He watches as she calls Ric, she carefully packs a bag for Jeremy as she does. She apologizes, she's so sorry because it's a two hour time difference and it's even later there, and her words mash together when she forgets to breathe. The history teacher is awake at the sound of her panicked voice, and she apologizes because she thinks she's weak and Jeremy is dead and her voice is shaky and she couldn't protect him. But she adds that Jeremy had his ring and that they're going to stay with the Mikaelsons for a while. Elijah notes the teacher's temporary confusion before calling his family by their title, the Originals. He sighs and tells her that's fine. He still wants her to check in, and to be careful. She agrees and he tells her that it'll be okay. There are a few things they say after that don't make sense at first, but he takes it as their promise. He's heard her say it to Jeremy a few times. His family has the phrase of "always and forever". Elena's has "We'll get through this. All of us." It makes him want to think on it, but Elena hangs up, and he has to focus on her. She closes her eyes for a moment, and opens them, startled when she sees Kol.

"Most of the blood is gone. We'll send someone to get the rest of it in the morning." He says and she thanks him, a lump in her throat. He watches his brother as she does. Elijah fancies her, they're all fairly sure he's in love with her. They haven't mentioned it to him, of course he'd deny it-but they've started to accept her. She likes Elijah, it's just a matter of time in their minds. Most things were. They were vampires, the oldest in existence. They had nothing but time to wait.

Elena zips the bag for Jeremy after she adds a few things from their shared bathroom, and Kol extends his hand. He's offering to take it, and she gives it to him. Elijah hears his brother arrange the younger Gilbert in his car, his bag in the backseat with him.

"Thank you." Elena's voice is fragile.

"Of course." His voice is soft, exactly how she needs it to be. She puts her bag over her shoulder, he would have offered to take it, but she seems to take comfort in having it, so he doesn't.

She slips on a pair of flats before she opens the door. They're out of the house in a minute, and she shuts the door behind her. It locks automatically, and she sits in the passenger seat. Kol doesn't mind sitting in the backseat near his technically dead friend. He updates Rebekah on what's going on, he knows she'll tell Finn and Nik. Elena's duffel bag is in her lap the entire ride. Her arms are wrapped around it, Elijah briefly wonders if she's attached to it or if she just needs something to hold onto.

The few lights that are on when they arrive are soft, not too bright. It's almost 3AM according to his phone. Rebekah opens the door, and Kol carries Jeremy and his duffel bag. Elena shuts the car doors once he disappears out of sight.

They carefully walk up together, and Elena's hand is on the strap of her duffel bag as she enters the house first. She's not nervous about being there, he recognizes as he carefully shuts the door, it's concern and worry for Jeremy. He tells her that the two rooms between his room and Kol's are available for her and Jeremy. Her brother is in the room next to Kol, the room next to his is hers for the taking. She thanks him, and she wants to say things, she wants to cry, but she's in her pajamas and she needs a moment to think before she does. So she gracefully slips into the room, Elijah understands somehow, she knows. She carefully take off the flats as she thinks. Even though she didn't say anything, Elijah always seemed to know what she was thinking. She sits on the bed, the room reminds her of Elijah's, a comforting thought for some reason. She's not going to look into it. Not tonight. She holds her duffel bag close because it's a piece of home that's been hers since middle school. It's familiar, and she lets it out for a few moments. Her breaths are shallow little gasps, and she has to force air into her lungs when she can't breathe. It's a few more minutes before she calms down enough to think, she let Jeremy down, had he not worn his ring, he could have been dead. Like everyone else. For the first time since Ric had left, she had been glad he had been gone, it could have been both of them. She wonders why she was left alone. The thought makes her shudder, and she rummages through her bag to find a sweater, and her bear. It fits in one of the oversized pockets, and she takes her phone charger too, her battery is a little low and Elijah's never had a problem with her phone charging on his desk before.

She zips up her bag, and leaves her room with red eyes and a fragile heart. She knocks on his door, gently, she doesn't know if he's asleep or not. He answers the door and she notices his suit jacket is missing. His eyes are full of concern, she's sure he's noticed that hers are red.

"Can I just sit in here for a while?" She asks. He nods, and she plugs her phone in, and she looks taken aback for a moment. The couch she liked is gone. She looks to him for explanation.

"Kol was interested in what couches are made of. He took mine while I was busy yesterday, needless to say he has been reprimanded." He says and she frowns. It was one of her favorite pieces of furniture. She's not going to sit in his armchair.

So she sits on his bed, it's not the first time she's done it, but she sits on the side that looks more unused.

She spills out her thoughts as he takes off his cufflinks, she watches him set them where the rest are, he's listening. Even when he disappears into his closet for a moment. His tie is missing when he sits next to her, along with his watch. She leans into him as tears come out, and he wraps his arms around her, pulling her closer. She continues, and the delicate feelings that have been growing in her chest that she's tried to stop for the past few weeks threaten to break through her ribs as he holds her.

She's not going to admit them to him, not now, they're too breakable. She has an arm around his torso for the next span of time, she doesn't move until he tells her Jeremy's awake. He releases her and she sprints out of the room, and he quietly follows. He notices Kol standing outside his bedroom, watching them as well. She's clutching at her brother like he's been missing for a decade, and she takes gaspy little breaths, and he jokes that she's going to break his ribs, but he clings to her too. It reminds Elijah of how his siblings were when they were human. He had embraced and comforted Rebekah many times close to that. He tugs on Kol's sleeve, and they disappear to give the Gilberts privacy.

"I love you, brother." He hears Kol say, he's glad to know he's not the only one affected by the two humans in their house.

"I love you as well, Kol." He says, his family isn't too keen on sentiment these days, they know they love each other, it's why they're together-they say "always and forever" more than the actual words of "I love you". He makes a note to remind his other siblings, he hears Elena upstairs, she and Jeremy are coping. He doesn't know who attacked him, they'll investigate later. In a few hours after some sleep. Elena takes a deep breath as Jeremy yawns, and they say their words and then goodnight. He and Kol walk up the staircase, and Elena looks around for a moment before she sees them walk up.

Jeremy has disappeared to go take a shower, being covered in dried blood is not a pleasant feeling. She doesn't go to her room, like Elijah expects, just asks if she can sleep next to him. She's a little too worried to be in her own room, she's worried her thoughts will swallow her whole and he agrees to it. She wonders when the last time he told her no was. A little thread of hope is weaving itself into the growing feelings pushing at her ribs. And it's okay, she thinks, before she closes her eyes for a few hours. They'll get through it. All of them.