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

Thank you guys so much for the encouraging reviews! So, not as interesting as smut, but there are still a few things to tie up before the end of my story.

Chapter 9

Later that night, Elijah and Elena walked into the Mikaelson mansion. He held the front door open for her and then showed her to the room that he knew his family was in.

Once they reached the sitting room, Elena stopped walking. She knew that her actions the last few days were awful. Not only had she dressed and acted wantonly in front of the entire town of Mystic Falls, but she showed more to Kol and Klaus then she ever thought she would. Her actions towards Rebekah, while out of self preservation; were out of character. She was certain that Rebekah detested her even more.

Elijah stopped along with her. Knowing that any words they exchanged would be overheard, he simply smiled in support. He would be there for her. He wouldn't let his famly do or say anything to upset her. When she offered him a weak smile in return, he gestured to the door. He followed her inside.

Rebekah was sitting on the couch, playing on her phone while Kol peered curiously over her shoulder. Klaus was standing by the window, his thoughts obviously elsewhere. What he hadn't been expecting was Caroline, Alaric, and the Salvatore brothers sitting in there as well.

As soon they walked into the room, everyone turned to look at them with varying expressions on their faces; ranging from abhorrence, to disbelief to interest to excitement.

"I am so glad that you are better," Caroline said, approaching her friend and hugging her. "You look better."

Elena smiled openly. "Thanks, I feel great."

Kol snorted and muttered "I bet." It was low enough for the humans to miss it, but most of the vampires shot him a disapproving glare in one degree or another.

Elena didn't know exactly what was said, but judging by the reactions he received, she knew she'd be better off not asking. She stepped over to Alaric. "You look great, Ric. I see Caroline was a great nurse."

"More like pain in the ass," he whispered with a mock glare in the blonde's direction. He smiled innocently when she turned a narrow gaze in his direction. "She was very…helpful."

"Caroline is right," Klaus said turning around and approaching Elena. "You do look much better, love. Which is a good thing, I can't have you dying on me, now can I?"

Caroline directed Elena away from the hybrid and Elijah stepped forward before anyone else could say anything about his brother's concern over Elena's welfare, or rather why he was concerned.

"Tell us, what happened last night? Did you locate Katerina?"

Rebekah put her phone away. "Actually mother and Finn were already there when we arrived."

Surprised by the news, Elijah turned to Klaus with a frown of confusion on his face.

"Where is Katherine now?" Elena asked.

"At the moment, she's been spelled into a tomb," Klaus answered.

Stefan looked to Elena. "The same one we were in before…Elijah let me out."

The human looked to the Salvatore brothers, worried about their reactions to the news. After a hundred plus years, affection for her still hadn't completely left. Oh, it had waned, but it was still there; despite both trying to ignore it.

Once upon a time, she would have felt jealous and inferior, but all she could muster at the moment was sympathy…and anger. She knew that they didn't want Katherine entombed, they were happy when she was free and away from Mystic Falls. Her anger welled up then, because she realized that Katherine would never really just go away. She enjoyed causing havoc wherever she went. And Elena knew that as long as she was in Mystic Falls and the Salvatore brothers were there, Katherine would never willingly leave for long.

"And what is to be done with her?" Elijah asked, looking from the Salvatore brothers to Klaus. He knew that Klaus had no qualms about ending her existence, but would Damon and Stefan allow it?

"That's why they're here," Kol sniffed, his head nodding in the direction of the others. "They think that they actually have a say as to what happens to her."

"I know that Katherine has done some bad stuff, and that she has made no friends in this room," Stefan began.

Caroline threw a hand in his direction. "If you're going to praise her, I just might hurt you," she sniffed. "Katherine is a lousy excuse of a vampire. She's out for no one but herself. She killed me, remember? She's attacked Bonnie, she's masqueraded as Elena and played you and your brother…"

"Okay, so she's pissed a lot of people off," he amended. "But she's also helped us as well. Damon would be dead if she hadn't arrived with the antidote."

Elena pursed her lips, remembering that night. She looked to Damon, who was looking intensely at her. No doubt he was remembering that night as well. She remembered Katherine's interest over the situation she'd stumbled upon.

"And Mikael might still be around if it wasn't for her," Stefan added. "She played decoy to the situation."

Klaus spun around to look at him. "And if I remember correctly, if it wasn't for her, he wouldn't have been awakened in the first place."

"And you think she did it out of the goodness of her heart?" Alaric asked, looking first to Stefan and then to Damon. While the latter hadn't said anything redeeming about her, he didn't open his mouth to dispute anything, and to him, that spoke volumes.

"Just like she sent Adam here," Elena added. "Since she hightailed it out of here so fast this last time-"

"Rightfully so," Klaus growled.

"She probably figured that Klaus left Mystic Falls," the human continued pursing her lips. "Whenever she's come to town, she's managed to twist the two of you inside out. She probably hoped that he'd whisk me off so that she could have one or both of you to herself.

"Sounds similar to what you do," Damon broke in. "Hey, maybe you aren't as unlike as you wish you were?"

He knew he was stepping over a line, but he still wasn't over their last conversation. He and Stefan had been at the Mikaelson mansion for over an hour before Elena decided to grace them with her presence. They'd heard all about Elijah being the key to Elena's sickness. When the two finally joined them, it was apparent that they'd showered, but Damon didn't miss the way that their scents were entwined.

It hurt, knowing that Elena had shared her body with Elijah. While he knew it mostly had to do with breaking the spell; he knew that Elena did have feelings for Elijah, no matter how small they were. Judging by the way that Elijah seemed to keep Elena in his line of sight since their arrival, Damon just knew that those feelings weren't as insignificant as they were before.

Elena took a deep breath, trying not to let him bate her. Since she had her back to the rest of the room, she missed the way that Elijah moved closer to her, willing to step in if he needed to. "Say what you will, but I never knowingly played you guys against each other. You always knew where my feelings laid, even if you didn't like it."

"We've done things your way in the past, Stefan," Alaric said, bringing the conversation back on topic.

He'd known about Damon's feelings for Elena, and as much as he enjoyed Damon's companionship; he was a dog. He drank way too much, flirted even more and he was a womanizer. As a potential guardian of sorts over Elena, he was glad that nothing came of Elena and Damon. That didn't mean Ric was happy to hear about the growing closeness between her and the eldest Original. By the time he and Caroline arrived at the mansion, there was thin veil of tension between the Salvatore brothers and the Miklaelson siblings.

"And no matter how many times we let Katherine leave, she always comes back with some trouble or she comes to look at the things that she caused," the hunter added.

"You insist that Katherine deserves a second chance, but look at what she did this time. She knowingly sent Adam here, knowing that he would use a magic potion of sorts that could potentially kill Elena," Caroline added. "You're just going to ignore that little fact? What is it about her that you just can't let go of?"

"Your lives would be much smoother once you get her out of them for good," Elijah acknowledged. Katerina hadn't been stupid enough to return to him or Klaus for that matter. He looked at the young vampires before him a realization striking him. He and Klaus ended their affection for the first doppelganger, but the Salvatore brothers had yet to do the same.

Close to an hour later, they had been no closer to finding a solution to the Katherine situation. No matter what anyone said against her, Stefan tried to defend her…and then Damon began to team up with him.

Growing bored with the debate, Rebekah and Kol excused themselves before anyone else. Since neither had known her, they cared little which way the decision fell. They moved to the family room turning on the television. Kol was still entranced by all the inventions that he'd missed in the last century.

Caroline said her peace, repeatedly. When it appeared that no one seemed to care any longer, she grew frustrated. Even Elena stopped saying anything. Both Damon and Stefan would argue against her points as well. She knew that her friend was growing upset by the denial. She held her hand out to Elena, beckoning her to join her.

Elena grabbed her hand and then turned to Alaric in silent question.

Ric only shook his head. Anything he said also seemed to be brushed under the rug. He was tempted to join the girls, but he was afraid that if he did a fight would break out between the four opposing brothers.

"Can you believe them?" Caroline hissed, shutting the door behind her and Elena. "One would think that after all the drama Katherine caused they would be willing to let her parish there."

Elena looked sadly at the door. "I don't blame Stefan," she confessed sadly. The blonde's incredulous gaze would have made her laugh if the situation wasn't so serious. "I mean it. Stefan wouldn't be Stefan if he just went along with it." Her former lover was always a compassionate soul. It was nice to see that side, even if he was defending Katherine.

Caroline shook her head. "Fine," she bit out. "I'll grudgingly accept that, I don't agree with it, but I can see your point. But Damon? Katherine treated him worse than Stefan…and to just defend her?"

The brunette let out a weary sigh. She knew that despite his denial, a part of him would always love Katherine. He still naively held out hope that she would magically appear and choose to be with him. Elena also knew that he was angry and that a big part of that emotion was causing him to speak up. Elena didn't want Katherine to walk away without consequences, and she couldn't help but feel that he was being spiteful for ignoring her concerns.

"He's…" she trailed off, unable to defend him. "I have nothing to say about that." They followed the sound of the television and joined the younger Mikaelson siblings.

"They still going at it?" Kol asked, not even pulling his attention from the large flat screen.

Caroline nodded. "Yup. And I don't think they'll be done anytime soon."

"What does Esther think should be done?" Elena asked, turning to Rebekah. Inwardly she wondered if there was ever a time that Rebekah didn't appear bored.

The female Mikaelson shrugged. "My mother thinks that vampires are an abomination, she doesn't care what happens to her." She kept her voice steady and devoid of emotion, but Elena and Caroline new better.

Caroline didn't say anything, but she detected a hint of sadness to Rebekah's voice. She knew how it was, to be something that a mother was so against. At least Rebekah had her brothers to turn to.

Elena picked up on the sadness as well. Rebekah always tried to keep a tough façade up whenever she was around anyone that wasn't a part of her family. She knew that the blonde would be upset if she knew how transparent she was in that moment. It was similar to the night that Elena had daggered her. It had been the first night that Rebekah hadn't acted like a spoiled brat where Elena was concerned, and Elena had felt guilty having to carry through with the plan.

"Look, I…I doubt you'll care, but I wanted to apologize for the other night," the human began. She watched the way that Rebekah stopped thumbing through the fashion magazine on her lap, but the female didn't look up. "I had no idea that I would react so…strongly to you."

Rebekah scoffed. "You're right I don't care." In a flurry of movement, she tossed down the magazine and moved to stand in front of Elena. "But you won't apologize for that night." She didn't have to be more specific than that, she knew that the human would know exactly what night she spoke of.

The brunette refused to let Rebekah intimidate her. "I won't. I am sorry about the way that it came about…just when it seemed that you were extending an olive branch of sorts, but I was trying to protect my family and friends."

There was almost a sense of respect that she suddenly had for Elena, and that pissed her off. Rebekah shook her head. "Then why are you even apologizing in the first place?"

"Because I've seen the lengths that Elijah has gone to for your family, and I know that you feel the same way," the human insisted, knowing that they would both do anything to protect their families. "What would you do for your brothers?"

Rebekah pursed her lips, appraising Elena. Perhaps the human wasn't as awful as she first thought? She still didn't care for her very much, but she understood Elena a little more. "I think a better question would be, what wouldn't I do for them?"

Elena felt one side of her mouth twist upwards. It was far from an apology, but Elena knew it was all she would get from the blonde…and that was okay with her. She turned her head and noticed that Caroline situated herself in the far corner of the room, she moved over to join her.

"So…how was it?" Caroline asked, shoulder bumping her friend. She knew that Kol and Rebekah could listen if they wanted to, but something told they were least interested in Elijah's sex life.

"It was…okay."

Caroline arched a perfectly manicured eyebrow. "Just okay?" she parroted. "Honey, after a thousand years of experience, I'd hope it was better than just 'okay.' Level with me here, With Tyler gone, I have to live vicariously through you."

Elena shrugged, embarrassment welling up inside her. "It was good, no, great. Elijah definitely knows what he's doing." Her mind flashed back to the moments they shared.

"I would have thought that you would have enjoyed hot Original sex a little more," Caroline frowned. "What's going on?"

"He only did it because of the spell. He wants to slow down…take it day by day. He knew about my feelings for Damon, and he wants me to work them out."

"I think it makes plenty of sense," Caroline said, holding a hand up when Elena looked as though she was about to protest. "If you think about it, things between you, Damon and Stefan were strange enough as it was…and that was before another guy was thrown into the mix. Not just another guy; but a vampire, an Original."

The brunette shook her head. "I know, and part of me feels that it was a good thing to do, but I just had sex with this man…and it feels cheap somehow, like he didn't really want me." Now that her body was back under her control, she was able to see things more clearly, but it was like her head and heart were warring for dominance over the situation.

"I hardly think that's it," the blonde argued. "I know that you didn't see it before, because you had Stefan…but the way that Elijah would look at you…" she thought back to the few times she'd seen Elena and Elijah together. "It definitely wasn't a nothing look."

"Just give me a couple days and I'll deal with it," Elena replied. She knew she would. She needed to come to terms with her own feelings about the situation, about Damon and about Elijah before she could talk to them.

"There will be an ice cream session and you will be telling me all about the sex."

"And please make sure we're not in the vicinity when you do…" Kol piped up, from the front of the room. A smirk was perfectly placed on his face as he checked Elena out.

Gone was her dramatic make up, she wore a simple outfit. While he wouldn't call her insecure, she was much quieter than she had been the last couple days. She was…attractive, he supposed, but not his cup of tea. However, he could understand why his brother was so enamored with her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Elena asked.

He pursed his head. "No reason," Kol denied. He wanted to say more, but he figured it wasn't the time. As much as he would have enjoyed picking on her and seeing her face flame in embarrassment, he didn't want to have to face Elijah just yet. Something instinctively told him that Elena would be around for a while; he'd have plenty of time later.

Caroline looked between Kol and Elena. "Okay, well, since we have school tomorrow, how about you and I head out?"

"Elijah drove me," Elena denied, not yet wanting to be too far from him. "It would be rude for me to just leave." The truth was, she was feeling very insecure about what happened between them, and she wanted nothing more than to hear Elijah's reassuring words.

With her excellent hearing, Caroline focused on the raising argument in the other room. "Honey, I don't think that he's going to be done anytime soon."

Elena shook her head and smiled weakly. "Katherine, why couldn't she just die already," she muttered under her breath. Caroline chuckled at the words and the human realized that she wasn't as quiet as she thought she was. Both Kol and Rebekah wore interested smirks on their faces, and Elena blushed.

"Ready?"

"Let's go. It's been a long weekend, sleep would be wonderful right now."