Elena woke up the next morning to the sun slowly rising. Confused, she looked at the glowing ball of orange and suddenly realized she wasn't home. Recognizing the long curtains and big giant window, the memories of last night came flooding back to her. Crap.

Carefully getting up, Elena softly peeled herself from Elijah's sleeping arms. Tip-toeing into the bathroom, she grabbed her clothes off the floor and found them covered in blood. Biting her lip, she slipped into her underwear and pulled out one of Elijah's dress shirts from his drawers. It wouldn't hurt to borrow it. It wasn't like she could pass through town with a bloody dress on. She'd just have to speed home. Gathering all of her clothes, she glanced at herself in the mirror, taming her wild sex hair, and fixing her smudged makeup.

It'd have to do. Picking up her shoes as quietly as possible, she snuck out of the house without anyone knowing.

Elijah awoke to an empty bed. Sitting up, and feeling the sheets, he found they lay cold. She had left a while ago. He continued to investigate, finding his clothes from last night still in a puddle on the floor with hers gone.

Fuck.

Elijah grabbed some clothes and quickly started his day.

"Have you seen Elena?" Elijah called to Klaus who was feeding baby Hope.

"No, but we certainly heard you," Klaus snickered as he fed his daughter. "Seemed like you both enjoyed yourself quite well."

Elijah flinched. Saying hello to baby Hope and grabbing himself some blood and coffee, he glared to his brother. "Not a word, Niklaus," he threatened as Klaus was about to tease him again.

"Oh, come on," the hybrid laughed. "Shouldn't we be celebrating the big couple being back together?"

Elijah frowned. He wasn't sure if they were. Waking up in an empty bed had him questioning things.

"it was quite an exciting night. I was actually worried you two would wake my daughter up with your explicit sounds."

Elijah glared at his brother. "You will not say another word of this, Niklaus. Especially to Elena. You will not tease her."

Klaus had a mischievous smile. Had he already? Elijah wondered.

"Niklaus, if you have said a single word to her-"

"Oh, relax your knickers, Elijah," Klaus said turning his attention back to his child momentarily. "I had no idea she even left.

Frustrated, Elijah leaned back on the counter and planned his next move. He needed to see Elena. He needed to know what this meant. Were they back together? Did the night mean something to her as it did him? Was she willing to give him another shot?

Unable to contain his questions, Elijah dumped his coffee and threw away his finished blood bag. "I'm off to find Elena. If she comes here Niklaus, call me."

Klaus gave a wave as Hope cooed.

Elena had showered, found some clean professional clothes to wear and gathered all her work for the editorial company. Work had left her two voicemails, telling her they'd like her to turn in her pieces today by 12:00 noon. It was 11:42am.

Grabbing her other high heel shoe and purse, Elena balanced a large stack of papers in her arms. 11:43am. Sweeping up a red pen from her desk, she finally got her foot in her shoe and walked out the door. Juggling her work, she went looking for her keys to lock the door.

"Damn it," she cursed to herself.

"Elena?"

Her body froze momentarily. How did he know she lived here?

Glancing over to him walking down her hall, Elena finally found her keys in her pocket and locked the door. She had been really hoping to avoid him for a while. "How did you know I lived here, Elijah?"

"I, uh…" he looked as if he had been caught red handed. Bringing his hand up to rub the back of his head, he tried to think of a way out of answering Elena. Kol had realized it was a mistake to bring him the night they returned when the veil dropped and Jeremy ripped him a new one. His little brother made him swear not to speak a word of it to Elena.

She looked at him with narrowed eyes. She knew exactly who had told him. "Kol." Oh, she was going to kill that man.

You are so dead, she told her friend telepathically before dropping their connection. Let him sit on that for a while!

"Uh, look," she sighed, juggling a bunch of her things. "I know you want to chat, but I'm running a bit late for a deadline. I'll find you later, okay?"

She walked past him, scurrying down the hall.

"Deadline?" he questioned. Speeding over to where she walked, he grabbed her pile of unorganized papers from her arms and quickly rearranged them into a nice stack.

She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow "Thanks."

He waited for her to answer his question.

"I work as an editor," she spoke. "It's not the ideal job but it pays the bills. So, if you'll excuse me." Elena quickly tried to run off. His hand had touched hers when she grabbed her work from him and moments of their encounter last night came rushing back to her. Right now, she just needed to focus on work. That, and killing Kol.

"I can't believe you!" she yelled to Kol over the phone. He had finally called her when he was unable to reach her telepathically. "You told him where I lived!"

"It was an accident, I swear," Kol stated in a hurry.

"So, you admit it!" Elena said in a raised voice. While Elijah didn't say it outright, she now knew it for sure.

"Damn it," he cursed softly into the phone. "Elena, look-"

"He showed up at my doorstep, Kol," Elena told him annoyed. While she wasn't about ready to tell her best friend about her sexual encounter with his brother that made this whole situation extremely awkward, she was sure about to rip Kol a new one for telling Elijah where she lived. "He came to my apartment just as I was leaving to get to my meeting."

Kol held back another curse. Elijah just couldn't help himself, could he?

"And now I don't know whether to go back home or find something else to do," she huffed. She had been in her meeting for 2 hours. Could that be long enough to make him leave? "He could still be there, Kol."

"Well, think of it this way darling," he said. "You two can finally chat. It's been long overdue, don't you think?"

She wanted to growl at Kol. "Look, I gotta go, I'm up." Hearing dings in the background, Elena furrowed her brows.

"Where even are you?"

"Vegas," he answered simply. "where else would I be?" and with that he hung up, leaving her to deal with her own problems.

Sighing, Elena finally decided she'd go back home. She was in need of a severe coffee fix after not getting any this morning, thanks to her walk of shame and afternoon meeting.

She walked into the coffee shop below her apartment and glanced around to the tables. Letting out a sigh, she didn't see any sign of-

Fuck.

Elijah was sitting near one of the very back tables with a cup of coffee, immediately having spotted her.

Making eye contact, she forced a small smile to him and got in line to order her coffee.

"Your usual, Elena?" the barista asked.

"Please." Glancing to Elijah, she saw how calm he looked waiting for her. Breaking out of her stare, she handed over her money. "Thanks Trish," Elena smiled and grabbed her drink.

She begrudgingly went over to where Elijah was sitting and took the seat across from him. "Have you been waiting this entire time?"

Elijah shrugged. "It wasn't long."

"I was gone for over two hours," she said disbelievingly.

Elijah licked his lips. "I thought we should talk."

Immediately, Elena felt uncomfortable and Elijah sensed it. He watched her begin to shift and keep her eyes off his.

"Elena…"

"This probably isn't an appropriate place to talk about…that," she said, referring to their last night sex-capades. A lot had gone down and she still wasn't sure how to feel about it.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Well," he sighed and took a drink of his coffee. "It's probably best we go up to your apartment then and talk about it. I'm sure we will have more privacy there."

Elena opened her mouth to come up with an excuse why that wasn't a good idea either, but she had nothing. Elijah knew it. He could see it on her face that he had caught her in her own attempt to run away. And he stared at her with a smirk because of it.

Elena could picture it now. They go up to her apartment, she shuts the door and they start the whole bathroom scene all over. She cleared her throat.

"So, shall we?" he asked, getting up from his chair, buttoning his suit coat and holding out his hand for her.

Giving him a knowing look, she got up from her seat, took her coffee, and put her hand in his.

Her heart hammered in her chest as she unlocked the door and let them both inside of her apartment. It wasn't that she was nervous about her self-restraint in jumping his bones –okay maybe she was a bit, but he wanted her to confront her feelings about him and that she didn't know yet.

Elijah glanced around and noted the little things he hadn't seen from her video chats with his family. Her apartment was tidy and more spacious than it had looked virtually. Her bed sat on a platform of the floor near some large open windows and the desk on the other side of the room had a bunch of colored pens spewed about. Her couches each held the fuzzy blankets she loved most and some soft decorative pillows. And lastly, there was a gaming console, one he was familiar with Kol owning.

"It's very you," he smiled as she went and set some files down on her desk. Shrugging, she stuck her hands in her back pockets and looked around. It was different, but for her, it was home.

Her heart hammered a mile a minute as the two of them stood around in her apartment in silence. What was she supposed to say? Sorry for going all night with you? I know you want answers but I haven't figured out how to feel about you or any of that? Yeah, no.

"Do I make you nervous?" he called to her with his back towards her. He was running his hands over the back of her sofa.

Watching as he turned around, she swallowed hard.

"Elena?" he asked.

"uh," she stammered, curling some hair behind her ears. "I just-…um…"

He was slowly walking closer.

This would be it. It'd be the moment she jumped his bones.

"I am going to go change," she said quickly tossing an excuse to keep proximity from him. Glancing down at her clothes, she bit her lip and looked to him. She was wearing a black V-neck and blazer with black skinny dress pants and heels. She wasn't all too dressed up to begin with. Great. "Yeah, uh…I am going to put on something a little less…work-like," she claimed. "Help yourself to anything in the fridge."

Turning around, she berated herself and went to her clothing rack to find something. Quickly grabbing whatever she could find, she rushed off to the bathroom.

How was she going to survive this?

Elena changed out of her work attire and into a black tank top and plaid button down. Slipping on some jeans, she tried taking her time in going back out there. There was no escaping the talk. But what did she want?

Stepping out from the bathroom, Elena saw him sitting on one of her couches with his coffee in hand. It would have been almost comical to see him just sitting there, if it hadn't been for Elijah being her ex that she just slept with not even 48 hours ago.

Shuffling towards him, she sat on the opposing couch, pulling a blanket over her lap and fostering her own coffee in hand.

"Did last night mean something to you?" he asked, cutting to the chase. Turning his head, he stared intensely at her.

"Uh…" Elena swallowed hard and played with the edge of her cup. It did, but did she want to tell him that? While it had been amazing and electrifying to be with him again, both intimately and just in his arms, was that what she wanted –to fall back into things with him?

Elijah waited patiently for her to think of her answer, his own heart beating rapidly.

"Elijah, what we did…." …bringing each other to multiple orgasms… she filled in her head. She cheeks flamed pink. "it was great, don't get me wrong. But we-…. I-…"

She sighed. "I thought you were dead," she tried to start again. "Katharine ripped your heart from your chest and when you wouldn't wake up, I thought I lost you," she said truthfully. "But then you weren't. And I…" the night's events hit her and she remembered how safe and peaceful and good she had felt. She sighed.

This was going painfully horrible for the both of them. Letting out a frustrated huff, she put her coffee on the table and covered her face with her hands. "Elijah, we shouldn't have done what we did. We weren't supposed to go back to…that. I can't go there with you again," she told him taking her hands away and staring at him. She couldn't be a Mikaelson again. She had just established a line where they all were her friends, not her family. It had to stay like that because anything else was complicated and she didn't want to be hurt by him again. "Last night was great, but we can't be…that…for each other again."

His brows were furrowed as he tried to follow what she was saying. He couldn't understand why if the night had been great, it shouldn't have happened. Why couldn't they be together, or better yet, why couldn't she be with him?

"Last night you told me you missed me," he stated leaning forward to look at her. She closed her eyes and put her hands back over her face. She hoped he wouldn't have remembered that.

"Elena," he called.

She ignored him, wishing she could just hide. She didn't know what she was doing.

Elijah got up, setting his coffee down on the table. Kneeling down in front of her, he took her hands from her face. "I want to know why –why if you missed me as I missed you, we can't be together. Last night was how it should be Elena. I love you and last night you proved to me that you love me. Why fight that?"

Elena bit her lip and pulled away from him. She couldn't let herself feel this. She couldn't let herself get close to him like that again. She was just starting to move on –or at least try to. He couldn't just come back.

"we don't work, Elijah. I'm sorry," she sighed to him. "we just…I miss you, of course I miss you," she admitted as she stared at him. "But you kissed someone else. You got involved with someone who wasn't me and then never once bothered to tell me about it."

And it had come back to his mistake with Hayley. It always came back to that.

"How can you ever expect me to trust you again?" she asked him. "How-….-how can we ever have a relationship again when you-" she bit her lip and stopped herself. "Last night shouldn't have happened. We were both emotional from the night's events and that's that."

She got up with her drink and walked off to her kitchen. Leaning over the sink she sighed. Her chest hurt. The pain of loving, missing, and caring for him was coming back.

Turning to her fridge, she began getting things out to bake. She had to do something. She needed to keep busy with anything.

"You're running away, Elena" he accused, following her into the kitchen area. "I don't know what from, but it isn't me, it isn't what happened last night, or our problems. There is something else and you aren't dealing with and instead you are pushing us away because of it! This doesn't have to do with Hayley or me being kissed by another woman. You miss me and I miss you, damn it! You need to stop running away from whatever it is that-"

"You!" she finally shouted. Staring at him, she let the pain take her. "It is you I'm running away Elijah. It hurts," she cried to him. "it hurts to be with you. It kills me to love you."

His face crumbled.

"I loved you with…with everything I possibly was," she told him with glassy eyes. "and then you and Hayley kiss, and I find out about it when Klaus is attempting to tear your head off. You-…" she took a deep breath and let the tears fall. "you threw us away and then had the audacity to try and force it back together. I defined part of myself with you Elijah. You were a part of my 'always and forever'."

She looked away from him and wiped her face. "But then in New Orleans I realized I wasn't really a Mikaelson and I sure as hell wasn't tied to you anymore. I didn't have a place with any of you, and as much as I tried to cut ties with your siblings, they kept coming back."

"I am running away from you," she said with a steady voice. "You and Hayley kissed, and I realized that I didn't just have to worry about you wanting Katharine or only loving the look alike of me, it was that you could love someone else entirely. I can't continue to let myself love you."

Elijah sped over to her, trapping her against the counter. She pushed at him to get away but he held his place. Grabbing her by the belt loops, he brought her to him. "Look at me. Elena. Look at me," he commanded. "I know I messed up. I messed up in letting Hayley kiss me and in not telling you. I did those horrible things and I was selfish in keeping it from you because I just wanted you. All I saw after pushing Hayley away was you, and you were all I wanted. Her kiss didn't mean the things they do when I kiss you. And so, I kept it from you. Because I didn't want you to think there was anyone but you."

He kissed her forehead and looked down at her. "I love you. I need you. Don't run away from this. Don't run away from us."

Tears fell down her eyes and Elijah cupped her cheek, tilting her chin up so he could look in her eyes. "Please. Please let me in. Let me love you."

Their stare was intense. Elena wasn't sure who ended up kissing who first, but their lips met, and what they felt for one another fell into place. The hurt they were putting each other through began to melt and they only focused on each other's embrace.

Elena weaved her hands in his hair, bringing him as close as possible to her. Feeling his large hands rub at her backside, she pressed herself to him.

They shuffled their way to her bed, shedding their clothes as they went, their lips dancing with one another. Somewhere, in Elena's mind, was a nagging feeling at her telling her they should stop, but being with him felt good. It felt right, and like all the feelings she had for him settled into place. The fears and responsibilities faded to the back of her head.

Hitting the mattress with the back of her knees, they tumbled down together on the sheets, lips never breaking from one another. She was left in her tee and panties, while him his boxers. Feeling his hands caress her sides, they slipped under her shirt, moving to touch the softness of her skin. He then took his hands out from under the fabric, instead, grabbing the top and ripping it in two so that he could slip it from her shoulders.

He pulled her further up on the bed with his lips molded to her. Hovering over her, he kissed her as she rolled to lay on her tummy. He felt as her bum grazed his tented boxers, and he groaned against her lips. Reaching a hand down, he clutched the round supple skin, and grabbed her cheeky panties, pulling them down from her body.

Elena moaned as his lips broke hers, and he made his way down, kissing from her jaw to her neck, the back of her shoulder and part of her spine.

Reaching behind her, she grasped as his boxers, pushing them off of him with his help.

With ease he slipped himself inside her wet folds. She was needy and ready for him, dripping on her sheets.

Bringing her lips back to his, he held her hips, pushing himself in from behind her. "Elijah," she gasped with closed eyes. Their position created a snug fit so that he felt even fuller inside her than usual. She squeezed her muscles that were around him.

Elijah had to change their position as he felt close to orgasming right there. He slick entryway was so tight for him ,with her hips just slightly raised. Pulling her up into a different position, she laid with her knees to the mattress while her head on the pillows. Slipping himself inside of her once more, the two moaned at the angle.

"That's it, Elena," he whispered as she thrusted back against him. She was close, he could tell. Watching as she slipped her hand down to touch herself, he was turned on further when she took one of his hands from her hips, guiding him there. Together they rubbed her clit in circular motions, bringing her to an overwhelming orgasm. He felt as she pulsed around him, her inner muscles tightening around his own flesh that was buried deep inside of her. Her walls were thoroughly coating him with her juices, allowing him to slip in and out of her wetness with such ease.

As she rode out her orgasm and he continued to pound himself into her with skin slapping thrusts, she pushed herself up from the pillows, grabbing hold of her headboard. Looking back at him with lustful eyes, she met him with a sharp thrust and they went again.

Finally, after her second orgasm, he came. Holding onto her hips as he thrust into her wildly, he sent himself over the edge and spilled himself inside of her. It was moments after recovering, he slipped his hand from her waist and brought it to rub her. He may have cum, but he could tell he was bringing her close to a third.

Elena let out a groan.

Pulling her up by the shoulders, Elijah pulled himself out of her and began touching her. Knees to the mattress, he held her in front of him, pressing the backside of her body against his chest, as his fingers began rubbing her most sensitive area. She ran her hands through his hair, cupping and clawing at his neck as her head was thrown back over his shoulder.

With labored breathing, she brushed past the hand that was squeezing her breast, and grabbed his hand that was touching her. Pushing him further, she craved his fingers.

She moaned loudly when he gave her what she wanted. With his middle and ring finger, he pushed his way inside of her, curling his fingers as he did, before taking them out. Elijah continued his motions quick and fast, watching and waiting for her to unravel against him.

She was panting, whimpering and very close to the edge. Kissing her neck and shoulders, he pinched her nipple and used his hand with vampire speed. The dam between her legs broke and she squirted, cumming completely on his hand and soaking some of the sheets.

"I-I-" she huffed for breath, as the rush of her orgasm slowed. Bringing his lips to her, he turned her around, her back now on the bed. He kissed her and touched her and held her until she was thoroughly spent. Bringing her to one last orgasm, he fell asleep quietly next to her.

She awoke to the brightness, but this time in her own room. Sighing with relief, she took a moment to clear her head from the fog. Feeling something heavy on her waist, she looked down to see an arm.

Fuck.

The entire day came flooding back to her morning brain. She had done it again. And again. And well, way too many times. Biting her lip, she carefully lifted his wrist just enough she could slip out from him.

"You can't exactly sneak out this time," he told her, eyes still closed.

Opening his eyes to see her, he found regret all over her face. "Elena," he sighed. What they had done all yesterday and the night before was a good thing. An amazing thing really.

She should have known they would end in sex. They couldn't seem to get enough of each other once they touched. It was like she got lost in a spell. Yeah, a spell of multiple orgasms, she thought to herself as she reached for her panties at the edge of the bed. Slipping them on, she covered herself and grabbed the nearest shirt on the floor.

"Elena," Elijah called again. Scurrying to the bathroom, she slipped inside and shut the door before he could get up and catch her. Sliding down to the floor with her back against the door, she sighed. What was she doing?

"Can we please, talk?" he asked her through the door, knocking softly.

Elena ran her hands through her hair. Did she love Elijah? Yes. Did she miss Elijah? Clearly. Did she think she could be with him? Maybe. So, what was it that had her regretting all of what she had done with him?

Getting up from the floor, Elena wiped at her smudged makeup in the mirror and then opened the door. Elijah was waiting, leaning against the doorframe with a knuckle up ready to knock.

"So?" he asked trying to get a read on her.

"We need clothes," she decided, seeing he was only in his boxers and she in her button-down shirt.

"Elena," he sighed as she walked past him.

"Elijah, I'm serious," she told him, bending down and picking up his dress shirt. Throwing it at him, she went to her clothes rack and pulled out things as well. "We need to cover up, because if we don't we are very likely to-"

She stopped herself from thinking about of yesterday. They went at one another for hours –the whole afternoon, evening, and part of the night. God, this was bad. Slipping on some sweats, she found him pulling on his pants and putting on his shirt as well.

"Better?" he asked, looking and disheveled and sexy.

Damn it.

Elijah caught the look in her face. Desire. He gave a smirk and walked towards her.

"No," she ordered with a pointed finger. Taking a step back, she made to keep her distance from him. Things happened when they got to close to one another. Many, many things.

"Can we start coffee then?" he asked, casual as ever.

Giving into that request, he kept his distance when following her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her as they waited for the machine to brew the liquid gold.

Besides sore? She thought to herself. "Conflicted," she settled on as she grabbed two mugs out for them.

Well that's something, he thought to himself.

Handing him his beverage, Elena made sure to step back and keep a few feet between them.

"Elena. You enjoyed yourself. I enjoyed myself. Why can't that be enough?"

Elena sipped her coffee and stood there thoughtfully. "Because a relationship is based on more than orgasms, Elijah."

He smirked, thinking back on how many he had given her.

"Stop that," she told him, reading his face. "No thinking or doing or any of that," she snapped. No, they would not be doing that again for the third day in a row.

"If you don't want us to be in a relationship Elena, then what do you want us to be?"

Elena bit her lip. What did she want? "…friends."

She put her mug down. "I'd like us to be friends, Elijah," she said determinedly

"Friends who have sex," he clarified. She shook her head and picked up her coffee again. Like that would go well.

"Friends without sex. No more sex between you and me." Sex makes everything more complicated and for Elena, sex with Elijah was not just sex. It was intense and primitive, loving and…safe. "just friends," she simplified.

"Why?"

She didn't understand the question.

"Why if we love each other, must we only be friends?"

His stare was penetrating and she shifted slightly. "We can't-…I'm not-…I'm not ready for more than that. I love you but I don't want to, Elijah. I can't do it again. I won't go through what we did. Not like that."

"Elena-"

"No," she said firmly. Facing that he and Hayley kissed had been horrendous. It left her broken and a mess. She was scatterbrained and questioned everything. She wouldn't give him that power again. "Friends. That's all I have to give you right now."

Right now? As in there is a chance to show her and develop it into more? Elijah wondered this to himself.

"Do we have a deal?" she asked him.

He'd win her back. He'd show her he was trustworthy and never lay his lips or any part of him on any other woman besides her. He'd love her and remind her it was okay to love him again. "We have a deal," he repeated with a smirk.