Chapter 71: We'll Always Have Bourbon Street

November 29, 2010

"What is your problem?" Katherine huffed as she dropped down on the couch next to Ellie.

"Nothing." Ellie replied.

Katherine gave her an unimpressed look. "You're full of shit. Out with it." When Ellie didn't reply fast enough, she turned to the blonde, "Jenna?"

"She and Elena got into it because Elena found out about Ellie and Elijah." Jenna informed her.

The vampire grinned in amusement. "How did that go?"

"Elena and I aren't talking again. When she walked into history she literally looked me up and down before moving to sit as far away from me as possible." Ellie replied. "She called me a hypocrite for giving her crap over having feelings for Damon when I was 'messing around with the enemy'."

"But Elijah would even be Damon in that set up, he'd be Stefan." Katherine replied in confusion.

Jenna snorted as she looked at the two of them. "Sometimes, you two are freakishly similar. That is literally exactly what Ellie told Elena."

"Well, she's right. Honestly, I'm just surprised that Elena actually admitted that she has feelings for Damon." Katherine said.

Both Ellie and Jenna shared a look with one another. "You didn't tell her?" Ellie asked.

Katherine raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Tell me what?"

"Kat, Stefan and Elena broke up." Ellie informed her. "Because Elena has feelings for Damon."

The vampire eyes went wide in shock. "They actually broke up?" She asked. "Are you kidding me? God, I always knew Elena was an idiot, but to give up Stefan? That's a new low even for her." The young witch didn't seem to hear Katherine's comment. Instead, she was fiddling with Isobel's necklace as she got lost in her thoughts. "Ellie, what is it?"

"Can I ask you something, Kat?"

"Of course."

"You still love Stefan right?" Ellie asked gently. When Katherine nodded, Ellie asked, "But you compelled him. And as much as I love you, it makes me think about what Damon did to Caroline. He abused her and used her and he doesn't care about what he did."

Katherine tensed slightly. "And you want to know if I regret what I did to Stefan." She deduced. After a long moment, she replied, "I do. If nothing else, I regret it because Stefan now refuses to admit that what he felt for me was real. I don't know what he thinks I did, but Ellie all I ever did was compel him to keep my secret and to not be afraid. Nothing more. But yes, I regret it. Not like he would ever let me apologize to him for it."

In truth, it was one of the few things that Katherine really did regret. Her love for Stefan had been something pure and in her selfishness, she ruined everything that they could have had. But when she'd seen his initial reaction, she wasn't sure that Stefan could handle it, and had he revealed her secret to his father, she would have truly died rather than escaped. He had looked up to his father so much, had idolized the man, and if he thought it would have been the best option, he would have outed her before she'd had the chance to secure her own safety. "Katherine…" Jenna said gently.

"It's not like he would ever let me apologize for it." Katherine repeated. "Listen, I know I'm not a good person. I don't expect either of you to act like I'm anything else. But what good does it do me to let myself drown in guilt if it isn't going to change anything?" The memories of her sister's body danced before her eyes. So real she could almost see her collapsed and lifeless on the living room floor. "There are things that are much worse that I blame myself for, Ellie. While what I did wasn't a good thing and I know that, at least he's still alive to hate me."

Silence filled the room. Both Ellie and Jenna had known Katherine for long enough to know that she meant her sister. One night that they'd stayed over had been particularly bad for Katherine and the vampire had gasped awake, calling out in her native tongue. They hadn't understood much of Katherine's panicked cries, but they had understood her screams for Malina. Ellie and Jenna had crawled into Katherine's bed on either side of her, comforting her as best as they could until she came back to the present and realized what had happened. She hadn't known how to handle their comfort, but they'd refused to leave her despite her trying to tell them that she was fine. As the silence began to grow too loud, Ellie asked, "Does it ever get easier?"

"Does what?"

"The guilt of not being able to save them." Ellie clarified. All three of them had been forced to deal with the untimely deaths of their siblings. While the death of Ellie's mom had been the only one to happen because of something natural, Jenna's guilt was just as strong. She'd blamed herself for not being the one to go and get Elena. Part of her had thought it would have been better for her to die, because at least then the kids would have still had parents to take care of them.

For a long moment, Katherine didn't respond. She couldn't look away from the twisted image her mind had created that showed Malina before her. "I don't know." She admittedly quietly. "I wish I did. I've waited five hundred years for respite and no matter what I do, no matter how close I get to feeling like I've gotten over it, something always brings it back. But my guilt and yours and Jenna's, they're all different. Your mom's passing was a genuine accident. Elena's death had nothing to do with what you'd done even if it was technically a murder. But Malina? Her death was my fault and her blood was the first on my hands."

"Katherine, you can't think of it like that." Jenna tried.

"Why not? It's true." Katherine shot back. "Klaus killed her because I ran. He killed her because I loved her. If I'm lucky, he killed her first. If I'm even luckier, he ended it quickly. But I don't know. I don't know if she suffered. I don't know if she cried for help or if she cried for me. I don't know if she watched our father have his own sword rammed through his chest into the wall. I don't know if she was scared. I don't even know if she's at peace. I don't know-" She cut herself off suddenly and the girls both watched as she swallowed hard.

They watched as Katherine pulled her emotions back into check. "God what a group we are." Jenna said softly. "I think we're all a little fucked up." Katherine, someone who had practically been alone for five hundred years, struggled immensely with any kind of vulnerability. Even with people that she'd considered her friends, like Pearl, she was reserved and hesitant to show weakness. If they were to betray her, that weakness she'd shown them in a moment of trust could be used against her or get her killed. But both Ellie and Jenna knew that, and when it got to be too much for the vampire, they tried to cut the tension to give her time to recover.

Grateful for the distraction, Katherine laughed breathily. "Welcome to the life of the supernatural and those involved. It's a shit show." She replied.

"At least we're fucked up together." Ellie added gently.

Katherine watched as Ellie curled in on herself. Jenna had mentioned how burnt out Ellie had seemed to be. Since they'd been in Katherine's apartment, it seemed like Ellie's battery had just burnt out entirely. She wasn't nearly as pale as Jenna had described, but she still seemed like she could benefit from a week of sleep. "Ellie, are you ok?" Katherine asked. The shift in topic also helped her drown out the memories, and nightmares, of Malina. Plus, she had noticed that Ellie had been a little out of it, and she was admittedly concerned.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Ellie replied immediately.

The vampire gave her an unimpressed look. "If you didn't buy it when I said it, what makes you think I'd buy it when you say it?" She sassed.

"I'm just tired is all." Ellie assured her.

"Ellie, that seems like a lot more than tired." Jenna commented.

She looked between the two of them in contemplation. "With everything that's been going on lately, I haven't gotten the best sleep. Plus, with Rebekah missing I've been trying my best to find her. Locator spells aren't working no matter how hard I push myself."

"How hard are you pushing yourself?" Katherine asked suspiciously.

The young witch seemed to immediately realize that it might not have been the best thing for her to say. Knowing better than to think she would let it go, Ellie admitted, "Probably harder than I should." At their frustrated looks, she added, "She's my friend, ok? And Klaus has her stashed away somewhere that I can't break through and I don't know why. I've tried breaking through the cloaking spell, but whatever is covering her is strong. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't try to find her?"

"You have tried to find her. But do you think that Rebekah would want you to hurt yourself to try and do it?" Katherine questioned.

"I thought you hated her?"

"I do. Mostly because she hated me when I hadn't done anything, but even I'm not stupid enough to think that she doesn't care about you. Ellie, there's limits to what you can do. I might not be a witch but even I know that." Katherine shot back. "I know you want to find her, but she'll be back eventually. Klaus never keeps her daggered forever."

Jenna watched as Ellie tried to deal with what Katherine was telling her. "I always feel like I'm failing everybody." Ellie admitted. "I don't like the way it makes me feel." It was hard for her to talk about it.

"You're not a god, Ellie. Sometimes, no matter how much we want to, we can't always swoop in and save the day." Katherine explained.

Ellie's eyes watered slightly as she sniffled. "You know, you might think you're a bitch, but sometimes you're actually pretty great." Ellie replied. They all knew she was trying to keep herself from getting too emotional. She, like Katherine, didn't always know how to handle comfort.

"Oh darling don't make the mistake, I can, in fact, be both. You just happen to be one of the very select few that I actually like." Katherine replied. "Honestly, you just need some good rest, maybe get laid."

The three laughed lightly at the comment. "Katherine!" Ellie whined.

"Oh come on! You know it would be good!" Katherine sassed.

"I hate you both." Ellie told them, but she was giggling at the expressions they were both making.

As if on cue, Ellie's phone began to ring from the other room. "Oh my god, is that lover boy?" Katherine asked excitedly. She was up out of her spot before Ellie could move. "Well would you look at that!" She exclaimed as she turned to show them Ellie's screen. Elijah's name was displayed in bright letters.

Ellie felt the heat rise to her cheeks. "Shut up. Let me see what he wants." Ellie hissed as she snatched the phone away. The girls were both giving her expectant looks as she answered. "Elijah, hey."

"Hello, Eleanor." He replied.

She felt herself grinning stupidly at the sound of his voice. "What's up?" She asked.

"I was wondering where you are. You weren't at the apartment or at your family's house. I tried calling you earlier but you didn't respond. I was beginning to worry."

"Oh, sorry, I was with Jenna and one of our friends. Is everything ok?"

Sensing her worry, he immediately replied, "Yes, everything is fine. I just had something that I wanted to talk to you about. I hate to interrupt your time with your aunt, but would you be able to come home?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll be home soon. Are you sure everything's ok?"

His laugh was soft and fond. "I promise you, Eleanor. Everything is just fine. I'll talk to you when you get home."

"Bye, Elijah." Ellie replied. The moment the call disconnected, she spotted the devious looks on their faces. "Oh for the love of god, what?"

"Home?" Jenna repeated.

"Bye, Elijah. I'll be home soon, Elijah. I love you, Elijah." Katherine said in a breathy, high pitched voice as she fanned herself dramatically. "Oh hold me, Jenna, I'm overwhelmed with my carnal desire for the oh so noble Elijah I think I might combust."

With a glare from Ellie, Katherine tumbled over the back of the couch. "You can shut up." Ellie laughed. A pillow followed her glare, smacking into Katherine as she tried to stand up.

"So what? Have you and Elijah been shacking up in some apartment that you haven't told us about?" Katherine inquired.

"Well he had to live somewhere when he first came to Mystic Falls…" Ellie said as she trailed off. "But no! We haven't been shacking up. We're just there a lot. It's nice to get away from the insanity of everyone else sometimes."

Jenna gave Ellie a downright devious look as she supplied, "Ellie seems to be leaving out that she's picked up a habit of not sleeping at the house as much."

Katherine looked like the cat that caught the canary. "Oh, so you were just not going to tell me that you've been having full on sleepovers with him?" She asked Ellie.

"Just sleep! Literally nothing has happened. Elijah just likes for me to be there because he can actually be sure I'm getting some rest instead of getting dragged into some insane plan every five seconds." She insisted, but she was smiling softly at the thought before she shook herself. "Oh my god, anyways I have to go."

"Go home you mean." Katherine teased. She let out a yelp of shock as the rug was literally pulled out from underneath her. "That's rude!" She yelled as Ellie was walking out, but the witch could hear both Katherine and Jenna laughing in amusement. She was curious as to what Elijah had called about. Surely, if it wasn't something important, he could have just asked her over the phone.

She arrived back at the apartment before her worry got the best of her. It was trying to make its way into her throat, but she forced it down violently. When she let herself in, she found Elijah reclining in his chair. "Elijah? Is everything ok?" She asked.

He grinned at her. "Always the worrier." He said affectionately as he rose to greet her. He kissed her before pulling away. "Take a breath. I simply have a request and I wanted to ask you in person as opposed to on the phone."

"You do see how something that important might cause me to worry right?" She asked with a small laugh. "Well come on, what is it?"

He took her hands gently. "Eleanor, after all the time that we have spent together, and with the progression of our relationship…" He paused as he searched her gaze. "Eleanor, I would like for you to accompany me tonight."

She frowned in confusion. "To go where? Was there something we're supposed to do tonight?"

"Eleanor, I'm asking for your permission to take you on a date." He explained.

The heat immediately rose to her cheeks. "Oh." She said softly. He could almost see the gears in her head turning as she processed his offer. "I would like that very much." She admitted.

As the tension drained from his shoulders, Elijah was practically beaming. "I am honored to be your date tonight." He told her honestly.

"Wait, where are we going? What do I need to wear? When are we going?" She asked the questions in rapid fire.

"Relax, darling. Just dress nicely. It's nothing too out of the ordinary." He assured her. "We'll go some time tonight. You have plenty of time to get ready. I would have us leave earlier, but I have a few errands that I need to get done."

An innocent, giddy excitement started to build in her gut as it replaced the previous worry. She looped her arms around his neck as she grinned at him. "How do you always know how to make my day?"

"It's a gift." He assured her. "Now that we've got that settled, I shall leave you to get ready while I run my errands." She nodded, still smiling brightly at him. "Should I pick you up from your family home at around eight?"

"That would be lovely." She replied.


After Elijah left the apartment to run his errands, Ellie started looking through her things to try and find something to wear. "God, why don't I have anything nice enough?" She huffed to herself. Just as she gave up on her own closet, her phone started to ring. "Hello?"

"Hey, Ellie, it's Hayley!" The werewolf greeted.

"Hayley, hey! What's up?" Ellie asked as she put her phone on speaker as she put her clothes back in the closet.

"Um, I know this might be a little weird since we don't know each other really well, but I was wondering if you could do me a favor." Hayley admitted.

"After everything you did for Ty, it's no problem. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I guess it's not necessarily a favor for me, but for one of the hybrids. Tyler and I are having a really hard time breaking this guy from the sire bond. We've kind of gotten the system down so that we can work on multiple hybrids at once. Adrian is being a pain to break, but Drake is even worse."

Ellie was nodding along even though the werewolf couldn't see her. "What exactly would you like me to do to help?" She asked curiously.

"Ty told me about you being a witch… honestly I was wondering if there were any spells or herbs or something that you could do to help them heal. I would ask you to take the pain away but that would defeat the purpose of the whole thing. But maybe something to help them recover after they shift back so that they can shift again sooner."

She ran through everything that Emily had taught her about healing in her mind, searching for a possible solution. "Wait, actually yeah I think there might be. I'm putting stuff up right now but once I get it done I'll look through my grimoires and get back to you on that."

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah, listen I want those hybrids free too. If I have something I can do to help, I will."

"You're the best! Thank you so much!" Hayley thanked her.

Once the call disconnected, Ellie quickly finished putting away the rest of her clothes before she grabbed one of her grimoires. It didn't take long to find what she was looking for. She went into the extra room as she went to grab a glass jar. She found herself incredibly grateful to Elijah for his suggestion to use the spare room as a room for her to grow plants for her magic. With another glance at her grimoire to make sure she was grabbing the right things, she began picking the herbs to place into the jar.

After the jar was filled, she grabbed her bag and headed out the door. A quick text to Hayley revealed that they were working through the sire bond in an abandoned farmhouse that wasn't too far from where Elijah's apartment was. When she arrived, she was greeted with the sound of heart wrenching screams. The rattling of chains often followed the sound and Ellie followed after it. "Ellie! What the hell are you doing here?" Tyler asked in surprise as he came out to greet her.

"Hey! Hayley called me. She said a couple of the hybrids were struggling, Drake specifically. I brought something to help them recover quicker between shifts." Ellie explained.

"You got it?" Hayley asked as she jogged lightly toward them. "Nice!"

"Yeah, just take this stuff and make it like you would with tea. I put some reusable tea bags in the jar so just fill the bag with the herbs and then make it like regular tea." Ellie informed her. "It won't make the shift any less painful, but it should help them heal faster afterwards."

A particularly loud growl rang out from the barn as the chains rattled. "That doesn't sound too good." Hayley said nervously.

The three of them moved together to go check it out and found a brunette girl bent down, covering up a boy that was drenched in sweat. "Is that Drake?" Ellie asked quietly.

He looked exhausted as the girl whipped around. "Who is she?" The girl asked as she stepped in front of the boy protectively.

"Jess, it's ok. This is Ellie." Tyler introduced.

"The Mikaelson witch?" Another girl asked. She had black curly hair and looked suspicious of Ellie's presence.

"She's a friend." Tyler insisted. "And before you get defensive Kim, maybe you should relax since she just brought something to help everyone."

"Brought what?" Jess questioned.

Hayley held up the jar of herbs as Ellie explained, "It's to help your friends heal after they shift. I can't make it less painful during it, but this should help them heal afterwards."

"Really?"

"How do you even know it'll work?" Kim asked skeptically.

"Because I've spent a lot of time practicing healing magic."

Kim still didn't look impressed. "How did you do that exactly?"

"Kind of the same way you guys are breaking your sire bonds. I hurt myself until I was as good as I could get." Ellie admitted. The sweat drenched boy let out a low moan of pain. She walked over toward him, but Kim blocked her path. "I can help him."

"You work for Klaus." Kim reminded her.

"I don't work for Klaus. We're friends, despite him being a dick. And I'm friends with his siblings. If I was going to out you all to him I would have done it by now don't you think?"

Jess reached out to give Kim a significant look. "Help him, please." Jess said as she and Kim stepped out of her way.

Ellie nodded and knelt in front of the injured hybrid. She placed her hand to his forehead and she could practically feel her magic flowing from her hand and into him. His relief was immediate and she watched as his breathing slowed and he stopped shaking. "You're going to be ok." Ellie told him gently. "You're going to break the sire bond and be free."

"I can't keep doing this." He told her as he took in a shaky breath.

"Drake, you have to." Jess insisted.

"She's right. You have to." Ellie agreed. "But you're wrong, Drake. You can do this because you're strong. You've survived this long. Don't tell me you're willing to have put yourself through all of this pain to give up when you're so close to being free. Is all of this for nothing, or are you going to save yourself?"

He shifted his gaze to actually look at her before he replied, "It's not for nothing."

"You're damn right. You guys have got those herbs to help you now, so the aftermath shouldn't be so bad anymore. Just promise me you won't give up, ok? Because if you do, everyone in your pack that you care about gets put at risk. If someone slipped up and told Klaus what was going on here, everyone would suffer."

Drake nodded in understanding as he moved to sit up. Jess immediately moved to help him and Ellie watched as he practically sagged into the other girl. "Thank you." Jess told her. "Really, thank you."

"It's the least I could do." Ellie assured her. "I'll leave you two alone so you can catch your breath."

She followed Hayley and Tyler out of the barn. "Why are you doing this?" Kim asked as she also came out of the barn.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ellie replied in confusion.

"I've seen you with Klaus. You two have been all buddy buddy this whole time while he's been using us. He killed our friend." Kim said angrily.

Tyler gave her a look of warning. "Ellie had nothing to do with that."

"So? She's still up the Mikaelsons asses." Kim shot back. "I don't trust you." She said bluntly. "Anyone that thinks the Mikaelsons are anything other than monsters can't be trusted."

"I have had to deal with a lot of people doing stupid shit, and given that your sire bond is clearly broken, I don't really care if you trust me. Tyler and Hayley do, and clearly Jess was willing to trust me enough to help Drake, who she's clearly protective over. But given that I haven't done anything to you, I don't see why you feel the need to be so hostile to someone that's trying to help."

Kim stalked toward her angrily, only to stop abruptly. "What the hell?" Kim snapped. She tried to move forward again, but it was like she was trying to walk into an invisible wall. "What the fuck did you do to me?"

Ellie, in a moment both Katherine and the Mikaelsons would be proud of, gave Kim a dark look of warning. "I do not take well to being threatened. Quite frankly, I've grown tired of it. If I didn't let a thousand year old resurrected witch bitch intimidate me, you sure as hell aren't enough to scare me. So I'd cut it with the attitude."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Kim hissed.

"One of the only ones that seems to be making any move to help you and your pack. So maybe be a little less bitchy. Having some manners will get you a lot farther than that attitude."

Tyler quirked up an eyebrow in surprise. Ellie was normally one for being polite, but with things with her and Elena being so tense, it didn't really surprise him that she was a bit on edge. He stepped up to her side and touched her arm to catch her attention. "Thank you for your help Ellie, really. It's greatly appreciated. Kim, go inside and make some tea with the herbs to help Adrian and Drake." When Kim looked like she was going to resist, he firmly told her, "Now."

"Fine."

Once Kim was gone, Hayley stood to the side awkwardly as she watched Ellie and Tyler. "Are you ok, Ellie? You were a little more… blunt than usual." He asked gently.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just… I wasn't really in the mood for that attitude." Ellie said dismissively.

"I get it. Kim can be a lot. I'm sorry about that. But really, thank you for the herbs." Tyler pulled her into a tight hug. "I hate to basically kick you out, but Kim causing problems won't help the guys get through this."

"It's fine, Ty, really. I have things I have to do today anyways. I just managed to find something in my grimoire relatively quickly and since I had a bit of time I wanted to go ahead and bring it. The sooner they're free of the sire bond the better."


After leaving the hybrids to get back to business, Ellie had returned home and both Jenna and Katherine had also made their way into her room to help her get ready. "God, my stomach is in knots. I think I'm going to throw up." Ellie confessed as she wrung her hands together.

"Don't do that. It's not good for making out." Katherine replied. "And stay still, you're going to get burnt if you keep fidgeting. I'm almost done." Like she'd done before, Katherine was styling Ellie's hair in waves that somehow fit her perfectly.

"I'm running out of time and I don't even have anything to wear!" Ellie whined. "I have gone through my entire closet and I have nothing good enough for this. I don't even know where he's taking me or what I even need to wear god is it always this nerve wracking?"

"To be fair, your first date is with a thousand year old, super fancy and nice Original. So it's pretty fair that you're nervous." Jenna supplied. "But you're handling it pretty well actually."

Katherine nodded. "Plus, do you think I came unprepared? I've brought you dresses for you to choose from. With shoes and jewelry to match of course. You are going to give him a heart attack, a pretty impressive feat since he's dead."

Ellie laughed as she relaxed slightly. "Thanks. I should have known you'd have my back."

"Your hair is done, now come and pick a dress." Katherine said as she adjusted the last bit of Ellie's hair. Jenna had gone ahead and pulled the dresses out of their bags and laid them out across the bed. There were dresses in multiple different colors and styles. "Of course, I've tried these on before I bought them so I can confidently say you'll look like a goddess in any of these."

"Ah yes, I should have known that you would somehow compliment us both. It never fails." Ellie joked. "I really like the red dress." She commented softly as she felt the fabric. It felt like a cloud with how soft it was.

Katherine hummed in agreement. "You will look like sex walking in this. Elijah won't be able to resist you."

"Then maybe I should go with the blue."

"No, no, no, the red is the right one." Katherine corrected. "Jenna, put the others away. She'll wear the red one." Jenna quickly obliged. "Ellie, I've had five hundred years to understand this game. Trust me. You'll look amazing."

Despite her nerves, Ellie nodded in agreement. Once they both stepped out, Ellie slipped into her dress. "You guys can come back in." She called.

When they entered, Katherine wolf whistled in approval. "Hot damn. You do look good." Katherine told her.

"Ellie, you look amazing." Jenna said with wide eyes. "Am I going to have to threaten Elijah again?"

The doppelgängers laughed at her response. "Thank you." Ellie replied.

"Did you put on the underwear that I brought you as well?" Katherine asked as she moved to get the correct pair of shoes. When Ellie flushed as red as her dress, Katherine added, "I'm not saying you have to go any farther with Elijah than what you're ready for, but I'm nothing if not thorough."

"While I admittedly feel a bit weird talking about you having sex, I at least feel better knowing that Elijah won't rush you for anything." Jenna commented.

"Here, put these on." Katherine said as she passed a pair of black heels to the witch. Once Ellie had on the shoes and jewelry, Katherine double checked the hair and makeup she'd so carefully done up. "You look just as perfect as I imagined you would." Katherine assured her. "I'm not surprised you picked the red dress." She shot a knowing look at Ellie's hands.

With her nerves keeping her distracted, Ellie hadn't even realized that Katherine had painted her nails red when they'd first arrived at the house. "Maybe Jenna's right. Maybe we are a bit too similar." Ellie suggested. "Thank you both for this. While Caroline is probably going to kill me for her not being here for this, I really needed you for this." She said as she glanced at Katherine sincerely.

Katherine smiled softly at her. "It's fun to do stuff like this I guess."

"Love you too." Ellie teased gently. She glanced over at the clock where the time showed her that it was exactly a minute before eight o'clock. Always one for punctuality, the doorbell chimed across the house. "Oh my god."

"Ellie, breathe. It's just Elijah. You'll be fine." Jenna assured her. "You look beautiful. You'll knock him off his feet."

Katherine gave Ellie's hand a gentle squeeze before Ellie nodded and headed downstairs to open the door. It wasn't hard for them to silently agree that it would be best for the two of them to stay upstairs while Ellie greeted Elijah. Despite Elijah being the most honorable that any of them had ever met, Katherine was still technically on the run from Klaus. She made her way to the door and took a steadying breath before she opened it. "Hello, Elijah."

Elijah opened his mouth before he actually hesitated. Instead, he took a moment to drink her in. She watched as his gaze trailed over her figure and she could feel her heart beating violently in her chest. "Eleanor, you look so… perfect." He told her as he stepped forward to kiss her. When he pulled away, he smiled gently at her. "Are you ready to go?"

"I am." She replied. He grinned as he offered her his hand. "I'm not too overdressed, am I?"

"Like I said, you're perfect." Elijah told her. As always, he was dressed in an impeccable suit. He held his arm out for her to take. "Shall we?"

As she looped her arm through his, she beamed up at him and replied, "We shall." She could practically feel Jenna and Katherine watching them from the upstairs window and she tried hard to not roll her eyes at their nosiness. He walked her to the passenger side and opened the door for her, just like always. Unable to resist, she kissed him quickly before she dipped inside the car. She could see Jenna and Katherine grinning from just behind the curtain and she carefully flipped them off where Elijah couldn't see. Both girls burst into laughter before moving out of the window. Ellie grinned at the ridiculousness of it all.

Once Elijah had gotten situated, they were off. As he drove, he took her hand in his and rubbed soothing patterns across her knuckles. He knew she was nervous. It wasn't hard to figure out that she'd never done anything like this before, but he wanted to give her a night where everything she was doing wasn't dictated by the insanity of Mystic Falls. The music on the radio was soft and relaxing.

They had been driving for a while as Ellie found herself bouncing between watching their surroundings and watching him drive. It made sense now. Caroline had made so many comments about watching guys drive. It was insanely attractive. "So where are we going?" She asked him curiously.

"You'll see. We're almost there." Elijah assured her. He lifted her hands to kiss her knuckles and she noticed the way his lips quirked up in amusement. It was only a few more minutes before he was pulling into the parking lot of an unfamiliar building. "I've heard this place has quite the chef."

Ellie read the sign with wide eyes. "I've heard about this place. Isn't it like… ungodly expensive?"

Elijah laughed brightly. "I've had a thousand years to gain financial security. I think it'll be ok." He teased gently. Unable to resist, she stuck her tongue out at him. "Come on, you'll like it." He exited the car before quickly coming over to open her door. She took the hand he offered her and swallowed her nerves.

As they entered, a man dressed rather nicely approached them. "Mr. Mikaelson, glad you could join us." He said politely. "Your table is ready." The restaurant was incredibly nice and was lit with candles as the others already seated chatted amongst themselves. The man sat them at a table a bit away from the rest of the customers. "Can I get you anything to drink?" She watched as Elijah ordered an unfamiliar drink with ease. "Alright, I'll be right back with your drinks. Please, look over the menu and if you have any questions let me know."

Ellie was taking in the room with wide eyed fascination. "There's a live band." She said in amazement. There was a dance floor not far from where they were sitting and she watched with a soft smile as couples danced together.

"There is." He confirmed.

She glanced over the menu and her mouth practically watered at the sound of everything. "How am I supposed to choose when all of this sounds so delicious?" She asked.

"I could give you a few recommendations?" He suggested.

"That would be much appreciated." She agreed.

"Here we are. Have you had a chance to look over the menu?" The waiter asked them.

To her surprise, Elijah carefully plucked the menu from her hands. "We have." Elijah replied. He ordered something in French that she didn't quite understand.

"Alright. I'll have your meal out soon." With a smile, the waiter nodded before walking off.

"So, out of curiosity, how long have you been planning this?" Ellie asked. "Because typically, even with a reservation, they don't recognize you as soon as you walk through the door."

Elijah looked like he was pleased with himself as he informed her, "I might have stopped by once or twice to make sure that this was good enough for you."

"This is more than enough for me." She assured him.

He caught her hand and gave her an intense look. "Nothing could ever be enough for you. You deserve the world and then some." He told her seriously.

Her heart fluttered at his sincerity. "You are a dangerously smooth talker, you know?"

"I've had some time to practice." He confirmed. "We both know the difficulties that come with being the responsible older sibling. I have watched you struggle with the things you do for your family. All I've wanted for a while now is to give you a chance to not have to worry."

"I don't know what I did to deserve you, you know?" Ellie replied. She really didn't know how to handle someone putting her first like that.

"You didn't have to do anything to deserve me, and if I'm honest, if there was one of us that was undeserving of the other, it's me that doesn't deserve you." Elijah laced their fingers together.

"Elijah…"

He gave her a soft smile. "Don't Elijah me." He scolded her gently. "I have lived a thousand years, Eleanor. I have done admittedly horrible things. Sometimes they were necessary, sometimes they weren't. I have been the result of so many deaths that I can't keep track. As much as I try to do what's right, I don't always live up to standards I try to hold myself by. But you, all you have ever done is try to keep your loved ones safe while also trying to keep everyone else alive. I am not so prideful that I can't admit that I think you're a better person than me."

She squeezed his hand firmly before she asked, "You do know that you can do bad things and still be a good person right?" When Elijah looked like he didn't believe her, she continued, "Elijah, basically every vampire in existence has killed at least one person. Even the most moral people I have ever met, including Stefan and Caroline, both of whom I love dearly. And both of them have done awful things. And both of them are absolutely good people."

"That is one of the things I adore about you. You never fail to see the best in people." He was giving her such a fond look that she felt the butterflies in her stomach.

Before she could try to figure out how to respond to that, the waiter had returned with their food. Once he placed the food down, the waiter refilled their glasses and told them, "Enjoy your food and please don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you." Ellie said before he walked away. The two ate comfortably, and chatted easily as they dined. For once, Elijah seemed to have accomplished his goal. She was laughing brightly as they joked around with one another. He kept an eye on how much wine she was drinking, but it seemed she was also being careful to not get drunk.

As they finished their meal, Elijah noticed the way she kept eying the couples on the dance floor. He pulled out his wallet, carelessly tossing multiple hundred dollar bills on the table. She turned as he rose from his seat. Her eyebrow rose curiously at the money dropped on the table. He stood in front of her and held his hand out to her. "Would you do me the honor of this dance?"

She took his hand and let him lead her out onto the dance floor. "Who would have guessed that you would be such a dancer?" She teased. The band was playing a slow song and the couples on the floor were holding one another close. Elijah seemed to think that they had the right idea, because his hand crept around her waist, resting low on her back. "But I suppose that's just a bonus for me."

"Is it now?" He asked.

Ellie hummed in confirmation. "It is. Because right now, this is the only place I want to be." She was smiling as she rested her head in the crook of his neck. "Thank you so much for this Elijah."

"It is my pleasure, I assure you." He could feel her heart racing despite the calmness of the moment. He tilted his head to kiss her temple, but before he could resume their dance fully, she moved as well to catch his mouth with her own.

The kiss was slow but firm, and her hands moved up to grip the collar of his jacket. His grip on her hips tightened before she abruptly broke the kiss. "Elijah…"

"Yes, love?"

"Can we go home, please?" She had an almost unrecognizable look in her eye.

"Of course." He agreed. He led her back out to the car and his mind was racing as he tried to figure out what was going through her head. Her heart was racing the entire ride but she didn't seem inclined to tell him what she was thinking. When they arrived back at the apartment, he closed the door before asking, "What's going on in that head of yours?"

She stepped toward him and kissed him more firmly than she had at the restaurant. "I didn't want to do that at the restaurant where I might embarrass myself." She said as she laughed breathily.

"Eleanor?" He asked curiously.

"Elijah, please kiss me." She asked. He quickly obliged and her kiss got more heated than it usually did. He backed her into the wall as her hands made their way to his hair. He made her favorite sound as she scratched slightly. "Elijah…" Her voice was breathier than normal.

Her eyes were dilated as she pulled him closer. "Love?"

"Elijah, I-" She hesitated, unsure of how to get the words out.

She was trying to catch her breath as he cupped her face in his hands. "Eleanor, talk to me. What do you want?" He asked gently.

"You." She blurted. "You, Elijah, I want you and I don't even know how to say it but you make me feel things that I never knew I would be lucky enough to feel and it's so overwhelming sometimes. But right now is the first time in forever that I get to just be with you without the world falling apart around and you're all I want." She rambled.

His eyes widened in understanding. "Eleanor, are you telling me what I think you are?"

"I want you. Part of me is terrified because this is so far out of my comfort zone, but I can't imagine it being with anyone but you. I have never wanted someone the way I want you. I want more." She explained.

Elijah nodded slowly. "If you aren't ready for something, you tell me and we stop." He explained. "Promise me if there's something you don't want, you'll tell me."

"I promise." She agreed. Once he was sure she wasn't going to change her mind, he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, pulling her into him as he kissed her deeply. He broke the kiss, tilting his head down to kiss her neck. He caught a sensitive spot just under her jaw and she let out a ragged gasp as he sucked on the spot. One of his hands trailed down to her thigh, hitching her leg up around his hip.

Her other leg rose as well, locking around his waist as he pressed her more forcefully into the wall. "Bedroom?" He asked. His voice was deeper than normal as he caught her eye.

"Yes please." She agreed. To her surprise, he kept her legs around his waist. She was grinning as he led her into his room. He kissed her again and let her down. He walked her backwards until her legs hit the edge of the bed where he let her down gently. Elijah was smiling at her as she pulled him down with her. As he kissed her neck, she pushed his jacket off of him. Her legs found their way back around his waist as she pulled his shirt out from where he'd tucked it in and started to unbutton it.

In a moment of confidence, she used her strength to roll them so that she was sitting in his lap. "My cheeky witch." He grinned. He allowed her to pull away his undershirt and she took a moment to appreciate his bare chest. His hand traveled up to the zipper of her dress. "May I?" He asked.

"Yes." She replied softly. Her heart was pounding as he unzipped her. He went slowly, giving her plenty of time to change her mind. As the zipper reached the small of her back, he kissed her firmly. It eased her nerves as he grabbed the hem of her dress. "It's ok." She confirmed. He pulled the dress over her head and he couldn't help but drink in the sight of her. Despite his feelings for both Tatia and Katerina, he'd never been with either of them. He was glad that he hadn't.

It was his turn to switch their positions. "You are a goddess." He told her gently. She watched with anticipation as he undid his pants. Once they were left in only their underwear, he returned to his position on top of her. He kissed her passionately before asking, "Are you sure?"

His determination to make sure that he had her consent was something she found incredibly attractive. "Yes, I'm sure." She lifted up slightly as his hands shifted to her back, unclasping the bra that Katherine had given her. She was grateful for Katherine's insistence of her wearing the ridiculously fancy underwear. The clasp came undone with ease and he removed it slowly. To her surprise, he dipped down to kiss her collarbones, traveling lower as he exposed more of her skin.

When her heart rate skyrocketed, he paused to look up at her. "Are you ok?"

"I'm ok." She assured him. "That just feels good."

His hands moved to the band of her underwear as he continued to pepper kisses across her skin. "A goddess." He repeated. "My goddess." Something about the way he said it and the way he was leaving kisses across her skin had her arching up towards him.

"Elijah, please…" Interestingly enough, she wasn't even mortified by how needy she sounded. For once, she was absolutely confident in her decision and she knew that this was one thing she wouldn't regret.


Author's Note:

So we got a bit of a better look into Katherine's mental health and how she's processed stuff over the last five hundred years. And we got Ellie and Elijah's first proper date! But I also am literally cringing because I've never written anything even close to smut or a sex scene and I don't know what you guys are going to think of it lol. I really hope you enjoyed it though. As always, please leave a review and let me know your thoughts! Also Happy Birthday Charmed2100!

To Guest: Did you enjoy the Ellie and Elijah scenes in this chapter? Also, I won't give spoilers as to what happens to Jeremy or if it's because of Katherine, so that's just going to have to be a surprise. But don't be surprised if things don't go down like they did in the show because you're right, Ellie most likely wouldn't forgive Kat if she did what she did originally.

To Blu3b3rryT3a: They really are so wholesome. He definitely has his work cut out for him, it would do him a world of good to not let his anger always get the best of him. Jeremy definitely needs to hand out with Matt more. Elena and Damon are definitely a toxic mix. He was better off without her. True, Bonnie doesn't need to use Expression, but at this point I don't think she knows how dangerous it is because he's taking advantage of her.

To brigitm28: The fluff between the two of them is literally so cute lol. Did you like the little more intense scene this chapter? Yeah Jeremy is definitely a really good brother. I wanted her to have at least one healthy sibling relationship, and after all she's stuck through him with, it's the least he can do in his opinion. Honestly, I think Elena wasn't even really thinking about what she was saying, she was just taking her anger out on Ellie. Elijah talking back was definitely everything. We got more Ellie and Hayley this chapter so I hope you enjoyed! Ellie's definitely going to be so protective over her and Hope.

To Guest(2): She definitely trusts her instincts, but she just doesn't know what they're trying to tell her necessarily. But at least in Hayley's defense, Caroline also killed the 12 witches to protect Bonnie, desperation can make good people do really bad things. I definitely want Kol to help her with her magic at some point, and you're right she isn't using it to her full potential yet, but that's because she's only had her magic for about a year and still isn't an expert.

To gemini shawty: That's true, but it was also kind of intentional to build up to the divergence.

To whataboringlife: Lmfao, I know right? Poor pitiful Elena.

To KaiHiwatari84: I know! I'll probably write it at some point lol.

To Charmed2100: Happy Birthday! I hope this chapter was a good birthday present lol. I genuinely adore the Mikaelsons so I'm happy to provide. I also liked human Elena, even though she occasionally made stupid decisions, but after she became a vampire I couldn't stand her. Exactly, she really committed two genocides without flinching and tried to pretend she was better than Klaus? Make it make sense. You're absolutely right, that's probably why Katherine hates her so much, she had every opportunity that Katherine never got. Also, I love Charmed! But are you talking about the original with Piper, Phoebe, Prue, and Paige, or the new one?

To Guest(3): I'm so so glad you love it! I haven't spent a whole lot of time thinking about her relationship with Vincent in particular, but I think they'd get along pretty well. From what I remember of him since I haven't gotten to him as himself in my rewatch of TO, he was a really good man and I think she'll really like him. I also adore him so I'm sure she will too. But feel free to ask any questions you can think of!

To Rubyy: You make a fair point, but personally my goal was never to wildly change a lot of the story and more to explore the relationships between someone that's a bit more level headed and cautious than some of the other characters. There's going to be a point that Elena changes, hopefully, but at least that specifically, I'm intentionally leaving her hard headed because it's to build up to the point that Ellie is actually willing to leave Mystic Falls and go to NOLA. The point is also that, even when Ellie wants to change things, some things she just can't. She wasn't even aware of what they were planning when they were going after Finn, and it might not be something she can do to save Kol either. Some things have to stay the same for everything to process the right way, specifically to get to the cure. But if it gets to a point where you don't enjoy my story anymore, it'll suck a bit but I really do appreciate you reading this far and giving my story a chance.

To skyellebaby: They really are such a power couple I love them. Oh them trusting her like that would be so cute. We got more interactions with her and Hayley this chapter as well! I also want more Kol interactions, but I just couldn't see him sticking around Mystic Falls at the time, but at the very least we'll get to see them interacting in NOLA. Stefan should definitely get with Katherine, she'd definitely treat him better. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

To AdiraBraelynn: Oof I've missed you lol. How's work been? I also loved the Ellijah scenes. And yes, him threatening Elena was definitely hot. Elena's definitely pushing everyone away, but I think she's so far in her own head that she doesn't realize it, or care I guess. I think Bekah will come back in the next few chapters, I'm not sure. Kol is definitely going to be intrigued by her magic. We got more Hayley! And we got a lot more Kat, though still no Bonnie. Hopefully Elijah will steal her away again soon. He was definitely right to be worried for her. She's also really worried, but she doesn't know what her gut is trying to tell her yet.

-Madame Magic

Posted: 5/29/21