"Damon is acting out," Elijah said as he fell into step beside Elena as she walked towards The Grill.
"Do I want to know what he's doing?"
"He has an entire sorority compelled and he was feeding on them. But Stefan and I managed to clear them out before anyone died."
"I wonder why I didn't know about this last time, if it happened like this."
"Because they didn't want you to."
"How goes it with talking to Isobel?"
"She's as stubborn and eating up everything Katherine spills out as much as she was last time."
"Sounds like her."
"She's a less refined Katherine, but she still loves you, deep down, beneath the switch." Elijah opened the door of the restaurant. "And I'm counting on that love to make her realize she needs her emotions to survive in this world she's found herself in."
"You mean that she chose for herself."
"It wasn't just for her thesis, you know that."
"I know, she did it for me."
"Elena!" Caroline waved her over to where she and Matt were standing next to the cash till for the Bachelor Auction.
"Hey, how's it going?"
"Matt has been hit on so much. He's total cougar bait," Caroline giggled.
"Sounds like you're earning the paycheck," Elena teased.
"Shut up."
"Hi, Mrs. Donovan!" Caroline called, her voice rising with the tension Elena couldn't believe she'd missed the first time around.
"Hi." Elena smiled as Matt's mother walked over to them, but stayed close to Elijah.
"Elena, honey." Kelly made a move to try to hug her, but she shrank closer to the vampire. "Come on. Give me a hug."
Elijah caught Kelly's arm and pushed her away from Elena.
"I'm an old friend." Kelly looked Elijah up and down, openly ogling him.
"Elena struggles with letting people touch her after the attempted rape she endured a few months ago. Some people she can tolerate for a short while, but others, especially people she's no longer close to, it causes her anxiety."
"Someone tried to rape her?" Kelly gasped.
"Yes. Now, if you would be so kind as to step back?" Elijah's friendly smile did little to hide the danger radiating off of him.
"Did you want to buy some tickets for the raffle?" Caroline asked, desperate to lessen the tension.
"Yeah, however many tickets this will get me," Kelly handed Caroline a small wad of bills, "as long as it's not Bachelor #3. Dated him in high school. Not impressive in any way." Looking Elijah up and down, she said, "It's too bad you're not a part of it. You look like you'd be fun."
"Mom!" Matt protested.
"The only woman in this armpit of a town that I'm interested in spending time with is standing right beside me."
"That's a shame. I bet I could rock your world." With that, she stumbled off.
"I'm so sorry, man." Matt's ears were red and his face screwed up.
"Not to worry. It's not the first time I've been propositioned like that in the last few days."
"Mrs. Lockwood?" Elena guessed.
"Yes, when she asked me if I would be interested in participating."
"How come you're not in the raffle then?" Caroline asked Elijah.
"Because, I refused her generous offer."
"Right. Because there's only one girl you're interested in and she's seventeen still." Caroline giggled.
"As I told her."
The raffle. Damon was going to say something stupid to try to get under Ric's skin and Elena was going to have to sit through that all over again if she didn't leave soon.
Tugging Elijah to one side, Elena whispered, "Do the people involved know the same things they know last time?"
"That you were adopted and that certain relevant people are here tonight?"
"Yeah, that."
"Yes, they do. Stefan's obsession with you led to him uncovering that."
"Does that mean I have to be here for this?"
Elijah examined her face carefully. "We can come in later. After things have cooled a bit."
"Please."
"You're fake and I don't like you," Kelly was saying to Caroline when Elena and Elijah approached, "okay?"
"Well, you should like her!" Elena snapped.
"What?" Kelly stumbled as she turned to face Elena.
"Caroline is one of my closest friends and you're a bitch if you can't see that she's a sweet girl who'll pick a fight with people she probably shouldn't if it means protecting who she loves. Call her fake again and I'll punch you in the face."
Kelly gaped like a fish, unable to process that Elena would be so disrespectful.
"Matt and I were never going to work. And if you're hoping I'll go back to him, you're wrong. I messed up a perfectly good friendship by getting with him in the first place and now I'm trying to repair that. So dogging on his new girlfriend, calling her a rebound, that's not good. Yes, I care about Matt, and I'd do just about anything for him, but we're not meant for each other. Now, get your head out of your ass, and accept your son's choices."
Turning on her heel, Elena stormed towards the bathrooms, just for a place to go that didn't involve being near Kelly.
"Well done, Elena," Elijah murmured.
"What?"
"Standing up for your friend instead of letting her get torn down. You're going to help turn her into an even more powerful woman that she was before."
"What do you mean?"
"She knows she's got support and that will help her blossom even more."
"If that's the least I can do, then my coming back won't be for nothing."
"Oh, wait, Elena!" Matt ran up to them. "I forgot to tell you, but Vickie called yesterday and she wanted me to tell you 'thank you' and that she knows now just how far you stuck your neck out for her, whatever that means."
"She's your sister and you're one of my best friends. If helping her get clean and live a decent life is all I can do for you, then I'll do it the best I can. So, she's doing okay?"
"Yeah. She said she hopes to be able to visit over Spring Break, at least for a few days."
"That's so great!" Elena wrapped her arms around him quickly before letting him go and stepping back. He was Caroline's, for now, and she didn't want her friend to think there was anything going on that wasn't.
"Okay. I've gotta get back to work, but I just wanted you to know that she's doing good. I haven't heard her sound this good in like, ever."
"Keep me posted."
"I will."
"Hey, Matt, I'm really sorry for going off on your mom like that, but Caroline's my friend and I won't let anyone talk down to her."
"Nah, it's cool. She deserved it. It's about time someone shut her up about Caroline."
"So, you're not mad?"
"How can I be mad at you? You're an amazing friend and I'm pretty sure you saved my sister's life." With one last smile, Matt hurried back to his duties and Elena and Elijah headed towards the pool tables.
"Hello, Elijah, Elena," Pearl walked up to them, Anna trailing behind her.
"Hi." Elena gave an awkward wave.
"I wish to thank you for your hospitality in allowing us to stay in the area, though I wish you'd have let more live."
"Mama," Anna protested.
"I can't explain how I know things, but trust me, it's better this way. If they'd have been let out, we would all be in danger. As it is, I can protect the few who Anna felt wouldn't cause trouble for the rest of us, at Elena's behest."
"Elena asked you to protect us?" Pearl's brows rose.
"She did. And to remain, all I ask is that you pretend to be human, blend in, and don't kill anyone noticeable."
"They're people, Elijah!" Elena grabbed his arm and spun him to face her. "Yeah, whoever they may kill might not have much, but that doesn't make their lives worth any less than someone people might miss more. Snatch, feed, erase only, please!"
"We're vampires. Why should we listen to a Gilbert?" Pearl scoffed.
"Because, I'm trying to keep the Council off your backs. If things go back to how they were in 1864, we'll all be at risk. Vervain in the water, and so much worse."
"What part do you have to play in all this? Why is an Original willing to make a deal with you, to listen to anything you have to say?"
"That's for us to know and you to keep out of so you stay alive."
"It is better that you don't know everything," Elijah confirmed.
"It has something to do with Katherine though, doesn't it? Considering you look exactly like her, so much so that if I didn't know about you, I'd think you were her." Pearl's expression suggested she was putting pieces together that they didn't want her to.
"Don't ask any more questions, please. Just know that what I'm doing, what we're doing, is trying to set things right," Elena pleaded.
"And the Salvatore brothers?"
"Know that if they cross Elijah, he'll string them up and torture them until he gets bored."
"Essentially." Elijah smirked. He'd obviously enjoyed doing that to Damon a bit more than he'd let on right after it'd happened.
Elena couldn't help but wonder if he'd downplayed it a little because he thought she might still have feelings for him, so he didn't want to anger her.
Pearl paused for a long moment, studying the pair of them, then she said, "Very well, Mr. Mikaelson, Elena. My daughter and I, along with Harper, we will abide by your rules."
"That is all we ask." Elijah inclined his head.
"Now, if you don't mind, I'd really like to pretend the supernatural doesn't exist long enough to play a game of pool." Elena walked towards the table.
"You mind if we join you?" Anna asked. "I mean, you and Elijah verses the two of us?"
"I don't mind. As long as nothing supernatural is discussed unless an emergency comes up. I'm still human and there's only so much I can take without needing to take a step back for a minute."
About halfway through the game, Bonnie joined them.
"How's your Grams?" Elena asked as she lined up a shot.
"She's still tired, but she's doing okay."
"Good, I was worried about her." Suddenly, Elena froze, her heart racing. Maxfield. He was here and he was looking around, as if searching for someone.
"Who's he?" Bonnie looked from Elena's suddenly pale face to the blond man.
"Trouble, for all supernatural people, but especially vampires."
"What does he do?" Pearl demanded.
"He likes to torture them, experiment on them, in hopes of creating the perfect vampire killing weapon. He was trained by my father."
"Grayson?" Bonnie clarified. "Grayson tortured people?"
"He didn't view vampires as people," Elena whispered. "How else do you think I knew about Enzo? I saw him performing an experiment on Enzo in the basement of his practice once when I was a kid, but I'd pushed the memory down for years because I couldn't accept that my father hurt people. Then, things happened and I had to face it. Wes Maxfield is even worse than my dad was though."
"Perhaps it's time we dealt with the Augustine society, before they have a chance to find another vampire, or create another one," Elijah commented.
"Burn Whimore House to the ground and destroy his computers and hard copy files." Elena wrapped her hand around his forearm. "Just don't get caught. They might not be able to kill you, but that won't stop them from hurting you if they get enough vervain in you."
"Don't worry, Elena. This isn't my first time dealing with supernatural hating factions. I know how to handle them." Elijah brushed Elena's hair behind her ear and her breath caught in her throat.
"Want me to help?" Bonnie offered, breaking the spell between them. "I've been studying and I can start a mean fire."
"Perhaps we should deal with it now, while they're still trying to regroup from the loss of Enzo."
"After you." Bonnie gestured towards the door.
"Stay safe, both of you."
Bonnie and Elijah walked away quickly, leaving Elena alone with Pearl and Anna.
"God, watching the two of you, why don't you just sleep with him already? Or at least kiss him?" Anna crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.
"I think I'm gonna head home. See you around."
"You didn't answer the question."
"Because I don't have an answer."
Later that night, Elena paced her room, checking her phone over and over again, even though she knew it would take longer than a few minutes or even a few hours to destroy everything and get out.
When her phone did buzz, it was Caroline's name on the caller ID.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Am I stupid?" Caroline asked, sniffling.
"No."
"Then, what am I doing wrong to make Matt miss you?" Caroline cried.
"There's nothing wrong with you. Sit down and talk to him, tell him how you feel. He wants honesty and as long as you're honest, Matt will see that the two of you are good for each other in your current life situations."
"You really think I should do that?"
"No rehearsed speeches though, just be yourself."
"But, you're everyone's first choice. I'm just the backup."
"You never talk about yourself like that again, Caroline Forbes. You're not a backup anything. If Matt's not the one for you, then one day, a guy will come along who'll want to sweep you off your feet if you let him. You'll be the only one he wants, who draws him to the light because you're good and kind and strong."
"You promise?"
"I swear it. That doesn't mean don't give Matt a chance, but know that if things don't work out, there will be someone who you'll be absolutely everything to." As much as she disliked Klaus, she knew that his feelings for Caroline were real.
"Okay. I'll talk to Matt. Because I do like him."
"If you need anything, let me know."
"Thanks, Elena. I'm gonna call him now."
"Alright, take care of yourself."
"Bye." The phone call ended.
As she pulled her phone away from her ear, she saw a text from Elijah.
It's done. The Augustine Society will find that they are very short on quite a few things.