"Will you tell me what went on between you and the Salvatores?" Elijah asked, staring at her from the bathroom as she attempted to gather her hair into a ponytail the next morning. Because it was shorter now, Elena wasn't used to having to use clips and pins, and it was proving to be difficult. She and Kol were going to do some 'human training' as he called it, to get her defenses back up, so Rebekah had lent her some clothes for the day and she had been spending the past 10 minutes trying to get her hair up.
"Stefan and I came to terms with everything. We apologized for how we left things and how things ended up. I made it clear to him where I stand now." Elena said to Elijah's reflection.
"And Damon?" he wondered.
Elena hesitated, making Elijah's assumptions from last night correct. From what he knew, whatever happened between them didn't go over well. He knew Damon Salvatore had feelings for Elena. And from what he understood about Elena, she didn't have feelings for him. But he wasn't stupid. He knew he was missing something between them there.
"Damon and I fought. About a lot of things – mostly everything," Elena corrected. "He doesn't trust you guys and he says he's in love with me," Elena sighed. The bombshell had to be dropped at some point. Giving her reflection one last glance, she turned back to Elijah. "He told me the night of the ball that he was in love with me and I was harsh to him. I rejected him," Elena sighed, frustrated with herself. "A part of why I wanted to go back there was to apologize to him and clear the air. We got on the topic of you and your family and he wants me to choose a side. He believes that that is what it will come down to."
"And where did you leave things?" Elijah wondered with curiosity. While he was not trying to show it, Elena could tell that he wanted to kill Damon.
"Everyone believes that you can't be in love with me. That I'm just a Tatia or Katharine, and that is who you love. They think that I'm a replacement and it's not really me you see. They believe that you and your family will turn on me when the time comes, and that your love for me, or for the person I see in the mirror, won't be enough. They think I'm foolish, and that I'm being blind," Elena admitted. "Damon doesn't believe anyone can love me for me."
There were several things wrong with what Elena was saying but Elijah wasn't sure what to start with first. "Is that what you believe? That I love you for looking like Katerina and Tatia?"
The hesitation Elena displayed said it all, and while Elijah was appalled Elena would believe that, there were other important things to get to about her statement. "And you believe my family and I will turn on you?"
"I'll be honest and say I can't know for sure. But regardless if you do, I'd still do it all the same over again."
The idea that Elijah would let Elena get hurt by his own hand or his family made him hurt. He was incredulous to the lack of trust she suddenly had in him. While his reflexes were admittedly slow last night during the fight between her and Klaus, he would have saved her in less than a heartbeat.
Elijah also knew her friends had an arguing point. In the moment she trusted him last time, he had broken that. He had promised her to get rid of Klaus during the sun and the moon curse, and instead, he did the opposite and ended up getting daggered for it. He couldn't be more regretful as he looked back on it, but the past was the past and there is nothing to be done now.
"Elena, I won't let my family harm you. You have to believe that I love you for who you are - that I fell in love with the girl standing in front of me. You're not here because you have the face of your ancestors. You're here because we love one another and I want to protect you. Damon is wrong."
Elena put her hand over the one Elijah set on her cheek. "I know Damon's wrong," she said. "And I told him that. Just let it go, okay?" Reaching up, she placed a small kiss on Elijah's lips, before patting his shoulder and walking off to find Kol.
Elijah planned to do no such thing. While Elena had kindly asked him to leave things alone with Damon, he couldn't just sit back and watch as the Salvatore tried to ruin things with him and Elena. He also couldn't let stand the hurt Damon was causing his love. No, he would not let it go. Hearing Kol and Elena depart the house, Elijah walked swiftly down the mansion staircase and to the front door.
"She'll never forgive you if you kill him, you know," Rebekah's voice rang out as his hand touched the doorknob. "Keep that in mind."
Elijah turned around; jaw clenched. While he wanted to refute her statement, he knew she was right. And it was even worse that her point was doubting him from going over there. "I can't just sit and do nothing," he ground out.
"I wasn't saying that you should, 'Lijah," Rebekah said in a gentle tone as she appeared before him. "I know you love Elena. And Damon has no right messing that up. None of them do. Just be careful. There is a dagger out there that can kill us. And if they are lying to Elena, and Damon does have it…"
Elijah sighed and tucked his hands in his pockets. His sister did have a point, one in which he surprisingly did not think of. "Thank you, Rebekah."
"Snap his neck for me, would you?" She asked her brother as he turned back to the door. She knew there was no real way of stopping him, but at least she could convince him to look at the whole picture, and to look after himself.
"With pleasure," Elijah replied, walking out of the house and on a mission to find a certain Salvatore.
"Come on, keep up," Kol said jogging backward with a jovial smile. He started off Elena's new human training – as he called it - with a long run to get her stamina up.
"Easy for you to say," she huffed, running faster to try and catch up to him so she could wipe the smirk off his face. They had been running for over an hour and her legs were close to gelatin. His peppy attitude was grinding on her nerves, and she had been constantly wishing to have her abilities back.
"Alright, alright," Kol said slowing down and reducing a pace to match her own in a walk. Elijah would murder him if he didn't return his lover in one piece. Letting Elena catch her breath, he looked ahead and let silence settle among them. "What did she do?"
When he was met with Elena's confused look, he boldly met her curious eyes. "Mother. When you were unconscious and she had you. What did she do to you?"
Elena swallowed hard. Elijah hadn't even had the opportunity to ask her that yet. And it gave her chills every time she had a moment to think about it. "I'm pretty sure she broke every bone in my body," Elena answered, looking ahead to distract herself from the terror settling in her belly. "One minute I'm standing there listening to her talk, and the next she has me up in the air, choking the life out of me and breaking everything – giving me this blinding headache."
She paused and glanced to Kol. "…it feels more like a nightmare, you know? All I can really remember is her chanting weird words and the feeling of each bone breaking. It's weird to think that's all it takes. All the sudden I'm back to normal."
"You say it as if it is a bad thing," Kol said trying to lighten her spirits. Bumping shoulders with her, he got her to smile.
"Isn't it?" she asked after a moments pause, her lips then turning downward. "You all have to worry about me now. I'm defenseless if a vampire tried to attack me. I don't have the speed or the stamina anymore. I'm too weak and brittle to stand up to anyone."
"Just because you don't have our abilities any more doesn't mean you don't know how to fight Elena. You're the one who taught me more than plenty. While you may not have the strength, we can work on the stamina and find ways to use what you have to protect yourself."
"What if it's not enough, Kol?" Elena wondered in fear. Tucking some stray strands of hair behind her ear, she continued to walk with him. "What if Esther gets to me anyway?"
"No one will let that happen. Even the idiotic Salvatore brothers and your so-called friends. Whatever my mother has planned, she will be stopped. That I guarantee you."
Elena sucked in a breath and nodded. Laughing as Kol tried to nudge the bad mood out of her, he brought her in his arms and she hugged him back. She felt peace and safety in Kol's presence.
"Now come on. Let's pick up the pace. I'll race you back to the mansion," he said. Turning and giving Elena a quick wink, he ran off at vampire speed back to the house.
"Oh, come on!" she yelled with a whine. Picking up her feet she began settling back into a human-paced jog.
Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Elijah patiently waited on the front steps after ringing the doorbell. He was itching to break the hinges off the door to get to a certain Salvatore, but instead, he masked his emotions with perfect composure. He would be damned before letting Damon see how he got underneath his skin. No, he would treat the the man as he did any other time, dishing out violence when needed, but not making a dramatic scene of things. His intentions would be clear, and the Salvatore would fall in line. Or else there would be consequences to pay.
The door opened and Elijah held back a smile. It was as if fate was telling him to make things right, with Damon standing on the opposite side of the door. Before the man could close the way, Elijah forced the door back with his vampire strength and sent Damon flying backward in the house. Then, with speed, he grabbed Damon by the neck and held him up in the air.
Elijah enjoyed the way Damon gasped and weakly attempted to fight his tightening grasp. And he was keenly aware of Stefan who had just come up the cellar stairs.
"Elijah," Stefan said cautiously observing the scene.
"I've come here to make a few things clear," Elijah said calmly. Letting Damon go against his better senses, he watched the man carefully. "You hurt Elena, and I will not tolerate it."
"Now," he said glancing over to Stefan. "I am not here to hurt either of you, but if you so dare and treat Elena as you have – with this wild disrespect that she does not deserve, I will not hesitate to rip your hearts from your chests."
"Elena would never let that happen," Damon rasped with a hand still on his throat and butt on the ground.
Elijah narrowed his eyes at the feeble disrespect and cockiness Damon displayed. He thought he was invincible, was that it? "Elena will get over you Damon. She does not love you, like you her. If it were to come down to it, she would accept your death, as you've been a danger to her and put her in harm's way."
The concerning looks on both the brothers' faces was not missed by Elijah. "Yes," he said tucking his hands in his pockets. "The day she stormed out from here and ran off to the woods, my brother Finn found her. He took her." Before the brothers could speak out in worry, Elijah put a hand up. "she returned to Klaus's mansion fine and unharmed, but that is not the point. She was put into danger because of you. My mother had found out about the abilities Elena was gifted with and took them away last night."
Elijah stared at the two men now standing next to one another, waiting as they gave each other silent concerned looks. "Elena does not need this, nor does anyone else. My mother is after her, and if you care about her like you both say you do, then you will look after her – not continue to hurt her emotionally."
Both displayed regret on their faces and Elijah felt proud of himself. He talked to them with little harm. Elena wouldn't be happy he intervened, but she'd be pleased with the lack of violence he was able to maintain. Seeing himself out, he turned when he reached the door. The men had yet to move.
"And Damon, if I ever find you trying to mess with my relationship with Elena again, making her believe she is not worthy of love, I will make you suffer an unconscionable death."
The threat made Damon swallow hard, and it was with that Elijah knew his words were taken seriously. Nodding to the men, he walked out the door and ran off home to see if Elena and Kol were back yet.
"I hate you," Elena groaned out to Kol as she laid sprawled out on the mansion floor.
"It took you long enough to get home," Kol said, moving away as she tried to swat at his legs from her position on the floor.
"Elena, come on, get up," Rebekah whined, nudging her with her foot. "I need help picking out a dress. And speaking of which, we should then go back to your house and find yours. We may have to go shopping."
"Ow, 'Bekah," Elena groaned. "And I'm not going," she sighed. Kol threw a pillow at her, hitting her directly in the face. Giving a grunt, Elena retaliated, throwing the pillow at Kol. She continued to lay on the floor.
"Excuse me?" Rebekah asked, catching the pillow the two children were now battling to throw at one another.
"Oh, come on Bex," Kol whined, speeding off to grab a different pillow to throw at the now human girl. Rebekah caught that one too.
"What do you mean you're not going? I planned this dance. It's the 1920s decades dance."
"Great era," Kol pipped in.
"Oh, shut it," Rebekah snapped at him, throwing the pillow at him with her vampire abilities. The pillow broke making feathers fly everywhere.
Elena laid on the ground watching as the feathers floated downward. It was a pretty sight.
"Elena," Rebekah groused, kicking the girl a bit harder in the side.
"Ouch, okay," Elena replied, sitting up on her forearms. "I don't even go to that school any more 'Bekah. I doubt if I'm welcome. Plus, it's short notice."
Rebekah put her hands on her hips and frowned at the girl. "You told me you would help me set up."
"That doesn't mean I have to go."
"So, you'll just do all the dirty work and not even see the finished product?" Rebekah asked appalled. Narrowing her eyes at her human friend, she hovered over her. "You owe me this. After days of ignoring me and practically pretending I don't exist, you are to come to this dance to make it up to me."
Elena flopped back on the floor.
"Plus, Elijah loved the 1920s and I'm sure he will love to see you in an outfit that matches the era."
"I'm sure Elijah won't care," Elena grumbled back.
"Elijah won't care about what?" Elijah asked Elena, his fancy shoes near the top of her head. Staring down at her, he gave a look of concern. He had no idea why she was sprawled on the floor or why feathers lay near her as well. He was quite interested to hear what was going on though and why his sister was glaring at her.
"The decades dance. Elena is going to go and you are going to be her date," Rebekah stated.
"Isn't 'Lijah a bit old to attend school functions, sis?" Kol asked teasingly. Setting a bottle of water down near Elena, he snickered as he heard her complain about asking for the water 20 minutes ago. "Well, you were supposed to get it yourself, darling."
"If my legs could move, I would Kol," Elena sassed back at him.
Amused at their banter Elijah kept his concern to himself and stashed it in the back of his mind to reprimand Kol later on taking Elena's training too far. Sometimes his little brother forgot how breakable humans were.
"It would be a sight to see. Town gossip and all would be roaring," Kol said referring back to the dance while waggling his eyebrows.
Elena groaned and Rebekah huffed.
"You're going!" she stomped.
"Dear sister-"
Elijah decidedly shut his mouth when he saw the look on his sister's face. She was about to murder everyone in the room.
Elijah moved to stand by Elena's legs, holding a hand to help her up from the floor. "Elena, would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the Mystic Falls High decades dance?"
Accepting his hand, she slowly got up from the floor. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
Before he could converse with her about it, Rebekah huffed loudly. "Great. You're going and now we need to pick out dresses. 'Lijah, Elena is helping me tomorrow to set up for the dance in the school gym, and you will too. I need all the help I can get."
Elijah went to argue with Rebekah, but she walked over and clamped a hand over his mouth. "Don't." Taking Elena from his grasp, she pulled them towards the stairs. "Come on, we've got dresses to pick out or potentially shop for. This is going to be amazing!"