Disclaimer: I don't own any characters familiar to TVD.

Thank you guys so much for the encouraging reviews! Well, I'm almost done. This 'short story' o' mine has turned into a hundred twenty something pages story. I hope you guys have enjoyed it though!

Chapter 7

"Alaric seems to be doing better," Elena said hanging up her phone. She'd been so afraid when she walked into her house and saw all that blood. If he hadn't had that ring, he'd have been dead. It was one of the scariest moments in her life, and she'd been through so much in the past few years.

Alaric had come to mean so much to her in the seemingly short time that she'd known him. At one time, she was ready to welcome him into her family, sure that his relationship with Jenna was heading somewhere permanent. It was a relief to know that even though she'd lost her aunt, she and Jeremy still had Alaric.

"I'm glad to hear it," Elijah replied, and he actually meant it. It was very obvious that Elena adored the history teacher. While Elijah cared little for him, his loyalty to Elena spoke volumes to him. Since being undaggered, his brother had given him a rundown of the things that had happened in the past months. He'd been glad to hear that Elena had someone to depend on after the death of her aunt.

When they reached the Gilbert residence, Elijah followed Elena inside and up the stairs. He tried not to stay too close to her, but he wanted to be prepared in case she suffered one of her spells. She left him in her room after grabbing a change of clothes and heading into the shower.

Once he was alone in the room, he grabbed his jacket that Elena had offered as soon as they were up there. He laid it on the back of her desk chair. Feeling as though he could relax for the first time during that long night, he unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt before unclasping the one at his wrists. He rolled up the sleeves before turning his attention to the mirror.

Pictures littered the edges, pictures of Elena with her parents. There was one of her with Caroline and Bonnie, the three of them donning their cheerleading uniforms. They all looked so young and carefree, which in retrospect; they were…still so young. However they seemed so innocent and pure. He found it odd that they were still such good friends. A witch, a vampire and a human, at first glance it seemed odd; mainly the fact that a witch and a vampire remained so close. In his world, most witches didn't help vampires willingly.

It was an extraordinary group of friends. Elena with Bonnie and Caroline, all three were strong and independent, but together they were even stronger. Then he threw in the Salvatore brothers, which he disliked immensely, but grudgingly respected their protectiveness over Elena. He knew that her former boyfriend was also among their odd little group, and while Elijah hadn't met him, he knew from word of mouth that he was very protective and close to all three girls. Rounding out the group was Alaric. At first glance, it seemed a little odd, a man of his age associating with high school aged kids outside of school; but behind the scenes, he was just as important as the rest.

These people, all so young; including the vampire brothers, were so close. Oh he didn't doubt the differences among them, and he was sure there was some distance between Damon and Bonnie, but they still fought together. He admired that, wishing that his siblings could put their differences aside and they would once again be united…truly united.

"Feeling better?" He asked, turning around to look at the freshly showered human. She no longer wore Rebekah's much too revealing night gown. Instead she wore a simple tank top and flannel pajama pants. In his eyes, it fit her more. Oh, he enjoyed the other outfits she'd worn that night, but this…her in that moment, that was the Elena he'd come to admire.

"Is it just me, or has this been a long couple of days?" She asked with a shake of her head. It felt like days ago that she'd ingested the potion laced drink when in actuality; it was just the day before. She looked to the clock at her bedside and let out a small sigh. According to the numbers that she read, it actually had been a couple of days.

"You've been through quite an ordeal," he allowed.

Elena brushed her hair, placing her towel in the hamper. "So…I guess you drew the short straw…"

"The what?" He asked, genuinely confused over the question.

"You…being here. I assume that Klaus wanted someone here to watch over his precious doppelganger," she ended her observation with a sneer. "You don't have to stay. I mean, I doubt anything is going to happen to me, so if you want to go…" She chose not to address the proverbial elephant in the room with them.

"Do you want me to go?" He asked with a frown, knowing that even if she did, he wouldn't go far. He wanted to be there, not for Klaus' sake of mind, but for his. He needed to make sure that Elena was okay.

"Don't you want to?" She countered, turning to face him. "Elijah, my actions tonight were…" She shook her head, sighing. She was unable to continue with the line of thought. She couldn't believe the way she acted, the way she'd touched him. "I can't believe I did those things to you. I…understand if you don't want to be around me right now."

"On the contrary, Elena," he waved away her words. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

"Really?"

"Undeniably."

She found herself smiling at his words, over the fact that there was no hesitation in them. "About today, I don't think I can ever apologize enough for my actions."

"You were under a spell. I can hardly hold you accountable for a situation that you had no control over," he excused. From their first introduction they were products of their circumstances. It seemed as though they were always apologizing to one another over one decision or another.

"But I basically molested you," she shook her head at her actions. God, he probably thought she was a stupid kid by her actions of hoping to entice him.

One side of his lips twisted up into a genuine smile. "While the actions were unexpected, it does not mean they were unwanted," he shared.

She frowned. "But you turned me down, you left me. I was so sure that I scared you away."

At this point in their relationship, he doubted there was anything she could do to turn him away from her. With his casual grace, he was kneeling in front of her before she realized it. "Elena, I have never hungered after anyone so much as I desired…desire you," he confessed, his hands cupping her cheeks so they were gazing into each other's eyes.

"You don't mean that," she denied. He couldn't mean it. He was a man, vampire, with a thousand years of experience. Next to all of that he surely found her insignificant and lacking.

"I think that we both know that I never say things I don't mean," he reminded her gently.

Even if he wasn't holding her face in his hands, she wouldn't have been able to pull her eyes away from him if she wanted to. Elijah always had a way of captivating her, his gaze was always so intense and his words always seemed to wrap around her.

"So, what do we do now?" She asked, immediately nibbling on her bottom lip.

"I have to admit, I'm confused about something. You told me that you knew that I could…" he paused to search out the best word for the circumstance, "relieve your condition." The slight reddening of her cheeks endeared her in that moment. "How did you know? I tried to ask you earlier, but I'm hoping that I'll get more of a response out of you."

Elena looked away from him, considering his question. "It's…kind of hard to explain. I mean it was more a feeling than anything," she admitted. "I just, I knew that anyone else, or rather a male, touching me would do no good. There was something inside me that just…I guess it sort of sought out that comfort, and it was you." She shook her head. "That sounded corny, didn't it? It sounded so much better in my head. I just, I don't really have any eloquence to my words. I suppose that's something that comes with age."

He didn't dare look away from her. Her words, for whatever reason, thrilled him. He liked knowing that he was the only one able to cure her affliction. It was altogether barbaric, but animalistic, and he was very aroused just by the ideas that it implied.

"Kol seemed to appreciate what he saw tonight," Elena observed. At the time, her gaze was focused on Adam, but she didn't miss the way that the younger Mikaelson sibling moved around to get a nice view. At the time, she tried to ignore the action, but it had been noted.

"Yes, my brother appeared to enjoy it very much," he agreed in a dark tone.

"Did you?" She asked. The question was out before she realized it, and she back tracked. Elijah appeared to be startled by the frankness of it and she felt her face burn. "Not like that," she was quick to fix. "I just meant…it was so out of character. I acted like Katherine."

"I believe that I've mentioned my particular folly in regards to that situation," he responded stiffly.

She nodded her head in agreement. "I also remember you said that it was something you would never do again."

"And I meant it." He watched Elena's face fall at the words. "Katerina was not a nice person. I fell for the idea of something, rather than the person, she was not who I thought she was. What I meant to articulate was that I would never do that again. As for your first inquiry, I find you intriguing in whatever way you dress. Appearance doesn't make the person who they are."

Elena nodded at his words, mollified by his response.

"May I ask what happened between you and Damon in the house? What caused him to depart early?"

"When Stefan left, I was a mess," she answered in a small voice. "Jenna had died, and I was the oldest, and for the first time, it hit me that I was alone. I didn't have her to turn to. My boyfriend had left, and all I had was Damon. Not to say he was some sort of…consolation prize," she was quick to defend. "Damon always flirted with me, always challenged me in a way that Stefan didn't. I suppose that my feelings for him grew. Stefan came back…different. I wasn't eager to start something with Damon just because my relationship with Stefan found closure, but we ended up kissing one night."

Elijah tried to remain impassive, but he was finding the task difficult. Damon was one of the most outspoken, cockiest men he'd ever come across. His own feelings for Elena aside, he didn't understand how she developed feelings for the elder brother. On the other hand, since this ordeal, his feelings for Elena had been put into perspective. He didn't like hearing about her feelings for another man. They'd never been that physically close before as they had been that night, and logically he knew that he held no claim to Elena; but he really wanted to kill Damon just then.

"It was…scary, giving into those feelings," Elena continued, having no idea the thoughts that Elijah had in his head. "After it happened though, I realized that it was too soon. For a little bit there, I considered giving into those feelings. I wondered what it would be like if I just…jumped into it. And then tonight happened…and I've never been both so angry and relieved that something got in the way."

She looked at the man before her, sure that if there was any genuine interest on his side, it was slowly slipping away by her admission. Elena tried to gage his reaction, but the expression on his face remained impassive.

"Angry?" He tried to keep his voice steady. "You feel as though you missed out on acting on your feelings?"

"No," she denied. "There is some regret there," she admitted. "I know that Damon, for all his faults, does care for me. I know that he would do everything in his power to keep me safe. No, I think I'm so angry because it was something…supernatural that seemed to get in the way, because it wasn't on our terms."

Elijah felt himself expel a deep breath. Okay, he could live with that. "And the mention of being relieved?"

"I don't want to be the person who comes between two brothers. I know that Katherine did a number on them, specifically Damon. A hundred years from now, I don't want him to think back on me with the same mixture of anger and disappointment that he has with her." She tried to stop it there, but the words continued further. "And because of tonight, I know that I can never be with him when I know that there is something else out there for me."

"Something else?" Elijah prodded, wanting nothing more than for her to finish her thoughts.

"Y…tonight made me realize that I feel something that I've never experienced before." She inwardly rolled her eyes. Sure, confess all of that to Elijah and then mention the way he makes her feel. She knew she'd said it all backwards, and that maybe she confessed something she shouldn't have in their conversation. If it was her, and some guy was pouring his heart out, but mentioned his feelings for someone else; she'd be furious. "I still don't even know what it means, but I do know that just the idea of me being with Damon feels wrong."

Elijah reflected on his own actions that night. The things his own mother had said, they caused him to hope in a way that he never had before. Elena had managed to get under his skin, but until Esther said what she had, he didn't know what it meant. Confronting Adam in the bedroom that night, his use of the word 'mate,' it was as though it was second nature to him. The word slipped out of his mouth so easily, it felt right and it was easy to say.

Tiredness settled into Elena's features and he belatedly realized the late hour. She'd been through quite an ordeal, of course she must be exhausted! He knew there was much that they still needed to discuss, but it could wait until the morning.

"You should sleep now, gemæcca." The word was out of his mouth before he could stop it. It had been such a long time since he'd used the language of the old world. He'd spent centuries trying to evolve with the world around him, it was almost forgotten.

She wasn't sure what he'd said, but the gentle tone of his voice had her believing that it was an endearment. She wondered what it meant but didn't question it then.

"You are exhausted."

"I am." Elena stood up and turned to her covers, turning them down. "I…I don't want you to leave."

"I won't leave, I'll just be downstairs," he replied.

She shook her head. "Will you stay with me? Here?" Elena smiled sadly. "I know that I've said so much, and I can't imagine what you must be thinking, but I don't want to be apart from you." She was sure that she sounded bipolar. Elijah seemed hesitant to agree to her request and she knew that she had said too much. "Please? I promise I'll be a good girl and keep my hands to myself."

He chuckled at her words. "I don't know whether to be relieved or upset about that," he teased, taking delight in the way her eyes lit up in amusement at his teasing.

He watched as she settled down, waiting for her to get comfortable before claiming his own spot on the bed. He propped a pillow up against the headboard, leaning against it. Elijah looked down to see Elena's body turned in his direction.

"You look uncomfortable," she observed in a soft voice, hoping that it wasn't about her actions earlier in the night.

He met her gaze. "It's been a while since I've shared a bed with someone," he admitted.

Elena nodded against her pillow. "What are we going to do about this? If Adam wasn't lying, I've still got this…potion floating around in my system."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he soothed. "Sleep now."

Elena closed her eyes. She wasn't sure why, but just his neat presence soothed her nerves. "Goodnight, Elijah."

"Goodnight, Elena."


It was only a few short hours later when Elena nearly rolled off the bed. Whatever relief she'd found in the previous hours was gone. Her affliction seemed to have returned with a vengeance and her stomach was violently churning. She felt disoriented, warm and her mouth began watering. She stumbled out of her room, heading to the bathroom to dispel the contents of her stomach.

Sleep was not a necessity for vampires. Oh, they enjoyed the novelty of closing their eyes and being able to shut out the world for a while; but their functions were not impeded by sleep or lack thereof. As soon as Elena began moving around in bed, he knew that something was wrong. Elena's body warmed up again, but it was more than that. Her scent, a light floral one that he'd come to enjoy, smelled bitter. He was certain then that the potion was poisoning her body.

He heard the sound of her retching and he was awake and alert. Elijah moved to the bathroom, waiting until Elena flushed the toilet. He knocked on the door, opening before he got a proper response. He discovered her lying against the toilet.

"Where are your wash cloths?"

She grunted an indiscernible answer and pointed in a direction.

Elijah followed her pointed finger, opening different cupboards before finding them. He grabbed one and wet it before he moved closer to the human that somehow managed to capture his heart. He kneeled down next to her on the tile floor. Gently, he cupped her head in his hand, moving her head up. He began to press it against her face. She was pale, and thin veil of perspiration settled over her. It was nowhere near as bad as it had been before, but when he considered that with the dark circles under her eyes; he grew alarmed.

"After Adam gave you that potion, how were you feeling?"

She shook her head. "I felt better. I wasn't hot anymore. I was tired, but I didn't think anything else of it because my body had gone through so much."

"Let's get you back in bed." He helped her stand, placing an arm around her waist. He walked them back into her bedroom. He put her underneath the covers. "I know that you mentioned Bonnie was out of town…"

Elena could barely nod her head. "She's reconnecting with her mother."

"Elena, we should call her," he tried to persuade. "I'm sure that if she knew that you were this sick, she'd be willing to help you."

"No. She needs this," she denied. "Bonnie's done so much for everyone the last couple years. She needs to take some time to herself and spend time with Abby."

"Elena-"

"No," she cut him off. "I don't want to pull her back here."

"I think the situation warrants it," he tried to reason again.

Elena closed her eyes and turned away from him. She knew it was juvenile, dismissing him that way, but she refused to call Bonnie back. For the first time, she had her mother, and Elena refused to be the reason for cutting the reunion short.

"What about Esther?" she asked. "Didn't you mention that she was a pretty powerful witch? Is there something she could do?"


"I told you what needed to be done," Esther reminded Elijah gently.

Elijah could only shake his head as he plopped into the couch behind him. After making sure that Elena was situated, he returned home to speak to his mother.

"I know what you said, but I can't just…" Once again he shook his head, unable to complete his thoughts.

If the situation wasn't so dire, Esther was sure she would have laughed over Elijah's actions. Her son, the one who even as human; was cool and collected was so out of sorts in that moment. Even Tatia hadn't affected him that way.

"She's so young, and to tell her that the only way for her to get better is for us to participate in intercourse is so farfetched."

"That may be, but it's the truth. She knows it, you said so yourself."

"I'm not going to engage in anything like that just because a spell said to. I will not cheapen the act like that," he denied.

Elena wasn't just a casual affair for him. He genuinely cared for her, and he was betting on the fact that she felt something for him. His feelings for her were intense, and he hoped that something would develop between them. He didn't want to think back on their first time together as something that needed to happen rather than wanting to share themselves because they liked one another.

Esther stepped up to her son, cupping his cheek. "I know it is not the most ideal situation, but I know that you care for her. In the end, that should be all that matters." She pulled her hand away. "Over the phone, you mentioned that her symptoms had returned…"

"Intensified," he clarified. "It isn't so much her skin anymore. She's physically sick. I want nothing more than to help her feel better, but the idea that we have to have coitus for it to happen, I just find it hard to believe. It sounds like the world worst come on line."

"Come on line?" Esther frowned.

One side of Elijah's mouth quirked up in a smile at his mother's question, sometimes he forgot that she wasn't around to see the times change. "Forget about it, I'll tell you another time."

Standing up from the couch, Esther moved to a small table in the room. She opened a drawer, pulling out a small vile. "Take this back to Elena. It won't stop the attack, but it will reverse the effects." She held it out to him. When he reached to grab it, she locked her hands around his hand. "It's only temporary, Elijah. Don't wait too long to…do anything about it."