A/N The Vampire Diaries Settings and Characters all belong to LJ Smith and the CW. Any original characters and this story are copyright © 2011-2018 to Hopelessromanticgurl, all rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.


When Elena returned she was in for a huge surprise. Not only was Elijah alive and well, but Jenna had invited him inside and become friends with him. She ran upstairs to check on Jeremy but Elijah grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"I think it's time you and I have a little chat." He said.

"Leave my brother and Aunt alone." Elena said.

"I will, let us go chat in your room privately." Elijah said.

They both went into her room.

"Forgive the intrusion. I mean your family no harm." Elijah said. He sat on her bench by her window and Elena stood a good few feet away from him.

"So then why are you here? Are you here to take me to Klaus?" Elena asked braver than she felt.

"Let's just say that my goal is not to break the curse." Elijah said.

"So what is your goal?" Elena was really curious now.

"Klaus's obsession has made him paranoid. He's a recluse. He trust only those in his immediately circle."

"Like you?"

"No. Not anymore."

"You don't know where he is, do you? So you're trying to use me to drag him out?"

"Well, to do that I need you to stay put and stop trying to get yourself killed."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"If I wasn't being trustful, your family would be dead and I'd be taking you to Klaus right now. Instead, I'm here and I'm preparing to offer you a deal."

"What kind of a deal?"

"Do nothing. Do nothing, live your life, stop fighting and then, when the time is right, you and I shall draw Klaus out together. I should make sure your friends remain unharmed

"And then what?"

"Then I kill him."

Elena was shocked. "Just like that?"

"Just like that. I'm a man of my word, Elena. I make a deal, I keep a deal."

"How are you going to be able to keep everybody safe?"

"I noticed you have a friend Bonnie, is it? She seems to possess the gift of magic. I have friends with similar gifts

"You know witches." Elena confirmed.

"Together we can protect you and everybody that matters to you. So do we have a deal?"

Elena thought long and hard about his deal. If she accepted her deal Lexi never had to face Klaus and everyone else she loved would stay safe including her. So in the end everyone would win…right? She put her hand out. "It's a deal."

They shook hands and in a flash Elijah was gone.

"What did I just do?" she muttered. She jumped when her cell phone rang. She looked to the caller ID and gasped. It was Stefan. How did she tell him what she just did? How would she tell Lexi, more importantly how would she tell Damon?

"Hello?" she answered trying to keep her voice steady.

"Hey Beautiful." He greeted.

She smiled and all her fears vanished. "Hello to you too, Handsome. What's going on?"

"I've got some good news. I just heard from Lexi she's on her way home with a cure. "

"That's great!"

"So wait about an hour and then head over. If you want to."

"Of course I want to. I'll have some dinner and then come over. I'll see you soon."

"See you soon, I love you."

"I love you too."

They hung up and Elena sighed softly. She had one hour to figure out how to break the news of what she had just done.


Lexi rushed into the house and into Damon's room. She gasped when she saw Rose sleeping and Damon with a stake over her.

"DAMON NO!" She rushed over and grabbed the stake and threw it to the floor. "There is another cure." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small vile filled with blood.

"If blood was the cure she'd be healed." Damon growled.

"Just trust me. Rose wake up." Lexi said.

She groaned softly. "Lex…"

"It's me. I'm here. I've got some medicine can you sit up and take it." Lexi said gently and helped lift her head. She helped Rose take the medicine and then let her lay back down to rest.

"How do you feel?"

"Better….a lot better." Rose sat up. "Can you look?"

Damon lowered her shirt and gasped. "It's healing, for good this time. Lexi what was that?"

"Doesn't matter." Lexi said. "Just say thank you and end it."

"Thank you." Damon said soft enough that only Lexi would hear. Lexi knew deep down Damon really cared about Rose, he might even love her and she knew Rose felt the same way.

She heard running footsteps and seconds later saw Stefan and Elena. "What happened?"

"I gave Rose the cure. She's going to be fine." Lexi said.

"She's going to live?" Elena asked.

"Yes."

To everyone's surprise Elena ran over and gave Rose a big hug.

"I guess this means we are friends?" Rose asked.

"Yeah. I'm really happy you're going to be ok."

"You're not scared of me anymore?"

Elena shook her head.

Rose smiled and hugged Elena back.

"I'm glad you're going to be ok too, Rose." Damon said.

Everyone looked to him in shock.

He groaned. "Don't look at me like that. Without her we'd have a harder time stopping Klaus."

"Oh is that all?" Rose teased.

"Yes. Now that you're better we can focus on Klaus."

"No. We're not going to stop him. We aren't going to do anything about Klaus." Elena said.

"When I want your advice I'll ask for it." Damon said.

"That wasn't advice, Damon. That was an order."

"And I'm going to listen to you why?"

"Because your way is going to get everyone I love killed. My way isn't."

"That's debatable. My goal is keeping you safe from Klaus. I don't care about anyone else."

"No! We are not going after him."

"Why not?"

"I promised him I wouldn't!" Elena said without thinking. She quickly gasped and covered her mouth. She shook her head.

"Promised who?" Damon asked.

"Nobody. Forget I said anything."

"Elena Gilbert you tell me the truth right now or I will force it out of you."

"Making threats is not going make her tell us." Lexi said.

"She's not going to tell us if I don't either."

"Elena what did you do today?" Stefan asked.

"Nothing, hang out at home."

"Who did you hang out with?"

"Nobody, Jenna and Jeremy were busy."

"Did you have any visitors or guests comes over?"

"Jenna invited him in not me!" Elena said.

"Invited who in?" Stefan asked.

Elena didn't speak.

"If this person is a vampire then Jenna and Jeremy aren't safe. Just remember that." Damon said.

"He promised not to hurt them."

"How can you be sure you can trust…whoever this vampire is?"

"I just can."

"Elena, please just tell us who this man is." Lexi said. "You can trust us. We won't be mad."

Elena inhaled and exhaled a deep breath. "Elijah. I don't know how but he's alive and he offered a deal. He promised me to keep me and everyone else I love safe as long as I don't try to find Klaus or give myself over to him. I accepted."

"Do you trust him?" Lexi asked.

"Yes." Elena nodded.

"You're an idiot!" Damon growled. "You can keep your deal with Elijah but that doesn't mean I have to! I'm going to find my own way to protect you." In a flash Damon was gone. Elena sighed. She just hoped she did the right thing.

"Don't listen to him." Lexi said.

"Are you mad?" Elena asked.

Stefan sighed. "I'm not mad. I think you made a big mistake but I'm not mad."

Elena sighed too. "Why? Elijah seemed trustworthy."

"Trustworthy? Elena, Elijah is a lot of things trustworthy isn't one of them." Rose said.

"I did what I thought was best to protect my family. I'm sorry if you don't agree with it but I'm not going against my word."

"Good. Keep your deal with Elijah." Lexi said.

"What?" Stefan gasped.

"Lexi." Rose said.

Lexi ignored them. "If you feel it in your gut that you can trust Elijah than stick to your deal and do not break it no matter what."

"Lexi, are you nuts?" Stefan asked.

"You do what you feel is right, Elena." Lexi said.

"Thanks Lexi." Elena looked to Stefan. "I'm sorry." Then she left.

"Lexi what was that? You hate Elijah as much as we do." Rose said.

"Of course I do. I also don't believe Elijah will keep his deal. BUT he is doing the one thing that none of us have been able to do since we learned about Klaus."

"What's that?" Stefan asked.

"Keep Elena from giving herself over to Klaus. Give Elena hope that her friends and family will be safe from Klaus. As long as she has this deal she will stop trying to find Klaus and give herself up. In mean time we can keep trying to find a way to stop him. Stefan whatever you do, do not discourage her deal. Because at the very least we don't have to worry about her giving herself up."

"Why do you hate him so much? How do you even know him?" Stefan asked.

"It's not important." Lexi said and then left the room.

Stefan looked to Rose.

Rose shook her head. "I don't know. She never told me either."

Stefan sighed. He had known Lexi a long time and yet he knew very little about her past before her change. He knew that she was turned and her parents were murdered and that was all he knew. Was Elijah the one who did it?


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