A/N : Warning for brief mentions of sexual assault.


Elena was accompanying Bonnie to go see her mother. It was a weekend and her friend had asked her to join her.

"So, there are two things we need to talk about." Bonnie said looking out at the road, driving towards their destination.

Elena could guess what they were already.

"First of all, you kissed Damon." She said lightly, as if she wasn't itching to ask more about it. "And second, you made a deal with Klaus." She said incredulously.

"I uh, Damon kissed me."

"And?"

"And nothing."

"Did you like it?"

"Uh...no." She said honesty bleeding into her voice, making the witch glance at her.

"Really?"

"Yeah, it, something didn't feel right. I told him too, that he shouldn't have done it, and I don't think he'll try again."

"Well, I hope so, I honestly don't get why you keep him around."

"He's a good person, Bonnie."

"When he isn't making you to kiss him, you mean."

She sighed. "Yeah." She remembered the way Mike had behaved, how he had tried to kiss her, but she had no disillusionment about his reasons. He just wanted to feel powerful, and he wanted revenge, so he used her.

"And Klaus?"

"What about Klaus?" Try as she might, she couldn't the image of him standing over the dead body out of her mind.

"The deal?"

"Hello, Elena?" Elena snapped back into focus, she'd been doing it a lot, withdrawing, that's what the Internet had told her.

It was a basic response to trauma.

Which was a joke, the last year of her life had been one traumatic event after the other.

"Yeah, sorry. I just um spaced. I give him blood, in exchange he'll leave my family and Matt alone. I tried to get you and Caroline included too, but he wouldn't agree to it."

"He can take your blood anytime." Bonnie gave her a look, "what are you not telling me?"

"There's nothing."

"Lena..."

She sighed as she collapsed on to herself.

"The deal is that I spend time with him." She said softly, she didn't want to keep the secret in anymore.

"What? Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe he's lonely. I think he just wants someone to-"

"To what?"

"Listen to him." She said, the words springing into her minds as she thought about their conversations so far.

"It's creepy."

"It...isn't." Bonnie gave her a patented look which was resolved for when she was being ridiculous.

"What does he make you do? Elena he isn't-"

"No! Of course not!" She reacted vehemently, causing Bonnie to look at her strangely. She knew she was on edge, but she needed to control herself better. "It...he...I don't think he has an ulterior motive. At least nothing until now." She remembered the way he had looked at her that night, the look she didn't dwell on, but couldn't get out of her mind either.

Maybe his ulterior motive was to make her go crazy and then institutionalise her, compelling nurses to bring him blood every three months.

Her theories were definitely getting crazier.

"So what?"

"We talk."

"About what?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Well, why not?"

"I...gave him my word."

"And you trust him?"

"Look, I know this deal sounds crazy-"

"Because it is."

"But he..." He had saved her life, but more than that, he had saved her sanity, almost. Ever since it had happened, she was having more trouble sleeping than usual.

"He what?" Elena took a breath, wondering how to explain it to Bonnie, when she couldn't understand it herself.

"He promised not to hurt Jer and Jenna. Even Alaric and Matt. You know how things have been since Stefan took those coffins, I needed to make sure at least they would be okay."

"And you believe him?"

"I...made a deal with Elijah too, remember? A very similar one, and.."

"And he backed out on it despite the fact that he was far more trustworthy than Klaus."

"Yeah, I know, but I get it. I don't think I'd ever be able to kill Jeremy. That's why we decided to dagger Rebekah, cause she would always forgive him. And that she wouldn't actually kill her own brother."

"Alright, but the question still remains. How can you trust him?"

She shrugged. She wanted to trust him, but would she ever really be able to?

"I guess, I'll just never know until I try."

"Okay, just be careful Elena." Bonnie said wearily.

"Yeah."

"Also, what was Caroline talking about? The two guys?" She remembered his eyes staring at her through the rearview mirror, as he had looked at her, that was when he probably decided what he was going to do. Or maybe he just seen her alone and grasped the opportunity that had come his way.

"Uh, nothing, she misunderstood something and jumped to that conclusion." Bonnie let out a laugh, shaking her head. "So, what made you want to visit your mom?"

"Elena, honestly, this isn't a random visit. I think she can help me in opening the coffin."

"The one that's sealed?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, okay. How are you holding up? This must be tough for you." She said, angling herself towards her friend.

"I... I'm scared, I think. I mean, it's been years since I saw her, she didn't even show to gram's funeral. All this time, I've been wondering where she is when I've needed her, and she's just living a road trip away. And she never tried once to contact me. I don't know how to do this."

"Hey, you're Bonnie Bennett okay? You've got vampires scared at your name, pretty sure even Klaus is, you can do this." It was difficult to watch her friend so upset.

"Thanks Elena." She said with a laugh. "Though I do wish I had Katherine scared."

It was Elena's turn to laugh. "Besides, don't worry, I'll be there with you if you need me."

"Yeah, I know." She nodded and picked out her phone, trying to idly pass the time.

Which was a lie.

She was waiting for some sort of message or phone call from him. There were only two messages in their thread from that night.

Thank you for tonight.

Couldn't let my doppelgänger get hurt, could I?

He had told her he'd be busy the next few days, and that he would let her know when they would meet next.

She wondered what it was that he was busy with.

She stopped wondering soon after.

Apparently he'd been busy risking Bonnie and Abby's lives. Not to mention Jamie's. She let out a sigh as Stefan drove them to where the two witches were.

"This is why we can't trust Klaus." She didn't say anything as she got out of the car to see Abby and Bonnie on the side of the car.

"Bonnie, hey, thank God, you're okay. I was worried about you." She said as she moved to hug her friend, who stepped back. "Bonnie?"

"How did Klaus know Elena?" Bonnie was frowning at her, arms crossed over her chest as she turned away from Elena.

"What?"

"That we were gonna be here today." Bonnie looked shaken from the entire ordeal, tired and exhausted, but also, angry.

"I don't know. He probably had that hybrid spy on us."

"Or maybe someone else told him?"

"What? Who?" She was sure her confusion bled into her voice. Then she saw the pointed look Bonnie was giving her. "You think I told him." She said realisation dawning on her. Bonnie thought she had told Klaus.

"Yeah, you made a deal with him Elena. And you know I love you, but I also know the lengths that you would go to keep the people you love safe. So maybe you agreed to help him get the coffins back, maybe that's what deal really is, or at least part of it."

"Is this true?" She turned around to face Stefan.

"No, of course it isn't."

"You were texting someone right after I told you about the coffins."

"I wasn't texting anyone Bonnie, I swear."

"Here." She watched in disbelief as Stefan pulled her phone out and handed it over to Bonnie, who easily unlocked it. She had never associated feeling this helplessness around Bonnie, this violation had never transpired between them.

"What does be mean he can't let you get hurt?"

"Bonnie..."

"Tell me, Elena." She knew her friend wasn't going to drop the topic, so she recounted the night to her, leaving out the part where she was...molested.

"Oh, Elena." Bonnie moved towards her forcing her to look at the girl. "He set it up." Elena looked up sharply.

"Yeah, we know how much control he has over the hybrids. He probably wanted to gain your trust. So he set up the whole thing." Stefan said, pitching in.

She remembered how surprised he'd looked when she agreed to go with him, the way he had been unsure about her waiting away from him, how the first thing he'd done was to look over her, the almost tender look on his face as he'd seen her wound.

The way he had looked at her.

And then, when he'd dropped her off, how he'd seemed almost scared to leave her alone.

The things he'd told her about his family, his son. Maybe it was a tactic of manipulation. But underneath everything Klaus was driven by emotions, and he couldn't have faked it.

He couldn't.

Or could he?

She shook her head, "no, he didn't."

"Why do you believe him?"

"He wouldn't."

"Did he compel you?"

"No, he didn't. But Bonnie, I know he wouldn't ever do that."

"Make it look like one of his hybrids was trying to kill you. Yeah, he would Elena."

"You don't get it-"

"I do, he's done this before-"

"That hybrid, Mike-"

"Find a way to play hero and save the day-"

"He wanted revenge for his girlfriend-"

"Klaus probably made him think that way."

"No, he didn't, Klaus would never-"

"Make it look like he was trying to kill you?"

"Maybe, but he would never make it look like he was trying to rape me!" She felt Stefan freeze behind her as Bonnie looked at her with wide eyes. She felt hot tears in her eyes that she wiped away. "But you don't believe me, fine. Think what you want."

The two were too shocked to move when Elena took her phone back and walked back towards Stefans car, getting in the drivers seat.

He could find his way home.


She, on the other hand, found her way to the mansion on the outskirts of town.

She knocked on the door, and grasped the handle, letting herself in. She looked around to see that there was no one there until she moved to the parlour.

"I see you've let yourself in."

"Yeah, I did. If you don't want company, you should keep the door locked." She spied coffins and a hybrid moving them.

"I told you, I was busy."

"With what? Manipulating Bonnie by threatening her family."

"Had to get my coffins back. Besides," he turned to look at her, that same look in his like that night, "I made sure you would be safe. What happened that night won't happen again."

"Bonnie thinks you set it up. What happened with...you know."

He looked at her over the glass of whiskey in his hand. "What do you think?"

"I don't think you did."

"Why? I've never done anything to deserve such trust from you."

Haunted. That's what he looked like.

"You have though." She was walking towards him, wanting to be near him for this, "I don't fully understand what it is, but there is something that tells me I can trust you. Can I?"

His face was guarded so she moved her hand to his face, running her thumb over his jaw, watching the way it relaxed. His eyes though, he was looking at her as though-

"You cannot." She stepped around Klaus, who turned around to see Elijah holding a heart over the dead hybrids body.

"Elijah."

"Nicklaus. Given from your expression, I gather it wasn't you who removed the dagger."

"Brother-"

"You stuck me in a coffin."

"Well, I did reunite you with our family." Elena watched the tense scene curiously, moving away from the two brothers, and just in time, as they started fighting.

She could feel the floor vibrate beneath her feet as the two fought. Elijah threw Klaus into a window, then soon after Klaus threw Elijah through a table. At one point Klaus was about to dagger Elijah again. "Go ahead brother, then you'll have Kol to deal with." They both stopped fighting then, and Elijah turned to her.

"Ah, Elena, lovely to see you alive."

"Yeah, Elijah. Good to see you too."

"Forgive my impertinence, but may I ask what you're doing here?" She was going to answer, but Klaus beat her to it.

"She was here to give me a little blood donation. But, she was just leaving."

"Blood- Nicklaus, after everything you've done to the girl, you mean to tell me that you are regularly feeding on her."

"It's a long story." She said.

"Elijah," Klaus said drawing Elijah's attention. "Mikeal is dead."

"What?"

"I killed him." If she had any doubts about him lying to her about his family, they were gone once she saw the relief on Elijah's face.

"I'll let you two catch up." She said as she decided to leave, knowing she couldn't get Klaus to tell her anything now.