A/N: Sorry, things have been hectic. Still working on my dissertation. I moved out of my uni halls and I'm now on holiday in spain! I know everyone's very keen for Mikaelson family drama to return and I promise they will be coming back either in chapter XXVI or XXVII depending on how they pan out so you won't be waiting much longer.

I didn't see Lucien or Aurora the rest of the day. I cleared up the broken glass and the blood, then went to play with the girls. They were a bit shaken up after the arguing they'd overheard but I did my best to distract them. When night fell, I headed to bed, hoping that I'd get a decent night's sleep after the rocky one the night before. I dozed off fairly quickly, into a dreamless sleep.

I wasn't sure what woke me, but I stirred from my slumber, my eyes opening slowly. As I lay there, I got the strange sensation of being watched. I tensed but tried to feign sleep, not wanting to prompt my watcher into action.

I rolled slowly onto my back. Out of the darkness loomed Aurora's face, lit by flickering candle light. I let out a short yell in fear and shock, scrambling into a sitting position.

"Aurora, what are you doing in here?" It was meant to sound angry and commanding but instead came out as a fearful squeak.

Aurora looked down at me and gave a small smile that sent fear running down my spine. There was something about it, a sort of deranged look in her eyes.

"I figured it out…" she said, staring at me vacantly.

"F… figured what out?"

"What you've been hiding. I knew that you had a secret Elena and I've finally figured out what it is." She laughed softly and I felt a chill run over me. "Little Lilah isn't Elijah's child is she?"

"Sh…she is."

"Oh no. Because she's a werewolf. And there's only one original who's just a little bit of an animal…" she closed her eyes and rested a hand on her heart. "My sweet love, Nik…" Her eyes opened and fixed on me, gaze filled with hatred. "You need to remember that he is mine. He loves me and he always will. He might stray a little, he's a man and it's to be expected, but his heart will ALWAYS belong to me."

She turned and began to pace agitatedly around the room. I felt a little relieved that she had placed some distance between us.

"Why would he want you? You're nothing… you're just a pathetic little human." She froze. "It's because you can give him children…" She rounded on me, her anger flaring up once more. "Why do you get to give him a child? I love him, he loves me, I should be the one to bear his children!"

She grabbed me by the throat, digging her nails into my throat.

"If you go near him again, I will kill you. I love him, I know things about him you never will! We share a bond like no other." She released me and looked down at me. "You don't believe me. You still think he wants you…" Her expression turned to one of disgust. "You really think he cares about you? Well… maybe he did. But he won't now. You're dirt. No one wants to play with a broken toy. After what Lucien's done to you, no one will want you. Not Nik. Not Elijah, not any of them. They'll abandon you. Maybe they'll kill you. But they will never love you again."

She stepped back and regarded me, her lip twisted into a cruel smile. I was trembling, not from her threats or from where she'd grabbed me, but from the final words. My worst fears, the ones that that dark part of my mind whispered to me late at night, that I tried so hard not to hear.

She extinguished her candle. I reached out and flicked on the bedside table, finding myself in the empty room.

I sat huddled up in my bed for hours, unable to sleep. I watched the sky through the a gap in the curtains and wondered if my fears would come true. I didn't want to think that the Mikaelsons would abandon me but… they did have a history of leaving people behind. After what had happened to me… would they be able to see me the same way? I couldn't even meet my own eyes in the mirror most days… how could I face them and tell the truth?

I wrapped my arms around myself. I felt stained. Like every bad thing Lucien had done to me over the past five years was now visible on my skin, ink spilt on paper, forever tainted for everyone to see. I could try to hide it for them but I knew that they'd see it and there would be nothing I could do. I didn't want that moment to come. I wanted to hide myself away and make sure they never found out.

I covered my ears, wishing I could silence my thoughts, digging my nails into the side of my face until tears stung the corner of my eyes, threatening to break free.

Dawn broke and I slipped out of bed, unable to remain there any longer. I went to the kitchen, trying to find a task to occupy myself. There was a little washing up in the sink so I began to do that, taking an unnecessarily long amount of time to clean each item. I finished washing a sharp knife and went to set it down on the draining board but paused. Something about the shimmer attracted me. I thought back to my little ritual. A way to hide myself from the pain of my thoughts for a brief amount of time. I'd not done it in a long time… but now with the swirling darkness of the thoughts threatening to consume my mind, I couldn't deny the temptation.

I held the knife more firmly in my hand and pressed the cool metal to the skin of my arm. Just a little one…

I carefully ran the blade's edge along the outside of my arm and let out a soft gasp at the pain. I watched as the blood blossomed in the slender cut and felt a calmness settle over my mind.

As quickly as it had started, the clarity seemed to dim, leaving behind nothing but a pain on my arm. I frowned and repositioned the knife. That moment of peace had been so perfect, so sweet, I couldn't let it go so quickly. This time, I cut a little deeper. The blood came, the pain came, stronger than before. But no peace. If anything, the dark thoughts seemed stronger, encouraged by the brief respite, now they gnawed at the edge of my brain like feral beasts.

My hand moved of its own accord, cutting at my arm in a desperate attempt to reclaim the serenity. Blood ran down my arm and onto the counter as I gripped it tightly.

That was how Tristan found me. Bleeding, clinging to the counter like a life raft, cutting wildly at my arms, with tears streaming down my cheeks. I didn't realise he was there at first, but suddenly his hands were on my wrists, gentle but restraining.

"Elena, stop it." His voice was soft. I struggled against his grip, my tears flowing stronger and wild sobs breaking free from my lips. "Elena. Stop!"

His voice was firmer and I instantly felt myself going limp. The knife slipped from my hand and fell to the floor. I slumped in his arms, letting him embrace me. After a few minutes of letting me cry, he pulled back and held my bleeding arm up for inspection.

"What are we going to do with you Elena?" he asked, brushing his fingers over the soft flesh of my arm. A small amount of blood collected on the fingers. He brought his hand up to his face as if in deep contemplation, but I saw his tongue dart out and taste it. He looked away, his veins darkening and his fangs sliding free. "I'm sorry. It's… just difficult."

"No, I understand… did you… did you want…?"

He looked over at me.

"You'd let me?"

"Yes…"

He took my arm carefully and ran his tongue over the cuts, lapping up the blood. I closed my eyes, letting him.

He licked at the blood with soft gentle strokes until there was not a trace left. He pulled back, a dot of blood still visible on his lips.

"Why were you doing this Elena?"

"I… I wanted to turn off my brain. It used to help." He frowned slightly, like he didn't quite understand. "Sometimes my mind makes me think things I don't like. Physical pain helped to distract me from the mental pain."

"Not anymore?"

"No." I wasn't sure what had changed. It was like Aurora saying the fears out loud had made them too real to escape from, even temporarily.

"You don't need to do this. I can't pretend to understand what you're feeling but I am here for you if you want to talk to me." He was still holding my hand and he gave it a gentle squeeze. "Let me bandage your arm. Not everyone here has as much self-control as I do."

He released my hand and went to one of the cupboards, returning with a small first aid box. He began to carefully bandage my arms, his fingers soft and tender. I couldn't help but think of Elijah and feel fresh tears welling up in my eyes. Tristan lifted his head from his contemplation of my arm. He reached over and gently wiped my eyes.

"No more tears love. Promise me?"

"I promise."

"Good." He gently ushered me over to the sofa, setting me down. "I need to discuss something with you."

"Of course."

"You're part of the Strix now, and that comes with certain obligations… I've been keeping you out of things because of everything that's been going on… but I require your help."

"Okay?"

"I'm trying to acquire a certain item. But the owner of it is reluctant to part with it and has set a number of… traps that are specific to my species. I want you to go with Aya and get it for me. Do you think you can manage that?"

"Yes, of course."

He gently brushed some hair from my face and smiled.

"Thank you. I promise, once this is done, I'll be able to get you home. No more fear, no more Lucien. You'll be free of him."

I managed a small smile but the thought of returning home only served to stir up my anxieties once more. He seemed to notice my nerves and lifted my head up slightly so I was forced to meet his eyes.

"Talk to me Elena, please."

"I'm… scared. Going back is… it's been so long… and… Aurora threatened me last night."

"Ahh… I didn't think she would take too kindly to the news… her relationship with Klaus has always been something of a sore spot. What did she say?"

"That he was hers… she babbled a lot… it didn't make much sense," I lied.

"I'll speak with her."

"That will just make things worse."

"I'll sedate her if necessary. She won't hurt you, I promise." He tilted his head slightly. "Is that all that's worrying you about going back?"

I looked at him. How could I explain the way I felt? The fears that were inside my head, building stronger with every passing second. It was simpler just to lie.

"Yes."