Elijah arrived precisely at five-thirty.

Seeking to avoid a hassle, I did not tell the mother I was leaving. Instead, I slipped into my tennis shoes and left without saying a word.

It was a silent drive. The air was thick with words left unspoken. He looked perfectly calm as he sat in the driver's seat, eyes on the road, posture relaxed. But his mind was tempest of conflicting thoughts. He ought not trust me but relished my presence. He had more important matters to deal with than the mystery of what I was, and yet it was what he found himself most often thinking about.

Elijah recognized the burgeoning infatuation for what it was. A great fall lay before him. Elijah was unsure whether he stood on the precipice, or whether he had already tilted too far over the edge.

I listened to his inner tribulations as I stared out the window and watched the trees pass. The only time I managed to escape Elijah's musings was as we approached the river and the bridge passing over it. The sense of a nearby grace—burning with anger and a warning to leave it be—grazed the edge of my awareness. And then we were past the bridge and heading further into the thick woods.

After a time, we turned onto a paved lane that, once past an initial barrier of maples and firs, led to a large Victorian style house comprised of two main wings.

Elijah pulled around the curved drive and settled behind another line of cars. His jaw worked a moment before he exited the car and, rebuttoning his jacked, came around to open my door for me.

I met his eyes as I stood. His expression remained as relaxed as ever, but his eyes were deep, dark wells that threatened to drown anyone foolish enough to look within them. I stared within them fearlessly at first, but as my awareness of space and time became inexplicably tangled the longer I dared to meet his gaze, I soon remembered I had lost my wings. I could not fly from the deep and the darkness. Not anymore.

I was the first to look away.

My vessel's nervous system lit up at his hand on the small of its back. Hands itching to reach out, I entwined them together as Elijah led me to and up the Salvatore's front steps.

Damon Salvatore wore an effortless smile as he pulled open the door. I did not think he'd have trouble smiling his way onto the cheerleading squad, were he of a mind to.

Elijah's own smile was far more subdued. "Good evening."

"Thank you for coming." He tilted his head to the side. "Please, come in."

"Just one moment." Elijah's hand fell from my back and my vessel bemoaned its loss. It compelled me to watch Elijah's hand as it lifted towards the doorframe, tapping against the wood. "Can I just say that… if you have less than honorable intentions about how this evening is going to proceed, I suggest you reconsider."

Damon pressed his lips together, looking disappointed to hear Elijah even bring the possibility up. He shook his head, brows flying high. "No. Nothing, nothing dishonorable." He shrugged. "Just," he smiled, "getting to know you."

"Hmm," Elijah hummed as his lips lifted, but there was no good humor behind this smile. "Well, that's good." His hand found its way to the vessel's back and I followed the light press to proceed him inside.

While I stared up at the high ceilings and embarrassment of woodwork, Elijah paused at Damon's side. "Because, you know, although Elena and I have this deal… if you so much as make a move to cross me, I'll kill you and I'll kill everyone in this house. Are we clear?"

I paused to look over my shoulder at the two vampires standing shoulder to shoulder. Damon's gaze slid to the side before meeting Elijah's stare. "Crystal."

Elijah's face lit up. "Jenna." I turned back to see Jenna in the doorway, a lit fireplace behind her as she smiled at Elijah. His arms extended out as he strode towards her. "How wonderful to see you again! How are you?"

"Nice to see you," she replied.

"You look incredible," he added as Damon shut the door.

"Thank you." Jenna looked to me and smiled. "Hello again."

"Hello."

"You both got here just in time." Jenna turned and led us through the open doorway and into a room with a grand table. Silver plates laden with salads, roast, ham, steak, vegetables, and mashed potatoes were spread across the center. Fine china marked the seats for everyone else. Crystal glasses shone rainbows across a deep red linen tablecloth.

"Have a seat," Damon invited, holding a hand out towards the table as he grinned at Elijah.

Elijah returned with his own slight smile before selecting a seat halfway down and pulling it out, and then turning his gaze to me.

Reading his intention in his thoughts, I lowered myself into the chair as he pushed it in behind me, then pulled out the seat next to mine. However, he waited until all the other human women were sitting before joining us.

"I don't think we've met," a man with blonde hair and sharp, watchful blue eyes set in a pale face said from across the table. "John Gilbert."

Elijah unfolded a linen napkin before glancing up. "Not officially, no." His slight smile returned. "Elijah Mikaelson."

"Well, you've met Ric and Andi," Damon put in as he stretched an arm out for the platter of roast.

"And you are…?" John asked as he stared at me.

I gave him the name the others expected. "Sophia Canning."

"Sophia," he repeated, as if testing it. His following smile was thin and perfunctory. "Nice to meet you."

"If you say so." I'd never met myself, so I couldn't say.

John blinked but Andi chuckled. "You know, Sophia, I saw Kevin's interview footage of you from his piece." She shook her head, smiling. "He was so frustrated there was nothing he could use."

I tilted my head.

"Piece?" Alaric asked.

"His report," she clarified before nodding in my direction. "Mystic Fall's miracle." Andi's eyes were bright with good humor as they met mine. "The girl who popped out of bed, cancer free, while she was being given last rites." Andi accepted the plate of roast from Damon and began selecting out a few slices. "The doctors can't explain it."

"Really?" John asked as he served his own portion of green beans. His eyes sought and found mine. I couldn't help but think of ice as I stared within them.

"Guess someone upstairs really likes you," Jenna put in.

I looked up, trying to sense any other souls in the house. My brows cinched in confusion as this caused a round of chuckles and smiles.

"Girl's just full of surprises," Damon said, a smirk aimed my way as he added a spoonful of mashed potatoes to his plate.

"When was this?" John wondered before holding his glass out towards the bottle of wine Jenna was passing along.

"A few weeks back," Andi replied.

John's brows pressed together. "The same week we had that worldwide meteor shower?"

My vessel stiffened in its seat. Slowly, my gaze slid towards John, noticed how closely he was observing me.

Andi blinked before passing a plate of ham to Alaric. "You know, I think so." She grinned. "How crazy was that?"

"Crazy, but very cool," Jenna replied.

I stared at a nearby crystal wine glass, studied the refraction of light shining small rainbows onto the tablecloth. All the while, I tried to suppress the feeling of atoms pummeling into my wings, shredding them to stumps, as fire engulfed me. I was not burning now, and my wings were just a constant ache.

"Huh," John Gilbert met my eyes and said, "Like shooting stars falling from heaven," before taking a bite of roast beef.

I stared at him. He stared back.

He knew.

"Wow. Very poetic, John," Damon snarked.

I turned away, staring down at my plate. It was still empty. Mechanically, I reached for the nearest dish and ladled a helping of broccoli down onto the china.

"Are you alright, Sophia?" Elijah murmured quietly near my ear.

Warm breath hit the vessel's neck and the hairs lifted, sending a pleasant sensation across the nerve endings. I blinked, glanced his way, and nodded. Elijah met my gaze and held it.

"I hate to break it to you, Damon, but according to Elijah, your family is so not a founder of this town," Jenna said as she poured Damon a glass of wine.

"Mm," Damon hummed as he took his glass and sought out Elijah. "Do tell."

Elijah's eyes narrowed minutely before his stare left mine for Jenna. "Well, as I mentioned to Jenna earlier," he began, motioning with a butterknife, "a faction of settlers migrated from Salem after the witch trials of the sixteen-nineties."

Everyone shifted their attention to Elijah. He allowed his sights to roam to each of the table's occupants as he continued. "Over the next hundred years they developed this community where they could feel safe from persecution."

Jenna hummed as she leaned towards Andi. "Because they were witches."

"There's no tangible proof there were witches in Salem," Andie replied.

"There were many, though few were caught," I murmured, pushing a head of broccoli across my plate. The demons who had infested the townsfolk doing the accusing had been the bigger threat at the time. Though, ultimately, it was decided heaven's host should not interfere.

"Well," Elijah continued, "the lore says that there was this wave of anti-witch hysteria. It broke out in the neighboring settlement," he looked up. "So these witches were rounded up." He lifted his wine glass. "They were tied to stakes in a field together and, uh, burned." He let the glass drift near his mouth before turning to John. "Some say you could hear the screams from miles around us. They were consumed by the fire." He looked to Alaric. "Could you pass the potatoes?"

After a moment, Alaric moved towards the bowl and lifted it for Elijah.

"I wouldn't repeat this to the historical society," Jenna said, laughing lightly into her own wine glass.

Andi laughed with her, shaking her head.

Elijah smiled and served more food to his plate.

"It's starting to sound a little like a ghost story to me," John said as he leaned over his plate.

Damon stared with narrowed eyes at Elijah. "So, why do you want to know the location of these alleged massacres?"

Elijah paused before looking up. "A healthy historian's curiosity, of course." He lied.

"Of course," Damon replied.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ The Long Way Down ⋅.} ───── ⊰

When the food was mostly consumed, I was grateful to be able to put down my fork and forgo the ruse of eating.

Damon began to stand from his seat at the head of the table. "Does anyone care for some cognac?" He smirked as he added, "I have a bottle I've been saving for ages."

"None for me, thanks," Alaric announced with a sigh. "Nine bottles of wine is my limit."

"I believe that will poison you," I said to him, concerned.

Alaric smiled tightly in my direction as a light chuckle sounded from the table as the others stood, though I was not sure what I'd said that was funny.

Andi had just moved towards Damon, placing a hand on his arm, when she announced, "The gentleman should take their drinks in the study."

"I have to say the food was almost as wonderful as the company," Elijah said as he tossed a napkin down onto the table.

"I like you," Andi said, pointing to him.

Elijah smiled, glancing at Alaric. Alaric stared, unamused.

Jenna began picking up plates as Damon and Elijah moved to the study. Once she had a stack in hand, she held it out to John. "Here you are, gentlemen. Make yourself useful, hmm?"

I followed Jenna and Andi's example and began gathering plates to take to the kitchen. I had to step around Alaric and Jenna as he asked, "Put me to work."

"Uh, I got it," Jenna told him before I stepped through the door.

And almost walked into John Gilbert.

"Careful," he cautioned, stare intense as he fixed his eyes on mine. "You wouldn't want to break something that isn't yours."

Uncertain what to do or say, I remained silent as he passed me. I glanced down at the dishes in my hands, before pressing my lips together and heading into the kitchen.

As big as the dining room, there was a controlled mess on all the counter tops. Andi stood before a large steel sink. She turned and smiled at me as she held her hands out. "Here."

I handed my pile of plates over to her.

Andi's brows furrowed before she tilted her head and met my eyes. "Is everything okay, Sophia?"

"Yes," I said softly.

"Are you—"

"Andi," Alaric said as he dashed past the doors. "We forgot desert."

Andi blinked before smiling. "Of course."

Alaric, whose heart I could sense was pounding, led Andi back out of the kitchen.

Jenna's brows lifted as she came back in and headed for the oven. "You can wait in the dining room, Sophia."

"Alright," I replied, moving around her and crossing back towards the door.

I stepped in the dining room in time to see Andi leading Elijah back to his seat. I stepped around the table and waited until Elijah had pulled the chair out for me once more.

Jenna emerged with a silver tray of coffee just as Elijah pressed my chair in for me. "Sorry guys. Dessert is taking longer than I thought." She poured several cups as everyone else took a seat at the table. "I usually just unwrap food."

My brows drew tight with confusion when Andi laughed. "So. I know this is a social thing," she said to Elijah as she sat, "but I… I would really love to ask you some more questions about the work that you're doing here."

Elijah nodded and glanced over as Damon and Alaric stepped back into the room. "I'd love to answer."

"Great," Andi said, grinning. "That's so great." She looked up to Alaric. "Ric. Would you do me a favor and grab the notebook out of my bag?" she asked, pointing off towards the sitting room.

Alaric turned and walked off as Damon leaned forward from his seat at the head of the table. "Elijah, did John tell you he's Elena's uncle-slash-father?"

"Yes, I'm well aware of that," Elijah replied, unconcerned.

John sent a questioning look to Damon.

Damon went on, "Of course, she hates him, so there's absolutely no need to keep him on the endangered species list." Damon turned to meet a suddenly nervous John's stare.

"Ric, it's in the front pocket," Andi called. After a moment, she looked to us and said, "You know what? Excuse me, guys. Sorry," she said as she stood up and left to join Alaric.

"What I'd like to know, Elijah, is how you intend on killing Klaus?" John asked.

"Gentlemen," Elijah replied softly, "there's a few things we should probably get clear right now." Elijah looked to Damon and pointed with his desert fork. "I allow you to live solely to keep an eye on Elena." He placed the fork back down. "I allow Elena to remain in her house living her life with her friends as she does as a courtesy. If you become a liability," he looked back up to meet their stares, "I'll take her away from you and you'll never see her again."

As an uneasy quiet settled Andi walked back in and around, her notebook in hand and oblivious to the tension. "Okay. My first question is when you got here to Mystic…"

I heard the pained shout and felt the shroud of death that always lingered over Elijah sink into him before I saw the end of a thin blade sticking out of his chest.

I stood with the others, eyes wide as the life drained from the vampire. A grey tinge crawled up his skin. His veins turned black. His muscles went limp as his body stopped functioning.

When he tilted to the side, dead, Alaric pulled the dagger from his chest.

But as Alaric walked away to slam the dagger onto the table before Damon, I blinked in realization. There was no reaper. Elijah's soul remained tethered to the desiccated flesh, but with no way of interacting with the body.

I reached out and pressed my fingers to his forehead as Alaric said, "Now get rid of him before Jenna comes back with dessert."

"That won't be necessary," I said as the grey coloring receded and a healthy, lively flush returned as I restarted his heart and coaxed the brain's neurons to fire.

Damon moved so quickly the vessel's eyes couldn't keep up. I had to rely on my awareness of his soul to know he'd suddenly appeared beside me. His hand gripped the vessel's wrist as he tried to pull my hand away from Elijah. Without meeting Damon's glare, I refused to let him interrupt the delicate work of suffusing Elijah's body with life once again.

"He'll kill us all," Damon appealed through clenched teeth as he continued pulling at my arm.

I felt the moment Elijah's mind sparked back to awareness. An instant later, he gasped down a breath. "No. He won't," I told the others as I let my hand fall away.

They were terrified as Elijah's eyes opened. But all the vampire could do at that moment was gather his bearings as he blinked rapidly and took in the room. His gaze lingered on me before sweeping around the rest of the table.

Andi's hands were covering her mouth while John frowned with a wary cast to his face. Alaric's expression turned grim as he met Elijah's stare when it slid in his direction. Damon stared with wide, frantic eyes as Elijah's sights flickered to him. Elijah's gaze traced Damon's hand on my arm to his face.

He moved even faster than Damon had. The chair fell back as Elijah appeared on his feet, face mostly blank but for a thin press of his lips as he grabbed Damon's wrist and forced it from my wrist. Damon's expression twisted with pain and the cracking of bones disturbed the stunned silence. "I warned you what would happen," Elijah told him before snatching the younger vampire by the neck, causing his eyes to round with alarm while his body tensed in Elijah's hold.

I could feel his intention. Behead Damon. Rip out their hearts.

I frowned and laid a hand on Elijah's arm, the one holding Damon up. "Don't."

Elijah frowned before his gaze flickered to me. "They attacked first."

"They're afraid," I argued. When Elijah's eyes narrowed and his thoughts dismissed my words, I frowned. "I'll bring them back." His head snapped to the side to stare down at me. "Just as I brought you back," I told him.

"I imagine reviving them would be a considerably more difficult thing to do without a head or a heart," Elijah countered, grip tightening on Damon's throat, causing the younger vampire to wince and groan.

"Yes," I acknowledged. "It would be." My brow arched. "But not impossible." The head and hearts would still be there, after all. I wouldn't have to regenerate them.

But it would be taxing on my grace. In truth, I wasn't sure if I could revive all of them, not so closely together. Doing so would require tapping into the collective powers of the choir, and that would lead to questions I wasn't sure I could answer. If I waited until a reaper had their soul, I would need access to heaven to pull the soul back—and that wasn't an option at the moment.

But I did not have to admit any of this to Elijah.

His jaw flared before he released Damon. It happened so suddenly Damon stumbled into the table. His hand flew to his throat before he looked up at Elijah, who stared dispassionately back down.

Jaw working again, Elijah let his eyes sweep the conspirators to his demise before smiling. "I'm sure you'll understand if Sophia and I take our leave a bit early."

Hand settling between my shoulder blades, Elijah guided me around the dining set and out through the dining room doors to the entryway.

"Wait!" Damon hurried behind us, stopping in the doorway as Elijah and I reached the Boarding House's front door. Elijah paused, eyes narrowing, before he looked over his shoulder to meet Damon's burning stare as the latter gripped the doorframe. "Elena had no idea—"

"Elena is no longer your concern," Elijah interrupted.

Damon's brows hitched together as worry darkened his gaze and pulled his lips lower. "Elijah—"

"Come, Sophia," Elijah said to me, turning to face the door before pulling it open. I allowed him to guide me into the cool evening air.

"What do you intend to do about Elena Gilbert?" I wondered as Elijah all but marched down the long drive towards his car.

His lips pressed into a firm line and I could feel the irritation buzzing through his borrowed blood. "Elena won't be harmed."

"That doesn't answer my question."

He whirled suddenly, and I came to a tentative stop, surprised. "Do you intend to stop me?" he asked, sliding a hand into his pocket.

I frowned. "I would not see her harmed."

"And she won't be." He stared intently into my eyes. "Keeping her from harm is precisely what I've been trying to do since I arrived in this," he inhaled sharply before his gaze roamed the Salvatore's property, "little town." The derision in his voice would have made it seem as if he hated Mystic Falls. But I knew better.

Still, I sensed he was telling the truth about Elena's safety, though there was more he wasn't saying. I stepped closer to him. "Then why would I interfere?"

His gaze searched my vessel's face.

"So long as keeping Elena Gilbert from harm is your intention," I clarified.

"I wasn't aware you were close." He countered smoothly.

I tilted my head. "Why does that matter?" I wondered. We stared into each other's eyes, and I sensed his determination to remain true to his course. I glanced off into the dark forest before making my decision. "Do as you like, Elijah." I slid my gaze back to him. "But be aware, there are consequences for our actions."

The corners of his lips drifted higher. "That almost sounded like a threat," he observed lightly.

"If you think so, then perhaps you should rethink your plans."

Once more, Elijah and I stared at one another for several long seconds. Finally, I stepped around him and continued down the drive.

"Where—"

"We both have business to attend to elsewhere," I said over my shoulder. I turned back towards the road, my simple tennis shoes tapping against the pavement. Behind me, I heard the sharp rapping of his own shoes heading towards his car. The engine turned on and tires crackled as they rolled down the driveway.

I kept my sights to the forest as he drove past, until it was just his brake lights glowing a hellish red in the distance. And then there was nothing but trees and stars.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ The Long Way Down ⋅.} ───── ⊰

In the midst of the evening, beneath a full silvery moon, I paused atop the Wickery Bridge and leaned over the railing. The waters below were black but for small ripples shivering across their surface, mirroring the stars and moon in the sky. I allowed myself a moment's contemplation of the pale girl looking over the edge into dark waters.

"That damn cupid sent you."

My sights slid to the side, to a scowling little girl no more than four or five years of age in a bright yellow dress, hair fixed in long brown pigtails. Big green eyes glared spitefully at me.

"Hello, brother."

The girl snorted, and with a distinctly British accent coloring her high voice, went on to say, "I'm not going back to the humans." Anger brightened the child's eyes, but it was a pale light compared to the super nova that was Raziel's grace. "Do you have any notion of how humiliating it is to be dressed in unicorn onesies, called Sweetiekins, and forced to listen to Runaway Bunny every night?!"

I frowned and shook my head.

Raziel tottled up beside me, wrapping tiny hands around a lower railing to glare spitefully down at the river. "I heard them say Castiel's responsible for this."

"You don't think so?" I asked.

He snorted. "You must be joking. That bastard's capable of just about anything." Raziel stared up at me, a canny intellect behind those big green eyes that made me wonder how the girl's human parents had missed the fact their child's I.Q. had suddenly gone up a few thousand points. "It'd be just like that self-righteous prick to toss us all out on our arses."

I frowned before turning back to the silvery shimmer below. "I wouldn't know."

"Well, take it from someone who served eons with the tosser. If he thought he was in the right, he's more than capable." Raziel sneered down at the waters as his own vessel's reflection shone back at him. "What a cockup."

"You know they're going to turn this town upside down hunting for that vessel," I said.

Raziel glared menacingly into the dark waters beneath us. "If I get called Bitsy-Boo or Punkin-Wunkin one more time—"

"You'll stab them?"

I met Raziel's fierce glare with the smirk I'd learned from Elijah. His eyes narrowed to emerald slivers. "Don't test me, pipes."

"You know you can't go around threatening cupids," I scolded.

Raziel scowled down at the water. "I'm not in a touchy-feely sort of mood."

I sighed. "Regardless, you've upset him."

Raziel continued to stew as he glared spitefully at the river below.

"Whatever happened, whoever's responsible, Yael isn't to blame for any of this."

"Yes, yes. I realize that." Raziel crossed his arms as his little mouth pursed into a pout.

I waited quietly.

Finally, Raziel let loose a disgusted sigh. "I'll return to the humans."

I nodded.

Raziel glared up at me. "But I can't promise I won't end up smiting one of 'em at bath time. Pink bubbles or no."

"Brother—"

"Take it or leave it," he dismissed before turning around and—muttering about busybody virtues—tottled back down the length of the bridge.

I watched him leave, his pigtails bouncing with every step, until he disappeared into the darkness.