AN: As promised the long chapter. Will feature some backstory regarding Damon and Elena. And more Elejah flirting.
"He's coming this way," Elijah breathed turning a brilliant smile on her.
She heard footsteps approaching their table. Tipping her head back she saw that Elijah was right Damon had indeed approached the table. In typical Damon fashion he wore a smirk and sipped a glass of bourbon. Elena guessed it was his second or third judging by his wavering stance.
"Who's your new friend Elena?" To his credit he didn't slur, but he did glare at Elijah and place an overly warm hand possessively on Elena's shoulder.
"Elijah Mikealson," he introduced when he saw the way Elena was scowling at Damon's hand; her shoulders had stiffened. Elijah hadn't seen Elena this tense since the first day of school. "Perhaps you could take your hand off of Elena now; you seem to be making her uncomfortable."
"Elena's fine," Damon removed his hand anyway when he saw the look on Elijah's face. He seemed to decide that Elijah was hiding something darker beneath his mild mannered exterior. "She's never had a problem with me touching her before."
He's truly drunk if he thinks I would want him touching me after what he did, Elena scoffed and glared at Damon. "That was before you cheated on me."
"I thought we moved past that Elena. It was high school," Damon growled gripping the empty chair beside her. "Are you ever going to let me live that down? It meant nothing."
"Interestingly enough, Damon, I was not referring to Bonnie," Elena picked up her glass to take a sip. Elijah didn't miss the horrified expression that crossed Damon's face.
"How many times did you cheat?" Elijah asked with narrowed eyes. He had determined to dislike the man when Elena pointed him out, but now he found himself despising him. Who in their right mind would cheat on Elena Gilbert?
"Twice," Elena answered for him with a sip of her gin and tonic. "That I know of. How is Katherine?"
"You know about –" Damon trailed off when he noticed the twin glares being leveled at him.
"I think you should leave now Damon." Although Elijah suggested it his tone brokered no argument.
Damon sputtered searching for something to say. Rather in defence, or retaliation they never found out because he downed the rest of his bourbon, slammed the glass on the table and stormed out of the Grill.
Turning back to look at Elena with wide eyes he tried to phrase his next question tactfully. "Would it be unwise of me to ask you who Katherine is?"
"Katherine is my sister," Elena could see no reason to hide the information, anyone could have told him. "My identical twin sister," she clarified.
"Wow," Elijah recognized the cliché nature of his response, but it was the first thing that came to mind.
"I found the pictures," Elena watched as his eyes widened. "Damon claimed they were of me. He said it so many times that I think he began to believe it himself." She paused to take a breath before pushing on. "It seemed to have slipped his mind that I don't have any tattoos. Katherine and I aren't talking right now."
She watched him carefully for a reaction. Had she scared him off with her emotional baggage? Would their playful flirtation cease?
"How damaged am I?" Elena questioned.
Elijah regarded her carefully as she sipped her drink. Elena's hand twitched under the table as she waited for his answer.
"That all depends," Elijah leaned across the table again to meet her gaze.
"On?"
"Whether or not you're still hung up on your ex? Whether or not you think you'll ever talk to your sister again?"
"I'm not hung up on him," Elena wasn't surprised to find that it was the truth. "Eventually I want to patch things up with Katherine. She is my sister after all; I'm not ready to forgive her yet. It's going to take some time before I can trust her again."
"So what's the verdict Elijah? Am I broken beyond repair?"
"I've seen worse," Elijah smirked before tactfully changing the subject. "Is your friend running late?"
"Yeah," Elena smiled placing her hands on the table. "It's not like her. Caroline is always on time. It can get a little annoying." She pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear. "Is your brother running late as well?"
"Yes although I'm sad to say it is in line with his character." Elijah ran a hand through his hair.
"Can I get you a refill Elena?" Vicky smiled down at her. Elena nodded to the waitress who picked up the empty glasses from the table before turning to Elijah. "Can I get you anything to drink?"
"Whiskey, please."
"Coming up," Vicky babbled turning back towards the bar.
"Did you manage to finish grading your tests?" Elena teased leaning across the table. "I still can't believe you gave a test on a Friday."
"Made it halfway through," Elijah admitted picking up the drink that Vicky had sat down in front of him. "Now I'm thinking the marking experience will be greatly after a few drinks."
"That bad?"
"There grammar is atrocious," Elijah grumbled. "I feel truly terrible for the English teachers"
"New drinking game," Elena brainstormed. "Whenever you find a grammatical error take a shot."
"I'd be under the table before I made it through the first paper," Elijah guffawed. "They would have to pump my stomach in the ER."
"Well I wouldn't want you to die of alcohol poisoning," Elena conceded with a small frown. "Better think of a different drinking game."
"You'd miss me to much if I died," Elijah claimed with a sly smile.
"Of course I would," Elena agreed before breaking out in a wide grin. "Who else would replace the coffee in the staffroom?"
"Surely I'm good for more that coffee," Elijah sputtered as whiskey burned his throat.
"Hmm…" Elena placed leaned her head on her hand and pretended to consider him through narrowed eyes. The longer she looked at him the harder she found it to stifle her giggles. "Well you are good for conversation, your funny, and you're not bad to look at either…" Elena trailed off as a blush coloured her cheeks.
"You think I'm good looking?" Elijah questioned knowing he shouldn't push it, but he loved the colour that was flooding her cheeks.
"Well," Elena tried to stall before realizing that there was no way out of this. "I'd have chosen a different adjective, but if you want to go with 'good-looking' that's fine. Try not to let it go to your head."
"I'll try," Elijah smiled placing his free hand on the table beside hers. "You're very attractive as well; staggeringly so." He grinned when the colour rose in her cheeks again.
"Thank you," Elena murmured looking down at the table where their hands rested side-by-side. He was about to cover her hand with his own when her phone buzzed and she reached into her pocket for her phone only to find a text from Caroline.
CAROLINE: Change of plans. I'm supposed to meet Nik's brother tonight, and I need you for back-up. Apparently he never approves of Nik's girlfriends. We will be at the grill in 10.
"Something wrong?" Elijah asked when she re-read the text.
"No," Elena glanced up at him through her eyelashes. "Caroline is bringing her new boyfriend," Elena watched him with a smirk. "Apparently she's supposed to meet his brother tonight."
AN: This is all I have written for now. The next chapter will feature Klaroline.
