Elena had barely managed to sleep for two hours when she found herself standing by the side of the pool. The sun would be rising in just over an hour, and the occupants of the house didn't tend to follow far behind; she wanted to enjoy the last of her time by herself before everyone else awoke.
She slipped into the pool with almost no sound, easily finding a rhythm with her laps along the length. Quickly, she found herself losing track of how many laps she'd done, allowing the easy movements to lull the thoughts in her brain to sleep.
Eventually, she became aware of another presence by the pool, turning around, she was surprised to see Elijah sat on the poolside. His suit jacket was laid over the back of one of the chairs and his socks and shoes sat beside it. He'd rolled up the bottoms of his slacks and his feet dangled into the cool water.
"Never thought I'd see the day," Elena scoffed, "Elijah Mikaelson, letting loose, if you can call this that."
"You seem to find great comfort out here, I thought I would see if I can find something similar." Elijah quirked his lips at Elena softly, tilting his head as he watched her tread water. "Everyone will be waking soon."
"Is it that late already?" Elena asked, more to herself than anything else, glancing at the lightening sky for a moment before turning back to Elijah. "How are you feeling?"
"Much better than I have for a few days." Elijah admitted, looking down at his feet. "I must confess, when I told you I suspected Marcellus had a witch in the wings, I didn't expect you to find her so soon."
Elena let out a soft laugh. "It wasn't intentional, just dumb luck."
"I suppose it was also dumb luck that stopped Marcellus from killing you on sight." Elijah quipped, raising a pointed eyebrow in Elena's direction. "What you did was reckless, Elena, you could have been killed."
"Well, I wasn't, was I?" Elena bit back, irritated with the direction their conversation was headed. "I told you, Elijah, you don't control me."
"You misunderstand me, Elena." Elijah's voice was soft, barely carrying to Elena on the soft breeze. "I am not trying, or wanting, to control your actions."
"Then what are you trying to do, Elijah?" She hissed back, moving through the water in a swift flurry of motion until she stood in front of Elijah; his position on the edge of the pool seeing him towering over her. "I'm partial to playing games, but I'm tired of this one, I want you to be straight with me."
"I'm always honest with you, Elena."
"Then answer me honestly," she breathed, leaning up to grab the front of Elijah's shirt and pull him slightly closer to her, "you compelled me away in Willoughby."
Elijah's eyes flashed in surprise at Elena's words, not expecting whatever she was about to ask, but he raised an eyebrow, signalling she should continue.
"You said you couldn't stand to be near me while I'm like this," she put a finger over his lips when he went to speak, cutting off any words he was about to form, "I don't want an apology, I want to know why you changed your mind."
Her finger lingered on his lips for a moment longer, before slowly trailing away.
"I couldn't leave you there." Elijah murmured after a moment, looking down at where Elena's hand clutched at his shirt, finding himself not caring that she was getting water all over his clothes. "You called out for me; when I rounded the corner and caught you…" He trailed off, shaking his head slightly. "I couldn't leave you there. I compelled you because I was being selfish, I couldn't stand to see what my family had turned you into, and you make me better too, Elena, not just where our illness is involved."
Elena found herself even more confused by his words, she felt like she only had more questions than she did answers. After a few moments of silence, Elijah looked up from where his gaze had fallen, waiting for Elena to say something.
Caught off-guard by Elijah's answer, all Elena could think to do was to break the tense atmosphere that had unwanted feelings stirring. She dragged Elijah into the pool, racing away from him in the split second she had before he regained any awareness of what had just happened, laughing when he darted towards her.
Elena only managed to evade Elijah for a few short minutes before he managed to grab ahold of her wrist, pulling her around to face him. His faster reflexes were the only thing that kept the pair of them on their feet in the violently sloshing water as she fell into Elijah.
"You ask for honesty, but you run from it when it's given." Elijah shook his head, water dripping from his hair with the movement and his chest heaving for breath. "I believe it's my turn to ask a question."
Elena frowned, surprised. "If you want to ask, go ahead."
"You kept my sickness from Niklaus, and you didn't reveal it to Marcellus or Davina."
"I don't hear a question." Elena whispered, trying to control her breathing as Elijah's hand that wasn't holding her wrist moved to her waist.
"Your emotions are off; why are you protecting me?" Elijah asked eventually, keeping hold of the brunette so she couldn't get the upper hand on him again.
"You're protecting me…" Elena breathed, closing her eyes to calm her thoughts. "I thought it made sense for it to go both ways."
"Do you remember what I told you when you were human?" Elijah probed. "About your heartbeat?" He said softly, leaning down to whisper in Elena's ear. "Your heart may beat more slowly now, but it still jumps when you're lying to me."
Elena swallowed thickly, her body shivering as Elijah's breath brushed her ear. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Do you know what I think, Elena?"
"I'm sure you're going to tell me." Elena murmured.
"I don't think your switch is as firmly off as you want everyone to think it is." Elijah pulled away slightly, looking Elena in the eyes. "I think a part of you still cares, Elena."
"My switch is off." Elena denied, trying her hardest to smother the emotions that Elijah was stirring up in her.
"If you can tell me you don't care about anything without your heartbeat betraying you, I'll believe you."
"Elijah…" Elena breathed, her tongue darting out to wet her lips as she found Elijah's lips a hairsbreadth away from hers.
"The Elena I care about is still in there," Elijah murmured, his lips brushing hers slightly as he spoke, as close as they were, "I can see you."
"Well, isn't this cosy." Klaus broke the electric atmosphere that was bubbling between the pair and causing Elena to pull away like she'd been burned. He narrowed his eyes at the pair stood in the centre of the pool, having not missed the fact that they'd been about to kiss before he'd shown up. "Get yourselves sorted out, we need a plan."
Elena avoided eye contact with both of the Originals, disappearing inside the house; grabbing Elijah's suit jacket on the way to cover the bikini that Caroline had bought round in the bag of clothes she'd dropped off.
She shut her door firmly behind her, leaning against it and breathing heavily. Elijah was affecting her more than she'd anticipated he'd be able to, and she couldn't understand why. He wasn't supposed to be getting to her this much, but she seemed powerless to do anything about it, somehow Elijah was under her skin, and she wasn't sure if she could shake him.
When Elena returned to the lounge, it simultaneously felt like several hours had passed, and yet she felt like she hadn't had nearly long enough to find some composure. She left her hair half-wet, flouncing into the living room in a red, flowery dress. Deliberately, she sat far from where she knew Elijah would sit. Thankfully, that also put her away from Hayley, who regarded her with a look akin to one Elena would expect if she'd just bit into a lemon.
"Yes, Hayley?" Elena turned her sunny smile on the wolf, her eyes narrow and measured.
Hayley let out a breathy scoff, shaking her head. "You don't have a clue what you do to people, do you?"
Elena raised an eyebrow at her, laughing a second later. "Oh, don't tell me you've got feelings for Elijah. That's hilarious, you get knocked up with Klaus's baby, and then immediately turn your attention to the other brother."
"You're hardly one to talk about playing brothers against each other." Hayley snapped, glaring at Elena.
The fake smile fell from Elena's face, her features hardening instantly. "Let's be perfectly clear, Hayley, the only reason I haven't killed you is because of the child you carry. If you really want to test the limits of the morals I hold without my emotions then carry on, otherwise, you might want to think twice before you start something you can't finish." Her voice was a harsh hiss by the time she finished talking, and Hayley's eyes had narrowed more so, if that was even possible.
"I trust you two are playing nice." Rebekah said pointedly as she entered the room, satisfied when Elena resumed an unbothered lounge on the couch.
"I always play nice." Elena grinned at the blonde, ignoring Hayley's scoff as the two men entered the room.
Elijah had changed clothes and was donning a fresh suit jacket, to the untrained eye he looked as composed as ever, but Elena could see a hint of his frazzled nature under his façade. Klaus, on the other hand, did nothing to hide the irritation on his face and the tense set of his jaw. The two had clearly had some sort of argument, Elena could only assume that it was about what Klaus had witnessed in the pool, she couldn't imagine that he would be happy with it in the slightest.
Elijah took his usual seat, assessing the room swiftly as he moved; the tension between Elena and Hayley was nothing new, but it seemed to be nearing boiling point.
"I think it's time we discuss why you thought it was a good idea to bring Marcel to this house, not to mention the extremely powerful witch that seems to harbour an immense loyalty to him." Klaus was on the offensive immediately, glaring at Elena.
"Did you really get up at the crack of dawn just to argue with me?" Elena quipped, rolling her eyes as Rebekah snorted.
"As much as I enjoy you talking back to Nik," Rebekah grinned at her brother, "I do happen to agree with him in this instance, with the conditions of Elijah and Hayley, you shouldn't've brought them here."
Elena pursed her lips, letting out a long sigh. "I didn't bring them here."
"Uhm, I think you kinda did." Hayley snarked, holding Elena's glare evenly.
"And I think you're too stupid for your own good," Elena grinned, "guess we all have our opinions."
"Enough." Surprisingly, it was Klaus who intervened before Elijah could, his eyes flashing yellow as he glared at Elena. "What, exactly, happened with Marcellus and Davina?"
Elena sighed again, crossing her arms over her chests, her lips pursing again as she thought, irritation coursing through her. "We talked, for a long time, mostly just Davina and I. Marcel was more...apprehensive than Davina, we weren't discussing for very long before…" She trailed off, a muscle in her jaw twitching.
"Before what?" Klaus bit out, Rebekah's hand on his arm the only thing stopping him from physically attacking Elena.
"I passed out." Elena grit, reluctantly, taking a breath before rolling her eyes and flipping her hair over her shoulder, grinning at the hybrid. "Whatever the hell was affecting Elijah, got me too. Davina got into my memories to find out where I was staying and they brought me back here, I'd only just woken up when I came in."
"Why didn't you say anything?" Elijah asked, frowning at Elena, concern lightly showing on his features.
"I didn't realise I was living with the Salvatores." Elena quipped, holding Elijah's gaze steadily, despite the flash of hurt she could see in his eyes. "If you'll all excuse me, I'm really not interesting in scheming away today."
She stood from the couch fluidly, smoothing her dress down and passing a sunny smile at the occupants of the room briefly before she flounced away.
"Where are you going?" Rebekah asked, the first to dare to respond.
"I need a bite to eat." Elena shrugged, pulling on a leather jacket. "Don't worry, Elijah, I remember your little rules."
"Where have you been?" Elijah pounced on Elena as soon as she stepped through the threshold later that evening, it might've been early in the morning, she wasn't really sure.
"Out." She said shortly, rolling her eyes as she hung her jacket up. "Like I said."
"You've been gone for nearly twenty-four hours, Elena!"
"I was hungry." Elena scoffed, walking past Elijah towards the stairs; huffing when he grabbed her wrist to stop her.
"Did you not consider that I might have been worried about you?" He asked, his voice suddenly soft as he gently turned over her hand in his, encasing it in his own hands.
Elena pretended to think for a moment before shrugging and tugging her hand from his. "Nope, can't say I thought about you at all." She spun away from him, a lithe movement on the ball of her heel that had her hair flicking behind her.
"Oh!" Quickly, she turned back to him, having only made it up a few stairs. "I almost forgot, I was meaning to say thank you."
"For what?" Elijah muttered, slipping his hands into the pockets of his slacks as he looked up at her, his features resigned.
"You were right, my switch was slipping, but the problem's been rectified now, so, thank you, for pointing that out." She clarified when he didn't react, tilting her head at him curiously when he said nothing, only stared back at her. After a moment, she shrugged and turned back, continuing up the stairs. "Oh, and don't worry, I didn't kill anyone!"
HisSecretLover18: So, uhh, I guess I've kinda made you happy by heating this chapter up more, we've cooled right down at the end there though…Yessss, deffo need some girl bonding soon! Thank you so much!
midnight-writer97: I don't know how I do it! I just hope I can keep doing it! Plenty more moments between them in here ;) I'm not sure where we're going next, but they tend to write themselves! Ohmygod, you've summed it up perfectly! It plays so toxically now when you actually think of it! Especially after S2 when Elena just loses any personality she was building up and does whatever they say, I just don't understand how I ever thought it was romantic! I think they actually got upset when she tried to learn to defend herself with Rick! Aha, I could rant about this for sooo long, it makes me so mad! Hopefully this was up to your standards ;)
Guest: Yessss! I now aspire to achieve chefs kisses all the time! Thank you so, so much! I'm upset with myself for sending them backwards in this chapter, but it feels more natural than anything else!
As always, you guys absolutely rule! I love hearing from you, which is why I keep updating this story so often! I've also just realised that I've written nearly as many words for this as I have for my own novel in over a year! This just flows so easily I can't help it!
As always, I look forward to hearing from you!
Until next time
~ I x