Disclaimer: I don't own any characters familiar to TVD.
SwanQueen4055: Thanks!
Artzannie25: I couldn't help that scene and I'm happy that it went off well.
Niftifani: Yes, I was hoping that it would clear the air between them, or at least help. I was worried about the sleeping part, worried that it would be OOC for Elijah.
Diehardromantic: Yes, Elijah and Elena are on speaking terms. The break up scene may have been a little out of character for Caroline, but I was trying to have her approach the situation with grace.
Chiwi: Yeah it was sad, but I'm glad she had Elijah there to help her.
Siberia21: Thank you. I'm glad you liked the break-up scene. As for the Kol/Elijah part, that was not planned at all. There will be more Elijah for a few more chapters.
Bellislefan: Yeah, he'll be making an appearance.
MidnightMoonRomantic: It was wrong, but since he wasn't able to go to the same dark place that Esther brought him to on the show, I was trying to give insight into that other side. There will definitely be more Elejah, but I can't guarantee the other couples. I know that I've worked things around, but I'm afraid I won't do them justice, so out of respect for that, I probably won't go very far into them, not like I do with Elejah.
Chapter 24
"He hasn't been here, Elena," Matt said, serving Elena her drink.
The brunette offered him a thin smile. "Am I that transparent?" She asked in a soft voice. She'd been frequenting the Grill for the last week, hoping to catch a glimpse of Alaric.
"No. I just know you that well," he replied.
Her shoulders dropped. "I guess I should be glad that he isn't here drinking his fill." The last couple years, Alaric and Damon had been drinking buddies of sorts. She didn't worry about Damon's liver, after all, vampires couldn't die of alcohol poisoning. Alaric on the other hand, didn't have that on his side.
Matt nodded.
"I just…I have to see him, Matt. I know that I can no longer be a part of his life, not like I once was, but I just have to see him. I have to know that he's okay that I made the right choice."
"You did, Elena," he said. "He's alive and safe now." He cast a glance around the room and noticed that a patron needed something. "I really wish I could keep you company."
She shook her head. "I don't need a baby sitter, Matt. I'll drink this and then head home."
"At least let me get you some food…on the house."
"Thanks, Matt." She watched him walk away before turning to stare at her drink. She used the straw to stir the ice around.
"Oh no. That just doesn't work."
Elena looked up to see Kol standing at the end of the table.
"You need something much stronger." He placed the bottle of liquor and two glasses down on the table and grabbed a seat on the stool across from her.
She looked from the bottle to the vampire. "I wasn't aware that they served the entire bottle here." Her tone was pointed and she stared at her companion.
"Oh, they will serve just about anything when you compel them to," he waved away. He poured two drinks, pushing one across the length of the table towards her.
She looked at the offered drink and then back to her companion who winked at her. A smile broke out over her face and she shook her head with a small giggle. "Yeah, you know…what the hell." She picked up the glass. "So…a toast?"
"To getting lit?" He asked, a devilish smirk kissed his lips. He raised his glass out in her direction. He wasn't sure if he'd used the right word to describe it, but Elena didn't correct him…
"To letting go," she toasted, clinking her glass against him. She tossed back the drink, relishing the burn in her throat. Immediately, she pushed the drink back in his direction.
"Already?" He mock gasped. "I'm surprised Miss Gilbert."
"Just pour me another," she grumbled. She knew he didn't mean any offense, but she didn't want to feel bad about deciding to let loose.
Kol refilled their drinks, again holding his glass out for a toast. "To a good night?"
The brunette nodded. "To a very good night," she agreed. Elena shot the drink back, slamming the glass back on the table. "So…it was your turn to play 'entertain the human,' huh?"
Kol smirked at her. "Whatever do you mean?" His tone was too innocent, and he knew that Elena would be able to read into it, but he didn't care; and judging by the way she hadn't bristled in anger, he guessed that she didn't either.
The human shook her head. "You, Elijah and Finn…Caroline," she said. The past week and a half, she'd spent each of them. "I'm not gonna have a breakdown."
"I know, I told Elijah as much," Kol shrugged. However, Elijah was obviously still trying to make amends for disappointing Elena. And who was he to argue Elijah's feelings?
"Who's idea was it? Elijah's or Caroline's?" She wouldn't put it past her friend to come up with it.
"I believe it was Caroline's," Kol shrugged. "Though I know that if she hadn't said something, Elijah may very well have decided something similar."
"Hit me," she ordered, nodding her head towards her empty glass.
Kol smiled at her and poured her another drink. He watched, impressed that she didn't make a face when she swallowed it in one shot.
"What are you doing?" Matt asked, stalking over the table where Kol sat. Elena was across the room standing at the juke box. Her hips were swaying provocatively as she browsed through the songs.
The Original glared at the human who dared to pull an attitude with him. "Excuse me?"
"You got Elena drunk."
"Actually, she got herself drunk…I just supplied the means," he shrugged off the boy's concern. He watched in satisfaction as the teenager's face turned an interesting shade of red. Letting out a sigh he shook his head. "She's fine, man."
"She's not fine," Matt insisted, tossing his head in her direction where an obviously older guy was attempting to talk her up.
Kol pursed his lips as he considered the boy's words. He looked to Elena, witnessing her laughingly push the unwanted suitor away. "Look, she's lost three people in her life in a matter of weeks. She needs to let go and have some fun," he excused. "Look," he gestured to the plate of food that Matt had dropped off. "She ate, and she's been drinking water in between beer…" He hoped it would appease the boy before him. "I'm keeping an eye on her." And he was. Yes, he'd supplied the alcohol, but he'd also been making sure she was safe and drinking water as well.
"Mattie!" Elena locked her arms around his waist. "Hey, I love this song. Come dance with me…" She tried to dance against him, hoping to sway him into following along.
Matt shook his head. "I'm working, Elena."
She stopped dancing and pouted at Matt. Giving him her saddest 'puppy dog' eyes, she shook her head. "Fine, but I am not happy about this." When the song changed, she perked up. Turning to Kol, she held out her hand. "I believe you owe me a dance. The last time we danced, we were interrupted."
The Original looked from the unimpressed male to Elena. He stood up, placing his hand in hers. "I believe you're right." He spun her into his chest, smiling when she laughed and clumsily tried to keep up with his actions. "Shall we?" He asked against her ear. Without waiting for a response, he led her to the makeshift dance floor.
His anger had drained slightly when he noticed the water and eaten food, but as soon as Kol led Elena out to the dance floor, his frown was back in place. Matt shook his head and began grumbling to himself as he cleared the numerous beer bottles off the table. With one last dark look at the dance floor, he turned back to work.
On the dance floor, Elena began swaying her hips, showing her partner the rhythm of the current song. Kol was still at a respectable distance behind her with one hand placed on her waist. She turned her head and looked at his movements to see how he was fairing.
He thought back on the night he met her and the way the couples danced. It was easy to see in his thoughts, but he still had the mind frame that he needed to keep his body stiff.
"We're gonna have to get a little closer," she said, backing into him completely. "Here…" She grabbed his other hand and placed it on her other hip. "Just do what I do," she said softly. She shifted her hips forward and waited for him to follow suit. When his hips brushed against hers again, she pushed her hips back.
When she pushed her backside against him, his eyes nearly bugged out of his head.
Elena leaned her head against his chest and laughed. "Relax," she ordered. "I'm not trying to feel you up. We're supposed to be rocking together," she explained. "Would you like to try this again?"
"You just want to rub against me," he teased.
Elena peered at him, blinking her eyes in a flirty manner. "Am I that transparent?" She shook her head. "You better be careful, Kol. I might think you are flirting with me."
He offered her a breathtaking smile then. "I'd only flirt with you, Elena." The laugh he heard in response was like music to his ears. If it were anyone else, he'd feel slightly insulted by her reaction to his words. However, he'd gladly make a fool of himself just to hear her laugh. He didn't know when it was that the human in his arms endeared herself to him, but she had.
Elena shook her head and began dancing again. The second time that she pushed her hips back into him, his hips followed the movement. They began rocking against each other, keeping up with the rhythm of the music.
When Elijah walked into the Grill, he wasn't sure what to expect. When Rebekah repeated the text that her football player friend had sent her, his ire rose. During the short travel to the bar and restaurant he seethed about his brother's stupidity. He'd asked him to casually keep an eye on Elena, not serve her alcohol.
He scanned the scene in the building. Being Friday night, the bar area was full. His eyes swept over the people, ignoring the three women that were staring at him in interest. His gaze moved to the gaming area, once again not locating Elena or Kol.
It wasn't until he looked to the dance floor that he easily located the two. They were gyrating against one another, and Elijah's anger instantly morphed into a raging jealousy. It was an emotion he hadn't felt in a very long time; hundreds of years to be exact. The two appeared to be completely at ease with one another and he felt his hackles rise.
He strode towards the unassuming pair. When he witnessed Kol pull Elena further into his body, he growled. He made sure to come up behind the pair, surprising them. He forcefully tapped Kol on the shoulder.
When he felt the tap on his shoulder, Kol squared his shoulders and turned around ready to tell the person to beat it. Since he and Elena began dancing, multiple people had attempted to break in, but he wasn't willing to relinquish his hold on Elena. He had successfully carried out his plan in making sure she had a fun time. She was more than a little tipsy and her inhibitions were lowered. He didn't so much worry about her acting, but he didn't trust the men who had been staring at her.
"Wha…shit," he muttered, his shoulders deflated as soon as his eyes met the furious gaze of Elijah. He was nearly shooting fire out of his eyes, and he knew that if his brother had that particular gift, he'd been dead where he stood.
When Elena noticed that Kol stopped dancing, she turned around to find out what stopped him. It was then that she noticed Elijah standing there. Forgetting all about her desire to dance, she perked up and stepped closer to the eldest sibling. "Hey! It's Elijah!"
Elijah tore his gaze away from Kol, the expression on his face becoming neutral. He offered the human a weak smile. When Elena bounded over to him and hugged his waist, he felt a real smile kiss his lips as he looked down on her. Her good mood was infectious when he ignored the reason why she was so carefree.
Elena leaned into his side, inhaling his scent. "Mmmm, you always smell so good. I just want to lick you all over," she drunkenly admitted and she rubbed her head against his chest. She began to sway against him to the beat of the music, taking no offense when he stood still.
As soon as he heard her words, Elijah momentarily tensed. He pulled his attention away from Elena and glared at Kol who was doing all he could to keep from laughing. "Say one word you'll be healing into next week," he vowed through clenched teeth.
Kol sobered up immediately and he held his hands up in surrender.
"Are you current on your bar tab?" When his brother nodded, Elijah nodded as well. "Good, we can go then."
Opening her eyes, Elena shook her head. "I don't want to leave. I don't want to be alone."
"Would you like to come home with us?" Kol asked after she spoke.
The human shook her head once again. "No. Klaus and Rebekah…" she trailed off, not bothering to finish her sentence, thinking that both of her companions would understand her reasoning. She looked from one brother to the other, realizing that she had no choice in the matter. She would be leaving with them. Focusing on Elijah, she entwined their fingers.
Instead of pulling away like his first instincts told him to, Elijah looked down at their joined hands. He squeezed her hand momentarily.
As soon as she felt his reaction, Elena's insides melted. Since the morning of Bonnie's spell for Alaric, Elijah had kept his word. If he didn't call her or visit her, he made sure that someone else did. "Okay, Mr. Mikaelson," she said in hoarse tone. "Take me home."
The drive to the Mikaelson mansion was tense; or at least it was between the two brothers. Every so often, Elijah would use the rearview mirror to glare at Kol, who occupied the back seat. The younger brother would defiantly meet his gaze.
In the passenger seat, Elena concentrated on the music, bopping her head along. If she sensed anything, she didn't say anything about it.
When Elijah pulled up to the mansion, he put his car in park and turned to Elena. "Am I taking you home?"
Elena nodded. "Yeah, I think that would be best."
"Well, then this is where we part ways, Elena. Goodnight." The youngest Mikaelson brother moved to the door.
"Oh, wait." Clumsily, Elena unbuckled her seatbelt. She turned around, using the seat as leverage as she looked at Kol. She offered him a bright smile. "Thank you for tonight. I had fun." Leaning further over the edge of the seat, she placed a kiss on Kol's cheek.
"I'm glad," Kol said. "I'm up for it whenever you want. Now, you two kids behave yourselves." When Elena blushed at his words, he waggled his eyebrows at her.
Elijah continued to stare ahead, as Elena said her goodbye to Kol. However, when she maneuvered her body around and placed a kiss on his brother's cheek, his restraint nearly snapped. He gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
When she turned back around and situated herself, Elijah looked back. "I'll deal with you later."
As Kol closed his car door a little too forcefully, Elena frowned and turned to Elijah. "Are you mad at me?" She asked softly.
Elijah pulled away from the house, not removing his gaze from the road. "What makes you think that?"
"You mean aside from the fact that you look mad enough to shit tacks…?" She asked with a pointed look at him.
When he realized just how his body language was interpreted, he relaxed slightly. "I'm not mad at you," he replied in a soft voice. He wouldn't mention the slight feeling of jealousy that arose when Elena had kissed his brother; despite the fact that it was a friendly expression and nothing more. He offered Elena a small smile in effort to assure her of that.
Assured by his words and lenient body language, Elena turned back to the stare out the front window.
The separation from the alcohol was beginning to have a sobering effect on Elena; or maybe it had been separation from the atmosphere of the Grill. Either way, Elijah was grateful for it. The ride to the Gilbert residence was quiet, but nowhere near stilted or tense in any way.
When Elijah parked his car in the driveway, he turned to Elena. "I'm sorry if I gave you the impression that I was in any way angry with you," he said gently. "My anger rests on Kol."
The human nodded at his words, but began to frown. "Wait, why are you mad at him?"
"Elena, he got you drunk!" Elijah cried out.
She shrugged. "It's not like this is the first time I've been drunk," Elena shook her head. Before her life began revolving around vampires and doppelgangers, she was an average teen. She went to parties and drank a little too much. "Look, I needed this. It was nice to go out and forget about my issues for the night." The brunette frowned at her companion. He didn't seem to care for her excuse, and she felt her anger rising. "I hope you don't think that you have the ability to tell me what to do, because I got enough of that from Damon. I don't need it from you too."
"Elena-"
She didn't dare let him finish his words. "Don't." With a scathing look in his direction, she let herself out of the car. She was miffed with Elijah, a little more than miffed. A part of her knew that she was being completely irrational for feeling so; she knew that Elijah was just worried about her. Yet, she couldn't help but feel as though he was judging her. She could take judgment from just about anyone, but not him. She walked to her front door, rummaging through her purse the entire time, trying to locate her keys. When she reached the door, she realized that she never turned the porch light on, and she struggled to fit the key into the lock.
From his position in the car, Elijah blinked in confusion. What the hell had he said that turned her mood so quickly? He remembered back to a few of his experiences with alcohol and the effect that it had on him, and it was the only thing that kept him from driving off in the desire to letting Elena's ire cool. He watched her dig around her purse for her keys and then struggle to try and unlock the door. After a minute of watching, he got out of the car and quietly approached her.
"Having difficulties?"
Elena huffed at him. "It makes it harder for me to storm off in anger," she admitted in a defeated tone. Not bothering to spare him a glance, she continued to try and unlock it. "It's a good thing I'm not running from a killer right now," she murmured quietly.
Sensing her growing annoyance, Elijah stepped behind her. "Do you mind if I try?" Without waiting for a response, he placed his hand around hers, guiding the key towards the lock. It easily fell into place and he unlocked the latch.
Elena stared at their joined hands, both surprised and curious as to why Elijah didn't remove his hand from around hers when her original task had been completed. "I'm sorry for overreacting, Elijah. You aren't anything like Damon." She shook her head. "I never should have said that…" She'd known the second the words were out of her mouth that they were undeserved and wrong in every way. However, her pride refused to let her turn back and apologize then.
He didn't take offense to the words she'd spoken in the car. He'd been more surprised that she'd lashed out in such a way, until then, she'd been so happy. "Do you still want me to come in?" He didn't bother to address her apology, because he honestly didn't think there was anything to forgive her for. He worried about her response to his question.
"Good evening, Caroline."
The blonde looked up from her thoughts, and pursed her lips as she spotted Klaus standing near to her. She narrowed her eyes at him and tossed her hair back. "Are you following me?"
"Yes, I, Niklaus Mikaelson, thousand year old vampire has nothing better to do than follow a teenaged girl around," he replied, taking no offense to her words.
Caroline shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "What do you want?" Her words were flat. She didn't have the fight inside her to deal with him. Maybe if she was lucky, he would tell her what he wanted and she could be left on her own.
Hearing the tone of her voice, Klaus frowned. He didn't think he'd ever heard such a sound come of her mouth. Caroline's voice and body language always betrayed the emotions she felt. He could obviously detect her unhappiness, but it was still a foreign thing for him. "What's wrong?"
She shook her head. "It doesn't matter," she brushed off. When he claimed a seat on the same bench, her body tensed.
"Still unnerved by me, love?"
"Old habits," she shrugged. "I can't imagine why after you compelled my part wolf ex-boyfriend to bite me." It was something that she thought often on, and she'd come to find everything falling to Klaus. It was his fault that things had turned out the way they had. Sure, he had no control over Tyler's little girlfriend, or Tyler's actions once he'd been away…but if it hadn't been for that compulsion, she and Tyler would still be together."
"Ex-boyfriend. Oooh, ouch," he scrunched his nose in an unfamiliar action and shook his head. "Oh well, you know what they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure."
He didn't sound sincere in the slightest and Caroline frowned. "Did you just compare me to trash?" She glared at her companion.
"You would hear that. Why do you automatically think the worst in me?"
"Because you're you," she shot back at him, not even having to think of a reply. "After all the things that you did to me and my friends…can you blame me for thinking such a thing?"
He didn't bother to attempt to deny her words, there was no way he could. She was right, and he had a feeling that any attempt to defend his actions wouldn't go over well with his companion. "Caroline, I would like nothing more than to settle down in Mystic Falls. I will not do anything to jeopardize that."
She pursed her lips and shook her head, unable to believe him. "I don't think so. You say that now, but what happens when you need more of Elena's blood to create your precious hybrids?" She arched an eyebrow at him. "And I can't imagine that Elijah will be very accommodating to it."
"This has already been discussed between Elijah and myself," he allowed in a stilted voice. It betrayed his unwillingness to discuss it with her, but he wanted her to know that it was already taken care of. "So…you and dog-boy broke up?"
The blonde scoffed at his choice name for Tyler. "You're really going there?"
He ignored her words. As much as he enjoyed their banter, he was curious about the end of her relationship with Tyler. "And you're out here, alone? Where are your friends?" They'd been there to help Elena, and he felt slightly annoyed that the girl before him was dealing with her issue alone.
Caroline shrugged. "Dealing with their own stuff." She knew that if she called Bonnie or Elena, they'd be right there next to her. She just didn't want to bother them. She had been the one to end the relationship, did she really have a right to cry over it? Did she really have a right to pull her friends from their lives to help her cope? Not only that, but it did seem insignificant to mourn the loss of a relationship when compared to all the other things that had taken place in their lives the previous weeks.
"I spoke to Jeremy today," Elena said breaking the silence that settled over the pair.
Since she'd been home, she'd taken migraine pills, a B vitamin and had plenty of water. It was only once she'd left the Grill that she realized just how much alcohol she'd imbibed. She was going to try her hardest not to wake up hung over the next morning. After consuming three large bottles of water, Elena was feeling slightly more sober.
"How did that go?" Elijah asked, while inwardly wincing. He supposed that it was reason enough as to why Elena had been drinking that night. He had known there was a reason for her out of character behavior, something more than what she'd been dealing with for the past few weeks.
Elena let out a weary sigh. "He doesn't want to come home," she admitted in a small voice. "Ever," she added, remembering his emphatic declaration. She'd known the moment she told him about Bonnie's spell that he would be angered by his lack of input on the situation. It had been her most difficult conversation to have with him since the death of her parents. He'd called her a few choice words and then swiftly hung up on her. He hadn't answered her calls since then. It didn't deter her from calling him and leaving messages though. That afternoon had been the first time he'd answered her calls. Just thinking back on his words, she felt tears sting her eyes. "He's asked that I give him space and stop calling him." She felt one lone tear travel down her cheek. "God, I am so tired of crying," she said, forcing a smile on her face. She shook her head and wiped away the tear. If she was tired of it, she was sure that Elijah was tired of it as well.
"He doesn't mean it, Elena," Elijah said after a moment. "Right now, he's angry and hurt over the situation. He'd grieving like you are. All you can do is respect his wishes for the time being. He'll come to you when he's ready." He wished he had something more to offer her as comfort; however, it was all he could say with certainty. He had plenty of experience when it came to being at odd with siblings. They didn't always agree, but they were family. Words were exchanged before a long period of estrangement, but they always found their way back together; even he and Klaus. He didn't think that he and Nicklaus would ever share the same relationship they had once upon a time, but they were still brothers. It was a long, hard lesson, one that Elijah didn't think he'd ever be finished learning.
At the moment, the pair was lounging on Elena's bed. They each stayed to their own side of the bed, but their bodies were turned to each other.
Looking for another topic of conversation, Elena stared at her companion. She couldn't remember ever seeing him so relaxed, as he was in that moment. His jacket had been removed and his hair was slightly messy and best of all, his shoes were removed.
He noticed the way that Elena stared at him. She almost appeared to be studying. The expression on her face no longer betrayed one of sadness and regret. Instead she looked at him in wonderment. It was enough for him to nearly fidget under her penetrating gaze. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Elena shook her head, smiling at the silliness of her thoughts. "Nothing. It's just…I like seeing you like this," she admitted. She brought her hand out and ran it through his hair, resetting the messy parts of it. "You're so relaxed. I mean your shoes are off, you have feet." She laughed, knowing her words trivial and a little silly.
AN: So I really wanted to continue this, but I wanted to get something out to you guys. I am going on vacation, but I will be bringing my lap top, so I'm hoping to (at the very least) get some writing done. I hope I'll be able to have internet access so I can update while I'm gone, but I can't guarantee anything. I hope you guys enjoyed this! And if I'm unable to update this while I'm gone, I really hope you guys won't forget about this story!