((Well, gotta say that I still don't feel like this was my best writing, but... Oh, well. There is always next chapter:) Long week with a lot going on and I just wanted to get something out for my devoted readers before the holiday weekend. More updates coming soon.))

"You've got to be kidding me..." Jeremy mused, sitting back in astonishment as he held up three of Elena's floorboards, where Bonnie said Stefan had been standing, and the witch pulled a stack of leather-bound journals from the space below.

"So, did Caroline fill you in on what's going on when she called?" Stefan inquired, folding his arms across his chest as he watched them

"Just the 'cliff notes' version," Bonnie sighed, as she looked over her shoulder at the younger Salvatore brother, "Rogue vampire hunter on the loose…five vampires and two warlocks trapped in your house… that they need us to find the Gilbert journals because they might hold the key to stopping said hunter and to, under no circumstances, contact Elena, who I've recently discovered has left town with Elijah, and I'm guessing has no idea that you're …"

She suddenly trailed off, her face falling in sadness

"It's okay, Bonnie," Stefan finished, giving her a reassuring smile, "You can say it… I'm dead."

"Yeah…How did that happen by the way?" Jeremy asked, narrowing his eyes in confusion as he lowered the floorboards

"Our new friend the 'rogue vampire hunter'," Stefan replied, his voice inflected with sadness and anger, "As it turns out, my death was the bait for the trap he set...the one that everyone is now caught in."

"I'm so sorry…" Bonnie whispered, a tear falling down her cheek involuntarily

"No 'sorry' is necessary, Bonnie," Stefan replied, "Just find something in those journals that can save my brother and the others, so I can rest easy on the other side."

"Oh, my God! Stefan—" Bonnie suddenly gasped, noticing that the spell was ending and that the vampire's apparition was slowly fading

"Looks like I don't have much time…" Stefan smirked sadly as he looked down to his quickly disappearing body, then back up to the witch

"What's wrong? What's happening to him?" Jeremy suddenly asked

"He's leaving…the spirits are calling him back," Bonnie answered, her eyes panicked, unsure what she should do as her eyes moved back to Stefan, "The spell was only temporary…I –I can't do anything to stop it—"

"Listen to me, Bonnie…" Stefan interjected, bringing his gaze to hers once more, his green eyes softening in reassurance, "This is how it should be. I don't belong here…not anymore. Just tell Elena that I'm alright and that I found Lexi on the other side," he smiled as his feet and legs slowly disappeared, "And tell Damon that I love him…" he continued, his voice breaking with emotion, as his torso vanished soon after, "Tell him that I have never forgotten my very first memory of him—standing over me in my baby bed and giving me his hand—and that, even in death, I've still got quite a grip and I'm never letting go…I'm with him always—"

"Stefan!" Bonnie cried as she watched the rest of the vampire quickly evaporate into thin air

# # # # # # #

Elijah took in a staggered breath, quickly raising his face from where it had been resting in his hands when he heard familiar footsteps on the stairway. He immediately stood from the chair he had been sitting in the downstairs hallway and moved with vampire speed to foot of the stairs, meeting Vivienne as she reached the bottom landing.

"Please tell me she's alright…" he whispered in a trembling voice, his dark eyes worried as they searched the witch's

"She's alright," Vivienne nodded with a sympathetic smile, sensing his immediate need for reassurance

"Oh, thank you…" Elijah whispered in quiet benediction as he closed his eyes in relief and turned away from her, leaning on the wall for support as he tried to quell his emotions, "I thought—I thought I…"

"You almost did," Vivienne added in her thick French accent as she stepped down from the landing and put a hand on his shoulder, turning him toward her, "She's got a good chunk taken out of her neck and has lost a lot of blood, Elijah, not to mention that she's still in a state of shock from when your connection broke and she passed out… all in all, I'd say she's lucky—"

"I know..." Elijah lamented, closing his eyes

"I have to ask…" Vivienne said in disbelief, "What possessed you to do something so reckless?—"

"I don't know," Elijah sighed, his voice breaking as he opened his eyes again and leaned his head back on the wall, "We were in the woods and she—she just suddenly lost it and became emotional and hungry. I tried to get her to use her touchstone, control her hunger and go back to the house, but she said something about how it was a different kind of hunger and then she took my wrist—"

"So you let her feed from you? That's how this started? " Vivienne asked, confused

"Honestly, I just did it to call her bluff," Elijah confessed, "and make her snap out of her emotions and find clarity, but she… "

"She called your bluff instead?" Vivienne mused with an arched eyebrow

"You could say that…" Elijah sighed again, his tone turning to self-inflicting anger, "I let her do it and when she—when she looked at me afterward, I couldn't control my self—my emotions…they got the better of me."

"And that's when you fed from her…" Vivienne finished

Elijah nodded, grimacing

Vivienne brought her hand to his shoulder reassuringly, "Elijah, you couldn't have known that this would happen—"

"No, but I should have…" Elijah said softly, shaking his head as he pulled out of her grasp and walked over to sit on the staircase, "I should have known that I wouldn't be able to stop—"

"Well, since the beginning, vampire blood sharing has always been tricky business, Elijah..." Vivienne interjected then walked over to him and held out her hand to the original, who gave a small smirk before taking it and helping her elderly frame sit down on the stair next to him.

"Emotions run high and that is what makes it both wonderful and dangerous all at the same time," she continued "But, again, I have to say, that I'm surprised you would be so reckless—so impulsive. You are the last person I ever expected to have their human emotions control them in a situation like that—that's usually Rebekah or Niklaus, not you. You are always so rational—always listening to your head over your heart."

"I know...I know... it's just—I'm—I'm weak when it comes to her, Vivienne, I always have been…" Elijah replied, turning his head toward the witch as she rested her chin on his shoulder and studied him, "For centuries, I tried to control my emotions or at least, keep them in check. And then, I meet Elena and it all went out the window! Nowadays, my head and my heart fight for top billing."

"You're in love with her," Vivienne suddenly realized, smiling at him with a raised eyebrow, lifting her chin from his shoulder

There was a moments pause before the original responded.

"Yes," Elijah admitted, sighing as he closed his eyes and leaned back onto the stairs, bringing his hand to his forehead "Completely and hopelessly in love with her…so in love with her, in fact, that I let her feed from me and then I fed from her and almost killed her!"

"But you didn't," Vivienne said, laying back on the stairs next to him and turning to face him again, rubbing his shoulder, "Don't be so hard on yourself. It could have happened to anyone…trust me. And what vampire wouldn't want to feed from you? You are an attractive, single man… with flawless hair, I might add..."

Elijah gave an uncertain chuckle, "Uh…Thanks for that…I guess…"

"Well it's true." Vivienne added, "And I will also say that I had wondered from the beginning what was going on between the two of you. Then, when I did a few incantations over her to accelerate her healing, I sensed it...your connection, I mean, and…Ouf! I have to say, it's quite something."

"You could say that again…" Elijah sighed, turning toward her

"So you've felt it?" Vivienne inquired

"Oh…yeah…" Elijah said, remembering the feeling every time their skin touched, "And it's only gotten worse since she's turned. Look at what happened today."

"You know, the servants of nature have always been aware of the existence of soul mates, Elijah. But, I've never seen it manifested so strongly," Vivienne smirked, "And if you love her and she loves you—"

"I don't know how she feels…" Elijah said softly

"She's never said anything to you?"

Elijah shook his head

"Well, I think she'll tell you...and sooner than you think," Vivienne winked

"How do you know?" Elijah suddenly asked, lifting himself up onto his elbows on the staircase

"Because, I can tell you right now—that girl lost a lot of blood and that girl nearly died and is still in shock, but you did not, and I repeat, did not, cause that girl an ounce of pain...it was all pleasure."

Elijah huffed

"And she would never have found your blood so appealing if she didn't already feel something for you..." Vivienne pointed out and Elijah turned his head away

"Alright, Captain Pessimism," Vivienne said, patting Elijah's knee with one hand before grabbing hold of the stair railing with the other to lift herself up, "Get up and come with me. I've got something that's going to make you feel a whole lot better about this whole situation."

"Pie?" Elijah asked a little too hopeful, sitting up and following her lead

"No. Better than pie… and just as sweet."

# # # # # #

"'Better hurry or you'll miss that plane'," Klaus said in perfect sync with Humphrey Bogart's voice, then sighed, "Now this is the epitome of a classic movie scene," he pointed out as he pulled his eyes from the last scene of 'Casablanca' playing on the big screen TV in the Salvatore's living room and turned to Caroline on the couch next to him, only to smile when he saw that she had fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder, "And I'm talking to myself…"

"Hey, what's going on in here?" Misha announced, walking into the room as the credits rolled onto the screen, "Having some—"

But Klaus immediately interrupted, turning to Misha and putting up a hand to silence him with a wink before pointing over to the slumbering female vampire on his shoulder.

Misha smirked before looking over to the screen as the movie returned to the title menu.

"She fell asleep during 'Casablanca'?" he scoffed with a chuckle when he realized what they had been watching, "It should be illegal to fall asleep during 'Casablanca'."

"Agreed," Klaus nodded, then handed the half-bowl of popcorn of his lap up to the warlock, "Popcorn?"

"Sure," warlock smiled, taking the bowl into his hands and scooping up a handful

"What are the others up to?" the original asked, then kissed Caroline's forehead before pulling himself gently out from under her and laying her head on the pillow behind him.

"Kaspar is teaching Kol and Rebekah how to play 'Candy Land'..." Misha offered, then watched Klaus suddenly turn from where he was now standing and look at him with an amused look, his jaw dropping in a mixture of awe and surprise.

"Don't worry, I took a picture with my phone for posterity!" Misha laughed as he tossed another handful of popcorn into his mouth.

"I appreciate that," Klaus smiled as he walked over to the DVD player on top of television, ejecting the movie disc, "It's nice to capture one-of-a-kind family moments like that. And where's Damon?"

"Upstairs in his room. He said he wanted to be alone," Misha said softly,

Then after a moment's pause continued, "So what movie are we going to watch next? Because I'm sure as hell not going back in there! I don't really fancy being another candy cane in Candy Land."

"Well," Klaus said as he closed the DVD case and walked over to the Salvatore brothers' collection resting on two shelves of the book case built into the wall, "I was thinking perhaps… "

Misha laughed as Klaus made a drum roll sound with his tongue, then dramatically turned to face the warlock with his choice in hand.

"The Philadelphia Story," he smirked, raising an eyebrow

"Yes!" Misha cheered quietly then set the popcorn bowl down on the coffee table, "Another classic! Just let me use the little cowboy's room and grab a beer while you're setting it up."

"Could you bring me some blood, too?" Klaus asked over his shoulder as he opened the DVD case and walked back to the television, "I'm feeling a bit peckish."

"Sure," Misha responded

Suddenly, a song started playing in the room, resonating loudly.

"What the hell?" Misha mused with a smirk when he realized that it was Bon Jovi's 'Wanted'

"Caroline," Klaus realized immediately, chuckling as he closed the DVD tray and walked over to the sleeping vampire on the couch, who continued to sleep soundly as her phone vibrated in her back jean pocket.

She mumbled and turned her head slightly when Klaus reached gently inside her pants and pulled out her Nokia Lumia.

Then his eyes suddenly widened as he held the phone up for Misha to see the caller ID screen and mouthed, 'It's Bonnie.'

Misha nodded, stepped forward, and silently motioned for Klaus to hand him the phone. Then the two exchanged a knowing look that told the original to pick up his pile of coins from where they sat on the coffee table.

When Klaus had started letting the coins fall back and forth through his hands, creating interference to block Dominic's hearing, Misha finally hit the 'answer' button.

"Bonnie, it's Misha," he said in a direct tone

"Uh…Hi…" the witch answered in a confused voice, "Where is Caroline?"

"She's fine," Misha replied, "She just fell asleep. What's up?"

"Well, we've got the Gilbert journals," Bonnie announced

Misha closed his eyes in relief, then opened them quickly and focused them on Klaus, giving him a thumbs up with his free hand.

"That's great, Bonnie. We appreciate your help," Misha said as he slowly lowered his hand

"Sure," Bonnie responded, "You guys still doing okay?"

"As well as can be expected," Misha observed, "No one's gone too crazy with cabin fever…well...yet."

"Good," Bonnie said, "So, I guess we'll pack up the journals and get over there as soon as we can—"

"You cannot, under any circumstances, bring the journals over here…it's too dangerous," Misha suddenly interjected, " In fact, you and Jeremy should probably leave the Gilbert House as soon as we hang up and get to a safe location—do not even tell us where it is—and stay there. Dominic cannot know you've found the journals."

"Okaaaay…" Bonnie said, her voice inflected with confusion

"Look, I'm not sure what his next move will be or how much time we'll have," Misha replied honestly, "And since those journals may be our only leverage to defeat him, we need to keep the fact that we have them on the down low. So, you and Jeremy just need to get to a safe location, read through the journals and call us back and let us know what you find—"

"Uh…that could take a while," Jeremy interjected, and Misha realized that Bonnie had put him on speaker phone, "I've read most of the journals, but it looks like there are some new ones here that I haven't seen before."

"Well, just skim them if you have to," Misha replied

"And what exactly are we looking for?" Bonnie asked, "You and Caroline have both mentioned that these journals could be the key to stopping the vampire hunter… but how?"

"It seems that in addition to exacting revenge on Elijah and destroying the original family to restore the balance of nature as was intended a thousand years ago, Dominic may also be looking for a way to be human again and to do that, he wants to regains his soul, but he needs to find it first and thinks it may be here in Mystic Falls. So, I would cross reference anything in the journals that have to do with vampire hunters, tattoos or souls…oh, and Kaspar thinks that all of this might have something to do with Johnathan Gilbert's inventions, but I'm not sure how—"

"Oh, my God…the inventions...the soul...that's it!" Bonnie whispered in suddenly realization

"What is it?" Misha asked in a worried tone

"I—I recently had a vision in my sleep," Bonnie started rambling, "Emily Bennett, my ancestor—our ancestor—well, technically my ancestor and your—well, I don't know what she would be to you…But that's beside the point! The point is that when she came to me, she said 'The heart of the invention is the soul'. Then Johnathan Gilbert appeared with one of his inventions in hand…his watch…"

"Of course!" Jeremy Gilbert suddenly exclaimed "I've read most of Johnathan Gilbert's earlier journals. They are full of ramblings about the vampire threat and day-to-day life in Mystic Falls, but they were also full of drawings, formulas and stories about his inventions and how they worked—"

"But, that's just it," Misha interjected, "None of them worked—"

"Actually, they did…" Jeremy added, "If I remember right, back in 1864, Johnathan Gilbert wrote that he used his pocket watch—which he had converted to a vampire compass— to help the town council round up the vampires in Mystic Falls. The vampires were immobilized, captured and then burned in Fell's Church."

"I had no idea…" Misha whispered, surprised, "Katerina had discovered who I was and I had left Mystic Falls by then—"

"But, there was a reason that they worked…" Jeremy emphasized

"Emily spelled them," Bonnie suddenly added, "Both the Gilbert device and the compass...She did it to protect her family from the vampires and keep the town council from exposing her as a witch. It sounds crazy, I know and a little far- fetched…and I'm just throwing it out there…but 'the heart of the invention is the soul' sounds pretty ominous. What if by some weird chance, Dominic's soul had something to do with Emily's spells and how the inventions worked? "

"It doesn't sound crazy," Jeremy defended, "When Johnathan Gilbert wrote about showing his inventions to the Founding families, he said that they had thought the devices moved like they were possessed by some other worldly spirit—"

"Bonnie," Misha suddenly said, his tone turning breathless, "When you saw Johnathan Gilbert in the dream, did he say or do anything with the watch?"

"Uh…he just stood there with it in his hands and watched the compass point toward Jeremy, then his voice changed and his eyes darkened and he said something about how 'One must die, so that I may live'? Do you know what that means?"

"Bonnie…" Misha said softly, his mind immediately racing, "You know that every witch has a grimoire…I'm having a thought here and to confirm it, I think you need to find Emily's—"

"It's at my house, actually…" Bonnie replied quickly, "We can head there now."

"Perfect. When you get your hands on it, look specifically for spells relating to object possession and if you find any, call me back right away."

"Will do," Bonnie replied

"And Jeremy?" Misha asked

"Yo…" Jeremy announced himself

"When you look through the new journals, see if you can find out what happened to Johnathan Gilbert's inventions through the centuries and where they might be now."

"That's easy," Jeremy immediately replied, "They were kept in the family. The watch, in particular, was handed down. But, if you want to know where it is, I think Elena was the last to have it."

Misha's eyes widened as he shared a look with Klaus

"Well, that's an interesting turn of events…" Misha mused

# # # # # #

"I can't go in there…" Elijah whispered as he gently grabbed Vivienne's hand before she could turn the doorknob on Elena's bedroom door, "I'm not prepared…physically, emotionally, existentially—"

"She been asking for you," Vivienne stated with a small smile and watched as Elijah's face turned to awe as he straightened and pulled away his hand

"What?"

"Since she woke up…she's been asking for you. She wants to see you-talk to you. So suck it up, boy! You are going in there," Vivienne said, then turned the doorknob and quietly opened the door, before nudging Elijah inside.

# # # # # #

Elena whimpered as she turned her head under the covers.

She felt extremely tired and her neck was sore, but otherwise, she felt…

Good. Really good.

Her only wish was that she knew how Elijah felt about the whole situation.

It had happened so fast and it was so amazing—liberating and free—and the pleasure…

God...

Elena's nerve ending started to tingle just remembering it.

"Elena…" she heard a familiar voice suddenly whisper and her eyes forced themselves open to see Elijah, dressed in a white t-shirt and dress pants, take a seat on the edge of the bed next to her.

Elena swallowed nervously just having him in such close proximity.

And it wasn't out of fear—even after what Vivienne told her had happened—it was out of…

Lust?

Elena could still taste his blood in the back of her throat. It had been like heaven, feeling his arm bracing around her, holding her close to his body as she drank from him.

It made her feel safe and warm and needed.

"How are you feeling?" Elijah asked, breaking her out of her thoughts, his eyes worried as they studied her anxiously

"I feel fine. A little tired, but otherwise... just fine," Elena smiled, adjusting herself on her pillows unsuccessfully

"Here," Elijah said, leaning forward, gently placing one hand behind her neck and lifting her against his chest as he adjusted the stack of pillows behind her head, then helped her lay back.

Elena closed her eyes in pleasure as she drunk in the scent from his shirt and felt the connection hum between their skin, the fact that it was even still there after what they had been through, reassuring.

And by the mixture of emotions on Elijah's face as he pulled back, she could tell that he still felt it too.

"Thanks," Elena smirked, opening her eyes and focusing them on the original

They sat in silence for a few moments before Elijah reached forward and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and tucked it gently behind her ear.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered, the guilt immediately flooding his face, "I'm so sorry—"

"Elijah, it's alright—" Elena started, capturing his hand in hers as he pulled it back, trying to sooth him

"But, I could have killed you," Elijah said softly, now studying his hand in hers, unable to look her in the eyes, "I should have never let things get so out of hand."

"Elijah, you didn't do anything wrong. If anyone is to blame for this it's me," Elena sighed, "I lost control and practically forced myself on you out there in the woods-"

"Well, I'm the one who should be teaching you control—" Elijah lamented

"And you have," Elena commended, "But sometimes there are some things—some emotions— you can't control, Elijah."

"Every emotion can be controlled, Elena," Elijah replied, still unable to look at her, "it just takes time and discipline—"

"Can I ask you something?" Elena suddenly interjected

And there was a moment's pause as Elijah suddenly raised his eyes to meet hers, responding with the one word he always gives her upon such a request

"Anything," he whispered

Elena smiled, then took a deep breath before she asked her question

"Can you control your feelings for me?"

Elijah stared at her in stunned surprise for a moment, opening his mouth to speak, but found that he couldn't make the words come out.

Finally, with Elena's soft, inquiring gaze still on him, waiting for his answer, he just closed his eyes and shook his head with a sad smile.

Elena furrowed her eyebrows in concentration for a moment then took in a shaky breath before sitting up further on her pillows and nodding her head resolutely.

"Good. Then, it seems that we are on the same page…" she said, a slow smile starting to cross her face as she held Elijah's hand tighter, "because I can't seem to control my feelings for you either."