AN: I do not own TVD or TO or The Princess Diaries
"We're setting up the ramp in the ballroom," Charlotte rushed down the hall in that direction.
"Okay," Elena smiled at her and continued down the hall. She slowed when she noticed his approach. "Hello," a soft smile lit up her face.
"Hello," Elijah mirrored her expression. He held his hands behind his back. His gaze locked with hers.
Caroline's eyes flickered between the two of them. There was an unmistakable energy in the air. She had felt that energy once before; when she and Nik had been denying their feelings for each other, or rather when she had been denying her feelings, the same tension had hung heavily between them.
Caroline cleared her throat delicately.
"My hello is insignificant," she grinned before motioning to April and Anna. "Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, come with me." She hurried off towards the ballroom leaving Elena and Elijah to address each other.
"So," Elena broke the silence. She held her hands behind her back and took a small step forward, "are you crashing my bridal shower? I'm having a slumber party…" She smiled sheepishly.
"Sadly, no," Elijah took a step closer until they were separated by a foot of space. "I wanted to tell you that I was very impressed by what you did at the parade."
Elena watched the soft smile on his face. The expression in his eyes was still unreadable to her, but she recognized that his words were sincere.
"Thank you," she smiled at the floor. Her eyes flicked back up to his mouth, before meeting his eyes, when he continued speaking.
"Congratulations on the children's center," he took a half step closer. He felt a magnetic force drawing him into her orbit.
"Thank you," Elena smiled at him and took a half step forward.
Elena broke eye contact when she heard a string of harsh curses coming from the ballroom. She glanced at Elijah with confused eyes before they both took off in the direction of the raised voices.
Elena skidded to a halt when she saw a pale Caroline staring down the ramp into the ballroom at the two people who had entered the palace.
"Hey girls," a blond called from the foot of the stairs, "didn't want to miss the bridal shower."
"Bekah," Elena squealed when she saw one of her best friends, "you made it."
"And she brought the riff raff," Caroline mumbled angrily. "Excuse me, Elena, I'm going to go and change."
"Caroline," Nik called after her, "Caroline!"
"Anna and April," Elena stepped in front of him, "would you kindly show Rebekah to my suite?" She smiled at her friend, "I'll catch up in a minute."
Elena waited until Rebekah had disappeared in Caroline's direction. Elijah seemed to have taken the hint and helped to block Nik from running after her down the hall.
"What are you doing here, Nik?" Elena laid a hand on his shoulder.
"I came to talk to Caroline," his fists clenched at his sides.
"It would appear Miss Forbes does not wish to speak with you," Elijah stood between Nik and the hall.
"I need to speak with her," he hissed through clenched teeth, "I did not fly half-way around the world to be turned away by a wannabe king."
"Nik," Elena barked. She moved between him and Elijah, "that's enough. Caroline is in no mood to talk to you."
"Elena…"
"No, Nik," Elena held up her hand to cut him off, "you hurt her when you walked out the door. As long as she doesn't want to talk to you I will gladly stand in your way."
"She told you?"
"Yeah," Elena nodded quickly, "she told me everything."
"Did she tell you that I've been calling nonstop trying to find her? That she left without so much as a note?" Nik seethed, he felt a vein throbbing in his neck. "I've been worried sick about her. And yes," he conceded, "I walked out."
"And then followed her half-way around the world," Elena huffed. "How did you even know she was here?"
"The parade," Nik sighed. "Elena… please let me talk to her. I left, but I went back an hour later, and she was gone. I want to apologize."
"You never apologize, Nik," Elena frowned. She took a small step back and collided with Elijah's chest, "you never think you're in the wrong."
"I am this time."
Charlotte called up from the front doors.
"The princesses are arriving."
"Thank you, Charlotte," Elena called down. She turned and smiled gently at Elijah, "would you show Nik to the library? I need to get changed."
"Of course," Elijah frowned. He thought she should have thrown the hot headed man out, but he would do what she asked of him.
Elena groaned when she entered her suite. She was really getting sick of this woman's voice.
Hello, hello. Elsie Kentworthy here. Weeks before her wedding, Princess Elena, in a stroke of skilled diplomacy has invited royal princesses from all over the world to her bridal shower slumber party.
Elena turned off the radio and flopped onto the couch beside a shaking Caroline. She noticed that Rebekah had wrapped her arm around Caroline's shoulders. Elena breathed a sigh of relief when she recognized that Caroline was not going to hold her current status with Nik against his sister.
"At least she's saying good things," Rebekah smiled, "most talk shows about royals go looking for scandals."
"I suppose I should be grateful then," Elena laughed. "Are you okay, Care? You want to blow off this party in favour of a girls night?"
"No," Caroline took a deep breath, "you heard Elsie. It's 'a stroke of skilled diplomacy'. You can't miss your own party. Just tell me what…"
"He came to apologize," Elena brushed back Caroline's hair. "He says he came back."
"It's true," Rebekah squeezed her shoulder. "The night you disappeared he called me from your apartment around 7:00. He said he'd just gotten back and you were gone, that something had happened and he'd walked out to get some air and cool off."
"Did he tell you why he left?" Caroline leaned back against the couch.
"No," Rebekah turned to face her friend.
"I told him I was…" Caroline closed her eyes, "… pregnant."
"I'll kill him," Rebekah swore.
"You're not going to kill your brother," Caroline sighed, "besides, apparently he came back."
"You're going to forgive him, aren't you?" Elena tilted her head and rocked back on the couch.
"I'm going to make him work for it first."
"Good," Rebekah laughed, "I'd love to see my big brother grovel." She sat on the coffee table and regarded Caroline through narrow eyes, "why didn't you tell me?"
"I knew you would be the first person Nik called," Caroline braced her hands on her knees, "and I didn't want to be found right away. I'm sorry, if it helps I only told Elena the night before the parade."
"It does," Rebekah nodded. She stood up and opened her large suitcase. She pulled out a mess of soft fabric and held it up to the girls. "Now ladies, a slumber party calls for a certain kind of pajamas."
"Are those onesies?" Elena and Caroline laughed and reached for the pajamas. Caroline's were midnight blue and covered in full moons. Rebekah's were a purple unicorn. Elena's were pink and covered in tiny tiara's.
"I love it," Elena grinned.
Elena stood in front of the assembled group of princesses. They ranged in ages from four to twenty-six. She could see candy wrappers littering every available surface. She motioned to Bonnie to cut the music, and grinned when she had everyone's attention.
"I want to take the time to thank you all for my fabulous bridal shower presents," she motioned to the large present table, "but now I've got a present for you."
Elena pointed to the ramp that had been constructed at the top of the stairs.
"It's time for mattress surfing!" When she announced it Anna and April let out a loud shriek as they hopped on a mattress and slid down the ramp. They bounced in the air on the bump before reaching the bottom and rolling off in a fit of giggles.
A moment later, Bonnie restarted the music, and the guests took off running for the top of the stairs. One mattress was barely out of the way before the next took off.
Elena grinned broadly when she and Rebekah jumped on a mattress. They screamed all the way to the bottom. They hopped off the mattress and giggled hysterically when it was pulled out of the way.
Elena turned around to start the trek up. She froze when she saw Elijah watching her with amusement.
She gasped when he grabbed her arm and pulled her quickly to the left.
A mattress containing Caroline skidded to a stop by their feet. She jumped up and started back up the stairs, but not before staring at the two of them. Her eyes lingered on the spot where Elijah's hand held her arm.
"I thought you weren't crashing the party," she found her voice a moment later.
"I'm just passing through," he grinned down at her, "I probably shouldn't stay too long. This is a dangerous room to be in right now."
"I would have landed on a mattress," Elena glanced up at him through her eyelashes. The noise of the party drowned out their voices.
"On top of Miss Forbes," he smiled, "I don't think she would have appreciated that, especially considering how her day seems to be going."
"How is he?" Elena suddenly became aware of his hand on her arm. She found she was reluctant to shake him off. "Where is he?"
"He seems to have calmed down," he gently squeezed her arm, "the maids showed him to a guest room." He released her arm when he realized he was still holding it.
"I should let you get back to your guests," he stepped back reluctantly to put a respectable space between them. "I like the pajamas."
"Thank you," Elena blushed. She watched him walk up the stairs to disappear down the hall towards his suite.
"I saw that," Rebekah whispered in Elena's ear.
"Saw what?" Elena swung her head around to stare.
"You were checking him out," Rebekah leaned forward and whispered with a wicked grin.
"I was not," Elena cried. She couldn't quite meet Rebekah's gaze.
"Sure you weren't," Rebekah teased lightly. "If I ask Caroline will she tell me you haven't spent the past few weeks flirting with him?" She had seen the adoring way Elijah had gazed at Elena. "I think he like's you."
"Rebekah…"
"We'll drop it for now," she held up her hands in surrender. Rebekah took Elena's arm and dragged her back towards the top, "come on. I want to go down with you and Caroline."
Jenna walked through the open doors from the garden into the cacophony of the ballroom. She handed the dogs lead over to Pearl before calling out.
"What is going on here?" She tried to sound stern, but she couldn't keep the grin from her face. She smiled when Elena bounced up to stand beside her. "This is quite the party, Elena."
"Yeah," she grinned with her hands on her hips, "we're just having a little bit of fun."
"Your grandfather and the boys used to love that," she smiled wistfully at the ramp. "I did it too you know, but a little differently."
"I thought you never slide," Elena felt a sly smirk take over her face.
"I don't," Jenna nodded slowly, "but I have done some flying in my day."
Elena watched with wide eyes as her grandmother ascended the stairs. Jenna waved the princesses to the sides before stepping up onto a mattress.
"Is she really going to do this?" Bonnie whispered in awe. She didn't dare to take her eyes from the queen lest she miss it.
"I think so."
Elena's mouth popped open in shock as Jenna placed her weight on her right foot. She held her arms out and gave a regal smile as she flew down the slide. Now Elena knew why they called it mattress surfing.
Jenna stepped off the mattress at the bottom of the ramp. She turned around and gave a deep bow to the assembled crowd.
Two days before the Royal Wedding Elijah paid his uncle a visit.
"What exactly are you saying, Elijah?" Mabrey regarded his nephew through narrow eyes.
"I'm saying she's smart." He perched on the edge of the couch and waved his hands animatedly. "She really cares about the people of Bulgaria. Maybe… it wouldn't be so bad if she ran the country."
"Are you mad?" Mabrey lunged forward in his arm chair. He motioned wildly to Kol who had joined them in the room. "Talk some sense into your brother!"
"Me," Kol chuckled, "I'm hardly the sensible one in this family."
"She believes in Bulgaria, uncle," Elijah ignored his little brother, "so much that she has convinced herself to marry someone that she knows she can never love."
"I can't believe I'm hearing this," Mabrey chuffed. "You want her to rule? After all that I've put in to end up with nothing?"
"It wouldn't be for nothing, Bulgaria would be in good hands," Elijah leaned forward to stare intently at his uncle, "and she would be happy."
"Oh my…" Kol breathed. He could see the look in Elijah's eyes; it was a look he never thought he'd see there again. "You've fallen in love with her."
A mocking grin spread over Mabrey's face. He cut off Elijah's protests.
"No, you listen to me." He spoke with authority in his voice, and barely concealed anger. Mabrey rose to his feet and stared down at his nephew. "What do you think will happen? That she will leave Stefan and marry you? I put in the effort to make you a king, not to you marry a queen. I will not have it, Elijah."
"That will never happen, uncle," Elijah frowned at his hands, "Elena does not care for me that way."
Want to bet, Kol reclined on the sofa and sipped his glass of bourbon. He thought of the few interactions he had seen between them at public occasions.
"You care for her." Mabrey shook his head and dropped heavily onto his chair.
"I just want us to stop trying to sabotage her, that's all," Elijah stared his uncle down.
"If that's what you really want." Mabrey placed his hands in his vest pockets before sitting down. "I just want your happiness, my boy. Go to her," he smiled tightly, "congratulate her, and tell her we surrender."
"Thank you, uncle." Elijah jumped to his feet before leaving the room.
"Elijah," Kol called after him. He tried to catch his brother, but by the time he caught up Elijah was already driving away.
Kol returned to the sitting room. He froze outside the door when he heard his uncle's voice.
"Elsie Kentworthy, please."
I decided to add Kol.
What do you think?