Summary: Elijah would do anything to keep her safe. Even if it meant destroying his own family.

Genre: Romance; Supernatural

Pairing: Elijah/OFC - Louisa

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.

CHAPTER THREE

"Klaus," began a melodic voice. "You're back." A dark haired woman moved around the corner coming into full view, her hand gripping the collar of another, pulling them along. "Look who decided to come for a visit."

"You just keep popping up, don't you?" Klaus smirked, as he and Elijah entered the through the doorway. The hybrid didn't seemed to be surprised in the least to see the man before him.

"I need your help," the man said suddenly. He took a few steps toward Klaus, continuing, "For my brother."

"Well whatever it is, its going to have to wait a tick," Klaus stated firmly. "You see I have an obligation to my brother," he continued, gesturing towards Elijah, "that requires my immediate attention."

As Klaus walked further into the room, Elijah spoke. "You understand how important family is or you wouldn't be here. My brother gave me his word that he would reunite me with my own."

"And so I shall." Elijah turned quickly. Before he could react, Klaus stabbed him in the chest with a dagger. The unknown guests in the room could not hide their surprise, nor could Elijah. His skin began to turn black and gray, cracking in several places. With the last of his strength, Elijah frowned at his traitorous brother before his lifeless corpse dropped to the floor.

"Elijah," shouted Louisa, waking suddenly from her sleep. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the images that were floating around her head. Louisa jumped frantically from her bed, nearly tripping over the quilt, trying to reach her dresser. One hand switched on the lamp, as she found the chair in front of her vanity.

"Are you kidding me," she whispered to herself. First it was nightmares of being burned alive and now Elijah invaded her sleep. Was her subconscious trying to drive her insane? And why was she even concerned about Elijah? Two days had pasted since the incident and she hadn't heard from either of them. She stared at her reflection briefly before saying, "He lied to you remember…"

A light tapping sounded upon her door and an even softer call of her name followed. "It's open, Mom." The middle aged woman appeared, crossing over the threshold of Louisa's room. "I'm just talking to myself," she joked.

"I heard noises from your room. Still not sleeping well?" Louisa shook her head. "I can't believe you're still having that same dream."

"Actually," she began slowly, "this time I wasn't burnt to death. It was different. The dream was about…" Jillian looked onward at her daughter, waiting for her to continue. Louisa was hesitant because she knew her mother would make a big thing out of a small one. But, despite her better judgment, she decided to finish her thought. "The dream was about Elijah and-"

"No surprise there," Jillian interrupted. "So, what did you guys do," she asked, a knowing smile upon her face. Louisa frowned.

"Eww! Mom, it was not that kind of dream! For your information I wasn't even in it," she clarified before continuing. "Elijah died. Klaus staked him and…and that was it. I woke up. And now, for some strange reason, I feel terrible."

"Well, of course you do," replied Jillian, sitting at the foot of the bed. "You would miss him if he were gone. And he you, I should think."

Louisa scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Oh, please. Don't be ridiculous. He's a vampire."

"Then why do you feel so awful?" Louisa opened her mouth to reply, but couldn't voice a defense. "You were always at your best when Elijah would visit. I remember your eyes would light up brighter than the sun. Vampire or not, you would miss him."

"Okay, fine. Maybe I would," she relented. "But that doesn't change the fact that he lied to me. Elijah could have prevented all of this from happening."

"Klaus is his brother. Can you really blame him for helping his family, Louisa?"

"No matter how hard to make, we all have a choice in the end."

"Maybe Elijah didn't. Klaus could have made him do it. He could have promised to give him something when it was over," offered Jillian.

"Or someone," said Louisa suddenly. Her mother's little pow-wows always made her see the bigger picture. She would always find that particular piece to complete the puzzle, even if she wasn't looking for it. She heard Elijah's voice echo in her head… You understand how important family is or you wouldn't be here. My brother gave me his word that he would reunite me with my own… "He black-mailed him. That bastard!"

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry." Louisa apologized for the curse word before continuing. "Before Klaus staked him, Elijah said that he was going to reunite him with his family. What if that's the reason Elijah helped him?"

"Well, that's one theory-"

"But what if I'm wrong," interrupted Louisa, standing from the chair. "What if my subconscious is just making up things?" She began pacing the floor seconds later. "But then again, there's a chance I could be right. What should I do?"

"Why don't you just ask him?"

Louisa stopped pacing and gave it a quick thought. "Yeah. Yeah, I can ask him. But what if he doesn't want to answer?" She shook her head quickly. "No. No. This won't work. I don't even know where he is. I have no idea where to start," she added glancing at her mother.

Jillian smiled at her daughter's flustered stated. "You're a smart girl, Louisa. You'll think of something."