Elijah had spent a few hours pacing back and forth through the park. After the first five minutes he admitted to himself he had made the worst mistake of his life leaving Elena but he kept talking himself out of going back to her.
He kept convincing himself that she didn't really love him and their entire relationship was a lie. Elena had said she knew she loved him from the moment she saw him and it had been the same for him. Watching her juvenile relationship with Stefan had almost been more than he could bear to watch but it had come to a screeching halt thanks to his brother.
Damon was a different problem. He somehow managed to weave his way into Elena's heart but Elijah knew he didn't really love Elena. Damon was in love with Katherine and was using Elena as a substitute. He wondered briefly if Elena was not sired to him if would she have stayed with Damon.
His heart clenched when he suddenly realized he couldn't feel Elena anymore. Her emotions had filled a large void in his heart the last six months but something was wrong. Everything she felt suddenly disappeared from his body. He didn't care about the sire bond, Elena belonged with him, he needed to go to her.
He sped back to her house to get her. To promise her he would never leave her again. He expected to find her angry or crying but instead he found Rebekah dead on her bedroom floor.
"Rebekah?" He shook her and Rebekah shot up.
"No! Kol! Elena!" She yelled.
"Rebekah it's me." Elijah focused her attention. "Where's Elena? I've made a terrible mistake."
"Yes, you really have. Elena's gone." Rebekah rubbed her head and sighed. "I really don't want to have to tell you."
"What happened?" Elijah asked helping her up.
"Kol…He's done something very bad." Elijah felt anger, Kol kidnapped Elena.
"Where did he take her?" Elijah asked expecting he wouldn't like the answer.
"It's more than that Elijah. Kol forced Elena to shut her emotions off." Elijah almost hit the roof, this was why he couldn't feel her anymore. She wasn't feeling. Why the hell would Kol make Elena turn her emotions off? "Elijah?" Rebekah asked.
"Where did they go?" He asked again.
"I don't know." Elijah rubbed his face and tried to think. He had to find Elena. He needed her back and felt himself crumble at the thought of being without her.
He knew it was idiotic but he tried to call her. Maybe he could find out where she was by her surroundings. He called and called and grew frustrated each time he heard her voice message.
Elijah grew even angrier when he finally got an answer but it was his brother. He hoped a threat would reign Kol in but it only managed to encourage his younger brother. Elijah knew full well that Kol was trying to upset him, it was working.
Elijah was on the hunt now. He was going to find them and bring Elena back whether she wanted to come or not.
It took him a whole week to track them down, Kol was very clever but Elijah was more so. Three witches helped pinpoint the pair to New York. He had been close to catching them but Kol had been managing to elude him. Kol and Elena were dancing very close together and Elijah's blood boiled as jealously surged through his body but they managed to get away. Elena seemed oblivious to his presence but he knew Kol realized he was there. Kol was not attempting to flee the city. He was purposely dangling Elena in front him and Elijah was losing his patience.
Finally Kol slipped, apparently Kol had been having a lot of sex because a woman he had picked up managed to tell him what hotel they were at. He had them now. He crept quietly and waited outside their room and listened to their conversation. Kol was attempting to seduce Elena and it somehow made him feel better that they had not slept together. He would of course forgive Elena for anything she had done in her current state but Kol may have ended up back in his coffin.
Elijah finally had enough. He opened the door and all the anger came flooding back. Kol was kissing Elena and she was letting him. A possessive anger he had never felt before threatened to consume him.
"Hello Elijah." His brother greeted. Elijah could hear the amusement dripping from his words. He gripped the door frame so tight he heard it crack.
"What is wrong with you?" Elena asked rolling her eyes. She didn't care about any of this. She didn't care that Kol had just kissed her or that he was angry and she stood there void of emotion. It wasn't right, this wasn't Elena.
"Kol." Elijah did the best he could to control himself. "What have you done!?" Elena froze now and actually looked frightened, that just made him more upset. He didn't want to scare her so he took out his anger on Kol sending him crashing into the nearest wall.
"Elijah don't!" She said speeding but he pushed her back, not hard but enough to make her retreat. "Why are you here!?" She yelled and he slammed her into a wall pinning her with his entire body. He almost crushed her.
"Are you kidding me Elena!? I've been trying to find you this entire week!" He matched her volume. "Stop acting like a couple of children and come home." He demanded.
"No." Elena pushed him away and Kol laughed as she stood brushing off his shirt.
"Looks like Elena doesn't do what you want any more brother. You'll have to try a bit harder than just demanding." Elijah knew his brother was right. The effects of the sire bond had been severed the instant Elena turned her emotions off. She would no longer be influenced by him. Then reality set in. This is exactly what Kol had wanted. He forced Elena to turn her emotions off to help her, to help both of them and he smiled. Elijah sped to Elena and grabbed her face forcing her to look at him.
"Elena. I'm sorry. I was being so selfish but I only left you because I care. I realized my mistake and came back that night but you were already gone. Please come home with me so we can work this out." He pleaded but Elena did not seem moved by his words.
"Why should I?" She countered. "My brother hates me, my best friends won't speak to me, Stefan and Damon tried to kill me, and you'll just up and leave the next chance you get. Give me one good reason why I should do anything you say?" It was a fair question, Elijah had pretty much done everything in his power to make Elena not trust him.
"Because I love you." He swore he saw a hint of emotion but she was fighting it. He kissed her and she tried to push away but he wasn't going to let her. Not until she responded. Elena fought hard but he could feel her giving in. She was about to surrender but suddenly his world went dark and he collapsed on the ground.
When he woke he could hear Kol laughing. He was on his feet quickly and had Kol by his throat.
"What happened?" Kol was still laughing. "What did you do?"
"Oh, I did not do anything Elijah. Elena got the better of you. She snapped your neck and took off." Kol released Elijah's grip and readjusted his shirt.
"Why didn't you stop her?" Elijah growled.
"Because she is not mine to take care of. If you want her back as badly as you claim then you my dear brother are going to have to fight for her for once." Kol stated stealing a drink from the mini bar.
"What do you mean?" Elijah snarled.
"I meant what I said. You have been in love with that girl since the moment you saw her, don't deny it." Elijah wasn't going to, it was true. "Yet you let those Salvatore idiots tear her apart and did nothing. Then you used her as a bartering chip against mother then up and left her. You took the coward's way out." That was also true. "Then you had her. She came to you willingly and at the first sign of trouble you abandoned her again. Yes, I forced her emotions off. If you won't fight for her willingly I will make you fight. The sire bond has been broken so you have no more excuses. Either go get Elena and make her yours or leave her be. She doesn't deserve all of this nonsense." Elijah thought the universe must be going mad, Kol was actually making sense.
"I know." He finally admitted out loud and Kol smirked. "I've been horrible to her. I should never have left her in the first place. I took her for granted." For the first time in a thousand years Elijah actually felt his heart hurting. "I never realized what I had."
"That's a lie." Elijah glared at his brother. "You knew exactly what you had, you just thought you would never lose it." Kol said taking another drink. "Good luck." He said and sped away. Elijah cracked his neck and mentally prepared himself. Finding Elena was going to be much easier than finding Kol. Elena had no idea how to hide. Elijah took a deep breath and inhaled Elena's scent. She wouldn't get far.
It took less than an hour to find her. She was in an alleyway drinking greedily from a man and showed no signs of stopping herself. He chose to intervene. He gave her no warning as he snapped her neck and her body fell limp in his arms. The man yelled but Elijah stared him the eyes.
"You will not remember any of this." He compelled offering the man some blood to heal Elena's wounds. Now that he was taken care of he focused his full attention back to the girl in his arms. "I'm so sorry Elena. I should never have let this happen to you but I promise I will make it right." He carried her off into the night.
Elena slept the rest of the night and Elijah watched over her never once leaving her side. He had removed his jacket and tie and undid the first few buttons of his shirt and waited patiently. He felt many things as he watched. He was angry, sad, frustrated but felt passion at the same time. Elena was worth the effort, she was worth all this madness. He smiled when she finally began to stir.
"Mmm. What happened?" She asked but she couldn't open her eyes. "My head hurts." She tried to reach for it but Elijah had tied her wrists to the bed she was currently lying on. She finally opened her eyes trying to pull herself free but there was vervain on the restraints. She hissed loudly and threw her arms down.
"Calm down Elena." Elijah commanded.
"I am calm." She snapped.
"It's eight in the morning." He told her and she raised an eyebrow.
"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" Elijah didn't like her attitude.
"I was just informing you of the time. I took your bracelet back." Elena glanced to her wrist and Elijah could barely feel she was upset by it but wouldn't show it. "Don't worry, you can have it back once we've solved our little dilemma." He promised.
"Don't flatter yourself, I wasn't worried about it." She hissed and Elijah sped slamming his hands on either side of her head. He bared his fangs and his vampire features protruded on his face. She jumped but had nowhere to move. Fear. That was something. She tried to move her hands again but the vervain just burnt her skin. "It's not very nice treating a lady like this." She smiled.
"You're absolutely right." He agreed moving his face close to hers calming himself down. "But you have not been acting like much of a lady now have you." He asked lightly touching his finger to her nose. His action seemed to annoy her and he found it amusing.
"Why do you even care? You left me." She stated. "You don't really want me and that's perfectly fine. Let's just do ourselves a favor and call it quits now. We both know you're just going to up and leave again." Elena glared at him.
"You see, that is where you are wrong. I have no intention of ever letting you go again. I have waited a thousand years for you and I'm tired. I'm done waiting." He said with absolute certainty. "You are mine Elena, always and forever."
"No!" She yelled. "That's not true!" Elijah knew she didn't believe her owns words. "You don't care about me!"
"You're right." He rested his hand against her hip and leaned completely over her. She shifted uncomfortably but Elijah tightened his grip to keep her still. "I don't just care about you, I'm in love with you Elena and I always have been."
"I don't believe you." She responded.
"You have every reason not you. I have failed you in almost every way but I will not fail you now." Elena slammed her eyes shut and he could see her trying not to feel anything. She was forcing everything down. "I love you Elena, please come back." He leaned all way in and kissed her. She resisted at first which wasn't surprising but he could feel that she wanted it. He broke the kiss for a moment. "Come back." He whispered kissing her neck and sliding his hand up her shirt against her skin. She hissed and tried to reach out to touch him but couldn't.
"Well this hardly seems fair." She whispered and Elijah smiled through his kiss.
"I'll take them off if you turn your emotions back on." He promised.
"Elijah I…" He almost had her but she shut down and turned her face away. "Go to hell!" She yelled and he pulled back feeling frustrated again.
"That's fine. But you're not going anywhere." He sped from the room before he said or did something he would regret. He knew he needed to be patient, getting someone's emotions back on was difficult task normally but Elena truly believed she had nothing. Jeremy was a hunter who could barely stand to be in the same room as her, Stefan and Damon had betrayed her and almost killed her, her best friend hated her and he himself had abandoned her. She had every reason to keep her emotions off. He had to try something else but for now he was going to leave her be. Maybe some time by herself would help her to clear her head. Then it hit him, maybe that was the answer. Elena was terrified of being alone, it's why she was keeping her emotions off but she still didn't want that. She wanted to be with someone.
It was very difficult but he ignored Elena for five days. The only times he went to see her was when he was giving her blood, he didn't want her to desiccate and even then he refused to speak to her. He watched as her anger slowly disappeared and she was losing her will to fight. He was breaking her down. He was about to leave the apartment he was keeping her in when he heard a noise. He focused his hearing and felt his heart break but he smiled at the same time. Elena was crying and a light wind blew through his body bringing with it her pain.