AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, so I originally had two compleeeetely separate plot ideas spinning off from 3X15. They merged into this one big thing somehow and as I work the quirks out in my head, this story will hopefully run smoothly in writing it. Might split this into a trilogy type deal depending on how parts of it end.

ALSO, yes the dialogue at the beginning matches some the dialogue in the episode. I was going to deviate that part, but it seemed to fit the idea so I kept it and modified reactions a bit, then from there is where everything goes where I'm taking it. In the future there might be slight matches, but where I'm taking it there won't be many.

DISCLAIMER: No I don't own Elijah, Elena, or anything to do with that which is The Vampire Diaries series. This is just my version of it. ;-)

Bound By Blood

~Previously in Bound By Blood~

"Elijah," she gasped, unconsciously backing away a step.

"I don't mean to intrude. I was hoping you might accompany me," he asked, watching her closely. Meeting his eyes for a moment, she quickly looked away from his gaze before steeling herself and facing him again. He needs to know. Opening her mouth to reply, he quickly continued and said, "I want to show you something."

Nervously smiling at him, Elena grabbed her things and nodded.

"Lead the way."

Chapter 2 - There's Something You Should Know

As they pulled to a stop in the forest, Elena fidgeted with her seatbelt before following Elijah's lead and slowly getting out of the car. The drive had been quiet. She wasn't sure if it was just her nerves getting the best of her or if she was imagining it, but she'd catch Elijah looking at her every so often and couldn't help but feel like he could read everything clearly on her face. She felt like her betrayal was the most obvious thing on the planet and it made her sick to her stomach to think of what could happen cause of it.

"Forgot how much I missed this land," Elijah said softly, gazing around at the trees.

Gulping, Elena felt her stomach knot even tighter and closing the car door, she stuffed her hands in her pockets. Taking a look around she knew parts of the forest, but what she knew of it was dramatically different from how he saw it. "I can't even imagine what it must have been like a thousand years ago," she breathed out in wonder, as they stepped around the front of the car.

"Did you know that your school was built over an indian village? Where I saw my first werewolf," Elijah reminisced as they started walking. "The town square was where the natives would gather to worship. As a matter of fact, near that was a, there was a field," he continued gazing at her gently. "Where wild horses used to graze."

"That's incredible," she whispered, as they paused with him resting against a tree. Watching his face, she could see how much the place meant to him. He was at peace here. The memories the land held for him, the creatures, this was Elijah's world. His home. Feeling her eyes start to burn, she quickly looked away. Hearing him clear his throat, she blinked her eyes rapidly before facing him again.

"Come," he said gruffly, as he straightened his suit jacket and walked ahead of her. Elena saw a smile flash briefly across his face as they approached a rock formation through the trees.

"Do you know this place too?" she asked, looking at her feet.

"I do," Elijah sighed, resting his hand against the rock. "Below us is a cavern I used to play in as a boy. It connects to a system of tunnels that stretch across the entire area," he continued as he crouched down. "Perhaps it's nature's way of providing us with shelter against the savagery of the full moon. My mother said, 'There must be a balance'," he trailed off, looking lost in thought.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Elena started feeling anxious again. I have to do this. "Elijah, I- I should-"

Cutting her off, he hopped back to his feet. "I admire you, Elena. You remind me of qualities I valued long before my mother turned us," he admitted, but with a bite on the end. Shaking his head ruefully while gazing at the trees, he pointed at her. "It's not in your nature to be deceitful, and yet when I asked about your meeting with my mother the other night... You lied to my face," he finished, turning to see her reaction.

"Elijah, I- I didn't-," she tried to explain only to be interrupted again.

"I can hear your heartbeat," he bit out coldly. "It jumps when you're being dishonest with me. You lied to me at the ball. You are lying to me now. Tell me the truth," Elijah growled stepping directly in front of her.

Shaking her head, she forced herself to say it. "I didn't want to lie to you, Elijah," she pleaded with him seeing his face turn hard. "I never wanted this to happen!"

"What, Elena?" he snapped at her.

Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself. "We were told, that whatever was gonna be in that coffin was gonna kill Klaus. When we found it was your mother, I... We didn't know what to think," she explained, desperately trying to get him to understand.

"Since her return she says she only wants this family whole again," Elijah muttered, sounding lost.

"When she asked to see me, I-I thought that maybe she c-could help," Elena continued, tripping over the words. "That she would find a way to kill Klaus, but Elijah... It's not just Klaus that she wants to kill," she admitted softly, watching him.

Clenching his jaw, Elijah slowly closed his eyes. Looking resigned he stated more than asked, "She wants to kill us all doesn't she?" Grimacing, he whispered, "She wants to undo the evil she created."

"I'm so sorry, Elijah," she apologized, resting her hand on his arm only to drop it when he tensed up. Seeing his glare, she forged onward. "I wanted to tell you that night. I didn't want to do the ritual, but she would have forced me, Elijah! It was either I let her take my blood for the ritual voluntarily or have her force it from my body. The minute you found me, I wanted to warn you. I wanted to try and find a way to stop her, but I couldn't! I didn't have a choice!" she yelled, trying to make him understand.

"Right or wrong, you had a choice to make. There is always a choice, Elena," he bit out, the leaves in his hand crumbling to dust.

Sniffling and shaking her head, she choked out, "There is with you. We were in a house full of vampires and hybrids. My friends were in danger, Elijah!" Biting her lip, she shrugged helplessly and held his gaze. "I didn't have any choice that night. I did what I had to do to keep them safe for as long as I could!"

Squinting at her, Elijah tilted his head and stalked towards her, forcing her to back up against a tree. "What do you mean, Elena?"

Composing herself, she took a deep breath and looked him in the eye as she softly said, "I didn't have a choice that night, Elijah, but I do now, and there's something you should know."