AN: Hello you lovely people! I'm working a mix of nights and days and I have a poll on my profile about my fic called Deal! If you like that fic, please weigh in on where it's going! Hope you're all well and staying safe.


She wakes up with warm skin against hers. She's not at home, otherwise, there'd be a quilt with the comforter and it takes a moment to remember.

Elijah, she thinks, half awake. The AC must have kicked in during the night to cause her to shift to his side of the bed. He has an arm around her, she's almost close enough to share his pillow but she doesn't move. He's warmer than she expected, but she can't see the clock on the nightstand.

He looks so much more approachable without his suits of armor and his sharp eyes open, even though she knows they're much softer when he looks at her. Her heart still aches at the thought of him being human, being able to hear his heartbeat, and seeing him grow older.

It's not something she needs to think about now, though. She exhales and lets herself think about the adventures they could get up to today. Her pulse jumps when she feels Elijah stroke her back with his eyes still closed. She relaxes into the touch after a few seconds, taken aback.

"How were the rest of your dreams?" he wonders.

"Peaceful. Thank you," she replies. No point in beating around the bush, she decides. Though it would be easy to close her eyes and enjoy the way his fingers are stroking along her spine, she keeps them open to peer at him.

"What can hurt you? Fire? Water? Sunlight? Poison? Vervain? Magic?"

She watches his eyes light with some amusement.

"Fire and sunlight have the same reaction for us. I will catch fire, but it won't kill me. Having my ring just prevents that. Vervain only hurts temporarily," Elijah explains. He can feel the muscles in her back tense under his hand at the thought.

"We can drown technically, but it doesn't kill us. It's just a nuisance. Poison can cause a reaction, but I have yet to see anything that can take down an Original. And most witches tend to have ties to at least one vampire and know killing us would likely kill our sire lines. Not many have attempted that," he tells her. There's a pause before he answers her question fully.

"The only things that can incapacitate us briefly are being staked, broken necks, and the daggers. Silver daggers dipped in white oak ash. A white oak stake could kill my siblings or me," he answers.

"This is less reassuring than I was hoping for," Elena frowns. He offers an apologetic smile. It's not the pillow talk anyone would want to hear, but Elena just shuffles closer, protectively.

"How common is white oak?" she wonders. If Alaric had found any in Mystic Falls...the thought makes her tense.

"Klaus believes he's destroyed every source. One of his ongoing missions," Elijah answers. She raises an eyebrow at him, aware of what he's not saying.

"So there's some left. We should check around the area of Mystic Falls," she tells him. After a moment, Elena squints, looking past him.

"I think the Salvatores owned a logging company in Mystic Falls but I can't remember if they still do. That might be a good place to start," she offers. He nods in thought, making a note to text Rebekah later.

"We should go back today."

Elena tenses at the thought, thinking of Elijah's body in his living room. Alaric wanted to kill him just a few days ago and that likely hasn't gotten better with time.

"Going back to Mystic Falls," Elena says.

It's been nice to blend in instead of sticking out. They can't hide away forever, of course. The truth catches in her throat, she doesn't want to go home. The thought of staying with Jenna and Alaric is about as appealing as exfoliating with sandpaper. Not to mention what they might do if they think she's been compelled. If they think Elijah's still alive, they might know how to kill him permanently the next time they have a chance. They still haven't tracked down those records yet.

Jenna used to warn her not to make homes out of people when she was in high school, but at the time she hadn't known what Jenna had meant.

Don't get too attached.

Which was an odd way of putting it, especially as a realtor. Elijah isn't temporary, though. If anything he's the opposite. He's been here long before her, and he'll be around long after she's gone.

"I do have two places I want to go before we go back," Elena tells him. Maybe it's delaying the inevitable. Alaric was spared for her sake, she knows that. Trevor was killed for a lack of loyalty in a matter of minutes.

"I know you don't want to go back but they must be worried about you. If you don't want to go back today, we don't have to. I want this to be a choice we make together. I want us to be equals in every way," he tells her. Her phone beeps again.


The antique shop has an unexpected array of items from different eras. Art Nouveau, Georgian, Edwardian, and Art Deco jewelry is close to the door, glittering in the bright lights in glass cases. There are intricate bookcases visible, full of books that look much older than Elena, accessible by a flight of stairs. Heavy framed artwork is on another wall and Elena looks to Elijah.

He gives her a look as if to ask if it's okay he'll be looking upstairs. She nods and pretends to be interested in the intricate earring display until he's out of her sight. Some things should be surprises after all and she's going to learn how to do that despite his vampire senses.

Some pieces have cards that mention dates and artists if the information is known. There are some lovely pieces done by local artists too, vibrant, and sleek. It surprised her to find a place like this mentioned online, a hidden gem, but it piqued her interest. Going by the time Elijah has been upstairs, she was correct in her assumption it would catch his eye too. Some pieces look like they could be in museums, with air-controlled cases and in the care of historians. Museums and universities have somewhat limited funding though.

"Can I see this one?" Elena points in the case and the woman behind the counter beams.

"An excellent choice," the woman begins, as she explains each piece they sell is authenticated and sold with a card of the history of each piece. Her eyes catch on the locket in admiration.

"That's Victorian in origin isn't it?" she wonders. Elena nods, doing her best to keep her surprise off her face.

"You two have good taste," the woman compliments.

"I'll take that, and this one," Elena points. It's an impulse buy and an expensive one at that, but they did just sell her dad's practice. She has the money and this is worth more than that if it goes well. It's a quick swipe of a card, a signature, and she grips the handles of the bag with a few fingers.

A garden needs to grow. A fire needs kindling. Equals, he said. Forever is a long time. He needs something sturdy too. The jealous part of her wants him to have a clear claim in some way, even if they're a long way away from rings. The thought makes her pause. If he'd want something as a reminder of her, would she want to pick a metal that could outlast her? A wedding ring made to last longer than the marriage. A brush of a hand against her back has her look for the owner.

"You okay?" Elijah wonders, looking to her bag with brief curiosity. She manages a smile.

"Yeah."


Elena leads him into a nondescript building, with a few tables visible through the windows. It's empty except for a man with an expectant look on his face.

"ID please," he requests. Elena produces her driver's license and Elijah does as well. She wonders if it's a fake, with an average last name. It's not like it could list his real age without the DMV considering it an error, she supposes. The man at the podium nods and points to a door with a down arrow posted on it. Elijah follows her, despite this is the first time here too, but the surprise is likely already up. He must hear the music, she thinks, as they descend into the real restaurant.

"This place used to be a speakeasy back in the day. They have live music for a couple of hours during the day and then again at night. They also have a dance floor," she tells him.

The grin that's growing on her face is endearing. He remembers a great number of speakeasies of varying qualities from that time. Another lovely surprise.

"I've also heard they do great lunch."

There are a few other people, dancing to the jazz coming from the stage, and a few other tables eating.

"You're wise to beat the lunch crowd. Do you two need a moment with the menu?" the waiter asks.

"That would be great," Elena tells him. Elijah takes a moment to fully observe the basement. There are several exposed Edison bulbs scattered to light the windowless level. The large bar is at least a few decades old, if not original to the bar. The sporadic artwork is vibrant, drawing the eye from the muted colors of the dark floor and walls.

"I meant to take you here a while ago, but it didn't work out then. We got distracted binging that show," Elena tells him.

"We?" he challenges playfully.

"You agreed to stay in and finish it. You were invested too," she reminds him. His answer is a real grin, as he concedes that she's right. It takes a moment to order and then follow her to the dance floor.

"How did you find this place?" Elijah asks as they wait for the next song to begin.

"You mentioned you love jazz and you love dancing. I found this place online and I knew it'd be two birds and one stone," she tells him. Her Fox Trot isn't bad, it's a walk in the park compared to some of the dances she's known since she was a child.

"This song isn't from the 20's," he remarks. Elena laughs.

"You would have hated our Decade Dances. The songs weren't always from the theme decade, much to the annoyance of Caroline's perfectionism. It was one of the few things always just out of her hands," Elena informs him. There's a mischievous gleam in his eye.

"Are there pictures of your attire from these dances?"

Elena scrunches her nose at him.

"Somehow I get the feeling you'd be pointing out my inaccuracies," Elena guesses.

"Only some light teasing," he promises. As they keep moving, she tries to think of where in her room the photos would be. Returning to Mystic Falls is inevitable but her gut tells her it's going to be ugly.


Elena's dread is palpable the closer they get to Mystic Falls. The sign is still missing and it feels like a bad omen. He's faintly surprised they aren't pulled over by any of the police cruisers they pass, but if Elena wasn't reported missing, they'd have no reason to stop him. Her knuckles are white as he parks in the driveway.

"We can come back later," he offers. She shakes her head.

"I'm sure they've already seen us or one of the neighbors has. Let's get through this," she says. Once she gets out of the passenger door, the front door opens.

"Elena! We were so worried!" Jenna tells her. Her easy smile slides off her face as she spots Elijah behind her. Alaric comes to stand next to Jenna.

"Worried because you tried to kill my soulmate when I left town and you couldn't find his body?" Elena asks, voice hard.

"We were worried he was controlling you. Some vampires have done that. Make people think they're the vampire's soulmate to-" Jenna trails off. Elena feels the anger she's been burying erupts.

"For what? I'm an average girl from a small town in Virginia that's obsessed with the Civil War! I'm fresh out of college and I've never seriously dated anyone! What would he want with me if I wasn't his soulmate?" Elena asks. The look on her face hurts more than when Alaric daggered him. Now isn't the time to reach for her, no matter how much he wants to, so he keeps his face impassive.

Elijah makes a mental note to spoil her and remind her and tell her all of the things he admires about her later.

"He has never controlled me! You have! Everything from how sheltered I was to the fact I'm a doppelganger!"

She doesn't care how loud she is. Let the entire street watch.

"We thought it would be for the-" Alaric begins.

"You didn't even ask me!" Elena explodes.

"Not only did you try to kill my soulmate, but you didn't even try to talk to me! Despite all the fail-safes you slipped into my life! Vervain in my tea, coffee, and perfume! You didn't bother to ask me if everything was consensual, you just decided to take him from me. You never told me the truth until I forced your hand," Elena says.

Maybe last week she would have cared that the neighbors can see them arguing on the porch but she doesn't care now. Jenna and Alaric are staring at her in disbelief, arms crossed. Defensive positioning but at least she can't see any stakes on either of them.

Elijah is behind her still and she wonders what expression is on his face. She takes comfort in the fact he's likely giving them a similar stare and his presence grounds her.

"If you had managed to kill him, I never would have spoken to you again," Elena informs them.

Elijah is touched and horrified in equal measures that he would be the cause of such a divide. Elena's only mentioned Jenna, Jeremy, and Alaric. She'd cut off two-thirds of her family.

"I am going to get some of my things. Elijah is going to help me and then we will leave. Do not touch him again," Elena warns. Elijah blinks before he follows Elena into the house. He's never heard her voice sound like that, but then again, he hasn't had a reason to. His soulmate has a soft heart and a steel spine. He follows her up the stairs and into her bedroom, taking it in.

She takes out the perfume she packed from her bag.

"Does this have vervain in it?" she asks. He nods yes and she throws the bottle into the trash. She shows him two more perfumes from her bathroom.

"Do these?" she asks.

"Vervain free," he tells her. They go in her bag, along with several clothing items, a few chargers, her laptop, a few books, and then it's zipped. He can hear Jenna and Alaric arguing downstairs. Elena sighs.

He takes her bag as they leave her room. She gives it a wistful glance, unsure when she'll see it again.

"If you want to try to kill him again, you'll have to kill me first," she informs them. Jenna and Alaric follow them out the front door.

"Your parents hated vampires too," Jenna tells her before Elena can shut the car door.

They're silent on the drive to his house but there isn't much to say. If it was anyone else, it might have been showing all of her cards.

The morning was lovely and it only took a few minutes to sour the afternoon. As she parks, she remembers the bag from the store they visited just a few hours ago. Elena takes it inside with her.

She lets herself into the guest bedroom and he stays in the living room. If she wants to be alone, he will honor that.


It takes a few moments to simply lay in bed. Elena resists the urge to scream into a pillow. She already screamed out some of her upset, but it doesn't feel enough.

Your parents hated vampires too.

It echoes in her mind. How much did her parents hate vampires? Would they have been just as upset as Jenna and Alaric? It's hard to imagine they'd abandon her or Jeremy.

Maybe they were afraid Elijah would turn her or turn her against her will. Her vampire isn't that cruel, at least to her. Forever. It seems impossible. She's outgrown and grown to like a few things. While there have been a few constants in her life she can't imagine them in a decade. A century. Then again, a week ago, she wouldn't have imagined she wouldn't want to be in the same room as Jenna and Alaric either.

It takes a moment to take one of the gifts out of the bag and tuck it in with her things in the guest bedroom. She takes it with her to the living room where Elijah is reading a thick tome.

"I meant to give this to you earlier," she tells him. He takes the bag from her hand with a curious look. This is not what he expected they would be talking about, but maybe Elena needs time to process it alone. He peels away the tissue paper to reveal a gold bangle. It's not gaudy or eye-catching, subtle, and the color matches her locket. He slips it onto his wrist while she watches with warm eyes. Elijah raises an eyebrow as he watches her take her locket off.

"Your gift from yesterday made me realize I don't know what compulsion feels like. I'd like for you to compel me," she tells him. He blinks twice before he leans in, his eyes already magnetic.

"What do you want right now?" he asks.

He'd take her anywhere she wants to go, to anyone she wants to see, get her anything she wants. Space, time, support, anything to help.

She curls into him, not breaking eye contact.

"I want you to tell me stories about your human days," she answers automatically. She can't lie to him and the only thing that's changed is that she has to answer, his dark eyes boring into hers, dilating with his words. The sensation is unlike anything else but she doesn't have much experience with magic. He blinks in surprise but it's not entirely unexpected.

She got the reader's digest version of his life before, but she wants something tangible. Elena wants something secret, long-buried, something that's just for them. He presses a kiss on her forehead. An easy wish to fulfill.


"I do want to move in with you eventually. Maybe before December ends. Bring in the new year together. It's just that I've never lived alone. I want to make sure I can," she tells him. He nods in agreement.

"Whatever you feel comfortable with," he answers.

Jenna and Alaric thought he compelled her, but he's never pressured her, not once. He's been nothing but sweet. Protective but not overbearing and he's never concealed anything from her, not even when they were just allies.

Christmas. It's only a few months away, now that she thinks about it. It was just the beginning of summer what feels like yesterday.

"Caroline's probably already planning how we'll celebrate it," she informs him. He chuckles at the thought.

"Bonnie, Caroline, and I have always been together at Christmas," she tells him. The idea of breaking that tradition is unthinkable. It'd be like suggesting they take April out of the calendar permanently.

"Let's go to New Orleans," he suggests. Elena blinks at him like he just grew a second head.

"Tonight?"

"Tomorrow or in a few days. You could see Bonnie and I could suggest to Klaus that he and Caroline join us,"

It's likely safer than staying in Mystic Falls, she thinks. Seeing Bonnie again and exploring another place with him sounds perfect. The company she applied for has branches all over the states, including an office in NOLA. They might be hiring too or maybe one of their competitors is. It's worth checking that. He's turned the day around in such a short time.

"Thank you."

"Anytime," he replies.