that the drawings were of Caroline.
"Elijah, I have a favor I want to ask from you," Klaus said after a brief moment of silence.
"Name it," Elijah answered. Even after hundred years of battle and conflict, he still did not hesitate to help his brother.
"You know how vindictive Rebekah is. She's still mad that Caroline had a hand in the harming of our family. I'm afraid she might retaliate."
"I'll watch over Caroline to make sure that no harm comes to her by the hands of our sister," Elijah promised.
Klaus nodded. "Thank you. I don't think I'm in a position to protect her anymore." He leaned back against his chair and shut his eyes.
Elijah shifted his attention to the fireplace, the orange and red burned furiously in the pit. It seemed that some flames took longer to die out.
The white Victorian style house reflected the quiet, suburban tone of Mystic Falls. A clever disguise for the home that housed a young vampire, Elijah mused before knocking on the door.
The door swung open and he was met with surprise before quickly narrowing her eyes. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, folding her arms across her chest.
Elijah took in her appearance. Her blonde hair was loose, gentle waves framing her round face. His gazed trailed down to her outfit- a low cut black romper that revealed generous cleavage and long legs. Her blue eyes glared at him and he was drawn to the fire behind them.
"Hello, I asked you a question." She waved a hand at him impatiently.
Elijah resisted the urge to smile at her tone. "I'm here to protect you, Caroline. It seems that my sister has a vendetta against you."
Caroline's brows furrowed in confusion. "Rebekah? Why-" She saw his expression. "Klaus told you," she said, finally understanding.
He nodded. "I don't blame you Caroline. It's natural to help your friends."
"Excuse me, you don't blame me? You're the one who kidnapped Elena and forced Damon to turn Bonnie's mother. If anyone's at fault, it's you." Caroline pointed her finger at him furiously.
"I had no choice. It was either get rid of the Bennett witch or my family would all perish," Elijah replied calmly.
Caroline rolled her eyes. "So you chose your life over the life of another person- a good, innocent person. You are truly a monster." She glared at him hatefully.
"If I'm correct, Bonnie's mother was turned, not killed."
Caroline shook her head. "You don't get it. When Damon turned her, he took everything away from her. The ability to grow old, to freely walk in the sun, to have more children, everything. Now her life will be about fighting the urge to feed on humans and watching Bonnie age while she stays the same age forever. As hard as it is for Bonnie to watch her mother become something that she loathes, it is even harder for Abby to accept what she is."
"I'm sorry," Elijah said finally. His guilty conscience resurfaced, always managing to trail him like a shadow.
"But you wouldn't have changed a thing. It was either them or your family," Caroline said softly. For a moment her eyes filled with understanding.
Elijah felt his heart constrict. Those blue orbs- he wondered if humanity was not lost, just hard to find like a diamond in a coal mine.
"I have to go inside and watch over Abby. She's still getting used to drinking from blood bags."
Elijah nodded and watched as the blonde vampire made her way back into the house. He stepped closer and saw Caroline pouring blood into a porcelain cup and heating it in the microwave. She handed the cup to Abby and stroked the woman's hair while encouraging her to drink. Elijah smiled and inched closer to the window, only a wooden door separating him and light (and hope).
He made a mistake, he knew. But he would ratify it- starting first with the blonde. He would keep her alive at all costs.