After leaving Klaus alone in that alley, Elena walks into a fight club, she sees them fighting, men, women, bleeding, breaking bones. She registers her name and enters the ring. No gloves, she sees the fighter coming towards her, he throws the first punch at her and she dodges, he throws another and she dodges it too, he throws the third and this time she has grabbed his wrist, she pulls him closer and punches him on the face knocking him unconscious. The crowd cheers for her.
She stays in the ring all night, fights seven men, six women, walks out of the nightclub collecting the cash she has earned. She collides to a hard chest just as she exits. She looks up to meet Elijah staring down at her.
She puts the money in her jeans pocket and asks, "What Elijah, why are you looking at me like this?"
"Elena, if money is what you need, I could get you a..."
SLAP
Elijah is shocked and then he sees the bitterness in her eyes, in her gesture as she says, "I am done with people claiming to protect me, people telling me that this is good for me or this is bad, people patronizing me and last but not the least people thinking that they can apply their choices on me. Now no more. You think this I did for my needs, well, no, I did this because I wanted to."
"Really Elena, you did this because you wanted to, so tell me, if i offer you a job double the money that you have earned tonight you earn per day, will you take it."
Elena gets on her toes, leans into Elijah's ear and whispers, "Nope" she tries to pass him but he stops her, "Prove to me that you didn't do this for money that you need to manage your expenses and I will let you walk away from here. Because money is a basic need Elena I don't want you risking your life to earn it, there are better ways, safer ways to earn it."
She starts laughing hysterically and then tells him, "Centuries old vampires held and throne into a tomb in 1864 and all their wealth acquired by the founding families. There are still some treasures hidden in the Gilbert journals that would earn me a lavish apartment but as I said earlier Elijah, I didn't do it for money I did it because I wanted to and I will do it again, I will come here tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that, I will keep coming here until I die or I am sent to prison for killing someone. Now that being said, leave me alone, I don't want you near me, I don't want anyone near me."
Elijah loosens his grip, she turns away and leaves. Elijah's POV,
I know you're hurt Elena and you're trying to get yourself hurt you don't want to die because you want to honor her memory but you have chosen to live in pain. I am sure she wouldn't want this for you either. I will keep my distance from you Elena but I will keep you safe, I can't afford to loose you, not again. Only I know how relieved I felt when I learnt that you were alive. But you're loosing yourself to this, you're grieving but I just hope this grief doesn't destroy you.
Elijah was sitting on the couch reading the newspaper when Klaus walks in through the door, his shoulders down, he was in some thoughts of his own, he failed to hear when Elijah called him twice. Klaus only got his attention to Elijah when Elijah broke Nik's favorite bottle of scotch.
"Easy brother, that bottle had nothing to do with anything. Why exactly did you break it?"
"To get your attention Niklaus."
Klaus was having a turmoil of emotions running inside of him, Elena's curse was taking its root in him, he wasn't able figure out the reason for shift of his feelings, when he left home, it was to bring Elena back and make her life her and now that he has returned, he has returned with the feeling of guilt towards Elena of how he ruined her life, how he caused her pain by killing her aunt, abused her by using her as a blood bag. At this moment Klaus is feeling nothing but shame and guilt.
"What is it Niklaus? What are you thinking?"
"Well she forgive me?" Klaus asks
"Will who forgive you brother?"
"Elena"
Elijah is surprising, Klaus thinking about Elena's forgiveness, he doesn't believe it so he asks, "Is it a new ploy brother, what game are you playing?"
"No, I am serious, I have to make this right, I ruined her life, I should build her life again."
Elijah gets worried for his brother, if he were human he would have thought fever reached his brain but now that he is an original and fever cannot affect him, it sure has to be magic so he asks,
"Niklaus, why are you talking like this? Tell me what happened."
Klaus tells him of his encounter with Elena and Elena cursing him, "Not that I am scared of her curse brother but that I don't hate her anymore, I saw how broken she was, all this time I blamed her but the truth is she suffers from the same loss I do and instead of helping her grieve I chose to ruin her life, to hurt her. I don't want to, not anymore. Moreover I'd be dishonoring her wishes if I harm her anymore. I have to make this right Elijah, help me make it right."
I ask Niklaus to go to bed and that we will discuss tomorrow about this while my mind diverts back to events that happened earlier today, Elena not being compelled, Elena overpowering Rebekah earlier and then as Niklaus told me, him in the alley, is this true, does Elena really have any power, is she doing it willingly, I have to find out.