Hi guys! Thank you all so much for the reviews! They mean so much to me. I hope you all like this chapter. I know that some of you want Elejah to get together RIGHT NOW, but I like when they seem to have more of a budding romance. I assure you, they will be together though :)

For those of you waiting for my Finn/Elena oneshot, I've actually decided to write a new story based around them and it should be out in a few weeks or so.

Without further ado, enjoy!

Chapter 4

Mystic Falls had hardly changed when they arrived. Elena had expected that in her absence of sixty years the town must've changed somewhat and she was wrong. The same stores still lined the streets and the town still gave off the same rustic vibe it always had.

"Are you all right?" Elijah murmured in her ear as his arm wound around her waist protectively, "We don't have to be here-"

"I want to be here," She whispered, cutting him off, "It's my home." She turned to look at him with a sad smile on her face, "And it's your home, too. Besides, I don't want to stay here for too long. I just want to see my friends and pay my respects…"

"We can stay as long as you wish, lovely Elena," he said quietly.

Something about the way he said her name had always given her butterflies. She wasn't sure why she was so comfortable around him, but she knew that he would never hurt her. She trusted him more than she had ever trusted Damon or Stefan and that bothered her slightly. How could a man that had betrayed her more times than she could count have her trust so explicitly? She didn't even mind when he had his arm around her waist or when he took her arm in his. Everything with Elijah just felt…natural.

She looked around and spotted the Mystic Grill, a genuine smile gracing her face, "I'm kind of hungry. Do you mind if we get some food?"

Elijah shook his head and unwound the arm around her waist, looking down at his watch, "Your brother and Anna said that they would bring Miranda soon. You could text them and tell them to meet us there instead."

"Good idea," she said, whipping out her phone and sending Jeremy a text to meet them at the Grill. Smiling, she turned and grabbed Elijah's hand and pulled him along with her.

Walking into her teenage hangout hit her with an unpleasant wave of nostalgia. She and Caroline and Bonnie had spent so many aimless nights sitting in the booths and planning out their futures while gorging themselves on cheese fries. She half expected to see Matt come up to them and offer to seat them and her heart clenched painfully. She'd never see Matt again. He'd never hug her or reassure her that everything was going to be okay.

Elijah noticed the change of her demeanor immediately. She had gone from carefree and happy to cautious and antsy. She looked as if she would flee the restaurant at any moment and that worried him. He scanned the surroundings quickly, making sure nothing had spooked her before he once more wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into him slightly. Ducking his head down, he quietly said, "We don't have to be here, Elena. We can go somewhere else."

She was tempted to take his offer, but shook her head instead, "I can do this. I'll have to do it eventually and there's no time like the present, right?" She turned her head and looked into his deep brown eyes, worry still etched slightly on her features.

He couldn't help but notice how breathtaking she was in that moment. Her eyes may have been scared, but determination replaced any hint of worry. She was brave and she was strong and she wanted to prove it. Smiling softly, he nodded before leading her to a more secluded booth in the back of the Grill. He could deny her nothing.

Elena sat down and continued her appraisal of the Grill. It had changed, yet it was still the same. Newer sports mementos had been added here and there, but the décor was still familiar and comforting.

A waitress had stopped by and took their drink orders, but Elena was so busy within her own thoughts that Elijah had ordered for her.

"Elena…What's troubling you?" He asked gently, not wanting to pry on her personal thoughts.

She sighed, swirling the straw around in her glass of water before she looked up at him, "I guess I thought that I'd still get to say goodbye to all of my friends. Being here…is hard. I keep looking around expecting to see Matt with a tray of food or Tyler walking in from football practice and it just won't stop." She ran her hands through her hair in frustration as she admitted her feelings, "Bonnie and I could talk about anything and she's not here anymore. She died because of me. I'm alone and it hurts. It physically feels like a part of myself is missing and I don't know how to get it back and-"

"Stop," he said in a firm voice as he tried to mask the feelings that she was projecting onto him. He could feel her pain as if it was his own and he was having a hard time dealing with it. Mates were a difficult thing to understand and, while he tried to channel her feelings elsewhere, they seemed to come back with a vengeance each time. Talking a deep breath, he steeled his voice, "Bonnie did not die because of you. She lived a long, full life and she'd want you to do the same. You shouldn't be suffering from survivor's guilt; you let her live and now it's your turn."

Jeremy, Anna, and Miranda had arrived a little while later, giving Elena time to collect herself and her rampant feelings. Once she felt that she had a better handle on herself, she had noticed that Elijah had visibly relaxed as well. She pondered over why he would be so in tune with her, but she supposed that it wasn't anything new; he had always been ineptly linked to her emotions in the past.

"So, I've got all the hotel rooms set," Jeremy said, pulling Elena from her thoughts as she looked at him, "I figured the girls could share a room and Elijah and I could bunk together."

Elena fidgeted slightly, not sure why that felt wrong to her. Her brow furrowed for a moment, "I-I think I'd feel better if Elijah and I shared a room. And then we'd all be protected just in case."

"In case of what?" Jeremy asked, his eyes widening as his mind tried to come up with a scenario where it was actually a good idea for his sister and an Original to be alone all night.

"I believe she's worried that a certain man might show up and cause trouble knowing that she's back in town," Elijah answered, his voice remaining as detached as it could when he spoke of the elder Salvatore. He had no qualms about ripping out Damon's heart, but he didn't want to upset Elena.

"That's fine with me," Anna spoke up, noticing her father's rigidness. She smiled and tried a different approach when he seemed to not budge, "You know Miranda can't sleep without you reading her a bedtime story anyway."

Jeremy smiled back, looking at his granddaughter, "I guess you're right, Anna." He looked over at Elijah, his eyes narrowing slightly as he spoke in his stern-big-brother voice, "No funny business though. You're like a thousand or something and she's technically still a teenager."

"You're a thousand?!" Miranda squealed, dropping her fork on her plate with a loud clank. Her eyes were as big as saucers as she regarded Elijah with a newfound fascination, "Whoa!"

"Which bed do you want?" Elena asked, looking at the two identical beds in the room.

Elijah set their bags down and shrugged his shoulders, "Either will be more than sufficient. Pick whichever you'd like."

She sighed at how agreeable he was before collapsing onto the bed nearest to the door. Honestly, the last thing she wanted to do was sleep, having slept sixty years of her life away, but her body was demanding rest. Her eyes fluttered softly as she watched Elijah move meticulously around the room: closing the curtains, turning off the lights, and unpacking their bags. Normally, she would be weirded out that he was touching her clothes, especially her intimate items, but she trusted him. He wouldn't take advantage like that and besides, they were just clothes.

Once Elijah had finished, they lay in the dark. Elena couldn't seem to get her mind off of what tomorrow would bring. Her heart ached at seeing her friends again. She knew that seeing Caroline would be fine; they would reunite as if nothing had ever happened. And seeing Stefan would be a little awkward, but they were on good terms when she had said goodbye to him.

However, Damon was another story. She had never truly seen him without his humanity and she wasn't sure that she'd want to. But, she was human now. She knew that she needed to end things with him and go and live a normal human life. As much as her mind was telling her to stay away from him, her heart was telling her that she at least owed him an explanation for doing what she was about to do.

Sighing into the darkness, she rolled onto her side, facing Elijah's bed, "Elijah?"

"Yes, lovely Elena?" He answered immediately, his voice soft with patience.

She fidgeted slightly, trying to collect her thoughts, "How come…how come Damon didn't come after me when you…took me?" The question had been nagging at her all day, but she wasn't brave enough to ask him to his face. She didn't want to offend him or make him think that she was ungrateful for protecting her for so long.

Elijah had been meaning to tell her of her current status as his mate, yet the timing had been off since she awoke. He didn't want to thrust that responsibility on her until she had settled back into the land of the living and had time to deal with the deaths of her friends. Sighing, he admitted part of the truth in a hushed voice, "I felt that the Salvatores couldn't protect you as I could. I didn't want your wellbeing being jeopardized in any way possible."

"But…the last interaction before I went into the coma was when we were in Willoughby. And you thought I was…Katherine."

He nodded, keeping his eyes trained on the ceiling, "I'm aware. And I'm sure that you're aware that I hold you in very high regards. I would have never forgiven myself if I found out that something had happened to you in your condition due to either Salvatore's idiocy."

"Oh." Of course he held her in high regards; she looked like Katherine and he had loved her. He was simply protecting her because she and his beloved shared the same face.

"What're you thinking about?" Elijah murmured softly, pulling her from her little pity party.

"Just thinking," she answered vaguely, "Nothing important."

"You do realize that you are indeed human again, correct?" He asked rhetorically, "I can hear your heartbeat, Elena. It jumps when you're being dishonest with me. Tell me the truth, please."

"Did you protect me because I look like her?" She whispered, her insecurities breaking through her small voice. She hadn't meant to sound so pitiful, but Stefan and Damon had always compared her to Katherine, what if Elijah was, too?

Suddenly, the bedside lamp flickered on and Elijah was perched on the foot of her bed, staring at her intently. She jumped, but quickly steadied her breathing once more.

"Why would you ask such a thing?" He asked firmly, his eyes showing an emotion she couldn't place.

She sighed, "Because Stefan and Damon-"

"I thought we settled that they were idiots," he mused to himself before speaking in a more sure voice, "Elena, I've been alive for a long time. I have encountered all three doppelgangers and have never confused you with Katerina. She may have been a loving girl at one point in her life, but that time has long since passed. She has shown that she cannot keep her humanity intact when faced with challenges, but you can. You've been through much more than she has and you have faced every obstacle with a brave face for the love of your family."

Elijah knew the second he laid eyes on her that she was different from her predecessors. When he found her in that dirty abandoned house, she was reasonably afraid, yes, but she had tried to negotiate him for the sake of her own life and to keep him away from Mystic Falls. She had been willing to trust that damned elixir that he had procured for Katerina so many centuries ago. She had been willing to trust him.

"You have never been Katerina to me," he smiled slightly, "You have always been Elena. Sweet, beautiful, lovely Elena."

Her mind was trying to process his words. He seemed as if he genuinely cared for her and, looking back, she understood that it had to be true. They had betrayed each other, yes, but always for the right reasons. Reasons that the other always came to understand. Both of them would do anything for their families, regardless of the consequences.

"Elijah…" She started, trying to steel her nerves, "I need to know why you took me from Damon. He and I were dating and, by extent, that means that he should have been responsible for me. Well, my body."

Elijah fought to suppress a growl that was threatening to rip itself free of his chest. He didn't like being reminded of his mate's previous partners. Controlling his emotions he spoke, "I will answer your questions once we arrive home. I think it's best that you focus on the here and now."

Elena could sense that he was hiding something, but she didn't want to push him. She knew how Elijah could be when he became angry and she didn't want to piss off an Original tonight. She nodded her head before reaching over and switching off the light, "Goodnight, Elijah."

He sat on the edge of her bed until he heard her breathing even out. Even in the dark, he could see her perfectly; her mahogany hair was splayed beautifully against the stark white pillow, her pink lips pouting slightly, and her eyelashes leaving a dark shadow against her soft cheeks. He reached out unconsciously and stroked her hair back from her face, watching in fascination as she nuzzled against his touch in her sleep.

He was sure that a part of her recognized him as her mate as well, even if it was only subconscious at this point. Getting up, he ducked down briefly and placed a soft kiss against her forehead as he whispered, "Sleep well, min kjære. I'll still be here when you wake. I'll always be here."

Let me know what you think!

~Grace