What I Know Now

by stardancer10

Elena died and lived so many times that her soul was tortured with all that it had endured. Death and blood, fire and destruction followed where ever she went. That is until she awoke one day before it all began with the knowledge of an entire lifetime she had already lived. (not canon)

Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or TO. This will not be canon, I cannot say that I particularly like Elena's character and a lot of what happens. This is my take on a redo.

Images flashed across her mind. Familiar faces and places, the smell of fire and smoke, the burning sensation of flames and the searing pain of her wounds caused her to drift deeper into her subconscious. She was not sure how long she was unconscious for, nor did she know when she would wake up. She spent what felt like an eternity and watched her entire existence, an entire other life flash before her eyes.

She saw her parents die as she knew that they had after crashing over the bridge into the icy river water below. She saw herself being saved by who she knew was Stefan Salvatore, a young man she would have loved in another life and time. She saw the lives and deaths of her loved ones around her and vowed to not let it happen.

Elena Gilbert drifted, vowing to not let any of that happen. She had seen herself and the possible future or previous life and didn't like what and who she saw herself become. Promising herself to be and do better, she promised to not pick either Salvatore brother, though she knew that she could have loved them both dearly. However, her newfound understanding of what her being a doppelganger meant, she realized that in order to save everyone from heartache she could have neither of them.

Friends, she decided, they could be her friends and nothing more. She would focus on making sure they all survive, starting with her family. She just needed to wake up, she felt the searing pain as she struggled to resurface and heard monitors beeping distantly before she was pushed back under.

With no sense of time, she stirred and immediately began choking on the breathing tube that was down her throat. Kind words of assurance soothed her as the tube was removed and she fell back into a deep sleep once more. It was the murmur of voices that drew her to consciousness.

Groaning softly, she shifted stiffly in the hospital bed. She heard her brother Jeremy shout for the nurse and felt her Aunt Jenna take her hand. Whimpering and tears filling her eyes, she promised silently to not let anything happen to either of them.

Blinking against the bright lights of the room, her head throbbed. Jeremy sat in the chair beside her holding her other hand looking wrecked and scared. Aunt Jenna, her beautiful, vibrant aunt looked heart broken and relieved at the same time.

"Welcome back," the kind voice of the nurse said. "You've been unconscious for two weeks, sweetheart. Now I'm going to get the doctor to check you over before we go over some things."

"I know," she rasped. "Mom and dad are gone, they're gone aren't they?"

Jenna drew a sharp breath and Jeremy bit back a sob. Elena turned towards the nurse sadly and nodded. The nurse smoothed down the blankets on her lap and left to get the doctor. Jenna and Jeremy clung to her as they lost themselves in their own grief.

Glancing to the chair by the window she saw the haggard visage of her Uncle John, her birth father who had died so she could live. He raised his eyes and met her gaze. She saw tears well in his eyes before he swallowed and looked away. She would do better by him and Isobel this time around as well.

Her first order of business would be getting out of the hospital and somehow contacting Klaus. She would need to speak with Sheila Bennet and reach out to Elijah. There was so much to do and very little time to do it in.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the doctor. The room was cleared out as the doctor examined her. Her doctor told her that she was in a medically induced coma because of a head injury she had sustained during the accident. She had some swelling in her brain and had fractured a bone in her neck on impact as well as a pinched nerve in her spine. There was also some substantial internal damage that had required emergency surgery. She was informed that it was touch and go there for a while and there were concerns about her memory, brain injury, and possible paralyzation from the neck injury.

After a series of motor skills tests, she only noticed slight twinges of pain and nerve pain from the injuries to her neck and back. Her head hurt, which she was informed was normal as she had sustained a severe concussion. Her doctor warned that over time she may have memory issues and PTSD from her ordeal. If he only knew, she thought to herself.

Her family re-entered her hospital room after finding out that she was doing well. With her neck injury, she would take a long time to heal. But they all knew it wasn't the physical injuries that would take the longest to overcome.

"How are you feeling?" Jeremy asked softly.

"I hurt everywhere," she replied honestly, closing her eyes. "But I'm going to be alright, eventually."

"I was so scared," he whispered hoarsely. "I can't lose you too."

"We'll be okay, Jer." She said firmly.

"Can I talk to Uncle John alone please," she asked quietly, startling all of them.

Reluctantly, Jenna and Jeremy left the room and John sat beside her bed awkwardly but concerned for her. She watched him fidget under her gaze and drew a deep breath, unsure of how to proceed.

"I know," she said softly.

"Know what?" he asked in confusion.

"I know that I was adopted and that you and Isobel are my birth parents." She said quietly.

"How?" he asked wide eyed.

"It doesn't really matter," she said hoarsely. "There are more things that I know, and I need you to trust me. Can you please get vervain and somehow get it for us all to wear?"

"So, you do know?" he asked sadly. "I wanted to keep you away from this, to protect you."

"You still can," she murmured tiredly. "There is so much to do. So much to explain and change."

"You need to rest," he urged her. "Don't worry about anything. I'll get the vervain and we will go from there."

He leaned over and kissed her forehead and left her room, allowing Jeremy and Jenna to come back into the room. Jenna peered at them curiously but remained quiet. Jeremy threw himself in the chair beside her bed, while Jenna took the chair that John had vacated.

"Is everything okay?" Jeremy asked in an uncertain voice.

"Everything is going to be fine," she replied tiredly. "Uncle John is going to help me with some things. I know that he hasn't always been around, and he's been a bit of an ass at times. I can explain better when I go home."

The following days passed in a painful blur of physical therapy and bedrest. Finally, after two more weeks she was released from the hospital in a neck brace as well as prescriptions for pain medication as well as a sleep aid because she had horrific nightmares. The tenderness in her abdomen would take time to heal as well and she was urged to take it easy. Her doctors and therapist thought the nightmares were from the accident; however, they were from seeing all of the deaths of her loved ones while unconscious.

Her friends visited her throughout her convalescence and helped her recover. Matt, sweet and adorable Matt was there despite their breakup. She sat down with him one day and laid it all out there saying that while she would always love him, she didn't love him as he deserved, and she needed to focus on her right now. She could tell that he was sad but understood which was why they had been friends for so long before dating.

Elena sat quietly curled up on the couch in the living room. She was tired and sore from her latest physical therapy session earlier that morning. Drawing a breath, she pushed herself up and went to the kitchen to get a drink. Looking out the window she noticed movement along the tree line in the woods.

Trying not to panic, she went back to the living room and ignored what she thought she had seen. She knew that it must be Stefan and didn't want to let on that she knew he was there. If she were being honest with herself, it was more than a little creepy. It made her wonder just how much of their relationship had been real in the memories or visions she had seen. He had basically stalked her for months before officially meeting her. What she would have once found romantic, she now found disturbing. Perhaps the life she had seen had made her jaded. Regardless, she would not be that person or live that life.

Drawing on her memory she wrote down everything that she remembered from when she was in a coma in her journal. She tried to write a timeline as best she could remember and went through a list of priorities of who she needed to contact and when.

As much as she would love to go back to life being fun and happy and normal nothing would be the same. She emerged from the accident changed, broken. Elena Gilbert had seen and lived a life of sorrow, suffering, and an eternity of regret, even if it were only in her mind.

John had kept his promise and returned with the vervain and had her give both Jeremy and Jenna with different pieces of jewelry with it infused in it. She also wore a necklace from him with it in it. It was a locket with a picture of Miranda and Grayson Gilbert on one side and a picture of John and Isobel from when they were together as teenagers on the other.

Elena has hugged him and thanked him with tear-filled eyes. She knew that her birth parents had spent their lives trying to protect her and while she didn't know them well, she knew that she had a second chance to do so now. In the end she knew that Isobel had regretted her decision to become a vampire and had spent her existence trying to protect her only child.

Drawing a shaky breath, she searched through craigslist trying to find Slater. Her first step was reaching out to him. Through him she would be able to find Elijah and Klaus. She intended to forewarn them about their parents and the need to send them on to the Other Side sooner rather than later.

She would also agree to go through with the ritual, regardless of the possibility of dying. Better to die keeping her loved ones safe than to live forever alone with their blood on her hands. Death was not something she feared. No, death was easy. It was living that was the hard part. What point is there in living for an eternity when everyone and everything that you loved was gone.

Not this time, Elena swore and said a prayer, that this time they would live even if it meant that she did not. She would do everything in her power to not become that person she had seen. Looking back, she knew that over time she was on that path prior to the accident but would do all that she could to never, ever become that girl. How much of that was the curse on her ancestor and bloodline, being a doppelganger, or just how she was, she wasn't sure. What she did know however, is that she would strive to never be that selfish, manipulative person that she had seen.

Logging in to her account, she began her online schoolwork. With her internal injuries as well as her neck, back, and brain injury it was decided among the family and her doctors that she would be better off finishing school online at her own pace. It was something that she had embraced. What point was there in going to high school when she already knew the work and had other more important things to worry about.

She spent the next few hours doing schoolwork. At the pace that she was going, by her estimate she would be finished high school by Christmas. While she was waiting for her quiz to save, she searched for Slater hoping to find him. Finally, after twenty minutes she found him.

With trembling hands, she typed him a message and clicked send before she could second guess herself. Closing her laptop, she flipped on the television and drifted off into a fitful sleep. The sound of the front door opening woke her up. Wincing in pain she shifted her weight to sit up.

Jeremy walked over and helped her to sit up and get comfortable on the couch. She wasn't sure where he spent his time when he wasn't at home. Most days he seemed to hover nearby, as if afraid she would disappear. When he left, he would come back home and spend time with her or in his room sketching.

He wasn't the same boy in her memories. She vowed that he would never need to be that boy. If she had it her way he would never need to be a Hunter. Leaning against him, she let the warmth and familiarity of her brother's presence soothe her.

"Are you alright?" he asked in concern.

"No, but I will be," she answered honestly. "We all will be." She said more to herself than him.

They spent the next half hour watching television before Jenna arrived with dinner. Her aunt felt guilty about having to leave her throughout the day for her own school and job, but Elena insisted that she go.

John was also making the move back into town. He had bought a small house nearby to help her. They had all sat down together much to Jenna's chagrin and Jeremy's horror and found out that Elena was John's biological daughter. It was an awkward conversation to say the least. For the time being John made no move to fight for guardianship because Elena told him she wanted to follow her parents' wishes.

Jeremy and Elena were as close as ever, if not more so because everything. Whether biologically siblings or not, it didn't matter to them, they would always be siblings. Which led to a series of difficult and tear-filled conversations. She had missed him desperately in the life she had seen in her coma. But in that life, she only had herself and her own destructive decisions to blame.

Elena told them almost everything. At first, they didn't believe her and thought that she needed to be evaluated. However, over time she proved to them that she was serious and right. It had all started with the revelation that she was John's daughter.

The small family began planning. Elena cautioned John about Isobel's connection to Katherine; her ancestor turned vampire who was only out for herself. While they protested her plans to change too much, they also understood. If she didn't set the wheels of change in motion, then everyone would die. With that said she didn't tell them everything, she knew that if they learned of her intentions to hand herself over to Klaus, they would never let her follow through with it.

Two hours later while they were getting ready for dinner, Elena's phone pinged. Glancing down, she swallowed reflexively seeing that it was a reply to her message on Craigslist. Slater had replied affirmatively.

Tucking her phone away she helped finish getting dinner ready. They ate dinner, talking quietly. It was still somewhat uncomfortable with John; it was his standoffish personality and holier than thou attitude that grated and rubbed people the wrong way. However, underneath it all, Elena knew that he cared.

She also knew that he hated vampires and the supernatural with a passion. While she shared some of the details of what she knew, she didn't disclose just who the vampire she knew had been. Though he had the Gilbert ring and often hunted vampires, he was no match for the Originals that would be storming into her life in the near future.

After dinner, Elena retreated to her room and settled in for the night. She cried herself to sleep after replying to Slater. He had arranged to set up a meeting with her and the Originals.

Elena woke the next morning resolved. Her eyes were dull and sad, more so than they had been since she woke up from her coma. Today she would be driving to Charlotte and meeting Klaus and Elijah in a diner. She told Jenna that she was going for a drive to clear her mind and maybe go shopping.

Jeremy had plans to meet up with his friends and hugged her before he had left. She held onto him tightly before giving what she had hoped was a reassuring smile. Jenna left the house all frazzled, having to meet with her professor soon, leaving Elena to go and meet her fate.

She trembled as she drove over the fateful bridge. Pulling over she took a picture of the bridge and sign, remembering that both were made of White Oak wood. A fact that she hoped would be another bargaining chip to keep her family safe if she gave them the information up front.

Far too soon she pulled up to the diner and knew immediately that the entire area was crawling with vampires. Drawing a deep breath, she winced as she shifted out of the car. Shuffling stiffly to the door, she stepped into the warm and welcoming space. She was led back to the large corner booth where she saw both Klaus and Elijah sitting and waiting for her.

Upon her approach they stood and waited for her to be seated. Biting back a whimper, she winced in pain as she settled in the booth seat. Breathing heavily, she closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the cushioned booth seat.

"Are you alright, love?" a concerned slightly accented voice asked.

Elena opened her eyes and met the concerned gazes of both Elijah and Klaus. "Sorry," she said softly. "I'm still recovering from my injuries from the car accident that killed my parents last month."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Elijah said sincerely. "Now tell us, Elena Gilbert, what you were thinking contacting us?"

"Could I please get a cup of tea?" she asked tiredly. "I'll tell you both everything."

"You're sad," Klaus murmured, watching her carefully. "Your eyes show great pain and not just physical."

"I'm broken," she whispered hoarsely, "and not just physically."

The trio put in an order for food and drinks and sat quietly. Elena peered around realizing that everyone around them was tense and waiting. She closed her eyes and willed her heartbeat to slow and calm.

"You're either incredibly brave," Klaus smirk cruelly, "or incredibly stupid for contacting us."

Elena thanked the waitress for her cup of steaming tea and sipped it calmly. Putting the teacup back down on the table she pulled her phone from her pocket and pretended to not notice them stiffen in suspicion.

"How well do you trust the others in this room and the surrounding area?" she asked softly.

The brothers shared a look and glanced around before looking back at the broken girl across the table. With a silent conversation, they nodded and indicated for the diner to clear out. Turning their attention back to Elena they nodded suspiciously.

With a few precise swipes, she brought up the photos she had taken of the bridge and the sign. They stared at her phone in confusion and looked at her.

"Both are made from White Oak," she said simply and watched them tense. "A peace offering to you to do what you will with it in hopes that my loved ones make it through what is to come alive."

"How?" Klaus demanded fiercely. "The last was burned!"

"Nature has a way of balancing things," she murmured absently. "A sapling survived and thrived. Then when the town was settled once more, the tree was cut to make the bridge."

"How did you come by this information, my dear?" Elijah asked tensely.

"I'll tell you everything, but I doubt that you'll believe me," she whispered.

And so, she did, she told them everything that she knew. All of it, leaving nothing out. She knew of their history and the curse and the role she needed to play to completely remove it. She told them of their parents' betrayal and where to find Mikael to dispatch him from ever walking the earth again.

Elena paused from time to time to take a sip of her cooling tea and to take a few meager bites of the toast on her plate. While she spoke, they asked her questions, but mostly they listened in rapt attention. Klaus would often snort or snarl in reaction. Elijah would tense and grit his teeth from time to time as well.

She didn't spare them from any of the details, laying everything out there. She went so far as to insist that they search her mind and memories, which they did. By the end of it she was exhausted and weak. Her body hurt and her heart broke. She didn't even realize that she was weeping until Klaus lifted her from her seat and onto his lap. Elijah pressed a crisp linen handkerchief into her hands.

"I just want them all to live," she said hoarsely. "You can drain me and take my blood, but please spare my family and friends."

Klaus hushed her and rocked her in an uncharacteristic show of tenderness and kindness. Though it hadn't happened yet, he and his family played a part in breaking the fragile girl in his arms. She was but a child at just sixteen and yet she had reached out to them in hopes of saving her family. She had come to them physically and mentally broken, knowing that she would end up dying in the end.

Family meant everything to the brothers. Each in their own way did whatever they felt was necessary to protect their kin and those that they claimed as their own. This fragile girl, who may have looked like her ancestors before her, was nothing like them. Meeting each other's eyes, the brothers nodded in agreement.

"Well, love," Klaus said softly. "We have an accord. We won't involve your family. We will take care of Mikael and Esther first. With your help and knowledge, we will handle the rest. Katherine will be dealt with and used as part of the sacrifice that she fled from so long ago. You're under our protection now."

"I don't understand," she looked up at them in confusion.

"Well," Elijah began carefully. "I can tell you're not lying. I can also tell that you care for your family a great deal. Coming here was something none of your ancestors would have ever contemplated before. Seeing your memories, dear girl, there is no way you could fake that. You're nothing like them and for that we're both grateful and relieved. We will help you keep your family safe and in return you've helped our family."

Elena's eyes filled with tears, and she fought back a sob. Wincing slightly, she shifted a bit which didn't go unnoticed by either Mikaelson.

"We can put a little of our blood in your tea or you could drink it to help speed up the healing process?" Elijah offered.

Elena shook her head, "I appreciate the offer. But it would be suspicious if I suddenly healed from my injuries."

"You don't feel like you deserve it," Klaus murmured looking at her carefully.

Elena turned away, unable to look either of them in the eye. Of course, she didn't deserve to be healed. She deserved the pain she felt for everything that had happened.

A large, calloused male hand gently turned her chin up. Blue gray eyes met her own brown and bore down into hers. Klaus's forehead creased in confusion and concern before looking to his older brother.

"You really don't think that you deserve this do you?" Klaus asked in disbelief.

Gently setting her back into the booth seat he stood and paced beside the table. Elijah's jaw tensed briefly before he went back to stoically watching his brother and glancing at Elena. His gaze would soften briefly looking at the broken teenage girl. She had risked much by reaching out and coming to them.

"The fact that you feel guilt for things that you haven't done, but seen, shows that you're a good person, Elena." Elijah stated firmly. "I and my brother can attest to the fact that you are nothing like your predecessors."

Klaus snorted in derision at the thought. "Selfish, manipulative bitches, the lot of them!" he said in a snarl.

"I'm-"

"You're not going to want to finish that sentence and apologize, love." Klaus said in a sneer. "You did nothing, do you hear me? You are not them!"

"Niklaus!" Elijah said firmly. "Calm yourself."

Klaus drew a breath and threw himself back into his seat. "Please take my blood to heal you," he said softly to Elena. "If what you've said is true, it is the least I can do considering I'm apparently going to drain yours."

"Really brother?" Elijah said in a drawl. "We need to reach out within our circles and find this bonding ritual that was done to save her before. If all else fails I can have a witch make an Elixir to help."

They talked for a while longer. Both of the brothers put their numbers in her phone and took hers. They told her that they would take care of their parents first and then contact her. Both agreed that she would finish high school and heal more before taking part in the ritual. As much as Klaus wanted to break the curse, he also knew that he had to be patient and not rush things. He needed to make sure that everything was alright before proceeding. He also wanted to make sure the young woman was fully healed from her injuries before even contemplating doing the ritual.

They parted ways and made sure that Elena made it home safely. Their first order of business was tearing apart the bridge and sign and storing the White Oak wood in a vault somewhere and burning the rest of it. Elena had made it home safely.

It was several hours later that night, when she heard the sirens screaming down the roads of their small town. She could smell the heavy smoke from her house and knew that the brothers hadn't wasted any time in tearing apart the bridge and sign and lighting the rest of it on fire. By the time the fire had been put out there was nothing left of either the bridge or the sign nearby. When the fire department used the water and flame retardant to put out the fire, it contaminated the ashes or what was left of them.

Apparently, Klaus and Elijah had used a lot of accelerant on the wood and there was not much left. The entire town was in an uproar and the Council once again was suspicious, but they had no idea who or what had caused the fire. The naive Council had no idea of the trouble that they would be avoiding by the events that would be unfolding over the next year.

Elena got a text from Klaus the following night that simply said that their parents were taken care of and that his siblings were all undaggered except for Finn. Elijah had begun tracking down Sage in hopes that his brother would embrace who and what he was with the help of his mate and the fact that in the modern age they were now in had blood bags as an option. If not, they would give him the option of using a White Oak Stake to end himself, but giving him full disclosure that his entire sire line would end.

Klaus also informed her that Rebekka and Kol would be moving to Mystic Falls to help watch over her and the town. They would protect her from Katherine and keep her family safe. She tried to tell him that she would be fine, but Klaus was hearing none of it.

"Someone needs to look after you, love." he told her firmly on the phone. "I'm not saying you're suicidal, but no normal person walks into a room with us and just gives away all of their bargaining chips."

"I just want to protect my family," she replied tiredly. "I just want peace."

"I promise you, Elena, that you will have peace when this is done in the spring," he assured her. "Until then please allow my family and I to ensure the safety of yourself and your family. Despite our parents being gone, the Mikaelson family has many enemies."

The weeks began passing quicker. Elena was slowly healing and getting out of the house more often. She was halfway through her senior year of coursework when the new school year was beginning. Right on track to finish by Christmas as she had planned.

Shortly after school began, mysterious deaths in Mystic Falls and the surrounding towns began happening. Elena didn't go out alone after dark and she warned her family to do the same. She knew the things that went bump in the night and guessed that Damon at the very least had made his arrival in town. Part of her longed for him, but she knew that she could not involve herself with the Salvatore brothers. She refused to be as her ancestors had once been, who she had been in another life.

Kol and Rebekka had become regulars at her house, and she was at theirs when they rolled into town. She wasn't sure what their older siblings had said to them, but whatever it had been must have made a lasting impression as they were both kind to her.

Kol was impulsive and flirty, but he was also mischievous and extremely intelligent. In Rebekka she surprisingly found a friend. The two girls would go shopping together or hang out and talk. Elena would spend almost as much time with the Mikaelsons as she did with her own family.

Over time she drifted from Caroline and Bonnie. Though it pained her to do so, she distanced herself in hopes of keeping them from being pulled into the supernatural. She couldn't find it in herself to completely care about high school drama like she had in the past. There was too much at stake and some many more important things than school, dances, or cheerleading. Neither of her friends really understood or fully comprehended where she was coming from.

However, on the night of the back-to-school party in the woods, Elena attended with Kol and Rebekka. Jeremy had shown up as well but ended up leaving with some of his friends once he was sure his sister was alright. She hung out with the Mikaelsons and introduced them to her friends as friends that she had met in her online courses. Her friends were thrilled to see her at one of the usual social gatherings. Elena hadn't been able to attend or participate in much since the accident. This was her first time meeting up in a large social gathering.

Surprisingly she found comfort and strength in the support that the two Mikaelsons were showing her in their own way. They were taking online courses as well with Elena to catch up on current times and events. Niklaus and Elijah had purchased the adjacent lots of land to the one they already owned in the town. Their ancestral home was being rebuilt from the ground up into a grand and lavish mansion.

Of course, the evening was not without its own drama. Stefan introduced himself to her, to the shock of not only herself, but also Rebekka whom he did not remember due to Klaus' compulsion. Kol watched her speak to the infamous Ripper with a pained look on her face. While there were few that could draw out his protective side, she was one of them.

There was a vulnerability in the girl that drew them in. Her story and willingness to protect her family resonated with them. They were grateful for her information and freedom from persecution and hunting from their parents. She was an anomaly that they didn't fully understand, however they did understand the pain of loss and betrayal. Having heard and seen her memories and knowledge, they decided that she was theirs to protect.

Elena turned her attention from Stefan to the shout for help coming from the woods. She closed her eyes and trembled knowing that Damon had struck and that Vicki Donovan most likely would not be saved. Part of her felt horrible and guilty about it, but there was only so much that they could do, only so much that she could change.

"Come on, love." Kol said, leading her away. "Let's get you home and get you some rest."

Elena allowed herself to be led to their car. She waved sadly and tiredly to her friends. Part of her knew that nothing would ever be the same again. She just hoped that they could one day forgive her for what was to come.

The Founders Celebration came and went. She attended with the Mikaelsons where she was awkwardly greeted by the Mayor and his wife. They were allowed entrance and began mingling. Elena stayed near Rebekka as Kol was on the lookout for the Salvatores. Klaus and Elijah had begun networking and mingling in the attempt to smooth things over as they all moved into town. Elena bumped into an infatuated Stefan and a bitterly attracted Damon throughout the night.

Elena was still healing from her injuries from the accident. She stayed away from the main dancing hall as the music made her head throb. She had a sudden thought and sat up in attention. Kol had been subtly shadowing Damon all evening, with a pretty blonde he had met clinging to his arm.

"Rebekka," Elena murmured to her companion. "We can get the moonstone tonight or soon now that you've gained access to the house."

"What?" Rebekka hissed. "Where?"

"In the mayor's study, there is a safe in the floor." Elena said quietly. "I don't know the code, but I figure that if they're out of the house we can come back and get it for Klaus."

The music quieted before Rebekka could reply as the mayor began a speech about the Founding of the town. Elena sat quietly listening to the words that she had heard before in another life, another time. She promised herself to not take any of this for granted this time, however little time she actually had left.

Shortly after, Kol reappeared looking slightly ruffled with a smirk. He murmured in her ear that Damon had the amulet. Elena nodded, knowing that he would need to see for himself that Katherine wasn't in the tomb.

When Elena was feeling stronger and more like herself she began helping around the community more. She helped at the Senior Center and the foodbank as well as the local shelter. It was her way of trying to pay back the misdeeds that she could have and would have done. She was trying to atone for the sins that she had once committed, if only in her memories.

The days passed quickly and soon the comet was passing. Elena trembled slightly, knowing that if Bonnie went against Damon, she wouldn't stand a chance. Kol went out to follow the eldest Salvatore in order to protect Bonnie. He had a soft spot for witches. Meanwhile Rebekka and Elena made their way to Sheila Bennet's house.

"Elena," she said in confusion, before turning her stern gaze towards Rebekka. "What are you doing with her, child?"

"Ms. Bennet," Elena began softly. "Would you mind stepping out to talk with me for a few moments, it's really important."

Sheila Bennet stepped out onto her front porch, closing her door with a snap. She gestured towards the swing and wicker outdoor seating. Taking a seat on the porch swing, she waited for Elena and the vampire with her to sit and say their piece.

"Ms. Bennet," Elena began quietly. "I know. I know that you're a real witch and I know that the woman with me is a vampire. I also know that you have magic through your ancestors from Mother Nature."

"Then you know that I will refuse to help them," she said sharply.

"I'm not asking you to help them," she said sadly. "I'm asking you to help me. I know things," Elena said with a haunted and tormented look on her face. "The things I've seen will forever be burned in my memory and I'm doing everything in my power to prevent that from happening, including protecting Bonnie from what her possible fate could be."

"What about my Bonnie?" Sheila demanded, drawing power around her.

"If things happen as they were, you will die before training her to become who and what she is meant to be." Elena said sadly. "She will become bitter and jaded, eventually dabbling in Expression and unleashing Hell on Earth. I want to save you, her, and everyone else from that fate."

Sheila recoiled as if she had been struck. "Expression," she gasped. "No! I won't allow that!"

"There may be a ritual in the near future, a few in fact," Elena said wearily. "You and Bonnie need to wait for the aid of others that are on their way to assist. If you do not, you will die too soon and Bonnie's fate will be sealed."

"I know what you're going to ask me and we cannot allow them to escape," Sheila said firmly. "Emily locked them up to protect this town. They're unnatural, abominations!"

Rebekka hissed in fury, but Elena laid a calming hand on her knee. The smaller, younger girl looked from one supernatural being to the other.

"As far as I can tell you're both part of the supernatural," She stated flatly. "I'm asking that you open that tomb and allow just a few of them out. There is a daughter that has been waiting for her mother for nearly two centuries."

"I can't," Sheila said.

"You can and you will, Sheila." Elena said sharply. "You can speak to your ancestors all you would like but it was the Original Witch that made them. In doing so she changed the course of nature and created a natural enemy for the wolves, thus creating a new balance in nature. If Mother Nature had not wanted to exist the ritual would not have happened."

Sheila regarded the girls quietly before nodding slowly. "I'll consult the ancestors," she said reluctantly. "You've distanced yourself from Bonnie."

"I've distanced myself from everyone," Elena said in exhaustion. "My own fate is sealed and I'm doing everything that I can to protect everyone that I care about, you included. For your help and cooperation, I will help you obtain Emily's Grimoire."

"What!" Sheila said standing from the swing, the wind swirling around her.

"I said that I will help you get back what was always meant to be in your family." Elena said. "Do I have your word that you will help us."

"Yes," Sheila said with a determined look in her eye.

"Swear it on your magic," Elena demanded.

Sheila clenched her jaw and nodded, "On my magic I swear to help you in exchange for Emily's Grimoire and to protect others, so mote it be."

There was a buildup of magic and air around them that swelled like a vacuum before a flash. Then the power blew out from Sheila, knocking Elena back, but Rebekka caught her and cradled her. Elena had been knocked unconscious from the blow and Rebekka was frantic. Sheila fell to her knees beside the young girl and began chanting, resting her hand on the young woman's forehead.

Elena groaned and stirred, wincing in pain. Sheila sat back on her knees, her limbs trembling from the power that she exerted. Rebekka feared for her young friend. Meddling in the supernatural was dangerous for humans, especially this one.

"Are you alright, child?" Sheila asked softly, remorse coloring her voice.

"I'll be okay," Elena said wearily. "I think that it is time for me to go home."

Kol called them when they were on their way home. He had Bonnie Bennet with him and the Salvatores were following them to their house. Elena closed her eyes against the headrest of Rebekka's car. They agreed to meet them at the Boarding House.

Rebekka helped Elena out of the car and into the Boarding House. Kol stood protectively beside Bonnie. Stefan paced and Damon glared angrily at the assembled group. Klaus and Elijah met them there and let themselves in. The Salvatores stiffened, sensing danger in the room with them.

"You shouldn't have interfered." Damon said in gritted teeth.

"I don't think that she was in control," Elena said tiredly. "If I'm right Emily Bennet hijacked Bonnie's body."

"She promised me," Damon said brokenly.

Elena looked away from the Salvatores towards Bonnie who was staring at her friend wide-eyed. "You know," Bonnie whispered. "But how?"

Elena glanced towards the Mikaelsons. She waited for confirmation from Klaus and Elijah before retelling her tale. Not meeting the eyes of the Salvatores, she told them everything, every single painful detail and death. Bonnie trembled beside her, holding on to her childhood friend.

Bonnie listened, heartbroken for what her friend was going through. She was a little angry that she wasn't informed of everything before, for her pushing them all away, but she also understood. Part of her was grateful for it, knowing that Elena was buying her more time with her Gram.

"How can we believe you?" Damon whispered hoarsely. "How can we possibly believe any of this?"

Stefan regarded her with a hurt look on his face as well. Both Salvatores felt the pang of lost love seeing Elena and hearing her tale. Both wanted a chance to find love, but understood where she was coming from.

"I can't and won't be that girl," Elena said brokenly. "I lost everything and everyone. Every decision I made, every risk I took caused more blood on my hands. The road to Hell really is paved in good intentions. This time, I'm not fighting this. I've accepted my fate and will go through with this whatever the outcome may be."

"So, you're just going to die?" Stefan demanded.

"Better me than my loved ones," she said shrugging. "Besides, from what I've seen I've died several times. Dying is the easy part, living, well now that's the real challenge isn't it. Why bother living for eternity if you've got to face it alone," she said looking at the fire that was crackling in the fireplace.

She felt no warmth or comfort from the heat. Elena was tired to her bones. Her soul was weary. The room around her descended into silence. Bonnie held her friend tightly and began weeping.

"Come on, Bonnie." Elena reassured her friend. "Let's get you to your Grams."

Rebekka helped the two girls out to her car, catching the eye of her brothers. The Mikaelsons nodded in agreement, the Salvatores would need watching.

Damon and Stefan watched the doppelganger of their lost love help her friend from their home. Though the mirror image of her, the broken girl they had met was nothing like the selfish fiend that was Katherine. Stefan was besotted with her and Damon was intrigued.

"We need to talk," Klaus said, leaning against the fireplace. "Allow us to introduce ourselves formally. We're the Mikaelsons, the Originals. We are sires to all of the vampires roaming the earth. Should any one of us die, our entire line dies, as Elena explained. If you listened carefully to her, you will note that most of the botched plans that took place fall at both of your feet. Her heartache and pain is as much your fault as it is ours."

Damon shifted uncomfortably and clenched his jaw, looking away from the older vampire. A long dormant part of him stirred at the girl's tale. Stefan seemed to cave in on himself, full of self-loathing and remorse.

"We are working on a plan to keep her and as many of her friends and family alive," Elijah said in a clipped voice. "We have already dispatched our parents and will be doing all in our power to work with and protect Miss Gilbert."

Stefan nodded, straightening in his chair. Damon glanced at his brother before meeting the eyes of the Mikaelsons and nodded. For the first time in almost two centuries, the brothers were in agreement. The males sat talking and planning while Bonnie was being comforted by her Gram and Elena was being helped up to her room.

Rebekka stayed with her as Jenna was at school working on her dissertation and Jeremy was out with friends. John wasn't there as he was off doing whatever it was that John did. Rebekka watched the younger girl toss and turn, lost in her memories and nightmares.

Her throat clogged as she entered Elena's dreams and found herself lost in the girl's memories. They were surrounded by blood, death, destruction and flames. Rebekka tried to guide the girl to more pleasant thoughts and dreams, but because they were memories, she was powerless.

Kol watched from nearby, having arrived shortly after Elena had fallen asleep. He too entered her dreams and wished not for the first time since turning that he still had his powers so that he could help the younger girl. Sure, he selfishly wished for them to cause a little mayhem, but for once he wished for them to help another.

Elena woke the next morning more exhausted than she had been the day before. Her therapist would be exasperated at her for not taking her sleeping medication the night before. However, as much as she loved peaceful and restful sleep, she knew that it was false and that she probably never would be free from her nightmares. PTSD indeed.

Soon the holidays were approaching. Elena reluctantly allowed the Salvatores in her life, as friends and friends only. Though both of them showed interest, she rebuffed their suits, much to the exasperation and amusement of the Mikaelsons.

"Love," Klaus said to her one day, "You cannot deny yourself happiness because of what might have been. You need to live your life."

"I'm content for the time being," she said to him with hollow eyes. "My family and friends are safe and right now there isn't anything more that I could wish or ask for."

"But are you really living?" he asked her, watching intently.

"Like I said before, dying is the easy part." she replied looking away. "Living is the hard part of things. I will live when I know that the rest of my family and friends will do the same."

John breezed back into town one day, with a message for Elena from Isobel. Her birth mother wanted to meet her. Elena flinched when he told her, but nodded in agreement. Jenna was livid with the man who had been gone for weeks. Jeremy held his sister, seeing her look so wounded and broken.

"You told her and she told Katherine," Elena stated.

John shifted uncomfortably, not meeting her eye before he nodded. Elena stood from her chair angrily, but tried to reign in her emotions. She couldn't fault him or Isobel for doing what they believed to be the right thing. However, he had proven that he couldn't be trusted.

"The blood that will be shed because of Katherine is on your hands," she said before leaving the living room and going up to her bedroom.

Elena grabbed a jacket and her purse and keys before going back downstairs. She drove to the Mikaelsons' home and parked in their driveway. Rebekka met her at the door looking at her in concern and confusion.

"Is everyone here?" Elena asked, barely holding herself in check.

"Yes, they're in the living room waiting." Rebekka replied.

Elena followed her down the hallway and into the large living room. A cheerful fire cracked in the fireplace. Above the mantle was a painting of the Originals as they were in their human days. Elena still marveled at the beauty of Klaus' art.

"Everything alright, love?" Klaus asked.

"Isobel Flemming and John Gilbert may have made a mess of things," she said sitting down in one of the plush chairs. "Katherine Pierce or Katerine Petrova knows of me now. She will be lurking and making life difficult for us if she is not reigned in."

Klaus and Elijah hissed in fury. Elena closed her eyes trying to remember everything that she had done before, but Katherine was a wild card now and dangerous. She would stop at nothing to ensure her freedom and protect her daughter Nadia.

"I know that you're angry and want her dead for her deception," Elena said softly. "Believe me, I fully understand who and what she is. However, she was a girl not much older than I when she met you. She gave birth to a child who was taken from her at birth and given away before she was exiled and banished from her family. She met you and fell in love only to find out that she would be killed. I don't blame her for her self-preservation and fear."

"And yet here you are," Klaus said tersely. "You gave yourself up and handed yourself over."

"You're right, I did." Elena said looking into the flames. "However, I didn't give birth to a child that I longed to find and raise. I don't have a child in the world that I fear for and am trying to protect."

"No but you're protecting your family and friends all the same," Elijah pointed out.

"Plus, when all of this is passed, you can still get married and settle down and have a family." Rebekka said bitterly.

Elena met her eyes and that of the others before shaking her head. "No, I cannot." she replied, lifting the right side of her shirt exposing a long-jagged scar from her ribs across her abdomen. "When we rolled over the railing of the bridge, part of it came through the window piercing my side. I had to have emergency surgery and will never be able to have children."

"Elena!" Rebekka gasped in despair. "Why didn't you say anything before?"

"Coming back and changing things comes at a price," she said with sadness coloring her voice. "I may have changed somethings, but others are inevitable. I may have had children in the other timeline, but I won't in this one, even if I save everyone."

Rebekka held her young friend and tried to keep her own heartbreak from her brothers. However, they all knew that her greatest wish was to have married and had children of her own. Something that they had all longed-for multiple times through the long centuries that had passed.

"We can fix it," Rebekka said. "There has to be a way for you at least."

Holding the older girl's hands in her own, Elena smiled sadly, but kindly. "I've made my peace with it. Besides, you can't conceive or carry children when you've had a hysterectomy."

"What?" Kol asked in confusion.

Elena looked at him and awkwardly explained the procedure to him and the others. He looked horrified and more than a little uncomfortable. Rebekka clung to her tighter, finding a deeper connection and kinship with the young woman she was hugging.

"We will deal with Katerina," Elijah said firmly. "When you go to meet Isobel, you will not be going alone."

Elena's phone interrupted her from replying. Bonnie was messaging her. Apparently, her Gram had talked to the ancestors and agreed to help them, in exchange for their family Grimoire and protection.

"Well, who's up for digging up a grave?" Elena asked with a smirk.

Klaus snorted. "I take it the Bennet witches have agreed."

"Yes," Elena said softly. "I need to go get the Grimoire without the Salvatores interfering."

"Right, let's go," Kol said with a smirk.

"The grave is going to be covered in vervain so I will have to handle the Grimoire." she cautioned.

Elena went with Kol and had Bonnie and Sheila meet them there in the old cemetery. They found the grave of Giuseppe Salvatore and began digging. Kol made quick work of it and Elena hopped down with Sheila and Bonnie. The pried open the coffin and pulled out the Grimoire. Elena passed the priceless book to its rightful owners and climbed up out of the open grave.

Sheila and Bonnie waved their hands over the coffin, putting it back into an undisturbed state. Kol began covering the grave with the dirt. The group made their way back through the woods towards where their cars were parked. Kol escorted Elena home before making his way back to his family's home.

The following day Elena awoke to the annoying and persistent caw of a crow outside her window. Yawning tired she mumbled for Damon to go away and pick up the phone like a normal person. The crow squawked before flying off and her phone pinged with a sassy and insulting message from Damon demanding that she meet with him.

Her reply was short and to the point, she had schoolwork to do and wouldn't be able to meet with him at the Grille until the afternoon. He tried to get her to meet with him sooner, but she stood firm.

As she was getting ready to leave her brother Jeremy came home from school grinning and telling her all about the new girl Anna. He looked at her pointedly and she nodded. He was well aware of who and what Anna was but despite that knowledge, he still found the quirky girl charming and endearing, much as he had before. Elena couldn't and wouldn't begrudge him his happiness. Anna was good for him.

She made her way to the Grille and met up with Damon. He held her chair out for her and took her coat as she sat down. Smiling softly at him she waited for him to sit and waited.

"You know," he began snarkily, "you were a bit rude this morning."

"What was so urgent that you felt the need to stalk me in feathers?" she replied with just as much sass.

He gasped and clutched his chest dramatically with a smirk. "You wound me." he said. "How do you know I just didn't want your charming company?"

Elena snorted as she took a sip of water. "Just tell me what's going on please?" she asked in slight frustration and amusement.

"Fine, ruin my fun," he said in a huff. "I recognized someone today that I thought was in the tomb."

"Who?" she asked in genuine surprise.

"Anabelle Zhu," he replied. "She and her mother Pearl were close with Katherine."

"I wonder who else is around," she said quietly. "Can you and Stefan keep an eye out to see if you recognize anyone else without letting them know?"

"Of course we can!" he scoffed.

Rolling her eyes, Elena picked up her sandwich and talked quietly with Damon. He sipped his signature Bourbon and ate a burger with her. She tried not to fall back into the routine of what had been or could have been. She couldn't and wouldn't let herself fall for either of the brothers, though part of her would always love them.

"Hello," Stefan said shoving his hands in his pockets beside their table.

"Hi Stefan," she said with a kind smile, "Why don't you join us?"

Damon briefly looked like he was going to protest but swallowed it back at the look Elena threw at him. "Sure, little brother," he said with an insincere smile. "The more the merrier."

The waiter brought over a drink and a burger for Stefan as well. The three sat talking and eating, ignoring the curious glances and stares from the other patrons. Caroline especially looked a bit put off that the Salvatores that she had been hoping to catch the attention of hadn't even noticed her. Elena briefly caught her eye and gave a friendly smile, but it dropped seeing the jealousy that was in Caroline's eyes.

Elena looked away and put her sandwich down. Damon and Stefan looked over curiously and saw Caroling flush and look away in embarrassment. They looked back and forth and weren't quite sure what had happened, but Elena seemed to curl in on herself and it didn't sit well with them.

"Everything alright?" Stefan asked in concern.

"Fine," Elena said hoarsely. "Despite the fact that I'm friends with people or were friends with people, some things won't change. Even though I'm going to do everything I can to protect people, most of them will never know and never understand what is really happening."

"What happened?" Damon demanded.

"It's nothing," she replied. "Just a misunderstanding between friends."

"What'd she say or do?" he urged.

"She didn't do anything, Damon." she said in exasperation.

"Then why do you look like someone slapped you?" he asked harshly.

"Please just drop it," she asked.

The brothers shared a glance and reluctantly agreed to leave it be for now. However, they would be paying attention to how people reacted to and treated Elena from now on. Stefan knew some of the story from attending high school. Elena had been the it girl and town sweetheart. She had been the popular girl, cheerleader with the quarterback boyfriend. He sometimes heard whispered murmurs and scathing remarks about her now that she wasn't attending school.

Caroline Forbes despite calling herself Elena's friend seemed to have taken her place as the center of attention and basked in it. She was a sweet girl, but often put her foot in her mouth. She was controlling and demanding, but she had a heart of gold.

Damon overheard one of the cheerleaders, "What, she's too good to go to school and now she's too good to hang out with us? She's been seen with both of the new families but doesn't hang out with any of us anymore!"

Caroline shushed the girl and quietly told her off. "She's gone through so much. Leave it be."

Damon snorted at the half-hearted attempt but appreciated that Barbie at least said something. Stefan met his gaze and looked furious. Damon shrugged and knocked back his Bourbon before ordering another.

"I'll settle the bill," Damon said, pulling out his wallet. "Why don't you two wait outside for me?"

Stefan looked reluctant, unsure of what his brother was planning. Elena rolled her eyes and made her way out the door with a parting shot, "Next lunch is on me!"

Damon and Stefan chuckled before going in separate directions. Stefan followed her out the door waiting outside in the cool Autumn air. Damon made his way to the group of twittering high school girls with a predatory smirk on his face.

"Hi Damon!" Caroline gushed with a smile that faltered meeting his piercing gaze.

"Good evening girls," he said salaciously, smirking as he heard their heartbeats jump.

"I couldn't help but notice you were staring over at our table," he prodded.

One of the younger more airheaded girls replied, "Well we were wondering what Elena Gilbert was doing with you. I mean she's a bit of a recluse now and doesn't even go to school anymore."

"About that," he grinned, showing his teeth. "You see the girl lost her family and has had extensive physical therapy. One would think that her friends would know that and be more understanding." he said looking straight at Caroline. "Her parents were friends with our Uncle Zach and her family has offered to help us get acquainted and acclimated with the town. We have mutual friends in the Mikaelsons."

Caroline had nothing to say and looked away in shame. None of the others replied, seeing their ringleader kowtowed. He looked around meeting each of their gazes and his pupils dilated.

"You will stop gossiping and smirching Elena's reputation," he said, and they repeated. "You will not be unkind to her and go out of your way to make her feel unwelcome or unwanted."

When he was satisfied that the compulsion stuck, he looked at Caroline who looked horrified and embarrassed, he nodded before leaving. "Enjoy your evening, ladies." he said sarcastically.

Damon met them outside and met the baffled gaze of his brother. He looked away uncomfortably and shrugged. "Where to?" he asked.

The trio walked around the squared and talked, stopping at the benches in the center of town. Damon sprawled out on the grass in front of the bench, lounging and looking at Elena and his brother. It was clear that his brother was besotted, and if he were being honest, he too felt something for the girl. However, she had them strictly in the friendzone.

"You seem tired," Damon observed. "Will you be alright driving home?"

"Don't worry about me," she said with a kind smile. "I'll be fine."

"Stefan should ride home with you before coming home," he said, with a look of distaste on his face. "I can't believe I just said that. But honestly, with what I just told you it would be safer."

Elena looked down at her hand and nodded. "The Martins will be arriving in a few days," she told them quietly. "The next full moon the tomb will be opened. I know that you need to see it to believe it, Damon. Just remember that despite her not being in there, you're going to be alright."

"I fail to see how wasting the better part of two centuries will be fine." he said bitingly.

Her piercing gaze pinned him in place. "Do not think for one second that you are the only person to have loved and lost someone. I'm trying to do the right thing, being your friend, but that does not give you the right to take that tone with me." she seethed. "You still have your life and your brother. You can walk in the sun, you have friends, and you have your freedom. Don't talk to me about loss and wasted time."

Elena stood from the bench wincing as she got up too fast. Both Stefan and Damon scrambled up as well. Damon knew he had pushed too far and was thinking quickly of what to say or do. She had told them everything and yet it was still so hard to believe and accept.

"I need to go home," she said tightly.

"Come on," Stefan said cautiously. "Let me drive you home."

"I'm sorry," Damon murmured stepping up beside her.

Elena met his gaze before nodding once and looking away. She allowed Stefan to drive her home and walked towards her house, trying to ignore the twinges in her side. He stopped her at the door and looked torn.

"For what it's worth," he paused. "I'm sorry and I know that Damon is too. We care about you, Elena."

She scoffed and pulled her hand from his, stepping into the safety of her home. "You care about this face," she replied angrily. "I'm not her or any of my ancestors. I deserve to be more than that. I deserve to be wanted for me and who I am."

"That's not what I meant!" He said defensively.

"Oh, so you and your brother hadn't been skulking around stalking me for months before meeting me?" She demanded.

She waited and when he didn't deny it simply replied, "That's what I thought! Please leave me alone." She said before slamming the door closed and sliding down it crying.

Jenna and Jeremy came running in the room to see what had happened. They cradled her in their arms as they helped her over to the couch. Jenna left to call Rebeka while Jeremy sat on the couch beside his sister and held her. He had noticed the changes in her since the accident. It was hard not to. She was almost a completely different person and while he would always love his sister, he loved this version of her better.

This version of Elena cared for others and asked for nothing in return. She didn't worry about dances or cheering or any of the high school drama that her life revolved around before. Now she was just weeks away from graduating early by doing online schooling and looking into what she wanted to do with her life outside of Mystic Falls. This version of his sister needed him and loved him and paid attention to him. She didn't judge him or scold him, but rather seemed to hang on his every word and watched him as if she were afraid he would disappear.

Jenna returned and sat on the other side of Elena and rubbed her back in what she hoped was a soothing manner. Not for the first time she wished that her sister was here, Miranda was so much better equipped at the parenting thing. Shaking herself from her thoughts, she focused back on her trembling niece.

The Mikaelsons arrived in full force not long after. Rebekka sped over to the younger girl and knelt in front of her in concern. The males seemed to pace like caged animals and slightly uncomfortable with the crying female before them.

"What happened?" Rebekka asked carefully.

Elena tearfully explained her lunch meeting with the Salvatores. She tiredly explained that while it all started out fine, it soon unraveled when Caroline and her old cheerleading friends spotted her and made snide remarks and threw scathing looks. When she explained the conversation in the town square and the one at her front door the fury and rage that erupted in the room and startled her.

"Are you sure we need them, love?" Klaus asked through clenched teeth.

Laughing wetly, "Yes we need them." she replied, her exhaustion coloring her words.

"Alright, love." Klaus said, gently lifting her. "Let's get you up to your bed. You need rest. You've given us all the information that we need, and we will handle things. Just focus on resting."

Klaus followed her scent through the house up the stairs to her room. He carefully laid her on her bed and pulled her shoes off. He tossed them towards her closet and pulled her blankets up over her. It was the first time in many decades that he had tucked in anyone. He swallowed thickly thinking of first Henrik and then Marcel. Forcing down his own emotions, he looked down at the young woman that had wormed her way into all of their hearts.

For centuries they, him in particular, saw love as a weakness. Loving someone made them vulnerable. She had reached out to them and not only told them how to defeat their father and mother but promised to help him break his curse. The Martins and Maddox had met with the Bennets and found a ritual to transfer another's life force into Elena. Someone would die, but it would not be Elena.

They hadn't spoken of it with Elena yet. They wanted to make sure that they had contingency plans in place. There was the Elixir that Elijah had made for Katerina centuries ago, which was still valid. There was vampire blood as a last resort. They knew that Elena wasn't sure that she wanted to turn. Everything that they saw from her previous life, she had wanted to remain human, but circumstances did not allow for it. Now however, the life that she wanted to live as a human wasn't possible.

Standing he turned to leave the room to find his sister standing in the doorway watching him curiously. She didn't say anything, but he could see that they would be having a conversation later. He left the room and blurred back down to the living room where Kol was still pacing and muttering about tearing apart the Salvatores. Elijah stood looking out the window with his jaw clenched. His posture was rigid, and Klaus knew from their human days that his brother was coiled and ready for a fight.

Rebekka blurred in a short while later. "She's asleep and I've done what I can to help her sleep without nightmares or memories." she said softly. "I can stay if you like, or we are only a phone call away."

"I'm sure we will be fine," Jenna said with a grateful smile. "Thank you for coming. I didn't know what had happened."

"Rest assured, Jenna," Elijah said in a deceptively calm voice. "The Salvatores will be dealt with accordingly. That they cannot see Elena for the person that she is and not just a face is disgusting. We've known all of the doppelgangers, and she is nothing like her ancestors."

The Mikaelsons bid them goodnight and left, blurring away into the night. They entered the Boarding House with no trouble, letting them know that the loose cannon that was Damon had indeed killed his last living relative. The brothers were in the recessed living room where they sat by a roaring fire drinking bourbon.

Klaus and Elijah had them up and pinned to the walls in an instant. Rebeka and Kol stalked forward, all of them had their vampire visages on display. The Mikaelsons compelled them to confess their goings on in the town. Both admitted to stalking Elena and her family and friends. Damon admitted to even using her friend Caroline. Klaus snapped his neck when he heard how he had compelled and used the unsuspecting teenage girl.

Rebeka stalked forward and grabbed the fire poker and rammed it into his gut while he was unconscious. Stefan tried to fight out of Elijah's grasp but went still feeling the older vampire's hand in his chest. Kol paced, while Klaus seemed to be trembling in rage.

Monsters though they were, none of them stooped to compelling another to force themselves on them in such a way, nevermind an innocent child. Though a teenager, Caroline Forbes was very much a naive child in their eyes. It was unconscionable in their eyes to use their powers in such a way.

"You will listen very carefully," Elijah said in barely contained fury. "You and your brother will stay away from Elena and Caroline Forbes, or any other unsuspecting teenage girl for that matter. You will not approach Elena, you will not speak to her, you will not seek her out."

Damon woke up with a pained groan interrupting Elijah. He found himself stationary, held in place by Klaus' booted foot on his neck. He looked around in terror realizing that they were in serious trouble.

"As I was informing your brother, you and Stefan will leave Elena alone," Elijah informed them.

Damon's protest was cut off when Klaus pressed his boot down, causing his neck to creek ominously. "Silence!" Klaus snarled. "You both have done more than enough damage in this town. Elena is off limits as are all underage girls. You will never, ever force yourselves on another or so help me, you will spend the rest of your miserable existences looking over your shoulder."

"We didn't mean to cause her any harm," Stefan gasped out. "We were careless with our words; we would never harm her!"

"But you did!" Elijah seethed. "She is her own person! She is neither Tatia nor Katerina!"

"She won't even give us a chance." Damon whined. "If she would just give us a chance, me a chance!"

"Elena Gilbert wants nothing to do with you!" Rebeka hissed. "She knows that to you she is just a replacement of what you never had to begin with."

"You will leave her alone," Kol said with glittering eyes. "I promise you that if you do not heed our words and stay away you will not live to see the next day. Though perhaps we could keep you strung up for centuries to pay for your sins."

Damon tried to protest, but Klaus stomped down having lost his patience for the foolish vampire at his feet. Elijah snapped Stefan's neck and dropped him to the ground. The Mikalesons took the daylight rings off of the fingers of the Salvatores and left a letter of instruction on the table beside them. They were to stay away from Elena and not cause any trouble in the town and only then would they get their rings back.

The Mikaelsons blurred back to their home, and each went to their rooms to busy themselves with something, anything to try to stem the building fury. Klaus went to his studio to paint, Elijah to the library, Rebeka to her room to sketch out and design a new wardrobe, and Kol went to his room to flip through one of his many grimoires.

Elena slept soundly through the night. It was one of the first nights in as long as she could remember that she hadn't been plagued by nightmares or memories. She stretched and winced as her body ached. Though healed, her injuries still bothered her now and again.

After showering, she dressed in a pair of yoga pants and a large slouchy sweater. She went downstairs and entered the kitchen to make coffee and grab some toast for breakfast. As she was waiting, she booted up her laptop to begin her finals. She had finally made it to the point where she could finish high school.

Glancing through her notes, she munched on her toast and took the first long sip of coffee. Looking at the clock she realized that it was only five in the morning and that Jeremy and Jenna wouldn't be up for a while. Shrugging she pulled up the first of her many exams and started the long and grueling process of completing her education.

An hour later when Jeremy and Jenna came down to start their days, Elena was about halfway through her first final. Jenna dropped a kiss on the top of her head as she passed her on the way to the coffee pot. Jeremy smiled at his sister and sat beside her to eat a quick bowl of cereal.

Elena spent the rest of her day doing finals. She would have another couple of days doing two or three exams each day. With the core subjects of Math, Science, English, and History, she would also be testing in French, Latin, and Social Studies which covered Anthropology and Psychology.

She had also taken online tutorials in home economics as well as other practical courses that were more closely structured to a college course like statistics and writing. She had enjoyed her classes, taking more than she would need to graduate high school. Some of the classes would count towards college credits.

Though she had lived her life once before, she was making the most of her second chance. Last time she hadn't spent as much time as she could on her studies, this time around she would do the best that she could and focus on her education. This time she would make something of herself. She would be more than just a doppelganger or blood bag; she would find her place in this life.

The days that followed Elena threw herself into her exams and the world around her seemed to blur around the edges. The Mikaelsons would pop in to check on her but left her to her tests and wished her luck. Kol and Rebeka were also taking courses to brush up on their own educations. It was a way that they could catch up on society and the world that they had been in a box for.

Finn had messaged Elijah the other day letting him know that he and Sage were in the Caribbean and going to be traveling the world. He was still bitter about his treatment and the fact that he had been left in a coffin for nearly a millennium. Klaus gritted his teeth but nodded in understanding.

It would take time to mend their family. Luckily for them, they had plenty of time on their hands. Elijah had begun making plans to take care of Silas, the prophecy that could kill one of their family, the Hollow, and everything else that Elena had forewarned them of. While many of the events she had not been there in person for, she knew of them.

He had reached out to the supernatural world in order to find the information that he needed. The Strix were being dealt with as well as all of their wayward first sired progeny before they became a problem. The Augustine Society was also being dismantled and Enzo was in the process of being freed.

Elena had given them purpose and common goals and enemies to fight against. She had given them much to ponder and look towards. They were beginning to make progress in reaching out to Marcel. Things were tense between them, but Klaus was in the process of trying to mend that relationship. Marcel though bitter at first, was slowly beginning to understand the truth in the fact that they had thought him dead. It also helped that finally, Rebekka's brothers had given their consent for the two of them to be together if it was their wish.

As for future children, Klaus was torn. He could see that he loved the girl that was his daughter from Elena's memories. However, things were different now and as much as he longed for a family he wasn't sure if he could or would risk bringing a child into the world. His siblings were of the same mind. As much as all of them longed to have a family of their own, they had made many enemies over the years.

After Elena's last exam she announced to Klaus that they should begin the process of drawing and storing her blood. He baulked at the idea, but she told him that if they took a little over time up until and shortly after the ritual it would be easier. He and his siblings got into a heated discussion regarding her blood donations towards his dream of having hybrids. However, she also pointed out that her blood was useful in a number of rituals and spells.

"Do you have no self-preservation?" Kol asked her incredulously. "Honestly, Elena one does not simply offer up their blood like this." he hissed. "You are not a blood bag."

"Aren't I?" she asked tiredly.

All of the Mikaelsons snarled and hissed in response. Each of them had seen her memories and had seen what she had been through before. Klaus especially looked gutted at her words.

"I cannot and will not ask this of you," Klaus said hoarsely. "You are more than that, Elena."

"It still does not change the fact that you need my blood," she replied softly. "I'm offering it to you. You and your family have done a lot for us."

"Elena," Elijah said, crouching down in front of her. "We are not helping you to get anything in return from you, elska. We are helping for everything you have already done for us. We are free because of you. With your knowledge we have the ability to stop so much from happening. We cannot ask you to sacrifice more, please."

His siblings stared at him before looking away. Klaus's jaw tensed and he swallowed thickly nodding to his brother. They could not and would not ask more of the now seventeen year old.

"Elijah is right, love." Klaus said. "I appreciate the offer, but you are still healing."

Elena nodded, biting her bottom lip. "Okay," she said softly. "The offer is there regardless. When you do want or need it, I'm okay with it, Klaus."

"Perhaps one day," Klaus said, uncertainly. "However, from what you showed me there was far more wrong than good with that whole situation. As much as I would love to not be the only one of my kind, I have my family. And for the first time since I was human I have a purpose that is beyond running and surviving."

Elena leaned back on the couch and brought her legs up under her. Nodding, she turned to look at the rain falling outside. The weather was turning much colder and Christmas was just a few weeks away. There was still so much to do, but with all of her foreknowledge, she felt ready for what was to come.

They had decided from the beginning that they would be dealing with the Silas situation by buying the island and essentially sinking it if possible. Elena was shocked to learn that they threw around that much money and used compulsion to such an extent, but she realized that she could not fault them in this case.

By owning the island they limited who had access to it. Sinking it would ensure that no one could or would be able to find and resurrect Silas. The cure would also be out of everyone's reach, ensuring that no one would fall victim to the fatal effects. For an ancient vampire it was a death sentence.

Elijah was already working on having the Travelers dealt with and hunted. Amara would be found and brought to the island where Silas was located and placed with him and sunk to the depths with him. There was no need in their mind to have anyone else be the Anchor to the Other Side. Thus, saving all of them and Bonnie so much pain and suffering.

Each day that passed and each new plan that was formed, Elena breathed a little easier knowing that she was doing everything that she could to spare her friends and family. At the end of the day, she could face whatever came for her as long as they survived and thrived.

The Holidays came and went. The Mikaelsons had doted on Elena and her family, taking them under their wing and accepting them as an extension of their own family. Elena received lavish gifts from each of them. Elijah had given her a beautiful sapphire necklace and an antique book of poetry. Klaus had given her a painting that he had done, it was a portrait of her family. Kol had given her a lovely new peacoat. Rebekka had given her a lovely perfume and a new purse.

In return she had given them each things that she thought that they would enjoy. To Elijah she had given a new silk tie and cufflinks. For Klaus she had given him new art supplies, knowing that he liked to draw and paint. To Kol she had given a new gaming system, which Jeremy had helped her pick out and purchase. For Rebekka she had gotten her mother's necklace from Stefan as well as a pair of shoes that they had seen at the mall on their last shopping trip that she had looked at.

It was a lovely time and they all enjoyed it. The only downside was John bringing Isobel to the festivities. She had immediately been compelled to given them the information that they needed regarding Katerina and told to not interfere or harm anyone. John had been livid but relented knowing that the Originals were not to be taken lightly.

His fatal mistake had been bringing out the dagger and White Oak Ash, which was immediately taken from him. Elena fumed at him that he had a death wish. They were helping and keeping them safe, but he snarled that they were vampires.

He was escorted off of the property with Isobel and told not to come back. Elena had refused to even look at him as Elijah and Klaus dragged the pair of them to the edge of the property line. Isobel blurred off and John walked to his car trembling in rage.

For New Year's the Mikaelsons were bringing Jeremy, Elena, and Jenna to New York City. Elena was excited to do something she had never done before and thrilled to get out of Mystic Falls. Jeremy and Kol were becoming fast friends, especially when they would play on their gaming systems for hours at a time. So, it was not uncommon to see them talking and joking with one another.

The Mikaelsons had a penthouse apartment available to them courtesy of Klaus. He had made arrangements to spend the evening both in the penthouse and out on the balcony watching the ball drop and seeing the city at its finest. Jenna was thrilled and fit right in with the other guest.

Upon arrival it was immediately made known that the Gilberts were to be untouched. Though an unusual instruction, none there dared to cross the line. Elena stood by Rebekka for a while before Elijah had appeared at her side with a glass of champagne and a small grin tugging at his lips.

"Though not completely legal," he teased. "I thought you might enjoy a drink. You look lovely, Elena."

"Thank you," she replied, taking a sip, trying not to blush.

She had always had a soft spot for Elijah. There was just something about him that made her want to trust him. She had always felt safe with him. Even now in an apartment crawling with supernatural beings, she knew that she and her family were safe because none would dare oppose the Miakelsons.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Elijah inquired, looking her over carefully.

"I am," she replied with a bright smile. "I've never been to New York on New Year's this will be one of the many things to cross of my list."

"What list is that?" he asked in confusion.

"My bucket list," she said with a teasing grin. "I have a long list of things that I want to do in my lifetime, however long that may be."

"What else is on this list of yours?" he asked pensively, fully intending to help her cross off as many items as possible.

"Hmm," she pondered thoughtfully. "I want to see the Northern Lights, go backpacking through Europe, have authentic Italian food in Italy, travel to Asia, see St. Petersburg and so many more places." she said wistfully. "I would love to visit all fifty states, learn a new language, learn a new skill every year, there's just so much." she gushed.

Looking at her with a smile and excited look on his face, "Well then we should write your list down if you haven't already and work on it." he said to her. "Now I believe that the ball is about to drop, would you like to go out on the balcony?"

Nodding and blushing at him, she looped her arm through his proffered one. He draped his suit jacket over her shoulders when they were out in the cold night air of the evening. She stood next to him near the railing and watched the countdown begin not too far away. Excitement buzzed in the air and anticipation bubbled all around them. She grinned up at him and found him staring down at her fondly.

The crowds chanted the countdown all around them. The voices around them called out loudly, "Ten...nine...eight...seven...six...five...four...three...two...one!"

Elijah slid his warm calloused hands over her, drawing her to face him as the clock wound down. He slowly dipped in, his eyes asking what he would not voice out loud. His head dipped lower, his nose brushing hers gently. Then he kissed her, just a brief, soft press of his lips.

"Happy New Year, elska." he breathed against her ear and then he slipped into the crowd without his suit jacket.

"Holy shit!" Jenna said coming beside her fanning herself. "You may not be eighteen yet, but you should know that I totally approve." Jenna teased.

"Jenna!" Elena scolded, blushing brightly while touching her lips.

"Let's get you inside," Jenna said, leading her niece into the penthouse.

The party lasted long into the morning hours. Eventually Jeremy, Jenna, and Elena were led to rooms that were set aside for them while the rest of the party goers enjoyed the festivities. The Mikaelsons kept an eye and ear out to make sure that the Gilberts were safe but enjoyed themselves. A number of important people from their pasts were invited, including their original or first sires.

As the party dwindled their first sires were incapacitated and Klaus struck quickly, biting them and snapping their necks. They had seen what destruction they would cause in the future and decided to nip that particular problem in the bud. Elijah would need to reign in the Strix and bring them to heel as soon as possible. Marcel and Klaus were on amicable terms, especially since he and Rebekka were slowly rekindling their romance.

The Mikaelsons were working to ensure that the future that Elena had seen would never come to pass. They would be breaking Lorenzo St. John out in a couple of weeks and then dealing with the Armory. The Travelers and the Hollow were on their list as well as their sister Freya and their maternal aunt, Dahlia. So much to do, but with Elena's help they had an idea of what needed to be done and the best way to ensure that there was the least possible loss of life.

The Bennet witches were working with the Martins and Maddox as well as a vast network of witches and warlocks who were working in a tentative truce with the Mikaelsons to prevent the destruction and deaths that Elena had seen. As much as it chaffed against their nature to work with vampires, they also saw the importance of Elena's memories and knowledge. They understood the importance of making sure that none of it had come to pass.

It was the second week in January that Elena had received her test results and was awarded her high school diploma as well as additional college credits in a number of her classes. The Mikaelsons were true to their word and slowly ticking things off of the long list that Elena had come back with.

She often found herself thinking of Elijah and the kiss that they had shared on New Year's Eve. Though chaste, it certainly held promises of much more. It terrified her to admit it, but there had always been something about him. Now that the Salvatores were not smothering her and consuming her life, she recognized the attraction that she felt for exactly what it was. She was easily and surely falling for the Noble Original.

"How are you doing, love?" Klaus approached her one day while she was meeting Jeremy at the Grille.

"Hi, Klaus!" she greeted with a warm smile. "I'm doing well, how are you?"

"Just fine, love." he said sitting across from her. "You look better, sweetheart."

"What a charmer," she teased. "I know that it has taken a while, but I'm starting to finally feel more like myself."

"Any thoughts on what you want to do now?" he asked curiously. "Your high school education is done, so what's next?"

"I'm going to take some more online courses for college," she replied.

"What do you want to study?" he asked leaning forward in interest.

"Everything," she replied with a laugh. "However, I'm thinking that maybe Medical School eventually. I want to be able to help others."

Klaus flashed her a dimpled grin, "Well I think that you'll do just fine with that, love."

They talked for a while before Jeremy arrived with Kol and Rebekka following behind them. Elijah was in Europe handling a few things that were related to the Strix, otherwise he would have met up with them as well. Jenna was busy with her thesis paper, so she was not around as much.

Elena looked around the Grille and realized that she was so out of touch with everything that was going on with her old friends and old life. Over towards the pool tables was Matt and Tyler with Caroline and the cheerleaders nearby. Bonnie was spending more and more time with her Grams, but also the Martins learning everything that she could about being a witch. Though they crossed paths, it was not the same between them. Bonnie understood Elena's memories, but still felt hurt and not a little betrayed with her involvement with the Originals.

Caroline had drifted away from both of them. She relished in being the popular "it girl" at school. However, she was becoming resentful of Elena's involvement in the community as well as the new families in town, especially all of the attractive males that were constantly around her.

Damon and Stefan became regulars in town and true to the compulsion, stayed away from Elena. Their information was vital in keeping tabs on the happenings in town. There wasn't anything unusual or suspicious going on so everything for the time being was fine.

Time for those that knew what was going on seemed to fly by. They planned on performing the ritual on the full moon closest to the spring equinox. Elena had everything prepared just in case something went wrong. Letters were written and sealed for all of her friends.

It was two weeks before they planned on doing the ceremony when Katherine breezed into town. Elijah and Klaus immediately captured and subdued the errant doppelganger. From her they were able to extract the Moonstone that Mason Lockwood had stolen from his brother's safe.

From Elena's memories they found and planned to use either Jules or Brady from Mason's pack for the ceremony. Kol had been dispatched weeks before to capture them. He had them knocked out and dragged them into the basement holding cells of their home. Now they had all of the major players.

Isobel and John had tried to intervene on Katerina's behalf which only made the Originals angrier. Their interference hurt Elena, knowing that they wanted to help Isobel's ancestor and mentor rather than their daughter. They knew that their interference would cause problems, John knew and yet he still followed through with it.

It was the Bennets that brought up the spell transferring a parent's life force into their child, but Elena shot it down. She refused to have anyone die for her, even if she didn't care for their interference. She was adamant that she uses the elixir to bring her back. The Martins, Maddox and the Bennets had all tested it and deemed it valid and potent.

As the day of the ritual drew nearer, she was able to convince Klaus to take a few blood bags of her blood. When he tried to refuse, she told him that if she did not come back from the ritual alive, she wanted him to have a chance to prove that he was a good Alpha and create hybrids of those that willingly came to him seeking to end the full moon curse.

Elijah had stayed by her side spending as much time with her as he could. Though he seemed much more mature, physically speaking he was really only twenty-three. Klaus was twenty, Kol nineteen, and Rebekka seventeen. Finn, though traveling, was closer to twenty-six. Despite their chronological age physically they remained the age that they turned. Of course, they could use clothes and other props to appear slightly older, but they would often have to move around often or compel people around them.

Elena and Elijah became inseparable. During their time in public, he slightly changed his wardrobe choices to appear closer in age to the young woman that he was falling for. He would wait until she was older to pursue a more physical relationship. Though centuries ago, they would be at a suitable marriageable age, modern society would frown upon such a relationship now.

"What is it you want to do in life, my love?" he asked her one day while sitting on a blanket in the park. "Besides the infamous bucket list."

Elena laughed softly. "I just want to live." she replied. "Last time, though I eventually lived there was so much pain and suffering. This time we, well mainly your family, have been working to prevent most of it. This time I want to be happy, really happy and enjoy life."

"If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you want to go first?" he asked, leaning his back against a tree.

"I think maybe I'd want to go to Italy first," she replied, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Good choice," he murmured. "Any particular part of Italy?"

"All of it," she laughed. "There's so much to see in each of the different areas! The islands, Rome, Tuscany, and so much more," she enthused.

"Well, love." he murmured, "How about when you wake up from the ritual we head to Italy."

"Really?" she breathed. "I'd love to!" she said, throwing her arms around him and landing in his lap.

Elijah sucked in a breath sharply and tamped down his instinct to do far much more than hug the woman in his arms. Shifting slightly, controlling his physical reaction to holding her so near, but also making sure that they were both comfortable. Wrapping his arms around her, he closed his eyes and breathed her in. Even after all this time, after each of the doppelgangers, none of them and none of his previous relationships had prepared him for what he felt for Elena. She was his even if she did not even know it.

"Of course, lovely Elena." he murmured against her hair. "We can take our time there if it is your wish. With your courses being online, it allows for flexibility to travel and live your life however it is you choose to do so."

"I'd love to go, Elijah." she murmured against the crook of his neck.

She leaned into his strong and broad chest. She felt safe in his arms and secretly loved the way his arms flexed as he made the simplest of gestures. With his sleeves rolled up, she got to see said muscles. Leaning against him, she could feel his solid build and the strength that he held.

"Hello, Elena," Caroline's voice interrupted them. "I haven't seen you around much and was wondering how you were?"

"I'm doing better, Caroline." Elena answered with a sad smile. "How are you doing?"

"I've been great," the blonde girl replied. "I've missed you, Elena. It hasn't been the same without you. I heard that you already graduated, congratulations."

"I've missed you too, Care." Elena replied. "With doing the online schooling I guess I just got so far ahead because I didn't have much of anything else to do."

"So, any big plans?" Caroline asked, looking pointedly at Elijah.

"I'm going to do some online college courses and see where life takes me," Elena said with a smile, refusing to give her any information about Elijah or her potential, budding relationship.

"Well, it was good seeing you again," Caroline said a little less warmly. "I wish you the best, Elena."

Caroline walked away and Elena drew a shaky breath. She missed her friend, the more mature and less insecure version of her. This teenage version of her was a shadow of the woman that she had become when she had turned into a vampire. Elena briefly wondered if she was doing her friend a favor keeping her away from the supernatural.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" Elijah asked.

"I'm fine," she replied tiredly. "I miss who she was and I'm afraid she won't become that person every now."

"I remember your memories of who she had been and what she meant to my brother as well," Elijah said softly. "I also know that he has been watching her from a distance hoping to get a glance of that young woman in your memories, but she isn't the same. Maybe one day she will be, but she has some growing up to do."

"I hope that she becomes that woman, not just for herself but for your brother's sake." Elena said quietly. "He loved her in a way that I have never seen before. I remember her telling me all of the things that he had done for her and said to her. Who knew he was a romantic?" Elena teased.

Elijah leaned down and nipped the tender flesh behind her ear, causing her to moan and lean into him. "Romantic?" he teased, "Lovely, we Mikaelsons can be very charming and romantic given the right motivation. If you asked it of me, I would show you the world. If you asked it of me, I would love you for the rest of my existence as you deserve and cherish you for the rest of time."

Elena released a shaky breath. "Elijah," she murmured, kissing his Adam's apple. "I don't want or need anything other than you."

He cursed in Old Norse and held her to him. She would be his undoing, only she could bring him to his knees and bring him to ruin. He was hers and if he had any say in it, it would be for eternity. He could not fathom a life without her in it.

"Would you ever consider changing?" he asked quietly. "I don't mean right away, but when you're older or ready, would you ever consider it?"

"I am leaning more towards it, yes." she answered honestly. "However, for me to make a final decision about that I want to be a little older. I also don't want to spend eternity alone, so I would have to think about it."

"I would spend eternity by your side if you would have me," Elijah said, bringing her knuckles to his lips. "I would spend the rest of our lives showing you the kind of love that you deserve. Just say the words, lovely Elena and I would make you mine."

Elena turned in his lap, straddling him and cupped his face in her hands. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, swallowing thickly. He felt her breath fan across his face as she drew nearer, before gently kissing him on his lips. His hands ran up her sides and wrapped around her instinctively as he deepened the kiss and claimed her mouth as he longed to claim her in all ways.

"Sweetheart," Elijah said raggedly. "As much as I would love nothing more than to lay you down and take you here and now, you deserve more than that. Let's not get carried away, there is plenty of time. We must wait until you're at least eighteen before we take this further."

Elena breathed deep, trying to catch her breath and control herself. Part of her knew that he was right, but there was another part of her that longed to be his in all ways now, waiting be damned!

The pair reluctantly untangled themselves and straightened their clothing. Sitting beside one another they went back to their picnic and discussion while stealing glances at one another. Both of them thought that her eighteenth birthday could not come soon enough.

On the morning of the ritual, Elijah did not leave her side. Jenna and Jeremy had gone to the Lake House per Elena's request. The Mikelsons had closed rank and rallied, preparing to help their brother break the curse that had been placed upon him. The Bennets, Martins, and Maddox were all assembled and ready to jointly perform the ritual.

Brady had been killed outright the day before and it had been decided that Jules would be used for the ritual. Brady had confessed to his hunting down of vampires and of targeting families in hopes of slaughtering as many as possible, the younger the sweeter the flesh and blood. His words and actions had nauseated them. Despite going on killing rampages due to their bloodlust, they had not intentionally targeted entire families in centuries and even then, it was for vengeance, not blood sport.

In the mind of Klaus as well as the witches, there was a symmetry having the sacrifices for the ritual all females. Elena took the Elixir and waited beside Elijah. Jules fell first, the Katherine who screamed and raged. When it came time for Elena she went to Klaus willingly.

"Don't watch," she urged him. "I will be fine, but please do not watch."

"I'll be gentle, brother." Klaus promised. "I will make it as painless as possible."

Elijah nodded, but refused to look away. Elena closed her eyes and felt herself drift. She barely felt his fange pierce her flash as he began pulling her life's blood from the wound in great gulps. She could hear and feel her heart slowing. Raising her tired eyes towards Elijah she found him watching her with an agonized look on his face.

With the last drop of her blood gone, Klaus relished in the change he felt. Turning a mournful gaze towards the prone body of the young woman who had given them so much he watched as his brother dropped beside her, cradling her to his chest. Even as he felt his body shifting, Klau watched his elder brother and closest confidant holding the woman they had all come to care for.

As the moon reached its peak, Klaus fully shifted and sat quietly. He gave a mournful howl that raised the hair on everyone's neck. Then there was a beat, followed by another. Elijah stood, nodding to Klaus with tearfilled eyes. Elena's heart had restarted and the Elixir had worked.

"Follow him," Elijah instructed his siblings. "I need to bring her back to the safety of her home and make sure that she recovers. Keep me informed."

Klaus gave a wolfish expression and took off into the night with his younger siblings in pursuit. Elijah watched for a moment before blurring away towards the Gilbert residence. The Salvatores were waiting on the steps, but Elijah walked past them into the house. The Bennets and other witches arrived to check on Elena.

It would be a long night for them all, but it was a new beginning for all of them. Perhaps they could all find peace and happiness now. Perhaps they could truly live as a family again.