Freya wasn't happy with the situation but I did manage to explain and get her to understand, after a little while. She reluctantly agreed to give me some time, under the condition that the siblings were restored as soon as possible and that I had to explain things to them when the time came. I could already foresee that would be a deeply unpleasant conversation.

After our talk, she promptly disappeared to get drunk at a dive bar outside of town. I didn't see much of her after that. I got the distinct impression she was avoiding me. I thought that I'd find things lonely but it was strangely peaceful, just me and the girls. The only thing was that being in the house made me somewhat uneasy. It felt wrong being in the Mikaelson house without them. I spent most of the day outside as much as possible, taking the girls for walks around the city.

We were in Jackson square. Lilah was watching an artist nearby while Blair was scampering around, chasing any pigeon that got too close, and clamouring to go and see the coach horses. I became aware of someone standing nearby and I lifted my head. Detective Kinney was a few feet away, coffee in each hand, and he smiled when I noticed him.

"Detective! How long have you been there?"

"Not long. And I told you Elena, you can call me Will." He gestured, silently asking if it was okay to sit. I nodded. He perched beside me and handed me one of the cups. "I wasn't sure what you liked, so I got a mocha?"

"Thanks…" I said, frowning slightly. How had he known he'd run into me?

He laughed awkwardly.

"I swear I've not been stalking you. I've just seen you sitting here the past few days and I figured I'd buy one, roll the dice and see if I got lucky," he explained.

I nodded slowly and sipped the drink.

"Are you keeping an eye on me because I'm a suspect?" I asked, my voice light and teasing.

"No, I promise."

We lapsed into a companionable silence, sipping our coffee while the girls played together nearby. I watched him out of the corner of my eye. He was attractive, there was no denying that, in a rugged, almost messy kind of way. Toned body, ruffled hair, light stubble, dark eyes… I would never admit to having a type but well… my dating history kind of negated that.

"So… detective…" I began to say. He gave me a pointed look. "Sorry, force of habit. I was going to ask… tomorrow night, are you free Will?"

"I am…" he said, with a slight smile playing across his lips. "Why do you ask?"

"I'd like to take you up on that dinner… if you're still interested that is?"

Why was I doing this? I was meant to be taking time for myself… a break from domineering men to heal and sort my head out...

This doesn't mean anything. It's just dinner after all. A night off from the supernatural creatures, to relax and do something normal.

"I'd love to go for dinner with you, Elena."

"Great!"

"I'll meet you at… say… eight?"

"Six would be good." I glanced at my watch. "I should get these two home."

I got to my feet and called to the girls who came straight to me. Lilah eyed the detective warily and growled under her breath. I frowned and nudged her lightly.

"I'll see you tomorrow then Elena."

I gave him a small smile, took the girls by the hand and headed away from the square. I could feel Will's eyes on my back, watching me go. I glanced back and saw him turning away, phone to his ear.

The sweet syrup that flavoured the coffee was heavy on my tongue, cloying and making me feel slightly nauseous. Will was a nice guy, sweet and just… good. I wasn't used to that. Damon, Elijah, Kol, Klaus, Lucien, even Finn and Tristan. They were dark and relationships with them were tinged with bitterness, an acrid aftertaste.

"You're the one who keeps going back," said Lucien softly, falling into step beside me. "The one who always needs to have another taste. Face it Elena, sweet isn't you. It might have been once but not anymore… you crave the darkness. You need it."

I ignored him, guiding the girls back to the house. They had a session with Cami coming up and I resolved to ask her if she was free to babysit, as well as her thoughts on the whole thing. I liked Will, he was… simple. In a good way. And Klaus had said that I could live a more human life if I wanted. Going for dinner wasn't a bad thing. It didn't mean anything and even if it did, that was my business. I wasn't betraying the Mikaelsons by trying something different. It was just nice to have some say in who I got to spend time with for once!

So why did I feel… bad?

The girls went up to their room and I found myself drifting towards the basement door. I hesitated, hand resting on the handle. I shouldn't do this. It was just poking at a wound. I hated how confused I felt. Before Lucien had taken me, I wouldn't have felt so conflicted. I knew my own mind then.

"Really? You're blaming this on me?"

Okay maybe it had been longer. I'd not really been able to make decisions for myself since before I met Stefan. My life had twisted out of shape and become filled with people stronger than me, enemies that I had no chance of fighting and friends who wouldn't let me even try. Everyone thought they knew better than me…

I felt more resolved and turned away from the basement door. It was just dinner.

"You've said that five times now Elena and yet, you've changed dresses six times." Cami was sitting on my bed, watching me pace nervously up and down the room, discarding clothes as I went. It was almost eight and I felt like I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The twins were already tucked up in bed. Blair had gone to sleep quickly but Lilah had been oddly restless and reluctant to settle. We'd finally managed to quiet her so that I could get dressed.

"I know… I'm just… my brain is going haywire."

"Breathe. He's a nice respectable guy. Who we're fairly sure is not a vampire out to get you. You'll have a nice evening. Just get some food, chat… see what happens. There's no rule saying this has to be the start of something."

"I know that. I guess I just feel… guilty?"

"Because you staked your baby daddies and locked them in the basement? And are now going out on a date?" I made a face at her, sticking my head around the wardrobe door.

"I thought psychologists and that were meant to help people with problems?"

"They are. But for that we charge a lot more."

I rolled my eyes and began to change into the dress I'd picked out. My feet got tangled in the pile of discarded fabric and I almost fell. Cami sighed and came over to help, freeing me and pulling the dress over my head.

"Look, I know you're stressed but you do not need to be. You've spent years trying to protect your children, and before that you were trying to protect the Mikaelsons. And before that I'm sure you were dealing with some other crisis. You deserve a night off. And while I do think that your way of getting time to yourself was a bit extreme, we both know that if you'd gone out while Klaus was up and moving, he would definitely have stalked you, right?"

"A hundred percent. Him and Kol. They'd have spent the evening making vaguely threatening and perverted comments around Will…"

"There you go. Now, stop worrying, put some make up on, take advantage of the fact your family can afford the best clothes and get ready!"

I gave her a grateful look and focused on getting myself into a respectable condition. I had no idea where we'd be going so I'd settled on a deep green velvet dress with a short skirt. I momentarily wondered whether my bare knees ranked higher or lower than my bare back in Klaus' list of body parts I should keep covered.

I heard noise from the courtyard and went to the stairs. Will had let himself in and was stood, looking around. He was wearing grey trousers and a matching suit jacket, with a black shirt. He'd shaved and it looked like he'd attempted to tidy his hair, although not very successfully. Cami had followed me out of the bedroom and reached over to give my hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Hey Will. I'll be right down," I called.

"Have a good night." Cami said, giving me a hug. "Give me a call if you're… going to be late back."

I swatted her lightly and went down the stairs. Will smiled at me.

"You look beautiful."

"Thank you," I said, blushing. I felt like a teenager, nervous and giddy with excitement at the same time.

We headed out and strolled along the crowded streets to the restaurant Will had picked. As we walked we chatted pleasantly. Will told me about his sister and his parents. I did my best to talk about my own family in a way that made my situation sound as normal as possible. He asked about Mystic Falls and I happily answered his questions.

The conversation was flowing easily and only faltered when we'd reached the restaurant and the waitress interrupted to take our order.

"Can I see some ID?" she asked me when Will suggested we split a bottle of wine. I fished it from my pocket and handed it over. Will glanced at it as I did so and his expression took on an element of uncertainty.

"You're 23?" he said once the waitress had gone.

"Yeah. Is that going to be an issue?"

He fidgeted and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Not an issue… just… I'm almost forty. I'm feeling a bit like a cradle snatcher."

I had to resist the urge to laugh. I'd dated men who were literally thousands of years old. Worrying about our age difference seemed silly in comparison.

I reached over and touched his hand lightly.

"It's just dinner, Will. I don't mind it but if it's a problem for you, you never have to see me again. But I would still like to have a nice meal with you tonight. So… are you alright to park that particular problem? For the time being at least?"

"That sounds reasonable."

I hoped he meant it and wouldn't get too bogged down on the age difference. Even if nothing happened, I wanted to be friends. He was intelligent and charming in a distinctly human way and the more time I spent talking with him the more relaxed I felt. I felt less and less like Elena Mikaelson, queen of New Orleans, or Elena Castle, prisoner and plaything of a sadist. I was Elena Gilbert again.

We ate and drank and once we'd finished our meal, we found ourselves wandering aimlessly by the water. Neither of us were particularly anxious to go home. Cami had texted to reassure me everything was going okay with the twins so I had no reason to rush. I found myself opening up more and more, telling him things about myself. I realised that even though I'd spent time with the siblings, it had never been like this. There were things about me that they didn't know, not because they were a secret but because they'd never spent the time to ask. Talking with Will let me think about my future. Before I'd always assumed I'd graduate high school, go to college… I'd thought about being a doctor or a writer. All of that had been put on hold and even though I had the chance now, being around vampires made time seem… different. Nothing changed for them, life just went on so why should they worry about moving forward? I'd been stagnating…

Our walk brought us back to the Mikaelson house and Will stopped outside.

"I suppose we should say goodnight…"

"I guess so…"

He glanced up at the windows, almost warily.

"I'm not going to get yelled at by your family for keeping you out too late am I?"

"I'm a grown woman, I can stay out as late as I like." He laughed softly.

"Yes but I got the distinct impression they were very protective… and that they didn't like me much."

"They don't like anyone. But they're… out of town at the moment. You're safe."

He smiled slightly.

"Well that's alright then…" He hesitated and then reached over to brush some hair from my face. "I had a good time tonight Elena. I'd like to see you again… if that'd be okay with you?"

"I'd like that. A lot." I felt myself flushing and looked down at my feet. I wasn't sure if it was because of the wine but I felt warm all over. Everything felt right, the flickering light of the lanterns, the strains of jazz music in the near distance.

"If your family aren't here… does that mean I can get away with kissing you?"

I bit my lip and stood on my tiptoes to reach him. For a moment, I saw the siblings in my head and I hesitated. Will closed the gap and kissed me softly, before pulling back.

"Good night Elena. See you soon."

A/N: STILL YOUR ANGRILY TYPING FINGERS! For the six of you still reading, this story is still an Originals fic and as the last part of the trilogy, it actually has a happy ending planned. But I need this story line. Just bear with me. You held on for three years with the first part, you have held on with me being wildly erratic and depressed and going on hiatus. You can deal with a bit of Elena/Will! It's just temporary.