Elijah still had a difficult time grasping the surreal nature of this current encounter, despite the fact he had lived long enough to be past the point of surprise about anything. But it blew his mind that yesterday morning he had no idea Elena existed and today... they were willingly sharing the same space, for lack of a better descriptor. Normally a smart young woman would never choose to trust a man who mortally threatened her at their first meeting - a man who was a vampire, no less. He had held his breath when he knocked at the door, anticipating that she would turn him away or retaliate. He'd been prepared to resign himself to watching her from the shadows.

But here they were. The strangest sense of déjà vu settled in the back of his mind. He'd walked this route with the earliest incarnation of Elena's bloodline, and in hindsight it seemed only fitting that it would come around one thousand years later. He wondered at the workings of the universe, his instincts telling him there was something much larger at play here. He stole glances at Elena when she wasn't looking, still in awe that she was utterly identical to both Tatiana and Katherine. He felt a strange sense of relief in seeing her face again.

But they had been walking in silence longer than Elijah had expected. Elena seemed nervous and hesitant... he could almost predict the eager questions simmering below her surface. He'd caught her glancing at him, mouth half-open before she'd close it again. And he felt similarly anxious. She was like a skittish doe that he was coaxing to eat from his hand. Or an apparition who might disappear the moment he acknowledged her presence. He wanted her to be the first to speak so he'd know which way to guide the conversation. But she wasn't cooperating with his plan. Once they'd traveled further into the cover of the woods, his normally infinite patience had reached its end. He cleared his throat. Her eyes shot to him immediately.

"I suppose I should break the ice," he said, the hint of a wry half-smile traveling over his face. Her gait slowed.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out. "I just... I have so many questions, but..."

"You don't know if you can trust me."

She glanced away sheepishly, and he stopped himself from touching her arm. He was drawn to do so, but he respected her space. And he was wary of letting himself get too close. Time had already shown him that his association with the doppelgänger was ill-fated. There would be no happy ending. She would be better off if he kept some semblance of formality between them. To do otherwise could prove him to be the fatal catalyst in her life. He was resigned to protect her, his amends to her predecessors who he'd failed.

"It's alright," he said. "Honestly, you shouldn't trust anyone, Elena. There are so many truths about your bloodline that you don't even know. Others could try to take advantage of that."

"Like what?" Another cautious glance passed over him before she pushed a low branch out of the way to continue on the path. She was trying not to appear too eager, but the curiosity was eating her alive. She was lucky she had encountered him first and not someone with more malevolent intent.

"If I disclose a truth, I shall expect the same in return." He arched an eyebrow.

Her tongue ran over her teeth as she considered the implications of what he propsed, but then she nodded. "Deal. You go first."

"Alright. You come from a long line of Petrovas."

"Petrovas? Was that... my last name?"

He smirked. "Your turn. Who do you live with?"

"My uncle," she replied quickly. "How do you know the Petrovas?"

"I intended to marry the first, one thousand years ago."

He watched a subtle blush settle over her cheeks, an interesting reaction. Her heart rate picked up the slightest titch, but he pretended not to notice. He'd keep his curiosity to himself. He started walking again and she jogged up next to him to keep in step. She was reeled in.

"What is your uncle's name?" he asked.

"Mikael," Elena answered, and his eyes widened briefly. The name was enough to raise the hairs on his neck.

"I knew a Mikael once," he remarked.

"It's not exactly a rare name."

"No." But it felt entirely too coincidental to him, and it sucked the lighthearted nature from their exchange. She regarded him with a wary look now, and he fought his brooding demeanor. "Just someone I knew. It brings up a memory, that's all."

"Not a good one," Elena guessed. She looked unnerved. He wondered if he'd hit closer to home than she liked. That intrigued him more about the man behind the name.

"It depends on your perspective." He kept his gaze from being too pointed, and he took his opportunity to volley a question back to her court. "How long have you lived in the cabin?"

"Since I was three. My parents died and my uncle took me in." She shrugged. "I have glimpses of them, but not really memories."

Too coincidental, he thought again. And almost too dangerous to say any more. His instincts were throwing up red flags all over the place. But she seemed like someone he could trust. Clearly she didn't mention their prior encounter to her uncle or else she wouldn't have been alone today. And his plan was already somewhat compromised now that she knew his name. If this was the same Mikael, she would be hundreds of miles away the moment that she made mention of Elijah. And that could not happen.

Her wheels were turning as she contemplated her next question and he bit down on his lower lip. He waited, willing her not to go there. She hesitated as her eyes dipped to his mouth and then back to his gaze. It was a split second but it threw him ever-so-slightly. He didn't expect to distract her.

"Who is Katerina?"

The previous Petrova wasn't a subject he intended to fully broach today, but she was better than the alternative of answering questions about the Mikael he knew.

"Your doppelgänger. She looks exactly like you," he mused, and he resisted reaching out to run his fingers over a lock of her long dark hair. "And exactly like my betrothed, from whom you are both descended."

"Wait... what?"

He smirked and he moved further through the forest, noting where the trees parted just ahead. Her footsteps crunched behind him, signaling her fervor to catch up.

She caught his arm and he stopped, looking first at her hand upon him and then at her face. She quickly withdrew, the blood once again rising to her cheeks and neck.

"I believe it's my turn for a question," he said.

"Elijah, no. You have to tell me more about your fiancée, and Katerina, and this whole doppelgänger thing. I mean, that's just crazy."

"Is it?" He stared at her and she shifted uneasily. He could tell she sensed fragments of the truth. She was turning the shards in her mind, trying to fit them together. "What has your uncle told you about your parents' murder?"

She swallowed. "That whoever killed them might come looking for me."

"Did he ever determine who that was?"

"He doesn't talk about it much... he's just said that once I am eighteen, it will be easier. That I can leave here and finally see the world." Elena glanced at him shyly. "You're the first person I've met."

The realization of the trust she had afforded him left him floored. Not to mention how awry things could have gone for her if she had encountered the wrong vampire first. "You've been here the whole time."

"Yes."

"And your uncle leaves you alone?"

"Now? Yes. But when I was too young, my teacher stayed."

She shrugged and then crossed her arms, venturing past the cover of the trees into the sunlight. He noticed how that light illuminated her hair with undertones of gold and red, just like Tatia's always was right before she would break away from him and run laughing toward the water. And of course he would give chase, until they were both engulfed in the pool at the bottom of the waterfall, their mouths inevitably finding one another.

Elena turned back to him and the edge to her expression broke him from the memory. "He's trained me, though. Never to trust anyone. How to defend myself. I had a stake ready for you yesterday, if you hadn't disappeared."

His hairs stood on end. Obviously Dracula wasn't her first encounter with the vampire mythos. "How did you find out about... our kind?"

And now she was silent. He'd broached the subject she wouldn't divulge any details for. "I need to know more about Katerina," she answered instead.

"Just Katerina? Not Tatia, or me?" He moved slightly closer, but she didn't waver. Her chin still pushed upward stubbornly.

"All of you. You know more about me than I ever will because of my ancestors. And if I'm still in danger, I want to know who is after me and why."

He remained quiet as he mulled over where to begin, but she took that silence as reluctance. She sighed, and then she blinked hard. He noticed her eyes were shining a little too brightly, and he resisted reaching out to comfort her.

"You don't understand, I have to know," she said, her voice cracking. "I will never be able to leave here until that threat is gone. My uncle won't let me leave. He promises that I'll be able to go to college and finally see the world... but I'm scared that he's going to break that promise because of my 'safety.' I can't spend my entire life here, in this cabin. I just can't... not knowing that there's more out there."

"You feel like you've been a captive," he remarked, and she could only nod. She was probably closer to the truth than she knew. Two tears rolled down her cheeks and that was nearly his undoing. Normally crying barely elicited a reaction from him, but this was a different story. He felt almost powerless against her and the weight of history on the brink of repeating itself.

Before he could stop himself, he pulled her into his arms, his hand gingerly cradling her head against his chest. She was stiff at first, but then she sank against him. A wave of melancholy stirred in his chest, her leaning upon him a reminder of all he'd lost. He allowed his eyes to close just for a second, to relish the moment. He'd long asked the universe to allow him to hold Tatia one more time. This was as close as he'd come. And while she was clearly a different person, this was his chance to make things right.

"You have to help me, Elijah," she mumbled.

She pulled away slightly, maybe reluctantly, and he noticed how her cheeks flushed at their proximity. At the end of the day, she was still an innocent young woman. He imagined he took her completely off-guard. He let go of her, stepping out of her space.

"I will," he said. "You can count me among your allies. And I will tell you everything." He gestured towards the rocks at the water's edge.

She sat down and he settled next to her. Then she looked at him expectantly, waiting for their history to unfold.

Elena walked the last few hundred feet back to the cabin alone. The sun was hanging low in the sky and her brain was bursting at the seams. She could barely pay attention to the steps she took or what excuse she would give her uncle when she returned. If he ever knew everything she now did... they'd be on the run. She wondered how much he knew about Klaus, the werewolf-vampire who needed to kill her to unlock a curse.

She had barely said anything to Elijah after he told her the story of Tatia and how she was linked to Elijah and his siblings, how her blood was used by their mother to create vampires. And then how Tatia was killed to bind his brother Klaus's werewolf side, how their parents couldn't leave Klaus's power unchecked. Katerina's story was even worse... she had no inkling that she was the doppelgänger and being prepared for a sacrifice while they courted her in what she thought was high society. At least she ran, even if she'd had to turn. But Katerina was only seventeen... the thought of turning crossed Elena's mind for a split second, but she couldn't imagine being this young forever. Not to mention that Klaus flew into a rage when Katerina escaped and took it upon himself to travel to Bulgaria to murder her entire family personally. Elena shuddered in recollection. She wondered where Katerina was now, if she'd managed to elude Klaus this entire time. She knew what she'd be googling later.

Elena felt almost like she was in a stupor after the whole information dump. She didn't know what she'd expected Elijah to tell her, but now she was terrified to ever set foot out alone again. What if someone recognized her? She couldn't tell who the vampires were and weren't, beyond scouring them for a piece of blue lapis jewelry. The only consolation was that Klaus never expected another doppelgänger to come about. He thought his opportunity was lost when Katerina turned.

Still, she wasn't about to take any chances. From now on, she'd be carrying a stake with her at all times - and vervain. Elijah showed her where it grew in abundance and instructed her to tuck it inside her waistband under her shirt for now and to later add it to her tea. He said it would protect her mind before showing her how it burned against his skin. Not enough to kill a vampire, but certainly enough to slow one down and buy her some time if she needed it. Elena hoped she wasn't dubiously trusting one of Klaus's allies, but Elijah seemed sincere. He'd reinforced that she couldn't invite anyone in, even him.

When they parted ways, she barely whispered a goodbye. He hadn't hugged her again. He appeared to be someone whose actions and words were all measured and calculated, so his spontaneity in that particular moment must have surprised him too. She definitely didn't expect that reaction from him, but it wasn't unwelcome. And there was a tinge of wistfulness in his eyes as he watched her walk away. He didn't say as much, but Elena knew he would be back. As strange as it was given the circumstances, that knowledge set off anticipatory butterflies in her stomach.

She took a deep breath as she stood on the other side of the door, then she forced a calm expression onto her face. Her uncle looked up from the stove when she came inside.

"You're finally back," he remarked, and she noted relief in his tone. "How was your day?"

"Peaceful," she replied. She wondered if he could tell she was lying through her teeth. She felt her anxiety ready to ramp up, and she willed it down. She didn't need her heart pounding so loud that they could both hear it. She leaned against the counter casually. "How was yours? What did you do today?"

He stirred at the saucepan, occupied by its ingredients. "It was fine. Typical. Meeting up with those who work at the business."

"Is the business okay? You've been going there a lot lately." Elena asked. Up until now, she always just assumed it was some sort of a store or something that her uncle ran from behind the scenes, the source of his income while he tended to keeping her alive and safe. But now she had to wonder if it was a euphemism for something more... something related to vampires, and maybe Klaus.

He didn't look at her when he spoke. "It's fine. Great, actually. There may be a buyer interested in taking over. We've been in discussions. If that happens, I won't have to leave you here alone as much."

That sent her heart to her throat. If he was here... and then Elijah came... she fought the panic down. "Oh - that sounds like great news. But... what will you do once I leave for college?"

"I'll move nearby." He smiled at her, and she felt a chill go down her spine. "Just because you'll be eighteen doesn't mean the danger goes away, Elena."

"I-I know. I mean, I guess I knew. I don't know much about these people, but somehow I thought being older would make it better."

"Someday we will have a long discussion about it, but not tonight." He squeezed her upper arms. "I don't want to ruin your peaceful day."

He looked at her, pleading silently with her to drop the subject. She just nodded. Her brain was so overwhelmed anyway it wasn't like she could form a coherent argument. "I'll set the table."

"Excellent," he said, and he smiled at her again.

As she got the dishes out of the cabinet, she willed her mind to shut off. It was the only way she'd get through the evening until she could be alone.