I already had this written. I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 3

"Are you sure you don't mind me staying here? I don't mind the hotel…" Elena said shyly as she entered the plantation house.

Finn waved off her words, "It's no problem. I'd rather Elijah not come looking for you in the Quarter and cause a scene. Besides, it seems as if I'm your only friend at the moment and I would be beside myself if something happened to you."

"Well, thank you," she blushed, "But it's still completely unnecessary."

Finn led her into the parlor, smiling at how amicable she was being, "It may be unnecessary, but I'd rather know that you're safe from Elijah. He normally doesn't allow his emotions to show. I can't imagine what's gotten into him. And I'm very sorry that he ruined your night."

Elena shook her head, "He didn't ruin it. Well, okay, he did. Only for a little while, but you fixed it. I had a great time after you made him leave."

He noticed as she stifled a yawn when she sat on the couch. His eyes softened as he looked her over, "If you're tired, you can sleep. You can have any of the rooms upstairs besides the last one of the right."

"Oh? Do you have bodies hoarded in there or something?" She asked playfully, smiling at him.

Finn shook his head with a grin of his own, "The only body that I hoard in there is my own. And that's strictly at night."

"Alright, alright," she laughed as she stood up and kicked off her Louboutins, before walking over to Finn and placing a kiss on his cheek, "Thank you for tonight. I had a lot of fun. With the exception of getting my arm broken. And thank you for everything you bought me, you didn't have to."

He took her hand a brushed a kiss against the back of her knuckles, "You're more than welcome, Miss Gilbert. I assure you that not harm will come to you while you stay in this house."

Elena walked up the elegant stairs slowly, taking in all of the priceless art that adorned the walls. When she reached the top, she noticed that four doors were on the left side and three on the right. Wanting to be able to give Finn his space, she chose the fourth door on the left. She opened the bedroom door slowly as she flipped on the lights.

The room seemed to be a man's, that much she was sure of. Practically every wall was filled with books, yet it still looked tidy. A four-poster bed sat in the middle of the room and was covered in a simple gray comforter. Elena figured this had to be just another guest room.

She sighed and stripped out of her dress, leaving her in just her lingerie. She made a mental note to go shopping tomorrow; she needed clothes desperately. She pulled back the covers and slithered inside after switching off the lights. She allowed herself to close her eyes and drift away into sleep.

"Where are you rushing off to at this ungodly hour?" Rebekah asked as Elijah shrugged on a St. Laurent coat.

Elijah sighed, "I have a sudden urge to read a book that is not currently in my possession. I'm simply going to retrieve it and then I'll be back."

Rebekah snorted, "And where is this so-called book located?"

"The plantation house," Elijah bit out.

"Elijah!" Rebekah exclaimed, "After the scene you caused with that damned doppelganger tonight, can't you just leave well enough alone? Finn is not in the mood for this."

"I'm simply going for a book. I'll slip in and out of the house before he even knows it."

Elena was in a garden, sitting on a bench with a book open in her lap. She was enjoying the warm Louisiana air on her olive skin and the slight breeze that rustled her hair. She looked out into the distance and noticed a man sitting by the pond behind the plantation house.

She swiftly stood up and made her way over to the figure, wanting to ask what on earth he was doing there. She heard him scolding a small child and her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Henrik, get out of the water this instant. You know you can't swim," he chided, but the child stayed in the water.

"Elijah, don't make me get out! I love the water. I won't go near the deep end," Henrik pleaded with his brother.

Elena smiled, sitting down a good hundred feet from the scene before her. She loved seeing Elijah like this. It was almost as if he were human and she had always dreamt of a human Elijah. She had developed quite a bond with him and she knew he felt it, too. He was always just so noble; he never took what he wanted.

"Elijah! Get in the water with me. I want to go over there," Henrik pointed at the deep end of the water and Elijah sighed.

"Fine, fine," he acquiesced. He pulled his shirt over his head and waded into the water with Henrik, allowing himself to be used as a floatation device if necessary.

Elena watched the brothers swim for quite a while. When the sun began to sink below the horizon, she walked towards the pond. She picked up the towel and held it out to Elijah as she smiled.

"Elena?" He looked up at her in astonishment, surprised that she was here of all places.

"Hello, Elijah."

Elijah climbed through his bedroom window, cursing himself for not using the front door. He was far from being a coward, but the thought of facing his elder brother after the night they shared seemed like a feat too large. He pounced into the room, landing on the balls of his feet as to not make any noise.

He went to the shelf he knew the book was on and felt for the familiar spine. Once his fingers brushed against it, he pulled it from the shelf and turned back to his window.

"Elijah…"

Elijah stopped dead and looked around. He focused harder on the scent that enveloped his nose and the faint dead heartbeat he heard coming from the bed. Elena had caught him.

Wait, Elena? He thought idly. What in the world was she doing in his room, in his bed? He listened to her breathing, noting that it indicated that she was still asleep. He silently approached the side of the bed and gazed down at her.

Elena's olive skin was illuminated by the moonlight; her skin was a stark contrast against the snow white sheets. Elijah allowed his eyes to roam down her body before he noticed how indecent she was. He didn't want to look at her in such a state of undress unless they were both aware and enjoying it. He reached down and pulled the sheet up to her chin, not wanting her to catch cold in the large house.

Her arms moved and she set her hands on her chest, her pouty lips parted slightly and the moonlight casted shadows on her cheeks from her eyelashes. Elijah couldn't help but marvel at her beauty; even in such an uninhibited state she was a vision.

He wanted nothing more than to reach out and run his fingers down her cheek, but he knew he would never touch her the way he wanted to. He had all but insured that the moment he hurt her at the gallery. He ruined his chance to be with the girl he had kept in his private thoughts for the past two years all because he allowed her to provoke him.

"My sweet Elena, you'll never know how truly sorry I am for what I've done. I'll spend as long as you want making it up to you," he whispered before he ducked his head and placed a soft kiss to her forehead. He straightened up and walked to the window, propelling himself to the ground and landing gracefully.

Elijah fixed his suit before securing the book in the inside his jacket, sighing as he cast one last glance at his room.

"You couldn't stay away could you?" Finn questioned from behind Elijah.

Elijah turned to face his brother, his expression guarded, "I don't know what you're talking about. I simply came to retrieve a book. No more, no less."

Finn clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Sometimes I think that you forget that I also have exceptional hearing. I could hear you from a mile away; you're not as stealthy as you choose to believe. As for you cover story, the book is all well and good, but you need to give Miss Gilbert her space."

"I will give her whatever she wants," Elijah hissed.

"If I'm not mistaken, I believe she asked you to leave her alone tonight. And I would assume that extended until she expressed an interest in seeing you again. You can't push yourself on her, Elijah. That's not the way to a woman's heart."

Elijah scoffed, "What would you know about Elena?"

"I know enough to understand that she's still healing," Finn's face became dismal, "She had a rough time with her transition. No one she depended on was there to help her. From what I gathered from a source in Mystic Falls, the Salvatores seemed to fight over what was best for her rather than take her feelings into account. She's only a year old and has already turned off her humanity once."

Elijah sighed, "I already knew that the Salvatores would be less than helpful to her if she decided to transition," his brow furrowed as he contemplated Finn's words, "But why would she turn off her emotions?"

"I think that's something you should ask her if you ever get the chance," Finn deflected. He looked at the ground before meeting his brother's gaze once more, "I care about her, Elijah. Maybe not romantically right now, but I feel inclined to protect her. No matter the cost."

"She doesn't need protection! When Niklaus and I found her, she had her hand buried in Marcel's chest and had already disposed of a two hundred year old vampire and a few others. She's perfectly capable of protecting herself."

"She needed protection from you," Finn deadpanned, "You broke her arm without so much as a blink."

Elijah withered under his words. He knew they were true. He had hurt Elena out of spite for the truth in her words.

"She doesn't want to be like Katherine or Tatia. She wants to be Elena," Finn mused, "She's tired of being compared and condemned for Katherine's treachery. The Salvatores were drawn to her for her looks. And aren't you, as well?"

Elijah sighed, "Perhaps it was her looks at first, but once I began to know her I realized that she was like Katherine was before-"

"You don't get it do you? She isn't Katherine. She can't replace her for you. You either want Elena for who she is or you don't want her at all."

Elena groaned as she rolled out of bed. The sun was still high in the sky and she smiled happily when she realized that she hadn't slept half the day away again. She looked down and noticed she was still in her lingerie. Sighing, she went to the closet and opened it, hoping to find something halfway decent to put on.

The sight awaiting her when she opened the door was not one that she expected. Designer suits lined the racks and Elena's breath caught at the sudden realization of who's room she was in. She took a deep breath before digging through the clothes, searching for at least a cotton shirt or something.

Elena gave up and hesitantly went to Finn's room, listening closely. She heard the shower running and sighed in relief as she swiftly opened the door and went to the dresser on the far side of the wall. She sifted through the clothes carefully, looking for anything appropriate. She heart stuttered when she heard the water switch off in the bathroom. She hastily picked up the first shirt she saw which was a white button down that was on the floor. She slipped it over her slender shoulders and whooshed from the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

Elena finished buttoning up the shirt as she bounded down the stairs straight for the kitchen. She looked down at herself once more; the white shirt ended mid-thigh and covered all the important parts. She busied herself around the kitchen: starting a pot of coffee, cracking eggs, and pulling out a few blood bags.

Finn hurried out of the shower, sure he had heard someone in his room. He pulled on his clothes swiftly before opening the door and being assaulted with Elena's scent. He followed it around the room, noticing it stopped at his dresser. His brows knitted together in confusion as he realized that his shirt from the night before was missing.

Finn walked quietly down the stairs, hearing Elena humming to herself in the kitchen. He smiled at the scene that greeted him. Elena was wearing his white button down shirt as she danced around the kitchen cooking breakfast.

Finn cleared his throat, "Good morning, Miss Gilbert."

Elena turned around and gave him a radiant smile, "Good morning. However, if you keep calling me Miss Gilbert, I'll be more inclined to call you Mr. Mikaelson."

He smirked at her, "Touché, Elena."

"Much better," she agreed as she plated up the eggs and set them on the table. She looked at him and handed him a glass of blood, "Hungry?"

"Famished."

They sat and ate in companionable silence as Finn looked around the kitchen. She had managed to cook breakfast and clean everything up before sitting down to eat and in his book that was quite an accomplishment.

"What're your plans for today, Elena?"

Elena thought about it for minute as she took a sip of her glass, "I need to go clothes shopping. But I think that's pretty much it."

"There's quite a few boutiques in the French Quarter," Finn added.

She gave him a pointed look, "Don't take this the wrong way, but I need to find a store I can actually afford. And while I'm at it, I might as well start looking for a job."

"Job? But you just got here," he protested.

"Just because I just got here doesn't mean that my account isn't running low," she sighed as she pushed her eggs around her plate, "I spent a little more than I meant to when I switched off my humanity and now I'm paying for it. Literally."

Finn pursed his lips, "You realize you're a vampire, correct? You could compel anything that you want."

"I don't like abusing that power. I don't like taking away someone's free will."

"Ah," he said as he nodded in understanding, "I fought with myself for that very reason many years ago. Humans are not playthings and I wish others of our kind felt the same way."

Be sure to leave me a review and let me know what you think!

~Grace