Corded Souls

by beginimperfectly

What if there was magic that could reveal your soulmate? When Elijah, Kol, and Finn discover their soulmate is each the same girl, bonds and brotherhood are changed forever. How will Elena navigate love and dealing with three potentially destined mates? Will fate or family be the one to win?

1. Part 1

A/N: Because horrible at updating, I decided to write this whole thing and then post it all at once. Give me your reviews!
P.S. Lots of lemons, so readers are warned.

---

She wrapped the last of the cord around the long clear crystal, spelling it with magic. Grabbing the five pieces of jewelry, she picked up the skirt of her dress and walked outside.

"Children," she called to them, wanting them to gather while her husband was out. "Come. Gather around."

They all gathered, curious why she beckoned.

"Mother?" Finn questioned.

"These crystals," Esther said passing one to each of them. "You are to keep them with you at all times."

"What are they?" Niklaus questioned, holding the rock up to the light.

"They are guidance," she answered. She looked to her children, each possessing one. "They will help you find your truest love and your deepest connection."

"Soulmates?" Rebekah wondered.

"Indeed," Esther replied.

"This crystal is supposed to tell us who we are to love?" Kol said disapprovingly, staring at the rock with distain.

"It will show you the way," she corrected with wisdom. "When you find the person you are meant to be with, the crystal will become warm and will transform into a milky white color."

They each stared at them and she could read the skepticism on each of their faces.

"As you live for eternity, you will come to realize how important it is to have someone. You are fated for eternity my children, and love is the most important of all."

It was unusually sappy for her, but she couldn't dare tell them the entirety of the truth. She looked to Finn beside her, putting her hand over his and wrapping his fingers around the crystal to hold onto it.

"Love is a beautiful thing," she told her children. "When you find the person destined to you, you shall develop a bond that will be irreplaceable to none."

"So simple?" Elijah questioned disbelievingly.

"This is a gift, my children," she assured them, while avoiding her son's question. She gave them all the most convincing expression she could. "Now, promise me that you will keep this with you always."

"Always," Rebekah said with a nod, clutching onto the necklace with dreams of a momentous love.

"Always," the rest followed, no longer bothering to voice their opinions allowed.

Esther let her children go about their days and headed back inside. When she was alone in the home, she let out a breath and stood convincing herself, with her back leaning against the door, that this was how it was meant to be.

---

Elena walked into the Grill, surprised to hear loud booming music. Furrowing her brows, she glanced around the busy restaurant, surprised how packed it was with people.

Scanning the crowd, she searched for her blonde-haired friend.

"Matt!" she called over the music, weaving through the people to get to him. "Matt!"

Matt's head snapped up from the table and he looked around, searching for the familiar voice. His eyes fell on the familiar brunette, making her way towards him.

He gave a small wave and picked up the last few dishes from the table as she approached. She let out a breath and saw him in his busboy attire. "What's going on? I thought you were off today?"

"I was," he frowned. "I got called in last minute. It's open mic night."

The pair looked to the live band at the front of the restaurant. "Open mic night?" she questioned puzzled. It wasn't something usual they had.

"The Grill is short on customers and cash," he explained. "The manager decided to try this out to see if we could get attendance up."

She glanced around; her hands tucked in her back pockets. "Looks like it's working."

"Yeah, but it doesn't solve the short staffing issue," he complained.

They went walking towards another table, where he started shoving dirty dishes into his bin.

She frowned. "Anything I can do to help?"

"No," he sighed. He shook his head, frustrated with himself. "I'm sorry. I know we were supposed to grab dinner. I'll try to bring you over a drink. I should get off in an hour or so. Would you mind waiting until then?"

"Don't worry about me. Take as long as it takes. Jeremy needed the car and dropped me off here, so it looks like you're my ride home anyway," she said lightly.

He gave a small chuckle and nodded. "Grab a seat if you can find one. I'll come find you."

He swiped up the last empty glass on the table, sticking it in his bin and then left to go back towards the bar.

When she was on her own, she glanced around again, unsure what to do with herself. The Grill had never been so packed and all of the tables were full. Looking around, she decided to hit up the pool table, finding one was open.

Walking up the restaurant steps, she walked around the felted table and went to grab the triangle when a hand went reaching for the same thing.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Elena said quickly, glancing up to the attractive brown-haired man and retracting her hand.

He stared at her with a smirk plastered across his face that had her momentarily captivated. He was handsome, with a bright white smile and a lean athletic build. With brown hair and dark brown eyes, he stared at her intensely.

"No, that's my bad," his accented voice stated, staring at her with surprise.

A particular warm spot grew on the skin of his chest and he stared at the familiar face in front of him with disbelief. "May I join your game?" he questioned, trying to keep the nerves out of his voice.

"Uh…yeah…sure," she said, shaking herself out of her thoughts. She felt oddly comfortable with him. Curling some hair behind her ear, she held out her hand to introduce herself. "I'm Elena."

"Kol," he replied, bending down and kissing the back of her hand. "It's lovely to meet you, Elena."

She looked at him with amusement, wondering if he was trying to impress her. It was a pretty cheesy gesture that she was sure he used on women before her.

Taking her hand back, she went to set the table, gathering all of the balls into the triangle while he went to the wall of pool sticks.

With his back to her, he pulled out a familiar corded necklace from under his short, feeling it's warmth in his hand. The crystal was now a milky-white color and he stared at it in disbelief, his brows furrowed.

Hearing her finished setting up the game, he grabbed them each pool sticks and handed her one.

"I don't mean to pry, but are you new to town?" she asked, leaning down to break first. "Mystic Falls isn't exactly filled with newcomers or unfamiliar faces."

The balls went scattering around the table; many close to the pockets but not having gone in.

"I used to live here a long time ago and recently came back for a while," he replied, staring at the table and figuring out where to take his shot. "What about you? I'm going to guess you've lived here for quite some time."

He hit a ball in and glanced up at her, seeing a displeased look on her face.

"All my life," she said reluctantly, watching him get another ball into a pocket.

"You don't sound happy about that," he remarked, continuing to examine her expressions. He leaned down, lining up his stick to the white ball.

She shrugged, not quite willing to share her life story with a stranger. "Where did you live before this?"

"All over really," he replied, shooting another ball into the table pocket. "My family and I never stayed in one place too long."

Elena leaned on her stick, studying him then. She was curious and alert to the ambiguity of his answers. He took a shot, intentionally missing. He could feel her stare.

"Elena," a voice called, making them both turn. Matt came walking up to her, a beverage in hand. His brows furrowed at the sight of the stranger.

"Uh, Matt, this is Kol. He used to live here and recently came back to town," she told her friend. She could see the two sizing one another up. "Kol, this is my friend Matt."

She took her drink from her blonde friend while thanking him for bringing her one.

"Nice to meet you," Matt said hesitatingly.

Kol gave a nod, glancing at the pair. He wasn't blind or stupid. He could sense the two had history.

"Uh, can I get you something to drink?" Matt asked Kol.

"A coffee," he replied. "Black."

Matt nodded and walked off, giving Elena a cautious glance.

"So, what's his deal?" Kol questioned bluntly.

She looked at him with a raised brow, surprised at his bluntness, and went to go take her turn.

"Please," he said, giving her a small eye roll, as he watched her get a ball in a pocket. "I'm not blind."

She paused, debating on sharing personal information with him. She knew to be guarded around strangers, especially given her history of vampires, but something told her it was okay to be around Kol.

"Matt and I have known one another since birth practically," she shrugged. She walked around the table, leaning down and hitting another ball in.

"Let me guess," he said, watching her look for her next shot. "You two tried the whole dating thing and it didn't work out."

She looked at him interestedly, having missed the shot.

He held back a smirk and focused on the game of pool instead. There was a twinge of jealousy in him and he ignored it. He barely knew the girl.

"Small towns don't change, do they?" he questioned, hitting a ball in a pocket.

"No," she sighed. "They don't."

The two continued to get to know one another, playing several games of pool until the place started to filter out. The live music was beginning to wrap up.

"Well, Elena, it was a pleasure," Kol said, setting his pool stick across the table.

He gave one of his famous playboy smirks to her and was surprised when she didn't seem phased by the charm. Usually, it had the women swooning and asking for his number.

"Thanks for playing with me," she said, her hands tucked into her leather jacket pocket. "I'll see you around?"

"Definitely," he remarked, recovering from the lack of interest she seemed to have in him. He took her hand, kissing it one more time.

She was getting more used to the gesture, this time giving a small smile. When he left, she went looking for Matt, seeing him escort the last few customers out the door. She went setting the chairs up on the tables while he locked the doors.

"So, who was that?" Matt wondered when he came to join her.

"Kol?" She asked. "A vampire I'm pretty sure," she said lowly. His vague answers, mysterious past and sudden appearance all led to one single answer she was well-versed in.

Matt was surprised at the casualness of the answer, looking to her with concern. Questions swirled his mind. Vampires weren't exactly known for their friendliness.

"Do you think he knows you're a..." doppelganger.

"No, I dont think so," she replied, glancing around the crowd. "But it's not exactly like we put it out in the open."

Matt was confused then. "But then..."

" –We've been around them long enough, Matt," she shrugged. It was a feeling, but she was sure of it. "Trust me."

"You know I do," he said seriously. "I just want you to be careful."

The supernatural life was dangerous, chaotic and pretty frightening. He didn't want his best friend caught up in something she couldn't handle.

She assured him with a hand to his arm, grateful for how much he cared about her.

As they got the chairs all up on the table and finished cleaning up, he drove her home in his truck.

"Thanks for taking me home. You don't have to walk me in," she said as they walked up the porch steps.

He shrugged, his hands in his front pockets. "I missed us spending time together. With all the chaos with Stefan being...well, not himself, and Damon having the hots for you—"

Elena shoved him lightly, rolling her eyes and pulling out her keys from her bag.

"Come on," Matt said with a knowing look. "You know it's true."

She rolled her eyes at him. "He kissed Katharine, not me."

It had been weeks since Katharine had last been in town, but she had done enough damage to all of their lives, especially when it came to trust in the Salvatores. It was hurtful to know they couldn't tell the difference between her and Katharine, constantly mistaking her for Katharine when Katharine would pretend to be her.

Matt frowned. "Yeah, but he thought it was you. You can't keep running from this, Elena."

She sighed, opening her front door and flicking on the lights. With furrowed brows, she was confused when the power wasn't working.

"That's weird," she said, trying it another time.

"Electricity must be out," he claimed, shutting the door behind them and following her into the kitchen.

She pulled out a flashlight for each of them, turning one on and handing the other to him.

"I think I have some candles somewhere," she said, turning and shining her light around. She went walking around the kitchen island when she gasped.

"Oh my god," she said, stopping in her tracks at the sight of a large pool of blood on the floor.

"What the hell!" Matt declared, startled at the large red stain. He swallowed hard and used his light to look around the area.

The two then noticed the trails of blood; a handprint on the kitchen doorway. They each grabbed a knife from the block and went following the blood trail.

It was everywhere, trailing on the floor and up the walls, blood handprints guiding them upstairs. The pictures on the stairs were crooked and blood covered the banister with dark smears.

Elena's light went searching for where the marks had disappeared when legs came into view and she gasped once more.

"Ric!" she panicked, rushing to her guardian slumped in the doorway of Jeremy's bedroom. He was soaked in his own blood, pale and barely breathing. "Oh my god, oh my god!"

Matt came up behind her, quickly glancing around the rest of the upstairs before stopping Elena from pulling out the knife from Alaric. "Leave it in! Leave it in! He's lost too much blood."

He stepped back and pulled out his phone from his pants, calling 9-1-1.

"Ric...Ric..." she said with a sniffle, grabbing his cold hand. "Who did this to you?"

"I don't know," Alaric grunted, his body burning with pain.

Elena sniffled, looking to the knife stuck in his abdomen. "Matt! There's a lot of blood!"

"Elena..." Alaric rasped out, having difficulty staying conscious. "You have to kill me."

"What?"

"You have to kill me," he grunted before passing out.

She stared at him with disbelief and then looked to his hand, seeing the Gilbert ring on his finger. She tried to look past at how their hands were covered in his blood. She needed to focus.

"Wait, Matt," she said, glancing over her shoulder at him. "Hang up. He's right."

She swallowed her nausea and looked to her best friend. "If he dies a supernatural death, then he'll come back to life and be healed."

"How do you know whoever did this is supernatural?"

She shook her head. "That's what he's saying. We don't." She looked at her unconscious guardian. "I'm a doppelganger. I'm supernatural."

She steeled herself, taking the knife from beside her.

Matt couldn't believe this was what it was coming to. She was talking about stabbing him. "Elena! This is messed up!"

She dropped the knife and put her hand to her head. She couldn't argue that. Her brain couldn't seem to process it all either. But what choice did she have? They had to be quick. They needed to do something. He was barely breathing. She loved him. This couldn't be happening.

"He's dying, Matt!"

She looked to Alaric, finding him so pale. She didn't have any other option. She couldn't lose him.

Picking up the knife again, she put her hands around the handle and raised her arms. Taking in a shaky breath, she stabbed him in the heart, tensing when he cried out and then stilled.

Matt ran his hand through his hair and the two waited.

"I-It could be a while," she said shakily.

"I'll get Mr. Saltzman a pillow. You should clean yourself up a bit," Matt said, glancing to her bloody hands.

She sniffled and looked down at herself. Her shirt also had a bit of blood on it. "I'll change when you get back. I can't leave him right now."

He nodded and left to go downstairs and grab a few things.

They waited for hours, turning the power back on in the meantime and cleaning up some of the blood. There was still quite a bit of mess, but neither wanted to stray far from one another or Alaric, who was still lying unconscious on the floor.

Eventually there was a loud, hoarse cough and the two went rushing to the man.

Elena took his hand, smoothing his hair back. "Ric?"

He let out a few breaths, laying his head back on the pillow. With a groan, he looked at her.

"Something isn't right," he grunted. Before she could ask any questions, he passed out.

"That's it. We're taking him to the hospital," Matt said determinedly, putting his hands on the tops of Elena's arms. She sat there with her guardian, shocked and scared.

Matt called an ambulance and they rushed to the hospital, where the two paced and waited in the sitting area until Meredith Fell came to get them.

"He lost a lot of blood," she stated to the teens. "He's not feeling great, probably still recovering. I managed to convince him to stay the night for observation, but he wanted to talk to you," the doctor told Elena.

"Thanks, Meredith," Elena said uncomfortably.

Matt waited outside for her while she went into the room. The night had been crazy.

"How is he?" he asked when she came out from the room.

"Fine. He's willing to stay for observation as long as I promised to get the locks changed," she said, wrapping her arms around her waist.

"Do you want help? You can stay at my place tonight if you want," Matt said, walking down the hall with her.

"I'll be fine," she waved off. "He should be released tomorrow and I want to get everything cleaned up at the house before he comes home."

She tucked her bag closer to herself, trying to compartmentalize everything that had happened. She missed the frown on Matt's face.

"Fine, but we're getting you new locks at the hardware store before getting you back home," he declared, a hand to her back. She gave a soft smile and nodded, tucking herself into him and walking back to his truck with him.

He dropped her off back at home after grabbing a new lock for the front door. She waved to him on the brightly lit porch, watching his truck back out from her driveway and drive off.

Instead of unlocking the door and going inside, she went and sat on the porch swing, putting her elbows on her legs and letting out a breath. She ran her hands through her hair. He was going to be fine, she had to keep reminding herself.

When she felt calmer, she got up from the swing and went into the house, grabbing the toolbox from under the kitchen sink and working to change the locks.

It was halfway through changing out the old lock when there was a sweeping rush of wind. She glancing up and was surprised when she found Elijah standing before her, his hands in his pockets, looking down at her amused.

"Elijah?" she questioned. He looked different, his hair cut differently; though, he was still donned in his usual suited attire.

"Elena," he acknowledged, his eyes light and almost happy-looking to see her again. He then noted her actions, studying her curiously.

"Seems like we have some catching up to do," he stated, intrigued to know why she was changing her front locks when it was past 11:00pm.

She looked to the door and back to him, a flat unamused look on her face. Setting down the screwdriver and getting up, with his hand out to help her, she stood up and dusted her hands on her pants.

"May I come in?" he asked her.

She looked back inside of her house and hesitated, glancing back to him. "It's…it's been a really long night, Elijah. And the house is a disaster."

His eyes narrowed, wondering her truth. He could tell no one else was home. He waited for more information.

"Take a look for yourself," she said, seeing he didn't fully believe her. She opened the door wider for him and let him step in.

The scent of blood and bleach rushed past his senses and he quickly went to piece together what had occurred. Seeing some stains on the walls, the crooked pictures near the staircase and a bucket by the stairs on the floor, he gathered something had occurred.

"What happened, Elena?" he asked, looking to her, his eyes now demanding answers. He was concerned.

"I'm not sure I even know," she sighed, a hand to her head in stress.

He settled in, discarding his suit jacket on the coat rack. He, then, went unbuttoning his cuff sleeves, rolling each up his forearms.

She looked at him curiously, watching his actions.

"Tell me," he instructed, then going to help her with the front door lock. He kneeled down, looking at the work she had done and went to finish it for her.

She told him what had happened when Matt took her home, assisting him with the front door locks as they talked.

"And you thought it was best to stay here when there is someone out killing people?" he questioned, clearly disapproving of the idea as he shut the door, making sure it locked properly.

"I'm fine. I changed the locks like I promised Alaric," she said, cleaning up their tools and then grabbing the bucket of dirty water by the stairs. She carried it with her to the kitchen.

Elijah followed her through the house. He decided to abstain from berating her, though he was tempted. He kept his hands in his pockets, closely watching her. "And you don't have any leads on who this could be?"

She sighed, dumping a bucket of bloody water into the sink. "We have no idea. At first, things pointed to Meredith Fell, but she was in surgeries during some of the murders. Not to mention, she helped Ric. It wouldn't make sense to stab him and then save him again."

He thought differently with her statements, thinking of numerous ulterior motives that would support the idea.

She refilled the pail with soap and water, setting it on the counter and then turned to face him. "Not that I don't enjoy the surprise visit, but what are you even doing here?" she questioned to him.

His eyes snapped to hers and he looked to her, his eyes amused again. She stared back at him with a waiting expression, demanding answers just as he did with her.

Elijah went on to tell her about his mother and reuniting all of them together.

She gave him a puzzled expression, unsure if she should believe what he was saying. Esther, his mother, who Klaus had killed centuries ago, now wanted them all reunited as a family?

"Are you happy?" she wondered as he helped her scrub some of the blood off the stairway walls and banister.

He paused, finding it an unusual question.

"It's gotta be weird for you—to have your mother back again after all of this time," she said.

He was quiet. "She wants peace. She'll be of no harm to you."

She stopped scrubbing the wall and looked to him, seeing him a few steps below her. "That's not my worry," she remarked. "You got your mom back, Elijah. Are you okay? That's a lot for one person to handle, even an Original vampire."

He pursed his lips, hiding his smile. "Yes, Elena. I'm fine."

She stared at him, hesitating on calling him out for his half-truth. She wasn't sure it was her place though.

"You know, I don't feel comfortable with you staying here alone tonight. Come back to the mansion with me. There are plenty of spare rooms," he remarked, breaking her thoughts.

She turned back to the wall, her brows furrowing. "As much as I appreciate the concern, I'd like to keep as much distance from Klaus and your mother as I can," she stated, scrubbing at the wall.

"Elena," he sighed, stopping his motions on the wall and turning to her. "She'll be of no harm to you or your loved ones–I promise you."

He was tempted to tell her the truth, to tell her everything—to tell her why, but he refrained, afraid of any hint of rejection.

She hesitated, scrubbing a bit more of the blood stain on the wall before dropping her arm and taking a breath. "I'm okay here, Elijah."

She went to move past him, needing a different cleaner to get the blood off the paint when he grasped her forearm, stopping her to stand next to him. He could tell she was not okay. It was a lie she was telling everyone, including herself.

Her breath hitched at his grasp and her heart accelerated, her eyes meeting his. She stared at him, mostly wondering what he was doing, keeping her fears and senses of flight-or-fight at bay. She trusted Elijah. She wasn't sure why, but she did. He was safe. He wouldn't harm her.

"Please, don't lie to me," he requested in a kind manner.

His thumb caressed her arm and they stared to one another, his eyes flickering to her lips and back to meet her brown orbs.

She was close enough to him that she could smell the spiciness of his aftershave and her heart was thudding, feeling the intensity between them.

Swallowing hard, she looked to his hold on her and then back at his stare. She let her guard down just slightly. "Would you mind just staying for a while longer? I know it's late, I'm just not sure if I'm ready to be alone just yet."

"I'll stay as long as you need," he replied, his tone gentle like before. He let go of her arm and she took a moment before continuing down the steps to find a new solvent to break down the blood on the wall.

What had just happened?

Tossing the rag in the sink, she dried her hands and ran her fingers through her long hair. Looking under the sink for new chemicals, she found something different and went back to try that. They really needed to invest in a better cleaner for blood. Her home smelled like the sickly scent of bleach.

"So," she remarked, coming back up the stairs where they were scrubbing. "Tell me about your mom and your family. You have siblings, right? What are they like?"

Elijah gave a soft smile and went on to tell her what his family was like.

She listened to him speak and they eventually settled on the couch together when they were done cleaning. She enjoyed his company and how he spoke. He was open with her, more so than he had been before.

He told her a bit of his past and of his family's history. She felt like he portrayed all of them so normally, being nothing but an ordinary family before becoming vampires. Hugging a pillow to her lap, she absorbed all of the information he had to tell her.

Elijah was very much the one to keep his family all together and out of trouble, it seemed. Though, he often times followed Klaus, his morals seemed to be the one that shined through the most.

Her eyes snapped up when he spoke of Kol and she gave a small laugh, shaking her head. Of course, she had met another Original. She was sure she had been played, knowing how the Mikaelson family was all familiar with the doppelganger face.

"What?" he questioned curiously, wondering what he said to bring such a troubled reaction from her.

"I met Kol," she remarked. "At the Grill."

His brows furrowed and his head tilted, wondering what she had meant by that.

She explained his brother's presence at the restaurant when she went to meet Matt. She was surprised when she looked to see the displeasure in Elijah's face.

"It's fine, Elijah. Really. He didn't do anything. I figured he was a vampire, just not an Original," she spoke.

His eyes narrowed. "And yet, you befriended him?"

Sometimes he did wonder about her wish for death.

"Usually the ones who want to come after me, quickly get it out of the way at the beginning when they mistake me for Katharine," she remarked with a shrug. "He didn't do much more than talk with me and have ambiguous answers to questions I asked."

He refrained from flinching at the idea of harm coming to Elena. She was all too nonchalant about the dangers of other supernatural species. He ignored his protective feelings, deciding to focus on the matter of Kol, stashing the information she was telling him in the back of his brain.

He was itching to put his brother in his place, knowing how vicious and monstrous his sibling could be. He was going have to play things carefully, but silently vowed to make sure to warn Kol to steer clear of any games concerning Elena.

Elena glanced around her house and then back at Elijah. "The scent of Alaric's blood doesn't bother you?"

He stared at her with amused eyes again. "I do have the many years of practice learning to curb my urges."

She gave a small blush to that, nodding and tucking her hair behind her ear. "True."

She was used to Stefan, or even Damon sometimes, and their lust for blood.

"Originals have heightened senses more than the average vampire," Elijah spoke with his face unreadable. "And while we had uncontrollable thirsts for a long time, we have adapted and learned a sense of control."

Most of them anyway. Kol had tend to be a bit more savage than the rest, but he didn't want to scare Elena with that knowledge. He would take care of the Kol problem.

"It must have been difficult," she remarked, trying to picture an Elijah in the olden days. "If you guys had heightened senses more than what vampires already have, I can't imagine how hard it was to try and control that."

Elijah stared at his lap, thinking of his dark past. "Yes, well…"

He wanted to move past the subject and he looked to her, finding her picking at the fraying couch pillow.

"Elena, why do you want to stay here? We've cleaned up Alaric's blood. If you prefer not to stay at Niklaus's, please, let me put you in a hotel for the night," he offered.

She gave a small smile and shook her head. "I'm okay, really Elijah. A lot worse has happened," she said, finding the events of the night to be not as bad as other occasions. Everyone got out alive and unscathed. "Alaric should be coming home tomorrow."

Quiet fell among them and she picked at the fraying pillow some more.

"I can't lose any more family," she admitted, exhaustion starting to set in her bones. The night of everything that happened was hitting her. She had almost lost the only parental figure she had left.

"I think more than anything, staying here…it reminds me he's not gone; you know?" she said to Elijah "He's okay. And he's coming back."

It sounded foolish when she said it aloud and was a bit embarrassed, but he stared inquisitively at her, wanting to hear more, not being judgmental.

"Being a doppelganger is a curse," she stated, pushing herself to open up more while staring at the pillow in her lap. "Jeremy and I have lost so many people we love. And when you lose someone, it stays with you, always remind you of how easy it is to get hurt."

She ran a hand through her hair, lost in her thoughts. "I try so hard to protect the ones I love, but sometimes…it never feels like enough," she remarked reflectively. "No matter what I do, anyone in connection to me always seems to be in danger or get hurt."

She glanced up to him, hoping he didn't find her weak. He was staring at her, only an expression of gentleness and concern on his face.

"It feels unbearable sometimes," she concluded quietly to him, glancing down at the loose strings.

There wasn't much for Elijah to say, but he understood loss. It was something else he connected to her with. Sitting forward, he reached over and took one of her hands, putting it in his and giving it a squeeze.

She gave a small smile at the comforting gesture, partly relieved he didn't find her to be an emotional mess or less of a being. Glimpsing over at him, her cheeks went pink. "Will you stay until I fall asleep? I don't want to be alone yet."

"Of course," he remarked.

He let go of her hand, pulling the blanket from the couch cushion behind her, wrapping her in it. He settled a pillow on his lap and let her lay on him so that she could spread out on the couch. Guiding her down, he held her until she fell into slumber.

---

Elena woke to the shrill of her phone ringing on the coffee table and the front door being slammed open.

"Oh good, you are alive," Damon said with glaring eyes, disconnecting the call to her cell phone. Stefan walked in behind his older brother, hands in his pockets a blank expression on his face.

Confused, Elena rubbed her face and glanced around. Elijah must had left.

"What are you guys doing here? And how did you get in?" she asked, her brain still waking up.

"We're vampires," Damon glared. "We don't exactly need a key."

She gave a groan, finding she'd have to fix the locks again now that Damon broke them when barging in. Getting up from the couch and pushing the blanket off her, she went sluggishly to the kitchen, needing to make some coffee. It was early.

Waiting for the coffee to start, she put the cleaning supplies back in their place and listened to Damon and Stefan scold her for not calling her after Ric's attack.

"We had to hear it from Bonnie, who heard it from Matt. I mean, come on," Damon complained and berated.

"You should have called," Stefan stated blandly.

"I was busy," she said, finding herself to have short fuse with both of them. "There was a lot to clean up here before Alaric gets home, alright? And Elijah stopped by."

Both Salvatores' interest peaked.

"Elijah?" Stefan questioned with the tilt of his head.

"Esther is back," she stated to them, going to the coffee pot and pouring herself a mug.

"The Original Witch?" Stefan asked.

"What?" Damon snapped. "How is she even alive? I thought her hybrid freak-show of a son ripped her heart out over 1,000 years ago."

"I don't know," she sighed, taking a sip of her drink. "I'm guessing she has connections in the witching community."

She looked at both men. "Elijah says she wants to live in peace with her family, including Klaus. And he promised me his family wouldn't hurt any of us."

The ring of the doorbell broke the conversation, not letting either Salvatore rebut against her. "I believe him," she stated to them, setting her coffee down and going to get the door.

Upon swinging it open, she found no one around, but an envelope with her name on it laid on her doorstep. Glancing around for any danger, she picked up the note and shut the door behind her, opening it as Damon and Stefan walked towards her.

It was an invitation to the Mikaelson Ball, with a message from Esther wanting to meet with her. Great.

"You're not going," Damon snapped, plucking the invitation from her hands.

She glared to him, stealing it back. "You're not the boss of me and I don't see your name on the invitation."

She brushed past both of the men, going back to the kitchen. So maybe she was madder at the two brothers than she had thought. But she had a right to be. Stefan was on human blood now, no longer like his old self, and Damon, well, besides being unable to tell her and Katharine apart, he kissed Katharine. She was done with both of them.

Her phone went ringing and she gave a soft groan, going and getting it from the table in the living room.

It was a text from Ric, letting her know he'd be getting out of the hospital in an hour. She quickly responded, wanting to be there, and then turned to her company.

"Ric should be released in an hour and I need to shower. So, could you both just please go?" She looked to them and then the door. Stefan tucked his hands in his pockets, deciding to cooperate, while Damon gave a glaring look.

"We're not done here," he declared.

"We are," she snapped. Escorting them out, she shut the door behind him and then sighed, forgetting how he had broken the lock on the door earlier.

"Great," she muttered.

---

"Kol," Elijah remarked, knocking on his brother's open door and leaning against the frame. "We need to have a discussion."

"Oh goodie," he replied in sarcasm, laying on his bed with his hands behind his head.

"Elena Gilbert," Elijah stated. "I have made a promise that no harm shall come to her or her loved ones while we are all in town."

Kol focused on appearing nonchalant, though the Elena Gilbert his older brother was referring to was his soulmate. "And why should I care what you promised?" He challenged, keeping up his front.

Elijah's eyes got narrowed. "Do not test me, Kol."

"Or what?" he asked snarkily, glaring to his brother. "You'll dagger me again? Shove me in a box for another century or two?"

Elijah was quiet, his arms crossed over his chest, keeping his anger in check.

Kol rolled his eyes, finding his brother to be a bore. "Why is she a concern of yours anyway?" He questioned. "From what I hear, you betrayed her for Nik. Falling for another Petrova? That surely won't make Nik happy."

His teasing ached his heart a bit, finding a distaste for putting down his love interest. She was more than a doppelganger.

"If you must know, she's my mate," Elijah stated, unhappy to share such news. "Seems I've found my soulmate."

Kol tensed, his eyes boring holes in his brother's figure. "What did you just say?"

Elijah's jaw tensed, not used to sharing such personal information with his family. But it was another way for him to secure Elena's safety and that was what mattered. Kol wouldn't break the bond of family.

"The crystal mother gave us long ago," he remarked. "Mine became altered upon meeting Elena."

He was frozen in place, finding it impossible. Maybe there were two Elena Gilberts in this small town, though, he knew the name 'Elena' wasn't common in this small town. How was it possible?

"Kol," Elijah stated, getting impatient. "None of your games, do you understand me? Keep Elena Gilbert and her loved ones out of your antics."

"I want to see it," Kol demanded, ignoring his brother. "Your crystal."

Elijah tensed. "Why?"

Kol was getting frustrated. "Why not?" He asked sharply.

The two men stood at a standstill, glaring at one another before Elijah pulled out his crystal, holding it in the air to show the clear rock was now a hazy white. It looked exactly like his.

Swallowing hard, Kol ran his hand through his hair. Elijah had to be mistaken.

"Is it warm?" He asked his elder brother.

Elijah stared at him suspiciously.

Kol reluctantly pulled out his own from around his chest, showing him the almost a duplication of the jewelry contained in his brother's dress pants pocket. "I met Elena Gilbert last night when my stone turned white and warm."

Elijah froze, his mind unable to comprehend what had just transpired. It wasn't possible, was it?

"What game are you playing at, Kol?" He snapped.

Kol's brows furrowed and he was quick to jump to anger as his brother had just done. "Me? And how am I the wronged one here?" He questioned undignified. "Have you been chumming with Nik too long? Or have you just gone old and bitter?" He snapped. "Believe what you want, Elijah. I'm not a liar."

Getting up and grabbing his jacket, he quickly put it on and shoved his brother from his doorway, leaving the mansion tersely.

Elijah's jaw tensed and he went walking to his room to ponder the predicament. Questions swirled in his mind, and the only one who seemed to may have answers was the one who had given him the stone in the first place.

His faith and desire to trust his mother was waning.

If Kol wasn't lying, but soulmates were based around one single person for the other, what other truths could his mother be lying about?

He stared at himself in the mirror and sighed.

Part of him felt like a fool for believing in the crystal to begin with, but his instincts also trusted it. He believed in what magic was telling him, that he was to fall in love with Elena, and his growing feelings for her even seemed to prove that. So how could this be?

Something felt like it was brewing under the surface.

---

Elena went for a long jog before getting ready for the Mikaelson ball.

Running a lap around the block, she tried to clear her head of everything—Damon, Alaric, Stefan, her friends, and even Elijah and Kol.

Her muscles burned and pushed herself, running harder and faster to get to a tree near the end of the block. When she made it, she let out a breath, filling her lungs with much needed oxygen.

Turning on heel, she hesitated, seeing a hooded jogger running towards her. Glancing around and seeing an empty neighborhood, she turned back around and went running again, picking up her pace and crossing the street.

Glancing back, she noticed the stranger's pace having picked up, getting nearer.

She pushed her legs to move faster, ignoring how her muscles were clenching in pain. Making a quick turn at an end of a block, she went running as quick as she could. She glanced back to see the man still following her and so she ran quicker, turning another corner.

She ran until she couldn't. Her leg started cramping up. Grabbing onto a tree, she stopped and looked back, her heart pounding.

No one was there.

Confused, she wondered if she had been overly paranoid. People go running Elena.

Furrowing her brows, she kept an eye out for the suspicious figure and then gasped, while she limped, running into a figure, who held her by the arms.

She looked to the being, seeing a familiar face. Kol.

He kept her steady and then took out his earbuds, giving her an amused look. "You may want to watch where you are going, Darling."

She took in a deep breath and swallowed hard, glancing back over her shoulder before looking at him again. "Were you following me?"

He gave her a puzzled look and looked over to where she had, seeing nothing. "No. Should I be?"

She paused, shaking her head and feeling discombobulated.

"Are you alright?" he asked, now concerned for her. She looked shaken.

He tore his eyes from her figure and looked back to the direction she had been running, using his heightened senses to search out any unusual signs, smells or sights. When he didn't find any, his attention went back to her.

"F-fine," she said, trying to gather herself. She hissed when she went to walk off, her muscle still cramped.

He was quick to help her, giving her his body to lean on. He kept her steady and tucked his music player in his pocket before bending down carefully to take a look at her leg she was coddling.

"It's fine, it's just a cramp," she winced, trying not to show pain.

He put his hands on her leg, feeling for the tensed muscle. He tried to be gentle when rubbing it and glanced to her, making sure his actions weren't causing her more pain.

"Thank you," she said, seeing it feel slightly better.

He continued to massage the limb, trying to help loosen the ligaments. "What happened?"

"I think I'm going crazy," she muttered, glancing back once more. He caught the action and made sure to keep an eye out as well.

"Do tell," he remarked, slowly getting back up. He held his arm out, letting her lean on him, while helping her back home.

They followed her limping pace and she told him about what happened, feeling as if there was danger. "I'm probably just being paranoid. With what happened to Alaric last night, I'm probably on edge."

"What happened last night?" he questioned. While he didn't know who this 'Alaric' was, whatever happened seemed to be a bigger ordeal.

She caught Kol up like she did Elijah, sitting on the porch with him when they had gotten her home. "And Damon broke my locks this morning. I haven't had the chance to fix them again."

He had an immediate disliking for the Salvatore.

"You didn't tell me you were an Original," she remarked, giving him a look to tell him he had been caught.

He smirked. "I don't like to boast."

She gave a laugh of skepticism, her eyes light. "I find that hard to believe."

From what she had picked up about him at the Grill was that he was fairly arrogant and cocky. He reminded her a lot of Damon.

He laughed a bit, oddly happy to see her smiling and happy. "Yes, well, I guess I've been caught."

"Did you know I was a doppelganger when you came up to me at the Grill?" she wondered when their teasing died down.

"I did," he replied more solemnly. "I had never met Katharine, but I do recall Tatia."

He remembered vividly how his brothers, Elijah and Nik, had fawned over the woman.

Elena's looked at him puzzled; her brown brows furrowed together, not recognizing the name 'Tatia'. And so, he told her about the doppelganger before Katharine.

She was stunned to silence, not realizing there was one before Katharine, though it made sense. She wondered how far it had gone back.

"You know the thing I love about modern ages?" he questioned to her, breaking her from her thoughts. He dug into his pocket, pulling out his tiny device. "Music, anytime you'd like."

She gave a small laugh, looking to the music player.

"They're incredibly handy," he remarked.

She took the machine from his hand, looking at the musical selection that he had. Curious to a few of the songs, she pressed play and grabbed an earbud, giving it a listen.

"Try this one," he said, taking the player back and scrolling through more of his music.

The two sat for a handful of minutes, listening to music and talking about each other's taste. There were a few bands in common and some Elena had never heard of.

The front door swung open and Alaric stood in the doorway. "Elena—" Looking down and finding two, he stared at the stranger bewildered. "Who are you?"

"Alaric, this is Kol Mikaelson. Kol, this is Alaric," Elena introduced.

Kol gave a nod, as did Alaric, a skeptical look on his face, seeing Elena associating with an unfamiliar vampire. "It's getting late. Don't you have a ball to get ready for?" the guardian asked. He then looked to Kol. "Your family's in fact."

"Ah yes," he remarked. "Well, I must be going. It was lovely chatting with you, Elena."

He stood, helping her up as well. Making sure she was stable; he gave his music player to her and went to leave with her a kiss to her hand.

"Are you sure you don't want to come in?" she asked, feeling like Ric had been rude. She still had some time before needing to get ready. "And why are you giving me this?" she asked, looking to the player. "Don't you want this back?"

"Keep it for now," he said at the bottom of the porch steps. "I should be off, but I'll get it back from you another time," he assured her.

He wanted to stay, having been enjoying their time together, but he was sure Nik was probably already having a fit. "Listen to the tracks I recommended."

He sped off from sight, leaving Alaric to stare inquisitively at Elena.

---

"And where were you?" Klaus remarked grumpily, seeing Kol saunter into the house late, shedding his jacket and shoes. Elijah was busy picking out his dress shoes for his tux, Rebekah getting her nails done while sitting on the couch, and Finn getting his pants tailored.

"I don't believe that's any of your business now, Nik, is it?" Kol remarked, quickly changing into his tux and then turning to his reflection in the mirror. He adjusted his suit jacket. "Rebekah, tell me how handsome I look."

He beckoned over one of the tailors to make a few adjustments to his fancy wear.

"Oh, Kol," she said, staring at her nails. "You know I can't be compelled."

Both Finn and Elijah held in their laughter, smirks across their face at their sister's wit, while Klaus was still stewing over Kol's attitude.

"This is my town, Kol," Klaus growled. "If you so much as—"

"What?" Kol snapped, glaring angrily at the hybrid. He didn't take kindly to threats.

"I will dagger you," Klaus threated.

Kol rolled his eyes. "Again, with the dagger threats?"

"You are in my house," Klaus seethed angrily, stepping towards his brother, ready to enact physical violence.

Kol quickly turned and faced his brother, almost chest-to-chest with him. He was ready and willing for a fight. "Then perhaps we should go outside."

They glared to one another, until a stern voice called "Enough!"

Klaus looked over Kol's shoulder, seeing his mother. "Niklaus, come," Esther called, turning around and walking further into the other room.

While Klaus followed, Kol went back to getting his suit tailored and staring at his reflection.

"Really though, Kol. Where were you?" Rebekah wondered.

"You aren't to be making any sort of scenes," Finn remarked, thinking his brother was out on some sort of blood binge and causing chaos.

"I was out taking a walk," Kol answered, trying to get his siblings off his back.

Elijah's eyes narrowed, finding his younger brother to be suspicious. Pulling out his phone, he sent a text to Elena, checking in to make sure she was alright.

Kol told you? She replied. Elijah stared at the text, his blood beginning to boil. He knew Kol had been up to no good.

"What did you do to Elena, Kol?" Elijah snapped, his anger getting the best of him. he shut his phone and stuffed it back into his pocket.

"Me?" Kol asked, turning around from the mirror and looking at his brother. "Who said I did anything?"

"That is not an answer, Kol," he snapped. "What have you done to her? If you so much as laid a hand on her—"

"Is that what she told you?" he questioned, a bite in his tone, though he was somewhat confused.

"She didn't have to say anything, Kol," Elijah replied impatiently. He was tired of his brother's antics with his soulmate. "Your games always absurd and violent and I will not stand them. She is off limits and yet you insist on pressing your games upon her."

"You are mad," Kol stated, brushing him off to try and keep his temperament in check. It was clear Elena hadn't said anything, rather Elijah was making assumptions. The two of them had actually had a nice time together. He enjoyed getting to know her.

"Elena…the doppelganger?" Rebekah interrupted her brothers, recalling the name from Nik.

Both males ignored her and glared at one another. Finn watched interestedly.

"Stay away from her, Kol," Elijah warned.

"Who are you? My father?" he snapped, having enough of Elijah's attitude, telling him just as Nik did on what he could or couldn't do.

Finn intervened this time, breaking the two men up before they could fight further.

"What is going on with you two?" Rebekah asked her brothers, particularly Elijah. He was never one to fight.

Both went to their own corners of the room and finished getting ready for the evening's ball in silence.

---

Elena nervously walked up the stairs of the mansion, picking up her dress as her heels clapped against the cement.

The front doors opened before she could even knock and she was met with the stunning sight of Klaus's mansion.

Walking in slowly, she marveled at the sight, unbelieving to how big the house was.

Glancing around, her eyes went searching for Esther, hoping to meet the woman. She wanted to get any threats out of the way and over with. She'd broker any deal necessary if it kept her loved ones safe.

"I thought I told you not to come tonight," Damon said quietly, glaring at her.

She gave a flat look. "Well, here I am. And I'm not leaving until I find out what Esther wants."

She went to turn and walk away from Damon, when she was startled by Stefan. She looked at him with clear displeasure. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he said blankly.

Damon rolled his eyes.

"Like I told Damon," she said with a breath. "I'm here to see what Esther wants. So…shall we?" she asked, an arm signaling towards the grand room.

Stefan put his arm out for her to take and she stared at it, unsure if it was the right thing to do. Looking at him, seeing his expressionless, cold face, she decided against it. Going to walk off alone, she was caught and brought back by Damon, who was trying not to make a scene, but was keeping a tight grip on her arm.

"Let go," she said fiercely and quietly.

"Go home, Elena," he said warningly, glaring at her.

"Pardon the interruption," Finn declared, having seen the scene. He looked to the two men and particularly the arm on the woman. He recognized the face. The doppelganger.

"Who are you?" Stefan asked with a glare.

"Finn Mikaelson," he replied, his eyes still on the other man's hold. "If you'd kindly let the lady go…"

Elena glared to Damon, who tugged at his hold. When he didn't let go, she tugged a bit harder and he finally released her.

Finn held out his hand for her and she gratefully accepted, glaring at both Salvatores and moving along with Finn through the crowd.

"Thank you, for what you did back there," she murmured quietly to him, taking in all of the people in attendance. She glanced up at him, finding he was quite a few inches taller than her, even in heels. "You probably know who I am."

He took a moment to gather himself before looking down at her. It wasn't possible. "I am aware."

She gave a small frown, feeling overwhelmed with one of those times where she hated the face she possessed.

"Elena Gilbert," he remarked.

She was appreciative he at least started with her name and not 'doppelganger', as many would acknowledge her.

He guided her to the bar and handed her a fresh flute of champagne. "You choose some interesting friends."

She hesitated in defending them, finding their actions before to be disappointing. "They think they're protecting me," she weakly justified. "I'm supposed to be here to see your mother."

"Yes," he remarked, unable to face her then. She was curious by the action, seeming as if he were ashamed.

Giving a moment of pause, he noticed Kol making his way over to them. "If you want to see my mother, you'll need to come alone."

She opened her mouth to argue, but he excused himself moments before Kol caught up to her.

"I see your leg is feeling much better," he noted, coming up to her with a glint in his eye. When she picked up her dress, he could see the slightest bit of her black high heels. She had looked stunning.

"It is," she blushed. "Thank you again for earlier."

"There is a thrill to being one's knight and shining armor," he teased her lightly. "And what did dear brother Finn want?"

Elena was hesitant, looking back to where Finn had gone off. "I'm supposed to be meeting your mother. He told me to come alone."

Kol's eyes narrowed and he peered after his brother, wondering the angle the eldest was playing. "And what does my mother wish to speak to you about?"

She looked at him cluelessly. "That's what I'm here to find out."

He felt displeased at the lack of knowledge and scheming his siblings were playing. "Well, come," he said, grabbing a drink from himself and then holding out his arm. She linked arms with him and he guided her towards the staircase.

She looked at him curiously, wondering what he was doing. "I'll be just a moment," he remarked, giving her a wink as he left and gathered at the stairs.

Watching him go with a confused expression, she was surprised when Elijah passed her as well, a drink in hand. He, too, gave her an intrigued look, and walked up a few of the stairs, calling for the crowd's attention.

"Whenever my mother brings our family together, it's tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance," he announced.

Esther came descending down the steps, meeting her children at the middle step. Elena sucked in a breath, stiffening herself at the sight of the witch.

"Tonight's pick is a century's old waltz," he stated.

Getting ready for when the speech ended, she picked up the skirt of her ballgown.

"Don't even think about it," Damon snapped quietly, grabbing her arm tightly. She glared to him, pulling at the grip he had on her. "Was I not clear this morning?" he said curtly.

"I don't remember it being your name on the invitation," she replied with a bite, trying to get her arm free. She gave another tug and he finally let go, glancing around and seeing a few stares on them.

"You have to tell me before you walk into a lion's den," he seethed quietly.

"Why?" she asked defiantly. "So that you can stop me?"

"Yes," he hissed. Elijah's speech had ended and people began to congregate towards the ballroom.

Elena hesitated, knowing she wouldn't get past Damon to go see Esther. Silence fell between them and his anger lessened, fading into his usual cocky yet charming smile.

"It would be rude not to dance, you know," he told her with his hand out waiting for her. She stared at him and looked at his hand. Anger rushed inside of her. "Then go find Katharine."

She went to brush past him when he grabbed her again, this time, his eyes dark and impatience on his face.

"I believe she already has a dance partner, mate," Kol remarked, breaking up the two. "And if you don't let go of her this very moment, I have no problem causing a scene and breaking your arm right here."

He glared to Damon Salvatore; anger clear on his face.

Damon reluctantly let go and Elena let out a breath.

Kol looked to her, his hand out. "Shall we?"

She put her hand in his and they went off together, getting in formation and waiting for the music to begin.

"Thank you," she murmured quietly, her hands linking with his.

"Don't thank me just yet. I'm horrible at the waltz," he said, giving her a wink when she gave a small laugh. The music began and they took the rhythmic steps, commencing the dance.

She found he wasn't as bad as he thought. The two of them kept sync with one another and he had her smiling the entire time.

"You're not as bad as you say you are," she remarked, as he held her close.

"Well, it's a good thing I have such a beautiful partner."

He smiled as she blushed, then having to twirl her and let her go.

She found herself being caught by Elijah and she smiled up at him. "Hey."

"Hello there," he remarked, staring into her dark brown eyes. "I see Kol has brought you out here. I hope he didn't step on your feet too much."

Elena gave a small laugh and shook her head. "Actually, he wasn't too bad. And he did give me warning."

Elijah was quiet, trying to hide his displeasure for his brother.

"He actually saved me from Damon," she murmured quietly, glancing about to the Salvatores, making sure she wouldn't be running into either one of them.

Elijah glanced to her, his eyes waiting for information.

"I'm supposed to see your mother tonight," she remarked. "Damon has been here to continuously stop me. Do you think you can help me get to her? I'm supposed to go alone."

His brows furrowed, but he gave the smallest of nods, glancing back around.

"I'll find you," he murmured quietly in her ear, before giving her a twirl and sending her off.

She was caught by Finn and felt slightly uncomfortable. He was much more stoic and reserved than the rest of the Mikaelsons. She wasn't sure if he really had much of a liking for her.

"I noticed the Salvatore was a bother again," he remarked, glancing down at her.

She was slightly embarrassed, wondering who else might have seen the small alteration. She knew how much the town loved to talk. "Damon—he means well, but he's persistent," she agreed, glancing to the crowd.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice holding what sounded like care and concern. Her eyes snapped to his, surprised he was asking such a thing. "Yeah, it's just Damon being Damon."

Finn was quiet for a moment. "A man should never lay his hand on a lady like that."

She looked away, wishing to agree with that. But for some reason, she always let Damon get away with it.

"If he does so again, I'll snap his neck," Finn said coolly.

She looked at him with surprise. While she was slightly concerned for Damon's safety, she couldn't help but feel like he had it coming. And the idea of making her own choices was enticing. She wondered why Finn would do such a thing for her.

They stared at one another intensely, speaking volumes with their eyes and body, dancing together until the song slowly went into its close. The two soon stopped, still embraced in one another's arms.

Finn could look at her with such intensity. It was like understanding someone on a completely different level.

"Thank you for the dance, Elena," he remarked, stepping back and releasing her. "I'll see you up there." He took his exit, walking graciously up the steps to go find his mother.

Elena let out a breath and watched him go. She wondered why Finn could be there with Esther but no one else. Glancing around, she noticed most were distracted, so she picked up her dress and made her way up the steps.

She felt lost, seeing how there were two different directions to go and large hallways each way. Guessing at one, she went walking around, taking in the beauty of the home and looking for Finn or the room she was supposed to meet Esther.

"Elena," Elijah's voice called. She glanced back and stopped in her place, letting him catch up to her. She appreciated how amazingly good he looked in a tuxedo.

He ran the back of his finger down her bare arm when he got close, making her heart flutter. They began walking with one another, one of his hands now stuffed in his pocket. "You're going to see my mother?"

"Yeah," she said, taking in a deep breath. "Why? Is something wrong?"

Elijah hesitated, not wanting to put her in danger, but he also needed answers. "Well, her ability to forgive my brother after everything he's done to destroy this family, strikes me as a little strange to say the least."

"Do you think that it's an act?" she asked, intrigued by what he was telling her.

He hesitated, stopping them and then placing himself in front of her. He glanced up, keeping an eye on the strangers in the hall before speaking again. "It has me asking questions I never thought I'd ask," he whispered to her.

There were other things too, like the crystal. As much as he wanted to tell her about it, he needed to play his hand close. He wanted to be cautious.

Her brows furrowed and she wondered what he was pondering.

"Can I depend on you to tell you what she says?" he asked her.

Her heart sped up and she took a moment to think about it. It was a dangerous liaison to be forging, and even more dangerous request to be asking.

Steeling herself with a deep breath, she knew it was the right thing to do.

"Of course," she stated with determination.

He had been listening to her heartbeat, distracted by his thoughts, when he looked to her with surprise.

"I'll find you later, okay?" she said, trying to keep the nerves out of her voice. She picked up her dress, and gave him a nod, moving past him to continue down the hall.

He blinked a few times and then turned his head over his shoulder, staring after her. He debated whether to linger in the area for her, to make sure she was safe, but he knew if he did, questions might be asked.

His tongue ran over his gums where his fangs would be, not liking his options. Reluctantly leaving, he glanced back one last time and re-joined the party.

---

Finn had met Elena in the hall, guiding her to the correct room when he found her wandering. He opened the door for her, letting her step in first. She hesitated upon coming face-to-face with Esther and seeing an object in her hand.

Elena looked back at Finn, seeing him standing between her and the door.

"It's only sage," Esther remarked, seeing the girl's apprehension. "I've spelled it so we can speak freely without being overheard."

Finn went and shut the door behind them.

"Please," Esther motioned, showing her the couch.

Elena hesitantly picked up her dress and went to sit down with the witch.

"I've heard you have met most of my children," Esther remarked, trying to set the girl at ease. "You and Elijah seem to have known one another the longest."

She was quiet, unsure of what to make of that statement.

"Elena," Esther sighed. She looked to the teen. "I've heard something…unusual."

She tensed, wondering what that meant.

"It seems Kol and Elijah have taken an interest in you, yes?" the witch asked.

Elena furrowed her brows wondering what that meant. Glancing to Finn, she wondered if he had something to do with these questions. Had he been the one spying on her earlier in the day?

"I'm not here to hurt you. And neither is Finn," Esther said, trying to calm her. "I have been informed of things that… complicate matters. And I'd like to explain them to you."

She listened to Esther explain more about doppelgängers, even talking about Tatia, who Kol had told her about. It was surprising to hear how Tatia's blood was the main ingredient used in the ritual to make all of the Originals.

"Doppelgängers are a source of great magical power. Their blood contains many mystical properties. There is a concept called Corded Soul Concept. It is more commonly known as the Soulmate Principle. Have you heard of it before?"

Elena shook her head.

"By spelling a certain type of crystal, I was able to provide my children with an indicator of their soulmate," Esther said calmly.

Elena's eyebrows raised.

Esther went on to tell her about the crystals—how they change from clear to a milky white, and even the importance of soulmates, defining them as pure love—in the sense that they were what the equivalent to the other person, being what or whom they needed.

"Depending on the strength of the connection, over time, one can learn to develop a bond that would be able to tell them what each other was feeling if the two were close enough."

"I…I don't understand," Elena said, looking at the Mikaelsons. "What does this have to do with me?"

Esther paused, glancing to Finn and then back to Elena.

The doppelganger didn't miss it, seeing the look and she shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

"I'm sure you noticed you have an…allure about you," Esther remarked.

Elena tensed and stared at the woman, bracing herself for whatever was to come. Was she going to ask for blood? What did she need?

"My sons, all besides Niklaus, have found that their crystals have turned upon meeting you," the mother witch stated.

Breath seemed to have left Elena's lungs and she sat frozen. Both Finn and Esther were patient with her.

"What?" she asked sharply to the two.

Finn pulled out his crystal, having wrapped it around his wrist like a bracelet. As soon as he had met Elena, he had felt it's warmth and later looked down to see it had changed.

He went over cautiously to her, removing the cord around his wrist and handing it to her gently.

"And…all of your children have one of these?" she asked the Original Witch with a hard swallow.

The woman nodded.

Finn, Elijah and Kol. They were her…soulmates?

Elena looked to Esther for more answers, confused at how to reason this. "What does this mean?"

"Sometimes magic can get skewed when it is met with another powerful force," she explained. "As a very magical being, it seems magic has become unclear. What I mean to say, Elena, is that my sons—Finn, Kol and Elijah, they are connected to you by fate, but it is you who has to decide who is right for you."

Elena wasn't sure what to say. How was this possible? This was not what she thought Esther would be telling her.

"So…I drew them to me, like Katharine did with other men?" she asked, hurt in her heart.

"No, not like Katharine," the witch remarked having watched that treacherous woman from the other side. "This is much different than that, Elena. Katharine made clear decisions in her actions; this has been decided by the fates. It is innocent, pure even."

"I don't have a choice in this? I mean, not that Kol, Elijah and Finn," she said looking to him, "—it's not like you aren't great," she stuttered. "But…what if I don't want to be with any of them?"

"You will," Esther corrected. "You do. The fates would have not paired you otherwise."

Elena was at a loss for words. Sure, she felt like she had a connection with Elijah, and Kol was easy to get along with. Finn…well, she was still trying to figure him out, but she had only met him hours ago.

"I can only imagine how this must be for you," Esther said calmly.

Elena couldn't seem to muster words to that comment. "I-I thought you had called me to talk about Klaus, to help stop him," she stated.

He had been taking her blood every moth, treating her like a walking blood bag for donations. She was hoping the woman would help her stop that, not play matchmaker.

"It will take time, but I will deal with Niklaus," Esther stated. "For now, I do need you to keep this conversation strictly between the three of us. Niklaus cannot know of my intentions."

She hesitated, wondering what those exactly were. "So…you do plan to stop Klaus. You haven't forgiven him like everyone believes."

Esther faltered. "I love my family Elena, but they are an abomination," she said, looking to her eldest child. "I betrayed nature when I created them."

Elena followed Esther's gaze, disbelieved to see how Finn was nothing but calm.

Shaking her head, she gathered her dress and stood up.

"Elena," Esther called. "I need your secrecy—at least concerning about Niklaus."

She looked to the woman, giving a nod, glancing briefly to Finn and then rushing out.

Gathering a breath when she was far from the room, she told herself to keep moving. Keeping hold of her dress, she walked back downstairs. The party was still bustling, as if nothing had happened.

Standing there, Elena felt claustrophobic, the large room becoming increasingly small. Her would had been flipped upside-down.

"So how was my mother?" Elijah asked, appearing beside her, standing beside her.

"Intense," she stated with a hard swallow, barely able to glance at him.

"And for what reason did she need to speak with you in private?" he asked beside her, seeing a waiter come around with fresh champagne. He grabbed two glasses, presenting Elena with one.

She stared at Esther on the staircase, thinking about all that had been said. The Soulmate Principle. The Corded Soul Concept.

"Elena? Should I be concerned about my mother's intentions?"

Elena's eyes went back to Elijah, staring at him, wondering if he had known all along, since they had met that they were destined for one another. He hid it from her.

"Elena," he prodded again gently. Something had happened.

"I-I'm sorry," she said, denying the champagne he was offering her. "I have to go."

She quickly picked up her dress, twirling on heel, making a swift departure through the crowd. Her chest felt heavy. The doors opened for her and she quickly went through them, urgent to escape from the area.

"Elena," a familiar voice called, one she didn't want to hear. She tried to ignore him, picking a direction and walking. Her chest hurt and it felt difficult to swallow.

"Elena," he called again, this time closer than before. He was gentle in pulling at her arm and she turned to look at him, tears threatening to fall from her face. "I can't do this with you here, Finn. I want to go home. I need to go home."

Elijah had been quick to follow Elena out, curious what was transpiring in the scene between her and Finn when he came outside. "Brother," he stated, coming up to the two of them.

Finn let her go, but his stare continued on her. "Give us a moment, Elijah."

Elijah stared between the two, seeing Elena was far from alright.

"Thank you for tonight," she told both of them. "But I really need to get home."

Before either could interrupt her or try to stop her from leaving, Stefan and Damon came walking out.

"Elena!" Damon called in the distance.

Sucking in a breath, she turned around and went to valet, deciding she needed to get her car. It was now or she'd be walking home.

Both Finn and Elijah went to run interference for Elena, neither liking the Salvatores or her distress.

"Leave Elena alone," Elijah commanded to Damon and Stefan, stopping them both from going any further towards her.

Damon glared, finding both Mikaelsons to be using their bodies as guards to get to her. He had seen her come down the main staircase, where she looked less than alright. "Whatever your mother did—"

"—she did nothing," Finn stated coolly. "Now, as my brother has said, leave Ms. Gilbert alone."

"Get out of our way," Stefan said, blank faced and getting in Finn's face. He had no care or fear to threaten.

Before a fight could break out, Elena took her keys from the valet, tipped him and rushed off from the group.

Both Elijah and Finn were slightly proud of the swiftness, even if they had been left behind. It had been worth it to see the irritation on both Salvatore men's faces.

"Goodnight to you both," Finn remarked, deciding to take his exit and go back inside.

Elijah took his leave as well, though cautious of the two potentially going to bother Elena upon leaving the party.

"Disturb her tonight and I will have your throats," he warned to them before tucking his hands in his pockets and making his way back inside.

He was concerned for Elena, finding her reaction to be nothing usual for her. Something had happened and he knew it was because of his mother. He was even on more alert now more than ever of her actions.

---

Elena woke up the next morning and wasn't sure what to do with herself. Lying in bed for a while, she stared out her window and wondered where things would go from here. Was anything really the same anymore?

With a sigh, she got up and went through her usual routine, telling herself that some normalcy would help her brain. She was tied to three Originals. Could it really be so bad?

And then she thought of Klaus.

Yeah, it could.

With a huff, she sat on the edge of her bed. Glancing over to her nightstand, she saw Kol's music player. Hesitantly grabbing it, she put the earbuds in her ears and went scrolling through his music, playing the songs he recommended. It calmed her down a bit, lying there and listening to unfamiliar beats, until her phone lit up and she looked to see all of her missed messages.

She had numerous from Damon and Stefan last night, telling her to stop by in the morning. Some were demanding, while others were just harsh and cold.

It comes from a place of caring, she told herself.

But then Finn's words came into her head. A man should never lay his hand on a lady like that.

Ripping the earbuds out, she tossed Kol's player on her bed, her foul mood coming back. She ran a hand through her hair and decided to get ahead of the drama, knowing how both Salvatores would be even crankier if she didn't go see them soon.

Grabbing her keys, she drove off to the boarding house.

---

"So, let's not make a big deal out of this," she told the two brothers, holding her heels in her hand.

"My thoughts exactly," Damon declared, a sly look on his face.

"Besides, I expect you'll come calling soon enough," she told the men with a cocky smirk.

Stefan looked down at his feet, his arms crossed over his chest. "Let's not hold our breath."

Damon opened the front door for them, where Elena stood outside, hand up ready to knock. Startled, she looked at the three and quickly gathered what had occurred.

Rebekah smirked at the uncomfortable look on the girl's face. "Doppelganger."

Elena tilted her head, unsure of who the blonde was. "Do I know you?"

"You wouldn't, but I know of you," she said with a look of distain. "How are my brothers? Do you enjoy having both Kol and Elijah on your arms?"

Elena looked both confused and hurt, unsure of what she knew. Both Salvatores made faces at the other men's names.

"Rebekah, you can go now," Stefan declared with a blank expression.

Rebekah looked back to the men, glaring. She wasn't done making the doppelganger suffer.

"Actually, I think it's better if I go," Elena declared. Before she could leave, Damon grabbed her arm, stopping her in her place.

His piercing blue eyes glared at her. "No. We have to talk."

Elena looked at the grip he had on her, tugging against it. His hand was holding her tight. "Damon, let go."

Damon ignored the request, still glowering at her. Last night's events came back to him and he was angry.

"You're hurting me. Let go," she said stronger, fighting against him.

"Damon," Stefan said, finally intervening.

"No, we are talking. You're staying," Damon said through his teeth.

Rebekah took in the scene, temporarily letting go of her own bitterness. "Let the girl go."

Damon looked to the unwanted visitor. "Didn't my brother tell you to leave?"

His attitude shortened her patience and she looked dangerously at the man. "Let's not forget I am an Original," she warned him. "I may have entertained the both of you last night, but I have no problem snapping your necks."

Elena was both thankful and repulsed, trying not to acknowledge the idea of a threesome. It clicked who the blonde was, then. A Mikaelson.

She pulled at her arm again, trying to get out of Damon's hold. His grasp on her would be leaving a mark he was holding her so forcefully. She just wanted to leave.

Damon finally let go, scowling at Rebekah, who had a cold, bored expression.

"Time to go," the blonde said, guiding the girl out lightly, not letting her stay with the two Salvatores.

While she wasn't a fan of the doppelganger, she didn't like the way either Salvatores treated the girl either. And an unfortunate love interest of her brothers meant the girl was under their family's protection. Her brothers would have her head if she let anything invertedly happen to Elena.

Rebekah shut the door behind her, letting go of Elena when they got to the driveway.

"Thank you," Elena murmured quietly.

"Don't be stupid and go back there alone," she snapped bitterly before racing off.

Elena got into her car, rubbing her upper arm. Making a stop to the hardware store, she went and picked up a new lock and then went home.

"Hey, kiddo," Alaric commented, coming down the stairs as she got in.

"Hey," she said, hanging up her jacket. "I picked up a new front door lock since Damon broke our other one."

He nodded and studied her. "I'll probably hang out at Meredith's today. Jeremy is with Bonnie. Will you be good here?"

"Yeah," she agreed.

He walked into the kitchen with her, each of them grabbing coffee.

"Okay, well, I'll have my phone if you need anything," he said, grabbing his keys up from the counter.

"Tell Meredith I said hi," Elena said, sipping her coffee at the kitchen island.

He gave her a smile and walked out from the house, leaving Elena alone to her thoughts. What Rebekah had said to her made her stomach queasy. The whole soulmate thing took feeling like Katharine to a whole new level.

Letting out a breath, she decided to keep moving and keep her mind busy, so she got to replacing the front door lock again.

"Why is this sight familiar?" a voice declared.

Elena looked up to the figure, dressed in a usual three-piece suit. "Elijah."

"Elena," he greeted, while staring down at her, his lips pursed in a frown. "What happened?"

She looked to where his gaze was fixed of her changing her locks again. "Nothing," she assured him. "When Damon came over yesterday morning, he broke the lock to get in. I didn't get around to fixing it until now."

Elijah tried to hide his disdain for the Salvatore again. The man never knew when to leave enough alone or think smartly.

"Do you need any help?" he asked politely.

"No, I'm almost done," she said, screwing in a few more screws. She checked the lock and deadbolt to make sure it worked before standing back up and going to put the tools away.

"I doubt you came to watch me change a lock. What's up?" she questioned, seeing him waiting by the front door.

"I don't mean to intrude," he said, prying his thoughts away from how he was going to deal with the Salvatores. He looked to Elena, seeing her walk to him. "I was hoping you might accompany me. I want to show you something."

She gave a reluctant nod, hesitant to leave the comfort of her own home. Grabbing her coat, he helped her slip it on, watching her lock up behind them, before guiding her to his car.

He drove them to the woods, taking her somewhere familiar and personal to him.

"It's beautiful out here," she remarked, looking at all of the trees and nature.

"I forgot how much I missed this land," he said, peering around.

"I can't even imagine what it must have been like a thousand years ago," she said, trying to picture it. She was sure everything changed greatly.

"You know, your school was built over an Indian village," he remarked, as they continued walking. He motioned to an area. "Here is where I saw my first werewolf."

She looked at him, eager to know more.

"The town square was where the natives would gather to worship," he stated. "Matter of fact, near that, there was a field where wild horses use to graze."

She was taken aback. "That's incredible."

They walked a bit longer, slowly stopping where Elijah could face her. "Something happened last night," he said gently. "What did my mother do? She's hiding something isn't she?"

Elena hesitated, glimpsing around the area. "Why didn't you tell me?" She asked softly.

He stared at her puzzled, unsure what she was referring to.

"The crystal."

He tensed, having been thumbing it in his pocket as they walked.

"How—…"

"Your mother talked to me about it," she stated, unable to look at him. "She told me all about it."

His throat felt dry and he stared hat her, unable to find words to speak.

"Can I see it?" she asked, finally finding the courage to look at him. She held her hand open, wanting to see the crystal for herself.

Taking in a breath, he pulled out the warm object from his pocket and set it in her hand, showing her the hazy white stone.

She studied it closely, finding it to be exactly like Finn's.

He stared at her, observing her every movement. "What did my mother tell you?" he questioned.

She hesitated on what to start with, feeling there was so much to say.

"She gave each one of you these," she said, thumbing the crystal. "it used to be clear."

"It did," he murmured quietly.

"And then in meeting me, it changed."

She looked to him for confirmation and he gave her a single nod, looking to the magical object.

"She called it the soulmate principle," she told him, handing him the rock back. "Apparently it's like we're meant for one another."

He put the crystal back into his pocket and looked at her, wondering her thoughts. The way she had said it made him believe she wasn't happy about the news to be destined to him.

"Did you know Kol and Finn's crystal also changed?" she asked.

She glanced to him, wanting the full truth from him.

He looked at her surprised when mentioning Finn. "Is that why he went to you?" he asked with furrowed brows, recounting how he had rushed out to Elena before his mother's big toast.

She hesitated, finding he wasn't surprised about Kol.

"He was there," she said quietly. "—when I went to talk to your mother, he was there with her. I think he told her about his own crystal, and somehow he knew about you and Kol."

She gave a small bitter laugh. "I didn't even know about you and Kol, and then I got blindsided by him, as well."

He tried not to feel hurt at her comments, hearing her anger.

She let out a breath. "You didn't tell me. And you aren't surprised about Kol, Elijah. So that tells me you knew his crystal changed too."

He stared away from her, as if he could feel her disappointment.

Silence settled among them.

"Would you have believed me?" he questioned.

She hesitated, giving it thought. "I don't know what to believe," she said with honesty. She thought about everything, every moment and interaction they had together.

"It took me a while to believe it," he confessed to her, slowly walking towards a tree, keeping his eyes away from her. "This…soulmate concept. I didn't believe in it. And yet, when my crystal changed after meeting you…"

He paused. He had spent much time debating with himself of the truth, yet found he did believe in it.

She swallowed hard, trying to keep her mind present to their conversation. "I heard about Tatia," she said, trying to muster courage to speak to him. "You and Klaus loved her."

Elijah then looked to her, wondering why his past love had come up.

"There is a reason why you, Kol and Finn all fell for me," she said, her tone almost bitter. "I'm a doppelganger."

He stared at her, wondering how to decipher that. He easily recalled how his family would tease him for falling in love with the same face over and over again.

"Apparently my blood has magical properties," she said to him, kicking at the dirt gently. It's why instead of just one of you falling for me, or me the other, it was the three of you."

His brows furrowed; his mind now confused. "What are you saying, Elena?"

Was she trying to tell him the crystal wasn't true? Because part of him would argue that it was. He had felt something for her, though, he couldn't admit it just yet.

"Being a doppelganger, I guess, when magic meets magic, it can get screwed up," she told him. "Usually, there is someone out there made for another, but for us—the three of us, well, it's unusual that three men would have the same soulmate."

She let out a breath, her heart accelerating. "Your mom tells me it's real, and we're all intertwined, all compatible."

Pain stung her heart and tears welled in her eyes. "I never wanted this to happen."

"What, Elena?" he questioned, wondering if she was trying to reject him.

She stuffed her hands in her pockets, shaking her head. He slowly stepped towards her, taking his hand and setting it under her chin, making her look at him.

"I never wanted to be like her, Elijah. I never wanted to be Katharine, and now all I feel like is that I'm worse than her."

He sighed, moving his hand from under her face to curl some hair back behind her ear. "You are nothing like Katarina, Elena."

"I don't know how we are all supposed to be okay with this—how it's supposed to be okay at all. You three are tied to me, just as I am to you. What is that supposed to mean?" she asked helplessly to him.

A tear rolled down her cheek and he caught it with his thumb.

"I'm so sorry, Elijah," she said to him. She never wanted to hurt him or put him in a position where he felt pitted against his family. And all she could think about is that she was. Rebekah had even alluded to it.

He took her in his arms, holding onto her and letting her rest against him, allowing her tears and pain to come out.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Elena," he remarked gently. IF anything, this was his mother's magic.

Elena's phone began to ring and they pulled apart. She pulled out the device from her jacket, seeing it was Damon calling. Ignoring the call, she wiped her face and tried to gather her strength back.

"Come," he said, guiding her with a hand on her back to continue walking. The two went a way through the forest, stopping near a large boulder.

"Below us is a cavern I use to play in as a boy," he told her, going and kneeling, then touching the ground. "It connects to a system of tunnels that stretch across the entire area."

Her phone rang again, and once more she looked to it, ignoring the call.

Elijah stared at the device in her hand, angered at the incessance of the Salvatores.

Standing back up, he made sure she was safe enough away before breaking a hole in the ground, making the land sink down.

She gave a startled gasp, jumping away slightly, as the earth crumbled at her feet.

Elijah sped to her, taking her in his arms. Without another though, he jumped down the hole with her, holding her close.

The two stared at one another when their feet hit the stable ground. The light shined from above them.

Elena stared up at him, not with fear, but wonder in her eyes. She wasn't sure what he was doing, but oddly, she wasn't scared of him.

"Cell phone reception won't work down here," he said to her, staring intensely at her. "You'll be able to find some peace down here."

A small blushing smile crept up on her face and she broke their gaze, glancing to the area he brought her to. "Show me around?" she asked him, stepping back and holding out her hand.

He took it with ease, and walked her around the tunnels for over an hour, finding it to be the most peace he felt in centuries.

---

Elena returned home, surprised to see a visitor waiting on her porch steps.

"Finn?" she asked curiously, getting out from Elijah's car.

Elijah's eyes narrowed and he got out of the car with her, walking her to the door.

"Elena," Finn acknowledged, getting to his feet.

"What are you doing here?" she wondered, surprised that he knew where she lived.

Finn looked to his brother, not wanting to talk about matters with an audience. He could see the guardedness in Elijah's eyes. "Elijah, I'd like to speak with Elena alone. You may go," he said dismissively. There were topics the two of them could not speak freely about with him around.

"It's fine, Elijah," Elena said hesitantly, not wanting to start something between brothers.

Elijah stood where he was, knowing she was reluctant.

She put a hand to his arm and waited until he looked to her, a reassuring expression on her face. "Thank you for today. I'll call you later?"

He stared at her, watching as she went to walk up to her house with Finn. His brother didn't spare a glance at him.

"Come in, Finn," Elena said, letting him enter the house.

Finn walked inside and the two shut the door.

Elena shed her jacket, hanging it up and then turned to him. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"No, thank you," he said politely.

Standing uncomfortably, she wondered what was going on. Tugging at her sleeves, she showed them both to the kitchen.

"How have you been holding up with all of the news?" he asked her, watching her make herself some coffee.

"Honestly?" she asked, going and pulling out a mug from the cabinet. "Not the greatest."

They stood quiet, unsure of what to say to one another.

"It's hard to wrap my head around," she admitted.

"Yes, it can be a lot to take in," he acknowledged.

"I feel like this is my fault," she told him, staring down at her empty mug, waiting for the carafe to fill. "I mean, you guys are all brothers…"

"Nothing about this was in your control," he countered, making sure she understood what had been explained to her.

They were quiet again, and when the coffee was done, Elena poured herself a cup.

"Finn, you had told me to come alone, last night. But what we talked about…shouldn't Kol and Elijah have been there?"

He hesitated. "That…was not what we originally had planned to discuss with you?"

Her head tilted and she stared at him, desiring answers.

He stilled and listened. "Another time," he said curtly.

Loud banging rattled her front door and she jumped. "Elena! Get your butt out here!" Damon's voice called.

Finn stood from his seat at the island and stood protectively in front of Elena when the door went slamming open.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" Damon glowered to the Original.

"I believe I was invited," he remarked.

Damon went running for him, ready to attack, and Finn caught him by the neck easily, bringing him to the wall, pinning him there. "It's time for you to leave."

"As if!"

As Damon went to get out of the hold, Finn then snapped his neck, letting the man's body drop to the floor.

Elena sucked in a sharp breath, unsure what to feel.

"Are you alright?" Finn asked, having heard her startled.

She swallowed hard and nodded. "Yes," she said, clearing her throat.

Finn glanced to her over his shoulder, seeing her trying to hide her fright. He eased the tensions from his body. He didn't want her to be afraid of him. "I wouldn't hurt you, Elena."

She nodded, staring to Damon's body. "I know."

And she did. Technically, they were soulmates, and if anything, Finn was protecting her from Damon. It was an odd sight to see Damon incapacitated on the floor.

Tearing her eyes from her friend's unconscious body, she looked to Finn. "I'm sorry."

"For?" he wondered.

"Damon's actions," she sighed.

"Something, I'm afraid, you owe no apology for," he remarked.

He then looked to the open door, feeling a cold draft coming in the home. Scooping Damon up and putting his slumped body over his shoulder, he tossed the man down on the porch and then looked to the door, seeing the lock broken and wood from the frame cracked.

Elena's boots went clacking against the wood, following him over.

"Great," she sighed, seeing the damage.

She wouldn't be safe home alone, the door probably unable to close now.

Finn glanced from Damon's unconscious form to Elena, assessing the scene. "How do you feel about an early dinner?" he questioned.

She looked at him interestedly, surprised at the offer.

Finn stepped over Damon's form, holding his hand out for her.

She went and got her jacket, slipping it on and grabbing her keys and phone. Going back to the doorway, she looked down at Damon. With a frown, she glimpsed to Finn's awaiting hand and put hers in it.

He helped her step over the body and she drove them both to the Grill.

"Two please," he told the waitress, guiding her along as the girl showed them to a table.

"Sorry, I just have to let Ric and Jeremy know everything is okay and I'm safe," she said, pulling out her phone.

She sent a text to them, letting them both know she was safe and Damon broke their front door. She knew how the scene could have looked.

"Of course," Finn replied, picking up a menu and taking a glance at it.

She shut her phone and observed him, then looking to the menu. It wasn't long before the two ordered drinks and their food, when silence set in again.

"The modern age, it's so complex," he stated.

She looked at him intrigued, following where his gaze had been looking to someone on their tablet a few tables away. "Technology?" she questioned.

He was quiet. "Among other things," he stated, thinking to all of the new things around him. Even the style of clothes was foreign.

She studied him. "How long has Klaus had you daggered?"

"It's been…about 900 years," he recounted quietly.

Her eyebrows shot up to her forehead. 900 years? He had to be the longest neutralized Original.

They had a hush conversation about that time period of his life. Elena found Finn to be fairly open with her, more than the rest. As long as she asked, he was fairly willing to tell her.

He had been daggered by the Five, in 1114. It was similar to his siblings, but Klaus had chosen not to undagger him.

The two never saw eye to eye.

"Is that why you're so against him?" Elena wondered quietly, thinking back to his and Esther's scheming against Klaus.

"Among other things," he stated, dismissing the topic.

Elena studied him. It was the only thing he seemed to brush away and not talk about.

"Best not to have such a discussion in public," he stated to her, not having to look at her facial expression to know what she was thinking.

Nodding, she looked back to her food and continued conversation with him. She was curious of his perceptions and all of the changes he was experiencing now that he was awake. He had her smiling and occasionally even laughing at some of the things he had to tell her.

She had a true empathy for him, finding it was most things that he wasn't used to about the modern world. It must have been incredibly difficult to try and get used to.

"Even automobiles," Finn remarked, getting into the passenger side with her when they left the restaurant. He watched her stick the key into the engine. "They're fascinating and truly terrifying."

She realized then, he didn't know how to drive a car. It was after his time.

Turning her body to him, she looked at him curiously. "Did you want to try?"

He gave her a face of doubt.

"It's okay," she said gently. "I can teach you."

He was hesitant and she then encouraged him. It was late and dark. There weren't many cars out.

Getting out of the driver's seat, they switched spots and she showed him how to adjust the seat to his comfort level and then went over all of the mechanisms in the car.

He took a slow lap around the block with her car, only slamming on the breaks once by accident.

She smiled at him, going over the radio and all of the channels while he drove. She wanted him to be comfortable and knew this was probably a scary experience. Most vampires weren't so open. Most were overly prideful, but she enjoyed how Finn wasn't that with her.

He parked her car and they switched again so that she could drive them back to her house.

"Less scary?" she wondered.

"Only somewhat," he stated flatly, making her give a small chuckle.

He played with the radio, having been listening to her remarks about it while he had been driving. Flipping through the various channels, he finally settled on one of her presets and sat back, staring out the window in thought.

He realized he had never been so open with someone.

She parked the car and unbuckled her belt. "Did you want to come in for a bit?"

The house looked dark and the front door still open. Damon's body was now gone.

"Where is your guardian and brother? Do they not return home?" he questioned. He didn't want to impose or overstay his welcome, but he also didn't like the idea of her being alone.

"Jeremy is probably out with Bonnie and Alaric is with Meredith Fell," she remarked. "If you have to go, I'll be fine," she said embarrassedly.

Finn hesitated. "It's not that. I just…"

He looked at her, seeing her kind eyes. "It's new to me—courting a lady such as yourself," he said. "—a woman," he corrected.

She gave a smile. "We may be connected, but you don't have to be anyone but yourself. Courting isn't really a thing anymore."

He looked at her puzzled and she smiled. "Come on. You can show me how to make tea properly since you bragged about it," she teased.

He gave a small smile. "I highly doubt you have the proper leaves."

She raised a brow. "Guess I'll show you my version then."

They went inside together, continuing to chat. Elena found herself enjoying his company. Conversation never seemed to stop flowing. It wasn't until Jeremy came home that Finn took his leave.

"What was that?" Jeremy asked, hanging up his coat.

"What?" she asked, playing dumb.

He gave her a look.

"Damon broke the door," she shrugged. "Finn was nice enough to hang around until someone else got home."

He studied her, interrupted when Alaric got home.

"Well, that's not good," he told the kids, checking out the door. Sensing something going on, he looked at the two Gilberts, who were staring at one another. "What?"

"Nothing," Elena claimed. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight," she said, giving each of them a kiss and heading upstairs

---

She woke up the next morning to the sound of hammering. Confused, she got dressed and padded down the stairs, seeing her front door being fixed.

"What's going on?" Elena asked Ric, who was watching the men work.

"Hell, if I know. They just showed up this morning, ready to work. Oh, and there was this for you," he said, handing her a card.

Elena took it with confusion, opening it up. It was a note from Finn, telling her he was being bold in sending a crew over to fix her door for her. He also thanked her for the driving lessons.

"So?" Ric asked in curiosity.

"The Mikaelsons," she answered, not wanting to name Finn specifically, knowing it'd raise questions. "They paid someone to come fix our door."

"Why?" Ric asked confused.

"I had told them about Damon breaking our door and they wanted to help," she replied lamely, trying to avoid from having to explain her love life to Alaric. "They aren't exactly big fans of Damon."

"Is anyone?" Ric asked.

She gave a snort. "No."

The pair watched the workers for a little while longer before Elena went trotting back upstairs to finish getting ready. She realized she didn't have Finn's number to say thank you, so she'd have to go express her gratitude in person.

By the time she was dressed and grabbing her keys, she found the door fixed and the crew gone.

"I'm going out, Ric!" Elena called.

"Keep your phone on you!" he called back from the kitchen.

Driving to the Mikaelsons had been odd, and got even weirder when she stood at the doors, raising her hand to knock.

Taking in a deep breath, she rapped her knuckles to the door and waited, hoping Klaus wouldn't be the one to answer.

"Elena," Finn said surprised, laying his eyes on the unexpected visitor.

"Finn," she said with a sigh of relief. She gave him a bright smile. "Thank you—for the crew you sent to fix my door."

He nodded. "Of course."

He stepped aside, motioning her in.

"Uh…that's okay," Elena said, hesitant to enter with Klaus possibly being around.

"No one is home, Elena. Not even my mother," he said.

She gave him an interested look and then decided to step inside.

"Can I get you something to drink?" he offered, helping to shed her coat and hang it up.

"Uh," she tore her eyes away from the structure of the house, still flustered at its beauty. "Coffee?"

"You love your caffeine, don't you?" Finn remarked, leading her through the mansion.

"I'll admit I have a slight addiction," she joked lightly.

He gave a small smile and had her take a seat at the counter, going to make her a fresh cup of coffee.

She marveled at the sight of everything, astounded by the large house. Everything inside of it was gorgeous.

It wasn't long before Finn set the coffee in front of her.

"You know, I don't have your number," she remarked, taking a sip of the drink. She pulled it away from her lips and looked at it.

"Is it alright?" Finn asked, suddenly self-conscious. He was still new to all sorts of gadgets in the kitchen.

"Yeah, it's amazing," she said with disbelief.

"French press," he said, showing her the contraption. "Much more flavorful coffee than that maker you have at your home."

She didn't dare argue, finding it to be one of the best cups of coffee she had ever tasted.

"Anyway, you were saying my number. What did you mean by that?" he asked.

She looked at him intrigued, a smile blossoming on her face. "Do you not have a cell phone?"

"That I do not," he replied simply. It wasn't like he knew many people around besides his siblings, and he often didn't care about where they went, knowing they could each handle themselves.

"We are changing that today," she declared to him.

He looked at her interested.

"Everyone needs a phone now adays," she claimed.

Once she was done with her coffee, she took Finn to the nearest phone shop, walking around with him while he chose his new and first smartphone.

"Oh, dear heavens," he muttered, trying to understand the device.

Elena gave a small giggle and the two went for ice cream once they were done shopping.

"Thank you," she smiled when he paid for their food.

He guided her to sit on a bench outside in town, where they talked and ate, and eventually pulled out his phone again.

"This is a ridiculous thing," Finn declared, glaring at the phone, as she talked to him about his device.

"You'll get used to it," she assured him with another small laugh. She found Finn complaining to be most amusing.

Being as patient as possible, she continued to show him the ins and outs of his phone. She didn't want to overwhelm him.

"And that is how you hang up," she remarked, having shown him how to make a phone call.

"And these…texts…" he said, having remembered her mentioning those.

She showed him again, how to pull up his text messages and how to send one.

"Do you often do this? Text?" he asked, glancing at her.

"Yeah," she confirmed. "Or talking over the phone. Sometimes texting can be quicker and easier, but both are good."

He nodded, staring back down at his device.

"I find this to be worse than driving," he muttered.

She gave a giggle, making him give a small smile to see her so happy.

"I'm sorry," she apologized with a blush. She didn't want to make him embarrassed or think she was laughing at him.

"No need," he said forgivingly. "I'm sure this is all so familiar to you."

"It is," she agreed, "But you're right. Phones are pretty complex."

They continued to talk about his phone for a while longer until it was getting brisker outside and they went back to the mansion.

"Thank you, Elena," he said, knowing she probably didn't want to go inside again.

"You're welcome, Finn," she smiled.

"I'll…call you. Or is text better?" he asked awkwardly.

"Whichever you prefer," she replied supportively.

He gave a hesitant nod, tucking the device in his jacket pocket and getting out from the vehicle. Giving her a wave as he walked away, he watched her drive off before going inside.

Maybe living in the modern world wasn't so bad after all.

---

"Okay, I could use a girl's night," Caroline called to Elena, barging into her house the next day.

"Okay?" Elena said curiously, walking from the fridge, over to where her friend entered.

"Boys suck," she declared, thinking of her Klaus problem.

"Should I call Bonnie, or you?" Elena questioned, pulling her phone from her pocket.

"I got it," Caroline said, grabbing the phone from her bag and walking into the kitchen with her. The two called Bonnie, telling her to grab a bag and get over to Elena's. They were in need of a sleepover.

"So, what happened?" Elena asked, handing Caroline an ice tea.

The blonde thought about her complicated and growing feelings for the very bad hybrid, finding him to have a layer of sweetness to him that complicated things.

"Just…I don't know," she said tossing her hands up. Elena stared at her intrigued, knowing it had to be good then.

Elena's phone rang, seeing Finn's name appear on her screen. Hesitating to hit ignore, Caroline gave her an intrigued look.

"What does Finn Mikaelson want?" she pressed to her friend.

"It…—it's a very long story," Elena stuttered out.

Caroline raised an eyebrow. "This wouldn't have to do anything with Damon or Stefan, would it? Or why they are freaking out about you and the Mikaelsons?"

"What…how…" Elena was curious what her friend knew. Did they know about the soulmate principle?

The two waited for Bonnie, neither wanting to exactly discuss their love lives.

"Hey, I'm here!" Bonnie called into the house.

"Bonnie!" Caroline declared, getting up from her seat and racing to meet her friend.

"We need a distraction," Elena claimed.

Bonnie stared curiously at her friends. "From what?"

"Boys," They both declared.

The witch looked curiously at her friends and then agreed. "Well, the Grill is having a live music night. Want to go?"

"Yes. Absolutely yes," Caroline said. "But first, we need alcohol."

Elena quickly agreed, going and following her friend.

"Okay, what is with you two?" Bonnie asked them. "You both are acting weird."

Caroline glanced to Elena, while Elena was quiet, staring down at the counter.

"Someone?" Bonnie asked.

"I've…I've got feelings for Klaus, I think, okay?" Caroline confessed. Both girls looked wide-eyes, their mouths dropping.

"What?" Elena asked.

Caroline squirmed, unable to handle her friends' stares. "Well, what about you?" she asked Elena.

Elena faltered, retracting. "I'm…I'm supposedly destined with the Mikaelsons," she spat out against her better judgement.

"What?!" both friends shouted.

They all sat down with one another, deciding to put it out on the table.

"No judging?" Elena asked her friends. She really didn't want to hear about the pile of shit she was in. If anything, she needed help getting out of it, or through it even.

"Same goes for me then," Caroline said, looking at her friends.

They all agreed and so Elena explained the Corded Soul Concept, while afterward, Caroline explained how sweet Klaus has been to her.

"Yeah, we definitely need to get out of here," Bonnie said with a breath, trying to absorb the information her friends had told her.

They each took one more shot and then Caroline sped them both to the Grill. The place was packed once again, loud beats of the live music playing.

The three went moving through the crowd, dancing with one another and watching the band. It was the lightest they had all felt in days.

"They're actually pretty good," Bonnie said to her friends, having thought the band wouldn't be great.

The three continued dancing with one another, smiling and laughing.

"I'll get us some drinks!" Caroline exclaimed over the music, going to the bar to compel the bartender.

Elena danced with Bonnie, singing along to the music. Glancing around, she was surprised when Kol, Klaus and Elijah went walking into the Grill.

"Oh no," Elena murmured, making Bonnie glance around to where her friend was looking.

"This just got awkward," the witch stated.

They were interrupted by Caroline, who came back with shots. "What?" she asked her friends, seeing their faces.

"Guess who just walked in?" Bonnie asked.

Caroline's brows furrowed and she looked to the door, her breath catching.

"Yep," Elena said, taking her shot with her friends. She noted the three Mikaelsons heading to the bar, with Klaus glancing to Caroline and Elijah and Kol with their eyes on her.

"You guys could at least go say hi," Bonnie said, seeing both her friends staring.

"Nope," Caroline said quickly.

"This night was for us," Elena agreed, keeping her eyes away from the men.

They each tried to ignore the new company, focusing on having a good time. The three continued to dance and were happy when Matt came around surprising them.

"What are you doing here? Are you working?" Bonnie asked.

"As always," Matt said, giving them all hugs.

"Perfect. Matt, will you get us some drinks? Please?" Caroline asked desperately, not daring to go to the bar.

He looked at her puzzled why she couldn't go herself.

"It's complicated," Bonnie said for her friend.

"…Right," Matt said. "Well, let me go start my shift. I'll try to bring something by later," he said.

Caroline huffed, needing something much sooner. With Jeremy having walked in and captivated Bonnie's attention, she took Elena's hand. "Come on. Let's get this over with."

She led them to the bar, not bothering to acknowledge the men as she compelled the bartender for drinks.

"Is that wise?" Klaus asked Caroline, a sly look on his face. "Doppelganger," he acknowledged to Elena.

"She has a name, Klaus," Caroline snapped before Elena could say anything.

Elena put a hand on her friend, wanting her to take it easy.

"What brings you two out here?" Elijah asked, trying to ease the tension with conversation.

"Girl's night," Elena said to them over the music, trying to be friendly. Caroline handed her a shot and she quickly took it down with a wince.

"I'd like to join that," Kol smirked.

"Are you a girl?" Caroline asked, turning to him with a raised brow while she waited for another shot.

Both Klaus and Elijah had a hard time holding back their laughter.

"What about you guys?" Elena asked, trying to move past the tensions like Elijah had done by creating conversation. "Live music at the local restaurant doesn't really strike me as your guys' kind of night."

Kol wanted to argue that, recalling how he met Elena the last time a live band played here. It had been life changing for him. But before he could, they were all interrupted.

"Guys!" Bonnie called to her friends, trying to make her way to the bar with Jeremy behind her.

"What are you all doing here?" Jeremy glared, seeing the Mikaelsons.

"Easy, Jer," Elena warned to her brother, knowing how Klaus had a temperament.

"So much for a girl's night," Caroline sighed, knowing Bonnie would be taken by the younger Gilbert.

"Well, on that note," Kol said, quickly taking his chance. He held out his hand for Elena. "Shall we dance?"

Elena froze, surprised at the gesture. She wasn't sure what to do, feeling in the middle. She could see Elijah's displeased look.

"She'd love to," Bonnie said, nudging her friend and ignoring Jeremy's confused look.

Elena put her hand in Kol's and the two went walking off with one another to the middle of the dance floor.

Klaus looked interestedly to Elijah, who went quiet, his face expressionless.

"Let's go dance, too," Bonnie told Jeremy, removing herself from the awkward situation.

"Thanks, Bon!" Caroline called irately.

Elena swayed with Kol, dancing for only a song or two. "I ditched Caroline," she said guiltfully.

Kol glanced over the crowd, seeing her chatting with Nik and Elijah. "She looks to be busy setting Nik in his place."

Elena looked over to the bar when there was a gap in the crowd, seeing Caroline handling herself and telling Klaus off, just as Kol said.

"I haven't seen you in a few days, darling," he commented, swaying to the music with her in his arms. He gave her a small spin to get her attention back.

She stared at him, giving a hesitant nod. "I've been avoiding you."

He gave her an interested look.

"When were you going to tell me about the crystal?"

His face went blank and his defenses went up. "How did you find out about that?"

She gave him a look of defiance back. "That doesn't sound like anytime soon."

Staring at him, waiting for a better answer, she found she wasn't going to be getting one. Dropping her hands from him, she shook her head and made her way through the crowd back towards Caroline.

"And you seriously think that works on a person?" Caroline scoffed to Klaus, who had an amused look on his face.

"Everything alright?" Elijah asked, seeing Elena's troubled face.

"Great," she replied, running a hand through her hair and looking to Caroline.

"Well, I think we'll be off to finish our girl's night," Caroline said to them. Grabbing her bag and turning around, she ran into Damon and Stefan. "Oh great," she said flatly.

"Barbie," Damon said with a grimace. He looked to Elena. "You've been avoiding us."

"Then maybe you should take a hint," Caroline spoke for Elena, crossing her arms over her chest.

Damon glared. "Why are you even here?"

"You're the one interrupting us," she snapped.

"Guys," Elena sighed, shaking her head and trying to break them up.

"You're hanging out with them now, really Elena?" Stefan chimed, noting Elijah and Klaus.

"Oh, we aren't that of bad company," Klaus said with a smirk.

"You would think that about yourself," Damon scoffed.

Klaus's face went flat and anger soon bloomed in his face.

"Okay, enough," Elena said, pushing Damon back and away from Klaus.

"And what do we have here?" Kol's voice asked, coming up behind Elena. She held back a groan, knowing it was going to add fuel to the fire.

"Care, can we just go?" Elena asked, not wanting to get mixed in all of this.

She gave a nod, going to walk off with her friend when Damon grabbed her by the arm. She winced, feeling him touch the bruise he had left days before.

"Let go," she snapped.

"Make me," he glared to her, ready to drag her home by force. He was tired of her games.

Before anyone could react, Elena used her other arm, shoving a small wooden stake into his lower abdomen.

Damon gave a wince of pain and looked down. "What the hell?"

She glared at him, not feeling an ounce of regret. Everyone else stared at her with surprise. "I won't be man-handled by you anymore, Damon," she said, then going to shrug off her jacket. She had been wearing the stake cuff from Alaric.

Elijah noticed a bruise then on her upper arm. While he planned to ask her about it the next time they were alone in private, his jaw clenched in anger, having a good idea it had been Damon.

"Stay away from me," she warned to the elder Salvatore, taking off the cuff from her wrist and stashing it in her back pocket.

"Oh my god," Caroline exclaimed proudly as they were leaving through the crowd.

"A girl's gotta be prepared," Elena said flatly, having been hoping not to run into either Salvatore, let alone both.

Finn's words had resonated with her and she took precautions to make sure Damon wouldn't grab her again.

"That was amazing," the blonde praised. They went and grabbed Bonnie, telling her they were leaving.

"What happened?" Bonnie asked curiously.

"I'll tell you later," Elena said, not wanting to boast. She just wanted to get out of the Grill and away from everyone. She could still feel the stares of the men on her.

"Elena kicked Damon's ass, that's what happened," Caroline gushed.

Bonnie raised a brow.

Elena sighed and then looked to her brother. "Jer, will you tell Matt we left?"

Jeremy nodded and the three girls went pushing through the crowd to depart back to the Gilbert house.

---

"I can't believe he left a bruise," Bonnie said, glancing to Elena's arm when they got home and she told her what happened.

"Yeah, well it's never going to happen again," Elena said, having changed into her pajamas. With her hair in a messy bun and Caroline grabbing the popcorn, she went to grab the movie and put it in the player.

There was a ring of the doorbell and Elena's brows furrowed, going to get it. Opening the door, she was surprised when she found Kol.

"What are you doing here?"

"Don't worry, I'm not here to barge in on your girl's night," he teased lightly. Seeing her guarded expression, he took in a breath sombered. "I was hoping we could talk for a bit."

Glancing back to her company, she nodded. Stepping out on the porch, she shut the door behind her.

Kol went and wrapped his jacket around her shoulders, stopping when he saw the bruise on her upper arm.

"It's fine," she said, covering herself and looking to him. "What is it, Kol?"

"About the crystal…"

She tensed and went walking towards the porch swing, sitting down and leaving space for him.

He pulled it out from his shirt, removing it from his neck and giving it to her.

She took it from him carefully, studying the same stone that she had now twice before.

"Esther," Elena said, staring at the hazy white color. "it's what she wanted to see me about, I guess. She told me about it."

His brows furrowed.

"It's not just you," she said. "Elijah and Finn's changed, too."

He was baffled upon hearing Finn's name. "What?"

She told him everything she knew, everything that had been said to her. it had been a lot for them both to take in and they were quiet for a few moments.

"I apologize for not telling you sooner," he stated. "I guess…I didn't want you to feel stuck with me."

She studied him. It was shocking to hear Kol be so defenseless and open with her. Usually, he'd crack a joke or say something cocky to hide his true feelings.

"After hearing about all of this, that's the same concern I have when I think of you guys with me," she admitted. "I mean, you're all brothers in love with one girl. A doppelganger none the less. That's pretty messed up."

"It is," he agreed, finding it to be quite twisted. "Regardless of this predicament we find ourselves in, though, you Elena Gilbert, are more than just a doppelganger."

She stared at him again, still getting used to his gentle side.

"Plus, what fun would love be if it wasn't a little complicated?" he teased lightly.

She gave a small smile, seeing the usual Kol come back. Considering his words, she held her hand out, offering him the crystal back.

"Keep it," he remarked.

"No, I can't," she said. He had held onto this for centuries. "It's important to you."

"I want you to have it," he assured her, taking it from her hands and raising it over her head. He put it over her messy bun and settled it around her neck. "Let this be a reminder that, though magic has gotten things a bit messy, my feelings are still true."

If what his mother had said was true, the fates had set this destiny for him long ago. She was the one for him. And he found it wasn't just because she was a doppelganger that he felt this way for her. It was now just a question if she'd want to be with him.

He looked to her, enjoying the sight of his crystal around her neck.

She looked down at the pendant, playing with it gently. "Thanks, Kol."

There was some ruckus in the house and Elena slowly got up from the swing, needing to get back to her friends. She slipped off his jacket and handed it back to him.

"You handled tonight quite marvelously," Kol said, recalling the delightful sight of Elena injuring Damon Salvatore.

He then looked to her arm, seeing the bruise. It looked a few days old. Damon must have put his hands on her a while ago. "But if Damon Salvatore ever touches you like that again, I will break every bone in his body."

His face became dark and she rolled her eyes. Stepping forward, she leaned and gave a kiss to his cheek. He smirked to her, his cheeks going slightly pink.

"Enough threats," she scolded lightly. She took his hands in hers and pulled him up from the swing. "Get out here."

Enjoying her sassy attitude, he swiped his thumb against her cheek and stood there for a few seconds longer with her. She pulled away and walked to the door.

"Goodnight, Elena," he called.

"Night Kol," she smiled to him, watching him put his jacket back on and walk to the steps. Seeing him go, she went back inside to be with her friends, shutting the door behind her.

---

The hazy white crystal dangled from her neck while she stood at the locker, spinning her combination and staring at her phone.

Only if you're available, Finn texted her, having asked her to come over. He had already assured her Klaus was away for the night.

Sure. I'll be there soon.

Tucking her phone in her back pocket, she opened the metal door with a clang and jumped when she noticed Stefan beside her.

"What do you want, Stefan?" She asked tiredly. She wasn't in the mood for games.

"Ouch," he commented, his face expressionless.

Exchanging her things, she waited for him to speak.

"You know, the deadline for college applications is coming up," he noted cheekily, observing her as he leaned against the other lockers.

"I'm aware," she said, curling some hair behind her ear. They had been on her to do list for a while, having last touched them when they were a couple. It was before his whole blood binge.

"I was thinking of doing some later today if you want to come by," he stated, waiting for her reaction, as she was preoccupied looking to her textbooks in her arms.

With furrowed brows, she turned to him confused. "I thought you weren't doing college?"

He had previously expressed thoughts about taking a year off and traveling.

"I'm keeping my options open," he shrugged.

She studied him, barely seeing any hints of the old Stefan. He was so cold nowadays, overly collected and confident. Human blood had changed his attitudes, bringing out a dangerously carefree side to him.

Shaking her head, she shut her locker and walked off. She was finally done with school for the day.

"Come on, Elena," he remarked, keeping up with her as she exited the building. "I won't let Damon bug you. It's been a while since we hung out. Come by the boarding house today and we can work on our college apps together. "

Her defenses lessened, pondering the idea of the real Stefan showing. Maybe he was lonely or trying to reach out to her.

"I have plans tonight. Maybe another night though," she replied, arriving at her car.

"With who? Bonnie? Caroline? " He pushed. "I'm sure they can spare you for a night."

It was odd for him to be so persistent.

"Why does it matter?" She asked, her eyes narrowing as she turned to face him.

Putting her things in the back of her car, she realized his silence was speaking volumes. Turning to him, she studied at his guarded face and realized this had to do with the Mikaelsons.

Giving a scoff, she shook her head with disapproval. "Who I hang out with is not your concern," she said sternly.

"Have you forgotten how dangerous they are?" Stefan urged; anger laced in his tone. "That family has brought you nothing but darkness, Elena. It is that simple."

Shaking her head, she shut her back door and glared at him. She was unwilling to discuss the Mikaelsons with him.

He grabbed her arm, stopping from getting into the driver's side of the car. His grasp was gentler than Damon's, but still firm.

"Do you really not feel anything?" She finally asked, her frustration coming to a point. She glanced to the hand he had on her lower arm and then in his eyes. "You act like you don't care, like you don't feel anything. How can you do that? Because I can't do that. I... I feel. I feel everything."

"Elena, stop," he said reprimanded.

"No," she pushed, just as he had done with her. "I'm not going to stop, Stefan, because I don't believe that you feel nothing," she stated, tired of his charade. She wanted the real Stefan back.

He glared at her, speaking hushly then. "What? You think I want to be this person? I hurt you, Elena. I bit you. I hate myself for what I did to you."

She paused, retracting at his words. So, he was in there. "Stefan..."

"If I let myself care, all I feel is pain," he replied with honesty, his chest filling with guilt again. He needed to turn it off. To keep the feelings at bay.

She watched him walk away, her heart sinking to her stomach.

---

She stood on the porch of the mansion, waiting for the door to be answered. Her mind was half preoccupied with her interaction she had with Stefan before leaving school. She wondered if she pushed too far.

The door swung open and she was pleasantly surprised by who answered it.

"Elijah," she said with a kind smile.

"Elena, what brings you here?" He asked, allowing her to step in.

"I'm here to see Finn actually," she noted, adjusting to the extravagance of the house.

"Finn? He questioned with surprise.

"Yeah...he texted me. He's here, isn't he?" She wondered, hoping it had been him and not some ploy of Klaus's.

"Elena," Finn called, walking down the steps.

She looked at him with relief, giving him a smile. "Hey."

Elijah observed the two, seeing how she eased at the sight of his elder brother. Even Finn's face brightened ever so slightly.

"Can I get you something to drink? Coffee?" Finn offered.

"That'd be great," she replied tiredly. He guided her to the kitchen, showing her her usual seat at the bar.

"How was school?" He asked, noticing how there was something off about her.

She paused, distracted by the sight of Elijah hovering in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Do you ever have one of those days where you wonder why you got out of bed in the first place?" she asked them both.

Finn stared at her with a puzzled expression, unable to relate. Elijah hesitated to answer.

"Most often," Kol stated, coming into the kitchen, having heard Elena's voice. He brushed past his brothers and gave her cheek a kiss, sitting down next to her. "Hello, Darling."

"Hey," she said with a small smile.

Finn handed her the cup of coffee and she took it with gratitude. Sipping on it, she noticed how awkward the room became. Shifting in her seat, she wondered what to do or say. It was odd for all three men—love interests no less, to be in the room together with just her.

"Shall we go to my room?" Finn asked, reading her face.

"A scandalous suggestion brother," Kol teased, knowing he was still learning the ways of the modern era.

"Kol," Elijah reprimanded, his arms crossed over his chest.

Finn hesitated, but took cues from Elena, seeing her ignoring Kol's comment and picking up her coffee and thing. She didn't seem bothered by his offer.

Grabbing her bag for her, he led the way to his room, opening the door for her.

Her mouth dropped; the room even bigger than the Salvatores. It was like a size of an apartment.

"Wow," she stated, walking inside.

He looked to her amused, wondering her perspective on what she was seeing. He let her peer around the room a while, taking in the surroundings. He presented her the small sitting area, showing the couch, coffee table and couple of chairs.

She went and took a seat on the large sofa and set her mug down on the table.

He could tell she was more relaxed than when she had been in the kitchen.

"So, what's up?" She wondered. "You said you made a new purchase?"

"I did," he remarked, setting her bag near her and then going to his desk drawer. If there was one person who could help him figure this out, it would be her. Pulling out a large white box, he brought it over.

"You bought a laptop," she said with surprise.

"I did," he said hesitantly, still not quite understanding technology. "It's...useful, is it not?"

She gave a smile and had him sit down next to her. She went over the purpose of a laptop, showed him the charger, and how to plug it in. Once the device was powered up, she talked him through the setup.

"Why'd you buy one of these?" She asked curiously. He was still trying to understand a cell phone. A laptop was an even bigger and more complex thing.

"I noticed my siblings all have one of these," he noted. "They often carry it with them."

She gave a smile at his way of learning and picking up on things.

"What is the internet?" He wondered to her.

They sat for hours while she explained things and helped him explore.

"Strange," he murmured as she helped him set up a movie on the computer.

She was reminded of a kid learning about a television. He'd check the back of his laptop, as if there were people behind it. The thought didn't make sense to him.

"Let's show you this," she decided, kindly taking the laptop from him and searching the history of movies. She was hoping showing him a documentary of how film originated would make it easier to understand.

Elena's stomach growled and he was quick to notice, wanting to get her some food. He forgot how humans ate sometimes.

"It's okay, Finn, " she smiled.

"Please, let me make you something," he noted. He let her wait in his room, knowing she feared the awkwardness of his brothers again.

While he ventured to make her food, she explored his room, seeing his books and papers. She could tell he was an avid reader. She was surprised at how historic some of his things looked. Glancing at one of the cabinets, she found books with unlabeled spines.

"Journals," he stated to her.

Elena turned around, finding him carrying in a tray with a grilled cheese, fruit and danish.

"I didn't know what you liked," he remarked. "Elijah helped with the sandwich."

She gave a smile and thanked him, knowing how hard he was trying.

"You were an avid journaler," she noted to him, taking a bite of the food.

"I still am," he remarked. "I find something cathartic about it."

"Me too," she said quietly.

He looked to her waiting to hear more.

She was getting better at reading his expressions. While his face may have looked blank, she could see how inquisitive his eyes were.

"I journal often. My mom gave me my first journal when I was 9," she stated.

"...you can read mine," he said hesitantly, seeing her still peering over at the case. "If you'd like."

She stared at him with surprise. Journaling was often private.

"As I am starting to understand your world, my journals may aid you to see mine," he explained.

"Are you sure?" She wondered. It was a huge amount of trust he was putting in her.

He took a moment before nodding. If this woman was to be his soulmate, he wanted to share his entire self with her, just as she was doing with him. She was a caring and trusting person, and he enjoyed that about her.

They settled down to watch the video together on his laptop when Elena's phone rang.

Pulling it out, she noticed it was Damon, so she ignored it.

About 10 minutes into the film, when her phone rang again, Finn looked to see Damon's name on the screen again.

"Is the Salvatore always such a bother?"

"I'm sorry," she apologized, knowing it was hard to focus with her phone continually lighting up or buzzing.

She pressed ignore again. She didn't want to hear what Damon had to say to her.

Finally, as her phone rang again, she went to pick it up and ream him out when she noticed it was Jeremy.

"It's my brother," she announced, then answering the call. "Jer?"

"Lena," he sighed.

"What's going on?" She asked worriedly, hearing the relief in his voice.

"Look, Damon's out looking for you and he's pissed, okay? Something happened between him and Stefan and he's being a dick. You need to be careful."

"What do you mean?" she asked with furrowed brows. "Are you okay?"

Finn sat and listened to the conversation.

"I'm fine," Jeremy said. He wasn't concerned about himself, but his sister. He had seen how Damon had been acting and heard how she had to defend herself at the Grill. "Just be careful, alright?"

"Yeah," she said worriedly, pulling her phone back from her ear when she saw another call waiting. Damon.

"I'll be home soon, Jer."

She hung up from him and answered the line, bracing herself for the anger to come.

"Finally!" He snapped.

"Damon," she sighed.

"Where are you?" He demanded. "I've been searching everywhere for you."

"Why? What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Yeah, something happened. Now. Where are you?"

"No, Damon," she said sternly, unwilling to give her location. "Tell me what's going on first."

There was silence over the line and some swearing. Before she knew it the door downstairs had been barged open and he was calling her name. "Elena!"

Elena looked to her phone and then Finn, confused how he had known.

Before Finn could stop her, she had gotten up and went down to him. "Damon, what is going on?"

Elijah, Kol and Rebekah also joined, none liking the intruder.

"You're with them? Really?" Damon seethed to her, his eyes glaring. "I thought I told you to stay away from them!"

He had. It had been one of a thousand messages over the days.

"You're not the boss of me, Damon," she said disapprovingly. "Now, what is going on?"

"We're leaving. That's what," he snapped grabbing her upper arm and dragging her away. She fought against him, wincing at his force.

The strong grip on her arm disappeared and she found Damon pinned to the front door by the neck.

"Do not touch her again," Elijah warned darkly to the man.

Kol brought her back behind him.

"Damon," Elena said, trying not to sound shaken. She didn't want things to be going the way they were. She didn't want to see him get hurt.

"You shouldn't be here," he seethed in anger, staring over Elijah's shoulder at her.

"Do you think I like going behind your back?" She asked shakenly, peering around Kol. "I don't. But you and Stefan—"

"—Oh don't even start," he said venomously. "This is all your fault anyhow!"

She was at a loss for words, helplessly bewildered at what was her fault.

"I thought you could have been lying dead somewhere, sucked dry by Stefan! It's not like he gives a crap anymore."

"What?"

"Clearly I care too much," he said, scolding himself. "How ironic is that?"

"What are you talking about, Damon?" She urged.

"Stefan," he bit out. "He came home from school burying his feelings in blood. And we know the only person who could truly get him to feel is you. So, whatever you last said to him has put him into a spiral."

Her face paled and she felt sick.

"T-thats not my fault," she said, trying to believe what she said.

"You know it is," he glared to her. "You know he is a Ripper. You can't have it both ways, Elena. You can't want poor old Stefan back, but then be hurricane Katherine and expect him to be okay when you destroy his life!"

"You have no right to talk to me about Katharine, " she glared. He couldn't even tell them apart.

Elijah pushed Damon back against the door once more when he tried to go for Elena again. "Watch yourself," he warned through gritted teeth. He angered Katharine was now brought into their spat.

"Fine," Damon glowered. Shoving Elijah's hand, he quickly left.

Silence set over the house, Elena staring after where Damon had gone.

"Well, there's the Petrova charm we all know," Rebekah stated in a bored tone.

Pain stabbed her through the heart and tears gathered in her eyes. She was determined not to let them see her cry.

"I should go," she said, quickly brushing past all of them and rushing back to Finn's room to get her things.

"Rebekah," Elijah scolded, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. His patience had grown short.

"Really Rebekah? " Kol snapped. He could tell the words had hurt Elena. "And where is that girl power sense of yours?" He raced off behind Finn to get Elena to stop.

"Elena," Finn called, seeing her with her bag. He blocked her from leaving his room.

"I'm sorry, Finn," she said, clearly uncomfortable and feeling like a burden. "I'm sorry for all of this. I need to go. We can go over your laptop more later, okay?"

She moved past him, needing to get out of the mansion. How did the large house feel much smaller now?

"Darling," Kol called when she pushed past his brother. He followed her down the stairs.

"I really need to go. I'll call you all later," she said, seeing Elijah at the bottom of the staircase waiting for her. She was glad Rebekah was nowhere in sight.

"Let me drive you home," Elijah suggested, thinking she wasn't in the right state of mind to be operating a vehicle.

"I'm fine. Thank you, though," she said, heading for the door.

She left before the men could say another word, her entire being telling her to flee.

---

She rushed to her room when she got home, the tears finally falling down her cheeks. Everything felt so heavy.

A rush of wind went past her and she turned around startled, finding Damon in her room. "Get out, Damon. Haven't you don't enough already?" She asked distraught.

"Me?! I'm not the one hanging with the Mikaelsons, using them like body guards when you don't like someone!"

"I'm not!" She shouted.

"You are and you know it!"

Her bedroom door opened and Jeremy poked his head in, looking between the two. He could hear the yelling and his sister's face clearly looked distraught. "Elena, what's going on in here?"

"Nothing, Jeremy," she said, with a sniffle. She put on her best brave face. "It's okay, just go back to bed."

Damon glared angrily at her. "No, it's not okay, Elena." Letting his anger get the best of him, he sped to Jeremy, pushing him out into the hall and against the wall.

"Damon!" She yelled in fright.

She jumped on Damon's back, trying to get him to release Jeremy as he started to choke him. Damon flung her off, making her hit the wall with such force the pictures near the top of the stairs shook.

"You want to know what it's like to have to shut out all the pain?" Damon seethed to her. "The part of you that cares just goes away? All you have to do is flip the switch and... snap!"

Jeremy fell to the floor, his neck broken.

"Jeremy!"

Elena scurried to his body, sobbing in tears.

The front door went bursting open and Damon quickly vanished.

"No!" She cried, shaking her brother's body and then frantically trying to gather him in her arms.

Her breathing was labored, tears falling rapidly from her eyes. He couldn't be dead. He couldn't be.

"Elena!" Elijah called worriedly, rushing over first and kneeling down beside her. He looked her over for injuries and saw Jeremy Gilbert dead on the ground.

Damon had done this. He could smell the scent of the Salvatore.

"Find him," Elijah snapped, looking up to Kol, knowing he was the best tracker. Kol quickly rushed off in determination.

Elena clutched Jeremy in horror, disbelieved at what happened. Her little brother was not dead.

Holding onto him, she finally noticed John's magical ring on his finger. He wasn't permanently dead.

She let out a tearful breath of disbelief.

"You're going to be okay, Jer," she assured his unconscious form. She sniffled and looked to Elijah and Finn who were kneeling down beside her.

"He had his ring on," she told them. "He'll be okay. He'll come back to me."

Both men were confused, watching her rock him back and forth.

"What happened, Elena?" Elijah asked in a gentle tone, as they waited for the Gilbert to wake.

"Damon," she croaked. "He came in my room and we started arguing," she said.

Finn brought her over a pillow for Jeremy's and helped him settle. She looked at her brother.

"Jeremy came in. We must have been yelling. And he got so mad..."

Elijah's brows furrowed. The 'he' she was referring to must have been Damon again.

"He grabbed Jeremy and started to choke him. I tried to get him to let go," she said, her voice cracking. "He told me he'd show me how it felt to want to shut out all of the pain. It's like a switch."

Both Mikaelson brothers looked to one another, knowing how dangerous turning off your humanity was. It wasn't truly possible.

She held her brother's hand. "And then he snapped Jeremy's neck."

There was a rush of wind and she jumped, shielding Jeremy.

"It's alright, it's just Kol," Finn assured her with a hand to her shoulder, trying to calm her.

Elena's teary eyes met Kol's figure and she sat back down beside Jeremy, taking his hand in hers.

"He ran off," Kol stated to his brother with anger. "I dont know where. He's not at any of his usual spots." He stared at a distraught Elena. He wasn't sure what everyone was doing waiting around the little Gilbert's body.

"Apparently, he'll wake up," Elijah murmured, seeing his brothers confused face.

"How?" Kol murmured quietly.

"The Gilbert ring," Elena answered, able to hear them. She brushed some hair from her brother's face. "If you die a supernatural death, you'll come back to life."

Their brows furrowed.

"So, why aren't you wearing that gaudy thing, then?" Kol asked.

"I'm a doppelganger," she sniffled. "I'm supernatural. it won't work on me."

Silence fell among all of them, only Elena's sniffles filling the room.

"I'm staying here tonight," he murmured to his brothers as they waited with Elena. Damon Salvatore could no longer be trusted.

"We all are," Finn said, knowing Elijah wouldn't want to leave either.

While none of the brothers had acknowledged to one another about falling in love with the same girl, it was clear they had developed a bond to her already. She was their soulmate.

They waited for over 20 minutes for Jeremy to wake up and each minute passing made the Mikaelsons more skeptical the boy would rouse. Neither of the three men had the heart to bring up the possibility to her that he could be dead.

Elena shifted on the floor of the hall, giving a small hiss of pain.

"Elena?" they all said worriedly.

"I'm fine," she said stuffily.

"What hurts?" Finn asked, going over to her and being gentle. He kneeled down and tried to assess her better.

She was quiet.

"We can't help you if you don't let us, Darling," Kol chimed.

Giving another wince when she moved, she let go of Jeremy's hand and moved her hair to the side, pointing to a certain area of her back.

Finn hesitated on touching her so intimately, and Kol rolled his eyes, getting up and going over, gently pulling at her shirt. He was lucky that it was stretchy.

There was a large bruise forming on either of her shoulder blades.

Everyone tensed.

"What is it?" she asked, finding them overly quiet.

"Bruises," Elijah answered, his jaw clenched.

Kol clamped down his rage, adjusting her shirt back in its place.

She put her hand in Kol's, seeing him upset.

There was a large gasp for air and Jeremy shot up from the floor. All three Mikaelson's stood while she cradled her brother's head in her arms.

"It's okay, you're okay!" she gulped, trying to calm him down. He returned to her.

"He killed me! Damon killed me!" Jeremy exclaimed to the room.

Embracing him tighter, Elena rocked and shushed her brother, smiling tearily that he was with her. "It's okay. Oh God." She kissed his head while he held onto her, still trying to wrap his head around what happened.

When Jeremy was less startled, able to gather his bearings the Mikaelsons did their best to help each of them.

Getting Jeremy settled was her main priority.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" she asked, trying to respect his wish to be alone in his room.

"Yeah," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I'll be okay. Are you?"

She gave a nod, tears filling her eyes again. "I'm so sorry, Jeremy."

"Hey," he said, his face serious. "This was not your fault."

Keeping quiet, she stared at her brother, pain in her heart.

"Can I ask you something though?" he questioned. She nodded.

"What are the Mikaelsons doing her? Elijah, I mean, I guess I kind of get. But Kol and Finn?"

"It's…complicated," she told him. "But we're safe, don't worry, okay? Damon's not coming back anytime soon."

"You have to be careful, Elena," Jeremy said strongly. "He did this to hurt you."

She was quiet, swallowing hard. "I know," she said with furrowed bros. She did know. She was positive Damon hadn't seen the ring on Jeremy when he snapped his neck.

"I love you Jer."

"Love you too, 'Lena. Get some sleep."

She gently shut his bedroom door and let out a breath. Finn was fixing the front door, Elijah in the kitchen. Kol sat outside of the hall waiting for her.

"Why don't you go change into something more comfortable and we'll be downstairs for you?"

She nodded, going to her room while he watched her go.

It didn't take her long to change, though it had been difficult with the bruises on her back. It had hurt to move her shoulders.

Going downstairs in yoga pants and tank, she had tied her hair up and wiped most of the makeup off her face.

"Thank you guys for being here," she said quietly, graciously taking the tea from Elijah.

"Of course," he remarked, studying every expression to cross her face.

"Here," Kol said, handing her some pain reliever he found while rifling through the cupboards.

She grabbed herself some water, feeling their stares analyze the bruises on her back. They were much more visible with a sleeveless shirt.

"They don't hurt as bad as they look," she told them, turning back around and leaning against the counter.

The men were quiet.

"I just wanted things to be okay again," she said, thinking about Stefan. "I didn't think—"

She paused.

"You couldn't have known Damon would have done something like this," Finn stated.

"I hate him," Elena confessed, her voice breaking. It hurt her heart to admit. "He's decided what he wants. He can't bother to listen or admit he's wrong."

She frowned into her mug in her hands. She thought back to the times Damon was open and raw with her. She felt so angry at him. "He wants to be hated, it's just easier that way. He got his wish."

Setting down her mug on the island with a sigh, she ran her hand over the wisps of her hair fallen from the messy bun. "He almost killed my brother," she told them. "Besides Ric, Jeremy is all I have left."

Her throat became tight, thick with unshed tears and Elijah stared at her, having recalled her almost losing Alaric Saltzman. "They're all I have," she stated again, her voice cracking.

Elijah went over to her, his hand extended to her. "Come. Let's get you to bed."

Guiding her upstairs, he helped her to settle in her room where she finally broke down and he held her.

"Shh, shh," he said, running his hand over her silky hair.

Elijah eventually got her into bed, where she passed out into sleep almost immediately. It had been an exhausting day for her.

"I'm going to kill him," Kol said to his brothers. He couldn't stand these games.

"That would not be helpful to Elena at the moment," Elijah remarked, coming down the stairs quietly. He knew how she cared about Damon and Stefan. What she had said was out of anger. He knew what that felt like.

"We need to find him," Finn spoke, oddly agreeing with Kol. "He's too much of a threat to her life."

"I agree," Elijah said. "But we need to tread carefully about this."

Kol bit back a holler of anger, not wanting to wake a sleeping Elena.

"Go excuse yourself, Kol," Elijah said, noting the pent-up range. "Now."

Kol ran from the house and it was only Finn and Elijah left.

"He's put his hands on her, brother," Finn remarked.

"Yes," Elijah said acidly. He didn't like the fact any more than him. "And that will not happen again."

No, it would not.

---

Elena awoke, laying in her bed for over a half hour lost in thought.

"Fake sleeping is only going to get you so far," Kol announced from the doorway of her bedroom.

Rolling over, she looked at him, seeing his charming smile staring back at her.

"You're still here?" she wondered.

"We never left," he remarked, going and sitting on the bed with her.

She sat up, giving a small wince. He quickly ran and got her some pills and water, handing them to her. "I'd off my blood but—"

"—No, no vampire blood," she said adamantly, swallowing down the pain relievers.

He figured.

"Your phone has been ringing almost non-stop," he remarked, pulling it out from his pocket. There were multiple missed calls.

She took the device from him, seeing a bunch of missed messages from Bonnie, Caroline and even Alaric. She had missed third period history and he was worried.

"Ugh," she sighed, tossing her phone away. Laying back in bed, she pulled the blanket up over her head.

"Jeremy left for school on time," Finn remarked from the bedroom doorway, staring at the pair. He glared to his brother for not being more than gentle with Elena. They had all agreed to give her a slow morning. "He told us to let you sleep."

She laid under the blankets until Kol finally pulled them off her, revealing her. "Meany," she pouted.

"I've been called worse," he said teasingly.

She stared at him, her eyes narrowing. "I'm not sure if I want to know."

"You don't," Elijah remarked, having joined his brothers at the entrance of her room.

She looked at the three of them. "You guys should go home. I'm sure you've all got better things to do than babysit me. I'm fine. I should get to school anyway," she sighed.

"You know, I've never really babysat anyone until now," Kol remarked.

Elena stared at him blankly, deciding how to take that comment, while the two brothers glared at him.

Grabbing her pillow from beside her, she took it and gave him a whack, a smile growing on her face at his appalled reaction.

"You're lucky you're injured, otherwise I would retaliate," Kol said teasingly.

"No, you wouldn't," Finn stated, his arms crossed over his chest. There was no way he'd let his brother hit the girl, even with a pillow.

Kol rolled his eyes. "And everyone calls Elijah the stick in the mud."

Elijah glared and Elena gave a small laugh, shoving Kol lightly. "Here, take this and go entertain yourself elsewhere," she said, reaching with a wince over to her nightstand. She grabbed his music player and set it in his hand.

"Finally. I thought I'd never see this again," he teased again with a dramatic sigh.

"You gave it to me, jerk," she said with another smile and laugh. He smirked and got up from the bed.

"Go," she commanded all three of them, finding herself in a better mood. Watching them depart from her room, she changed and got ready for school.

Both Finn and Elijah noticed her wearing a familiar crystal around her neck when she came downstairs. They gathered it was Kol's since they both had theirs—Elijah's in his pocket and Finn's around his neck.

Trying not to look displeased, Elijah handed her some breakfast while Finn gave her coffee.

"It's not my usual, but I did figure out how to work the machine properly," he said.

She gave a small laugh and thanked him, along with Elijah for the full breakfast. "There's some blood bags in the fridge if any of you want one. We usually keep some around for Damon and Stefan."

She faltered when talking about either Salvatores. Kol plucked her keys from her bag. "Hey!"

"I'm driving," he said with a smirk. She rolled her eyes, reaching over and grabbed her keys back. "I can drive myself."

The men all walked out with her when she was done with breakfast and went to get to school. They were hesitant to part from her.

"I'll see you guys later, okay?"

They watched her go, waiting until she drove off.

"We are so whipped," Kol muttered.

"And yet, somehow, I am fine with it," Elijah stated.

"As am I," Finn stated. They departed their separate ways from there, not saying much other than that.

---

"Where were you?" Caroline asked worriedly, seeing her friend at her locker after class.

Noticing Bonnie walk over to meet them, the three went to lunch together and talked about what happened.

"Have you talk to Damon since he killed Jeremy?" Bonnie asked.

"No, I haven't and I won't. I just…I can't."

The two girls nodded and moved onto different topics to discuss.

"What are we doing about college applications?" Bonnie asked her friends, looking to the two. "Aren't we all applying together?"

They had once upon a time talked about all rooming together.

"Of course," Caroline said passionately.

Elena groaned. "I haven't submitted mine yet."

"Elena!" Caroline scolded.

"I haven't either," Bonnie said reluctantly. The blonde turned to both of her friends; an admonishing look on her face. "They're do in a few weeks, you guys! You have to get them in!"

"We know," Bonnie said, speaking up for her and Elena. "And we will. They're just so…. boring."

"And long," Elena complained.

Caroline rolled her eyes, shutting her locker. "Get them in by the weekend. I mean it."

The girls each said goodbye to one another, venturing to their own classes.

"Elena!" Alaric called in the hall.

She worked through the crowd of students, ignoring the bell when it rang. "Are you alright?" He asked hushly, looking her over when she approached. "Jeremy told me what happened."

"I'm fine," she sighed. "Just…watch out for Damon."

"I'll come by tonight. I know I've been sleeping over at Meredith's a lot and—"

"Don't. We're fine, Ric. Really."

Alaric hesitated. "You know, Jeremy mentioned three Mikaelsons staying over?"

She tensed. "It's complicated and I really don't want to talk about that here," she said hushly.

He looked around and gave a small nod to her. "Fine. But we're discussing this later."

He guided her to his empty classroom, writing her a pass to her next class. "I'll see you tonight."

Rolling her eyes, she took the pass and walked through the empty hall, wanting the day to be over with.

---

"How is dear brother Finn getting more time with Elena than both of us combined?" Kol complained to Elijah, barging into his office one evening.

"Hello to you too, Kol," Elijah remarked, writing something down on paper.

Kol listened to Finn and Elena talk and laugh. He was bothered by such reactions.

"She's been helping him with his laptop," Elijah remarked, his eyes on some papers in front of him. "In return, he's been helping her with her college applications."

Elijah had been listening the entire time, enjoyed hearing the sound of her voice. It oddly soothed him.

"Oh wonderful," Kol said sarcastically. "Knight and shining armor, Finn."

He sat in the chair and griped.

"If you're jealous, maybe do something about it," Elijah remarked.

He paused then, wondering why he wasn't taking his own words. The sound of Elena's laughter also bothered him—not that he didn't like hearing it, but because it wasn't because of him.

"You know what, maybe I will," Kol remarked, getting up and leaving the room.

Elijah set down his pen and gave a sigh. He had invertedly pushed his own brother towards his own love interest.

"That was very big of you, Elijah," Esther noted, coming into the room, having overheard them.

"What can I do for you, mother?" he asked somewhat coolly. He had been guarded around her ever since the night of the ball.

"We haven't talked since I'm sure Elena told you…"

"Yes, hearing my supposed soulmate tell me she was destined for my brothers, as well as myself, was quite thrilling," he remarked sarcastically, getting up from his desk and buttoning his suit jacket.

Esther gave a pause, knowing to expect some sass from her son.

"And yet, you are all handling this quite well."

She had observed her children with Elena around. They were all cordial and kept peace with one another, even when in the same room. She expected quite the opposite.

Elijah stayed quiet, not finding his mother's statement to be a question. Moving to the edge of his desk, he pulled at his dress pants and sat on the edge of his desk. "You told her of Tatia."

His mother hesitated. "I did."

"Why?" He demanded.

"Elena is a doppelganger," she answered. "She needed to know of those before her. It is her ancestry, Elijah. She deserved to know the story."

"Of how you killed her?" He said with cold eyes.

"Of how you came to be," she corrected.

She stared at her son, quiet setting over them.

"Elijah?" Elena's voice questioned in the hall.

Elijah sat up straighter, deciding then to stand up.

Elena poked her head in the room, unsure if it were the correct area. Brightening at the sight of him, her eyes became troubled when she noticed Esther. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'll come back," she said awkwardly.

"No, no. Come in, Elena," Esther beckoned. "I was just on my way."

Elena hesitated, stepping into the room and watching the witch. She paused, debating whether to ask her to speak later and talk about certain things, but thought better of it and let Esther go.

"Did you need something, Elena?" Elijah wondered kindly.

Elena looked distractedly at the door where Esther had departed. "Uh..."

She looked to him; his eyes amused.

"Finn and I were going to go grab some ice cream. Did you want to go with us? Or I can pick you up something," she said, seeing his work on his desk.

"I'm alright, thank you," he said, unbuttoning his jacket and going to sit back down.

She gave him a puzzled look, finding him disturbed. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he said, giving his eyes a rub. His mother was still up to something. He could feel it.

"You're lying," she called out, going to sit across from him in a chair.

He gave her a small smile and peered at her. "How are college applications going?"

A small blush appeared on her cheeks. She had forgotten they could all hear her.

"They're okay," she said, running her fingers over the leather fabric of the seat. "Long and tedious, but somewhat near complete."

"Good," he remarked.

They stared at one another until finally she broke from their trance. "Uh, I should get going. Finn's probably waiting and Klaus should be home soon," she remarked.

Elijah looked at her interestedly, hearing Niklaus's name. "Elena, no harm will come to you by my brother."

She tensed and paused in the doorway. She was unsure how to respond to him, unable to fully believe such a thing.

"Night, Elijah," she said, going and shutting his door behind her.

He stared at where she last stood, his brows furrowed. He didn't understand the last part of their interaction.

With a sigh, he went back to work and tried not to let his thoughts wander to her and him.

---

It was a few days later when Elena grabbed her keys and opened the door to go meet Kol. She stopped dead in her tracks at the visitor on her porch.

"Damon? ... what are you doing here?"

"Damon?" Alaric asked, having heard Elena say his name. Walking out from the kitchen, there stood Damon Salvatore, black leather jacket and all, at their front door.

Alaric peered from the raven-haired man to Elena, unsure of how to proceed.

"I like this," Damon said with a smirky expression to both of them. "You both walking on eggs shells around me because you think I'm gonna explode. Very suspenseful. Is Jeremy worried too? I bet I'm your every conversation."

"Damon," Alaric warned, seeing Elena tense.

"Why are you here?" She asked with a bite in her tone.

"I came to apologize, you know, get the awkwardness out of the way and all. Clearly, I got a bit angry, but all worked out okay," he said, sarcastic and nonchalant as he could be. He heard from Stefan the young Gilbert had lived.

"Stay away from us, Damon," Elena said strongly, going to shut the door on him.

He stopped her, his hand catching the door. "Not a nice way to take an apology," he glowered dangerously.

"And not how you treat a friend," Alaric reminded Damon, knowing Elena would need time. He stepped forward, protecting his daughter and gave Damon a look. "Go."

Damon's jaw clenched and he debated challenging Ric for a moment. Finally, he let go of the door. He'd only make things worse if he proceeded.

Giving one last glance to Elena, Damon let the door shut on his face. He turned to leave from the residence when he sighed, seeing the figure on the bottom of the steps. "Great. You," he complained, seeing Kol.

Kol gave a scary smile, quickly going and punching Damon hard across the face. He then grabbed him by the collar of the jacket and tossed him down the porch stairs. He gave him a good kick to the ribs and lifted him up, breaking the man's back over his knee.

The front door swung open and Elena rushed out. "Stop! Kol! Stop!"

Kol continued on, beating on Damon for all the things he had done. "You should have stayed away!" He spat to the Salvatore.

"Kol!" Elena cried out. She went and caught his arm, setting her hand over his raised fist.

He looked to her with rage in his eyes, just barely registering who was attempting to hold him back.

"Please, stop," she pleaded.

Kol dropped his fist, looking to the beaten and groaning Salvatore on the front lawn.

"Go near Elena again and I'll kill you," he threatened.

He guided her back inside the house, their plans of going out now forgotten.

"Are you alright?" Kol asked, cupping her face gently and then looking her all over.

"Fine," she sniffled, wiping her tears.

He went and hugged her, then noting the guardian in the front room.

"Why don't you guys stay in for the night? We can order pizza or something," Ric proposed. He had been informed of the complicated love situation that Elena's life was now in. He was still trying to wrap his head around it, but seeing an Original so oddly gentle with her helped to ease his worries.

"Come on, Darling," Kol said, helping her discard her jacket and go sit down.

The two had a low-key evening, eating pizza and watching movies. They even played video games with Jeremy.

Kol carried Elena up to bed when she fell asleep on the couch, Alaric coming over to check on them.

"You're not staying," he told Kol as the Original Vampire tucked the covers around Elena's sleeping form.

"Tell her to call me when she wakes," he said gently, shutting off her bed lamp for her and disappearing from sight.

"Vampires," Ric sighed, shutting Elena's door and shaking his head.

---

It was storming the night Elena went donating blood to Klaus.

"Ah, right on time," he remarked, letting her inside. He took her upstairs to an unfamiliar space, where a compelled nurse was waiting with a blood kit in hand.

Taking off her jacket and bag, she rolled up her sleeve and sat down.

"Isn't this wonderful?" Klaus asked with a smirk, seeing how cooperative she was being.

"Since you were late, we'll be taking extra," he stated smoothly. The nurse nodded and went to get the extra supplies.

"Klaus, the rain was horrible. I got here as soon as I could."

"Which was 20 extra minutes of my time," he said with a bite.

She bit back a retort, sitting and waiting.

Klaus went over to the bar cart in his room, mixing up a cocktail for her.

"Here, drink," he said, bringing her over an odd-looking cup of tea.

"What is it?" She asked, unsure if she could trust him.

"Drink," he commanded in a stronger tone.

Having no choice, Elena swallowed the cup of liquid, wincing at its overly floral taste.

"Good girl," he stated, taking the cup back and going to set it down.

Elena watched the nurse come back in the room, another empty blood bag in hand. There were two in her hands?

"Klaus?" Elena asked.

Her head began to swim and her stomach turned.

"Easy, love," Klaus said with a satisfied smirk. "Go on and take a nap. We'll be done before you know it."

Before Elena could even try to make a run for it, her body got heavy and her eyes dropped closed, everything going black.

When she woke her head was pounding and she found herself strapped upright to the chair. With a groan at her pounding head, she felt woozy and weak.

A silver case was open on the table near her. He had already filled 4 blood bags. With a small whimper, she rolled her neck around, her head falling to look at her arm. He was still filling more.

He was going to kill her.

Fighting against the restraints, she used what energy she could to try to break free.

"I wouldn't do that," the nurse advised walking towards her.

"Please," Elena whimpered groggily. "Let me go."

"One more," the nurse said, checking the 5th bag that was filling. She left once more, leaving Elena alone again.

Elena sat in the chair, her blood draining down the tube and into the bag. She needed to get out. She had to get away. Struggling once more, the wood legs of the chair scrapped the floor.

She found it no use; her body overly exhausted.

"Niklaus, what is that noise?" Elijah's voice asked, coming from the hallway.

"Nothing dear brother. Just having a bit of fun," Niklaus said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

Elena gave a whimper, her brain too foggy to make words or cry for help. She fought against the hold of the chair again.

"Niklaus, whatever you are—"

Elijah froze in his place upon opening the door. The air had been sucked from his lungs. Elena sat tied to a chair in the middle of his brother's office with a needle in her arm and blood bag dangling.

"What have you done?!" He roared to Klaus. He sped to Elena, disconnecting the tubing and needle and snapping her free of the restraints.

"Elijah," Klaus warned. She wasn't done filling the bag.

"You could have killed her Niklaus!" Elijah raged, seeing how much blood he had been taken. "How long has she been here?! Have you gone completely mad?!"

He couldn't think of what would have happened if he had not caught his brother.

He scooped Elena into his arm, holding onto her close.

"Elijah," she groaned.

"I'm here, Elena," he said with concern before turning back to his brother.

"Put my doppelganger down...NOW!" Klaus barked, losing his temper.

"You take me as a fool?" Elijah challenged.

Before Klaus could attack them, Elijah sat Elena gently back into the chair with his super speed and then pinned his brother by the neck to the wall.

"She is my mate and you dare harm her for your own greed?! You have just tried to kill her Niklaus! Not only have you done that, but you've now got Kol and Finn to deal with as well! You have made a fool of our mother! Of our entire family! We have sworn no harm to come to Elena and her family!"

"...your what?" He asked his brother in a deadly tone.

Elijah faltered, but only for a second. "Not only mine," he said with his jaw clenched. He let his brother go. "Kol and Finn's crystals turned upon meeting Elena as well. We are all linked to her. She is a part of this family. Any grievance you have against her, you now have against us as well."

Klaus looked murderous and then looked to Elena who was fighting to stay conscious. How was it possible his brothers were all tied to her?

"It was of no ones control," Elijah remarked, seeing the vengeance in Klaus's eyes. "Do not ever touch her again, Niklaus."

Elijah backed away from his brother, though keeping a cautious eye on him. He knew he couldn't trust a word Niklaus would speak.

Scooping Elena back up in his arms, he carried her away from the room and took her to his bedroom, where he laid her down and got her a compress.

"Elena," he said worriedly, seeing her having trouble staying conscious.

She gave a groan and he stared at her worriedly.

"Elijah, " she whimpered in fear.

"I'm here," he said soothingly while pressing the compress to her clammy skin. "Shh. Shh."

She stared at him in fear and guilt. "I didn't mean for it to get this far."

He looked at her bewildered, unsure of what she was referring to. "What, Elena?"

She passed out before more could be said and he sat fretful staring at her pale figure. Her heart was still beating, though abnormally slow, and her breathing was also shallow.

Removing her shoes and tucking her into his bed, he stayed with her, watching over her until her body could replenish from the damage his hybrid brother had done.

---

When Elena woke again it was still raining. The storm had become worse, the sky now filled with flashes of lightening.

"Elena?" Elijah asked, going over and sitting by her.

Giving a groan, she finally realized she wasn't at home. And this wasn't her bed. Glancing over to Elijah beside her and registering his concerned face, everything came flooding back to her.

"It's alright, you're safe" he assured her, seeing the panic in her eyes.

He helped her sit up and lay against his headboard.

She let out a breath, seeing different surroundings that she guessed was his room.

Elijah rung out a cloth and patted it against her skin. She was still incredibly pale.

She laid her head against his hand, closing her eyes briefly, happy to feel the cool cloth on her skin and the comfort of his touch.

"You need blood, Elena," he said worriedly. "Let me heal you."

"No," she whispered, her eyes snapping open and looking to him fearful. She didn't vampire blood in her system.

He hesitated, debating whether to press the matter more.

"Please, can we just see how I feel? Please, Elijah?"

Giving into her, he made her lay back down in bed and tucked her in.

"Stay," she begged, a panic look in her eyes.

"I'm not leaving, Elena," he assured her. Setting down the cloth by the bowl of water, he grabbed a book and started a fire in his fireplace. Shedding his suitcoat and yanking at his tie, he slipped off his dress shoes before crawling into bed with her, settling beside her.

She curled up beside him, still fearful Klaus would barge in and take her away. She had almost died and no one would have known.

Elijah stared down at her, seeing her petite figure swallowed in his blankets and large bed.

Pressing her closer to him and reassuring her she was safe; he began reading aloud to try and calm her. He had chosen a book he thought she might enjoy.

It wasn't long before the tensions eased from her muscles, and Elijah glanced down to see her more relaxed, he continued aloud for a handful of minutes, studying her when she was asleep.

His mind was haunted at the alternatives of not having saved her in time. If he hadn't questioned Niklaus or had gone to make sure his brother was not causing trouble, his soulmate would have been dead. At the hands of his brother no less.

Elijah tried to be forgiving and logical, to reason with himself that Niklaus hadn't know about his crystal or his brothers. But he had still caused intentional harm to Elena, knowing there was a vow made by him to keep her safe. He had strapped her down and kept her to a chair.

He wondered what she had been doing here alone with Klaus anyway. Usually, she'd stay clear of the mansion if he were home. Why would she enter alone? Did this have to do with what she had said before passing out? What had she not meant to get so far?

His thoughts were broken at the sound of her slow heartbeat. It still was not right. Her body was not doing well.

He wondered whether to wake her up and give her blood. She was too tiny. Too thin. Niklaus had taken too much from her.

Brushing some hair from her face, he continued to keep a listen on her heartbeat until he too, drifted to sleep.

A loud rumble of thunder had woken her with a start. Elijah put a gentle hand on her, assuring her it was alright. The fire in his fireplace had gone out and the midnight sky was dark besides for the flashes of lightning bolts.

"You're safe," he assured her, laying her back down against him.

"Thank you for staying," she whispered.

He never minded.

"Elena, what happened? What were you doing with Niklaus? Why were you here alone?"

She hesitated, unsure of answering these questions. Craning her head up to look at him, he stared at her with concerned eyes. Brushing some hair from her face, he looked at her troubled.

"You need blood Elena. You'll feel better if you do."

She hesitated.

"Please," he requested. She was still weak and her pulse was thready.

With a sigh, she saw the desperation on his face and gave in.

He helped her sit up before he undid the button of his dress sleeve and rolled it up. Keeping eye contact with her, he let his features change and bit into his wrist, putting it to her mouth and making her drink.

She gave a few whimpers, not taking much. He encouraged her further, holding it against her soft lips until finally letting go when her color returned to her face.

She gave him a frightened look and he assured her kindly. "You're alright."

He gently wiped a drop of his blood from her bottom lip with his thumb and stared at her. She was mesmerizing to him.

Leaning in, his lips found hers and locked together.

Their bodies seemed to melt with one another, each slowly and cautiously pulling the other closer.

His hand weaved to the back of her neck while hers on his chest and slid up to his shoulder.

It felt perfect. It was peace.

They broke apart a few moments later, the loud rumblings of thunder parting them. Neither questioned their kiss or how it felt to finally let their feelings overtake them. It was what they both needed.

He laid her back down against his chest, stroking his fingers through her hair and making sure she took it easy.

"Tell me what's going on, Elena," he requested. He was missing something, that much he gathered.

"I had an arrangement with Klaus," she said softly. "For my blood."

Elijah tensed, pausing his actions momentarily before continuing. He stayed quiet, letting her explain.

"It was a while ago, before you came back. As long as I'd cooperate and give him blood donations every month, he wouldn't go after my loved ones."

Elijah looked down at her, pulling her back so he could see her face. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"There wasn't much to say, and I thought I had it handled," she said with honesty. "No one knows, not even Damon or Stefan. Things were so messed up and only getting worse. I didn't want Klaus going after Jeremy or trying to use Bonnie. I had to do something, Elijah."

He took in a breath and tried to understand.

"I needed to protect them," she whispered, her voice thick with tears.

And that he could relate to. It was a sacrifice he'd make for his own family without much question.

Setting his lips to her hair, he gave her a light kiss and inhaled deeply, her scent calming him. What mattered how was that she was safe. He'd deal with Niklaus later. Right now, she needed him.

"Sleep," he commanded softly. "You need rest."

"I need to get back home," she corrected, looking up at him and then slowly sitting up. "Jeremy and Alaric—"

"—I'll inform them you'll be staying here tonight."

She hesitated and he brushed some hair behind her ear.

"Stay," he requested.

She faltered. Part of her wanted to, but she also worried. "I don't want to leave Jeremy," she admitted. It was still scary for her to think how she almost lost him.

With a small sigh, he helped her gather her things and leave for home.

He grabbed her keys from her, unwilling to let her drive and she gave a warm smile to him, silently letting him drive her.

She was startled when she walked out the door and found her car wrecked. The windshield had been smashed and the body full of dents. The roof was sunk in like something fell on it and it ruined beyond being able to be driven.

Elijah quickly looked around and pulled her behind him. Someone had done this.

"Get back inside," he commanded.

She took step backwards, doing as she was told. Her car was in shambles.

She ran a hand through her hair, fear creeping in her bones. Who would have done such a thing? Klaus? was this retribution?

Elijah went and shut the door behind him, his face pensive.

Thunder rumbled and Elena clutched herself.

"Elena," Elijah said carefully, seeing her shaken. He took her by the arms, turning her to face him.

A rush of wind went by her and a hand went on her shoulder. She jumped and fell back into Elijah.

"Jumpy?" Kol asked curiously. Reading her petrified face, he put his hands up, meaning no harm. He looked to his brother for answers.

"What is it?"

Feeling woozy, she tugged on Elijah's arm and felt the room spin.

"Easy, Elena," he said worriedly, guiding her over to the stairs.

"What's going on?" Kol demanded, seeing things weren't alright.

Elijah ignored his brother, helping Elena to settle. "Deep breaths," he said, feeling her skin get clammy again. He pulled her bag off from her shoulder and commanded Kol to get a cool rag.

Gathering her hair to one side, he took the cloth from Kol and pressed it to the back of her neck.

"Elijah," Kol snapped, his worry skyrocketing. Elena had gone pale white, her body shaking slightly.

The front door opened again and their heads snapped up to see Finn entering the house, shaking the rain from his coat.

Noticing the two with Elena, he went to her, kneeling in front of her. He cupped her face, feeling her warm.

"My car," she croaked, her hand to her forehead. The room wouldn't stop spinning.

Both brothers looked to Elijah.

"Someone has destroyed Elena's car," he remarked, flipping the rag over to keep her cool.

"That's Elena's in the driveway?" Kol asked surprised. He had figured it was Niklaus and one of his tantrums on some compelled stranger's car.

"Why is she ill?" Finn demanded.

Elijah hesitated. "Niklaus."

"What?" Finn snapped.

Kol's face turned into rage and he had difficulties not racing to go tear his brother to pieces.

"It's been handled," Elijah tersely assured them. "Deep breaths," he reminded Elena.

She did as she was told, unable to focus on much more.

"What did he do, Elijah?" Finn asked, trying to keep the anger from his tone.

Elijah hesitated, unsure if she wanted them to know about her deal.

"We'll speak of it later, Finn," he said. He turned his attention back to Elena. "You'll be staying the night. I'll call Alaric and Jeremy for you and let them know. It's not safe, Elena."

"I'm okay," she said, starting to feel more like herself. Elijah's blood had healed her, it was just taking time to have its full effects.

"You're staying," Kol commanded in a stronger tone.

Elena let out a sigh, running her hand over her face. "It was probably Damon."

"Damon?" Finn asked puzzled.

Kol's hands clenched into fists and Elena grabbed a hold of him before he could go anywhere.

"Why, Damon, Elena?" Elijah asked. He hadn't been aware Damon was back to town yet.

"He stopped by the house a few days ago when I was supposed to meet Kol. Kol came and beat him up pretty good."

"Not nearly enough," Kol muttered.

"When was this?" Elijah demanded from the two of them. He was angry his brother hadn't told him that Damon was back in the area.

"Few days ago," she said again. "It's fine."

"Is that why you wanted to go home so badly to Jeremy?" Elijah asked, seeing it made more sense.

She gave a hesitant nod as she looked to him.

"Why would he ruin your vehicle?" Finn asked, looking to her and his brothers.

She shrugged. "The only reason I can think would be that he doesn't like me being here. He doesn't want me associating with you guys."

Quiet set among them.

"I don't want to stay," she told Elijah. She looked to Finn and Kol, as well. "Could someone please take me home?"

"No," Finn said. "You're safest here."

"I can't believe I'm about to agree with my brother," Kol stated.

Elena groaned.

Finn took her hand not in Kol's. "Up you go," he said, helping her stand. They all stood and she looked to them unsure.

"Come," Finn said, going to help her go get settled.

Elijah and Kol watched after her, waiting until she was out of sight to talk about matters. "I want to know everything," Kol demanded.

Elijah sighed. It was going to be a long night.

---

"What do you mean you 'stayed at their house'?" Bonnie asked Elena skeptically when her and Caroline came over for a sleepover the next day.

"I stayed in a guest room," Elena said uncomfortably, going and getting a bag of popcorn from the microwave.

"Not in one of their rooms?" Caroline asked, lightly teasing.

Elena threw a piece of popcorn at her and shook the rest into a large bowl. "No. Elijah and Finn hovered, and Kol stayed until I fell asleep, but all of us slept in our own beds."

"Have you figured out your feelings for them?" Bonnie asked curiously.

"Not exactly," she sighed. She hesitated to tell her friends about her kiss with Elijah. And she surely didn't tell them about what had happened with Klaus at his mansion. But she also wanted to be open with her friends. "But Elijah and I kissed," she admitted.

"What?!" they exclaimed, looking from one another to her.

"How was it?" Bonnie asked curiously.

"Good," Elena blushed. "Very good." She liked kissing him.

"I don't know why you don't date all three," Caroline shrugged, as they moved to the living room.

"All three?" Elena asked.

She shrugged. "People do open relationships."

Elena tried not to make a face and Bonnie could see her hesitance.

"It's weird, but dating is just well…dating. Maybe it'd help you figure it out more on who you want to settle with."

"Yeah, maybe Finn might not be a good kisser," Caroline chimed.

The girls laughed and Elena threw a couch pillow at her, making them all smile.

"I just don't want them to feel like they're in competition with one another," she said, her smile fading.

"And that's on them," Bonnie assured her. Caroline nodded.

"Well, what about you and Klaus?" Elena asked, changing the topic to Caroline. "How are things there?"

Caroline sighed. They tended to play hot and cold games, but often times she got to see a whole other side to him. "Is it bad I like getting to know him?"

"No," both Bonnie and Elena said reluctantly, trying to be supportive.

"I don't know," Caroline huffed.

The ring of the doorbell interrupted them and Elena looked to the direction of the door with interest. Getting up and going to answer it, she opened the door to find no one there.

Confused, she noticed a long white skinny box on the doorstep.

Picking it up, she brought it inside where Caroline and Bonnie were waiting. "What's that?" Bonnie asked curiously.

"No idea," she said, going and taking it to the kitchen. Opening the box was over two dozen red roses.

"Woah," Caroline said. "Looks like one of the Mikaelsons are seriously stepping up their game."

Elena looked at the flowers with surprise.

"Look, there's a card," Bonnie said, pulling out the tiny white envelope from the side of the box. Handing it to Elena, they gathered around her.

You got away from me. You won't next time.

Elena sucked in a sharp breath and looked at the flowers again.

"Okay, this is extreme, even for Damon," Bonnie stated, looking to her friends.

Caroline was hesitant, but stared at the note again. "I don't think this is Damon."

They all went their separate ways in the house to make calls, but didn't stray far from one another. Caroline called Alaric and the Salvatores while Bonnie tried to reach Jeremy. Elena had to update the Mikaelsons.

"Elena?" Finn asked, picking up on the third ring.

"Hey, sorry to bother you," she said softly.

"You're never," he said.

She gave a small smile and then the queasiness in her stomach came back. "Can you come by? And bring Kol and Elijah?"

"Is everything alright?" he wondered.

"No," she said, her voice then shaking. "Not even close."

Finn assured her they'd be over soon and she let out a breath, thanking him before hanging up. She was startled when there was a loud knock on the door.

"Is that them?" Bonnie asked Elena, hoping it was the Mikaelsons. The three gathered together and stared at the door

"I-I don't think so," Elena stammered.

"It's us," Stefan's voice called from the other side of the door. The girls let out a breath and opened it, relieved to see the familiar faces.

"What has your panties all in a bunch?" Damon jabbed to them with his usual charm.

"Elena has a stalker, that's what, jerk," Caroline snapped.

Damon's face sobered and he looked to Stefan. The two went walking inside of the house.

"How do you know?" Stefan asked the girls.

"See for yourself," Bonnie said, going to show them the box of flowers.

On the table was also a spread of black and white photos. The girls had found them scattered in the box underneath the bouquet. The images were all of Elena, taken when she wasn't looking. It was clear she was unaware she was being photograph.

The doorbell rang again and the girls jumped.

Elena looked tentative to the door, afraid to answer it.

With a supportive look to her, Damon walked and opened it.

"Oh, it's all of you," he said flatly, seeing the three Mikaelson men.

"We could say the same about you," Kol said sarcastically

"Okay, enough," Caroline said, going over to them. "We've got bigger issues."

"What's going on?" Elijah asked with concern.

"Elena has a stalker," the blonde answered, bringing them into the house and glancing around outside before shutting the door.

"It's going to be okay, Elena," Bonnie assured her as they stood around the table.

Kol was first to her, his hands on her shoulders. Giving her kiss a cheek, he noticed the flowers and pictures.

Elijah picked one up, seeing it was a snapshot of her with Finn eating ice cream. It looked to be taken across the street.

"How far do these go back?" Finn wondered, picking up another picture of Elena standing outside of school smiling with her friends.

"Over a month for sure," Bonnie answered, pointing to a school banner in the background of the picture in his hand. The event had been a while ago.

"And how did you receive these?" Elijah asked to Elena, then examining the flowers.

"They were on the doorstep. Someone rang the doorbell but when I answered it no one was there," she answered, her arms going around her waist.

She glimpsed at the array of pictures, seeing a few of the prints with a smudged red hand-drawn heart around her face. "Tell me that isn't human blood."

They were all quiet, unable to tell her it wasn't. The blood had smelled human.

Elena let out a nervous breath, reading their expression. Caroline may have been able to hide it, but the Salvatores and Mikaelsons weren't.

The door opened and everyone's head snapped up.

"Woah, what's going on?" Alaric asked, coming in with Jeremy in tow. All they had been told was to get home. And quickly.

Elena rushed to him, going and giving each of them a hug. She hung onto Jeremy just a little longer

"Hey," he said with concern, wrapping his arms around his sister's frame and holding her close. He looked to everyone with worry.

She held onto him, burying her face against his shoulder. She feared of something happening to him because of her stalker.

Had her stalker been the one to hurt Ric?

When she finally pulled back from Jeremy, she went and hugged Ric once more.

"Do you want to tell me what's happening?" he asked gently. Something was clearly wrong.

He waited for a few moments before pulling her back so he could see her. He wiped a tear from her cheek.

"You're going to want to see for yourself," Damon spoke to his friend.

Alaric's brows furrowed and he went to where they gathered, seeing the various items.

"What the—" Jeremy picked up the card and read the message.

"Your car," Elijah stated to Elena, tearing his eyes from the pictures he had been examining and peering to Damon.

In less than a second, the Original had the man pinned to the wall by the neck. "Did you wreck Elena's car?" He questioned, debating on compelling him for the truth.

"What?" Damon choked bewildered. "No!"

Elena went over to them, her hand on Elijah's arm, requesting he drop Damon.

"You think it was my stalker," she said softly, knowing where he was going with this.

He was silent, his grip tightening on the Salvatore's throat before finally releasing him.

"What happened to Elena's car?" Stefan asked the room.

"It got vandalized," she answered, silently thanking Elijah with a look.

"Vandalized is an understatement," Finn corrected. It had been completely demolished.

"A vampire would have been the only one capable," Kol remarked, thinking of the amount of damage that had been done.

"The card reads that she got away. What is he referring to?" Bonnie asked everyone.

Everyone was quiet, unable to answer.

"Until we know more, one of us should be with you at all times," Elijah spoke to Elena, his face pensive, as he set a photo back down. He was unhappy to see one taken of her waiting at the Mikaelsons doors.

She stood silent, unable to argue. Her life felt like it was spinning out of control.

---

Elijah was the one to stay. The girls decided on a sleepover another night and everyone went their separate ways.

"Will you stay?" Elena asked Elijah shyly, as she pulled back her blankets and got ready for bed. "Just until I fall asleep?"

He gave a single nod, waiting for her to finish her nightly routine. He sat on the bench at her window in thought. He was going to find whoever was after her.

Elena went to say goodnight to Jeremy and Alaric, letting her guardian know Elijah was in her room.

"No funny business," he instructed somewhat awkwardly.

"It's just until I fall asleep, Ric," she said, trying not to give any attitude back.

Easing with understanding, he nodded and kissed her head. "Night kiddo."

She walked back to her room, shutting the door and climbing into bed. Elijah was still lost in his own thoughts.

"Do you think I know him?" She asked.

Elijah's daze broke and he looked to her, seeing her in bed. Shedding his suit coat and shoes, laying them nicely where he sat, he went to lay beside her.

"If you've interacted with him, its most likely to an insignificant amount," he said, settling with her. She shut off her lap and curled up against him.

He enjoyed the cuddling. He gathered her closer and kissed her head.

"Thank you for being here," she said softly.

"I'd want to be nowhere else," he remarked.

She gave a small smile and looked up at him, already finding him peering down at her.

Feeling the electric spark, she reached up and set her lips over his.

Their kiss was soft and simple at first, but as they continued it became more fervent with one another.

"Elena," Elijah said breathless, pulling back from her. He didn't want to be disrespectful to the rules of the household.

She gave a small smile, her eyes mischievous. "It's just making out, Elijah. It's okay. "

He hesitated, unsure if it were proper. He didn't get much time to evaluate it, though, as she kissed him again and tugged him to roll on top of her.

His body covered her like a cocoon and she enjoyed the weight of him on her. It felt real. She felt safe.

Running her hands up his shoulders and through his hair, she continued to kiss him, letting herself get lost in him. She found how much she enjoyed the way his lips felt on hers. He was a talented kisser.

His mouth left hers and went trailing kisses across her cheek and down to her neck. The feel of his lips on her skin burned a pleasurable fire inside of her. Giving a small moan of pleasure, she sought his lips again, kissing and pulling him close.

Making sure they didn't go too far, they parted when her lungs burned, the need for air too great. Both panting, they stared to one another and she found enjoyment when Elijah set his forehead to hers.

"Sleep," he commanded, remembering that's why he was in her bed in the first place.

"I can't, " she admitted.

His brows furrowed and he pulled back go look at her in puzzlement.

Looking away, she felt him readjust to lay beside her, gathering her in his arms again.

"There were a few pictures of me sleeping, did you notice?" She asked, thinking about the photos.

"I did," he replied troubled. It was clear her had permission to her house. The pictures were in her bedroom.

Elijah ran his hand through her hair trying to ease them both. "You're safe, Elena. "

He had made sure to lock her window and close the drapes. He was going to be in the house, making sure no one would be getting in or lingering about, for if they did, he'd sense them. The stalker wouldn't be anywhere near her again.

"I'm here," he said to her. "Go to sleep. "

She laid with her head on his chest for a while, her thoughts running rampant until eventually, Elijah's lulling and soft words of poetry he recited from memory drifted her into slumber.

---

It had been a few days since the roses and no stalker or weird gifts had appeared.

"I'm jumpy at every little sound," she frowned as she bent over the pool table, taking her turn.

"There is no way whoever this is would get past us," Kol remarked, holding onto his stick and waiting for her to be done.

She curled some hair behind her ear and let out a breath, going around the table and taking another shot.

"I hate this. I feel like I can't even take care of myself," she said, missing her next shot. She felt weak and defenseless She couldn't go anywhere without another magical being around.

"Well, you are human, Darling," he noted, giving her a small smirk as he came up to her. She gave him a light shove.

He cupped his hand to her cheek, his thumb grazing her skin. "We'll get him."

She was distracted momentarily by his touch, looking up at him after a moment's pause. "I don't want to lose anyone," she admitted. It was her biggest fear in all of this. All of her friends were defending her, but all she could think about was the danger they were in.

Kol had a hard time connecting with her words, not having cared much about anyone.

"What if he goes after one of you?" she asked him with worry. Her mind conjured all sorts of scary situations they could land themselves in. "I mean, if he went after Ric—"

She stopped herself, swallowing hard. She still had a hard time coming to terms with what happened. Everything in her life was messed up and crazy.

Kol's hand dropped from her cheek and went to her waist, pulling her to be flush against him. "You're safe," he said, staring in her eyes. "And so are your loved ones."

An intensity flared between them and she had a hard time remembering they were in public. Staring from his lips to his eyes, she cleared her throat and backed off from him, letting him take his turn.

Maybe an open relationship was more of an option than she first thought.

---

"You sound exhausted," Finn said the next day over the phone with her.

"That's what an entire day of college applications does to a person," she said with a sigh. Her and Bonnie had been working on them for hours.

"Still not done?" he wondered. She had spent numerous days with him working on them. He had even helped her with a few of her essays.

"Caroline had some last-minute ones she wanted Bon and I to apply to," Elena said, going up to her room to grab her scarf. Looking around for it, she couldn't find it. She had sworn she last left it on her bed.

"That's weird," Elena said, searching all over for the thing.

"What is?" Finn questioned.

"My scarf…" she said, kneeling down to look under her bed. "I thought it was on my bed but it's not here. I can't find it."

She looked in her drawers and inside of her closet, still not finding it.

"Is anything else missing?" Finn asked.

Elena turned to her room, glancing around. "I don't think so."

"Elena, are you ready?" Bonnie called from downstairs. They were going to go to the Grill for dinner.

"Coming, Bon," Elena said, her phone to her chest.

"I must have misplaced it," she told Finn. "Anyway, I should go."

"Maybe one of us should be with you. While I know Ms. Bennett is quite powerful," Finn spoke. "a vampire has heightened senses."

Elena shut off her light and went walking down the stairs. "We're getting out of here anyway. We're taking a much-needed break."

The doorbell rang and she stopped on the middle of the staircase, head tilting at the door wondering who it could be.

"Were you expecting anyone?" Bonnie asked from below.

"No…" she hesitated.

"Elena?" Finn asked concerned, hearing the ring of the bell.

Before she could say anything, loud, hard banging shook the front door and the girls jumped.

Bonnie put a hand out and used her telekinesis to keep the door closed. And it continued to rattle hard.

"Finn," Elena breathed apprehensively.

"Stay on the line, Elena," he said hurriedly.

Before either girl knew it, there was a gust of wind and Bonnie went flying into the wall nearest Elena.

"Bonnie!" Elena shouted, running down the steps to her friend. She was unconscious and bleeding from her head.

Elena looked around for the vampire, knowing he could be anywhere. Standing up, she carefully began walking towards the kitchen.

She gasped when a hooded figure was in front of her. "Wait, I know you," she said, barely being able to recognize the figure.

Before she knew it, he had her by the neck, pinned up against the wall. He leaned in slowly, inhaling the air.

She let out a shaky breath, unsure what he was going to do. Fear was paralyzing her as his face hovered near. He hummed at the smell of her by her neck and her heart raced.

Getting her head together, she reached up and braced herself, giving him a hard knee between the legs. He quickly dropped his hand from her, groaning at the pain and she pushed him away, rushing to get away.

A rush of wind went past her and she gasped, finding herself in Finn's arms, then. Kol grabbed the vampire and flung him across the room.

The man got up with speed and before Kol could do more, he ran off. The Original was quick to follow, seeking vengeance for his attack.

"Are you alright?" Finn asked, looking her over for injuries.

"Bonnie's hurt," Elena answered, taking him over to her. Finn knelt down, looking at the girl. She was starting to wake.

"Bon?" Elena said worriedly.

"What happened?" she groaned, going to put a hand to her head. She hissed as she touched the wound, some blood on her hand.

Elena sniffled and rushed to get a kitchen towel, bringing it back for her friend.

Finn helped the girl to sit up and pressed the cloth to her wound.

A rush of wind went past them and Kol appeared in the house, an angry look on his face. "He's gone."

Elena got up and rushed to him, hugging him tight. She was relieved he was safe.

"I'm an Original, Darling," he said lightly, holding her close. He could practically feel her fear run off her.

"Shut up and let me hug you," she murmured, burying her face against his shoulder.

He gave a laugh and held onto her, savoring the intimate moment between them. With a deep breath, she gathered her courage and pulled away from him.

"I recognized him," she told them all. "I-I could barely see him with his face hidden, but I'm positive I've seen him around before."

"Do you know his name?" Finn asked.

She shook her head, not even knowing where she had first seen him before.

"Maybe Jeremy can sketch him out for you," Bonnie said, holding the towel to her head. "That way we all know who to look out for."

Finn helped her to stand and Elena brought her over to the couch to sit and rest.

Finn called Elijah while Elena called Jeremy.

"Can I get you anything, Bon?" Elena asked with concern, after hanging up with her brother.

"No, I'm fine. I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect you. I really thought—"

Elena went over, taking her friend's hand. "You did what you could. We didn't know he'd come in a different way."

The witch gave a nod and hugged her.

It was only a few minutes later when Elijah rushed through the door, his eyes searching for Elena. He sped to her, cupping her face. "You're alright?"

"Fine. Bonnie's the one injured," she said, giving him a reassured look. She had never seen such concern on his face before.

Elijah looked to his brothers. "What happened? Where is he?"

"Gone," Kol said angrily, perturbed by Elijah's hands on Elena.

"He was in the midst of attacking Elena when we got here," Finn said, trying not to be bothered by his brother's affections on his soulmate.

Elijah looked to her, demanding answers. "After he hurt bonnie, he grabbed me and…I don't know," she said. "Smelling me?" she questioned. "I kneed him in the groin and ran off. And that's when Finn and Kol got here."

The front door swung open and Jeremy looked around, his eyes startled and taking in the scene. He rushed for his sister and Bonnie.

"It's okay," Bonnie said calmly when he approached.

"You're bleeding," he said worriedly.

"It stopped a while ago. Really, I'm okay," the witch said encouragingly. Elena left Elijah's arms and went to get a bag of ice.

Letting out a breath as she opened the freezer, she took a moment for herself.

Shutting the refrigerator doors, she brought over the bag for Bonnie and stood anxiously.

"Jer, maybe you and Elena can work to make a sketch of the guy. She got a look at him and it'd be helpful to know who we are looking for," Bonnie said to her boyfriend.

Jeremy nodded and went to go get his sketchpad.

The front door swung open again and Stefan and Damon walked through with Caroline.

"Are you guys alright?!" the blonde asked her friends worriedly, rushing to them.

"Yeah, fine," they said, glancing to one another and back to her.

As everyone filled in Damon and Stefan, Elena went with her brother, who was beckoning her over towards the kitchen.

They sat together at the table, starting with a face shape.

"You okay?" he asked, glancing to his sister.

"Yeah," she said, almost as an automatic response.

"Lena," he pushed, pausing for a moment. He stared at her. "You were just attacked. It's okay if you're not."

"I know," she said, curling some hair behind her ear and shifting uncomfortably in her chair.

Debating on pushing, he decided against it, seeing Finn walking slowly into the room.

He didn't say anything, rather he went to sit next to Elena, taking one of her hands that was on the table and encasing it with his.

She looked to the touch, finding comfort in it. Glancing up at him, she expressed a sense of gratefulness with her eyes and then waited for Jeremy to continue drawing.

"His eyes were a bit lower, like here," she said, pointing on the paper. It took close to an hour but both Gilberts worked to construct a visual of the stalker.

"And his nose a bit bigger," she corrected.

Everyone was gathered in the kitchen waiting.

"Any facial hair?" Jeremy wondered while fixing the nose.

She hesitated, trying to remember. "…No."

Finn gave her hand a squeeze and she looked to him with a small smile.

Elijah stared at their hands, bothered by the sight while Kol stood annoyed and angered.

"Good?" Jeremy asked, showing his sister before the rest of the group. Staring at the drawing, she took a deep breath and gave a nod. It was almost exactly him.

"Anyone recognize the face?" Finn asked the group. No one seemed to speak up, finding they had no idea who he was.

"Great," Damon snapped.

They were now just going to have to wait.

---

She filled her time by keeping busy. It was her only way of staying sane. She needed human things—normal things.

"And why are we doing this?" Kol asked again.

"You're the one who volunteered to help me," Elena said with a laugh, busy painting a large banner for the school football game coming up in a few weeks.

"When did you get all into school spirit?" he questioned, staring over her shoulder at the poster.

"Since I needed something to keep my mind occupied," she said, running the paint brush over the letters.

"There are many other things you could do to do that he remarked, somewhat huskily, "And none of which are this," he said cheeky.

She gave a laugh and smiled, turning to him and dabbing his cheek with some green paint. "Cute."

He was quick to take vengeance on her and they were soon laughing with one another, wrapped in each other's arms with paint on them.

"Hey guys," Bonnie said amused, seeing the public displays of affection. She was happy to see Elena smiling.

"Bonnie," Kol acknowledged, keeping Elena trapped facing forward in his arms

"Hey Bon," Elena smiled, a few smudges of paint on her face.

"How's the banner going?" the witch asked, looking to the big roll of paper.

"Just about ready to be hung," Elena said, unclasping herself from Kol's grasp. Both girls looked to the Original then.

"What?" he asked, clearly missing something.

"I think that's why she brought you," Bonnie said lightly, reading the situation and using her friend intuition.

Elena gave a laugh and Kol rolled his eyes. "Of course," he grumbled, going and hanging the sign up for the two of them.

"Perfect," Bonnie stated with a smile as Elena stood beside her. the two clapped hands.

"Hey, did you guys hear?" one of their classmates called. Bonnie and Elena looked at her curiously. "Tiki is missing."

The girl ran off and Elena and Bonnie were left perplexed.

"You don't think…" Elena trailed off, glancing to Bonnie. It couldn't be connected to her stalker, could it?

"Why would he go after Tiki? You two have no connection with one another besides once being on cheer together."

"Right," she breathed.

Kol joined them again, giving her head a kiss.

"Come on, let's go find Care," Bonnie said, not wanting to be their third wheel. Kol wasn't shy on PDA and it didn't seem like Elena realized it.

The three walked back out of the building, looking around for Caroline.

"Hey, there you are," Bonnie said, spotting her blonde-haired friend.

"You guys, did you hear about Tiki?"

They nodded apprehensive. Did she think that it was related to the stalker too?

"What am I going to do?" she fretted. "We've got cheer competitions coming up and the big game barely a week away! I'm down a girl! The whole routine is going to be messed up!"

Elena tilted her head, not having expected that concern.

"It's not that big of a deal," Bonnie said, having seen the cheer. "You might have to change a bit, but it'd be okay."

"I want more than okay, Bonnie," Caroline scolded. "It was perfect."

Caroline then noticed Kol, confused at the paint on his and Elena's faces. "Why are you both covered in paint?"

They both smiled and laughed.

"Long story," Elena stated.

"Okay…" Caroline said confused. And then her eyes got big. "Oh my god, Elena!"

"What?" Elena asked puzzled.

"You can fill in! Yes! Please!" Caroline begged.

"Fill in? You mean for Tiki?" Elena asked incredulous.

"Yes! You're about the right height and Bonnie and I can help you with the routine. You'd just have to fill in for Tiki for the game…and maybe the competition if she isn't back by then, but she could be."

"Care, she's missing," Bonnie stressed.

The happiness in Caroline deflated a bit. "Yeah. It's weird, isn't it?"

Elena tensed and Kol wrapped his arms around her from behind, helping her to feel more secure.

Caroline raised a brow at the display of affection. "Anyway, Elena, would you do it? Bonnie is just a few inches too short—sorry, Bon," she apologized to her friend.

"None taken," Bonnie murmured, not wanting to be in Elena's place. Cheer was far behind her.

Elena groaned. "I don't know Care. I mean, it's been a while now. I'm not sure I'm even that flexible anymore."

"We'll train you up!" she jeered. "We've got a little over a week. I know we can get you there. Please? It can count as Elena-stalker duty. We'll hang out after school and practice."

Knowing she was going to regret it; she told her friend she'd try it.

"Okay, tomorrow. I want you here in the gym during lunch break. Bring something stretchy to change into," she demanded to Elena. She got called by someone on the school decorating committee and said goodbye to her friends.

"I can't believe you caved," Bonnie said, watching Caroline go.

"I can't either," Elena sighed. "I'm so going to regret this."

"Yup," Bonnie replied matter-of-factly. Talking a bit more with the two, she parted ways and let them get home.

"Is Klaus home?" Elena wondered as they walked.

"No," he remarked. "I'm surprised he wasn't here trying to woo Caroline."

Elena gave a small laugh.

Kol pulled her into his arms, staring warmly at her. "What?" she asked curiously. With a rush of wind, she found herself in the Mikaelson mansion in Kol's room.

"Smooth," she chuckled, pulling away from him.

"I thought so," he smirked, going and getting a cloth for her to wipe her face of paint.

Elena pulled off her jacket and bag, setting them on his couch.

Glancing at her reflection in the mirror, she huffed. "Kol, you even got it in my hair!"

He came out from the bathroom smirking.

"You better hope this comes out," she lightly threatened, taking the cloth from him and going to scrub her face. "Caroline will surely kill you if you don't. A cheerleader with blue paint in her hair? Not a good look."

She went back to scrubbing her face, frowning when it was hard to get off.

"Elena the cheerleader," Kol teased, going and laying on his bed.

She rolled her eyes.

"Why'd you say yes?" he asked curiously, watching her trying to get the paint off.

She shrugged. "Care is my friend. And cheer means a lot to her. Considering how she puts her life on the line for me, I think it's the least I could do."

She sighed, seeing some behind her ear. How did that even get there?

Kol got up and went to help her. He held her hair for her.

"What?" she asked, seeing him staring at her in the mirror.

"I've only seen pictures of you in that cheer outfit," he remarked, thinking about the picture in her living room. A mischievous grin then went across his face. "I happen to have a few cheer fantasies of my own."

Elena's mouth opened in fake appall, her cheeks blushing pink. Kol snickered and she turned around, smacking him with the cloth. "You won't get to see a thing," she scolded lightly, going to his bathroom then, to find a new cloth.

"Do you actually do cheers?" he questioned. "The whole spelling words thing?"

She rolled her eyes. "It's not all of it."

Grabbing another cloth, she ran it under warm water and tried to scrub her face and neck again.

"You're going to rub yourself raw," he remarked, going to help her. Adding a bit of soap, he stared down at her and helped remove the paint.

She found them close, their bodies almost touching. Gazing into his eyes, she observed him.

"Elena," he murmured. Her stare on him was making it hard to focus.

She sucked in a breath when his motioned came to a stop and watched his every move, his face getting nearer. Closing her eyes and letting her instincts take over, she felt his lips hit hers.

They moved languidly and perfect. He pulled her to him, pressing them together and slid one of his hands to run through her hair.

"Kol," she breathed, finding them only parting for a second before he was kissing her again. He liked how she kissed him with an equal and intense passion. It sent shivers up his spine.

They kissed until the ding of Elena's phone startled them.

Breathless, she moved from his arms to go check her messages, texting Caroline back quickly.

Putting her phone away, she looked to him waiting in the bathroom doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed. He looked calm and happy, something she enjoyed seeing.

"I think I better take over on scrubbing the paint off me," she teased lightly, walking to him and taking the rag from his hands.

"Yes, and then you can have red skin from rubbing so hard," he teased back.

She rolled her eyes, turning on the faucet and getting the rag wet again.

"Is it weird that the safest place I feel is here at the mansion?" she asked aloud. She couldn't help but think about it. Even though the mansion was Klaus's and Esther was somewhere around, she still felt safe.

"It's just a place," he remarked, standing behind her, his arm around her waist. He couldn't seem to get enough of her and physical contact soothed him. She didn't seem to mind it.

"It's Klaus's," she corrected, rubbing at her face again. She looked to her hair, giving a frown.

"It's still just a place," he stated. It really meant nothing to him. Glancing up at her, he found her pensive. "I've never really had those feelings about a place before," he confessed.

She looked to him with curiosity. "There isn't a place that holds fond memories for you? That is meaningful?"

He was thoughtful and after a few moments shook his head. He didn't really stay long in each place and tended to kill wherever he went. There was nothing special about anywhere.

The two went quiet until he was finished getting the paint off her.

"Thank you," she said softly.

He leaned in, giving her another kiss. He liked being able to do that now.

Elena didn't let the kiss get too deep. After a few moments, she pulled away. "As much as I hate it, I have to get going. I've got a pile of homework and Stefan is coming over," she said, going to walk off. "He's on Elena duty."

"Or you could stay," Kol enticed, watching her go to her bag. "Do your work here and tell the Salvatore he's free for the night."

She raised a brow and gathered her things.

"Come on," he tempted. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her to him. "I will even cook you dinner."

"You'd cook, huh?" she asked amused.

"I do have more knowledge about kitchen appliances than my dear brother, Finn," he snarked.

She gave him a scolding glare and he kissed her. "Stay."

"Only until after dinner," she said somewhat sternly.

Kol grinned, taking her bag from her and leading her downstairs to the kitchen where he planned to make her dinner.

Elena watched him get out all sorts of cookware while pulling out her schoolwork.

"What are you making?" she asked curiously.

"You'll need to wait and find out," he remarked, going to the fridge and pulling out a bunch of things. She watched him work.

"I believe you're supposed to be doing work," he remarked, knowing she was staring.

Giving a huff, she went back to her books and began doing her work. Tapping the pencil against her cheek, she wrote a few different things down.

It was about 20 minutes into her math homework that she froze.

"What's going on here?" Klaus asked, coming into the room with an amused look on his face.

"What are you doing here, Nik?" Kol asked in confusion. He knew how Elena didn't like to be around the hybrid.

"This is my home, Kol" Klaus said, his voice on the edge of getting cold. He looked to Elena, mischief in his eyes. He went over to her, hovering nearby. "Elena, what a lovely surprise. What brings you to my home?"

"Nik," Kol snapped, knowing he was trying to toy with her.

"You will watch your tone with me, Kol," Klaus warned in a deadly calm tone.

"Or what?" he snapped back.

"Enough," a voice called. Elena looked to see Elijah in the doorway. She let out a breath. Gathering her things, she stuffed them in her bag. "I think it's best I go."

"Oh, we're just having a bit of fun, Elijah," Klaus said with a cocky grin. "Elena, love. Do you fancy some tea?"

She shifted uncomfortably where she stood and Elijah's face looked deadly.

"Elijah, can you please take me home?" she asked quietly. She looked to Kol with guilty eyes. "I'll catch you later, okay?"

She went off with Elijah, who guided her out to his car. When they were safely inside and on the road, she let out a breath.

"I apologize for Niklaus's behaviors tonight," he said, angry at his brother.

"It's fine," she said gathering herself and staring out the window. It wasn't like he laid a hand on her.

They sat in silence, both having much to think about.

"Elena," he sighed when they came to her house.

"Thank you for the ride, Elijah," she said, tucking some hair behind her ear. Grabbing her bag, she went to leave when Elijah stopped her. putting his hand around hers, he hesitated on what to say. "What are we doing?"

She looked at him confused.

"About us," he remarked.

He felt her stiffen.

"Kol kissed you today," he remarked. He had been home and able to hear them perfectly.

Feeling her cheeks blush, she shielded her face from him with her hair.

"Elena," Elijah said softly, pulling it back like a curtain. He was well aware of the predicament they were in. And he wasn't a fool that it was complicated and things were now moving more romantically. But he still needed to know what a kiss meant.

"Have you ever done an open relationship?" she asked shyly.

He hesitated, admitting he hadn't.

"Me either," she said in honesty. "I…um…well…it's a thing. It's not common obviously, but I don't know," she said letting out a breath. She looked out the windshield. "Maybe that's how this is supposed to go."

"You want an open relationship?" he questioned.

She made a face, not exactly open with the idea. "Maybe? Yes? Or…No? I don't know," she sighed. "I don't really understand all of this thing, with the crystal and what not."

She looked to the one Kol had given her. "It's so much. Soulmates are one thing, but then it gets all jumbled and messed up and …"

She wasn't sure.

"You and I…" she glanced to him, trying to figure out what to say. "We're mess and complicated but…we're real."

He stared at her, his heart fluttering.

"I know you want better answers and you guys want me to choose, but I don't know what that means, do you?"

He didn't.

"I think we need to give it time," she said. "It's still an adjustment. Okay?"

He watched her go from the car and inside the house and listened from the driveway, hearing her saying hello to Jeremy and Alaric.

With his muddled heart, he drove off and went to go scold his hybrid half-brother.

---

"And 5, 6, 7, 8," Caroline counted as she critiqued the squad doing the routine.

Elena had started training in the mornings with Caroline and joining the afterschool practices to get in shape and learn. By the time she got home every day from school, she was exhausted, barely able to do homework before falling asleep.

"Okay, water break," Caroline called.

Elena let out a breath and went to grab her bottle.

"Looking good," Stefan remarked coming over to her. "Hey," she breathed. "What are you doing here?" Caroline was on Elena-duty.

He shrugged. "We haven't seen much of each other lately."

"I wanted to give you space," she said softly. She had backed off from him ever since Damon and the day in the school parking lot.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I took out what I was feeling out on you and then Damon played big brother at the most inconvenient time," he remarked, glancing down to the field's turf. "I'm trying now, though."

He was trying to let everything back in and be okay with all that he had done while emotionless. It was heavy and hard, but he was losing Elena, not just romantically but as a friend.

"Okay ladies!" Caroline called.

Elena gave Stefan a small smile and went to get back to cheer, knowing the hell she'd face if she didn't.

"From the top," Caroline demanded.

Stefan watched for a while longer until he left, knowing he lost the girl.

---

She shuffled over to the Mikaelsons for the evening, finding she needed time away from Caroline and cheer practice. Ringing the bell, knowing Kol was expecting her, she smiled tiredly to him when he opened the door.

"I see cheer is going well," he remarked, taking her bag from her.

"I am so tired and my legs are so sore; sometimes I can't even feel them anymore," she said dramatically. He gave a laugh, putting her things away and scooping her up. She gave a squeal and smiled, laying against him as he brought her to the living room sofa. He had set up a whole movie night for them, snacks and all.

Smiling, she looked at the food and some new movies they had talked about seeing.

"Thank you," she chirped, grateful for him doing such a thing.

"Well, if this is the only way I can spend time with you, I'll take it," he remarked, having been unable to see her because of Caroline.

She grabbed a pillow and thwacked him with it before laying back with her legs across his lap.

"Are you sure Klaus won't be home?" she asked hesitantly.

"He is out causing mayhem elsewhere," Kol assured her. "Now, movie?"

She nodded and waited for him to put something in before settling. She sighed in content when he rubbed her tight leg muscles.

"Am I going to get to see this cheer routine you've been working so hard on?" Kol asked, half paying attention to the film.

"Are you planning to come to the high school football game?" she asked skeptically.

"You'll be performing there?"

"Unfortunately," she sighed. "And if Tiki is still missing, I'll probably have to do the cheer competition."

Kol continued to rub her legs.

"Have you found anything out about her disappearance?" she wondered, hoping he had a chance to look into it.

"Not much," he remarked. "Elijah may know more, but as far as anyone knows; she never came home from school."

They both turned back to the movie, casually eating snacks and laying around. He knew the matter was still on her mind.

"Elena," Elijah acknowledged, walking into the living room. He smiled slightly as he saw her twisted around the couch with Kol rubbing her calf muscles. She was quite the enigma.

"Hey," she said with a small smile.

"Elijah, have you heard anything about the missing girl?" Kol asked his brother, irritated by the stary eyes they were giving one another.

"There isn't much information, unfortunately. While she didn't show up for school or go home, there isn't much evidence of foul play. Some are discussing that she may not have been kidnapped, but run away," he spoke.

Elena's brows furrowed. "That doesn't sound like Tiki. I mean, I know I didn't know her all that well, but she was one of the top of our class."

"As are you," Elijah noted, having learned that about her when looking into the missing girl.

Elena blushed slightly. "Yeah, well…it's high school," she said trying to brush it off.

Elijah pursed his lips, seeing she didn't take a compliment well. "You're in advanced courses and are back on the cheer squad and your grades haven't slipped, Elena. Give yourself some credit."

"I can't believe I'm agreeing with my brother," Kol muttered.

She rolled her eyes at the men. "Anyway…running away doesn't sound like Tiki. And what would she be running away from? Our small town? She graduates soon anyway. It doesn't make sense."

"I'll look into it," Elijah assured her. He didn't want her to worry more than she was. He wanted her to be focused on school and having fun. "Now, what are you both watching?"

He noticed a movie going, but they didn't seem to have much interest.

"A boring movie Kol picked," she replied. She laughed as Kol grabbed a pillow and swatted her with it. "It is!" she justified with a giggle. She grabbed a pillow and tossed it back at him.

"No more," she laughed as they were on a verge of breaking out in a pillow fight. "My legs ache and my arms are tired too. I can't fight back properly."

"It seems like you were doing a well enough job to me," Kol teased. She threw a piece of popcorn at him which he caught in his mouth and chewed.

Elijah looked at them interestedly. "Caroline still has you training?"

"Bonnie and I were lucky to convince her not to make us practice the day of the game. And I think I'm even luckier my limbs are still all attached," she complained.

Kol and Elijah snickered at her dramatics.

"You'll be performing this routine Caroline has made you learn at the football game?" Finn wondered, walking into the room. He stood next to Elijah, looking curious at their love interest.

"Unfortunately," she sighed, repeating the same answer she did to Kol. "I'm guessing you'll all be going?"

"Yes," they said at the same time. Elena rolled her eyes. "Great, no pressure or anything."

Kol gave her hand a kiss. "You'll be great, Darling," he assured her.

---

"Ugh, I can't believe I'm supposed to wear this again," Elena groaned, seeing the cheer outfit. Tiki was still missing and the big pep-rally and game was tomorrow.

"Did you make sure it fits?" Bonnie asked curiously, hanging out at the Gilbert's after school.

Elena made a face, not wanting to try it on.

"Caroline will kill you if you show up and your uniform doesn't fit," Bonnie stated.

Elena huffed and went to go try it on. The outfit felt like a step back, like she was trying to go back and be someone she wasn't anymore.

Quickly changing, she stared at herself in the mirror. All she needed was a high ponytail and a bow and it would be just like before.

With a huff, she went out and showed Bonnie.

"It fits," she grumbled.

"You look hot," she complimented. "And I'm sure I know three men who will like it."

Elena gave a laugh, going and throwing a pillow at her friend.

"Are they going to the game?" Bonnie asked as Elena went back to the bathroom to change.

"Yeah, which will definitely be interesting. Can you picture them at a high school football game? You know how rowdy the whole town gets," she said, coming out in her school clothes again.

"I could see Kol at the game, but Elijah and Finn? That will be a sight for sure," she snickered.

The doorbell rang and the girls were curious who it could be. Alaric went and answered it, finding no one there but a red rose on the doormat.

Glancing around, he stepped back and shut the door, locking it.

"Is that—" she stopped at the sight of the red rose in his hand.

"No note?" Bonnie asked Alaric.

"No, just the rose," he answered.

She swallowed hard, trying not to let the fear get the best of her.

"Come on," Bonnie said, motioning her to come back upstairs. "Let's just forget about it and try to enjoy the evening, okay?"

Elena looked to Alaric, who was giving a supportive nod to the idea. Reluctant to go, she re-joined Bonnie in her room and tried not to cry about the entire thing.

---

"You look great!" Caroline chirped, seeing Elena in her uniform the next morning. The girl looked anything but happy, and had her come inside. "What's wrong?"

"More roses," she said, going to the kitchen table where they had accumulated a bunch. Alaric stood at the kitchen island, pensive and worried for his step-daughter.

Caroline looked at each of the flowers. Her stalker was pushing. "These were all just this morning?"

"And last night," she sighed.

The doorbell rang and Alaric stiffened, going to get it. He felt odd feeling a sense of relief when he saw Finn.

"Elena said I should come over?" he questioned.

"We've got a stalker issue," Alaric said, letting him pass. He glanced out to the neighborhood and then shut and locked the door.

Finn walked to the kitchen, seeing Elena in her cheer outfit. Feeling an attraction, he pushed down his feelings and tried to focus on the problem. He noticed the roses on the table.

"Where have you found these?" Finn asked, staring at the flowers instead of her in her uniform.

"All over," she said. "One in my bathroom, my shower, my bed, out on the doorstep, another on the porch swing, our mailbox, kitchen, and in my school bag."

"He's been in the house," Finn stated.

"Yeah," she answered uncomfortably. All while they slept.

"Well, we need to get to school," Caroline said, seeing the time.

"I don't know if she should go, Caroline," Alaric stepped in. "We don't know if it will be safe."

"Our house isn't even safe, Ric," Elena frowned. It made her queasy to think about.

He went over and put a hand on her shoulder, giving a supportive squeeze. "We'll figure out something."

"Okay, but it's the big pep-rally today," Caroline whined. "We—Elena can't just miss this. I don't have a backup fill in!"

Finn and Alaric stared at her blankly. Was she prioritizing this over her friend's safety?

"Honestly, maybe school is for the better," Elena said thoughtfully. "Caroline will be with me. Or Bonnie. I've got cheer right after and we're prepping for the big game. I think I'll be fine."

Finn hesitated, unsure if it were true.

"Caroline has a point, Ric. I've been working on this all week," Elena said, thinking about cheer.

Giving a huff, the guardian went against his better judgement. He'd be there to keep an eye on her as well. "Okay. Okay."

She gave him a hug and grabbed her things. Finn noticed she changed her school bag.

"Thank you, for coming when I texted," she said to him shyly.

"Always," he remarked to her. "I'm going to speak with Alaric on a plan to keep you safe after school. Go have your fun."

She gave him a kiss to his cheek and left with Caroline, putting on her best fake smile and trying to have a better day.

---

When the town had spirit, they made sure to show it. Most of the town was at the big rivalry game, cheering in the stands.

Kol, Elijah and Finn all had to shuffle through people to get seats, and they found everyone stood.

"This is ridiculous," Finn complained.

Elijah didn't bother arguing.

"Hey," Bonnie called to the three. She gave a moment's pause, feeling quite weird to be welcoming Mikaelsons, but she knew how Elena felt for each of them. She wanted to be supportive of her friend.

Elijah saw Bonnie first, and led his siblings to go sit with her and Jeremy. Alaric was able to pull some strings and stand on the sidelines, allowing him closer to Elena in case of any danger.

"Bonnie," Elijah greeted. She gave them each a smile and looked back to the game.

The crowd was loud and many of the cheerleaders encouraged louder. A drunk student went rolling down the stairs of the bleachers, only to get up and laugh and cheer to the crowd.

"Ridiculous," Finn repeated.

"Welcome to high school football games," Bonnie introduced before turning back to cheer on her friends.

---

Elena let out a nervous breath, unable to walk out to the field. She feared her stalker somewhere out there in the crowds of people.

"Come on," Caroline whined. "You don't even have to go to the sidelines and cheer yet. The game hasn't started. Just go warm up, okay?"

She swallowed hard and gave a nod, following her friend. Walking out and keeping her head down, she went and stretched with some of the other girls.

"If only Tiki were here," some of them commented. Elena's stomach felt unsettled. No one had found her yet.

Exhaling slowly and trying to breathe, she noticed Alaric on the sidelines. Relief hit her and he waved. She hustled over to him. "Please tell me you're staying down here."

"I am," he confirmed.

She let out a breath of relief.

"We're all on the lookout," Ric said, knowing her fears. "Try to have fun, okay? Don't let this guy get to you."

She nodded, trying to take his advice. Giving him a quick hug, she walked back to the cheer squad. She stared out at the crowd when she stretched, searching for her brother and Bonnie. She needed friendly faces. Maybe even Stefan and Damon would be around.

Trying to scan through everyone, Elena's face brightened. A grin spreading wide across her lips when she saw Elijah, Finn and Kol with Bonnie and Jeremy. Giving a wave, she saw them all wave back. Bonnie gave her a thumbs up and clapped.

Maybe she could do this after all.

---

"Bloody hell," Kol muttered to himself, seeing Elena walk out with Caroline. She looked tense and pensive, but incredibly hot. The outfit fit her perfectly, showing off her body and skin. She was going to kill him.

Elijah and Finn silently agreed with their brother, each trying to stay focused.

"Watch it. She's still my sister," Jeremy reprimanded.

"Sorry, mate," he apologized. He was unable to take his eyes off her. He found that she looked beautiful. And his words weren't trying to be objectifying. The uniform and getup was a different side of her, but still just as gorgeous as all the rest.

He couldn't help but smile as she waved to them, her troubled face brightening at the sight of all of them.

He was hopeless.

---

"Ready?" Caroline asked her team, knowing it was about kick-off when they'd introduce players.

Elena plastered on her smile while feeling queasy inside. Everyone grabbed their poms from the sidelines and lined up to help welcome the team in.

Faking worked for a while, getting through everyone until she had to go over to the sidelines and hype up the audience with cheers.

"You okay?" Matt asked, having crept up near her. She jumped in surprise and turned to him, smiling at his uniform. "You're supposed to be talking to your team and getting ready to throw a football."

"I saw a freaked-out cheerleader and couldn't help but to make sure she was okay."

Elena gave a smile and nodded. "Go. The team needs you. And kick cat…or whatever," she said, making him laugh.

Matt ran off onto the field and got ready to start the game while Elena joined the cheerleaders.

They did lifts and cheers with the crowd, exciting everyone up as best they could throughout the game. People were already getting pretty wild and it was barely even halftime.

Elena pushed herself up, getting lifted into the air. "Go Timberwolves," she cheered with the rest of her team. They caught her perfectly and set her back on her feet. She was nervous again, this time for very good reason.

"You'll do great," Caroline chirped supportively, having seen her friend's anxious face. The two went around to pep up the crowd, jumping and plastering smiles to their faces. Half time was coming up and they were about to showcase their big routine.

"Thanks, Care," Elena said, giving her friend a hug. She looked back to her brother and Bonnie. Her grin grew wider at the sight of the Mikaelsons again. She still couldn't believe they had come. She could tell it was not their thing.

When half-time was called, the girls were up. Running up the field and getting in place, they started their cheer.

"B-E-A-T. Beat those cats," they cheered as they moved. "B-E-A-T. Beat those cats."

Elena looked at the crowd, seeing it thin out a bit for refreshments. And no one found spelling or their cheer to be exciting.

Giving a genuine smile this time, she looked to Caroline and laughed. The girls all clapped their hands together, going quiet. It gathered peoples' attentions.

They moved into different formation and bowed their heads; this time waiting for the music to begin. Kill This Love came on, blasting on the speakers.

The beat began and the girls moved their heads up, moving in formation and jumping about. They inched forward on the field, moving and dancing to the beat. They now had the crowd's attention.

Moving their bodies in big motions, kicking at the air and rolling their hips, they thrusted their bodies, popping their chests and putting on a good cheer, only stopping to turn and put their backs to the crowd.

The music went quiet then, stopping the marching band-like cheer.

"Ready ladies?!" Caroline cheered loudly. Side To Side came on then and the girls turned to face the crowd, their body swaying much more seductively. Poms in their hands and placed on their hips, they moved smoothly and shook their bodies.

They moved in unison with one another, still keeping it in cheer formation. At one point, they did a few lifts before going back to a more dance like routine.

Bonnie cheered loudly for her friends, seeing the whole team execute it perfectly.

"This is awesome," Jeremy said to her. He hadn't seen something this exciting from the team in a while.

"Caroline made Nationals. She wanted to do something different so the three of us came up with this at the last minute when Elena had to join the team. It made it easier on her so that she didn't have to do as many lifts and flips, and helped Caroline because it was much more creative."

"I don't know if I could have handled more spelling," Kol said jokingly.

Bonnie gave a small laugh, turning her attention back to her friends. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she screamed out for them, clapping and smiling.

They were down on the ground, seductively getting back up and moving around the field. Once again back into formation, the music then died out and the cheerleaders stopped.

The sound of the marching band began to playing and they walked out to the field with the girls. It was a classic Caroline move, putting in extra to make the cheerleaders look good. And they even used a classic song, Run The World (Girls).

As the marching band came out to join the girls, the all got together and began their dance, moving their hips and bodies.

Elena grinned, having much more fun than usual cheer. As the drums hit, some of the girls left off the field and it was left with the more advance group. Elena kept up, dancing next to Caroline.

"Who run the world?" the cheer team asked.

The beat picked up again, the complete cheer team back, getting ready for some lifts.

Caroline was there to catch Elena, making sure she was caught perfectly.

"I'll do it," Elena gave in. The crowd and the dancing had boosted her confidence.

"You sure?" Caroline asked over the cheering crowd and music.

"Before I back out," she replied with a small laugh.

Elena did the steps, but managed to back out from the routine, waiting for the song to end. When the music came to a halt, she and another girl took a running start, doing a bunch of flips and twists, each landing on their feet.

"Girls!" the cheer team yelled.

"Oh my gosh," Bonnie said, paused in her clapping and giving a smile as the cheerleaders rushed off to the bottom of the field to let marching band continue the performance.

"What?" Jeremy asked. The Mikaelsons turned to look at her, all wondering as well.

"That wasn't part of the routine," she explained. "Those moves that Elena did were what we were trying to avoid. She didn't feel comfortable. She hadn't tried them since she was last on cheer."

"She kicked ass," Jeremy said proudly over the loud crowd.

"Yes, she did," Finn stated quietly.

The Mikaelsons all clapped and cheered with the rest of the group. They weren't as loud or rough as many others, but were beginning to show more support.

"That was amazing!" All of the Timberwolves cheerleaders said to one another.

Elena let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. She hadn't done all of those back handsprings and other flips since sophomore year.

Looking for Caroline in the group of her cheer mates, a fight broke out in the crowd, gathering much attention.

"What the hell?" Bonnie asked, turning and looking at the scene by the back bleachers. It was unclear what they were fighting about.

"Elena," Elijah stated, looking in all of the girls. They had all turned on reaction for barely a second.

They all looked back to the field, their eyes darting around for her face.

Bonnie got down from her spot in the stands, avoiding the fight, and rushing down to get as close to the field as she could.

"Caroline!" she yelled. "Care!"

Caroline looked and saw Bonnie and went over to her, still on a cheer high. "Wasn't that amazing!? We—"

"—Where is Elena?" Bonnie urged. "She isn't in the crowd."

"What?" Caroline asked confused. "Yes, she is. Of course, she's—"

Alaric came over to them, seeing them huddled. "What's up, guys?"

"Elena went missing," Elijah remarked, still searching through the faces on the field.

"No, she was just going towards Caroline. She was…" Alaric turned to stare at the group of girls.

"She has to be here…" Caroline said, feeling lost and scared. "How could she have disappeared so quickly? We were all here!"

"There was a distraction, up in the crowd," Bonnie answered with fear in her voice.

"Do you think he has her?" Jeremy demanded to the Mikaelsons, urgent to know the answer.

"More than likely," Finn said regretfully.

"He wouldn't hurt her," Alaric said calmly.

"She better not piss him off," Damon said, joining them.

"He was here," Stefan said, standing beside his brother. There was a whole in his shirt, most likely from a stake, and Damon was rubbing his neck from being snapped. "We need to find her."

"Come on," Bonnie said, dragging all of them towards the school. "I think I have a spell that can help us locate her."

---

Elena found herself in a trailer car, gagged at the mouth and her hands and feet tied with rope. Her stalker looked at her, staring at her.

"Please," Elena said over the gag. "Let me go."

"I've waited so long to finally be with you," he said, going over to her and touching her cheek. "Why would I let you go?"

She gave a whimper, moving her face away. This couldn't be happening.

"Ah, ah," he scolded. "I wouldn't be moving too much."

Unsure what that meant, Elena looked down and realized it wasn't just ropes but wires around her.

"A pressure plate," he answered for her, seeing her try to piece it together. "You move too much and we die…together," he said, still finding pleasantries in the idea.

Tears gathered in her eyes.

"W-why?" she whimpered; her words muffled over the gag. If he was obsessed with her, this was a sure way to kill her.

He pulled the cloth out of her mouth and but kept it around her neck. "Only I know how to disassemble it," he said. "Every fake wire and phony switch. It's only me. When you've proven your trust to me, I'll remove it."

She swallowed a growing lump of tears in her throat. She had to figure out a way to gain his trust then.

"You were perfect today," he said to her. "Your cheer was perfect."

She looked to him; her brows furrowed. How long had he been at the field?

"I'm so glad I opened a spot for you. I figured Caroline would put you in as a substitute. I'm glad she did."

Fear shook her bones. He spoke like he knew Caroline. Dread filled her and she stared at her captor. "How did you get me back on the team?" she said.

He gave a large grin.

"What did you do?" she quivered softly.

He went to show her, opening a small door of his trailer home. Tiki's body came falling out, her body clearly having been fed on until no blood was left in her.

Tears filled her eyes and a heavy weight fell on her chest.

And then she noticed all of the pictures. For as many she thought had been in the box of flowers, there were triple times that, plastered everywhere in the home. He hadn't been stalking her for weeks, but months.

"You are just like her," he said.

Elena's brows furrowed as she looked at him.

"Katharine," he said.

Elena felt sick.

"But you're more," he said, going to her. She tensed, scared of what he wanted from her. "You treated me so kindly."

Feeling confused she tried to remember where she had seen the man, and then her eyes caught a familiar stack of novels in front of her.

"I-I…I saw you in town," she said. She had helped him pick up a few books from the street after someone had rudely run into him. They had a brief conversation about classics.

"I have it, right here for you," he said, going and getting Catcher in the Rye. It was his favorite book.

She watched him go, then noting the various things of hers lying around-her missing scarf, a teddy bear from her bed. There were a few pictures of her, her perfume she used to wear and even a pair of her panties and a pillowcase.

He set the book in front of her, as if he were presenting it to her. She had told him she had read it when she was younger but had been meaning to read it again.

Her stomach churned and she stared mesmerized at the novel, her mind then recalling the numerous times she'd seen him. There was once at a coffee shop, another while at a school function. Was their first interaction the books?

"H-How…"

Trying to stay calm and focus, a rush of relief ran over her and she felt confused. It didn't feel like her relief. It struck her too suddenly. And then she realized the bond from one of the Mikaelsons. It meant they were coming for her.

She looked directly at him, making sure she had his attention. "What do you want from me? You know I'm not Katharine."

"No of course not," he said having kneeled down to her, not wanting to insult her. "I don't want you to be. No, she is…no," he said scattered. "I want you," he said, caressing her chin. "Just you."

She stiffened when his hand dropped from her chin to her chest, running his hand over the fabric of her uniform.

"Sorry, mate. She's currently taken," Kol announced angrily, having come up behind him in a flash. He quickly grabbed him, shoving him away.

"Wait!" she shouted to Kol before he could grab her.

"Pressure plate," she said.

Kol's face grew angry and he sped to grab the stalker, ready to beat him until he disabled the device.

Finn and Elijah showed next and she told them the exact same thing.

"Okay," Finn said calmly, going over to her while Kol took care of the stranger. He broke the ropes and gag from around her neck, while carefully undoing the rest of the wires. "Are you alright?"

She gave a nod, but her eyes showed a different story.

He put a hand to her face. "We'll get you out of this."

"Get your hands off her!" the stalker snarled, fighting against Kol and Elijah. "She is MINE!"

Finn placed himself in her line of sight from the man, trying to distract her and keep her calm.

"I-I…" Elena's mind was swirling. Things didn't make sense. He stalked her. He talked about Caroline almost like he knew her.

"I need you to look around and be careful," she instructed him.

He looked at her puzzled.

"Just do it," she pleaded.

"Elena?" Elijah wondered.

"Something isn't right," she said, looking to her stalker and then back at Elijah. "He knew all about me. He knew about the Catcher in the Rye, but it's the first edition, Elijah. I know when I crossed paths with him, I didn't mention wanting that."

"So what?" Damon called, having been listening to them. He was working with Stefan to try and get an idea of the bomb they were looking at.

"My dad used to collect first editions of classic novels," she explained to the vampires. "And Catcher in The Rye was one he was looking to collect before he died," she said.

Her mind continued to go. "He knew about Caroline as if he knew her. He figured she'd give me a spot on the team. But how? It could have gone to anyone, but it happened to be me?" she asked Elijah.

Finn went opening a cabinet and it another one opened, then pulling a trigger. Wooden bullet came flying out directly pointed to Elena.

Elena gave a scream, and opened her eyes to see Finn had taken all of them, directly in the chest.

"Finn!" she cried.

"Elena! Do not move!" Elijah instructed sternly. If she did, they'd all go up and she wouldn't survive the blast.

He sped to his brother and checked him over.

"Vervain," Finn grunted.

"Oh god," Elena said worriedly.

"He'll survive," Elijah said calmly, laying Finn against the small table. "Stefan! Tell me about the explosive!"

"It's laced heavily with C4," Stefan called from outside of the trailer. He and Damon had been trying to rattle theories on how to work around the stalker and his evil plans.

"Please," she begged her captor.

The vents from above began hissing and she began coughing. And then so did all the vampires.

"Vervain," Finn groaned

"What else is in this?" Kol seethed, rattling the man by his shirt.

He shrugged. "Probably something toxic to humans, don't you think?"

Kol grit his teeth, grabbing the man more aggressively.

Elijah went and gave Elena his pocket square, making sure she covered her mouth.

They all coughed, and both Elijah and Kol threatened her captor with bodily harm if he didn't disassemble the bomb.

But he just gave a grin, looking to Elena. "We'll be together even in death."

She paled, coughing and trying to breath as little as possible.

He used the rest of his strength to push away the Originals, going after her to feed. He wanted to taste her blood. Indulge in it.

She gave a scream and he was stopped by Kol, who grabbed the man, beating him to a pulp for his actions. Having had enough, he snapped his neck and watched him fall to the floor.

He wasn't dead, and they wouldn't be getting any answers out of the man anymore, but the action had felt satisfying.

"There has to be more booby traps," Finn wheezed. Elijah and Kol agreed.

"What can we do?!" Damon shouted, desperate to help somehow. Elijah didn't want them opening the door to the trailer again in case he had wired that with something.

"The explosive," Finn coughed, barely conscious. "Work on it."

Kol went to Elena, grabbing a hand towel from the counter and putting it over her face to cover her better. The two coughed.

"I got it!" Bonnie exclaimed. "I can use a spell! It will give you only a few seconds," she called to them.

"Do it!" Elijah coughed. "Kol, grab Elena," he instructed reluctantly. He bent down and grabbed an unconscious Finn, wrapping his arm over his shoulder. The two waited.

As soon as Bonnie was done saying the spell, they raced out from the trailer.

Even with vampire speed, they barely managed to avoid the blast. It had knocked them all down, the large explosion sending off blazing clouds of smoke in the night.

Kol cradled Elena to him, having used what he could of his body to cushion her fall. He hovered on top of her as she laid on the pavement. They both coughed at the fresh air filling their lungs.

"Are you alright, Darling?" he asked, brushing whisps of hair out of her face. Only a bit of his back had been charred by the fire and his skin was already healing.

She gave a nod, staring up at him. "Besides you squishing me," she grunted teasingly.

"Is that a way to treat your knight in shining armor?" he questioned lightly and rolled off her.

"You're a vampire…in a burnt leather jacket," she croaked, giving a cough. He helped her sit up.

"Yes, well, I did just almost get blown up," he remarked.

Elijah raced over to them and bent down, cupping Elena's face and making her look to him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, brother," Kol said sarcastically, making Elena give a small laugh as she coughed. "Yeah, I'm okay, Elijah. Are you? How's Finn?"

"Elena!" her friends called.

Before he could answer, Bonnie and Caroline were at her side, gathering around her.

"We need to get out of here before people start asking questions," Damon said, knowing there were emergency services coming after the big explosion.

Elijah helped her to stand and ordered Kol to grab Finn, who was still unconscious. Taking off with her to the mansion, they all followed.

---

It was almost too much chaos and commotion for Elena. Everyone gathered at the Mikaelson mansion, going over the drama of the night and seemed to be talking over one another, emotional and high strung from the evening.

It made her senses feel even more haywire than what they already were. Her brain felt fried and in a million pieces. She wasn't sure if she was more tired or wired.

She walked off to the kitchen, relieved to find it quiet. It made her feel slightly better.

Shoes went shuffling and Elena looked to see Finn joining her, going and starting coffee.

Tears filled her eyes and she went to him, catching him by surprise and hugging him tightly.

"I'm alright," he said soothingly to her, keeping hold of her shaky body. He had been unconscious for a while, but once the wood bullets were removed and he was fed some blood, he changed and sought out Elena.

He could feel her clutching onto him like he was going to go somewhere. It warmed him to know he was so important.

"You're safe now," he told her, pulling her back when she sniffled.

She ran her hands down to his chest, checking over his fresh shirt to make sure he was healed. There were no wounds.

"Deep breaths," he reminded her, still feeling her trembling.

She reached up and hugged him again and he gave a small smile, accepting her embrace.

A throat cleared and it broke them apart. Elena looked over her shoulder to see Stefan walking into the room.

"You guys okay?" He wondered.

Elena gave a nod and went to sit back down at the island.

"Lena," Jeremy called, bringing in the rest of the group. "Come on, let's get you home."

She stiffened, the idea of returning to her home not yet appealing.

"She can stay," Elijah remarked, seeing her apprehension.

"We'll bring her a change of clothes," Bonnie spoke up, seeing her friend's fear. The girl was clutching the chair and island like they were going to drag her away.

Jeremy broke from the group, going to his sister. She seemed lost in her own world.

"Hey," he said in a gentle tone. "You don't have to stay."

She looked to her brother and then the rest of the group, wondering what to do.

"You're not staying here," Damon scoffed. "Do we not remember Klaus everyone? Or does his name not ring a bell anymore?"

She tensed at the name; fear laced in her body again.

"Damon," Stefan snapped, not only seeing Elena go rigid, but the Mikaelsons get angry as well by her reactions of his words.

All eyes seemed to be on her, waiting for her to make a decision and end the feud. While her home was neutral ground, it was the least of all place she felt safe.

"Niklaus will not be a problem, " Elijah assured the group and Elena. "No harm will come to Elena."

Damon glared. "And we're just supposed to take your word for it?"

"Yes," Elijah hissed, refraining on enacting violence for his soulmate's sake. He did not have to explain anything to the Salvatore. And he did not care to share how Elena was now family. She was tied to them, destined to be their love no matter which she chose. Klaus would not break the bonds of family.

"She'll stay here," Kol spoke, seeing her still frozen in place. "Get a bag of her things, Bonnie. She can go home when she's ready."

Jeremy thought of arguing, but Bonnie gave him a look, shaking her head. This was best for Elena.

"Call me in the morning, okay?" He asked his sister.

She gave a nod, wrapping her arms around her brother when he hugged her.

"I'm glad you're safe," he murmured to her.

"Me too," she said quietly.

"Let's go you two," Caroline instructed the Salvatores sternly.

Damon left unhappy, but Stefan showed more emotion than he had in weeks. Everyone eventually filed out and it only left the Mikaelsons.

Finn put the cup of decaf coffee in front of Elena and the men all lingered around.

"Is he dead?" She asked, going over everything in her head. She remembered Kol had snapped her stalker's neck, but that wouldn't have killed him.

"Yes, the explosion would have killed him," Elijah answered calm, but still concerned.

They watched her cautiously, sit and drink her coffee. Her body trembled slightly and each were unsure how to help her.

"Elena?" Caroline's voice called, letting herself back into the mansion. She walked to the kitchen, seeing the men hovering. "I brought you your bag," she said gently.

"Thanks, Care," she whispered out.

She paused and stared at her friend, knowing she wasn't alright.

"Do you guys have somewhere she can change and maybe clean up?" She asked the men.

They nodded and Elijah showed her the guest room Elena last stayed in. He was tempted to bring her to his room, but he knew it'd cause problems with his brothers.

"Try not to put too much pressure with this whole soulmates thing, okay?" She asked Elijah kindly, while starting a bath for her friend. She was worried about what happened to Elena and boys weren't make this easier.

Elijah was quiet and Caroline figured it'd be the best response she'd get for him. Laying out salts, she waited for the tub to fill.

"Elena mentioned an open relationship. Did you suggest it?" He questioned. He knew it was an unfamiliar term to her and out of her two best friends Caroline seemed to be the likely one to advise it.

"I did," she said cautiously. "I'm all for sticking with one guy, but soulmates are quite a bit of pressure," she told him. "And I saw what Stefan and Damon were doing to her. And she saw it too. It was hurting her."

He stood pensive.

"I'm not saying it has to be your guys' eternity, but an open relationship allows you guys to continue to explore your options as well. Maybe it will help Elena feel less like she has to hurry and pick."

Elijah's face was expressionless, which irked Caroline. She didn't know how Elena could handle it.

"Okay, well I'm going to get out of here," she said, turning off the water and setting towels out for her friend nicely. "Tell Elena to call me in the morning."

"Would she have picked?" Elijah asked before the blonde could leave. "Between the Salvatores."

He couldn't help but ask. The thought had crossed his mind that she would end up not choosing if they did some open sort of bond.

"Stefan," Caroline answered from the doorway. "I think if he didn't take a chunk out of her and attack her, and then be a complete asshole for a few months time, they probably would have survived."

He didn't ask more questions, though he wanted to. He had no idea that Stefan had attacked her.

Caroline left the house and Elijah went back downstairs to go help Elena get situated. She was still where he left her, though she seemed less withdrawn.

"Your bag is upstairs," he remarked. "And Caroline started a bath for you."

"Thanks, " she said with a small smile. She went and put her cup away, which Finn took for her, and she went to change.

"Let us know if you need anything," Elijah said, lingering in her room.

"Okay, thanks," she said, taking her bag into the bathroom with her and shutting the door.

"She's not alright," Kol remarked.

"I know," Elijah said, bothered just the same.

"She went through an ordeal," Finn spoke, coming into the bedroom and joining them.

"He had her things," Elijah stated, thinking about the trailer.

They all sat frustrated and waited. Listening to her get in the tub and sit in the water, it wasn't long before they heard crying.

"What…what do we do?" Finn asked his brothers helplessly.

Elijah ran a hand over his face and Kol stood tense.

Reacting first, Kol went over to the door, hesitating and giving a gentle knock. "Elena?"

Her light crying continued.

"Elena? Can I come in?" he tried again through the door. "I want to make sure you're alright."

There was no response, just more quiet crying.

"What's going on?" Rebekah asked from the bedroom doorway. Her brothers were all standing around in the room, fretful looks on their faces.

"Not now, Rebekah," Finn said, knowing how his baby sister felt about their love interest.

She looked to her brothers, knowing they haven't talked since she had said some mean things to Elena. "…maybe I can help," she said, wanting to get back into their good graces.

She looked to Kol who was hovering at the door and listened closely to hear Elena crying. Sighing, her maternal instinct seemed to kick in and she went to the bathroom door.

"Rebekah," Kol said sternly, not in the mood when she came near.

"What? You think you're going to go in there?" Rebekah challenged. She pushed her brother aside. "Elena, I'm coming in," she said, breaking the door lock and entering the bathroom.

The girl was sitting in the warm water, her hair and skin wet, curled into a ball hugging her legs and crying softly to herself.

With a sigh, Rebekah went over to her and pushed some hair from her face. "You're alright now."

Elena looked to her; her mind barely able to register the face.

"It's okay," Rebekah assured her kindly. She sat with the girl until she was calmer. Her body was shaking and Rebekah tried to keep her warm by running a cloth of her bathwater over her skin.

"H-how didn't I know?" she asked the blonde.

Rebekah wasn't sure what she was referring to, but she knew it was breaking the girl inside. "Come on, let's get you out of this water," she said, grabbing a towel. The temperature was barely lukewarm.

She helped the girl get dressed and even helped brush her hair. "Whatever happened," she told the doppelgangers. "My brothers are there for you."

Pain struck Elena and she looked to the Original. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen."

Rebekah paused, unsure if she had heard a meaningful apology from a doppelganger before. Tatia wasn't ever sorry she had Nik and Elijah around her finger, and Katharine was never apologetic. But Elena really seemed to mean it.

She nodded and set the brush down. "Okay," she said. "Now out with you. Go speak with my brothers."

She guided her out from the bathroom and then dismissed herself from the room.

Elena was left with the three staring at her.

"Um…" she swallowed hard and tried to gather her bearings. She curled some hair behind her ear and moved to sit on the bed.

They too, took a seat around the room.

"Elena?" Elijah pushed gently. He wanted to bring her into his arms.

"I met him a while ago," she told them, remembering the encounter more. It was the spring.

"I remember…someone—…someone ran into him and his books fell from his arms," she said thoughtfully. "I went over and helped him collect them."

She sniffled and wiped a tear.

The men all looked to one another, slightly confused. Her tears were over her captor? Or was it about what happened to her?

"Elena?" Elijah said questioningly, this time trying to ask for more for all of them.

She knew they were all confused. Even her brain was muddled and couldn't make sense. "I-It…I—"

She shut her eyes and tried to take a few deep breaths. When she was calmer, she looked at them. "It wasn't weeks or months he had been watching me. When I ran into him, that was over a year ago," she spoke. "I remember being out with Jeremy and my parents doing some last-minute shopping around town."

They tensed, understanding now her emotional breakdown.

Kol looked to his brother, anger in his eyes. This guy had been stalking Elena for that long? He got up from where he sat and went over to her, bringing her into his arms and making sure she knew she was safe.

"If he knew about my dad's collection, what else did he know?" she asked them.

It was a very good question. And it haunted her to think further, wondering what role he had in her life if he had been there for so long.

"M-my parents," she breathed.

Their brows all furrowed.

"What about them?" Kol pushed gently, resting his head near hers.

"My dad swerved—the night on the bridge," she whispered to him. "It was how we ended in the water."

Elijah stared at her, quickly putting the pieces together. "You think it was your stalker."

She looked to him, hesitant to believe it.

"But why would he let you drown?" Finn asked, knowing the story from her.

"Stefan saved me," she said. "What if he ran off when Stefan saw the accident and jumped in to save me?"

Elijah's jaw clenched. He didn't like these games played.

"He had a bracelet of mine," she said quietly. Their eyes snapped to her. "It was from Matt. I thought I lost it the night of the accident."

They all sucked in sharp breaths.

She swallowed hard. "it's my fault they're dead."

"No," Kol said first. "No, it's not." He pulled her closer and held her tighter. He wouldn't let her blame herself for this.

They stayed with her until she fell asleep. Elijah kept a fire going in the fireplace for her when she seemed afraid of the dark shadows in the room.

They all left her to sleep, their anger and rage barely able to be contained.

"That miserable bastard is lucky he is dead," Finn seethed, going off to his room.

"I need some air," Kol remarked, rushing off to find some solitude and a way to calm himself down from all of the rage.

Elijah hovered at the top of the stairs, clutching the banister. He was mad at the vampire, but also himself. He thought he was better at protecting her.

His ears caught the sound of Elena's breathing pattern. It was different than how she slept. Walking to her room, he opened the door softly and found her sitting up in bed.

"Elena?" he asked softly.

She lifted her head, looking at him with teary eyes.

He went to her and she broke down, crying into his arms. "It's because of me, everything is because of me," she sobbed.

"Shh, shh," he said holding her close and running his fingers through her hair. "Everything is okay now."

She held onto him, her heart aching.

"You're safe," he assured her.

Finn stuck his head in the room, flinching slightly at the sight of the pair. He went and put another log in the fire, seeing it was getting dim. He let the two of them be, shutting the door behind him. Going back to his room, he shut his door and took his journal nearest him, and threw it across the room at the wall.

---

Elijah stayed with her for most of the night, curled behind her and helping her to stay calm. It wasn't until morning that he left while she slept to deal with Kol and Klaus fighting downstairs with one another.

She woke with a small gasp, her eyes flying open to the large window of the room.

"Elena?" Finn asked gently, having been sitting near the bed in a chair, writing in his journal. She sat up and looked at him.

"Are you alright?"

She gave a nod, but then changed her mind and shook her head.

Finn shut his journal and hesitantly got up, going over to her bed. Placing himself down like he had seen his brothers do, he opened her arms and gathered her in his embrace, letting her lay her head on his chest.

He held onto her, letting her be. It wasn't until Elijah came back into the room that they were interrupted.

"Good morning," he said with surprise.

He examined the scene and wondered what had happened. He went over and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I don't know his name," she said to them. "Shouldn't I know who he was?"

"Not necessarily," Finn spoke.

"Sometimes it's better not to know, Elena," Elijah advised. "Now, let's get you some breakfast."

She gave a small nod, then having them leave so she could change. She didn't want to be treated like she was weak.

Getting herself dressed and checking her phone, she saw a bunch of texts from her brother and friends. She let them all know she was okay and safe.

She was determined not to be a blubbering mess today.

With a long breath, she opened her bedroom door and went downstairs, smiling at the normalcy of the scene. Elijah was making food, Kol in the fridge, and Finn making coffee.

"Hey," she said to the three of them, going and taking a seat.

Finn passed her coffee and Kol came and sat next to her.

"Breakfast should be ready in a few minutes," he remarked.

"Can I help with anything?" she wondered.

"No, thank you," he remarked.

Kol kept her entertained with his childish actions and had her smiling and laughing at his poor jokes. When they had all finished eating, she helped Elijah with the dishes.

"Thank you for breakfast," she said kindly to him.

"It's not often I get to cook for someone," he remarked with a small smirk on his lips. She smiled to him, nudging him gently as they stood at the sink together.

It was his turn to make her laugh and smile, as she blew some of the soap bubbles at him and watched his taken aback expression.

She giggled to herself, unable to hold it in. Her ringing phone had cut their moment and she laughed when Elijah tried to whip her lightly with the wet kitchen towel.

"Hello?" she asked with a smile.

"You sound like you're having fun over there," Caroline remarked.

Her smile faded, unsure what that was supposed to mean. "What's up, Care?"

"Okay, so we got awesome feedback about the game yesterday and there are a few things I want to change about the cheer competition. It's in a little over 2 weeks and it's a lot more hardcore, Elena. So, I need you to get in shape. I'll come over for a run in a little bit and then Bonnie said she'll meet us to rehearse."

Elena's brows furrowed. "I thought we were doing the same routine as the game?"

"I'm not sure yet," the blonde answered. "I think I want to change it. I mean, we have to save something if we make it for the finals and I want it to be amazing. Everyone loved the whole dancing cheer thing."

"Okay," Elena sighed, hanging up with her.

"Busy day?" Finn asked coming into the living room.

"More like Caroline demanding another cheer practice," she grumped, tucking her phone in her back pocket.

"Didn't you girls just put on a show? It was wonderful, by the way," he remarked.

She gave a smile. "Thanks. Yeah, but there is this cheer competition coming up for varsity cheer and Caroline being Caroline has things to change up about it," she sighed.

"But you don't like cheer," he said more of in a questioning tone as he went to sit down.

"Not really. I mean, it was okay when I first started, but after my parents…" she faltered. "It felt like I wasn't that girl anymore, you know? And then getting back into it, Bonnie and Care helped make it more fun. And it's been okay—minus Caroline and her strict practices."

Finn stared at her. "Is she always so…" he didn't want to say demanding, but he had a hard time thinking of better words to describe her.

"Yup," Elena said, sitting next to him. "Especially when it comes to cheer. She worked incredibly hard to make captain. Every summer cheer camp she was working on the routines constantly."

"Cheer camp?" he asked. "Did you attend this?"

She nodded, her mind wandering to her life back then.

"Do you ever feel like you don't know who you are, anymore?" she asked.

"Often," he remarked. "But it seems love tends to give you a purpose."

She looked to him with surprise and he studied her expression, wondering if he was being too forward.

"Even for how complicated our situation is?"

"Yes," he answered.

"Elena!" Caroline's voice called from inside of the house.

Elena groaned and fell against Finn, not wanting to go running. He gave a small chuckle and kissed her head lightly. She smiled against him.

"Ele—there you are," Caroline said, seeing her with Finn on the couch. "You're not even dressed."

Elijah looked interested at the two, deciding to ignore the affection between her and Finn.

She gave a groan.

"Come on! You need to get in shape. You're going to the cheer competition and that's final," Caroline said demandingly, going and pulling her up off the couch. "Now, march!"

With a huff, Elena got up from the couch and left to change.

"I can see why Niklaus has an interest in her," Finn remarked to his brother.

"Yes," he agreed, having watched Caroline boss Elena around. "I can, too."

The girls were gone for over an hour and a half, and when they came back, Elena fell haphazardly on to the couch.

"Hide me," she murmured to Elijah and Finn in the room.

Kol sped over and grabbed a blanket, putting it over her and plopped a pillow over her head. She gave a laugh and then groaned when Caroline grabbed her legs and tried to pull her from the couch. "Let's go! We still need to work on the routine."

"Care," Elena complained. She was exhausted.

"You need to get back in shape. We are cheerleaders, Elena!"

"You are still a cheerleader," she said removing the blanket from her and cuddling with the pillow. "I am just a fill in."

"A cheerleader nonetheless," Finn remarked.

She shot him a look and he gave a small laugh.

"See! Finn even agrees with me. Now let's go!"

"I didn't say that," Finn corrected.

Caroline shot him a glare and he quickly shut up, making his brothers laugh.

The doorbell rang and Caroline stood above Elena, her hands on her hips. "That's Bonnie. Now I want you outside in 10 minutes!"

She sped off and Elena laid back on the couch, groaning at the idea.

Kol brought her water and she sighed, sitting up and giving him space on the couch.

"You know, Rebekah used to do cheer. Maybe she'd be interested in filling in for you," Elijah remarked over his book.

"Caroline and Rebekah? That would be a disaster," Elena said, knowing how controlling both blondes could be. They already fought over school dances.

Taking a swing of water, she stood and cracked her neck. "If I'm not back in an hour, call a search party for me," she told them.

Elijah cracked a smile and watched her go, her shorts showing her tan long legs.

"Well, I'm going to go watch this," he said.

"Kol, don't bother them," Elijah scolded, going back to his book.

"Don't pretend you weren't just checking Elena out," he mocked his brother. "At least I'll be honest about it."

Getting up, he left the room.

"He has a point," Finn remarked.

Elijah sighed, setting his fingers over the bridge of his nose and giving a pinch. He wanted to believe he wasn't a hopeless fool, but everything in him wanted to be with Elena.

"Suit yourself," Finn said, getting up to follow where Kol had left. "I'm sure she won't mind."

"I'm coming," Elijah huffed, marking his page and getting up, buttoning his suit and going to follow his brothers over their girl.

---

"Okay, like this, and then up," Caroline said, showing them the arm movements that she envisioned.

"You really want to change the routine this soon before the competition?" Bonnie asked skeptically.

"We could have had scouts at the game, okay? You never know," the blonde said.

Elena and Bonnie looked skeptically at one another but went with it.

"Turn…turn…" Caroline said, doing the move and the two followed. "Jump and turn."

The three went over the moves, doing them over and over until the piece came together.

"No, I still need to understand the clap part," Elena said, trying to envision the whole dance.

"Okay, let's go again then," Caroline said, starting from the top.

---

Elena worked on the cheer with Bonnie and Caroline for days. If it wasn't in their free time, it was during or after school.

She stayed with the Mikaelsons, not feeling safe to go home yet and stay in her room.

"Hey Elijah?" Elena asked one evening as they were cleaning up dinner together. "Where's Klaus? Doesn't he mind that I'm practically living in his house?"

"He took a trip to the countryside for a while," Elijah replied. "There is some business up there he wanted to attend to."

"You mean he's busy turning wolves," she said, knowing Klaus's real motives. "He's using my blood to make hybrids."

He hesitated.

She handed him a pan to dry.

"What happens when his stock of my blood runs out?"

He looked at her, knowing where her mind was going. "It won't happen, Elena."

She was quiet, picking up a soapy bowl.

"Elena," he said, taking the bowl from her hands and putting it down. He turned her to him, tilting her chin up to look at him. "He will not touch you."

"It's Klaus, Elijah," she said softly, pushing his hand down from her face. "You and I both know he'll get his way eventually. Somehow he always does."

He turned her to him again, waiting this time, for her to look at him. When she did, he brought his hand up, brushing his fingers through her hair and curling the few strands behind her ear. Cupping her face, he watched her, savoring the intimate moment with her.

"I will always protect you; you have my word on that," he said, then giving her a loving kiss.

She leaned into him, wanting more. There was something soothing about being with Elijah. It made her head stop buzzing.

"Are you staying tonight?" he wondered, pulling back from their kiss.

"I was thinking about it," she said lightly, her lips touching his once more.

"Let's spend some time together," he suggested. He felt like he hadn't seen her besides for dinner or dishes. Kol usually took up her time after dinner or Finn before she went to bed. "I want to read to you."

"I like the sound of that," she said with a soft smile. It sounded relaxing.

"Good," he replied, then kissing her forehead and going back to the dishes.

They finished up fairly quickly, Elena telling Kol and Finn she was hanging out with Elijah for the evening. Both were sullen and a tad unhappy.

She went to his room, browsing all of the books he had on his shelves. There were so many.

"What are you doing?" he wondered, having shed his coat and shoes and watched as she wandered his room. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.

"You know, last time I was here I was a bit of a mess," she said with a light smile over her shoulder. He kissed her gently, enjoying how he could do that and there was no remark from his brothers or uncomfortable look from her at their display of affection.

"I didn't get to see all of the books you have," she said, turning back to them. "Have you collected these from all of your years?"

"I have," he replied. "You may borrow them if you'd like."

She gave a small smirk and ran her fingers over the spines of the novels. "You may come to regret that," she said. "I don't know how often I'd leave here."

"Then by all means," he said, giving kisses to her neck. "Borrow all of them."

She smiled and gave a small laugh, finding his lightness to be un-Elijah like.

"What?" he questioned, seeing the sparkle in her eye. He enjoyed how happy she looked.

"Nothing," she said staring at him. "I'm just…I…" she blushed. "I like seeing this side of you."

"What side?" he questioned.

She was thoughtful for a moment. "The human side. The real Elijah side. Not the one who has to take care of everyone or manage everything or is the big bad Original. It's just you. And it's normal. I like it," she shrugged, turning back to the books.

He was thoughtful, finding it was oddly normal. They were just two people in relations that were discussing books.

He kissed her head.

He liked the humanity part of it all, too.

"Come," he said, giving her cheek a kiss. Taking her hand, he led her to the couch. A fire was already going.

She laid them down together, something that was new and surprising for Elijah.

He made sure she was comfortable, the two of them on one couch together. He often saw her do this with Kol, but never imagined he'd be doing the same sort of thing with her. She seemed to like the contact with them, never minding their touch.

"Ready?" he questioned with his arms around her.

She gave him a kiss and laid her head down on his chest. "Ready."

She soaked in the comfort of his voice. It was smooth and perfect. The way he read was flawless. She soon fell asleep, and he held her for the night, enjoying the moments of just the two of them. Pulling the blanket up over them, he listened to the rhythm of her breathing and slow beating heart and fell asleep.

---

"Hey," Elena said, coming outside and finding her brother with Bonnie and Caroline. "Jer, what are you doing here?" she went and gave him a hug.

"I have no idea," he said, looking to Caroline for an explanation.

"We need a judge to tell us how this whole thing is looking. And he's going to record it so we can see for ourselves."

"Okay," Jeremy agreed, taking Bonnie's phone

"Let's run through it first," Bonnie said.

Elena looked to her brother. "How are you?"

"Good," he nodded. "The house is quiet without you."

She looked away shamefully.

"You can come back you know," he said. "It's safe. Ric even changed the locks again—this time even on your window."

She gave a small smile, grateful for the two of them.

"We miss you, 'Lena."

"I know, Jer," she sighed. "It's just so weird going back, you know? Like…even though I know he's dead, I feel like could be creeping in my closet or standing there while I sleep.

"It just sucks," Jeremy complained. "It's like I don't even see you anymore. And you only see Ric when you're at school."

"Why don't we do dinner one night?" she asked, trying to make up for it. "We can meet at the Grill like old times. I know it's a bit different, but it still could be nice."

He gave a reluctant look, wishing for more.

"Okay, come on, Elena!" Caroline called. With a sigh, she got into position and went through the routine as Jeremy recorded it.

It took Caroline over an hour to watch the entire thing, as she stopped every few seconds to critique something they did.

"You know I'm not actually in the competition, right?" Bonnie asked, getting frustrated with all of the things she was told she had to work on.

"Right," Caroline said with a small laugh, hitting play.

Jeremy left soon after and they were left with running and practicing again.

"Elena! It goes pop, pop, then hip sway. Move those hips more," she instructed.

"Caroline, I'm exhausted," Elena said. It was dusk and they were still out practicing.

"Yeah, I think we are done for today, Care," Bonnie agreed.

"No! We need to get through the whole thing. Come on, you guys. This is varsity cheer!"

"And we both quit for a reason," Bonnie stated flatly.

Caroline gave her friends look of frustration.

"If I may interrupt," Finn called, walking out towards them.

'Save me' Elena mouthed. Caroline saw it and hit her friend lightly.

"What's up, Finn?" Bonnie asked.

"We were about to sit for dinner. Would you girls like to join us?"

"You guys actually eat?" Caroline wondered.

"They cook and clean too," Elena said with an amused look.

"Uh…sure, why not," Bonnie said, deciding to join for the night. Life couldn't get much weirder.

"Fine," Caroline sighed. She looked to her friends. "But not until we get through this one part, and Elena, I want to see those hips pop."

Elena rolled her eyes and huffed, going back into formation. She couldn't wait to get back inside Klaus's mansion.

---

"I'm not sure I can feel my legs," Elena complained after dinner with Bonnie when Caroline left. The girls laid on the living room floor heads next to one another put pointing opposite ways.

"I thought we were done with cheer," Bonnie huffed.

"Blame my dead stalker," she sighed.

"How are you holding up with that, by the way?" Bonnie questioned, staring up at the tall ceiling.

"Honestly?" she asked. "I try not to think about it, because when I do…well, then everything scares me."

Bonnie frowned. "Well, he's dead now. He can't get to you."

"He probably killed my parents, Bon," she said softly. "Whether he's dead or not, he got to me. He got to my family."

Bonnie turned her head to see her friend staring upward. "No one else is dying, okay?"

Elena quickly agreed, looking to her friend. "Definitely."

"Now," Bonnie grunted, sitting up with trouble. "We seriously need to do something about Caroline because I can't keep going like this. My body is going to completely fall apart."

She gave a laugh and agreed. "She's gotten pretty extreme."

"Bonnie. Elena," Esther called. Both girls tensed and looked over to the woman. "I don't mean to bother you both. Would you mind coming with me?"

The two glanced to one another and then slowly helped each other up. Dusting themselves off, followed Esther upstairs.

'What's going on," Bonnie murmured quietly.

"No idea," she replied.

The two followed Esther into her room, where sage was already burning. "I apologize for the interruption to your girls night. I wanted to be somewhere where my children wouldn't be able to overhear."

"Why?" Elena asked.

"A few things," Esther replied. She looked to Bonnie first. "Bonnie, do you happen to have a particular spell book? It green. It was your ancestor's, Ayana. I must say, when looking through all of mine, well, I missed some things I had written in hers. We had done many books together."

"Uh…I'd have to look," she said, still suspicious of the witch.

"I mean you both no harm," Esther clarified. "Ayana was a great mentor of mine. I wish to revisit some of her work and well, make peace with the spirits of nature."

"What does that mean?" Bonnie asked.

"Nothing terrible," Esther remarked. "And nothing that would bring troubles to either of you."

Both girls looked skeptically at one another.

"Elena," Esther said. "Have you chosen your true soul yet?"

"My true soul?" she repeated.

"I apologize," she said. "The principle defines it as finding a partner of your soul, in its truest form."

"a true soul," Bonnie restated, understanding the meaning then.

"…No, I haven't. Is there some sort of rush?"

"No," Esther said clipped, turning her back to them and checking the sage. "But I've observed everyone over the past weeks. It's hard on all of you."

"It's a big thing to try to grapple with," Bonnie said, sticking up for her friend.

"No doubt that it is," Esther replied. "And you should take the time to choose wisely. I know my sons can get possessive, but you've done a remarkable job of keeping peace between them."

"Really, it's all of them. They're just being respectful about the whole situation."

The witch nodded. "Well, I won't keep you both. Bonnie, if you so happen to find that spell book, would you be so kind and bring it to me?"

"…Sure," she said, forcing a smile to her face.

The two girls clasped hands and quickly scurried from the room.

"What the hell was that?" Bonnie asked as they walked swiftly down the hall.

"I have no idea," Elena replied.

"No offense, but I'm getting out of here before anything else happens," Bonnie stated, going and grabbing her things when they got downstairs.

"Sorry, Bon," she sighed.

"It's not your fault Elena. I'll…let you know if I find the book," she said hushly.

Elena walked her to the door and watched her go.

"Did Bonnie leave?" Kol questioned, walking up to her.

"Yeah," she said. "And with that, I'm going up to take a bath."

"Is that an invitation?" he wondered, watching her walk up the stairs.

"You wish," she called.

"That I do, Darling," he replied.

She gave a small laugh and shook her head, going upstairs and to her room for the rest of the night.

---

It was late when Elena went knocking on Elijah's office door. Poking her head in she saw him filing some things away, turning to look at who entered.

"Everything alright, Elena?" he wondered, seeing how it was past midnight.

"Yeah," she said, slipping inside and shutting the door. She realized she couldn't speak freely with him. Esther usually had burning sage.

"Elena?" he asked curiously.

"Can I…borrow that?" she asked, pointing to his laptop. Looking at her puzzled, he gave a nod, letting her come behind his desk and sit.

Taking a seat in his large office chair, she pulled up a document and began typing.

Esther is looking for a spell book of Bonnie's.

Elijah hovered over her shoulder, reading the text. He looked at her with concern and then began typing back to her.

Do you know what for?

No, Elena answered. It was Ayana's. She didn't say much about it, only that she was hoping to get it from Bonnie. Why would she want that?

Elijah looked to her, his face hovering near hers. "I'm not sure," he whispered quietly. He looked to his laptop and typed on a new line.

Did she say anything else to you or Bonnie? When was this?

She asked Bonnie and I upstairs for a moment after dinner. Besides asking for the book, she wondered how the whole soulmate thing was going. Bonnie left right after. It freaked her out and honestly, me too.

She gave him the laptop and he typed another message.

Thank you for telling me.

She looked back at him after reading his note and nodded. Giving him a loving kiss, she pulled back and stared at his tie. "Be careful," she pleaded.

"I'm right here, Elena," he promised her. Staring up at him, she placed a hand on his smooth cheek and kissed him once more. "I should head to bed," she whispered. "I'll see you in the morning."

He watched her go before staring at their messages. What was his mother up to?

---

Before going out for her morning run, Elena caught Finn in the kitchen, asking if they could go talk in his room.

"What's wrong?" he asked, seeing her troubled face.

"What's going on?" she questioned to him. "Where is Esther and why did she want Bonnie's spell book?"

Finn looked at her with a bewildered expression. "What are you talking about?"

Tilting her head in her own confusion, Elena sat them down and did what she did with Elijah, but instead with her phone.

Unlike Elijah, Finn asked more questions, wondering about the book and anything else she wanted.

What is going on? Elena messaged him. Does this have something to do with Klaus? Is she trying to find a way to kill him?

Finn let out a sigh. Looking over to her, he turned back to his phone and began typing a long message to her. She waited in anticipation, anxious to what it said. When he hit send, it wasn't a second later before she received the message.

My mother and I had a plan to destroy Niklaus before I knew about you. It was to stop him…and my other siblings. Remember, Elena, my mother deems us to be abominations and at the time, I couldn't help but to agree. I hate who I am.

She looked up at him after reading that part of his message, surprise in her eyes. She knew he wasn't fond of the lifestyle, but his own self-hatred ran deep.

He gave her a nod to encourage reading.

With your blood and the sacrifice of my life, we would be able to link my siblings so that if one died, we all would. It was the best plan my mother could conjure. But when we found out about the Soulmate Principle, things changed—for me especially. I backed out from the deal with my mother.

Hitting reply, she took a moment to type what she wanted. Were you going to kill me?

His eyes widened in surprise and he was quick to address the matter. No. All the spell required was some of your blood. A few drops, maybe a bit more. We were going to put it in the evenings toast.

She swallowed hard and stared at his message. You'd willingly help kill your siblings?

We're monsters, Elena, he typed back. Love may have showed me how to live, but it doesn't change what I believe. We've hurt so many.

Her heart sank and she wondered if the soulmate principle had influenced them all more than she thought. Were their feelings for her real? Turning off her phone screen, she got up and went to leave.

"Elena," Finn said, quickly getting up and catching her wrist.

"Do you know about now?" she asked, unable to look at him.

"No, I don't. I swear to you."

She stood frozen, unsure what to think. "I should get out there and run. I'll be back later," she said to him. Removing herself from his grasp, she left his bedroom, running into Kol.

"Darling," he smirked.

"Sorry," she said, side-stepping him and walking down the rest of the stairs.

He watched her go, puzzled of her reaction. Had he done something? Turning around on the staircase, he decided to go after her and find out himself.

She went running through town, listening to music to try and fill all of the thoughts swirling through her head. She only stopped when her phone rang and saw it was Caroline.

"Yeah, Care?"

"Where are you? We were supposed to meet 10 minutes ago."

Elena looked at the time and sighed. "I lost track of time. I'm all the way in town in the middle of a run. I—"

"—can meet her in just a few seconds," Kol remarked, coming up behind her.

Elena spun around on heel.

"You were following me?"

"After calling your name like a bloody idiot, yes," he replied. He had called her name for almost an entire block before speeding around to wait until she came to a stop.

She looked back to her phone and then Kol. "I'll be there soon, Care."

Hanging up, she put her it back in her pocket.

"Coffee?" he questioned, seeing a coffee shop nearby. "My treat."

She walked with him, stretching her muscles as he went in and ordered for her.

"Now," he said, coming out moments later. "Do you want to tell me what's going on?"

"Do you think what's happening between us is real?" she questioned.

"What?" he asked caught off guard.

"If we weren't led together by some crystal, do you think you would have noticed me?"

"It's hard not to notice you, Darling," he remarked. Seeing her brows furrowed, he found this was something serious to her.

"I came up to you not knowing the crystal would change, Elena," he remarked.

"And you did so to play with Klaus and bother him. You came up to me only because you knew I was a doppelganger," she said sadly.

"And you think my feelings altered after that?"

"Did they?" she wondered, turning to him. "Is what you, and Finn, and Elijah feel—…is it really real? For me? Or is this just…"

She didn't know what it could be.

"Why would you doubt this?" he asked.

"Because—" She hesitated. "I thought…you were all led by your feelings and that's how you fell for me, but what if it was the crystal?"

She thought about how Finn had wanted to die before the crystal had showed him his soulmate. If it hadn't and they had met, would he have gone through with the plan?

Kol's brows furrowed.

"Elena," he said, bringing her to him and pressing them together. She sucked in a sharp breath.

"Is that what you think? That I love you because some rock told me to?"

Her eyes grew big. "What?"

"Oh, bloody…" he looked away and ran a hand through his hair. Well. It was out. "Yes, I love you. Of course, I do."

She looked at him wide-eyed.

"But, besides that point, and quickly getting to yours," he spoke hastily, "No, a rock didn't tell me to love you. It just…let me know it was you that was worth investing my time. I learned all on my own you were the one I wanted to love."

She swallowed hard and nodded. "Okay."

"Good," he said. "Now, what do you say we get ourselves of this awkward situation and go see Caroline?"

"Before we do," she said, stopping him from whisking her away.

He looked at her curiously.

"Do you think you can help me find out about my ancestry?" she asked.

"Isn't this more of Elijah's department?" he questioned, knowing how his brother dug into that sort of thing.

"Maybe," she said hesitantly. "But he's also had past history with the other doppelgangers and I don't want that to bring up things for him. I guess I want to know more about my bloodline. My blood is magical and I want to know more about what that means."

"I think I can manage that," he remarked with a smirk.

Cracking a small smile, she stepped into his arms and he sped them back home.

---

She was getting for bed after a long day when Finn knocked on her door. "May we talk?"

Rubbing lotion on her arms, she hesitantly nodded. "Sure, come in."

He stepped in her room, shutting the door behind him.

"I…" He paused. He wasn't sure what to say.

"I was afraid," she said, offering him some help to start their conversation.

He looked to her puzzled. "I wondered if this whole soulmate thing was all…" she sighed.

"All what?" he questioned.

"If it made you guys love me," she said. "I wondered if could be real."

"Why couldn't it be?" he asked, going to sit with her on the edge of her bed.

"Because it seems like all anyone ever sees is Katharine, or maybe Tatia," she said. "I've never just been seen as…me."

He frowned. He was guilty as seeing her as a doppelganger first and a person second.

"Elena…"

She looked to him. "If it weren't for the crystals, it seems like we would have gone down very different paths," she said, then thinking of his plan for Klaus.

"But we have them," he remarked. "They are with us. You're wearing Kol's," he said, pointing to the rock around her neck.

She looked at it and nodded.

"Magic did not make us do anything. It was a guide to us," he spoke. "My mother called it a gift. A kindness. She worried about us living forever and thought love was something to be cherished and never forgotten."

Elena stared at him.

"The choices I've made, I do not regret," he said. "You are not a regret."

They were quiet.

"Finn?" she asked. "Tell me everything is going to be okay." She didn't want to lose them.

Taking her hand and putting it in his, he gave it a squeeze. "It will."

"And…how you…felt," she said, trying to say words while being conscious of others potentially listening. "Will that be okay too?"

"It will," he vowed. "As I told you, it's different now. You've given me meaning to more than just living, Elena. You reminded me of the importance of family—of siblings."

He gave her hand a kiss. "I wouldn't break that. And I certainly wouldn't hurt you because of it."

He was aware how much Kol and Elijah meant to her as well. As often as he got jealous, he never wanted to take his brothers away from her. They brought her happiness and her feel loved. Kol could bring her immense happiness and Elijah security. He liked to think he brought her comfort and she often sought him out when needing peace and tranquility.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"It was my fault in the first place," he admitted. If it weren't for his views and self-sacrifice, she wouldn't have run out doubting herself and his feelings.

"I think anyone who has been stuffed away for 900 years gets a bit of leniency," she remarked.

He gave a small laugh and stared at her. He enjoyed her kindness.

Leaning in, he gave her a soft kiss to the lips.

It was different kissing Finn. It wasn't needy like Elijah or melt worthy like Kol. It was simple. He felt simple. Everything felt okay when kissing him.

"Goodnight, Elena," he said pulling away.

"Night, Finn," she said with a blush.

Watching him go, she waited until the door was closed to lay back in bed and think about the tingly feeling kiss.

---

"Elena, I want your feet together on the flips," Caroline instructed. "And Bonnie—"

"Caroline, I'm not going to be in the competition. My performance won't matter," she said flatly.

"Right," Caroline remembered with a nod. "Then from the top."

"May I suggest a break?" Elijah asked, coming outside to interrupt. "You girls have been going for hours."

"The competition is less than a week away," the blonde stated. "This is the time to push harder."

"Care, if you push much further, we're not going to have legs to perform this cheer," Elena said, going over towards Elijah. She was ready to ask him to vampire run her somewhere.

"There is still so much to work on, you guys!" she complained frantically.

"And we are working on them every day, Caroline," Bonnie said. "Lunch, after school and here."

"What's going on out here?" Kol asked, seeing Elena stretching against Elijah.

"We're trying to convince Caroline to let us take a break," Elena said. "Either that or I'm going to make one of you run and hide me somewhere."

Caroline crossed her arms and glared at her friend while Bonnie snickered.

"You know what you could do?" Kol said. "Perform the routine for us."

"No," Elena said quickly.

"It'd be good practice," Caroline said considering it.

"It'd look better with the entire team though," Bonnie said skeptically.

"No, we could do it," Caroline said thoughtfully. She nodded, giving the idea more thought.

"I hate you," Elena muttered to Kol. Elijah raised an amused brow.

"You love me, Darling," he said cheekily. Calling Finn out, the three stood in anticipation, waiting to see this routine. Elena had once banned them from the windows after being caught in watching them one of the first days they started practicing.

"So, are we splitting the parts?" Bonnie asked for clarification. The cheer called for the team to split to three groups, but there were only three of them there.

"Yes, perfect," Caroline said. "From the top!"

With a long breath, Elena got into formation with Caroline and Bonnie and Kol pressed play on the music.

Their moves with one another were precise and sharp, each matching and in line with one another. Making big motions with their arms and moving their bodies, they went jumping about and moving around, alternating around the area.

At one part, Bonnie and Caroline made space for Elena, who did a few flips down the middle of them, landing on her feet and jumping right back into the routine with the group.

When the routine was over, the men clapped.

"Elena, I want those feet tucked more. You have to be ready to go right into the routine after you land," Caroline instructed.

Elena let out a frustrated sigh and before she could make a retort, Finn jumped in with a compliment to Caroline on the choreography.

"Breathe," Kol told her, going over and rubbing her sore shoulders.

"I think we're done for the day," Bonnie said, seeing the tension in Elena.

"But!"

"Enough, Caroline," Kol stated sterner this time.

"Pick it up again tomorrow," Elijah recommended in a nicer tone.

The girls all left and Elena went collapsing on the grass. "This is why I quit cheer," she complained to them all.

"Come on, let's go make dinner," Finn advised, holding a hand out for her.

"My arms are too tired to reach you," she stated.

"And here I thought I was the dramatic one," Kol remarked.

Elijah and Finn both snickered, while Kol went and scooped her up, smiling to her as she held onto him. "Not a problem. Kol to the rescue." He then sped her into the house and had her laughing once more.

---

Elena stared at her uniform laying out on her bed before calling it a night. She glared at it.

"If you stare at it for a while longer, you might have a good chance of it catching fire," Elijah remarked from the doorway.

"While I wish that would happen, I think Caroline would kill me if it did," she replied, glancing over at him.

He walked inside her room and went over, standing behind her and giving her cheek a kiss. "What are you doing then?"

"Staring at my uniform with hatred," she said simply.

"And why is that?" he asked, looking at the clothing. He was quite fond of how she looked in it.

"It doesn't seem to represent anything good anymore," she said. "The one time it did feel good, I found out my stalker essentially put me in it by killing Tiki."

Elijah frowned and kissed her shoulder. "That girl's death was not your fault, Elena."

"Maybe not directly, but I feel responsible," she said. "She probably would have been alive if it weren't for me."

"And she might not have," he countered. "We may never know."

She frowned and looked to him. "That's not helpful."

He gave her a kiss. "You can't control everything, Elena."

She sighed and looked back at her uniform.

"I think you happen to look quite stunning in it," he murmured in her ear, then giving teasing kisses. She gave a laugh and bit her lip not to moan as his lips ventured down to her neck.

"Let me guess, you have some fantasy too?"

"Not exactly," he murmured. He found he just liked seeing her in very little. His phone began buzzing in his breast pocket, making them both sigh.

"Get out of here," she said, giving him one last kiss and having him go do work.

"Sweet dreams, Elena," he said, giving her another kiss before walking out of her room and answering his call.

Elena went and put her uniform over the chair, then pinning up her hair to get into bed.

There was another knock on her door and she looked over at it. "Come in."

Kol popped in, papers in hand.

"What's that?" she asked.

"You'd be surprised what I could find in Mystic Falls archives," he said, going over to her and showing his findings. Since she had mentioned wanting to learn more about her ancestry, he had help her to do so, reaching out to resources he could find.

"Wait, look at this," she said, seeing an old paper. Katharine's father came from a line of witches and magic.

"Katharine was part-witch?" she asked Kol. "Wouldn't that also make me one?"

He looked at the lineage and nodded. "It would."

"What does that mean?" she asked. "Do you think that's why my blood is so powerful?"

"More digging would have to be done to understand that, Darling."

She frowned.

"We'll keep looking," he said supportively. "In the meantime, you've got a cheer competition to worry about."

She groaned and fell backwards in her bed.

"Oh, come on now," he teased.

"You just want to see me in uniform," she scolded him.

"You're beautiful, Elena," Kol told her, looking down at her. "Even in a cheerleader's uniform. It's just another side to you."

Giving a sigh, she pulled at his arm and made him lay down with her. "Are you coming tomorrow?"

"Absolutely," he remarked. "Elijah and Finn are too."

"So, what you're telling me is no pressure," she said sarcastically with an eye roll.

"What I'm saying is you need to keep your feet together after those flips. You have to get right into the dancing," he remarked mockingly of Caroline.

Elena gave a laugh and lightly hit him.

He smiled to her and kissed her lovingly. "You'll do great."

She laid with him, snuggling against him. She loved how warm Kol was. "Will you stay till I fall asleep?"

"Of course," he murmured, "but let's get you more comfortable."

He removed the papers off the foot of the bed and helped her under the covers, settling enxt to her and turning off the light. He felt her tense slightly.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

She gave a hesitant nod and hung onto him a bit tighter.

"Elena, are you afraid?"

"…it's not…I mean…" she hesitated.

"I'm not judging you, Darling," he remarked, looking at her in the dark.

"I never knew he was watching me sleep, Kol. And we don't even truly know for how long. I'm afraid when it gets dark that I just don't see him and he's in my room somewhere. And everyone is telling me he's dead and I know he is, but…"

"It still scares you."

She nodded. "Elijah has kept the fireplace on for me, or has been reading to me. And if I'm here alone, I just keep the light on. I know it's silly."

"It's not," he remarked. "You were stalked, Elena. You can be afraid."

"I feel like if I am, he has power over me."

"Never," he said strongly. "You are Elena Gilbert—as fierce as they come. You're safe and he is gone. No one has power over you besides you."

She nodded.

"Do you want me to turn the light back on?" he asked.

"Just hold me tighter," she declared.

"Anything," he whispered to her, giving her kisses of comfort and kept her tucked tight to him until she finally slept.

---

Elena woke early, getting dressed in her uniform and staring at herself in the mirror.

Hearing a knock on her door, she went and opened it, seeing Elijah with a large coffee, bag of pastries, and white gerbera daisy in hand.

Smiling to him, she took the flower from his extended hand and let him inside.

"You look stunning," he remarked, bringing her into his arms.

"I feel not exactly like me," she said honestly, running her hands over his suit.

"Maybe so, but it's only for a little while," he replied.

Nodding, she continued to stare at his suit. He was always so put together.

"You're nervous," he observed, hearing her heart beat. It was quicker than usual.

"I don't know why," she said, feeling silly again. It was just a competition.

"You've been practicing for weeks now, Elena. You can do this."

"Yeah," she said softly and then relaxing when he kissed her. It was all too soon for her when he pulled away.

"You need to eat something before you go. And more than just coffee," he instructed, knowing how she drank coffee like it was a food.

Shen went looking in the bag when she was distracted by a commotion downstairs.

"I've done no such thing!" Rebekah yelled.

Curious, Elena looked to Elijah and went to go see what was going on. Walking down the stairs, she halted at the middle of the staircase seeing Klaus. He was yelling in the front of the house at Rebekah.

"Niklaus," Elijah called, walking down the adjacent staircase.

"Was it you?" he snapped, looking impatiently at his brother and sister.

"What have I done now?" Elijah asked bored.

"I happen to come home looking for my last few bags of doppelganger blood and seem to be missing one. Now, which one of you took it?!"

Elena flinched at his bellowing.

"Why would I take it Nik?! What use would I have with it?!"

"Oh, I don't know," he snapped to Rebekah. "You've only been jealous of my abilities to make my hybrids! What, Rebekah? You can't stand to see me build a new and greater family?!"

"And what would my reasoning be, Niklaus?" Elijah asked, adjusting his suit.

Klaus's gave his brother a flat, knowing glare. "Oh, don't get all high and mighty on me. You've never liked my ability to make hybrids. And now that it interferes with your so-called love for MY doppelgänger, you would do anything to see me miserable," he spat.

"Yes, it's always about you Niklaus, isn't it? It could never be that neither Rebekah nor I had anything to do with your missing blood," he said with a shortness in his tone.

Klaus glared and then went to look back to his sister when he noticed Elena at the stairs.

"Isn't this perfect?" he asked, a grin growing on his face.

Elena sucked in a sharp breath and went to make a run for it, when Finn was there to catch his brother and Kol had pulled her to the top of her stairs, putting her behind him.

"Don't you dare, Nik," Kol warned.

"You will not lay a finger on her," Finn stated darkly, a hand on his brother's chest in warning.

"I need not a finger, just a needle to a vein," Klaus sneered. He looked to Elena. "How 'bout it, love?"

Elena cowered back into Kol.

"Enough, Niklaus," Elijah snapped. "Elena will not be giving you any of her blood."

"Just be done with your hybrids," Rebekah begged her half-brother. "You don't need them. You have family now. We are all here!"

"You people mean nothing!" he shouted. "I have no cares for any brothers! For my sister! I want my bloody hybrids!" he roared.

Elena clutched onto the back of Kol's jacket and he pulled her to him, pressing her to his back in case they needed to run off.

"What?!" Rebekah shouted incredulous. "You're unbelievable! You'd ditch me for them?! For your stupid hybrids?" she spat. "It's always been me, Nik! Not Finn, not Elijah, not Kol! Me! I've been the one who's loved you through everything!"

Klaus heaved with anger, his body practically shaking with pent up rage.

"We have not touched your precious blood, Niklaus," Elijah stated perturbed. "Now, if that is all, you may leave."

Klaus's eyes glowered at his brother. "This is my house!"

"I have taken it," Esther called from the top of the stairs.

All heads snapped to her. "If you're looking for a bag of Elena's blood. I have it in my possession."

"Give it to me," Klaus seethed.

"I cannot," she replied.

Klaus sped up to the top of the stairs to her, and Finn was quick to follow. He found his mother was nothing but a projection, almost like a spirit.

"I've left to where you will never find me, Niklaus," she told her son.

"What have you done?!" he shouted in her face. She stared at him, her face telling nothing, and then vanished.

With Klaus pre-occupied, ready to hunt his mother, Rebekah left in tears, and Kol sped Elena back to her room, holding her as she shook and tried to help calm her fears.

"How do you feel about a bit of a vacation?" he questioned. He wanted her away from his brother.

The door to her room opened and Elijah slipped inside. He had heard Kol's offer, and while he hated it, he knew it was best for her safety.

"What do you say?" Kol asked, running his hands up and down her arms.

"I-I can't just leave," she said, trying to get her brain to think.

"Sure, you can, darling," he charmed. "We can pack your things and get you out of here."

Elena looked befuddled, glancing to Elijah, who stood quietly in the room, and back to Kol.

"What about everyone else?" she asked, thinking Klaus could go after her loved ones.

"They'll be safe," Elijah assured her.

"Niklaus will have his hands full with finding mother at the moment," Finn added, coming into the bedroom. "He left a few minutes ago with a bag."

She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"Let's get away," Kol urged to her. "Wherever you'd like."

She shook her head, pulling away from him. She put her arms around herself.

"I can't just leave Kol. I've got a cheer competition," she said looking down briefly at her outfit. Her brows furrowed. "And what about school?"

"I'm not saying run away with me, darling," he said soothingly. He cupped her cheek and ran his thumb over her skin. "I'm saying let's get away for a few days. We can leave after your competition. We both could use the time to relax. Let my brothers take care of things here."

Elena peeled her eyes from Kol and looked at Elijah and Finn, who were trying to look as encouraging as they could; though, they wished to be the ones going with her.

"When you return, we can all have a proper discussion about matters here," Elijah encouraged, trying to be the better man. Her safety was his priority. It was all that mattered to him.

She hesitated.

"Go have fun, Elena," Finn encouraged.

She stared at him, unsure if she could really say yes.

Swallowing hard, she gave it some thought. It felt like running away to her, but she also knew staying at the mansion was unsettling. Emotions were high at the Mikaelsons.

"Okay," she gave in. She looked to the three of them and nodded.

"Let's get you packed," Kol encouraged, not wanting her to change her mind. While the two went packing her things into a duffle, Elijah and Finn talked amongst themselves, sorting out their plans.

"You both have five minutes," Elijah said, glancing to his watch, and back at Kol and Elena. They needed to get her to her cheer competition.

Kol sped around the room and helped her continue to gather her things before running off to get his own.

"You both are sure?" Elena asked, looking to Elijah and Finn.

"I am," Finn remarked.

She looked to Elijah. He went to her. Cupping his hand to her neck, he stared at her, letting out a breath. "Go enjoy yourself."

She looked at him with her doe-like eyes.

"After your cheer competition, of course," he added. A small smile grew across her face and it went across his as well. He loved her smile.

"Ready?" Kol asked from the doorway, attempting to hide his displeasure at his brother's intimacy with Elena.

Nodding, she went to grab her bag, but Elijah grabbed it for her. Giving him a quick 'thanks', she smiled when Finn put a hand to her back and guided her out the door.

---

The competition was in full swing. Parking in a space outside of the Richmond Public High School, Elena looked out the window and let out a nervous breath.

"You'll do great," Elijah encouraged her from the driver's seat.

"Feet together," Kol teased.

She gave a small laugh, and looked over at him, giving him a shove.

"Ready?" Finn asked from the passenger's seat.

"If I said no?" she asked them.

"We'd wait," Elijah answered.

Her heart hammered in her chest and she tried to keep herself calm. "It's stupid to be so nervous."

"It means a lot to you," Elijah said.

"They do," Finn corrected. "Your friends."

She nodded.

Kol reached over from his seat next to her in the back and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. "You can do this, Darling."

Nodding, she took in another breath and went to get out. Standing tall, she looked around seeing the school buses, various cheerleaders and people entering the school.

Putting on her brave face, she gathered her determination and steeled herself. "Let's do this," she told them, walking towards the school.

"Elena!" Jeremy called.

Turning on heel, she went looking for her brother's voice. He was raising his hand and waving a few feet away with Bonnie beside him.

Elena gave a bright smile and went rushing for her brother, hugging him tight when they finally met.

"What?" he said with a laugh, holding onto his sister tight. "You didn't think I'd come?"

She grinned to him, incredibly happy to see him.

"Mom and dad would be proud," he said to her, hugging her once more.

She let go of him then, and went to Bonnie, who was staring happily at her. "You're gong to be amazing. Don't let Caroline get to you. We both know how she can get."

Elena nodded, her heart still beating nervously.

"Where is she?"

"Where do you think?" Jeremy asked with a knowing look.

"Prepping," Elena said. The two nodded.

"Have you stretched?" Bonnie asked.

Elena shook her head. It had been a long morning.

"Okay, well, did you need help?"

Elena looked to her brother mischievously. Going over to him, she kicked her leg up and set her ankle on his shoulder. "No, luckily I've got Jeremy."

Jeremy looked at her, trying not to smile. He rolled his eyes. "Nice way to use your brother."

She grinned at him, while the Mikaelsons all noted her flexibility.

There was some cheering going on a ways away and Bonnie and Elena stared at them. "They're good," she noted.

"So is Caroline," Bonnie said with a confident voice. She looked to her friend and smiled.

"Okay," Elena said, dropping her leg. She turned to everyone. "I should go then. Before Caroline comes out."

She reached up on her toes and kissed her brother's cheek and then hugged Bonnie once more. Going over to the three Mikaelsons, she hugged each one.

"Oh wait, Elena!" Bonnie said, going into her bag. She went and used a makeup crayon on her cheek, adding a small temporary tattoo.

"Perfect," she grinned. "Now, go find your inner-pep."

Elena gave a laugh and smiled brightly. Waving to all of them, she went off in the crowd and went looking for her team.

"So, what happened?" Bonnie asked, turning to the Mikaelsons. They looked at her curiously.

"I know my best friend," she told them. "Something happened."

As they filed into the gym, the Mikaelsons hushly filled in Bonnie and Jeremy about what happened. She stared at them worriedly. That book Esther had asked her about had vanished in the night.

"Bloody hell," Kol muttered when they went looking for some seats.

The place was packed and everyone was noisy. It was just as bad as the football game, if not worse, since they were in an enclosed space where everyone voices echoed off the walls.

They all sat through cheer after cheer, listening and watching girls clap and jump around. Kol thought most were boring and was getting impatient to see Elena.

"And now! Please welcome the Mystic Falls Varity Timberwolves!" The announcer yelled.

Kol perked up, quickly clapping and cheering beside Bonnie.

They all ran out in their red uniforms onto the mats and got into position. The Mikaelsons all spotted Elena, watching her as they went through their usual spelling cheer.

When they stopped, they all sucked in a breath, getting ready for the big dance.

Feel it Still came on and they began moving.

It was perfect and more amazing than they had all seen. The entire team coming together had made a huge difference.

"Woo!" Bonnie yelled.

Elena smiled proudly, moving her hips and following perfectly in sync with her teammates.

"Here we go," Bonnie said quietly to them, seeing it was Elena's part to do the flips. They watched her get a running start, executing every spring perfectly. Her feet were together and she jumped in to the rest of the routine like it was easy.

The song quickly wrapped up from there and they ended with their confident pause.

They all cheered loudly and proudly, happy to see how she had done it perfectly. When they walked off from the area, the team was all hugging each other, particularly Elena and Caroline hugging one another.

It was a fairly long afternoon, especially since the Timberwolves made finals. It was them and two other groups.

"What happens now?" Kol asked Bonnie.

"Now, they are going for first, second and third place, she said, taking her seat when the event resumed. They all have one last routine to do."

"And this was prepared ahead of time?" Finn asked, not remembering Elena talking about this.

"Oh yeah," Bonnie said.

It wasn't long before the Mystic Falls group came back onto the mats and got in place. Problema came on and they began moving.

The Mikaelsons all swallowed hard, seeing the routine have a lot of hip movements. At one point they were on the floor, moving their hips around.

The men couldn't keep their eyes off Elena, watching her body move, thrusting and popping. Her body moved quickly but perfectly, shaking and shimmying.

"My God," Finn stated lowly.

"I have a newfound appreciation for cheerleading," Kol decided.

Finn gave his young brother a smack to the back of the head at the disrespect, while Elijah looked at him with disapproval for his words.

The team did a bunch of flips and lifts. After a particular move, Bonnie cheered for them, and they figured it wasn't an easy move to land, though they all made it look simple.

When the music was over, they added a bit more cheer and then froze. Applause from the crowd was then allowed and everyone clapped and shouted for them.

"There's no way they can't win this, right?" Jeremy asked Bonnie. The Timberwolves had been the best out of the three.

"It could go anyone's way," Bonnie said softly. "The judges look at a lot."

The three groups came onto the mats with the announcer holding awards.

"And third place goes to…."

They all watched as it went to a bunch of cheerleaders in yellow. It had left blue versus red.

"I'll compel them if I have to," Kol muttered. Elena worked to hard not to win this.

Elijah shot him a look and went back to the show.

"First place…. goes to…"

Everyone was quiet and Elijah scolded the announcer for drawing the award out.

"The Timberwolves!"

The girls all jumped and cheered and Elena pushed Caroline to go get the award, seeing her so shocked and happy.

The Mikaelsons, Jeremy and Bonnie all stood and cheered for them.

Elena smiled and waved to them, then laughing as Caroline ran and hugged her, holding up the large trophy.

---

It was late and Elena was out cold when Kol carried her inside to their hotel.

"Mmm…where are we?" she groaned tiredly. They had left right after her cheer competition and she had slept most of the evening, exhausted from the event.

"Safe," he said. "Now sleep," he commanded gently, lulling her back into slumber.

---

She woke up to the sounds of waves crashing. Confused, she rubbed her eyes and sat up, surprised at her surroundings. She was in a large room that was completely windows. With a balcony and a view of the water, she looked around to the carpeted room and found herself in a large white bed.

"Kol?" Elena asked, shaking him awake.

Giving a small groan and rubbing his eyes, he smiled upon waking up with her.

"Where are we?" she questioned gently.

He pulled her closer. "The Bahamas."

"The Bahamas?" she asked with wide eyes.

He gave a laugh at her expression and let her go, knowing she was itching to get out of bed.

Elena pulled the covers back and slipped from bed, grabbing a sweater left out for her at the foot of the bed. She was glad she had changed into shorts and a tank earlier. She had missed their entire evening of travels.

Going out to the balcony, she looked out to see the incredible view.

Kol came out and wrapped her in his arms, kissing her cheek. "Welcome to the Bahamas, Elena."

She was speechless, stunned that she was even somewhere outside of Virginia. "This is amazing."

He snickered and kissed her cheek. "This is just the hotel, Darling. You haven't seen anything yet."

She looked to him over her shoulder, wondering all of the possibilities.

"Get dressed," he commanded. He planned to show her everything the place had to offer.

One of the first things they did after breakfast was buy her more clothing and some bathing suits. They hadn't stopped back at her house, and her duffle only had so many things—none of which were suited for their trip.

"Are you sure this is alright?" she asked, seeing him pay for everything.

"Yes," he said for the millionth time. He had even picked up a few things so she felt less uncomfortable.

They ventured around the island, where he showed her some of the sights and had her explore and taste the foods.

"How long are we here for?" she wondered. There was a list of things she wanted to do, but there wasn't enough time in the day.

"I figured a week or so," he said, laying on their bed as they settled in for the night. It had been a long day of exploring. "Bonnie and Caroline are picking up your homework and Alaric already called you in saying you were out sick."

She nodded, going to lay with him. "Have you heard from Elijah or Finn?"

"No," he said, not having bothered to check in with them. "But here," he said, handing her his phone with the international plan.

She gave him a kiss and rolled out of bed, going to video call them.

"Kol?" Elijah asked, picking up the phone when he saw his brother's name on the screen.

"Elijah," Elena said with a smile.

Elijah sat back from his work and smiled at her. He was happy to see her. "Elena."

She flipped the camera and showed him the night view.

"You're having fun," he said, enjoying her smile.

She told him about her day and what they had done, making him laugh with some of her stories.

Smiling to him, she stared at him. "How are you?"

He looked tired.

"Fine," he remarked.

She gave him a look, knowing fine was a cop out.

"I'm looking into things," he said. "Bonnie mentioned the spell book my mother was looking for vanished."

It was odd that they could talk freely now. Esther and Klaus were both gone from the mansion and secrets no longer had to be kept.

"Have you found anything?"

"Not yet," he sighed. "But I will."

She nodded, trying not to worry that Esther had her blood.

"Kol," Elijah remarked, seeing his brother come out.

"Elijah," he replied.

There was some talking in the background of Elijah's camera and he moved the camera to show Finn.

"Finn," Elena smiled.

The four talked for a while until it was getting late.

"Keep me updated?" she requested.

"Of course," Elijah replied. They wished her goodnight and she hung up the phone, giving it back to Kol.

"Thank you," she said with a smile.

"Bed with you," he commanded lightly. He had a full day for them planned, having seen her running list she wrote on the hotel paper of things she wanted to do.

She curled up against him as he shut off the light.

"Sleep, Elena," he ordered with his eyes closed. Kissing her head, he ran his fingers up and down her arm, slowly helping her to get rest for the evening.

---

Kol was thoroughly enjoying his time, especially seeing her in a bikini. He grabbed the drinks from the bartender and brought them over to where they sat. She was busy reading a book Elijah had recommended.

"You're staring," she remarked, feeling his eyes on her.

"I am," he said, not one bit ashamed.

She closed her book and looked at him. "Why?"

"You're stunning," he replied simply.

She blushed and smiled. Sitting up and swinging her feet to the sand, she took a sip of her fruity drink and then put up her hair.

"Come on," she said, taking his hand and dragging him upward.

"Where are we going?"

"Where else?" she questioned teasingly, moving them towards the water.

Giving her a smirk, he grabbed her by the waist and rushed them into the water, smiling as she shrieked.

"Kol!"

The water wasn't as cold as she thought, but it was still startling.

He held her close, helping to keep her warm as they stood neck deep in the water. "You love me," he said lightly.

"Maybe," she said with a smile, her arms around her neck.

He looked to her lips and back in her eyes, bringing her in for a kiss. They melted against one another and his hands slid up her bare back, pressing her flush against him.

They made out intensely, neither able to get enough of one another. It wasn't until there was a snort a distance away that they broke apart.

Elena gave a laugh, seeing a pig swimming in the water.

"Bloody hell," he muttered, not able to catch a break. Even on vacation he was disrupted from kissing her.

They spent time with the swimming pig. Kol was unable to be selfish with her, finding he enjoyed seeing her happy.

"You were jealous of a pig today," she teased as they walked back to their room.

"For good bloody reason," he replied, shaking his head at the ridiculous interruption.

"He was cute!" Elena justified

"So am I," Kol remarked, opening their door.

She smiled and gave a laugh. "You're jealous of a pig."

"I'm jealous of anyone or anything that seems to have your attention besides me," he admitted lightly, bringing her to him when they walked in their room.

He kissed her again, enjoying how she wrapped her arms around his neck. Just as their making out got more intense his phone rang.

"Bloody—"

She interrupted his swearing with a quick kiss and then went to go answer the phone.

"Hey Finn," Elena smiled.

"How is it there?" he asked, comforted to see her on his screen.

She took the phone and went to the balcony to talk with him. Kol let out a frustrated breath. She was able to talk to his brothers for hours. Their moment was clearly over.

It was an hour and a half later before went to grab her again so they could go to dinner. She was laughing at something his eldest brother had said.

"You need to go get ready," he told her from behind with a kiss to the cheek.

"Right," she said, looking up at him with a smile. She turned back to Finn. "We have to go. We've got dinner plans. I'll call you tomorrow?"

"Yes," Finn said, missing her dearly.

Waving and hanging up, she gave him his phone. "You're jealous," she said, noticing his foul mood.

He didn't try to deny it. It was getting harder to be in this situation with her and his brothers.

Moving around the furniture, he went to sit with her, her legs in his lap.

"Elena…what are we doing?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, her head tilted. He stared at her adoringly and then his irritation crept back up inside him.

"You, me and my brothers. What is this?"

A pensive look crossed her face and her brows furrowed. "I don't know, honestly," she said. "I think mostly I've tried to just go with it, you know? I've tried not to think about what it means."

She paused and then looked at him. "I think I've been waiting for Elijah to figure out what's going on, too. I mean, clearly Esther is up to something. And if she has my blood…"

It meant trouble.

"Kol?" she asked. He stared at her. "Esther once told me she thought of her children as abominations after turning you guys into vampires. And Finn told me she never seemed to hide that fact. Why do you think she feels that way?"

He hesitated, reluctant to explain things to her. It was mostly because of him, he always thought. "There are many reasons," he told her. "But I think the one that was the hardest on my mother was our blood lust."

"Elijah said you guys have senses that are more heightened than vampires because you're Originals."

He nodded. "When we first turned, we killed our entire village, unable to contain our lust. And as much as our mother attempted to help us, our cravings were stronger than even she realized."

He paused. "I never really bothered to learn to control it," he admitted. "Killing never really bothered me unlike my siblings."

"Does it now?" she wondered.

"…to an extent," he said thoughtfully. While taking a human's life didn't bother him, there were certain humans he fancied and didn't want to see hurt.

He looked to her, being frank as usual. "I've killed my way through towns and cities," he spoke. "I've done so with no emotion, regret, or conscious to any of the ones I killed."

She was quiet.

"My mother believes there is nothing redeeming about her children," he spoke. "And maybe she is right. We died the night my father killed us."

Elena looked to him, wondering if he truly believed that.

"But no matter what she thinks, it won't stop me from living," he said. "I don't care what she believes. I'll fight with everything I have to live."

He took her hand, giving it a kiss. "Let's get you dressed and ready for dinner, shall we?" he asked, setting her feet down and pulling her up.

She kept a hold of him before he could rush off to her. She noticed he tended to do that, let her in his heart but then retract.

Setting her hand on his cheek, she waited for him to look at her. when he did, he stared at her, holding her close.

"We're monsters, Elena. You must know that," he said softly.

"That doesn't mean you aren't worthy of being loved," she replied. "In fact," she pushed, trying to keep eye contact with him when he looked away. "Maybe that just means you need a bit more."

He stared at her, trying to wrap his head around the idea.

"You all have done horrible things," she agreed. She had read a few of Finn's journals. "But it doesn't make you irredeemable."

"Even in your eyes?" he wondered.

"Especially in my eyes," she confirmed, looking from his lips to his eyes.

He brought his hand to her cheek and brought her in for a kiss. She was opening a box of emotions he had long faced—shame, guilt, fear. He was the young boy who had just been turned.

Kissing her grandly, he pulled her closer, feeling a desire for more. kissing her neck and hearing her moan, shivers went up her spine.

She gasped when he used his speed to turn her around, pressing her backside against him. he pulled at the straps to the bottoms of her bikini, untying one side, before going to her top and undoing another strap.

"Kol," she shivered, his lips feeling entirely too good on her skin. Turning around in his arms, she kissed him strongly, feeling a burning desire in her stomach.

He sped them to the bedroom, laying her on the bed and undoing the rest of the straps.

"Bloody hell, Elena," he muttered, his eyes and hands taking in her naked figure. "You're gorgeous," he told her, kissing her body.

She gasped and moaned, running her hands through his hair and pulling at his shirt.

His lips connected with hers and she was quick to get his shirt off, going for the button of his pants. She felt proud of herself when he moaned as she touched him. He was shaking with pleasure above her.

She gasped when he sucked her nipple in his mouth, she withered in pleasure to feel his tongue tease her. She moaned loudly for him.

"Kol," she shivered, panting once more when his fingers slid between her thighs and touched her. "Oh god."

She whimpered with need, kissing him fervently, as he continued his actions.

"I want…you," she breathed, barely able to pull back from his lips and focus. He was making feel unbearably good. Pushing his hand from between her, she looked to him. She wanted them together.

His lips crashed back on hers and he pulled them further to the middle of the bed. She moaned against his mouth, loving how he could tease her with his tongue.

His hands roamed her smooth skin and she shivered, then feeling him lined at her entrance. "Kol," she whimpered at how he teased her, not yet pushing in. "Please," she begged, knowing he was coated in her.

She shivered when his lips went to her neck and gasped at his intrusion, feeling him bury his length inside of her.

"Elena," he murmured breathlessly, her body tight and wet for him. His hand slid up her arms, locking their fingers together above her head.

She kissed his neck and shoulder, arching her back as he settled completely inside of her. They panted and kissed each other hungrily, unable to get enough of one another. They felt incredible.

"Elena," he moaned. She nodded to him, wanting him to continue.

His lips devoured hers and he pulled his body from hers, only to thrust back inside. She gasped and held onto him, clutching him and encouraging more.

He shivered at her whimpers and buried his face in her hair, intoxicated at her scent.

"Please…Kol…" she begged, the coil in her belly getting tight.

He thrusted faster, adding a bit more force that had her moaning.

"Yes," she whispered, her lips seeking him again. They clung to one another, both moaning at the feeling of each other joined together.

She clung to him as he thrusted, enjoying how his body radiated warmth. She couldn't remember having felt so safe and loved.

Giving a helpless whimper to the feelings of her body, she gasped as her body shook and finally orgasmed, flooding her with incredible pleasure.

He groaned at how she had stiffened, kissing her neck and smooth shoulder. He gave jerky thrusts, being gentle with her until she was more ready and could continue with him.

"Kol," she groaned, her body relaxing from it's high.

He pushed some of her hair away and kissed her, not yet done with her. Holding her close, he continued to rock them into pleasure.

"Elena," he quivered, continuing to thrust.

Her hips rolled and her nails dug into his skin. She held on tightly as he took them faster, picking up their speed again. Both were panting and craving to fall over the edge together.

Bringing his hand down and touching her, she gasped and arched her back, moaning loudly as he released her into pleasure. Her body hugged him and he groaned loudly, giving a few more thrusts before spilling inside of her.

He groaned as he finished, shivering when she kissed his neck and nibbled his ear.

"Bloody…hell…" he panted, hovering above her. Giving her a loving kiss, he looked at her. She looked well satisfied.

"What?" she asked with a blush.

"Nothing," he said, finding the moment to be perfect. He brushed some hair from her face. "You are incredibly gorgeous, you know that?"

She gave a small laugh and he smiled at her blush, kissing her again.

The hotel phone rang and their heads looked over at the nightstand. "We missed our dinner reservation," she noted, realizing it was late.

"I'll reschedule," he murmured, going back to kissing her.

She smiled against his lips, pulling him back. "That requires picking up the phone."

Being slow to remove himself from her, he smirked when she let out a moan. He gave her one last kiss and sped to grab the hotel room service menu before answering the phone. He rescheduled their dinner and ordered them food for the evening, curling up beside her while they waited.

"I love it here," she said looking to their hands that were intertwined with one another.

"What has been your favorite part so far?" he questioned, kissing her shoulder.

She gave it some thought, knowing they had done quite a bit. There was shopping, exploring, hiking, swimming, relaxing on the beach, and even at the hotel pool. But out of all of those, one stuck out to her and made her smile. "Swimming with the pig."

He rolled his eyes and she gave a laugh.

"What's yours?" she asked.

He was thoughtful. "The morning you first got here," he said. "Not only waking up to you, but the look on your face when we stood out on the balcony."

She melted into him and gave him a loving kiss.

They laid together until room service came, and Kol answered the door for them, ordering her to stay naked.

He brought their food to the bed sitting behind her as she kept a sheet wrapped around her.

"What are you doing?" she said with a laugh, feeling him kiss her shoulders as she picked at the food.

"Enjoying this," he murmured, continuing to kiss her.

She looked over at him. "Enjoying what?"

"You…naked," he said with a smirk, liking how she blushed.

"That's it, I'm getting dressed," she said lightly, going to get up and find her clothes.

He quickly pulled her to him, catching her before she could go anywhere. Turning her around with his speed, he settled her naked frame to straddle him and laid back, staring appreciatively at her glory.

"Kol," she said with pink cheeks, seeing how he looked at her with desire. She could feel his excitement poking her backside.

He smiled to her, a hand behind his head. He eased her discomfort by reaching out and touching her, and she seemed to melt against him. The tension seemed to leave her body and were replaced with desire.

He cupped her breast and rubbed his thumb over the perky pink nipple, enjoying how it hardened for him. Kneading the soft mounded flesh, he gave the same treatment to the other, noticing how her breath hitched.

He smirked at how she let him do this to her.

His hands ran all over her body, moving down her waist and over her toned abdomen. He used both hands to feel her, to savor the sight of her skin and naked frame on top of him.

Elena pulled the sheet away from his waist and they quickly moved her over him, watching her body settle over his long erection. They both moaned at the actions of joining themselves together.

His hand reached out to grab her breasts again, wanting to touch her perky nipples. Her body craved him. She wanted to be pleasured by him.

His hand ventured downward and she hitched a breath when he began to intimately rub her. She hadn't done something so forward before, but his hand felt good on her, giving circular motions on her clit.

She looked at him slightly embarrassed, feeling how the pleasure inside of her was building. He knew what he was doing and he was amazing at it.

Trusting him as they went further, her eyes fluttered closed and she whimpered as the intensity grew. She moaned and grinded her body against him.

"That's it, Elena," he encouraged, watching her open up to him. He continued to have her ride him, letting her get pleasure from his hand and her own movements on top of him.

Her head went back, and she continued to rock. "Oh…Kol…" she moaned, bracing herself on him and moving her hips as his pace on her became quicker.

As he took one of her hands and set it on top of his, encouraging her to help him touch her, her eyes flew open and she looked at him.

"Show me, Darling," he encouraged, continuing to make her feel good. He gave a light flick to her sensitive nub and she gasped. He smirked and stimulated her further.

"K-k-ol…" she trembled, moving against him. His breath hitched seeing her watch them, and he sat up slightly, pushing her hair back so he could gaze at her.

With her head bowed and her hand helping to move his, she gasped as her body let go, consuming her with a strong orgasm that had her calling out in ecstasy.

He let her hair go and steadied her hips, having difficulty fighting the urge to climax with her. "Bloody hell," he muttered, seeing her heave for breath.

Elena glimpsed down at him, taking their hands that touched her and moved them up to her breast. Squeezing the fresh, her hips began to move and he groaned loudly, muttering curse words as she moved them.

"Elena," he choked out, knowing he was close.

She continued to move and rock, while their hands gripped tightly on her breast. She was lost in how good sex felt.

"Yes…yes…" he panted, clutching her hip and thrusting up against her, burying himself deeper. With a rough squeeze to her breast, he grunted and released inside of her, pressing her body down on his, as he finished.

She sat proudly on top of him, finding him breathing hard and looking satisfied.

Kol looked at her and sat up, keeping her close to him. With his hand roughly tweaking her nipple, his hand slid up her neck and to cup her face, bringing her in for an aggressive kiss.

They pulled at one another, needing one another closer and tighter as they made out. It wasn't until her lungs burned and felt tight that she pulled back from him, trying to gather a breath.

Her eyes fluttered closed at the feel of his lips on her neck. She couldn't get enough of him.

"Kol," she moaned, knowing they were still intimately joined. They couldn't go again, could they?

He tensed and Elena's brows furrowed. Pulling him back, she noticed his struggle, seeing his fangs come out and dark veins fight to come to the surface.

She stayed still, moving her hands slowly through his hair to try and calm him. When he had better control, he looked away ashamed. He could have hurt her.

"Hey," she said, turning him to look at her. "It's okay."

"It's not," he said angry to himself. He moved her off him and ran a hand through his hair. He was frustrated with himself.

"Kol," she said, catching his arm and stopping him from leaving the bed. Bringing his hand to her waist, she moved back on top of him and sat in his lap.

"Hey," she said, cupping his face with her hands. He looked to her full of shame. "I could have hurt you."

"But you didn't," she replied calmly.

"Elena—" he tried to pull away, but she didn't let him. She gave him no choice but to sit with her in his lap and have his arms around her.

"I know who you are," she said to him. "I know what you're capable of."

He looked at her briefly, then distracting himself by running his fingers through some strands of her hair.

"I'm okay, Kol. You didn't hurt me." She put her forehead to his and waited until he was courageous enough to hurt her.

"I never learned good enough control, Elena. And I never wanted to—not until you."

She kissed him gently.

"We'll work on it."

He shook his head, pulling away then, but once again she stopped him. "What I mean by that is you tell me when it's too much."

He paused and looked to her with doubt in his eyes.

"When you need a minute that's what we do, okay?" She kissed him softly and he stared at her, wondering how she could be so patient with him. She wasn't running away from the monster he showed her.

He nodded and held her close. It was odd for him to feel open and weak.

She ran her fingers up and down the nape of his neck and kissed his shoulder. She wasn't going to go anywhere.

---

"Elena?" Kol asked when they walked around the white sandy beach. It was sunny and warm, but there was a light breeze that would drift in.

She looked to him, letting their joined hands swing between them.

"Are we alright?"

She cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Why wouldn't we be?"

He thought about yesterday, still finding it odd she was okay with him almost killing her.

Pulling on his hand and bringing him to a stop, she stood in front of him and brought him in for a long kiss. He melted against her, pulling their hands apart so he could wrap his arms around her.

"Yes, Kol Mikaelson, we are okay."

His hand came up and brushed some whisps of hair out of her face. "I love you, Elena."

"I know," she said with a small smile. She looked away momentarily, upset she wasn't ready to say it back, but took a breath and tried to forget about that. She looked at him, a brave smile on her face. "Let's keep walking."

Grabbing his hand, she pulled him along and looked out to the beautiful beach. Though she loved how her relationship with Kol went to whole new levels, it did make her wonder and feel afraid—not of him, but of what it meant for the relationship with all of them.

"What is it?" he questioned, seeing her preoccupied.

"Nothing," she said, going to keep walking. He stopped her like she had done with him, pulling them together and waiting.

Elena bit her lip and had a hard time looking at him.

"It won't work," he stated. She glanced up to him, curious what he was talking about. "Lying to me."

She shifted her weight to her other foot, clearly uncomfortable. "I don't know what this means," she said.

"What? Having sex?" he questioned.

She nodded and let out a nervous breath. "We all talked about sitting down together after this trip to talk about what we should do, and now…"

Now things were more awkward and uncomfortable.

"Do you regret it?" he wondered.

"No," she said quickly. She blushed at her own hastiness and he smirked.

"How about we just enjoy this for now?" He said to her, cupping her cheek and waiting until she looked at him.

"Let the problems be ones back home. For now, we enjoy time together and doing whatever pleases us," he stated decisively.

Looking into his eyes, she stared at him with fear. She worried about complicating things, about hurting one of them on accident.

He kissed her. "It'll be alright, Darling."

She nodded when they parted and moved her hands to wrap around his neck for comfort.

"What do you say about staying in for the rest of the day?" he murmured, going and kissing her neck. She shivered at his roaming hands.

Nodding, the two crashed their mouths together and he sped them back to their hotel.

---

"You cut your hair," Elijah noted over video chat upon seeing Elena. She had gotten bangs and her hair was a bit curly.

"I did," she blushed. "Both Kol and I did actually," she said, including him in the frame.

Elijah and Finn looked interestedly at their brother, seeing him now donning some stubble of a beard.

"What inspired this?" Finn asked.

She turned the phone back to her and shrugged. "We figured it was time for a change."

"It looks beautiful, Elena," Finn complimented, making her smile.

"How are things there?" she asked.

They talked to her for over two hours, with Kol laying his head on her lap. She absentmindedly played with his freshly styled short hair while they all talked.

"We'll see you tomorrow then," Elijah remarked, having been counting the days. A week had been far too long.

"Yeah. I think Jeremy and Alaric are coming to pick me up, but I'll try to swing by the mansion sometime after," she smiled.

She had finally mustered the courage to go back home. The fear of her stalker being around was subsiding and she had oddly missed her home.

"Be safe," Finn said and then the two hung up.

Finding herself finished with the call, she looked down to Kol, who looked bored. "You could have joined."

"I could have done a lot of things," he said, sitting up and bringing her into his lap.

He began to kiss her neck and run his hands up and down her sides, making her melt into puddy in his arms

"Kol Mikaelson," she moaned softly, giving him her neck. She caught his hand that ventured to slide up her inner thigh. "We have to be up early tomorrow."

"We better get started then, Darling," he charmed, knowing how she loved having sex just as much as him. Holding her close, he sped them to sit on the edge of the bed.

His hands wandered and he was glad she didn't stop him.

He loved her beach wardrobe, full of long sexy skirts and short cut off tops. He was surely going to miss it.

His hand found the high slit in her skirt and pushed it upward.

"Kol," she shuddered, stopping his hand that then began touching her over her panties.

"You're wet, Elena," he said huskily in her ear.

Dipping his hand down under the scrap of fabric, he kissed her hungrily as she sat in his lap and let herself get fingered by him.

She moaned helplessly, spreading her legs to further enjoy what he could do to her.

His lips moved to her neck as her hand slid down to help him between her thighs.

"That's my girl," he encouraged, watching their hands touch her under her skirt.

Pulling his hand away, he smirked when she whimpered for him.

"You are wearing entirely too many clothes," he teased.

"So are you," she countered.

"I think we should fix that," he grinned, touching her all over and peeling away the bits of fabric.

He set her on the bed when they were naked and he kissed and teased her skin, loving how riled she was for him. He showed love and affection, particularly to her breasts, enjoying her needy sounds.

Wanting to do something he knew she'd enjoy, he sat her up and pulled her to the edge of the bed, kneeling down in front of her.

"Kol?" She wondered, watching his mischievous eyes.

He wrapped his arms around her hips and set his mouth over his mound, teasing her in ways that made her see stars.

She called out for him loudly, sitting back on her hand to help him with his angle.

"Ohh..." she whimpered, running her hand through his hair and tossing her head back. She couldn't believe how good he made her feel, his tongue always teasing.

As he sucked on her clit, her body shook. The feeling of wanting to climax was almost unbearable.

"More Kol," she begged, needing him to keep going on her. She had felt entirely too desperate.

He devoured her hungrily, groaning with desire at how she rocked against his face.

She ran her hand through his hair, whining in need for him, and it wasn't long for her to get what she desired; the strong orgasm washed over her.

"Ooohhh!" She cried, cradling his head that was between her legs. She jumped as he continued on her, and she found she was fairly sensitive.

"Kol," she panting, pulling him up from her. He kissed his way up to her breasts, sucking and teasing her perky nipples.

Her body was electrified.

"I need you," she requested. She wanted that particular feel of him inside of her.

"I love hearing you beg," he stated, standing up to give her what she wanted. She stared at his stiff erection and he smirked, knowing she was looking.

He wasted no time, grabbing onto her and watching his length slide inside of her. He groaned at the sensation, pleased that he was going to do it over and over again.

"Kol," she moaned, rolling her hips.

"Elena," he shivered, grabbing hold of her hips. He began his swift pumping motions, taking her body and working to satisfy her.

"Yes..." she moaned, arching her back. "Yes!"

He smirked at how vocal she could get and he thrusted harder, watching her plump breasts jump.

"Oh!"

Her body tensed and climaxed and he continued to drive into her until he met her there.

"Elena," he grunted out, his body seizing with pleasure as he released.

He collapsed over her; his mouth still eager to kiss her skin.

"Oh my god," she shivered, holding him close and kissing him.

He pulled out from her and laid down beside her, gathering his breath and reaching for her body in his arms.

"I have very much enjoyed this vacation," he remarked, making her laugh.

She reached over and kissed him, finding she didn't want to stop.

"Want to go again?" He asked excitedly.

Giving a laugh and nodding her head, she rolled herself eagerly onto his lap.