It's three songs before anyone actually talks.
"Care." Bonnie says, and Jeremy and Alaric's eyes flicker to the backseat. They're just human. If they fight, neither of them are capable of stopping the girls. Caroline holds her breath, and then Bonnie apologizes.
It's not all perfect, Caroline's still mad, but it's better. She and Bonnie can start from there and she tells the witch so.
It's a lot less tense in the car after that.
Elena tells him that she'll be sleeping for the next two days, and asks if he could please wake her up when they pass. He should be able to enter her mind and wake her up. Elijah nods and she tells him to have fun in the real world. She's sending him out because she's tired, she reminds him. He tells her he'll see her soon, and she smiles at him and sends him out. He has a life to live, and she needs to catch up on her sleep.
Rebekah forgets Caroline isn't there until Klaus dryly reminds her that her shopping partner is currently in Mystic Falls.
Things run a little less smoothly without Caroline. Kol frowns the first morning he wakes up and has to actually make breakfast and think in the morning, for the first time in a while. Rebekah shops halfheartedly, and bets with Kol in most of her free time. Elijah doesn't talk about Elena to anyone, but it's odd to see him for almost the entire day. Kol tries to ruffle Elijah's hair again, but Elijah easily sidesteps and avoids it. He even continues reading, which irks Kol a little.
He promises that he will ruffle Elijah's hair someday. His older brother just laughs and Rebekah hides her grin behind a magazine. Klaus looks on with interest, before he resumes sketching something his siblings can't see.
Two days pass, and Elena helps him with his mind palace. They sort memories, and watch a miniseries Elena instantly loves. Elijah begins to break down the show, and tries to tell her about theories on the show and the symbolism, but Elena tells him she doesn't want to hear that. The series was good, and she didn't want to overanalyze. But he mentions one of the theories he favors, and something flickers in her eyes and she tells him she wants to watch it again.
They watch it two more times before he's asked to join his siblings for dinner. She returns them to her own mind, then sends him out and asks him to return when he can. He promises that he will.
The rest of the week passes like that, Elena and Elijah never run out of topics to debate or things to think about. Elena doesn't focus on the days and counting them, Elijah notices. She still marks the days off the calendar, however. He does his best to keep her occupied.
Klaus is much more bearable to be around after Caroline returns, and Rebekah updates her shopping partner on new stores and what they missed. She also adds that she and Caroline have some kind of appointment Klaus doesn't understand, in a few days.
They fall into a routine, and it's easy. It's good. Months pass.
Rebekah and Kol venture cautiously into Elena's mind, at different times, and find that they like her. Elijah not only has to worry about when Caroline wants to talk to Elena, but Kol and Rebekah as well. While a little part of him is annoyed that his time with Elena is being cut into, a larger part of him is thrilled that they like Elena.
Klaus doesn't ask or think about entering Elena's mind, he has no desire to do that, and neither does Elena. They have a nice distance between them that they don't mind.
Caroline keeps Elena updated on the milestones in her relationship with Klaus, and how everyone's doing.
Elena can almost forget that she's stuck in a coma.
Almost.