AN: Elena's back in Mystic Falls after graduating college and then the supernatural drama begins. Set around after when Elijah undaggers his siblings in s3 and minus a ton of drama. The prompt for this chapter is: A story about justice being done. It's there if you look.
Songs for this chapter: Cardiac Arrest by Bad Suns, What You Want by Two Door Cinema Club and Green Light by Lorde. Fun fact- I was rewatching Elejah scenes and when Elijah asks Elena if he can trust her to tell him what his mother says, Lorde sang "You're such a damn liar," as the camera focused on Elena.
Elijah takes her out for coffee, almost like he knows she doesn't want to go home and explain just yet. Elena's still shaky and she trusts him, if he says they're going to get coffee, they're going to get coffee.
Elijah drives out of Mystic Falls as he apologizes a second time about Rebekah. Elena remembers that there really isn't anything open in Mystic Falls at this time except maybe a bar or two. Bruises are forming, Elena finds her purse in the backseat and looks through it for something to cover her neck. A dark scarf works, it's cold out and it'll cover whatever's forming on her neck.
"Do you ever get cold?" Elena asks, because even with the scarf on, she finds herself reaching forward to adjust the heat.
"Rarely." Elijah answers and Elena ponders it for a moment.
"Is that a suit thing or a vampire thing?" She asks and he looks so amused but she raises an eyebrow, she wants an answer after all.
"Vampire thing." Elijah answers, using her phrasing to answer.
"Do you drink coffee?" Elena asks because the music playing on the radio's still too quiet to be a distraction and she doesn't usually get this much of Elijah's time.
"Sometimes." Elijah answers and she wonders why his answers are so short.
"Are you annoyed with my questions?" Elena asks and he moves his head, he seems so human as he does it. Elijah looks tired, like someone hasn't let him sleep in weeks, but he's still moving and driving pretty well so she lets it slide.
"Is something else bothering you?" Elena's voice is soft.
"I might as well tell you now." Elijah decides and she hears what she thinks is a sigh before he continues speaking.
"You know the last coffin that the Salvatores had? The witches they teamed up with unlocked the coffin. My mother was inside." Elijah's voice sounds heavy and weary, even to his own ears. Elena makes a sad noise and he looks over.
"I'm so sorry you had that brought up again. At least you can bury her." Elena says gently, and he laughs mirthlessly. Wide eyes stare at him and he needs to just tell her.
"She's not dead. She was kept alive with magic. My siblings and I were going to leave like I told you-I was making plans to keep you protected before Rebekah went after you. But my mother is alive and she wants to be a family again." Elijah says and Elena gasps quietly.
"I'd love to have my mom back." She admits and he exhales, eyes focusing on the vacant, dark road, illuminated only by the headlights.
"She's not the same person who raised us. She's up to something. My father was subdued a few decades ago, I think she's trying to find him. You see, after my parents realized what they had made us into, my mother made my father into a vampire as well-sent him after us to rid the world of vampires. I think she still wants to kill us and by extension, you." Elijah says frankly and Elena leans forward in her seat.
"Me? I'm just human." Elena says and Elijah shakes his head gracefully.
"You're a supernatural being as a Petrova doppelganger, which was started with my mother's hatred of the Petrova who lived on our village when we were human. Tatia, who you and Katerina share your looks with." Elijah explains and Elena sighs.
"Are you sure we should be getting coffee? Because something stronger sounds better for this conversation." Elena says.
"I believe your aunt and uncle would frown upon that, and I would prefer you be sober for our conversation before we get back to Mystic Falls." Elijah says and Elena groans and looks at him as lights begin to come into view, another town, one with coffee.
Elena sticks close to him despite the fact the coffee shop's dead. There's two people looking at laptops at different tables sipping at their drinks and a woman reading a book with tea next to her. Elena orders hot chocolate and Elijah orders a black coffee. He tells her he's paying and Elena's too tired to argue. Rebekah's hands were around her neck less than half an hour ago and now his mother wants to kill them all. The dim lights are not helping anything, she's starting to wish she ordered coffee instead. When their drinks are done, Elijah moves to get them, looking back to make sure she won't fall asleep in the few seconds he'll be gone.
The cup of hot chocolate is hot against her hands and Elena looks to Elijah.
"So what's next? You aren't done with the bad news yet, are you?" Elena asks and Elijah chuckles.
"My mother is throwing a ball in a few weeks. She wants to invite you and the rest of the Founding Families to attend. I think by the time the ball comes, she'll have found Mikael and he'll try to kill us all." Elijah says and Elena wishes her hot chocolate was something stronger.
"Do you have a date yet?" Elena asks before taking a sip of hot chocolate. His eyes widen, he wonders if he's been too obvious, if she knows he has feelings for her.
"I assumed that was the next thing you were going to mention. Unless you have someone else you were thinking of taking." Elena suddenly realizes how presumptuous she sounds, but Elijah's never mentioned not being single.
"No, I was going to ask you. You beat me to it." Elijah almost looks like he'll smile, but Elena remembers things are still heavy now's not the time to do this.
"I'm sorry. You're talking about potentially dying and here I am asking if you have a date because I don't want to end up with a stranger." Elena says and he shakes his head.
"It's fine, lovely Elena. It's a lot to take in. It'll be fine. They killed us before, my siblings and I will kill them." Elijah says it like a promise. Elena takes a long sip of hot chocolate.
"So-what's our game plan?" She asks and he gives her a hint of a grin. There's no point in not trusting Elijah, if he wanted her dead he wouldn't have kept saving her, if he wanted her dead, he wouldn't have bothered telling her these things. Elijah needs her assistance and she needs his.
The drive back is quiet, invitations for the ball will go out soon, Jenna and Alaric won't be invited, they'll be safe at home. Elena messes with the radio and slowly works on drinking the last half of her hot chocolate. There's too much to do, but at least she's got Elijah. Something's been bothering her though, and it's not her neck-at least at the moment.
"Elijah." Elena says quietly.
"Hmm?" He asks and she looks at him with sad eyes, compassion blatant in her expression.
"To become a vampire, you have to die. What-" She trails off for a moment, unsure if she can really ask. Elijah's eyes look soft, something she's never seen around other people, only when they're alone.
"What killed you?" She asks, still soft and quiet.
"My parents killed us all after we drank wine laced with Tatia's blood." Elijah tells her and she bites her lip.
"I'm so sorry." Elena says, and if she didn't know any better, she'd say Elijah almost looks startled.
"It's ancient history." He says and she can't tell if he wants to stop talking about it or if he's saying it's passed and he's over 're turning onto her street anyway, and she can see lightning in the sky in short bursts of light. Elijah parks in the driveway and Elena looks at the sky before she gets out. Elijah stands in front of her, about to hand over the car keys, but she reaches forward and wraps her arms around him.
"I'm sorry they want to kill you. I'm sorry they killed you. I'm sorry things are the way they are. I can't imagine going through what you have." Elena says, face partially pressed into his suit jacket. He could escape the hug if he wanted of course, but he realizes she's trying to comfort him. Hesitant arms wrap around her and thunder booms and cracks in the sky, and he lets go first. Elena looks at him with concerned eyes, but his fingers brush hers to give her the keys.
"Goodnight, Elena." He says.
"Goodnight, Elijah." She replies and then he's gone-just before the rain begins to fall.
There is a plan, he always has a plan. They'll take down his parents in a few weeks, he just has to figure out if any of his siblings are thinking like he is. Elena Gilbert was an unexpected but not unwelcome surprise. For all of his plans and precision, he didn't plan on falling in love with her. She wants a normal life after the supernatural drama of the past few months. She's too kind and compassionate for her own good. Compassion-he had written about her compassion in a letter he was going to give her before he left with his siblings. He'll have to write a new one after his parents are taken care of. He'll need to move on from Elena Gilbert eventually-she's going to die, old and wrinkled someday and the thought feels like he just swallowed shards of glass. He needs to refocus.
"You're going with the doppelganger, aren't you?" Esther asks, she's not really his mother anymore but it's still hard to look at her sometimes. His mother was warm and kind, patient as she taught her children how to exist, how to do everything she knew. The woman standing in front of him is a mockery of that, a weak imitation of the woman who died over a thousand years ago.
"She asked me to accompany her so she could avoid rejecting the Salvatore brothers." Elijah excuses. Esther looks at him, cold and calculating, false affection in her eyes.
"You care for her." Esther notes, but it sounds like an accusation.
"I just don't want her to face a fate like Tatia or Katerina's. Nothing more." The lie is easy, he's been lying for centuries, the woman in front of him nods and accepts it.
"She's just a girl, Elijah. I'm glad you didn't make the same mistake again." Esther sounds sincere on the surface. Even if she doesn't completely loathe them, doesn't despise them after watching everything they've ever done-Elijah knows she wants them dead as she says it. It's going to be a long time until the ball, a few weeks is beginning to sound longer than a few years he's lived through.
There are moments of weakness-times he needs to get away from his family-times he calls Elena Gilbert. He always asks if she wants to get coffee, and she always says yes. Living with his siblings who all think that Esther is their mother and loves them-it's enough to drive someone mad. Niklaus distrusts it as well, they haven't lived as long as they have to trust everything-but it seems like even he falls for the act. Elijah doesn't blame them, they want forgiveness and love, but it's not smart to trust Esther.
Despite the fact they call each other to get coffee, they don't always get coffee. He really needs to stop relying on Elena Gilbert, it's just going to make it harder for him when he leaves. Elena's always happy to see him though and he's always happy to see her.
Two days before the ball-he gets a notification that there's a charge for a motel on the account he set up for Esther. The motel's the next town over, and Elijah dials a familiar number.
"Elena? Have you had coffee yet?" He asks politely. Esther has someone in that motel and more likely than not-it's Mikael.
"No. Not yet. How badly do you need coffee?" Elena asks and he keeps a pleasant look on his face as Finn walks into the room.
"Rather quickly, would you like to get coffee with me?" Elijah asks and Finn shoots him an odd look as he hears Elena agree.
Jenna has a pot of coffee brewing and she pours herself a cup before Elijah comes over, it's not about coffee. He's going to leave soon and she really shouldn't be thinking about him so much. He'll resume his life before Mystic Falls and she'll have to pretend her summer was quiet. Still, the sharp vampire is going to kill his mother in two days. Maybe both of his parents, depending if he managed to sway Klaus. It's kind of justice in a sick way, children killing the parents that killed them once upon a time, Elena thinks. The doorbell rings and Elena wonders what news he has, if it's a new theory or if he got Klaus on his side.
"You can walk in those heels, right?" Jenna asks and Elena nods. They're her favorite pair, but her dress hides her feet-no one's going to see them anyway. The doorbell rings and Alaric moves to answer it.
"Nope. Not yet. Last check." Jenna says and Alaric moves away from the door. Jenna does one last check, adjusting Elena's necklace before she moves to answer the door. Elijah cleans up nicely in a suit, but he looks excellent in a tux as well.
"Hello Jenna, Alaric. Elena, you look lovely." Elijah says and Elena blushes, despite her best efforts not to. Jenna doesn't miss that, Jenna doesn't miss much nowadays.
"I'll let you two get to the ball-but Elijah? I want Cinderella back here before midnight. Alaric needs his beauty sleep." Jenna says and Elena laughs. Alaric rolls his eyes and Elijah has a partial grin on his face as Elena speaks before he can.
"I'll be here way before midnight." Elena assures her aunt and she knows Jenna and Alaric worry but she is an adult.
"You're leaving after you-after they're gone, right?" Elena asks as he stops at the red light.
"More likely tomorrow morning with my siblings." Elijah says and he looks tired, like he hasn't slept in a year.
"How are your siblings?" Elena asks cautiously. She knows his siblings are a tricky subject, but if he wants to talk, she can listen. A sigh escapes him as the light turns green and she waits.
"I think Rebekah still wants to see the good in her. I'm not sure there's anything left of our mother in Esther. Finn is quiet but I think he'd side with her. Klaus is with us because of Mikael. Kol is with us because he's suspicious as well." Elijah tells her, and she can't imagine being in his position. She can't imagine having her parents back after so long, and telling Jeremy she has to kill their parents.
"I have to a short speech and then it will be dancing, people will be getting drinks, and hopefully, after the ball is when my mother will try to use Mikael. I know she must want us dead, but most of our guests tonight are human. She only wants what she created to die." Elijah says and Elena nods. All they can do is wait.
The ball is like a Founder's Event in the sense that the same people are there and it's still pretty calm. Elijah talks to her about trivial things neither of them are really focusing on, the guest list, the arrangements, they're both paying attention to the room instead.
"So this is the latest doppelganger." A man says and he looks so close to Elijah that he must be Kol.
"Kol Mikaelson, although I'm sure you knew that already." He introduces himself and kisses Elena's hand, and Elena doesn't know why she worried about Elijah's reaction. There isn't one, of course, because they're just allies. Elena tries to hide her disappointment as they stick close together and make small talk.
Elijah announces dancing and Elena's eyes widen because she's pretty sure she hasn't actually slow danced or done any dancing since Jenna and Alaric's wedding a few years ago.
"May I have this dance?" Elijah asks and Elena raises an eyebrow.
"I haven't danced in a few years. I might be awful." Elena says and Elijah grins.
"I'll lead." Elijah says and his fingers brush Elena's.
"One dance." Elena says hesitantly and Elijah nods. One dance turned into seven, and Elena wonders when she's going home, who will take her home. Dancing with Elijah's like riding a bike with someone quietly reminding her what to do next when she asks. Dancing with Elijah isn't nervewracking, as long as she's next to him, they're fine. Still, her heels aren't meant for dancing so much and her feet are screaming at her.
"Can we take a break? I could use a drink." Elena says and Elijah nods, and they take a scenic route to get to the kitchen instead of the bar set up. Elena looked like she needed privacy and he could use a moment. Elena looks around the kitchen that looks more like a glossy movie set than a place to make food and then to Elijah. There's something outside that catches her eye and she grabs Elijah's arm and points. Someone's literally on fire in his backyard and there are too many ears that could overhear and there's someone else there. Elena freezes and Elijah stares at the fire with a look.
"That's Niklaus. I'll open the door." Elijah says and Elena moves away, a few steps further, Elijah glances back at her but doesn't say anything. The door opens and it reeks of smoke and cooked vampire. Elena bites her lip and tries to focus on anything other than the nauseatingly awful smell, Klaus looks at them for a moment.
"Niklaus. What was the reason for the impromptu bonfire?" Elijah asks like they're discussing the weather.
"I just killed a rather old pain in the ass. I'm sure mother will be upset I broke the no killing rule." Klaus sounds bored, like he didn't just kill his father next to a rose bush and trees. Elena bites her lip again to keep laughter from escaping or from saying anything she shouldn't.
"Do you think Rebekah can be trusted to drive the doppelganger home? I'd rather she not fight us and the other half of the problem still needs to be dealt with." Klaus says airily and Elena's eyes flicker to Elijah's.
"Rebekah no longer holds a grudge for whatever imagined slight she thought Elena caused. That might be our best course of action." Elijah says.
"If you're sure." Elena says and Elijah nods, he'd rather know she's at home safe. Safe from Esther, safe from Niklaus, and safe from him admitting foolish feelings to her. Elena moves and her dress makes a soft sigh as she does, and she hugs him for a moment.
"Be careful. Can you let me know when it's over?" Elena asks.
"Of course. We need to go find Rebekah." Elijah says and Elena lets go of him. Klaus rolls his eyes at them for some reason before he moves out of the kitchen in a blink.
"I don't see why Elijah couldn't drive you home." Rebekah complains and Elena shrugs.
"He said something about hosting duties." Elena says. It sounds like Elijah, and Elena tells Rebekah where to turn to get to her house. It's not the worst car ride she's ever endured but it's definitely not her favorite either. Rebekah drives above the speed limit, eager to get her home and back to the ball. Elena's phone beeps and she checks it as Rebekah stops at the red light.
Esther is dead. Niklaus took care of her. Elijah's texts are always short and to the point but this one seems almost callous. It's over, at least. The light turns green and Elena wonders when Rebekah learned to drive. A few minutes later, Elena sees her house and looks at Rebekah. When she gets back she's sure to hear what her brothers did, sure to be upset. Elena doesn't envy Elijah when Rebekah gets back-she really thought their mother was back for good. Elena doesn't say anything other than a quiet thank you as Rebekah pulls into her driveway.
Elena wonders how Elijah's doing, his parents are dead again, and there must be some grief there. They're leaving soon and it's really not a good idea to call, but she calls early the next morning anyway.
"Elijah, before you leave-do you want to get some coffee?" Elena asks and she can't see his grin as he tells her that sounds perfect. He'd like to say goodbye to her. Elena wonders what they'll order, Elijah switches it up sometimes, but she'll find out soon enough.
