"TRISTAN DE MARTEL!"

The voice was loud and familiar and it sent a sharp pain through my heart, accompanied by a pang of longing. I was moving before I knew what I was doing, my body acting of my own accord. Tristan saw me move and grabbed hold of my arm, pulling me back.

"Elena, no, please," he hissed.

"It's Elijah, I can go home!"

"Yes, but if you go running down there, he'll think I had something to do with your abduction. He won't listen, he will kill us all. Please… give me five minutes to talk to him before you rush off." He looked into my eyes. "Trust me."

I hesitated. Every part of me yearned to rush to Elijah, to be swept up in his arms and carried off, never to look back. But… Tristan hadn't done anything wrong. He didn't deserve to die. And I knew that Elijah could be lethal when he was angry.

"Okay."

"Thank you."

He hurried off down the corridor and disappeared down the stairs. I watched and, although I'd promised to stay upstairs, I couldn't help but creep forward a little. I needed to see him.

I stopped at the edge of the stairs, were the rooms stopped. I knelt down and peeked around the wall, through the gaps in the bannisters. I could see Elijah by the door and I felt that same pang of longing. He looked older, even though I knew that wasn't possible. He was dressed as imposingly as ever in a completely black suit. The members of the Strix that were gathered had formed a loose circle around him, keeping their distance. Only Aya dared breach the gap, standing a few steps forward from the others.

"Elijah Mikaelson," said Tristan, moving down the stairs. "You really don't need to make such a racket."

"Well given that you've been ignoring my calls and my letters, I thought you might be too afraid to show your face."

Aya laughed coldly.

"No one here is afraid of you Elijah," she said. "We know the stories. You've gone soft."

"Is that so, Aya? Is that why you gather without me?"

"No, we gather without you Elijah because you are not one of us. You abandoned us," said Tristan. "And that is the same reason I declined to get involved in your little spat with Lucien."

"Little spat…? Do you really think I would enlist the help of the likes of you if I had any other choice?"

"What's made you so desperate Elijah? Could it be that all the rumours coming out of New Orleans are true?" Tristan stepped closer. I frowned. Surely he was just going to make Elijah madder if he continued like this? But… he told me to trust him, so he must have some kind of plan. "If those rumours were to be true Elijah, it would probably be a very bad idea to advertise. I imagine that your… special lady would run into all kinds of trouble if word were to get out about what she could do. Perhaps it would be wise for you to step into my office rather than continue to make a fool of yourself in front of people who used to respect you."

That was his plan. He wanted to get Elijah away from the others so that they could talk and Tristan could protect his people. It made sense now.

Elijah smiled but it was a dark smile that didn't reach his eyes. He stepped forward and closed the gap between himself and Tristan.

"I made you. You wouldn't have this, any of this without me. These people, only exist because of me. You should show a little respect."

"Why would we respect you, Elijah? Yes, you helped turn us. But this, all of this is ours. You're nothing."

I could see the tensions were growing and I decided that I might be able to do a better job of defusing the situation. As long as I made enough impact, I'd hopefully be able to keep Elijah calm long enough to explain Tristan's role in things. I got to my feet slowly.

"You. Do. Not. Talk. To. Me. That. Way!" Elijah snarled.

I froze on the spot. I wanted to move but it was as though my limbs had seized up. My skin turned cold, my heart began to pound against my chest and I felt like the air had been sucked from my lungs. The walls seemed to loom impossibly tall over me, closing in. I sank to my knees, my breath coming in frantic pants. I dug my fingers into my arms, trying to ground myself with the pain. I rocked back and forth. In my head I could see Lucien in front of me, my blood on his hands, and anger in his eyes.

"I'm all you've got," he snarled.

"No… no… no…" I murmured.

I could hear shouting and banging from downstairs. It was impossibly loud, deafening me. Lucien crouched down, his face inches from mine. His hand touched my cheek and although I knew he wasn't really there, I swore I could feel his hands on my skin. I closed my eyes and covered my ears, pressing myself firmly against the wall, continuing to rock.

Gradually the sounds faded and blissful silence returned. I opened my eyes slowly and let my hands fall to my side. The hall was empty. I got to my feet slowly, my legs shaking. I moved to the balcony and looked down. I wasn't sure how long I'd been trapped in my strange frozen terror but Elijah was gone. I was expecting to see blood and bodies everywhere but the place seemed more or less intact, although now empty.

I wandered through the empty rooms, searching for Tristan. I eventually found him in the library with Aya. They were talking quietly and when I entered, Tristan looked up sharply.

"Oh Elena, it's just you."

"What happened?"

"Elijah… lost his temper. I'm sorry, I mishandled the situation. I was hoping to get him away from the others and discuss the matter privately, to minimise the damage and allow rational conversation but…"

"I heard that part. I… I blacked out, I think… did he hurt anyone?"

"Nothing permanent," said Aya. "He's strong but he knows when he is out numbered."

Tristan came over and gently touched my arm.

"I am very sorry Elena. Don't worry, my promise still stands. You will get home. It just… needs some sorting out."

"It's fine…" I turned away and left quickly, heading back up the stairs to my room. I sat down on the bed and stared into space for a minute. I felt a choking sob rise in my throat and tears began to flow. Seeing Elijah, it had made everything more real, more painful. I missed them but I'd buried the emotions deep inside to prevent myself from going insane. And now I'd see him, I couldn't keep those feelings buried any longer. The tears flowed thicker and faster and I wailed in desperation of what I had lost.

There was a light knock at the door and a moment later, Tristan came in. He froze when he saw me.

"Elena…" He came over and pulled me into his arms. He rocked me gently, soothing me with soft words like you would a small child. I sobbed into his shirt the way I had done to Elijah any number of times. He stroked my hair lightly, refusing to let me go until my tears slowed and I could think straight once more.

I pulled back, my eyes cast down. He placed a finger under my chin and lifted my head so that I met his eye.

"I didn't mean for this to happen."

"I know. You were trying. I understand."

"But it doesn't make it easier, does it?"

"No… it doesn't. I… I knew that it would be painful to see any of them again… but I didn't realise just how much. It feels like part of me has been torn away. My soul is bleeding."

"I know I'm not much of a consolation. I can hardly compete against the likes of the great Elijah Mikaelson. But I am here for you. And… until we get you home, maybe I can help to keep you in one piece. In all senses of the word."

"Thank you Tristan… I… it's been a really long time since I've been able to get close to anyone."

"I can imagine Lucien would make that quite difficult, yes."

"It's not just that. Anyone I get close to he could use against me and I didn't want that to happen. Not… not after how he used the girls."

"You don't have to worry about him now. He can't do anything against me. He can't do anything to you as long as I am here. Even when he comes back, I swear that he will not lay a hand on you. And if he tries, he will lose that hand."

"Why are you really doing this Tristan? I've asked you this before and you always say it's because I'm special. Is that the real reason?"

"It's not something I can explain yet Elena. It might take a while for me to find the words. For now, can you make do with the fact that I want to help get you home and leave it at that?"

"I suppose."

"Good." He kissed my forehead.

Looking at him, I felt a mess of emotions inside me. He was so like Elijah, but he wasn't Elijah. And I needed to stop trying to pretend that he was. It wasn't healthy and it just made everything harder to deal with. Seeing the real Elijah just made the contrast between the two even greater and my feelings that much stronger. If I wasn't careful, my feelings for Elijah would ruin my relationship with Tristan by turning it into something that it wasn't.

"Can I…" I cut off before I could finish the sentence. I'd been going to ask if could stay with him tonight. After my strange moment on the stairs, my hallucination of Lucien, the idea of being alone in a bedroom was unpleasant. I wasn't sure what images my mind might stir up but I knew they wouldn't be pleasant.

"What?"

"It doesn't matter."

I needed to step back, re-establish my boundaries. If I continued down this path, things could get very unpleasant and confusing. I was feeling vulnerable and I needed contact with someone but I knew that in this state, it wasn't a good idea.

"Elena, you can talk to me, remember?"

"I know. But… I'm fine. You should go."

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay here with you until you feel better. And I'm not confident that you are yet."

I bit my lip. He wasn't making this easy. He went and sat on the bed and after a moment's consideration, I curled up beside me. He played with my hair, the two of us sitting in silence. I focused on the sound of his breathing, drawing comfort from the soft regularity of it and the light touch of his fingers on my hair.

It was in this position that we stayed and it was in this position that I slowly drifted off into a deep dreamless sleep.

A/N: I'm sorry! I know some of you were excited that Elena was so close to being reunited. However I finally finished my plan for the story and it's 60 CHAPTERS LONG (including the preface and epilogue). So she's still got a few chapters to go before she's going to make it home. And no, before anyone gets worried, I am not shipping Tristan and Elena. This is still an Originals fic and they still own my heart. Tristan was originally only meant to appear for like three chapters but I enjoyed him too much so I rewrote my ideas to make him a bigger character. Hope no one minds.