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 FOUR

Locating an Original was always easier said than done. And after what Louisa had said to him, the probability of Elijah returning on his own was highly unlikely. I hate you, is what she told him. Twice! Why would he ever want to associate with her again?

Louisa was at her wits end. She had driven all around with the hopes of find his hiding place. She even popped her head inside the local church, thoroughly describing him to the elderly priest within. But it was all for not. She couldn't find him and no one in the town had seen him. Feeling slightly defeated, she found herself musing over another option. It was the option that she was trying so hard to avoid.

Louisa always thought magic was entirely too complicated. There were dozens of rules and twice as many consequences if not preformed correctly. It was simply easier and a lot safer to just avoid it all together. Being out of practice for so long, Louisa wasn't sure where to begin. But thankfully, the Mason's were a close knit family. Her cousin, Collin, was basically an expert in the field. And only a couple streets away.

"Why can't you just do it yourself," Collin asked, slightly confused. "I mean, you are a witch too."

Louisa rolled her eyes. "I know that. I just… I've been out of practice for a while," she confessed. "I could blow something or someone up."

"You know witches that don't use their magic eventually go crazy," he commented. "Your about half way there."

"Yeah well, people in hell want ice water," she retorted back at him, sliding a loosely folded paper across the table. "Just do it."

Collin shook his head, slightly annoyed at her demand, but he still planned to assist her. He reached forward, grasping the corner of the document revealing a map. "Virginia? Nothing good ever came out of this place." Collin eyed his cousin curiously, knowing full well the type of inhabitants the state often attracted. "Who exactly are you looking for again?"

"Does it really matter?"

"It does if I'm going to help you."

Louisa hesitated a moment before responding. "You see, that's just the thing. You won't help me if I tell you who I'm looking for." Collin scratched the uneven stubble on his cheek, giving her that I'm still waiting for an answer look. "When was the last time you remember hearing from the Original family?"

"Seriously," he said, on the brink of laughter. "Um, it's been years. They don't come around here any more, you know that."

"Yeah, that's what I thought too, until Elijah came to see me a few days ago." Collin's face became solemn at the unexpected news. "He came to warn me about his brother, Niklaus. You remember him, right?"

"Yeah. Why? Did something happen," asked Collin, not quite sure he wanted to know.

"Well, apparently he is some kind of vampire-werewolf hybrid thing…"

"Elijah's a what?"

Louisa sighed with irritation, catching Collin's shocked facial expression. "No, not Elijah, Klaus! Now pay attention!" She paused briefly while fighting the urge to hit her cousin up side the head for not listening. "Elijah told me that a witch cursed Klaus long ago. Klaus was born a werewolf, but then he became a vampire. The witch's curse hid his werewolf side, which didn't make Klaus too happy. But now he is overjoyed because he has finally succeed in breaking it which, in turn, equals big problems for me."

"Why? Are you planning to stop him?"

Louisa shrugged. "I may have thought about it," she said truthfully, "once or twice…"

"How," he asked. "Killing an Original is difficult enough. How are you gonna take out a hybrid, Louisa?"

"Fairy dust," she replied hotly, standing from her seat. "Don't talk to me like I'm crazy for even thinking about it! It's what we do, isn't it?"

"Since when," he questioned. "You don't do supernatural anymore. Not even a little tracking spell," he mocked. "I'm not helping you get yourself killed. You want Klaus you find him," he finished, shoving the map to the center of the table. Louisa couldn't help but laugh.

"Collin, I'm not looking for Klaus. He'll find me before I'm ever able to find him."

"Then who the hell are you looking for," he asked her, trying desperately to reach a conclusion. Louisa silenced out suddenly, looking at anything but her cousin. Her eyes landed on the sink across the room. Her hands unexpectedly needed a reason to keep busy.

"I'm looking for Elijah," she replied softly, submerging her hands in the soapy water. Collin could barely understand her strained whisper.

"You're right. You won't have to worry about Klaus," he began, "because Elijah is going to kill you for him."

"No Collin, you don't understand," Louisa said quickly. "Elijah wants to stop Klaus!"

"Have you ever heard that saying 'blood is thicker than water'? Elijah is his brother," he shouted, attempting to reason with her.

"Family doesn't always see eye to eye! Just look at us," she countered. "You're ready to rip my head off!"

Collin sighed heavily. "This is different-"

"No it isn't," she interrupted. "That's just how families work. When too many opinions fill the room, bad things happen," she explained. "We're not always going to agree with each other. It's works the same with Klaus and Elijah. They're not always going to agree. And believe me when I say this, Elijah does not agree. He wants to stop him."

"How do you know?"

"He told me," she answered simply. She dropped the cup she had been scrubbing back into the sink and faced Collin. "When Elijah came to see me, that same night I had a dream."

"Ugh, you're not going to tell me about your burning alive dream again…"

"No, but thanks for your concern," she said with irritation. "No, this one was different. Basically, Klaus staked Elijah and his body shriveled up and he died. The next morning, I went looking for him, but I haven't been successful in my search."

"So you think Klaus has done something to him."

"My only concern is that my dream may not have been just a dream. What if it really happened?"

"Why would Klaus do that to his own brother?"

"Well, if Elijah were, oh I don't know, trying to prevent Klaus from making a hybrid army to overtake the world," she shrugged. "I'd say that would be a pretty good reason to get him out of the picture. And all the more reason to help me find him. Think about it Collin, if Elijah really does want to stop Klaus, he won't be much use locked in a box."

Battling with your conscience was never easy and boy was Collin going though it. There were two choices on the table. A: He could simply stay out of it and let an out-of-practice witch walk into a battle she clearly wasn't ready for. That probably wouldn't sit to well this Aunt Jillian, he thought. Or, he could move forward with the other option. B: Help her.

Louisa looked at him expectantly, hoping she had won him over. Mentally praying to god that they didn't get killed, Collin extended his hand. "Give me the map."

Louisa eyes fluttered open slowly, just catching the Virginia state welcome sign before is passed them by.

"It's about time," snickered Collins from the driver side.

"I wasn't sleeping," she said in a groggy voice, swiftly grabbing the coffee cup from the holder between them, downing the caramel flavored beverage. As they took the exit for Alexandria, Louisa said, "I can drive for a little, if you want."

Collin shook his head. "Nope. You'll kill us before those vamps even get opportunity." Louisa rolled her eyes at him. "And besides, I'd like to get the truck back in one piece."

"I don't know what you were thinking when you backed this outta the garage," mused Louisa. For whatever reason, Collin thought is fitting to 'borrow' his dad's pick-up truck. It was a classic piece of machinery, mind you. An oldie, but a goodie. It was an 86, 87, or something.

"I was thinking full tank of gas and large truck bed for your incapacitated boyfriend," commented Collins quickly. Louisa frowned at him and he couldn't help but laugh.

"Stop it."

"Don't deny it," he continued. "I know you like the guy, oh sorry, vampire. You've always held a certain obsession with him."

"I don't know what you mean," she said calmly, all the while staring out the passenger side window, doing her best to ignore her cousin. "Elijah is my friend."

"I never classified Elijah as your friend." What the hell was Collin doing exactly? Was he trying o see how far he could push her? "I always thought him something more, especially in your teenage years-"

"Keep digging the hole Collin," she warned. "Because I swear to you I will push you in and bury you with dirt."

"Did I strike a nerve?"

"How about I strike you," she snapped back.

"I was only trying to make pleasant conversation. It is like a two hour drive," replied Collin, holding his hands up in the air. "You know talking about things is good. It's healthy." Louisa said nothing. She only glared at him. "But because you're freaking out," he said in a playful tone, "I guess I'll stop picking." Thank you, she said to herself, grateful for the offered silence. "We can listen to the radio instead," added Collin quickly, while trying to find a suitable station.

"Son of a bitch," murmured Louisa. So much for silence. But at least the sports broadcast was better than Collin playing twenty questions about her personal life.