A/N: I've finished this story so I decided to post the rest of it! It hasn't been read over in a while, so there may be mistakes.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I use some lines from the show from time to time and...yup! Enjoy and REVIEW!


"Do we-…do we have to go home?" Elena asked Jeremy as he drove the two of them back to the house. "I just…I don't know if I'm ready yet."

Jeremy glanced over to his sister, knowing exactly why she wouldn't be ready. "Would it help if I told you Klaus, Elijah, Kol and Rebekah are all there cleaning up the place for you?"

With a raised eyebrow, Elena peered to Jeremy. "Cleaning? Like, actually cleaning?"

"As far as I know," Jeremy said with a laugh. It was a rarity for the Mikaelsons to do something like clean a house themselves. Usually it would be something they'd hire. "Rebekah said she wanted you to come home to your home, not well, you know," he muttered towards the end.

Elena sighed. As much as she appreciated the gesture, going back to the house, sleeping in her bed, and knowing what had happened seemed so scary.

"What about the lake house?" Elena asked Jeremy with new enthusiasm. "We could go there for a bit. It has less vampires invited and I doubt Finn even knows where that is at. We could pack a bag and head over there."

"You know that requires then going into the house?" Jeremy wondered.

"Well…" Elena said thoughtfully. Biting her lip, she tried to think of alternative solutions. Buy clothes? No. Ask Rebekah to grab her clothes? Probably not.

"I can just use what Elijah packed me," she said contently. "And I'm sure I have left over clothes at the lake house anyway."

Jeremy laughed. "Yeah, that you probably last wore in the 8th grade."

Elena lightly shoved her brother as her eyes went back on the road. "Whatever. My plan still works."

As silence settled back between them, Jeremy glanced over and found Elena playing nervously with her hands. He had never really seen her this way. "Okay, I'll call Rebekah and tell her the change of plans. You'll have to tell everyone where to go, including me. I barely remember how to get there."

Elena nodded and relaxed into her seat as Jeremy called Rebekah.

"Hey, change of plans," Jeremy said when the Mikaelson picked up. "We are heading up to our family lake house."

"You're kidding me, right?" Rebekah deadpanned, standing in the front room of the Gilbert house with a hand on her hip.

"Elena isn't ready to go back there yet and it's been a long while since we've been up to the lake house. You'd like it, it is gorgeous up there," Jeremy spoke as he drove.

"So, you're just up and leaving town?"

"Well, we thought you guys could meet us up there. It's only about an hour, maybe two, to get up there from our house. There are plenty of extra rooms and you'd be one of the few vampires to be actually let in."

Rebekah sighed. She had put work into actually cleaning the house (by mostly bossing her brothers around), but she couldn't help but like the idea. Everyone could use the getaway and Jeremy was painting a good picture for the opportunity. Not to mention Elijah would be happier that they could all be in the same area for Elena's protection.

"Okay, where are we going then?"

Jeremy shifted the phone on his ear. "Elena, you need to give them directions."

"Elijah should know actually," Elena said with a small smile. It was laughable to think about how different it was back then and how it was now completely changed.

"What are you talking about?" Jeremy wondered. Giving his sister an odd look, he turned back to his phone and put his eyes back on the road. "Elena says that Elijah should know."

After hanging up the phone with Jeremy, Rebekah decided to pack a bag of Elena's things for her. While Jeremy hadn't mentioned her needing anything, she had figured the main reason for the detour to the lake house was because she didn't want to step inside the house. Quickly packing a bag of the girl's things, Rebekah then went to convey the change of plans.

"You can stop cleaning," she announced to the household of brothers. Walking to the living room, she set down a duffle bag. "There is a change of plans. Elena isn't coming home. Jeremy is driving her up to their family lake house."

"And how are we expected to keep her safe if we have no idea where that is?" Klaus growled, already unhappy he had to clean and take orders from his sister.

Rebekah narrowed her eyes at her grouchy brother. "Elena said that Elijah would know. She also invited us all to stay with them. We have to pack a bag and head up there."

Elijah pursed his lips, trying to hide the amused expression growing on his face. It was an interesting memory to recall about that lake house. It seemed like such a long time ago when he and Elena were on opposite sides and dueling it out over there. It was before everything had really started.

"So, do you know where we are going?" Rebekah asked Elijah.

"Yes, I do."

"Great. Then drop everything and let's go," she announced. Grabbing the duffle, she threw it at Kol. "They're Elena's things. Carry them."

"Isn't that what dear brother is for?" Kol asked, tossing the bag to Elijah.

"Yes, well, she seems to trust you the most," Rebekah sassed back, not forgetting how Kol mentioned Elena had discussed her life history with him. Walking out of the house, Kol trailed after her boastfully. "Oh let it go, Bex, so the Gilbert enjoys my company more!"

Elijah, the last one to leave the house, grabbed Elena's bag and locked up the place. Shaking his head at his bickering siblings, he gave the home one last glance before following them out.


"God, it's been forever," Elena announced when they arrived. Grabbing her bag from the car, she glanced all around. The lake house was still exactly how they had left it.

"I forgot just how gorgeous it is here," Jeremy said, moving to grab some things from the back of the car while also looking around.

"Finally," Klaus called in annoyance, walking down the steps of the porch towards the car. He and his siblings had sat there for over an hour, waiting for Jeremy and Elena to show so they could be let in the house.

"You all ran here?" Elena wondered to Elijah as they all walked down to greet them.

"Baby sister made it sound more urgent than it was," Kol sighed dramatically.

"Oh shut up. How was I supposed to know they would take so long?" Rebekah snapped, looking bored.

"We stopped for some groceries and other things we might need while here," Jeremy said, grabbing a bunch of bags, with the siblings following suit.

"Hi," Elijah smiled to Elena, grabbing her bag from her hand and bringing her in for a kiss.

"Hi," she smiled back. Laughing a bit at the twinkle in his eye, she knew exactly what he was thinking as he stared back at her. It was hard not to recall the memory of them up here.

"Okay love birds. Can we get inside before I throw up?" Kol asked.

Elena rolled her eyes and grabbed Elijah's hand as they walked to the house.

It was too easy not to mess with them. Jeremy waltzed right in the house as did Elena after him. Both Gilberts turned back to the open doorway, smiling at the vampires stuck outside.

"Don't make me snap your neck," Klaus threatened menacingly to Jeremy.

"Elijah, Rebekah, Kol…. Klaus….would you like to come in?" Elena asked with an amused face to all of them. While Klaus's voice was chilling, Elena knew his words were an empty threat. There was no way anyone would let that happen to Jeremy.

Each stepped gracefully through the front door, taking in the scenery of the house.

"There should be two guest rooms upstairs on the left," She explained while they walked around and got accustomed to the setting. "The room in the middle was our parent's old bedroom. We don't really use it, but one of you are more than welcome to it," Elena said uncomfortably. "There are fresh sheets on the top shelves of each of the bedroom closets and towels and other necessities are in the hall closets."

Once dismissed, they all parted ways and went searching for their rooms. "Where should I put this?" Elijah wondered holding up a duffle Elena didn't recognize.

"Rebekah packed you another bag," he answered for her.

Smiling at the kind gesture, Elena shoved her hands into her back pockets. "My room is upstairs, the furthest on the right. You can set your stuff there too."

Nodding, Elijah gave Elena a kiss to her cheek and went upstairs, leaving her to unpack the groceries.

"So how long are we staying?" Jeremy wondered, bringing the last of the bags in from the car.

Shrugging, Elena went over to the kitchen island, unpacking the materials from their brown paper. "I don't know. However long we want, I guess."

"I still have school you know," he said grabbing some things and helping her unload them.

"You and Rebekah can go together and take the car. I won't need it and she can drive. You guys can get there in no time."

Jeremy rolled his eyes. Work around solutions to his problems was not what he was trying to get at.

"Look," he said stopping his sister before she put more groceries away. "I know what happened to you was terrifying. But you can't just hide away forever. At some point, you are going to have to face this."

Elena sighed and set the things down on the counter. "I know, I just…I'm terrified, Jer. There is so much to deal with and everything I thought I was prepared for…I'm not. Finn nearly killed me that night - and I fought. I fought and still almost ended up dead, which is saying something considering I'm pretty close to death already."

Jeremy sighed and let go of his sister. He didn't enjoy knowing or talking about the fact that her life was being held together by the witchy powers that be. He wasn't ready to lose her once Finn was dead or Silas was caught. They hadn't figured out what was to come and he didn't want to face those facts.

"Just please do me a favor and don't run away?" he asked her. The question made Elena stop what she was doing and look to him confused. "I don't care who you confide in or how you deal with this, but you have to deal with it. I'm down for running away for a bit, Elena, especially when it brings us here to spend time together. But things like Damon and Stefan…they're going to come to a head. You're going to have to confront them or send them away. And you're going to have to ace your fears about Finn. You're stronger than you think. Maybe you just need to practice some more."

Sighing, she nodded. Jeremy was right. She couldn't just run away and hide up here. Somehow, she was going to have to deal with her fears and her problems. Damon, Stefan, Finn, death, vampirism, and Katharine, were all going to need be to dealt with. And she was going to have to put in the work to do it.


"You're sure you don't mind staying here?" Elena asked Elijah as they pulled off the pillows and folded the blankets down on the bed.

"Is there a reason to be?" he wondered as they got into bed.

"No. I know it seems like I'm running away, and I guess I kind of am. But I also feel like we all could use this. It's kind of like New Jersey."

They laid on the edge of their pillows, face to face with one another.

"Elena, if this is what helps you, then I'm right where I need to be."

She smiled warmly at him. That was exactly what she needed to hear.

"I like the idea of getting the opportunities to make new memories here," he admitted to her. "It seems like the last time we were both here, we were at odds with one another."

A smile appeared on Elena's face. "I still can't believe I actually went through with stabbing myself."

"Don't forget about daggering me," he chimed with a light smile.

Elena let out a chuckle and put a hand on his cheek. "I am sorry about that."

Elijah smiled, moving to kiss her hand. "As am I about the rest."

Elena smiled fondly at him. While it was a rocky history between them, it was a history she wouldn't trade for anything. It was this moment here at the house when she daggered him that their adventures really began. It led to his eventual undaggering and their building of trust.

"I never thought it'd be like this," she admitted to him while they stared at one another. "If you would have told me back then that I would be back here, sharing a house with you and your siblings under good terms, I would have thought…well, I don't even know."

Elijah smiled. He would have of had a hard time believing that as well. "Get some sleep, Elena."

Moving so she could wrap herself against him, he held her close as she laid her head on his chest.

"Elijah?" she asked softly in the darkness.

"Yes, Elena?"

"I think I need Klaus's help."

Elijah frowned, a growing discomfort building inside of him. "Why is that?"

She was silent for many moments, doodling on his chest before speaking. "I thought I was strong. I thought I could beat any vampire who came my way. I fooled myself into thinking I was fierce when I beat Kol and Klaus in hand to hand combat in New Jersey. And when Finn attacked, I let my guard down. I-…. I wasn't the person I thought I was. Worrying about Finn and his well-being hindered my ability to be defensive."

"I don't understand why that needs Niklaus's help," Elijah spoke, trying to keep the jealousy out of his voice. "Your compassion is a gift, Elena."

Shifting around, Elena laid on her elbows to better look into his eyes.

"He's one of the scariest people I know. But he's also become one of the most loyal people I've had the chance to know. I watched as he defended you and me in the hospital against Damon and Stefan. And while he likes to play games, he's never scared – or at least he never shows it. He never drops his guard. He's cold. He's calculated. But there is somewhere inside of him that cares. I've seen it."

Elijah was thoughtful. "But I still don't understand why Niklaus. Why not myself or Kol, or even Rebekah?"

Elena bit her lip. She knew he was probably feeling insecure and she didn't want to come across as picking a brother. It just felt…right. "I think Klaus can help me remember. And he'll push me, more than I'm willing to push myself. I'm banking on Klaus's fierce desire to catch Finn. I mean it when I say I want to help and I want to remember everything. Every time I try and remember more or think hard about it, it's like it slips from my grasp. The only time I can help is when I dream, and even then, I'm too terrified. It just-…it all happened to fast."

"Elena," he sighed. "It's human to be afraid. No one blames you for not getting every detail down like my brother desires. Niklaus expects too much sometimes – more than what people are capable of giving. You've done what you can."

"But I haven't," she said adamantly. "I haven't pushed myself. I haven't given way to the fear. Instead I've tried not sleeping or needed someone with me because I'm afraid. I won't break, Elijah" she told him with passion. "I can do this. And I know Klaus will help me. "

Elijah was put in a position where saying no to the idea would make him the bad guy, yet he worried if saying yes was good for her well-being. While Klaus cared for family, his desires for Finn and vengeance could cloud his judgment.

"I need to do this," she told him softly as she went to lay her head back on his chest. She liked feeling the motions he took as he'd breathe.

Holding her close and kissing the top of her head. He sighed in defeat. "Okay."


The next morning, Elena came downstairs to a full house. Rebekah and Jeremy were both rushing to get ready for school, Kol was showering, Klaus was sitting at the kitchen table reading a newspaper, and Elijah making breakfast.

"Woah," Jeremy said grabbing some toast Elena had set in the toaster, before glancing back to Elijah. "Dude, I don't think I've ever seen you in regular clothes before."

Elijah turned his attention from the stove to the little Gilbert.

"Jer, you saw him when he helped set up the 1920s dance," Elena supplied, frowning at her disappearing toast. Setting in more bread in the toaster for herself, she leaned back against the counter before resuming to hug her mug of coffee.

"I thought he was doing that to blend in or something, like because he didn't want to get one of his expensive suits dirty. I didn't think he actually wore these kinds of clothes."

"Is this not what people wear nowadays?" Elijah frowned, looking down at his graphic tee and ripped jeans, before glancing over to Jeremy's clothes. The Gilbert wore something similar – jeans and a tee shirt. Elijah looked to Elena for input.

"No, it is," Jeremy answered, still surprised. "It's just casual. I've never really known you to be casual…"

Elena shot him a raised look and Jeremy tried back peddling. "Not that it's bad or anything. I mean, you look chill. It's a good outfit to wear around here if you want to go chop some wood around here or something…"

Elena stopped her brother, giving a small laugh at the awkward interaction he was creating.

Moving away from Elijah, Jeremy tried hard not to stare and instead focused on buttering his toast. Elijah looked so much younger and almost, well, normal.

"Does that need to be done?" Elijah wondered, staring at the Gilberts.

Elena shook her head with a growing smile and Jeremy focused on not staring at Elijah.

"I think you broke the Gilbert boy with your fashion choice, 'Lijah," Klaus snickered, sipping his own coffee and turning the paper.

Elena moved to nudge her brother, who was again caught staring at Elijah, laughing a bit with Rebekah as she did.

Breaking out of his thoughts, he shook his head, kissed his sister on the head and went to leave with Rebekah. Living with a house full of Originals was getting beyond weird.

"Jeremy! Do I need to go chop wood for all of us?" Elijah called after him.

"Uh, only if you want to," Jeremy spoke, stopping at the front door with a piece of Elena's toast in hand. "Axe is out front by the tree stump. You'll probably find some logs out back or by the side of the house."

Elijah nodded and went back to cooking everyone breakfast.

"Drive safe!" Elena called in a motherly-like fashion.

Laughing as she passed Elijah, she gave him a kiss to the cheek and went to sit down next to Klaus.

"Klaus," Elena spoke, waiting for him to drop his paper and pay attention to her.

With a raised eyebrow, Klaus looked over his newspaper and at the doppelgänger. "I need your help."

A wide smile began to appear on the man's face and the paper between them was removed and tossed to the side of the table.

"My doppelgänger asking for my help. Music to my ears."

Elena rolled her eyes. He wasn't going to make this easy on her or Elijah. If he was going to continue using possessives like that, Elijah was bound to stop them from helping one another.

"I need you to help me remember all about the night with Finn," she said. "And…I want you to train me. I need to learn how to keep my guard up."

It was a strange request, but Klaus was happy to be involved – not that he'd admit it to anyone. He was getting bored and itching for violence ever since he had gotten to the Gilbert lake house. It was too quiet and serene up here. "Sweetheart, I could have spared you this little adventure then. If you want help remembering, then I suggest you go home. That will jog your thoughts."

Twisting people around so they begged or pleaded for help was how Klaus enjoyed it. "Now, as for a little one-on-one, I could spare some time. I'd like a blood donation in return though."

Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. She didn't even have to look over to Elijah to know his body had gone ridged and he was barely holding back from snapping at his brother and butting into their conversation.

Tilting her head, she pondered his angle and then asked herself how Klaus would respond. "Let me rephrase this for you," she stared, turning her body to face him completely. "Finn is after blood. Not my blood – vampire blood. I don't know why, and I don't know how. But whatever happened to him, my interaction with him may be the only key to helping you catch him and stop him. Who knows, he might even come feeding for you," she spoke, trying not to tremble. Her words were part of her fears. If Finn were on vampire blood, and his family were vampires, wouldn't that set them in danger?

"I came to you because I thought it could be mutually beneficial us. If you're not up for the job, I'll gladly ask one of the other members in this house. Kol might even be a better trainer now that I think about it."

It felt cold to Elena to say these things, but it worked. Klaus's smile immediately dropped and a scowl covered his face. "Fine, I'll help you remember and assist in training you. Kol isn't half as talented or skilled as I am," he muttered.

"I resent that brother!" Kol said coming down the stairs. Speeding over with vampire speed, he sat in the chair next to Elena, resting his head on his elbow, leaning on the table. "Now, what is it we are talking about?"

Elena tried hard not to laugh, but let her amusement show. "Klaus agreed to teach me how to keep my guard up, and help me remember my night with Finn."

A bit confused, Kol sat up straighter. "I thought you told us everything there was to tell?"

Elena shrugged. "I think I did, but I'm not really sure. It's all still a bit fuzzy. I want to make sure I got every detail." Frowning, Kol looked to Elijah, who seemed to be keeping out of the matter as he came over and set a breakfast plate down in front of Elena.

"But why would you need training? You're a skilled fighter," Kol said, stealing some bacon from Elena's plate.

Elena swatted his hand away. "I'm really not. As much as I tried with Finn, he still almost killed me in the end. I let whatever was going on with him trick me into concern. It almost got me killed."

"And so Niklaus is the answer to all of this?" Kol wondered glancing to the hybrid brother.

Elena shrugged. "Klaus is the coldest vampire I know. He wants Finn as much as I do, maybe more."

A twitch under Klaus's eye was gone as quick as it came. "Well, then, let's get started. I'll be outside. I expect you out in 10 minutes," he said before getting up and leaving.


It was an hour and a half later, 4 meditation practices in, and 2 different times the wind was knocked out of her that Elena decided it was time to call it quits. Ever since breakfast, Klaus had a stick up his ass, yelling at her, pushing her, and she swore he almost tried tossing her in the water once.

She had thought that maybe she was wrong and that Klaus wasn't the person to help her. All he could do was bark at her the entire time they were outside.

"Get back here, Elena!" he yelled to her as she went to walk away.

"No!" she shouted back, continuing to walk away.

Speeding in front of her, Klaus held her up tightly by the neck. "You go when I say you can go!"

With her feet lifted off the ground, Elena had a difficult time getting leverage. Flashes of Finn hit her, making her relive the scene of him holding her by the neck, her back being stabbed by shards of glass from the mirror.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Kol shouted, knocking Klaus over making Elena fall to the ground. Elijah had been cutting wood the whole morning to supervise them, but after running out of trees to chop, he finally left to go get more wood and blood bags to last them for their stay. Kol was left in charge of the supervision. Klaus was never to be trusted.

"Are you out of your damn bloody mind?" Kol shouted over Klaus. Klaus came charging after him, fighting at vampire speed with the brother.

"Guys," Elena said coughing. "Guys!" Elena yelled. Pulling herself up and dusting off her behind, she looked at the pair. "That night with Finn, he held me up by the neck, just like Klaus. I remember I couldn't get any sort of leverage to get out of his grasp. H-he…thought I was Esther. He asked me what I had done to him, as if she were the one responsible," Elena said thoughtfully. "What could that mean?"

Kol shook his head. "He was delusional Elena. Dear brother was in the middle of a hallucination, going in and out of reality."

Letting silence set in, Kol announced he was leaving for a bit, threatening Klaus quietly, before stating Elijah would be home soon and walked off. Once Kol had gone over the hill and back up towards the house, Klaus turned back to Elena.

"Let's try it again." Klaus went speeding for Elena, hand out to take her by the neck.

Grabbing his arm, she took it and twisted it behind his back, going behind him and kicking his knees out from him. "What the hell is wrong with you? What has gotten into you?!"

"I don't know, Elena," he growled, moving out of the position and going to attack her again. "You're the one that wanted to remember. You're the one that wanted me to teach you to not let your guard down. I'm the coldest vampire out there remember!? I'm not doing anything to you!"

He threw her off into the distance, her back hitting the house. Before she had a chance to run off, he was pinning her to the side of the house with his arms hovering by the sides of her head. Elena watched as Klaus's vampire features came out. It was different than Elijah's or anyone else's she had seen. While he had the veins around his eyes and the razor-sharp canine teeth, golden rings encircled the pupils of his black eyes. Werewolf features.

"Klaus," Elena spoke carefully, still catching her breath from their fighting. Her heart hammered in her chest, her nerves growing. She let herself stayed pinned to the house, waiting for the tension in his body to dissipate.

"That wasn't what I meant," she told him when his features returned to normal. Elena hadn't realized she had hurt hm earlier at breakfast, when Kol asked her why Klaus. She thought he'd take it as a compliment, as he always prided himself on being the biggest baddest guy out there.

"Don't you see I've been trying, Elena?" he asked her with grit in his voice as he pulled away from her. "I've slowed my killing, practically stopped in my hybrid making, and protected you when you've needed it!"

"I know," she said softly, with an understanding voice. "You have."

Growling, he moved so his face was mere inches from hers, hoping to startle her by trapping his body against hers. She had nowhere to run. "Don't you see how I've tried to change?"

Elena swallowed at their closeness. If anyone were to come around, they'd misconstrue this. "I do," she whispered.

It wasn't out of romance or sexual tension that that was why this was occurring. No, it was because Elena had hurt Klaus's feelings, and without saying that, he was trying to tell her that she hurt him. He had been trying to be better – to do better – around her and saying he was the coldest vampire she knew had stung. He was putting himself out there without even realizing it.

Klaus eventually stepped back, giving them both more breathing room. It made sense now, why he was so cold and impatient with her this morning as they tried training for the past hour and a half. It felt almost un-Klaus like for Elena for him to be acting the way he was. And it was Klaus trying to be the old Klaus. Not the one she had gotten to know.

"I'm sorry," she told him with honesty. She wasn't sure how an apology would go. With Klaus, it was always a dance of some sort. You don't fully admit to the elephant in the room or the problem at hand. You just jab and dance around it until the elephant or metaphorical balloon in the box pops.

"I just don't want to be scared any more. I want to be more like you."

Klaus, with clenched teeth, turned away from her. "You shouldn't," he told her bitterly. All of this time he was trying to be more like her. To care more. To stick with loyalties and love the ones you hold dear. But now here she was wanting to be more like him.

His anger began to fade and he was left with his own truth. "You'll have no one," he told her simply. He had no one if it weren't for Elena changing his life. Elena made one simple decision against his mother and it set forth a new evolution of things. He became more loyal than he ever was to his family. Their bonds were stronger than he could ever foster. Their trust was almost unfathomable. All because she brought them together.

Elena stayed silent, trying to figure out her next moves. She wanted to be more like him, but in a way, he was right. Being cold did come with a cost. It was why Klaus always boxed up his family. It was the closest he could get to feeling like he had family without dealing with them.

Stepping forward carefully, she placed a hand on his arm. "You are the strongest vampire I know," she told him softly. "And I need your help to be just as strong. I don't want to be afraid and I want to protect everyone I know and love. Teach me."

It took a few moments for Klaus to regain his composure, but once he did, he turned and met her eyes with his glassy ones. "Close your eyes," he told her softly.

Without hesitation, she followed his command.

"Your back home. You're in your bed…. and you hear a noise. What is it?" he wonders, circling her closely, keeping his voice calm and steady.

"I don't know," Elena says with furrowed brows as she keeps her eyes closed. Remembering the scene as if she is watching herself from outside her body, she watches the Elena get up from her bed. "I thought…. I thought I heard the front door closing."

Klaus nods. "Follow the sound, Elena. Tell me what you are doing." he stands behind her.

"I'm walking out of my room… I stopped at the top of the stairs. I call for Jeremy, but he doesn't answer."

"What then?"

"I'm at the top of the stairs. I don't see anything. It's dark… Kol had locked up for me."

"Use your vampire hearing," Klaus commands her gently. "Tell me what you hear."

Elena's furrowed brows deepen. She tried to listen hard. "I don't hear anything. I must just be on edge."

Elena jumps as she watches Finn come speeding for her, grabbing her from behind and slamming her against the wall. She is no longer standing beside herself; she now is the girl.

Finding it hard to breathe, Elena begins to feel panic. "I-I c-c-ca-can't…" Just as she is about to open her eyes, Klaus moves to keep them closed. He takes her hand instead. "I'm here, Elena. Just breathe. Take it slow. You're safe. Tell me what you see."

She tries her hardest to trust Klaus. Squeezing his hand, she evens her breathing to match the sounds of his and is taken back to her memories. "Finn. He's got me up against the wall near the stairs. H-He…he says my name. He's angry."

"Tell me what happens next, Elena," Klaus commands, still keeping touch with her body as he begins to walk around her again.

"I kicked his legs out from under him. I'm trying to run away, but he's so quick." Elena recalled as he caught her arm and then threw her over the banister.

"What is it Elena?" Klaus asked when she tensed.

"He's yelling at me," she said with a whisper. "He threw me downstairs and I'm in the front room."

"Tell me what happens next," he said carefully.

"He says he wants to talk," she said as she continued to re-experience her trauma.

"Oh god," Elena said, squeezing Klaus's hand when he put it back in hers. Finn had just slammed her against the wall, yelling at her for answers.

"Elena," Klaus called gently.

Elena continued to recall how she felt, experiencing the anger from being tossed around. She moved and turned the tables on Finn, taking him up against the wall. He knocked her back.

"Something's wrong," she told Klaus. Elena watched as Finn clutched his head.

"What is it, Elena?" Klaus asked.

"His head," she told him with closed eyes. Elena watched carefully as Finn's hands went to his head, cradling it with pain. "He's bleeding…"

Blood came dripping down Finn's nose. Elena listened to him threaten her. "You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into, Elena Gilbert. No idea!"

"Tell me what is happening," Klaus commanded in a soft tone.

"Blood. He…his nose and his mouth…he…he doesn't realize he's bleeding. Finn…."

Elena felt torn on going to him to help or staying back for safety.

"What have you done to me?!"

Elena jumped and opened her eyes, recalling him coming after her. "I-I can't do this."

Backing away, Elena went to run as far as she could go, but Klaus cut her off, stopping in front of her so she couldn't go anywhere.

"Take a breath, love. Look around you," he told her calmly. As she did, he patiently waited. "Finn is not here nor can he hurt you here. You're safe."

Elena shook her head. The further she kept going, the more terrified she got. "He's going to kill me," she breathed in fear.

Klaus shook his head. "we're not going to let that happen."

She met his eyes, staring into them for what felt like a long while, analyzing for any sort of lie or half-truth. She took in his upward curved lips, warm face and all she saw was calm.

Hearing a car door slam, it broke Elena from her gaze on Klaus and she jumped, moving herself behind him.

Realizing the source of the sound, she eased her grip on Klaus's hand.

"Everything okay down there?" Jeremy asked from the top of the hill.

Klaus was staring up at Jeremy now, his attention no longer on the fearful Elena who was hiding behind the hybrid, hand in his.

"Perfect, mate," Klaus called with an eerily cheery expression on his face.

Jeremy debated the statement, waiting for Elena's confirmation before he left the pair alone. Rebekah had paused at the two of them as well, giving Klaus a good stare down for good measure before going inside.

"Breathe, Elena," Klaus reminded her as they were left alone again.

As she took a few more deep breaths, she shook out her limbs. She could do this. The events she was remembering had already happened.

Klaus patiently waited until Elena looked calmer and more composed. "Are you ready to try again?"

"Everything okay here?" Elijah wondered, coming down to check on them. When had come back home, he had seen Elena with Klaus. He had been doing some sort of memory exercise, circling her and prompting her to remember the night with Finn. He decided not to disturb them, as it was the calmest his hybrid brother had been with Elena since they had started the training. But with the look Rebekah and Jeremy had on their faces when they walked into the house, Elijah had felt unassured that Klaus was not up to something or pushing Elena too far.

Klaus gave an impatient growl to his brother. There were getting to be too many disturbances occurring.

"I'm fine," Elena said nervously. Taking in a deep breath, she nodded to Klaus. "Let's go again."

Elijah looked doubtfully at the pair. He wasn't exactly sure what they were up to on this part of the afternoon, but it at least didn't entail Klaus yelling at Elena anymore.

Elijah watched as Elena closed her eyes and waited.

"Your back at your house," Klaus says calmly. "Finn is there with you. He has you up by the neck. Tell me what is going on around you."

Elena's breathing changes. From the slow and steady, her lungs immediately begin filling for air with short shallow gasps.

Elijah is about to intervene, but Klaus shoots him a deadly look. "You're safe, Elena," Klaus says with a gentle tone Elijah doesn't think he's ever heard.

"Finn can't hurt you. Focus on the details. Tell me what my brother has you up against," he commands.

"A wall," Elena answers. "No," she corrects with a furrowed brow. "The mirror. The mirror next to our door. He…he…"

"Tell me what you see when you look past my brother, over his shoulder. Tell me."

Elena struggles, her palms beginning to sweat. Trying to focus on Klaus's commands, she tries to concentrate on what is over Finn's shoulder. "Wood. There is a bunch of broken splinters of wood from when he threw me down the banister. They're all over the floor."

"Good," he coaxes as her breathing slows from the shift of focus. "Now listen to Finn's words. What is he saying?"

Elijah is both impressed and baffled by this practice. It is working well on Elena, but in his years of existence, he had never seen his brother so…gentle to anyone.

"He thinks I'm Esther. He's asking what I've done to him. He doesn't know it's me."

Klaus glanced to Elijah, who carried a worried look on his face. "You can go now, brother," Klaus said dismissively. "It's best if I do this alone with Elena."

Elijah's eye twitched, not enjoying the idea of him being alone with her. Seeing she was in no physical harm though, he gave into the command and slowly trotted back to the house.

"Don't fight it," Klaus said in a calming voice, taking her hand. He didn't need Elijah to see the intimacy of this. While the process didn't usually require touching, Elena was a creature that apparently needed the reassurance. It was the only thing he could do to keep her tied to the memories and grounded from the fear.

"He won't kill you, love. Don't fight him. Just let him say his peace."

Elena attempted to give into the panic, trying her hardest not to run, kick or scream.

"That a girl," Klaus praised as he felt her body loosen. Letting go of her hand, he circled her. "Now focus back on Finn. What is dear brother saying to you? What is it about mother that he is going on about?"

Flashes went by and her mind went from the scene with Finn to meeting Stefan in the graveyard. She was smiling at his daylight ring. He was twisting in his hand telling her it was a family heirloom he was stuck with. And then things flashed again. She was with Jeremy. They were walking down the river and she was telling him that she learned she was adopted. She watched as her out-of-body self, worried how Jeremy would take the news.

Elena winced.

And then her brain went to the pastor's field. Just like before things played in slow motion. She watched as Jeremy's arrow hit Connor in the chest. She felt the bite of Stefan's fang pierced the skin on her neck; she listened to Alaric cry out for her and run towards them, only to watch his skin shrivel. And she glanced her last sights on a weakened, ragged Elijah. The release from pain was all she felt.

"Elena. Elena!" Klaus called, catching her before she hit the ground. Her body had gone limp and her nose began to bleed. He was baffled at how the cognitive recall process have such an effect on her like this. Holding her in his arms, Klaus ran off with her to the lake. His first thought to break her from her odd slumber was to dunk her in the water. The shock of the temperature should give her a nice jolt.

Tossing her in, he waited for her to re-appear, startled, cold, and cursing him out.

But her body did not appear. Instead, the water calmed from where he threw her, and immediately he jumped in after her.

"Elena," a familiar voice called. "Elena, come on."

Elena felt odd. Something was…different. Opening her eyes, she found herself in the woods of Mystic Falls.

"Jenna?" Elena asked bewildered. Jenna was standing in her fall clothes, squatting down in front of her.

"How are you here? Where am I? How-"

"Okay," Jenna said in a soothing voice pulling her up. "Don't worry, I got you."

Confused, Elena brushed the leaves from her clothes and thought back to her last memory to figure out how she could have gotten here. Realizing this wasn't real, she put her arms around herself. "What is going on? Jenna, what are you doing here?"

"I want what is best for you, Elena," Jenna spoke gently. "And while I've done a royally screwed up job at doing that, I want you to listen to me.

Elena swallowed hard and followed her aunt through a trail in the woods. "I don't understand."

"I've made a lot of mistakes, Elena," Jenna spoke sadly. "I hid a lot of truths from you and Jeremy, and before I could tell you guys, it was too late."

Pains stabbed her heart as she realized that this would be the closest she'd ever get to see and feel of her aunt Jenna.

"Your parents were good people, and they had great intentions, but they were dark, Elena. You have to believe me when I tell you that I didn't mean to hide so much from both you and Jeremy. I just wanted to tell you when the time was right and you weren't mourning them anymore."

Nothing made sense. She didn't understand what her aunt was talking about. What did being here have to do with her parents? "Jenna, we know you tried your best to take care of us. You did so much for us and, maybe if I had told you the truth sooner…"

Jenna stopped and faced Elena. "You've been doing so much running Elena. I may be on the other side, but it is no wonder why the witches called me to try and help you."

Elena shook her head. While it may be obvious to spirits, she didn't understand what she could be doing so wrong that her aunt needed to be pulled into things. Her aunt turned to the scene in front of them and Elena realized she was at the Salvatore boarding house, standing just outside of the woods near the front of the house.

"Stop running, Elena. What happened with you dying…I know it is scary – trust me, I do." Her aunt said kindly, "but if you want any chance of stopping Finn and Silas, you will need the Salvatores help. You all stand a better chance as a united front than you do in pieces."

What her aunt was saying made sense, and while Elena had started the mend all the broken pieces, she was scared.

"Death isn't the worst thing," her aunt spoke, tears forming in her aunt's eyes. "It's the being alone that is terrifying."

Elena suddenly felt cold to the bone.

"You'll be okay. Just…. trust people. Trust Jeremy and Caroline and hell, even Klaus and Elijah. Trust all of them. They are there for you Elena. They'll look out for you. You need everyone."

"Jenna," Elena said beginning to panic. She could tell they were running out of time and there was still so much left to say. She still needed to apologize for the part she played in her aunt's death, to apologize for being such a teenager and not helping Jenna more after their parents' death, and for not being better and stronger.

"I know," her aunt replied, bringing her into a hug. "But you've got this. You've got nothing to apologize for and everything to live for. I miss you so much, but I am so proud of the woman you've become."

Elena held onto her aunt tightly.

"Tell Jeremy I'm proud of him too," Jenna sniffled, as the tears fell from her eyes. "I'm really glad he quit the drugs. It's a horrible habit."

Elena let out a teary-eyed laugh alongside her aunt. "I don't know if I can do this. I'm scared, Jenna. So much is depending on me. What if I mess up?"

Jenna pulled away, cupping the teen's head in her hands. "Elena, you've survived the sun and moon ritual curse, an original witch, have made friends with original vampires -fell in love with one…" she smiled. "You are strong. And as much as I'd love to recite everything else you've overcome; you already know it. Don't let one instance and a couple of vampires get you down. No matter what you do, Elena, you'll pick the right choice. You've got a whole support system to help you figure out what is right."

Elena felt her chest burn.

"You have to go now," Jenna told her. "I love you and Jeremy so, so much."

Her aunt kissed her forehead. Her lips were ice cold.

"Send my love to Ric?" Elena asked her as things began to go fuzzy.

"Already done," she heard Ric's voice before everything faded into black.


She gasped and coughed as she awoke, finding herself in the middle of the lake in Klaus's arms, who was just as wet.

"There we go, love," Klaus spoke, holding her up in the water, watching as she coughed up part of the lake.

"W-w-h-h-a-aa-t the h-h-e-ll…" Elena's teeth chattered as she found herself in the deep cold waters.

In a matter of seconds, Klaus had her back to land, a blanket tossed around her shoulders. Elena wanted to ask more questions, but her body was shaking too badly to even begin.

Klaus began to wrap his arms around her, moving his hands up and down against her arms, trying to use his own body heat to warm her up. Being a werewolf meant he ran hot, and it was what he was counting on to thaw Elena out. "What the bloody hell happened?" He barked to her. Elijah would have absolutely tortured and mangled his body for decades if he had accidentally killed Elena. Death would actually be blissful.

"I could as-s-k-k you t-h-hat s-s-aa-a-me t-thing," she told Klaus as she began to feel warmer. They waited in deadlock, glaring at one another until Klaus was the one to break.

"One minute you were telling me about Finn and my mother, and the next, you collapsed."

It came back to Elena's memory slightly fuzzy.

"The w-witches. They sen-n-t Jenna," she answered for a waiting Klaus. Elena still wanted to know how she landed in the water with her clothes on soaking wet.

"What the-?!"

"Bloody hell," he grumbled when he looked over his shoulder and found Jeremy running to them.

"What the hell man!" Jeremy yelled, going straight over to his sister. Taking her from the hybrid's arms, he took over in trying to warm his sister up. Elena wished for Klaus's warmth.

"What the hell did you do?" Jeremy asked incredulously.

"It was my fault, Jer," Elena chattered before Klaus could answer. "We were taking a break from the whole memory recall thing and began practicing down here. I was too close to the water and I slipped in. My foot was caught on some seaweed or something and I panicked. Klaus jumped in and saved me."

Elena had no clue why she was covering for Klaus or lying to Jeremy, but telling him about Jenna at the moment felt wrong. She still didn't know what to think of it yet.

Jeremy huffed angrily, feeling as if there was something more going on than that. Whatever it was wasn't the truth or at least not the whole truth. Jeremy held back his feelings and continued to rub his sister's shoulders over the blanket to warm her. "Are you sure that is what happened?"

Elena looked up at Jeremy and gave a warm smile. "yeah, Jer. I'm sorry if I worried you. Klaus was just trying to help me."

Klaus looked amused at Elena's answer but didn't correct her. Instead he looked cockily at Jeremy, waiting for an apology.

"Well…then…. thanks," Jeremy forced out. Turning back to his sister who was still slightly shivering, he pulled her close to him. "Come on, let's get you back up to the house. I think you've done enough for today."

With that, he guided her back inside, away from a soaking wet Klaus.