Elena's eyes saddened as she realized she did know what or rather, who, Elijah's touchstone was.
"Have you seen or heard from her since—"
Elijah finished the last bite of his calzone, then wadded up the wrapper in his hand
"No," he said in a low voice as he tossed the wrapper into the paper bag
Elena took this in for a moment, then sighed as she noticed the sadness in Elijah's eyes
"I'm sorry, Elijah…." she whispered
Elijah straightened in his seat as he shook his head, "Don't be. Liliya told me from the beginning that it would only last for a short time—that after this business with my Mother was over, I might not see her again."
"Still…I know what being able to see her meant to you…" Elena said as she leaned forward and took his hand from where it rested on his leg.
She immediately closed her eyes, again trying to ignore the electricity between their skin, and when she opened them, she saw Elijah's eyes immediately move to where her hand now intertwined in his.
"It's okay, Elena," Elijah soothed, tightening his grip on her hand with a small smile, "I may not get to see her again, but I know she's with me…"
For a moment, Elena thought that Elijah was going to say something about her looking like Liliya, but he didn't, she just watched as he brought their entwined hands to rest on his chest over his heart, "in here."
Elena smiled sympathetically as Elijah lowered their hands and now took a deep breath as he turned to face her.
"What do you say we get out of here?" he smirked
"Oh, Thank God!" she smiled appreciatively then turned to look out the windshield, "Because I'm running out of memories of Jeremy to stick on these people's faces to keep the bloodlust in check. I mean, if I had to put one on that big, burly guy by the soda machine out there…." she stopped and scoffed dramatically, shaking her head "I had nothing."
Elijah laughed as he released her hand and shifted in his seat, pulling something out of the compartment at the bottom of the driver's side door before turning back to face her.
"I have a gift for you," he said, holding it out to her
"A world map?" Elena asked, confused as she took the small fold-out book into her hands
"Well, Elena, you could say that this is my way of giving you the world," Elijah quipped as he removed the half-eaten calzone from her lap as she replaced it with the map, "You asked me along on this little road trip of yours, so I'm taking you wherever you want. Pick somewhere—anywhere on this map—and we'll go there…right now."
"Elijah…" Elena mused in a stunned voice, her eyes widening in surprise as she studied the map, trying to wrap her mind around the gift he now offered her.
"So, where do you want to learn to be a vampire?" Elijah encouraged with a smile, "Paris, Rome, London, Canada? If you can't decide, you can always use my method and just cover your eyes, then drop a finger—"
"Elijah, I can't leave the country, let alone the state," Elena said sadly, in a soft voice, keeping the map closed in her lap, willing herself not to open it, "And I can't stay away longer than a week, not with Jeremy still at home and everything in such a state of flux after—"
"Of course," Elijah lamented, tossing the calzone bag in the backseat of the car and taking the map from her gently, "I understand."
"I'm sorry," Elena sighed, closing her eyes, clearly aware that he seemed a little disappointed. She knew she was. "You're so kind to want to do this for me and I appreciate it, I do—"
"It's fine, Elena, really," Elijah smiled, staring at the map in his hands, "And you're right. We can exactly run off right now—I –I should have put more thought into it before I spoke."
"If it's any consolation," Elena said in a low voice, meeting his gaze, "I really wish we could."
"Me too," Elijah whispered, his eyes searching hers for a moment before he continued, "But, if you want to stay in the great state of Virginia, I know just the place for us to go. It's only about an hour from here."
"And what is this place exactly?" Elena asked, sitting back in her seat, intrigued as she watched Elijah put the map back into his door before pulling the keys out of his pocket and putting them in the ignition.
"My home," Elijah smirked as he put the car in gear
# # # # # # # #
"He hung up on me!" Klaus scoffed with a smirk as he sat back in the Adirondack chair on the back porch of the Salvatore mansion, "Can you believe that? After a thousand years, my brother actually hung up on me!"
"I'm sure you've done worse to him back in the day," Damon smiled as he took a seat in the chair next to the original and across from Caroline, sipping at the glass of the blood in his hand.
Klaus chuckled as he brought his own glass of whiskey to his lips, "Yes, but this wasn't daggers and drunken brawls, it was just plain… rude."
"See this?" Stefan smirked from the chair next to Klaus, holding up his right hand and pressing his thumb and forefinger together, rubbing it back and forth, "This is me…playing the worlds tiniest violin for you."
Klaus rolled his eyes.
But, Damon just sat forward in the chair, his face turning more serious as he focused on Klaus
"Did he say anything about where they were or when they might come back?" Damon asked
"If they come back," Stefan muttered matter-of-factually
Damon turned to Stefan.
"Thank you, Captain Pessimism," he said, eying his brother incredulously, "That's really helpful right now."
"I don't know," the original answered the older Salvatore brother truthfully and watched Damon sit back in his chair with a sigh, "You asked me to call him…and so I did. I never promised that I could put the fear of God in him or make him turn around and come back to this pathetic little town or get him to give up any information about their whereabouts, for that matter. Besides, Elena's letter said that she didn't want you two trying to find her. And I think, if that's what she wanted, you should keep your distance, mate."
"And is that what you want us to do, Klaus? Keep our distance?" Stefan suddenly asked, "You know, Rebekah and Kol hinted to us that they had seen it coming—Elena and Elijah. What about you, Klaus, did you see it coming?"
"Honestly," Klaus said, turning toward the younger Salvatore, "I didn't."
"Well," Stefan said sternly, looking down into his own glass twirling on his knee, "I don't believe you."
Damon straightened as he turned toward Stefan suddenly becoming aware of his brother's growing anger.
"Stefan…"
"You think I planned this?" Klaus asked, narrowing his eyes at Stefan
"If the diabolical shoe fits..." Stefan barked
"Whoa!" Damon cried, trying to intercede, "Back the 'diabolical' train up!"
"Elena left of her own free will, Stefan," Caroline quickly interjected, "No one forced her-"
"They are originals and she's a vampire with no vervain in her system. She could have been compelled." Stefan replied in a low, angry, voice
"And why would I want to do that, Stefan?" Klaus asked, intrigued
"You tell me," Stefan chided, "All you and your siblings have ever done since you arrived in Mystic Falls is use Elena for your own benefit. How do we know that this isn't any different?"
"You don't trust me..." Klaus said bluntly
"No. No, I don't," Stefan retorted
"Well, believe what you want…" Klaus scoffed as he set down his glass on the side table next to his chair, "If Elijah calls me back or I hear anything more, I'll have Caroline text you. You at least deserve to know that our little doppelganger is alive and well. Until then, you can continue working those gears in your little head, Stefan, trying to figure out my 'diabolical plan'. But, for now, I think this conversation is over."
Stefan smirked, refusing to fold his hand as he watched Klaus stand up, Caroline soon at his side.
"But, before I go," Klaus said, straightening his jacket, "I wish to have something returned to me. And, since I'm not invited inside your humble abode now that I'm inside my new body—"
"And it's going to stay that way," Stefan interjected, looking up from where he still sat, with a shrewd smile
"Could one of you be a peach and at least fetch me my bag? I would like my drawings, please. I left them in the parlor last night—"
"Not drawings," Stefan interjected, "You really just want Liliya's drawing-You mean the drawing you showed me when you made up that crap story to distract me, just as you and Elijah distracted Damon and I with the story of Tatia so that we would let Elena go because that is what was best for her? Uh...let me think...No. You don't deserve it."
Klaus cocked his head and smacked his lips as Caroline turned toward Stefan
"Seriously? What is your damage?" she whispered harshly
"My damage?" Stefan mocked, eying Caroline, "Are you so far under it that you can't see that after everything, he is still Klaus, the lying, murderous vampire fiend who destroys everything and everyone he touches? All the pain and misery he's brought to this town—"
"Stefan," Damon interjected in a low voice, "As much as I hate to say it, I have to agree with Blondie on this one. What is your deal, bro? Is this about Elena? I know you're upset...I am too, but I think you're cracking—"
"Of course it's about Elena!" Stefan scoffed, "And it's about him using Liliya to blind side us and it's about Klaus knowing more than he's saying and lying to us like he always has—"
"And I think that it's about you being a sore loser!" Klaus spat, immediately stepped forward angrily toward Stefan, but Caroline caught his chest with her arm, holding him back, "I think it's about you still being angry with me for using you—for driving Elena away from you when you turned 'Ripper' again—and into the arms of your brother! And I think that it's about you coming up with accusations about me being behind this to comfort yourself because you can't admit to being blindsided when it wasn't your brother she ran off with, it was mine!"
Stefan's nostrils flared and he sat forward, ready to open his mouth to speak, but Klaus spoke first after taking a breath to calm himself, his eyes moving from one Salvatore Brother to the other.
"Now, to answer your question…When I came to this tragic one horse town a year ago, yes, I immediately realized the similarities between you and Damon and myself and Elijah and our respective little love triangles with the Petrova doppelgangers. Did I know that Elena would fall in love with Elijah and leave town with him? No. I assumed that it would play out the same as it did a thousand years ago—"
"Wait? You think she's actually in love with him?" Stefan asked in a mocking tone
"You read the letter, Stefan…" Damon added, then pointed to Klaus, "Hell, he read the letter. We all read the letter. She wrote it herself in her own writing that she wasn't just leaving town to learn to be a vampire. She wrote that she had feelings for Elijah—that she thinks she 'could love him'."
"Ah! But, it's not the same as being 'in love' with him," Stefan interjected pointedly
"He's lost it..." Caroline whispered, shaking her head
"I am a Stelena shipper as much as anyone, Stefan," Klaus said his eyes intense, "And it's clear what's happened here. You won Katerina, so you can't understand why you lost Elena. But, do yourself a favor and don't be so naive from now on, alright? You just end up being the one who gets hurt and throwing temper tantrums when things don't happen the way you want them to."
His voice then lowered, and Damon thought he saw a tear well in the original's eye, "Take it from someone who has played the game of love…and lost."
There was a moment of silence as all four vampire looked at each other.
Then Stefan closed his eyes, quelling his remaining anger before pushing himself up out of his chair and marching toward the back porch door, slamming it behind him as he went back into the house.
Damon soon followed, slowing rising from his chair, taking one last swig from his glass before handing it to Klaus.
"Wait here," he said, "I'll go get your drawings."