AN: Sorry it's taken me so long to update. On the bright side the story is all but finished. I just have to type the remaining chapters and write the epilogue.

There is also a semi-sequel in the works. It started out as a series of one shots for Christmas, but then I thought it could follow-up this one.

There are 6 more chapters written and an epilogue to come. It just needs to be typed.


Elijah rounded the corner and began counting the room numbers.

21 – Fourth floor…

22 – Room 23…

23 – Hurry!

Room 23 loomed ahead of him. His brothers words echoed in his head. Is it Rebekah? Finn? Niklaus had only told him to hurry making his mind run wild with the possibilities.

"Niklaus?" Elijah rushed into the room. "What –" Elijah's heart skipped a beat when he took in the scene. A sobbing blond, and a still brunette.

"El-Elena," Caroline hiccupped waving the bag in the air. "She – I – They won't tell us –"

Elijah inclined his head to look at her. His heart began to beat again when the bag caught his eye. He recognized the blood stained dress something about the blue nagged at the back of his mind.

"The doctor won't tell us anything because we're not family," Caroline didn't stop to think about how easily she had lumped Nik into the 'us' category'. "Which is ridiculous, by the way. Jeremy can't get here, and Katherine isn't answering her phone."

"Katherine?" Bitter hope surged in his chest. He remembered where he had seen the blue dress. He reached to pick up the bag. "You can't reach her because she's in the bed," Elijah realized.

"What?" Caroline stared at him as if he had suddenly grown two heads. "Katherine has curly hair, and this is Elena's dress," she spoke the way she would have to a child.

"No," Elijah argued. "This is Katherine." He motioned to the bag again. "I met her last night, and she was wearing this dress. She told me she had recently started straightening her hair."

"Katherine straightened her hair?" Caroline looked incredulous. She wanted desperately to believe him, but the thought of Katherine willingly changing her hair was a difficult concept to wrap her mind around.

"Are you sure Elijah?" Nik placed a supportive hand on Caroline's arm and looked to Elena/Katherine.

"I'm sure," Elijah clung to his belief stubbornly. "Caroline, you said you can't reach Katherine?" He watched her nod. "It seems to me that there's a very simple solution," he reached for his phone, "call Elena."

Ring-ring-ring

Caroline bit the nails on her right hand.

Ring

Elijah felt the hope in his chest begin to fade.

Ring

Nik wrapped his arms around Caroline's shoulders.

Ring

"Hello," Elena's voice filled the room, nobody responded immediately; they were two busy sighing in relief. "Elijah? Hello? Are you there or am I talking to your pocket right now?" Her voice switched from annoyed to teasing.

"Elena?"

"Caroline?"

"Elena!" Caroline snatched the phone from Elijah's hand. "You're okay. They thought it was you, but you're okay."

"Of course I'm okay Care," Elena replied slowly. "Why wouldn't I be okay? And why do you have Elijah's phone?"

Caroline however was too busy sobbing in relief to answer. It was Nik who stepped in.

"You're on speaker Elena," he explained in a gentle voice. "We are all at the hospital." He glanced at the bed and monitors. "There has been a small case of mistaken identity. You'd best get down here sweetheart. I'll text you the room details."

"Alright," Elena agreed. "I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"We'll see you soon," Nik hung up and immediately sent Elena a text.

"Thank you," Elijah swallowed the lump in his throat and tucked his phone away.

"Why didn't you tell her?" Caroline wondered.

"She has to drive here," Nik explained, and then looked carefully at Katherine and the many wires running from her body. "So this is Katherine?" His eyes traced the wires to the monitors. "What's the second monitor for?"