The next time he sees her use code in front of other people, she's breathtaking. She carefully brushes her hand against her hand against her right leg before he comes over. The gesture signals truth. He blinks twice for confirmation.
She had called him the day before, asking him to meet him at her house. They had talked. She promised him candor as she showed him the note on her invitation. His mother wanted to talk to her. It's suspicious and he told his ally so. He doubted her intentions.
They ended up taking a walk to practice their code, and had walked past a dress shop as she sighed. She admitted, in unfiltered words, that she had absolutely no idea what to wear or where to find a dress. Gears had turned in his head as soon as she had said it. She asked who was invited, and sighed when he said his mother invited all founding families.
They made a plan to take the Salvatores out. He was interested when she sighed and admitted she had moved on from the Salvatores. She didn't want to rip them apart. And, she admits, without code, that they were starting to wear on her. Starting to rip her apart.
The Salvatores are currently in their basement, with snapped necks. She promised she'd deal with them, they wouldn't be stupid enough to act against him. She'll handle it.
He greets her, and she admits, without code, that it's odd to see him in a tuxedo. He lets out a small, genuine laugh. He reminds her she has only ever seen him in suits.
She nods, but tells him it's just enough of a change to throw her off. He asks her to save him a dance. She smiles and agrees.
When he's done with the toast, he walks as quickly as he can while pretending to be human, to Elena. She seems to understand his intent, because she moves closer to make it easier on him. He asks if he can have the first dance, and she nods. He leads her to the ballroom, and she carefully taps her nervousness in Morse. He wonders if it's habit or if she wants him to know, so he taps back. Quiet anticipation fills her veins as the music begins. He taps about how he'll lead, the gestures. They dance, and when the time comes to switch partners, he signals that she'll have to switch. He's going to give her to Finn, and he will likely take her to talk to his mother. She confirms that she'll tells him what she says. He thanks her and then she spins. She's tense, her fingers tap anxiously, he sees. Finn leads her away when the song ends.
It's okay, he had signaled, as she glanced back.
When he finds her afterwards, she signals distance, from listening ears, later. The code isn't completely thorough, and there are some things too long do express with Morse, but she mentions how she won't be drinking the champagne. Since she's underage, and it's illegal, she says. She gestures for him to not drink either, in the empty hallway
He nods, and she gestures that there's a plan. She pretends to trip, and he catches her. He wonders what cut her, why he can smell blood on her, from her hand. He'll ask when there aren't eavesdropping ears.
"Are you all right?" He asks. She nods and asks if he could possibly take her home because she thinks she ripped her dress. He agrees, and lets go of her as she carefully rights herself again.
They walk with enough space between them to imply a lack of closeness. She almost hates the space, the closer they are the easier it is to send a message. It makes her harder to protect, should it come to that. She feels too vulnerable in the ballgown he had sent. She wants jeans and her converse. Something she can hide weapons in. Vervain, stakes, anything. She just wants something.
But she slips away from him as he speaks to Kol, and stands next to Caroline and explains that she ripped her dress. Elijah was kind enough to offer her a ride home. She'll tell the truth later. She walks the few yards to Elijah as he gets two flutes of champagne. He toasts, a quiet celebration of family. He pretends to take a few sips, and so does she, saying that a little sip or two wouldn't hurt either of them. She's almost alarmed at how good she's gotten at lying. They hands their flutes off to a waiter, and she tries to calm her heart. It beats a little too quickly as they walk out of the front doors, she's expecting someone to stop them.
He opens the passenger door first. He has a feeling he needs to get Elena home as soon as possible.
It's not the first time they've been in a car together, but it's the first time she's been anxious about it. How is she going to tell him his mother wants him dead? A part of her worries he won't believe her, but he had his suspicions already. She can't help but wonder how he'll react. He tells her that she looks exquisite. It's genuine, and she thanks him, for the compliment and her dress. There's a long silence after his response, not because there's nothing to say, but because he's waiting until they're out of hearing range.
She could turn on the radio, he never minds when she does. But she doesn't want to tell him that his mother wants to kill him while something from the Top 40 plays. He speaks first, an indication it's safe to talk again.
He's always to the point. She almost wants to cringe. She doesn't.
"Why did you stop me from drinking the champagne?"
"Your mother wants to kill all of you." She blurts. The words escape.
"Is Finn helping her?" His face remains neutral, she wants to look at his eyes but it's too dark to see them anyway.
"He is." She confirms. He asks her to explain what she knows, what his mother said.
"She wants to kill you all. She thinks that making you into vampires was a mistake. She put a binding spell in the champagne so you would all be bound together. If one of you died, you'd all die. And Finn has volunteered to die. If one of you dies, your entire line dies. Since you didn't drink, it failed." She explains.
"What cut you? I can smell blood." He wonders.
"Your mother cut my hand. My blood was in the champagne. Since doppelganger blood was one of the things she said she used to make you into vampires, it could help kill you. She took it before I could find a way out, Elijah. I had to give it. I think she would have killed me if I hadn't." She wants him to believe her, she's almost nervous. She always gives him truth.
"Indeed. She might have. No one was harmed by your action. You made the best decision you could, lovely Elena."
There's a pause, and it's silence for a few moments as he turns onto her street.
He sees her blink rapidly. She doesn't want to cry in front of him, this is about him. Not her.
"I'm so sorry, Elijah." She can't imagine her mother wanting to kill her and Jeremy. She can't imagine living for a thousand years and then having their mother want to rip that away from them either.
"Thank you for your candor." He says, and his voice is heavy. He had suspected, he had admitted it to her the day before. A moment of vulnerability-she keeps his secrets like he keeps hers.
He had admitted the appearance of his mother had him surprised, and thinking. Scenarios and possibilities he never thought of considering before had filled his head. He needed her help, an interesting change in his mind. She could do something he could not do at all. He could not spy on his mother as easily as Elena could simply talk to her.
When he parks in her driveway, she asks what he's going to do. His mother had taken her blood, wanting to kill her children. She shudders when she realizes that his parents had succeeded in killing them once already.
He answers, pulling out his phone, that he and his siblings will kill her. She can't fathom that either, and she moves slowly. He watches, unsure of what she's doing until she stops moving. Her head is on one of his shoulders and one of her hands is on the other. She's attempting to hug him. She's not sure how well it's going.
He can't remember the last time someone touched him and he was surprised by it. She lets go, too quickly and too slowly at the same time.
When she leaves, before she enters her house, she signals that it will be okay.
