Disclaimer: I don't TVD, no matter how much I wish I did. Any recognizable characters, plots and dialogue belong to the L.J. Smith and the CW.

AN: So much love to everyone reaching out to say how much they enjoy the story. As much as I love the story, some days it's hard to write, but knowing that other people like it as much as I do helps me get through the hard days. So, thank you! Sorry this chapter is a little late and kind of a filler chapter. I promise more good stuff to come!

Jeremy

Elena came home, bringing Matt and his broken hand. The moment he saw the cast, Jeremy wished he hadn't let Elena convince him, again, that she didn't need protection.

"Hey, my hand's not the one that's broken," she said. "I'm fine."

Then, before he could ask any more questions, she turned and all but ran up the stairs to her room. After a couple minutes, he heard the shower start running.

"Man, what happened?" Jeremy asked as he and Matt moved to the couch. "Mystic Falls parties aren't known for fun nights anymore, but…" He just pointed at Matt's hand.

"I met Elijah's other brother - Kol," Matt said. "Turns out the whole family's crazy. He was shaking my hand and started to squeeze. After a few snaps, Damon showed up."

Jeremy raised a brow.

"I know, I know, but he got Kol off me, broke his neck, and threw him off a balcony. 'Course he was back up like ten minutes later…"

"And did Elena get what she went for?"

"No idea. She hasn't said much since we left." Matt hesitated. "If you guys are cool with it, I'd like to stay here tonight." He paused again. "I just don't feel like being alone."

Jeremy gave him a long look. Matt had never had a problem being alone before, no matter what insanity happened in Mystic Falls. Elena was more his focus tonight, Jeremy knew it without asking, and he wasn't going to deny someone else the ability to think they were looking after Elena. He knew that Ric, if he weren't still in the hospital would agree.

"Sure thing, man. You know you're always welcome," Jeremy said, clapping Matt on the back.

Elena came back downstairs. She was wearing baggy, flannel pajamas Jeremy hadn't seen her in since right after their parents died. Jeremy had picked the video game he was playing earlier up again, and Matt was "helping" by shouting instructions and observations at him.

Elena quietly took a seat in an armchair and watched him play, but she didn't say anything. When she continued to sit there for over two hours without saying a word or moving, Jeremy glanced at Matt.

"You know, I really expected Damon or Stefan to bring you home kicking and screaming hours ago," Jeremy said, trying to prod some kind of reaction out of Elena. She bobbed her shoulder in a half-shrug, but otherwise remained immobile.

"She and Damon got into a pretty big fight," Matt said. Jeremy nodded at him to continue, as much because he wanted to know as because he hoped annoying Elena would get her back to herself sooner. "Like, it was the talk of the party. First, he did try to drag her away from the party after she'd disappeared upstairs with Elijah."

Jeremy raised a skeptical brow.

"Hey, don't look at me," Matt said. "I wouldn't have noticed, but Rebekah wouldn't stop talking about it. Anyway, he tried to make her leave, but she didn't want to. Then, he all but screamed that he loved her, but your sister threw it back in his face. He stormed off, but if it weren't for him…" Matt trailed off and looked down at his hand. Jeremy winced in sympathy.

Elena turned just enough to glance at Matt's bandaged hand. She frowned before clambering out of her chair and back upstairs without a word to either of them. When Matt asked him what that was about, Jeremy just shrugged. After finishing his level, he decided she might have the right idea. Maybe things would start to make more sense in the morning.

They didn't.

Matt was just starting to stir on the couch when Jeremy came downstairs. Without a word, they migrated into the kitchen, where Jeremy made coffee and Matt made toast. They both leaned against the kitchen island to eat while the coffee started to wake them up.

Ten minutes and another cup of coffee later, Elena came downstairs. She was dressed like she was channeling Katherine. Black, form-fitting leather jacket, vibrant red tank, and skinny black jeans. She'd left her hair down, but it didn't do anything to soften her appearance. She didn't say a word as she poured coffee into a travel mug, grabbed her keys, and left.

"And good morning to you, too," Matt muttered.

"Was she wearing her patented 'I'm sick of your bullshit face'?" Jeremy asked. "Or was it just me?"

"Not just you," Matt answered before taking another sip of his coffee. "Who do you-"

"Damon," Jeremy said without hesitation. The face Elena had been wearing was usually reserved for two people: himself and Damon, and she hadn't said anything to him.

"Ah."

Less than an hour later, the slamming of the door signaled Elena's return.

Jeremy and Matt had returned to the living room, where Jeremy was once more playing his game at Matt's insistence. However, he was quickly losing his patience with Matt's attempts to help. Jeremy was counting the minutes until Matt would have to leave to go to work. But when Elena threw herself down on the couch between them, grumbling to herself under her breath, he gave that his full attention.

"And how is our least favorite Salvatore moron this morning?" he asked.

"Stupider than usual," Elena grouched. "He slept with Rebekah. Got to start my day by seeing her smug, irritating face."

Jeremy raised a brow at his sister, but it was Matt who gave voice to what they were both thinking. "So, you're what? Jealous?"

"What? No, that'd be… Don't be so… Of course not… It's just- Of all the people…" Elena paused and took a deep breath. "I wanted to tell them what I learned last night and to apologize for something I shouldn't have said. But there she was, and he practically threw her in my face. I couldn't even look at him while I told him and Stefan about Esther's plan."

"Which is what?" Jeremy asked. "You never said what you learned."

"Intensity is hereditary," Elena said. "Their mother might be crazier than the rest of them."

Jeremy looked askance at her. "Crazier than the man who came here with the express purpose of draining you of your blood just so he could be extra immortal?"

"Crazier than the one who shattered my hand because it amused him?" Matt asked, waving his bandaged hand at her. "Crazier than the girl who locked us all in the high school so she could play a sick version of truth or dare?" Matt continued.

"Yes," Elena said simply. "Crazier than the oldest, who is going along with his mother just to commit magical suicide."

At the blank looks Matt and Jeremy gave her, Elena elaborated. She told them what Esther had told her - about the plan to link all the Originals together, to use Finn's willingness to die to kill all of them, and then the forceful use of her blood to accomplish those aims.

"Well," Matt said, hesitation heavy in his voice after hearing about how she was hurt too. "We wanted Klaus dead, and we'll get that as well as the rest of them."

"But, Elijah-"

"Elena," Jeremy said. He hesitated because he knew Elena felt something for Elijah even if she couldn't admit it - even to herself. "Klaus needs to die. The rest of them are collateral damage."

"You sound like Damon," Elena said as she stood up again. She started to leave but threw some parting words over her shoulder that had Jeremy and Matt looking at each other in concern. "She took more of my blood than she said she needed. I think there's a price to pay for me not helping willingly, but I have no idea what it is. If either of you see Elijah, tell him I need to talk to him."

She went up to her room, and then the house was silent.

"What do you think Esther would do to Elena for not helping?" Jeremy asked.

"I don't know," Matt said. "But she already tried to kill her from the other side. If she's got what she needs from Elena…"

"Then, she's a loose end," Jeremy said. "Damn."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Jeremy got up and went to the door, and seeing who was on the other side, he almost wanted to pretend he hadn't heard the knock. But, Elena had said she wanted to talk to him, and loath as Jeremy was to admit it, Elijah knew more about magic and his mother than they did. He sighed, knowing that Elijah had already heard him cross the room, and having been invited it, knocking was a mere curtesy. He opened the door.

"Elijah," Jeremy said, nodding his head at the suit-clad Original.

He noticed that although Elijah looked composed as usual, the image was frayed at the edges. His hair lay as though he couldn't stop running his fingers through it. The fingers of his left hand were tapping against his thigh.

"Good morning," Elijah greeted, then without pausing for a response, he continued, "Is Elena in?"

Jeremy hesitated. Last night, at Elijah's house, Elena had been used as a spell ingredient, and Matt's hand had been broken. Today, she was acting out of character, and Jeremy didn't know how much of it had to do with this man's crazy family.

"Jeremy," Elijah said. "Is she here?"

Jeremy sighed, allowing what his sister wanted to decide his answer, even if he didn't like it. If there was a chance Elijah could get her back to her usual self, Jeremy would be willing to try.

"She's in her room. She hasn't been herself since she came home last night."

He didn't have a chance to say anything more before Elijah flashed past him and up the stairs. He followed at his slower, human pace, and Matt followed him.

When they reached the top of the stairs, Elijah was knocking on Elena's door. Jeremy stood at the top of the stairs, and Matt was a step below him. They watched the door remain closed. Even when Elijah called out to her, nothing changed.

"Let me check on her," Jeremy said. To preserve her privacy, Jeremy went through their bathroom to her room.

Elena was sitting in the middle of her bed with her journal open in front of her. She was writing frantically, and she jumped when Jeremy cleared his throat from the bathroom door.

"Oh! Jeremy, you scared me."

He raised a brow. Hadn't she heard Elijah knocking – on either door? "Sorry. Just thought you'd like to know that Elijah's here," Jeremy said. He leaned against the door frame.

A brief look of confusion passed over Elena's face, but it cleared, and she smiled at him. "So, what's up? Why are you checking on me?"

Jeremy cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes, but repeated himself anyway. "Elijah's here, and he wants to talk to you. And I figured, since like ten minutes ago, you wanted to talk to him..."

Elena furrowed her brow. "What?" she asked. "Sorry, I didn't catch that."

Jeremy frowned, but instead of trying to talk again, he decided to show her, concern for her privacy was overruled by confusion about what was going on with her. Pulling open her door, he gestured at Elijah, who was standing with his hand raised to knock again, as if he hadn't heard Jeremy talking to Elena.

"He wants to talk to you," he said. He was looking at Elena as he said this, so he saw her frown as she twisted her head to see, as if Elijah wasn't dead center in the doorway.

"Who? Oh, hey, Matt," she said. "You could have just come in." The two boys looked at each other and back at her, frowning, but Elena had turned back to her journal. "Well, Matt, what's up?" she asked without looking up. She patted the bed next to her with her free hand.

Matt walked past Jeremy and Elijah to sit where she indicated, quietly asking her what she was writing. Jeremy turned his attention to Elijah, noticing the blank look on the man's face.

When Elijah turned from looking over the room, his eyes were colder than before. "I thought you said Elena was in her room."

Jeremy turned back to look at his sister's bed, where she was sitting with Matt. She was running her fingers over the back of Matt's injured hand, and the two were speaking quietly. Looking back at Elijah, Jeremy confusion reached new levels.

"She's right there," he said, pointing at the bed.

"The only person I see in this room is Matt Donovan," Elijah said. "If Elena's not at home, you should have said so. I will seek her elsewhere. I don't appreciate being lied to."

"I'm not lying," Jeremy protested. "Elena is sitting on her bed, right freaking there!"

"Enough lies," Elijah said, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. "If you see her, please tell her I still wish to speak to her." He turned on his heel and was gone before Jeremy could blink.

Jeremy turned back into Elena's room, and he sat on the foot of the bed, listening to the two friends chat for a bit until they noticed he had joined them.

"What was that about?" Matt asked.

"What was what?" Elena asked.

"I don't know," Jeremy sighed. "Elena, why did you act like you couldn't see Elijah?"

"Huh?" she said. "Sorry, Jer, I can see you speaking, but the words won't connect to my brain."

"What about now?"

"Yeah, I hear you fine now."

"But," testing a theory, he asked, "if I mention Elijah, nothing?"

She cocked her head to the side.

"I think it's just things to do with Elijah," Matt said, coming to the same realization. And Elena frowned at him.

"Now it's happening with you too, Matt," she said.

The boys shared a significant glance.

"I think I have an idea of what Esther might have done to you," Jeremy said. "But I have no idea how to tell you."

A/N: As a reminder, currently, this story updates on Wednesdays and Saturdays. I do have another story that I'm starting to put on paper. It's likely to be longer than this one. At the moment it's looking pretty epic, but I want to get more on the page before I start to share it. For now, I'll leave you with the title to entice and tease you: The Doppelganger Kerfuffle.

As always, thanks for reading!