SwanQueen4055: Thank you!

Diehardromantic: Oh, thank you! I'm so glad you've enjoyed it.

Rasha007: Yes, isn't it great to find a story at it's completion? I hope you liked it!

Ladysingsthebluessowell: Thank you! I hope you feel the same way about this one

Siberia21: I posted this at the forum first. I was waiting for you to see it, but I'm too excited and couldn't wait to post it here! Thank you,darling! I only hope you enjoy this one just as much!

Juti: Nope, no Katherine, other than mentioning her in this one. I don't care for her character. Sorry if that disappoints you.

AN: One more time, thank you everyone for the reviews and reads! I haven't planned out a sequel, but I did leave it open so that it would be easier to work off of, if/when I found the inspiration.

Epilogue 2

"Seriously, Elijah…" Kol let out a weary sigh. "You're toeing the line of being hauled off to jail for stalker behavior," he observed while shaking his head. He looked away from the school in front of him, turning his attention back to his phone.

Elijah Mikaelson did his best to ignore his baby brother, but he had to grudgingly admit that his actions concerning Elena were borderline obsessive. For him, the last few hundred years had gone by at a snail's pace.

Upon his arrival in his time, he'd never felt so lost. He missed the amenities that the future offered, but more than that, he missed the people. In the future, he had his family. He had Elena. Returning to the life he had lived was lonely and quiet. Thoughts of the future plagued him wherever he went. The first time he attended a ball upon his arrival, he thought on the dance club Elena dragged him to. The first time that he realized that he'd consumed every book in his possession, he thought on television and movies. He had missed electricity and running water as if he'd never gone without either.

The first time that a woman had offered herself to him had been easy to look past, though the invitations grew progressively more difficult to pass up as time passed. Logically, he'd known that Elena would end up being his mate. There was no argument against it. His feelings demanded it, and the way that the young woman in the future reacted, it would be so. Yet, she wouldn't be conceived for generations to come. He was a man, a vampire at that. There was no way he could remain celibate for hundreds of years. Would it be considered cheating if he found pleasure in another woman? It had always been one of the heavier questions for him. Humans and vampires viewed things differently anyway...

Yes, he sought carnal pleasure from a multitude of women, but he never once became emotionally involved. If he was to confess to the Elena of his time about the journey that he'd taken, would she find merit in the fact that he'd remained untouched since the day she'd been born? Honestly, he didn't know; but he hoped she would see it that way.

It had been the longest seventeen years of his existence. The day that she'd been born, it had taken all of his reserve not to rush to Mystic Falls. He knew that the slightest change could alter everything, though he'd already committed such when it came to his siblings.

Upon his return to his time, he'd immediately sought Klaus out. He had been able to revive Finn from his daggered fate; inciting Klaus' anger. The already precarious relationship that he shared with his half-brother fell to shambles. It was something that he'd always held slight regret for, but it had been worth it. Finn, upon waking, had stayed with him through the years. There had been a few decades in between when the two went their separate ways, but they always found their way back to one another.

Kol and Rebekah were a different matter. Once upon a time, the relationship that he shared with his sister and half-brother far surpassed the one that he shared with his two remaining brothers. However that time had come and gone. With the disbanding of his relationship with Klaus, it appeared as though a crevice had been made in the foundation of the one he shared with Rebekah. Oh, she tried to stay out of their business, but she spent more time with Klaus, despite how many times he'd reminded her that she was always more than welcome to visit him more often. He had often resented Rebekah's decision, though he knew she was just as easily manipulated as the next person when it came to Nicklaus. In the end, it worked out better. He had never told her about his journey through time, he never mentioned his feelings for Elena, and he never mentioned the fact that there would be another doppelganger. As sad as it was to say, he didn't trust her not to tell Klaus in one of her tantrums.

As for Kol, Kol could be a handful if the youngest brother deemed it to be so. Yet, aside from the delight he took in his status, he'd remained a true confidant. Though, he still waited twenty years after his return before telling the younger brother about his time traveling spell. Once it was out in the open, the revelation was met with jeering comments; until he revealed facts in 'history' that he'd learned in his journey to the future. He supposed that his relationship with Kol was similar to the one that Rebekah and Nicklaus shared. Where she was more distant with him, Kol remained almost separate from Klaus. They hadn't all been together since before Finn had been daggered; either he or Klaus would be missing whenever the siblings decided a reunion of sorts was necessary.

"I cannot reveal myself to her yet, Kol," the eldest sibling admitted with a defeated sigh.

"And why is that again, brother? Oh, I know why," Kol said, pulling his attention away from his phone. "It's because, ignoring the fact that you're like a thousand years older than her, you appear to be fifteen years older than her. She'd probably be squicked out if she knew that you'd been holding a hard-on for her for the past couple hundred years," he offered up in a tasteless tone.

Elijah pursed his lips as he considered his brother's words. While as classless as the off-handed comment was, he grudgingly admitted the rightness to the words. The physical appearance of their age difference was the reason why he stayed away from her. He kept tabs on her periodically through her life, but it wasn't until she went to high school, that his tabs became visits to the small town. He still made sure to keep his distance from Elena and never let himself be seen by her, but he continued to watch her from a distance.

"Oh, look," Kol drawled out. "Here comes the highlight of your day." Both Mikaelson siblings watched as Elena exited the school, hand in hand with Matt Donovan. The younger brother didn't even have to look at his brother to see the annoyance in his frame. "She and 'Johnny football hero' will kiss and pledge unending love for one another, though we both know that will end in a few months," he finished in a bored tone.

Elijah's body relaxed as he listened to his brother's words, knowing that he was right in his assumption. Despite the fact that it was something he already knew, he still frowned when he saw the couple. He understood that in the future, Elena and the Donovan boy would become good friends, and he was more than eager for that to come to fruition.

The last time since he'd felt something similar to jealousy had been when he and Klaus dealt with a still human Katherine; and even then, the feelings that he experienced then were nothing to the ones he endured when thinking about Elena and her boyfriend. He was almost positive that Matt would be her 'first,' if he wasn't all ready. Never before had he felt such desire to kill a human before, Matt was lucky that he hadn't suffered a horrendous accident.

He watched the scene across the street, Elena donning her cheerleading uniform kissed her boyfriend goodbye as she wished him good luck at the game that night. As Matt turned away, Elijah continued to stare at the brunette. He held no concern over the fact that someone may find his behavior off, if he had to, he'd compel his way out of it. Just when he was about turn away, he watched her spin around, as if sensing she was being watched. When she turned in his direction, he met her gaze. With barely a hint of a smile on his face, he tilted his head in silent acknowledgement. He found it endearing that she was surprised by his attention, but he wasn't quite ready to reveal himself just yet. He observed Bonnie and Caroline approach her from a short distance. He waited until she was thoroughly engrossed in the conversation with them before he moved away from the area, as Kol followed him. Hidden away from her human eyesight, he didn't miss the way that her eyes moved in the direction that he'd previously been in or the pout on her face when she didn't see him.

"Any news to report?" Elijah asked Stefan.

Stefan Salvatore frowned, but shook his head. From the moment that Elijah Mikaelson had approached him two years earlier, asking him to keep an eye on a human for him, he'd been intrigued. He remembered Klaus, and the time he spent with Klaus and Rebekah in Chicago. He remembered the crazy times he'd spent with the siblings; so when he learned that Elijah was their brother, he was surprised. Elijah was so different from them, at least how they were back then.

However despite his surprise, he was also weary of the Original vampire's intentions. Elijah didn't strike him as the type to need help keeping an eye on anyone. Yet, with the promise of compensation (for him) and the information for Katherine's whereabouts (for Damon), he'd been willing to go back to school for the older vampire. He ignored the slight sadness he felt for Elijah's victim, but the amount of money he'd received had him ignoring it.

The first day that he enrolled, he'd been given her name and grade level, other than that, he'd known nothing about the girl. As it was, he'd been quite unprepared to see a girl, a human girl, who looked exactly like Katherine in a couple of his classes. He'd been even more shocked to learn that the same girl who was teasing him with memories he'd thought he'd locked away was the same girl that Elijah was interested in. It was enough for him to pause in his mission and consider all that it implied.

While he'd gotten over Katherine nearly a hundred years earlier; she'd been the first woman that he ever loved. Even when he didn't want them to, thoughts of her occasionally crept into his mind. He truly felt as if he was over her, but seeing Elena Gilbert brought all those old familiar feeling back. Upon getting to know her, or as well as he could have with a jealous boyfriend, he was growing conflicted. In all honesty, she was a good person. In his opinion, she deserved more than being singled out by Elijah. He wanted to warn her, but every time that he'd resolved his feelings to do so, Damon would step in and remind him of Katherine. Everything was so easy for his brother, things were either black or white; there were no shades of grey for him.

"It's been rather difficult to get very close to her, what with her human bodyguard," the young vampire muttered.

"I meant emotionally," Elijah clarified in a flat tone. He was already aware that Matt Donovan was even more involved with Elena than before. Watching the young vampire shake his head, the Original's expression turned more insistant.

Stefan sighed. "No. Again, I didn't know her very well before hand," he reminded the Original. "But I have heard that in the news of Grayson and Miranda's deaths that she's sort of separated herself from her friends." It was barely a hint of emotion, but he didn't miss the brief shadow of guilt in Elijah's eyes. "Wouldn't you have been better off stopping them from crossing the bridge at all?" Stefan inquired then. He still wasn't aware of the reason why Elijah had taken such interest in Elena, and he had no idea how the vampire seemed to know about events that hadn't yet taken place. He'd asked once, but Elijah informed him it really was none of his concern.

"Are you questioning my actions?" Elijah asked in a demanding tone as he raised one eyebrow.

Stefan shrugged. "While I don't really get your…whatever it is you have for Elena, I know that there is affection there. Since you know events that haven't happened yet, surely you could have stopped it from happening. It would have saved her this heart break."

Elijah considered his words with pursed lips. "The thought did cross my mind," he admitted with a small shake of his head. "However, I have it on good authority that certain things must play out in certain ways. What if I had stopped them from even getting into the car? What if weeks later they traveled to a small bed and breakfast where a gas leak that killed all of the guests?"

"You're reaching a little, aren't you?" Stefan asked, still skeptical about his words.

Grabbing a paper from a nearby town, he laid it out before Stefan. "This was printed yesterday morning." He waited for Stefan to skim over the article. "Three months ago, the Gilberts booked three rooms."

The young man shook his head. "This is just coincidence."

"Perhaps," the Original agreed. "What if I also confessed that in another world, the accident still happened and you were the one to pull Elena from the wreckage? Only in that timeline you did it without someone else's encouragement? It is a sad fact to face, but some people aren't meant to live long lives. I will forever live with regret that I, who could have stopped her from losing her parents, chose not to. Yet, even if they had not booked those rooms; who is to say that she would not have lost them in another way…or lost her own life? Do I regret that? Certainly, but I will not gamble her life. I do not care how callous that seems to you. She is still alive because of my actions, and at the end of the day, it is enough." When it appeared as though Stefan was soothed by his words, he cleared his throat. Standing up, he moved to the front of the desk he'd been sitting behind. "Now, it is time for the next phase."

Mimicking Elijah's earlier actions, Stefan arched one eyebrow. "Phase?" It was an interesting word if he'd ever heard one.

"Matt Donavon will be the next one she pushes away," the Original shared. "Once that happens, I want you to persist in your friendship with her. And please, Stefan, remember that word. Friendship," he repeated then. "You are not a bad man, and I would hate to have to decapitate you." From the knowledge that he'd gained during his visit to the future; romance aside, Elena and Stefan shared a close relationship. He hoped that it was something that would transcend through the timelines, given that friendship was the only thing the two shared.

He had no doubt that Elijah meant his warning. "She is spoken for, I get it." He still didn't know much about Elena, but he could honestly see a relationship grow between them…er, before Elijah's words. However, since she wore the same face as Katherine, he didn't even know how it would have worked between them. "What next?"

"You will slowly introduce her vampires. It will make our first meeting much easier if she understands that aspect."

Stefan didn't bother with a verbal reply, he only shook his head. He had never revealed himself to a human whom he wasn't going to kill. "Anything else?" He asked then with sarcastic tilt to his words.

"Please keep your brother in check. I understand that she looks like Katherine; but she is not, nor will she ever be like that woman."

Katherine had been another revelation that had thrown through a hoop. From the moment that Elijah approached him with promises of wealth and 'Katarina,' he'd been intrigued. Elijah shared that once he and Klaus were in contest for her affections, for the affections of the Original Petrova. Stefan had known there was more to the story than that, but just the idea that a woman he'd known and loved had also been with the Originals was mind blowing.

"Damon will keep his distance so long as you keep your word and deliver Katherine to him," Stefan replied then. While he had learned his lesson and his feelings for the vampire they spoke of lessened; Damon was far from that place. It appeared that Katherine was the only one could bring a little bit of 'humanity' in the older Salvatore brother.

"So, what's the deal with you and Stefan Salvatore?" Caroline asked, closing her eyes and basking in the sunlight that bathed them. "Don't think I haven't noticed all the time you guys have spent together." She shook her head, cracking her eyes open and peering over at her friend. How was it that Elena had all the luck when it came to guys? First, there was Matt, who she held no attraction for, but was a stand-up guy. Then the handsome and mysterious Salvatore…

Elena shook her head sadly. "Absolutely nothing," she denied. "I don't get it, Caroline. It's like…he gives me these looks and I feel flutters in my stomach."

"So, if he's into you, then why not go for it?" Bonnie Bennett asked then, speaking for the first time. She didn't miss the way that Caroline frowned at her question.

Elena shrugged. "I know he's attracted to me, and he knows I'm interested." She shook her head again. "He won't make a move."

"Maybe he's not as interested as you think he is…" Caroline replied. Belatedly, she realized just how callous her words were, and she apologized swiftly. However, she couldn't deny how happy she was to hear that news.

Elena easily accepted the apology. It wasn't as though Stefan had made some sort of declaration of his feelings for her. As far as she was concerned, she'd laid her interest out. If he didn't want to partake, then she could deal with that. In all honesty, she wasn't emotionally ready to make a huge commitment; at least not at that time. "Maybe he isn't," Elena shrugged. "But he doesn't even know you exist…"

Caroline winced. "Okay, I deserved that…but I did apologize," she reminded the brunette in a small voice.

Elena nodded. "I know you did. I just figured it was deserved," the brunette replied with a smile. "Look, if you're into him, I won't stop you." Though, she couldn't guarantee that Stefan would respond. As much as she loved Caroline, her friend was rather silly. At first glance, she didn't think the pair meshed well.

"And it wouldn't upset you?" Caroline asked, making sure not to step on Elena's toes.

The shorter girl waved away the concern. "No." She supposed she shouldn't be so dismissive of Caroline's feelings for Stefan. After all, until a few months ago, she was just as silly as her. "He's cute, and I may not mind if something were to happen between us, but I'm not in the best place right now."

"Ok…if you're sure," Caroline replied in a perky tone.

Elena looked away from her friends with a frown on her face. She wasn't even sure why she had been so annoyed by Caroline's words, but she was. Caroline had a heart of gold where her friends were concerned, but sometimes she said things without thinking. Usually it was something she could overlook, but she couldn't that day. And it wasn't so much Stefan Salvatore, but what he represented. A year ago, she never would have passed up an opportunity to go out with a nice guy.

"You are mad…" Caroline trailed off then, noticing the expression on her friend's face.

Elena shook her head. "I'm not…really. I just hate this. I wish I was better and that-" She let out a weary sigh. "I'm just gonna go, you guys," she stood up. "I promise, Caroline, I'm not mad about Stefan. I'm just not in a very good mood right now. And I'm feeling all sorts of guilty for being out with you guys when I should be home, helping Jenna…because I know that Jeremy isn't," she muttered. "Look, I'll catch up with you guys later."

As Elena made her way through the restaurant, she wasn't paying complete attention and walked into someone, a rather hard someone. She felt herself stumbling back, until a pair of hands steadied her.

"I'm sorry," Elena immediately apologized. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"No, it was my fault. I was much occupied. I've been waiting for my brother."

Elena offered a small smile to the stranger when she noticed that his hands were still rested on her waist.

He followed her eyes and immediately let go of her. "Hi, my name's Kol."

"Hi, Kol. I'm Elena," she greeted back. "I should be going…"

Kol stepped away from her. "Yes, well, it was a pleasure running into you, Elena."

As Elena walked away, she felt her embarrassment rise. She turned back around to give him one last look, not even noticing the fact that she brushed against someone else on her way out the door. She also missed the intense gaze her tiny frame.

"Someone took her, Elijah!" Stefan exclaimed into the phone.

"Of course they did, Stefan," the Original replied in a calm tone.

Pulling the phone away from his ear, Stefan frowned. "You knew this was going to happen?!" Caroline would never forgive him if he let something happen to Elena.

The past few months had been interesting, to put it lightly. He and Caroline started dating, and his friendship with Elena had grown as well. He had done as Elijah instructed, telling Elena, Caroline and Bonnie about his nature; thus outing Damon as well. It was when Bonnie revealed herself to be a witch. Slowly, Jeremy and Matt were brought into the fold, and at school, they were always seen together.

"Would you relax, Stefan?" Elijah returned. "I have all of this under control. I know who has taken her."

"Which is…" Stefan trailed off, eager to hear the answer.

"Rose. She has already called me to inform me that she's located another doppelganger and is eager to make a deal with me."

"Rose? Damon's Rose?" Stefan sighed. "Damon will kill her if she hurts Elena." Another thing that had happened over the course of his friendship with Elena was that Damon slowly began to befriend her as well. He remained cold and indifferent to the others, but Stefan knew there was genuine affection for Elena.

"If that is how you wish to address her…" Elijah agreed. "I will be joining them in a few hours. Rose will not hurt her, Stefan. She and Trevor need her alive and well to bargain with her. However, when I take Elena, I need some time alone with her. I need you to keep Damon occupied."

"You think she's just going to fall under your spell?" The younger vampire demanded. "She's heard nothing but bad things about Klaus, of course she's going to assume that you are the same. She will be scared of you."

Elijah pursed his lips. "Not at all," he denied, though he would have preferred it that way. "However, I have been waiting to come face to face with her for hundreds of years. I will not be happy if there is any interference from you or your brother. As for her being frightened, I am sure she will; yet I mean her no harm, and she will discover that soon enough."

He pulled to a stop in front of the house that Rose told him about. Cutting the engine, Elijah attempted to calm his nerves. For years, he'd often imagined his first meeting with Elena. They would often include different time and different places, but they'd come together so many times in his thoughts. Despite how many times he'd thought on it, he still felt nervous.

Yes, Elena had been introduced to the supernatural; by way of vampires and Bonnie's own lineage, but he had constantly worried over her and how she coped with the news. There was always the worry that Stefan wouldn't be able to keep her safe.

Klaus had had been another thing that hung over his head. He hadn't seen his half-brother since he'd gone to retrieve his siblings. Since then, they'd been as separate as any strangers could be. He often thought on Klaus, and the route he'd vowed to go when he was still in the future. If he could have, he would have daggered his brother; if only he'd stay that way. No, the only time he could kill him was during the ritual, when Klaus was at his weakest. Unfortunately, that also meant he would have to serve Elena to him on a silver platter. It was not an idea that he relished, because of either aspect; but he would do what was necessary for her future…for their future.

Exiting his car, he outwardly composed himself. Slowly, he walked up the steps to the run down house. He took one more deep breath before he opened the door.

Rose stood across the room, fidgeting under his intense gaze.

"Rose…" he trailed off. Once upon a time, he found a great friend in her. He had honestly missed her when she turned her back on him. His eyes traveled down her body and back up. "You have blended in nicely," he complimented in a polite tone. As for him, he supposed that he would always be a man out of time.

"Thank you for coming, Elijah. I…I would like to strike a deal with you," the female said timidly. "You've always been a fair man, a good man who kept his promises."

"What is your proposal? You and your little friend Trevor really made a mess in your absences," he replied pointedly. "What makes you think that I would ever be eager to spin a deal with you after what you did?"

"I have something that you want…that Klaus wants. Perhaps you may be able to use her against Klaus." She wasn't naïve. She knew that her betrayal had trickled out and affected others. While she thought she was protecting Trevor, she always felt a touch of guilt for turning against Elijah.

Elijah arched an eyebrow. "And what could that possibly be?"

"Another doppelganger."

Elijah offered her a placating smile. "I heard about another one, but it nothing more than speculation. Are you sure about that? What if it's someone that just looks similar to…"

Rose shook her head. "No, it's Katherine, or how she once was when she was human. The similarities are astonishing." She watched the vampire narrow his eyes at her, as if wondering if he should believe her.

"So you offer her to me in exchange for what…" Elijah knew exactly what she wanted, but he couldn't let on; and more than that, he would not make it easy for him.

"Freedom," she supplied easily.

He pursed his lips, shaking his head slightly. "And you expect me to keep my end of the bargain…" he trailed off, staring intently at her.

Rose nodded softly. "Yes. As I stated before, you are a man of your word."

Elijah gestured towards the rest of the house. "I will need visual confirmation before I agree to anything," he expressed, desiring to come face to face with Elena.

"Of course," she agreed uneasily. Nervously, she turned towards the direction of the room she left Elena in with Trevor.

The Original followed behind her as casually as he could. Inside though, his nerves were raging. He'd been so anxious to 'meet' Elena, but he was worried about her reaction to him, or rather, his actions. One thing he definitely planned to do was remove Trevor's head the way that his future counterpart had. He worried about Elena's reaction to that small detail.

The closer he drew to Elena, the more fragrant her scent became to him. He was no unfamiliar with her scent. In fact, he relished the few times he'd been able to be close enough to her to take in her scent. How odd, she was a completely different version of Elena; but she was still so much the same. Her scent hadn't changed one bit.

Stepping into the room behind Rose, he immediately froze at the threshold; and it appeared that every other being did so as well. Trevor and Rose turned to him, eager to judge his reaction to the sight of another doppelganger; but he ignored the two vampires completely.

Standing near a window, Elena stood with one hand wrapped around her middle. He was easily able to determine her fright by the pounding of her heart, but she attempted to keep a calm façade. In her other hand, he noticed she held a tissue. His eyes swept over her form, noticing the tear in her sleeve, he frowned. He wondered who he had to thank for that.

As soon as Rose returned with another person, Elena turned to him and froze. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting. She'd heard such horrible things about Klaus; and the few things she'd heard about Elijah didn't exactly wax poetic. His eyes seemed to be locked on her form, and for one brief moment; she felt naked. It was as though he was looking through her, as if he already knew her…and that was an unsettling feeling. His brown eyes were intense and he peered at her with determination and slight wonderment. It was enough to spark an interested look in return. Her gaze traveled from his eyes, down his form. She couldn't ignore his attire, nor the way that he seemed to be able to pull off the suit, perhaps better than anyone she'd ever seen. Except… Her eyes narrowed and she frowned. Had she seen him before? Yes, she had… When her eyes travelled back up the length of his body, she unflinchingly met his gaze; which appeared to be amused by her reaction.

Her reaction to him was signal enough for him. Not bothering with the charade of playing human, Elijah rushed at her. He stopped when he was only a few feet away from her. "Hello there," he greeted in gentle tone, one side of his mouth tilted upwards. He ignored the frightful shudders of her body as he moved into her personal space. Leaning forward, he trailed his nose down the length of her neck before pulling his head away so it was only a hair's breath away from her. "I've been waiting for this moment for hundreds of years," he confessed in a whisper. His gaze flickered from the confusion behind her brown eyes to her mouth.

Without another word spoken between them, he captured her lips with his. His hand moved to cup one of her cheeks, his thumb brushing against her soft skin.

While she admitted the smoldering look was enough to leave her breathless, she never would have thought he would kiss her! She gasped into his mouth. When his tongue slipped into her mouth, her eyes opened in surprise, but she found herself responding to his actions.

He'd been tempted to pull away from her when she didn't respond in the beginning. Moments later, when she began to respond to his actions, he softly groaned into her mouth. There was no greater desire in that moment than to lose himself in the moment, but he knew he couldn't. Despite her response, he knew she was still nervous and full of questions. He also couldn't forget about the other two vampires in the room.

"Hello, Elena," he greeted in a hoarse whisper when he finally moved away from her. "I'm Elijah."

The End