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He was in the parking lot waiting for his taxi that was meant to have arrived nearly ten minutes before when she found him. Lightning flashed in the sky.
"Has your blood given you a sense of self-importance?" He stared out into the night. "Do you think I won't kill you? I'm certain there are other witches Lexa could channel."
He smirked when he heard her heart skip a beat. He wouldn't kill her as long as Elijah was in love with her, but that didn't mean he wouldn't make her think he would.
"I couldn't let you go without saying this," Elena's heels clicked on the brick walkway. "I've already let it go ten years."
His eyes narrowed, but he didn't turn to look at her. Her next words had his heart skipping a beat.
"I'm sorry," she stared out at the rain slick pavement before shifting to watch his face. He had smoothed his features into an expressionless mask, but she heard the surprise in his heart. "I was stupid and impulsive and partially acting under a sire bond."
"Are you seriously going to blame killing me on a sire bond?" He scoffed.
"No," she shook her head, "the sire bond put killing an Original in my head, but choosing you was me. You had the stake, and you were threatening my brother and that made me angry, so when Damon said we had to complete Jeremy's mark faster and joked about killing an Original to do it, I acted."
"Do you have any idea how many vampires you killed that night?" He finally turned to face her in time to see the shame and guilt flashing through her eyes.
"I don't," her voice was small. "You were the last person I killed, at least while my humanity was intact." Tears welled in her eyes when she thought of the waitress. How many more would have died at her hand if she hadn't gone to meet Elijah, if Katherine hadn't broken her neck, if she hadn't been taken by the Salvatores?
"Countless vampires," he took a step towards her, impressed when she didn't flinch away. He wondered if she would try to stop him from killing her if he were to try.
"I can't exactly apologize to them," she shook her head.
"Why not Rebekah or Elijah?" He tilted his head. "You could have chosen either of them."
"You had the stake," she bit her bottom lip, "and I…" She wasn't sure how to explain herself. Rebekah had been through so much, and she'd already stabbed her in the back because of compulsion; the sister hadn't deserved a second attack. She hadn't even been able to entertain the thought of killing Elijah.
She didn't realize she was talking until he cut her off.
"Elena," he caught her chin.
She shivered; half-expecting he would end her then and there and go off to find Lexa some coven of witches to channel for the spell, but the blow never came. Her head remained firmly on her shoulders and her heart stayed in her chest.
"You were babbling," he released her chin.
"I've been spending a lot of time with Lexa," she breathed. "She tends to babble a lot."
"Were you expecting me to accept that apology?" He stepped back when a cab came to a stop beneath the canopy.
"No," she shook her head, "but I had to say it. I'm not proud of what I did Kol." She turned away when he opened the cab door.
"Elena," he called after her retreating back. She paused and looked back over her shoulder making Kol's breath catch; the motion was one Elijah made often. "I've seen him broken by two Petrovas over the last thousand years, and others as well, so try not to hurt him."
He slid into the cab before she could say anything.
Elena stared after the yellow taxi for a moment, reminded of Rebekah's departure in New York.
He lifted his eyes from the book when she slipped back into the bedroom, marking the page as she changed and slid between the sheets.
He pulled her down to lie beside him; kissing his cheek, she sank into his embrace.
Elena rested her head on his shoulder. Her nails plucked at the blanket covering her thighs.
He combed through her hair with his fingers, listening to her heart rate slow.
"I have to take a copy of the documents to the school," she ventured in a quiet voice. "I can stop in on the way to New York."
"If Hope finds out…" he trailed off.
"I won't say a word," she lifted her chin, meeting his eyes. She knew he wanted to see his niece more than anything, but that going near her now would only raise questions that would prolong her separation from her father. "I'll be in and out."
The corner of his mouth lifted. "Promise?"
"I swear," she held her hand over her heart. "Don't worry," she teased, "you've still got a good head start over Kol."
His brows lowered.
"For the race," she clarified. "I'm pretty sure we can locate Rebekah before he gets within a hundred miles of Klaus."
"How did you know about that?" He frowned.
"I was in and out that night," she shrugged, "heard bits and pieces."
He propped himself on an elbow and cocked an eyebrow. The tips of his fingers grazed her cheek, ghosting over her throat as he pushed her hair back from her face.
"And what bits and pieces did you hear?"
She tilted her head, blinking up at him.
"There was something about Hope and Klaus," she pursed her lips and squinted, "and something to do with eavesdropping. I thought I heard my name at one point, but I'm not sure what you were talking about."
Rolling over she reached out and pulled the lamp cord, plunging the room into semi-darkness; the only remaining illumination came through the open window.
"Nothing else?" He laid back down.
"You were too far away for me to really make anything out," the corner of her mouth lifted in a smile. She shifted onto her side and felt his arm snake around her waist.
"I never took you for an eavesdropper, Elena," he chuckled, breathing against the back of her neck.
"It's not like I was trying to," she traced the edge of his daylight ring, a soft smile played on her lips.
They lapsed into a comfortable silence
She listened as his breathing leveled out and his heart slowed. There had been something else, she was certain there had been something else. It was important. She could remember registering the significance of his words without actually registering the words. She thought she might have been asleep when he said it. She was on the verge of sleep when she pieced together the three syllables she had been puzzling over for the past few days; the syllables that had made her feel warm all over.
"Elijah?" She murmured; her voice was so quiet that she wasn't sure he could hear her even with his enhanced senses. She was prepared to admit he was asleep and leave it at that for the time being, but then he hummed; the sound rumbled in his chest, traveling the length of her spine.
"I love you, too."
For a moment nothing happened as his tired mind registered her words, but then they sank in; the three little words that made him feel both panic and joy. After everything he had done she loved him, his love was not unrequited or impossible. She was in his arms, and for the moment everything was still; the world had faded away.
"You did hear me," he brushed his lips over her shoulder.
"Sorry it took so long to register," she shifted slightly onto her back.
"I didn't think you heard me at all," he cupped her cheek, meeting her lidded eyes.
She tilted her head and met him half way in a kiss. It was sleepy, and slow, and perfect, and towards the end made up of more smiles than anything else.
He hovered over her parted lips, breathing in the sweetness of her toothpaste. There, in that room, nothing else existed and he wanted to keep it that way for a little while longer.
He wanted to banish that small voice that seemed to echo Hayley's words from years before in his own voice. He had lost love in the past and grown distant and cold because of it, but she was different. This time loving him would not be a death sentence.
He whispered the words, breathing them against her mouth and laying them in a burning trail to her ear.
She sighed, closing her textbook and fixing him with a glare. She was still experiencing the after effects of Penelope's empath spell so his anxiety was rubbing off on her in the most annoying way; it made her skin crawl and for some strange reason increased her longing to see her dad. Her phone had been confiscated so she made a note to sneak into Caroline's office and call him after she did something about Landon.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he shook his head.
"I really hate it when people lie to me," Hope rolled her eyes.
"I'm not," Landon shook his head again and opened one of her textbooks. He stared at the symbols and writing so he wouldn't have to look up and see the look on her face.
"You are," Josie piped up on her way around the couch. "I could feel your anxiety on the other side of the room."
"We were practicing empathy in chemistry of magic," Hope crossed her legs, "the spell lingers, so tell me what's wrong."
"Maybe your spell was wonky," he stared at the page.
"Penelope's spell was perfect, and you're reading those spells upside down," she took the book from his hands.
Landon tugged on his sleeves.
"I heard a rumor that…" he tilted his head and glanced up at her, "… that I won't be here much longer."
"Where else would you go?" Hope crossed her arms.
"Don't know," he shrugged. "That's the beauty of the foster system." His smile was wry. "Just as well," he looked around the room to where the other students were milling around, "I don't exactly fit in here."
"That's not true," Hope said, shaking her head.
"It is," he shrugged, "I'm not a witch, or a vampire, or a werewolf. I don't fit into any group, and people don't like that."
"If people have a problem with you then they can take it up with me," Hope scoffed, "and they'll have to go through Raf too."
"You can't stop the system, Hope," Landon shook his head.
"You're right," a feminine voice came from above his head, "she can't."
Landon twisted around. His stomach dropped when he saw her.
"Elena," he swallowed, "I didn't know you were coming. Are you here to take me away?"
"I'm here to take you for a walk," she smiled, holding out a hand. "Come on."
"Hi Elena," Hope eyed the brunette suspiciously.
"Hello Hope," Elena smiled, "don't worry, sweetie, I'll bring your friend back."
It had been years since Elena had last walked the grounds but she still remembered the path down to the water. She could smell Landon's anxiety on the short walk.
"Who told you?" She stopped at the edge of the dock.
"The wolves," he shrugged. "They said I didn't belong and that social services is going to come and take me away."
"Wolves like it when people belong," Elena sighed, "they've got a distinct hierarchy." She took a seat on the edge of a bench so they were eyelevel.
"Are you taking me away?" Tears shimmered in his eyes; he blinked them back.
"Of course not," she took his arms. "You're not going anywhere."
"But I don't fit in," he frowned.
"It looked to me like you have a couple of awesome friends," she smiled, "and that's all anyone needs to fit in. You'll figure out what you are in time. And I promise you that social services will never take you away."
"How can you promise that?"
Elena let go of his arms to reach into her shoulder bag. She saw his confusion from the corner of her eye as she opened the envelope and pulled out a certificate. The afternoon light caught the gold filigree around the edges.
He took it gingerly and held it out, reading the cursive script that proclaimed Landon Kirby had been adopted into the Gilbert family by Elena Gilbert.
"Social Services won't be taking you away and neither will I," she took the certificate and placed it on the bench with care. "As long as you're happy here then here you'll remain. You are happy here, right? I can pull you out and put you in a regular school if you like."
"I like it here," he whispered.
"Okay," she smiled, "then you'll stay right here until December 19th."
"December 19th?" A line appeared between his brows.
"Christmas break," Elena explained. "Unless of course you'd rather stay at an empty school than come home with me." She worried her bottom lip. "I know I didn't really talk to you about this…"
He cut off her rambling by throwing his arms around her neck.
"I'll warn you," she whispered when he pulled back, "I don't know the first thing about being a mom."
"You're doing better than all of my foster mothers," he smiled.
"In that case I'm happy for me and you, and disappointed in the system," she frowned. "I feel like I haven't done anything for you."
"You did, though," he frowned, "you brought me here, and you call every day, and…"
Elena smiled and he trailed off. He had forgotten what her smile was like in the month he had been at school; it was warm and bright and made him feel happy and safe.
"Do you feel like playing hooky for the afternoon?" She cocked an eyebrow. "I don't condone that normally, but I would like to show you the house."
Hope's heart leapt into her throat when she heard the door click open. She dove under Caroline's desk and murmured the spell that made her invisible, concealing her presence from the headmistress. She held her breath and listened to the disembodied voices.
"You're a friend of Elena's then?"
"Yeah, I'm helping her and Elijah with the Hollow situation."
"Right," Caroline's shoes came into focus. "And why are you telling me this now?"
"Elena would have told you, but she's out with Landon, and I need something to try and find Klaus. He's completely off the grid."
Hope saw a pair of heeled leather boots from her position under the desk. She clutched the cell phone tighter to her chest and stared at the shoes as Caroline ruffled through a stack of papers.
"Have you tried calling him?"
"Have you?" The stranger countered. "You haven't been able to get in touch with him since Elena asked you to pass on a message that she needed to talk to him. She didn't give you a single detail and you were cut off."
Hope saw Caroline's foot shift.
"How did you know that?" She could hear the frown in Caroline's voice.
"I know because it was the same story with everyone holding a piece of the Hollow: Kol, and now Rebekah," the other set of legs moved. Hope could see the woman sit down and cross her ankles; she assumed she was leaning on the desk.
"Kol?" Caroline perched on the edge of the desk. "Why would you have trouble with Kol?"
"Because he had a piece of it; nobody remembers because of what I did with it."
Hope held her breath as the room went silent for a long moment.
"What do you need?"
"I need something personal to try and find Klaus. He's somewhere in Western Europe, but Elijah's blood is only getting me so close. I thought he might have given his daughter something."
"So you want to talk to Hope?"
She almost revealed herself then but held off when the other woman came back with a sharp reply.
"No, she can't know any of this. Right now, she is in the dark and still able to talk to her father. If she knows she won't be able to contact him. I just need to borrow something he would have given her."
Caroline's heels hit the floor with a click.
"They did a painting together; it's in her room. Will that work?"
"Is it personal?"
"It's one of Hope's most treasured possessions. I think the only thing better would be Hope."
"I'll try the painting."
Hope stared at the underside of the desk, her mind reeling with the information. The phone in her hand felt like a foreign object. She didn't register that Caroline and the visitor were moving until they stopped at the door.
She peeked out over the edge of the desk – an unnecessary action since she was still invisible – and saw Caroline fixing the blonde witch with a curious look.
"Do you know what's going on with Hayley? I still have no idea why I had to seal her from the grounds." There was a line between Caroline's brows.
Hope frowned. She had spoken to her mom the previous night and she hadn't said anything about not being able to come to the school.
"I don't know the full story," the other woman shook her head. "All I know is that she was behind this unnecessary separation and Elijah is afraid she'll try to take Hope away before he can find Klaus. He even considered pulling her out of school himself, but she's safe here."
The office door drifted shut behind them.
Hope already knew where they were going. She felt her spell melt away as she stared down at the phone, barely able to breathe.
Unlocking the phone she scrolled through the contacts until she found 'Klaus' and let her thumb hover over the call button. Her heart hammered.
She pushed the button and held the phone to her ear. A low buzz greeted her. She hung up and tried again. She got the same result.
The third time she punched the numbers into the phone on the desk. The same low buzz met her ears.
She hung up.
Her hand shook as she pushed the buttons again. The call connected on the third ring.
"Hello?"
Her voice was a strangled whisper.
"Mom," she swallowed, toying with the phone cord, "what did you do?"
"Hope? Aren't you supposed to be in class?"
"What did you do?" Her blood boiled. Her knuckles turned white around the phone. Her voice grew stronger. "What did you do with the Hollow?"
"… I did what I had to do to protect you. It was killing you, and it had to come out. Why don't I take the next flight up? We can talk all about it."
She glared at the cell phone on the desk. She didn't know who the woman – who was likely now in her bedroom – was, but she remembered what she had said about her uncle.
"Hope? Meet me at the gate."
"I have to go to class," she slammed the phone down in the cradle.
The next chapter is in New York with Rebekah.