When The Sun Rises

by MadameXOX

The universe has not been kind to Elena Mikaelson. She's been abducted, she's been hunted, she's even been thrown off a damn cliff for crying out loud! So it stands to reason that she might be a little traumatized, okay? But that's fine, she can deal. At least, that's what she tells herself. Luckily for her, no one is about to let her try and cope on her own. This is a sequel

19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

On Tuesday morning, Elena woke to a silent home as she did every morning.

Except, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something very, very wrong.

She cast her eyes across her room as her brain slowly came to life. She could feel eyes on her, though she couldn't work out where it was coming from.

She slowly pushed herself up, pushing her blankets off her legs as she got to her feet, her shaking fingers flicking on her bedside lamp just in time to watch a dark blur fly out of her open window.

Her window that she hadn't opened since she'd gotten back from Montana.

"Elijah," she whispered in a shaky voice, her hand automatically flying up to cover her mouth and nose as her whole body began to tremble, "Elijah," she called slightly louder and then she was running from her room, her curls whipping around her shoulders as she tore down the hallway, none of her usual morning quietness surrounding her as her feet noisily padded down the hallway until she came to Elijah's door.

For a moment, she just stood there. Was this really worth waking Elijah up? She hadn't been hurt, but-

Jeremy.

And she was running again, a sudden flush of panic spurring her on until she was bursting through his door, ignoring Daisy as she barked at Elena's abrupt entrance and then Elena was crossing the room, her heart in her throat as she tugged Jeremy's blanket down and he blinked at her blearily,

"Elena?" His voice was deeper with sleep, but he was talking, and he was okay-

And she crumpled to the floor, burying her head into his mattress as Daisy snuffled her way onto Elena's lap,

"Elena? Is everything alright?"

"What's going on in here?!"

Elena looked up at Elijah's voice, unaware that she was crying until Elijah crossed the room and crouched in front of her, gently wiping her tears from her cheeks,

"Hey, it's alright," she threw herself at him, letting his arms ground her back to reality, "Did you have a nightmare?" he was keeping his voice quiet for her benefit, and it could only be for her benefit because behind him, in the doorway, was a gaggle of pj-clad Mikaelsons, so he wasn't doing it for them,

"N- No," she hiccupped as her fists closed around Elijah's pj top, "There was someone in my room-"

She hadn't had a chance to finish her sentence before Niklaus, in his unfortunately terrible morning mood, tore from Jeremy's room with a snarl. He was quickly followed by the others and Elena could practically feel Elijah vibrating with the need to inspect her bedroom,

"I- I woke up, and something was just wrong, and when I put the light on, I saw something run and jump out of my window, I'm not mad, Elijah, I saw it! And I haven't opened my window since, since-"

"I know," he cooed as his hands began to run through her hair, "I know, you're alright, though? You're not hurt?"

Elena shook her head, her lifting her head to meet Elijah's gaze,

"No, I'm okay. I was coming to get you," she admitted quietly, "But then I thought about Jeremy, and I had this panic in my chest-"

Elijah smiled softly down at her, gently swiping her hair from her forehead,

"That panic," he began, "Is how we all feel whenever you are in danger," she swallowed and averted her eyes, "It's normal, and it's okay. Look, Jeremy's fine. He could probably do with a bit more sleep, mind you, but he's not hurt."

She swallowed thickly and nodded, letting Elijah help her to her feet and then Elijah watched as Jeremy climbed out of his bed,

"You can sleep for a while longer, if you'd like," Elijah offered but Jeremy shook his head,

"Nah, I'm up now," Jeremy wrapped one hand around Elena's shoulder, "Come on, you can show me how to tend to the animals, if you'd like."

Elena nodded, running a shaky hand through her curls as Elijah gently cupped her face,

"Niklaus and Kol have gone in pursuit of whoever was in your room," he then stretched out his spare arm and pulled Jeremy into their little hug, "Trust us to keep the pair of you safe. We will handle this."

Jeremy's voice was muffled by Elijah's shoulder when he spoke,

"I mean, I wasn't worried anyway."

But Elijah ignored him, squeezing the pair of them one more time before releasing them,

"Your bedroom is secure," he told Elena with a little smile, "Go and change. You, too, Jeremy, I won't have you going out in the snow in your pyjamas. I am going to go and prepare myself for the day."

Elena nodded and stepped towards the door,

"I'm sorry for waking you all up," she muttered but Elijah shook his head,

"No one is upset at being woken for this, Elena. I cannot put into words how proud I am that in spite of your own fear, not only did you immediately come to me for help, but you then ran to check on our youngest addition. I'm so proud, in fact, that I might make those waffles that I know you like so much."

Elena huffed out a little laugh before nodding,

"Thank you, 'Lijah."

And then she left Jeremy's room, slowly heading back into hers.

Her window had been closed in her absence.

She sighed as she pulled on her workout gear, tugging on the first set that she found and pairing it with thick, warm socks and her sneakers.

To avoid the nagging she'd no doubt get now that her brothers were awake, Elena also slid on a jacket before tying her hair back into a messy ponytail and grabbing her phone.

She made her way downstairs, ignoring the fact that her tremors hadn't ceased, and she met Jeremy in the kitchen. He offered her a little grin as she raised one unimpressed brow at him.

He'd very clearly pulled a pair of jeans on top of his pjs bottoms and she was certain that if she opened his jacket, he hadn't bothered to change his top.

But he just shrugged, grabbing an apple out of the fruit bowl and taking a large bite out of it as Elena made her way to the back door.

The snow hadn't stopped since Sunday and the back yard was now covered in a blanket of white, sparkling fluff that clung to her sneakers while she walked,

"The chickens will bully you for that apple," she told him as she opened the gate to the chicken run for Jeremy, leading him over to the coop, "We've got to be quick, or they'll get out and I don't fancy my morning workout being a game of chase the chickens."

Jeremy nodded seriously, taking another bite of his apple as Elena shoved him inside the coop, shutting the door behind her.

She handed him the bag of feed and then grabbed her phone, snapping photos of him with the birds and grinning when they ignored their food in favour of his apple, which he promptly dropped when one of the chickens flew onto his shoulder and pecked it right out of his hands,

"Your birds are bullies," he grumbled and she nudged him with her elbow,

"Nah, these guys are cool. You should ask Finn to introduce you to the geese, though. They're a lot of fun."

Jeremy narrowed his eyes at her while she checked that the chickens heater was still working and then she spent a few minutes cooing over them before leading Jeremy out of their area.

He rubbed the back of his neck while he watched her secure their run,

"It's weird," he said after a minute and she frowned at him in confusion,

"What's weird?"

"You. And this," he gestured to the farm, "And the weirdest bit as that it's not weird at all, that you seem to just really enjoy it."

Elena pursed her lips as she shook some snow out of Jeremy's hair,

"I do like it," she told him quietly, "I love it, actually. I can't wait for the spring to come so Finn can teach me all about the various vegetables and fruits that we're growing."

Jeremy shook his head, a little grin on his face as Elena led him round to the goats space which Niklaus had put round the side of the manor, near the greenhouse.

They had a large, tall, fenced zone filled with toys, a seesaw, bridges and various spots for climbing and, of course, their little house.

Elena brushed the snow off their toys while Jeremy opened their door, nearly getting barrelled over by the two very excited goats that were noisily bleating their greetings at the pair of humans in their home.

Elena giggled as Gina gently head-butted her legs, petting her with a soft smile,

"Good morning to you, too! Aren't you a happy girly today?"

Isaac was impatiently waiting for Jeremy to give him food, bleating loudly at her little brother until he put their food bowl back in their house, now filled with vegetables and goat feed.

She and Jeremy fussed over the goats for a while, until the cold began to seep into Elena's skin and she dragged him back inside.

Between her bedroom intruder and showing Jeremy her little slice of farm life, Elena didn't have time to run this morning if she wanted to get to work on time, so she ground her teeth together and made her way back to her room, jumping in the shower and letting the hot water pound into her still tense shoulders.

She spent a little extra time in the shower, letting the heat warm her bones and when she got out, she wrapped a fuzzy towel around herself and then proceeded to almost have a heart attack when she stepped back into her bedroom and found Caroline sat on her bed with Rebekah,

"Jesus, you could've knocked or something!"

Caroline blinked at her and wrinkled her nose,

"Why? You've not got anything under there that I haven't got."

Elena just sighed, grabbing a scrunched up part of a failed essay and hurling it at the blonde, who grinned and grabbed it out of the air,

"This is why people think that we're a lesbian couple," she grumbled and Caroline just shot her a grin, which made Elena shake her head, "What are you doing here? I didn't think I'd see you till later on."

Caroline's face fell, her mouth setting into a straight line before she turned to Rebekah,

"I told you," Caroline whined, "I told you she didn't get it."

Rebekah crossed her arms over her chest and Elena got the distinct impression that she was in trouble,

"Elena," Rebekah spoke slowly, "What are you wearing to your date today?"

Elena frowned, pulling her towel tighter around herself,

"I don't have a date today and I'm wearing my work clothes, why, what are you wearing?" She fixed her eyes on Caroline, who was staring at her with an open mouth,

"You can't be serious," Caroline was staring at her like she'd said something very stupid, and Elena scowled,

"It's not a date! If it was a date, he wouldn't have invited you and Nik and he certainly wouldn't have been stupid enough to ask in front of all my very overprotective brothers."

Caroline grinned, lurching across the bed and hanging off the bed post,

"So, if it was a date, would you still have gone?"

Rebekah crawled across the bed and hit Caroline in the shoulder,

"Of course she would, look at that blush," Rebekah pointed at her face with an evil grin, "And why shouldn't she? He seems nice enough."

Elena narrowed her eyes at the pair of them,

"It's not a date and I do not have a crush on Enzo!" She knew that a bright, burning blush was rising up her chest and over her cheeks, though she wasn't sure why.

Caroline grinned at her,

"Sure you don't. Come on, we're going to help you pick your outfit!"

Elena scowled and crossed her arms over her chest,

"I have work this morning, so I'll be wearing work related clothes."

Rebekah shook her head,

"We know that, don't be ridiculous. We're talking about the outfit that you'll change into after work in that little office you have."

Elena put her hands on her hips and fixed the blonde girls with a glare,

"You're making this into a much, much bigger deal than it is. We're just going to the Christmas Market, with you and Nik, by the way. What are you going to wear?"

Rebekah grinned, wrapping an arm around Caroline's shoulders,

"I'm going over to hers later to help her get ready, aren't I?"

Caroline grinned and nodded,

"Though, mine's actually not a date, because Niklaus didn't technically ask me."

Elena hopped onto the bed between the two girls,

"It's just the four of us hanging out, that's all, so I don't need to dress up or anything."

Rebekah pushed her back onto the mattress,

"Elena Mikaelson," Elena raised a brow at being full-named by her sister, "A cute guy has invited you out, whether it's a date or not, you're going to be a girl with us and you're going to dress up just a bit."

Elena groaned but slowly nodded,

"Fine, but nothing over-the-top, I don't want to come off as desperate. We're just friends, that's all."

Rebekah and Caroline squealed before launching themselves off her bed and she rolled her eyes as she grabbed her underwear, tights, a pleated pencil skirt and a ruffled, green shirt as her outfit for the day.

She changed quickly, ignoring the girls rifling through her closet, and went to straighten her hair, only for Rebekah to snatch the straighteners out of her hands,

"Nope," she popped the 'p', "Not today, there's no point. The snow will only undo all your hard work. Here, you sit and I'll style it for you."

This was not turning out to be a good day for Elena.

She grumbled but sat in the vanity chair obediently as Rebekah started to run the brush through her hair.

Rebekah divided her hair into four French style braids that clung to her scalp until they got to the top of her head, where her curls were then free to tumble down past her shoulders without getting in her face.

The annoying part, to Elena, was that she actually really liked the way it looked.

Damn Rebekah and her centuries of hair practice, trying to trick her into liking her curls.

"Come on, girls, let's get some breakfast," Rebekah patted her head gently and Elena frowned,

"I thought you guys were picking me out an outfit?"

Caroline just waved her off before shepherding her out of the door,

"I'll bring it by to you later, seeing as Klaus is picking me up from there, anyway."

Elena sighed and shook her head, but let the girls lead her down the stairs and into the dining room.

Elijah had made good on his promise and had made waffles and had prepared some chopped fruit for Elena to top them with.

It was odd, though she didn't say anything, that Niklaus and Kol were absent from breakfast.

She'd gotten used to their little routine and it was strange to see their seats bare.

"What are you going to be doing today, Jer?"

Jeremy looked over at her and grinned,

"Tyler's coming over with Matt, us and Kol were meant to be playing baseball, but I don't know when he'll be back."

Elena inclined her head slightly,

"Bit cold for baseball, isn't it?"

Jeremy snorted under Elijah's disapproving look,

"Nah, it's fine. You're just a sensitive little thing," he pointed his fork at her, "I'm shocked no one's offered to put a fireplace into your bedroom yet."

Elena scowled at her waffles,

"Don't you go giving Nik any ideas, I love my room as it is."

She ate quickly and then grabbed her purse and her phone before waiting for Elijah, who took only a moment longer before meeting her at the front door,

"Thank you for driving me into work, 'Lijah," she almost raced him to the car, shuffling inside as soon as it was unlocked,

"It's no matter to me," he told her as he started the car, "I prefer it, actually, over the thought of you taking your car out in these conditions."

Elena grinned and he returned it as he began to drive,

"Your hair looks lovely today, Elena. I do wish you'd leave your curls be," his eyes flickered to her as she tugged on one of said curls, "Actually, scratch that, I wish you didn't hate that part of yourself. I wish you would look in the mirror and see what everyone else sees when they look at you."

Elena frowned,

"And what's that?"

He grinned,

"You, of course. Just you, Elena."

And a ball warmth grew in her chest that had nothing to do with the heating that Elijah had put on for her benefit.

When he pulled up in front of the library, Elijah grabbed her wrist to stop her from climbing out and her eyes snapped to his,

"I hope you have a lovely time this afternoon, Elena. Don't let Niklaus push you around, you understand? You are allowed to have a life and to have friends. I think its admirable, actually, that you're not leaving Enzo to face this new world alone."

Elena gave him a small, soft smile,

"Well, someone very wise taught me that it's okay to need people, and that when I need it, those people are there, always. I think Enzo deserves to have that, too."

Elijah gently tugged on one of her curls,

"I think that only a brave and loyal soul would offer to walk into a blazing building to save someone that he'd only just met. You must've made quite an impression."

Elena considered that for a moment before shaking her head,

"I don't think so," she told him, "I was just me. Albeit, a very angry version of me."

But Elijah just gave her a secretive smirk, like he knew something that she didn't,

"I hope the events of this morning don't ruin your whole day. Niklaus and Kol will find your peeping Tom, okay? After all, Kol has a rather useless scent hound with him. It's about time we put the old dog to use. Don't you worry about a thing."

Elena chewed on her lip before nodding,

"Okay," her voice was quiet, but Elijah offered her a small smile before releasing her and she gave him a little wave as she climbed out of the car.

She watched his car disappear around the corner before taking in a deep breath and starting her shift.

The first couple of hours of her shift were slow, she cleaned, she put away the returned books and she sent out the email reminders of overdue books, and then there really was very little for her to actually do.

So, she pottered around, dusting off the shelves, which was a chore she was almost certain that no one else did and then she grabbed her notebook and began to doodle while she waited for her shift to end. About an hour before her shift was due to end, Caroline waltzed in with a rucksack slung over her shoulder.

Caroline dropped the bag at Elena's feet and then gave a low whistle as she looked around the library, noticing the lack of customers,

"Slow morning?"

Elena groaned, leaning back into her seat,

"You have no idea," Elena stretched her arms out over her head and Caroline perched herself on the desk, "I think I've only had two or three customers all day and one of them walked in, looked at one shelf and then just left."

Caroline wrinkled her nose,

"The disrespect," she teased and Elena grinned,

"Tell me about it. I like your outfit," Elena told her, and Caroline beamed.

Rebekah had put her in a pair of skinny jeans with knee-high black boots and a knitted red, deep v-neck jumper that clung to her curves all the way down to her mid thigh,

"Are you trying to kill my brother? Because I'm pretty sure that'll do it."

Caroline rolled her eyes and crossed her legs, showing off her heels,

"Niklaus has nothing to do with my wardrobe choices," she sniffed imperiously, but even her makeup gave her away. Caroline looked stunning and she'd clearly put some thought into what she was wearing.

And in her ears, she'd put a pair of glittery dangling Santas, which Elena found hilarious,

"If you're trying to subliminally message my brother, you're being too subtle."

Caroline frowned and cocked her head,

"What do you mean?"

"You have Santa Claus next to your neck, Care. Santa Claus, Santa Klaus, get it?"

Caroline huffed as Elena giggled and she crossed her arms over her chest,

"Don't be ridiculous," Caroline grumbled, "You're the only one who would connect those two."

Elena grinned and hopped up from her seat,

"That's because I'm the only one around here with a brain, that's all."

Caroline sighed and shook her head,

"Or you've been staring at Enzo's hotness for so long that your brains melted into a puddle of goo," Caroline teased, and Elena shoved her shoulder, which just made Caroline laugh, "Are you going to deny it?"

Elena scowled,

"Deny what?"

Caroline leaned forward and stage-whispered into Elena's ear,

"That you think Enzo is H-O-T, hot."

Elena rolled her eyes made to grab the rucksack, but Caroline moved it out of her reach with a raised brow and Elena shook her head,

"I'm not doing this," she warned as she reached again for the bag, only for Caroline to move it further from her fingers,

"Oh, yes you are. Just a yes or a no, that's all I need."

Elena put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips, tapping one foot against the floor,

"Tell me you think Nik's hot, then."

And Caroline made a big show of pretending to vomit before her eyes widened and a bright grin split her face,

"You're deflecting," she sang, "You like Enzo!"

Elena sucked in a deep breath and shook her head,

"I just want to be his friend; it's not my fault he's all flirty. I'm telling you; it's a British thing."

Caroline didn't wipe the grin off her face as she handed the bag to Elena,

"Go change, I'll hold down the fort. I packed some make up and perfume in there for you, too."

Elena just rolled her eyes, but she did take the bag and then made her way into the office, shutting and locking the door behind her and pulling the blind down to cover the glass.

She opened the bag and, in the privacy of the office, a small smile spread across her lips as she began to lift out the things that Rebekah and Caroline had picked for her.

They'd picked out her favourite pair of black bootcut jeans, the ones with the little red hearts embroidered across the back pockets, and a black off-shoulder knitted sweater with bell sleeves and little gems scattered across the low neckline. They'd also put a pair of her fur-lined boots in there and she had to admit, she actually approved of their choices this time.

She changed quickly and then spritzed her throat with her perfume and applied a light layer of makeup before slinging all her work clothes back into the bag with all the little things that the girls had thought to provide for her.

She pointedly ignored the condoms that had somehow found their way into the bottom of her bag.

She stepped out of the office and gave a little twirl for Caroline,

"What do you think?"

Caroline grinned and took her feet off the desk,

"I think Enzo's going to have a hard time keeping his eyes off of you."

Elena rolled her eyes and Caroline just grinned,

"Would it be such a bad thing?" The blonde girl asked, and Elena froze,

"What do you mean?"

"If Enzo liked you. Would that be a bad thing?"

Elena chewed on her cheek and looked down to her feet, sticking her hands in her back pockets,

"He doesn't, though. We're just friends, or I hope we're friends."

"But if he did?" Caroline urged and Elena shrugged,

"I'm not going to think about it like that," Elena murmured, "I've been stung too bad, I'm not sticking my hand in the hive again."

Caroline sighed and got up from the chair, tugging Elena into a tight hug,

"Alright," Caroline whispered into Elena's curls, "I won't tease you about it anymore before we go out, but we are going to work on your self-esteem issues, okay?"

Elena squeezed Caroline in a tight hug,

"I don't have self-esteem issues, I'm just honest."

Caroline shook her head and pulled back from the hug, her fingers softly re-arranging Elena's curls,

"We'll work on it."

Less than ten minutes later, Angela walked in and offered Elena a smile,

"I feel like I never see you anymore," Angela complained as she patted Elena's cheek, "You look better. Happier. It's good," She then turned to Caroline with hard eyes, "You've been taking good care of my girl?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Caroline chirped and Elena rolled her eyes, grabbing the backpack, her purse and her phone,

"It's been quiet today, I doubt you'll have many people this afternoon," Elena told her, "I've taken care of most of the cleaning, so you can put your feet up for once."

Angela just grinned and shook her head,

"Off with you," she shooed the girls towards the door, "Go enjoy the snow and leave this old lady in peace."

Elena waved goodbye to her before looping her arms through Caroline's and the pair of them left the library without looking back.

The snow was still falling when they stepped outside, and Elena grinned when she spotted Enzo leaning against the wall of the library in a pair of jeans and an untucked grey button up shirt. He had his hands in his pockets and his hair was spiked up, his eyes were locked on her as he pushed himself off the wall,

"Hello, Gorgeous," He briefly turned to Caroline, "Blondie," Elena pointedly ignored the look that Caroline shot at her, "Don't you both looking stunning?"

Elena rolled her eyes and stepped forward, straightening out his collar and ignoring the fact that he had three buttons undone, it was practically indecent,

"You've scrubbed up quite well, yourself," she teased, very deliberately not meeting his eyes before she stepped back, "I imagine Nik will be here in a minute."

Caroline looped their arms back together with a grin,

"He said he'd be a few minutes late, I'm sure I mentioned it to you earlier."

Elena narrowed her eyes at her friend, who was trying just slightly too hard to look innocent,

"No, actually, you didn't. What's going on? Why's he late?"

Caroline rocked on her heels and the grin on her face only grew,

"So, Kol thought it would be funny to put the goats into Klaus' bedroom and-"

"No, he didn't!" Elena's hand flew to her mouth to hide her laughter as her eyes widened and Caroline just nodded,

"Oh, he did. And they ate through the outfit that he'd picked, so he's had to stop off any buy some clothes-"

"If they ate that particular outfit, why didn't he just pick something else?"

Caroline giggled and Enzo's lips turned up,

"Well, Kol thought it would be extra funny if he opened the door to Klaus' closet-"

"I'm going to throttle him," Elena whispered, "Tell me my goats are alive and breathing still!?"

Caroline nodded,

"Finn saved them, but not before Klaus lost most of his wardrobe. He's spent the morning shopping; he should be on his way here now."

Elena shook her head even as a laugh bubbled up out of her,

"How do you know this?"

Caroline fished out her phone and wiggled it,

"Klaus told me, of course. He didn't want us to think he'd forgotten."

Elena's eyes narrowed,

"How come he told you and not me?"

Caroline shrugged and Elena grinned,

"Because he likes you. He doesn't care if I think he's forgotten Enzo and I, he just wants you to know that he hasn't forgotten you."

Caroline scowled at her, crossing her arms over her chest,

"Quit it, you little pest, or I'm going to tell Kol to put the goats in your room next."

Elena just grinned an evil grin,

"He won't do that to me, I'm his favourite."

Caroline's shoulders drooped slightly and Enzo snorted,

"Do you two always argue like this?"

Elena turned to him with a grin, her eyes meeting his,

"We're not arguing, I'm just pointing out a fact of life and Caroline is pretending that she can deny it," she shrugged her shoulders and Caroline's eyes narrowed,

"Oh, you're a fine one to talk about de-"

"Oh! Look! It's Niklaus!" Elena cut Caroline off with a grin, pointing out her brother's approaching car and Elena watched a real smile spread across Caroline's face before she realised what she was doing and she promptly tried to hide it, but Elena had seen it and so had Enzo, judging from the little smirk on his lips.

Niklaus parked up and hadn't even had time to turn the engine off before the doors were being flung open and Caroline claimed the front seat, shooting Elena a smug little grin.

On a normal day, Elena might have complained, given that this is her brother's car and they've both agreed that this is not a date, but as it was, when Enzo held her door open for her, a single little butterfly fluttered away in her stomach, and she offered him a little smile before sliding into her seat. He gently shut the door for her, and she'd have to have been blind and stupid to miss the way that Niklaus tensed in the front seat.

But bless Caroline, she turned to him and gave him a beaming smile that had him thoroughly distracted as Enzo got into his seat.

And gods damn it, her brother was a pervert. Elena didn't miss the way his blue eyes swept from Caroline's face down to her cleavage and then back up so fast that someone who wasn't paying attention would have missed it,

"You look exquisite," Nik told her with a dimpled smile and Caroline flushed, but a pleased smile decorated her face,

"Thank you, doesn't Elena look good, too?"

Nik turned to her then, his eyes narrowing as he took in her appearance and she just raised a brow at him until he clenched his jaw and gave her a tight smile,

"You look wonderful, Little Love. Aren't you worried that you'll get cold? We could swing by the manor and pick up your coat-"

"She's fine," Caroline cut him off with a roll of her eyes, "I picked her outfit with Rebekah."

Niklaus scowled at that and muttered something that sounded oddly like 'I'll be dealing with her later'.

"Are we all ready to get a move on, then?" Nik asked and everyone nodded as they strapped on their seatbelts.

"Did you have a particular market that you wanted to go to, or is it driver's choice?" Niklaus locked eyes with Enzo through the rearview mirror and Enzo thought for a moment before shrugging,

"Driver's choice, I won't pretend to know much about any of this."

Niklaus nodded and started to drive, chatting idly until Elena couldn't take it anymore. She leaned forward in her seat, putting one hand on Caroline's seat,

"Nik," He stopped talking and flicked his eyes to her briefly, "Did you and Kol catch whoever was in my room this morning?"

From the corner of her eye, not that she was looking thank you very much, she saw a dark frown slip onto Enzo's face as Niklaus tensed,

"No. We didn't."

Elena slumped back into her seat, and she caught the glimmer of shame that danced across Niklaus' eyes,

"They had a head start and they made it into town before we caught up to them. We lost track of their footprints when they merged with everyone else's. We've discussed it at home, and we'd be more comfortable if, for now, you agreed to share a room with Rebekah."

Elena wrinkled her nose and shook her head,

"No, I won't invade her privacy like that. We don't know how long it'll take to catch whoever it was. I'll just be careful, I'll get Kol to help me put up a ward around my bedroom at night, I'm getting quite good at that now."

Niklaus ground his teeth together,

"Kol said you'd say that. At the very least, until Jeremy returns to Denver, he's agreed for Daisy to sleep in your room, she'll alert the rest of us if there's another intruder."

Elena frowned,

"But what if they hurt her?"

Niklaus rolled his shoulders,

"In the kindest possible way, Elena, I'd rather risk the dog than risk you. If I had it my way, you'd be in with one of us, either me, Elijah or Kol, but everyone vetoed that idea."

Elena sighed and leaned forward, gently squeezing Nik's shoulder,

"I love that you care," she told him softly, "But you know that wouldn't work. I'm a much earlier riser than all of you and I need my own space. I'll let Daisy sleep in my room if it makes you feel better, but I'm still going to put up the ward."

Niklaus scowled at the road as they left Mystic Falls,

"And you're aware that putting up a ward would prevent any of us from getting in, either? What if a witch is involved and they get through, but we can't? What do you want us to do, then?"

Elena chewed on the inside of her cheek,

"I'll talk to Kol tonight and see what he suggests, okay? You know he won't let me do anything unless he's one hundred percent sure I'll be safe."

Niklaus nodded and Elena gave his shoulder one last squeeze before sitting back in her seat, her eyes falling on Enzo, who was staring at her with a small frown between his brows,

"You had an intruder in your bedroom?"

Elena nodded,

"Yeah, when I woke up this morning, but they jumped out of my window before I could get a chance to see who they were."

Enzo seemed to clench his jaw, his shoulders tensing until he visibly forced himself to relax and then he offered her a small smile,

"I finished the book," he changed the topic abruptly, keeping his voice quiet so as not to disrupt Nik and Caroline's conversation, "I need the next one, now."

Elena grinned at him,

"Then you should've come into the library earlier, you could've returned the first one and taken the second out."

He shook his head, his fingers tapping against his thighs,

"By the time I arrived, your shift was over. I'll just wait till tomorrow, there's no rush."

"What did you think of it?"

Enzo smirked and bit his lip, which had absolutely nothing to do with the blush that grew up Elena's cheeks. She was just getting warm, that's all,

"It's rather brilliant," he told her, "But, then, I enjoyed The Hobbit when it was released."

She grinned, prying her eyes up from his smile to his caramel orbs,

"Just wait till you get to The Return Of The King, that one's my favourite."

His eyes seemed to soften, his features relaxing,

"Is that so?"

Elena nodded and fidgeted with her sleeve,

"Although, they're all good. Like I told you the other day, once you've finished the books, I'll get you to come round and watch the movies. Oh! We could build a fort! And I'll get snacks and stuff, and I'm sure that some of the others will join us, maybe not Finn, he's a bit of a technology prude, but I know Kol and Jeremy love movie nights," and on she babbled, Enzo watching her with a soft, indulgent smile until she forced her mouth shut, a dark blush spreading up her cheeks,

"Sorry, I don't mean to babble, feel free to just tell me to shut up."

Enzo shook his head, the smile not leaving his lips,

"I like listening to you talk," he told her quietly, "I've spent too much time in the presence of silence, please, by all means, babble away."

She bit down on her lip and turned her gaze to her hands, so she missed the way his eyes danced down to her lips before gravitating back to her eyes.

"You're talking about the Lord Of The Rings movies, right?" Niklaus met her eyes in the mirror and she nodded, "Don't tell him I've told you, because he'll get all puffed up and irritating, but they're Elijah's favourite films. If you put them on, he'll be rooted to the couch until they're over and if you speak during the important scenes, he won't hesitate to rip out your tongue."

Elena laughed as her hand flew to cover her mouth,

"I don't believe you," she said between her giggles, "Elijah wouldn't do that."

Nik raised a brow at her,

"You are wrong, he absolutely will. Though, for you and Jeremy, he'd probably settle for duct taping your mouths shut, which would mean more snacks for the rest of us… By all means, chat away."

Elena stuck her tongue out at the hybrid and he grinned as he turned back to the road.

She turned to Enzo, only to find him staring out of his window, watching the landscape around them as they started to pass a few fields.

She watched him for a moment, noting the way that his shoulders had relaxed and the slight look of amazement on his face as they passed into a city.

He'd been out of captivity for a couple of weeks now, and it amazed her that there was still so much that Enzo hadn't seen or experienced. It was something that excited her a little, because it meant that there was so much that she could share with him, if he'd let her, but it also made her chest clench painfully, her heart constricting because he should be used to all of this.

He deserved so much happiness, and Elena was determined to help him find it.

She blinked rapidly as she tore her eyes from him, turning to her window instead and listening to Niklaus tell Caroline about the wonders of Paris.

He was definitely laying it on a bit thick, she thought,

"It's a beautiful city, full of good food, good wine and the pastries are just to die for," his eyes kept flicking between Care and the road, "And the view of the city from on top of the Eiffel Tower is just magnificent. One day, I'll show it to you, we'll go up there just as the sun is setting and I'll point out all the constellations that we can find in the night sky."

"It sounds beautiful," Caroline breathed and Niklaus stared at her for a second,

"And afterwards, I'd paint you," he told her, "I'd do my best to capture you in all your beauty with Paris paling in comparison in the background."

And Caroline was just eating it up. If she was a fish, Niklaus would have her hook, line and sinker.

She was thoroughly caught in his web of words.

It was sweet to watch.

And if her eyes kept gravitating towards Enzo, well, that was no one's business except hers. After all, she was just making sure that he was having a good time, that was all. She was absolutely not picturing him in Paris.

The sun was setting when they finally pulled into a parking lot, and Elena had barely had time to unclip her seatbelt before Enzo was at her door, holding it open and offering her his hand.

She smiled at him as she slipped her hand into his, letting him help her out into the snow-covered ground.

She very almost got back into the car.

She sucked in a deep breath and forced a smile onto her face as she tried to stop her heart from hammering away against her ribs,

"You're alright," Enzo whispered to her, "We can always go somewhere else if this gets to be too much."

Elena shook her head and gave him a shaky smile, digging her nails into her palm,

"I'm alright," if he could do this, then so could she.

Caroline squealed as she spotted the ice-skating rink and Elena's eyes snapped to her,

"We have to go skating while we're here, I'm not taking no for an answer from any of you!"

Elena rolled her eyes, a fond smile stretching over her lips and Niklaus? Well, he never could say no to Caroline.

Enzo looked intrigued by the prospect and Elena couldn't help but wonder if he'd never skated before?

They could just make out the lights of the market from where they'd parked, and Elena watched with wide eyes as Caroline grabbed onto Nik's arm in her excitement.

For his part, Niklaus looked both thrilled and terrified, he clearly hadn't been expecting any kind of contact with the blonde girl tonight.

And as she'd started to drag him away, Caroline turned to her and sent her a damned wink.

Whatever Caroline was playing at, Elena was rather clueless.

Instead of trying to work it out, though, Elena turned to Enzo with a soft if shaky smile,

"Shall we?"

She gestured towards the market, where Caroline and Niklaus had now completely disappeared, and Enzo swapped his usual smirk for a soft smile before offering her his arm.

For a split second, she hesitated.

Then, she sucked in a deep breath, shot him a smile and then slipped her hand into the crook of his arm,

"We shall." He led her through the crowd towards the market, his spare hand closed around her fingers, securing her hand to his arm while they walked and it was taking an awful lot of focus on Elena's part to not blush as his fingers encompassed hers.

She wasn't sure what was wrong with her, or why her brain seemed to turn to mush every time Enzo invaded her personal space.

Enzo froze when the bustling market came into sight, beautiful wooden stalls lined the pathway, each lit with beautiful Christmas lights. There were stalls for everything that a person could need at Christmas from alcohol to fancy bars of soap. There were a few people, but it wasn't overcrowded, so she gave Enzo a moment just to soak in what he was seeing,

"I love this time of year," she told him quietly after a minute or two had passed, "There's something special about Christmas, I think."

Enzo shifted his eyes from the market down to her and then back again,

"I'm glad that I'm sharing this with you," he told her in a quiet but honest tone, "Thank you for agreeing to come with me."

Elena took her free hand and brushed some snow out of his hair,

"I'm happy to be here," she told him, and she was. There was something incredibly soft and tender about this moment, something so incredibly special about being there to witness this series of firsts for her friend.

When he cautiously took a step forward, Elena followed his lead, her fingers gently squeezing his arm as they made their way towards the market.

At the first stall that they came to, Enzo stopped to admire the homemade crochet gifts that the woman was selling,

"These are incredible," he told the vendor and Elena grinned up at him. The woman smiled at the pair of them before picking up what appeared to be a teddy bear with a pretty red heart in its paws,

"A teddy bear for your little lady?"

Enzo blinked and then looked down at a now furiously blushing Elena, who went to pull her hand from his arm, except that his grip had tightened,

"Oh, I'm not, I mean, we're not-"

"I'll take it," Enzo cut her off, gently squeezing her fingers, "How much?"

And to her surprise, he actually paid for it. Likely with stolen money, but still.

And as they walked away, the blush still hadn't left her cheeks, he smiled down at her and handed her the bear,

"For you," he told her quietly and she gave him a sweet smile,

"Thank you, but you didn't have to waste your money on me. We should be looking for those gifts that you need."

She took the teddy from him regardless, a warmth in her chest that she was refusing to acknowledge as Enzo squeezed her fingers,

"It's not a waste," he tugged her over to the next stall, "It's a gift, just a little thank you for everything that you've done for me. I know it's not equal, but-"

"Don't be ridiculous," she put her head on his shoulder, or as close to it as she could get, "I'm glad that I've been able to help you."

"I know," he whispered.

They browsed for a while together and when Enzo got distracted by a stall with antique equipment, like pocket watches and compasses, Elena snuck away to the hot chocolate stall.

She grabbed them a hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows each before the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, the unmistakable sensation of being watched trailing down her spine like cold water and she tensed as she scanned the crowd, unable to spot whoever was watching her.

Unfortunately for her, she was also unable to find Enzo.

He was no longer where she'd left him and a ball of panic built in her chest as she spun, between the eerie 'you're being watched' feeling that she had and now losing Enzo, she was dangerously close to hyperventilating.

Then something went over her eyes, and she couldn't move, her body just froze as something pressed into her back, then there was a pair of lips grazing her ear,

"Guess who?"

And she relaxed immediately, a smile spreading across her lips as a trail of goosebumps went down her spine,

"Hmmm… I don't suppose it's Enzo?"

And then he was in front of her, a broad grin on his face,

"You snuck off," he accused her with a shaking finger, "Might bruise a man's ego, that."

Elena rolled her eyes,

"Would it help soothe said man's ego if," she extended one of the cups of hot chocolate towards him, "he knew that I only snuck off to get him a little treat?"

His fingers grazed hers as he took the cup from her and he brought it to his nose, inhaling deeply,

"It has been a very long time since I last had hot cocoa," his eyes watched her as she took a drink from hers, an amused twinkle entering his caramel orbs as she lowered her cup and he stepped closer to her, his free hand reaching out to gently swipe some whipped cream from her nose, and she followed his thumb with her own eyes as he brought it to his mouth, sucking the cream off.

Damn it, that should be a criminal offence.

"Delicious," and Elena chewed on the inside of her cheek as he took a sip from his own cup and when he lowered his, his eyes were on her almost as if he were challenging her.

Elena straightened her spine and sent him a grin before copying his actions, reaching out to swipe the whipped cream off the tip of his nose with her own thumb and this time, it was him who was frozen in place as she brought her thumb to her own mouth, but instead of sucking it away, Elena, in a purely 'my brain has melted and I am dead' moment, poked out her tongue, and licked her own thumb clean.

With Enzo's eyes watching her the entire time.

There was a moment where they were both frozen, staring at each other as the snow fell around them and then Elena cleared her throat, offering him a small smile and inclining her head,

"We should keep going," she told him softly and he nodded slowly, as if he hadn't really heard her.

So, she reached out and grabbed his free arm before gently tugging him along, leading him over to a jewellery stand,

"What kind of stuff are you looking for?"

Enzo thought about it for a moment,

"I'm having a bit of a dilemma, maybe you can help me?"

She nodded along and stared up at him through her eyelashes,

"I've been invited to spend Christmas Day with this Angel and her ancient relatives and her blonde best friend who may-or-may-not be seducing the Angel's brother, and I wouldn't want to show up empty handed."

Elena burst into giggles. She couldn't help it, but the idea that she was an Angel was just laughable,

"You're delusional," she told him between her giggles, "And my brother is trying to seduce Caroline, not the other way around."

Enzo smirked at her, taking another drink from his hot chocolate,

"I would still hate to show up without anything to offer my gracious hosts."

Elena rolled her eyes,

"How about we browse and if something catches your eye, we'll talk about it?"

Enzo got that weird, unreadable look in his eyes again as he stared at her before nodding,

"We can do that."

She gave him a little smile and then she turned to the jewellery stand in front of her, looking at the various pieces the vendor was selling,

"Rebekah can be won over with anything sparkly," she told him, aware of the vendors eyes on them.

Elena's attention was caught be a simple, silver necklace and she moved to get a closer look. The chain was dainty, thin and elegant and hanging from it was a silver rose, complete with a thorny stalk. It was simple but beautiful and if she'd not had to still buy a few more gifts, she probably would have brought it.

As it was, she moved back and turned to watch Enzo, who was looking at a tennis bracelet with little opal stones in it.

She watched as he examined the various jewellery for a while before her attention was caught by a stall selling custom wooden gifts and she grinned,

"I'm just popping over there quickly," she told Enzo, and his eyes met hers for a second before flickering to where she was going,

"Okay. I'll be right with you."

She just squeezed his shoulder before leaving him with the jewellery and making her way over to the stall that she'd spotted.

And then she found the perfect gift for Finn.

She paid the man and grabbed a bag, too, putting the gift and the crochet bear in it. She finished her drink and popped the cup into the bin just as Enzo joined her. He promptly stole her carrier bag from her, ignoring her indignant 'Hey!',

"A lady shouldn't have to carry her own shopping when a man is present," he told her and she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest,

"But this 'lady' doesn't mind."

Enzo shrugged,

"This man does."

Elena rolled her eyes with a fond smile,

"I don't know if anyone's ever mentioned this to you, but you're quite stubborn."

Enzo grinned almost smugly,

"It's been mentioned. Come on, Gorgeous, we've still got lots to see."

Elena nodded and followed him along, shaking the snow out of her curls while she walked and Enzo's eyes strayed to her, watching her shake her hair out with an amused smirk.

They wandered around the market for a while, they both agreed that they'd spent more than they meant to, but that didn't stop Elena from buying a bag of roasted chestnuts for them to share as they took a seat on a bench underneath some twinkling lights.

They sat on opposite ends of the bench and Elena grinned at Enzo,

"Open your mouth," he blinked and raised a brow but did as he was told and she picked out a chestnut from the bag before taking aim and throwing it gently at his mouth, he caught it with a grin and wide eyes while she laughed before she picked up another, this time she missed, hitting him in the cheek, but he picked it up off his lap and ate it anyway before he grabbed one from the bag and took aim, she caught it with a whoop and a smile.

And that was how they passed half an hour, alternating between throwing chestnuts into each other's mouths.

It was light and fun and the smile that spread across Elena's face was real.

It wasn't awkward, like Elena had secretly worried that it might be. It was just easy.

They'd almost run out of chestnuts by the time Niklaus and Caroline found them and Niklaus' eyes were flickering between the pair of them suspiciously until she picked out one of the chestnuts and hurled it at his head.

Her shot missed, but he did catch it with his mouth, so she guessed that was technically a win.

Caroline was practically vibrating with excitement as she yanked Elena to her feet,

"Klaus compelled everyone to leave the ice rink, so we have it entirely to ourselves! How awesome is that?"

Elena grinned and shook her head,

"Of course he did."

Nik sniffed and crossed his arms over his chest at her accusing glare, looking at her almost as if he were saying 'And what about it?'

Enzo got to his feet and brushed off his jacket before grabbing the bags before Elena got the chance to,

"By all means," he smiled at Caroline, "Lead the way."

Caroline squealed and grabbed Elena's arm, practically dragging her through the snow towards the ice rink below.

And wouldn't you know it, Niklaus had genuinely cleared the ice rink. He'd even gotten rid of the staff, getting it marked down as shut for the evening.

So, he snuck the four of them in, looking terribly pleased with himself as Elena and Caroline giggled whilst grabbing the right sized skates for each other.

Her eyes kept sliding over to Enzo while she swapped her boots for skates, and she watched as he carefully deposited their shopping on a bench before he began to slide off his own shoes. She wasn't aware that she was staring until Caroline nudged her, snapping her from her thoughts and she shook her head before finishing tying her laces.

The girls supported each other as they got to their feet and slowly ambled their way over to the rink.

Her skates had barely touched the rink before Niklaus was grabbing her by the wrists, a wide grin on his face as he glided them across the ice and looking mightily pleased with himself when she threw her head back and laughed as he spun her, then he was gone and Elena watched as he moved over to Caroline, the pair of them spinning around in a sweet little dance.

And then she spotted Enzo, who was clinging to the barrier and frowning slightly as he tried to walk across the ice.

She chewed on her lower lip before taking pity on the man, skating over to him,

"Haven't you ever skated before?"

Enzo met her eyes with a sheepish grin,

"That obvious, huh?"

Elena grinned at him and only hesitated for a moment,

"Do you trust me?" she asked, and his face went completely serious as he stared into her eyes,

"With my life."

She ignored the way her heart was fluttering, and the fact that he could definitely hear the traitorous organ, and then she held her hands out,

"Give me your hands," she whispered to him, and he slowly let go of the barrier, sliding his large hands into hers, "Straighten up, you've got this." He awkwardly shimmied until he had straightened out and Elena offered him a soft smile, "Now, trust me," and she started to move. She was skating backwards, guiding him across the ice with a soft smile and her eyes locked on his face as he stared at her in what looked like wonder.

She spun him in a wide circle and then she showed off slightly, spinning in place as she let go of his hands.

When she came to a stop, he reached for her, and she took his hands again. Except, this time, he'd gained some confidence and now he was slowly leading her.

There was something strangely intimate about it, she thought. Maybe it was the low lights, or the gentle music, or maybe it was the way his eyes never left her while they were skating.

Or, maybe, it was because his hands were so warm around hers and she hadn't realised how cold she'd gotten until now.

Whatever it was, it had Elena's stomach erupting in butterflies when they exchanged soft smiles.

And when his eyes twinkled beneath one of the lights, Elena was hit with a sudden, devastating realisation.

Enzo was kind of beautiful.

He let her go and began to twirl, copying her actions from earlier and she watched, utterly enraptured.

And that was when it all began to fall apart.

Because she'd forgotten about the skin prickling sensation of being watched, she'd been so focussed on living in the moment that she'd completely forgotten exactly how terrible her luck was.

One moment she was watching Enzo twirl and then something hard slammed into her, a pained yelp tearing from her lips as her body was sent sailing across the ice until she slammed into the barrier, her head knocking into the wall behind her and a strange white noise filling her ears as she struggled to get the air back into her lungs.

She didn't have time to try and work out what was going on before she was being lifted by her throat.

Her eyes blinked rapidly as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing around her.

Out on the ice were now dozens of what she knew in her heart to be werewolves.

The same crazed werewolves from Montana.

She was scrambling to try and get the man in front of her off her throat when a hand soared over his head, grabbing his chin and then ripping his head clean off.

The hand that was clenching her throat dropped away from her as she stared into Enzo's furious black and red rimmed eyes.

What a terrible time to realise that her head was bleeding.

"Enzo?" Her voice was a hoarse whisper, but it seemed to reach him. His eyes didn't change, but he shoved the werewolves dead body away from her,

"Are you alright?"

She was about to answer when one of the wolves pounced on him from the side and unadulterated panic filled her veins. Werewolf bites were fatal to Enzo and Caroline.

She reached into her magic, letting its scorching heat warm her skin as she wrapped it around the wolf on top of Enzo, picking it up into the air and then flinging it away before reaching out with her hands to help Enzo to his feet. They nodded at each other before silently agreeing to focus.

There were so many wolves-

This was an ambush.

"NIK! CARE!"

She couldn't see them anywhere, but she heard their answering yells and her resolve hardened as a crazed woman flew at her, her hands outstretched like talons. She dropped dead to the ground when Elena gave her an aneurysm.

She'd just dropped another when she was grabbed by the back of her neck, her body lifting completely off the ice and she panicked for just a moment before swinging her legs backwards, wedging the blades on her feet into someone's legs. They let out a furious screech before dropping her and then Enzo was in front of her, her mystery assailants' heart in his hand,

"You need to get somewhere safe," Enzo called to her, but Elena shook her head,

"Not a chance. I'm not leaving her without any of you. All together or not at all."

Enzo growled in his chest, a sound that shouldn't have given her butterflies the way that it did,

"You could be hurt!"

Elena shrugged,

"So could you."

He was still making an argument for why she should run when she saw a man running at them from behind Enzo's back and she didn't hesitate before dropping to the ice in a skid, sweeping her legs up and slicing through his stomach, coating herself in his hot, sticky blood as the man gurgled before dropping to the floor.

Enzo reached out a hand and pulled her to her feet, a deep scowl on his face,

"Be careful," he hissed, "If you won't leave, at least do me the kindness of trying to stay alive."

"Right back at you."

Then Niklaus was in front of her, his eyes like molten gold,

"This is an ambush, I can't find Caroline- I- I need your help, Elena, please, I wouldn't ask but-"

Elena focussed hard on her magic, tugging at it and creating a ward around herself,

"I'll find her. Help Enzo." Was the only warning she gave the pair of them before she shot off, gliding out into the middle of the rink, "CARE!"

There wasn't an answer and Elena watched as a werewolf jumped at her, only to hit her ward and fall backwards with blistering burns coating its skin as she took off again,

"CAROLINE FORBES!"

And there was no verbal answer, but a pale, feminine hand shot up from in the middle of a gaggle of werewolves and Elena let her ward fall away as she skated towards her friend.

As soon as she was close enough, she was throwing the ward around Caroline, almost delighting in hearing her friends attackers scream out in agony as their skin got coated in vicious burns.

She skidded across the floor when she got close enough, fiercely kicking her blades through several Achilles tendons, sending several of the wolves to the ground before she used her magic to grab Caroline, giving her wounded friend a half smile before acting fast and shooting her off into the middle of the rink just before a foot kicked out and hit her in the gut, knocking the breath out of her and making her curl into a ball as another blow hit her back.

She grabbed her assailants ankle on their next swing, tugging them onto the ice and taking advantage of their shock to suck some air back into her lungs before she kicked them in the head, her blade slicing through their skull with an awful squelching sound,

"ELENA!"

She heard Caroline's scream, but there was little that she could have done as two, large, beefy hands lifted her off the floor, she set them on fire just as her body became airborne.

She was going up, up and up until her body hit the ceiling and it was pure, unadulterated panic that had her grabbing onto a metal support beam on her descent, her arms looping around the beam despite the pain of the collision,

"ELENA!"

Niklaus' panicked yell had her doing the one thing she desperately didn't want to do. She looked down.

A scream tore from her as the distance between her and the ground seemed to stretch out endlessly.

"HOLD ON!"

"WHAT ELSE AM I GOING TO DO!?"

But her arms were rapidly tiring, and her tremors weren't helping.

There was only one thing she could try to do.

She groaned as she swung her legs, first once, then twice as she forced one of her legs to hook over the beam, bringing her up to straddle the damned thing.

Her tremors were so bad that the beam was vibrating.

She still clung to the beam with her hands, her white-knuckle grip doing little to assure her of her own safety as she released her hold on her magic very begrudgingly. She couldn't afford to exhaust herself now, Kol would never forgive her.

She felt utterly useless, beneath her paralyzing terror, whilst laid on a beam near the domed ceiling.

All she could do was watch as her loved ones took part in a bloodbath.

Without her down there, the werewolves were scattered and confused, and Niklaus and Enzo were nothing short of ferocious as they tore through them. The ice rink was now coated in a thick layer of blood.

When the last one had been ripped in half, Elena saw Niklaus look up at her before dropping into a crouch, and then he was soaring through the air, the beam that she was on shook violently as he grabbed it and she screamed as her body nearly rolled right off the side of it,

"Hang on, Little Love, I'm right here," and then he was hoisting himself up much more carefully than he had been before, until he was crouched on the beam, "I'm going to walk towards you now, alright? And then I'm going to get you back on solid ground, I swear."

She gave him a shaky nod and she watched as he slowly approached her, the beam beneath her shaking with every step that he took until he was within touching distance,

"I know you're frightened," he kept his voice quiet and slow, "But I'm going to need you to trust me, okay? And-"

She didn't let him finish, she trusted Niklaus with her life. She dropped her grip on the beam and ignored her hammering heart before launching herself at her brother.

For one, horrible second, she thought he'd missed her as her body left the beam and she was airborne, but then his arms were wrapped around her, tucking her securely into his chest. One arm was under her legs, the other was gripping her head into his shoulder,

"I've got you," he whispered as they entered a freefall and Elena gripped his bloodied shirt as the air whipped around them.

And then there was a violent lurching as they hit the ground, but Nik had braced for the impact so while it knocked the breath out of her, she was otherwise uninjured.

"You're alright," he told her, "I'm going to put you down now, okay?"

She gave him a shaky nod and he carefully put her down on her feet, grabbing her face between his two hands,

"I have to go and help Caroline, okay? You stay with Enzo, do you understand?"

She nodded and he pressed a bruising kiss into the top of her head before he turned and Elena watched as he approached her best friend, who was laying on the ground covered in bites.

Elena's hand flew to her mouth as a wave of guilt crashed into her.

She felt Enzo appear at her shoulder, he gently tucked her into his side as they watched Niklaus bite into his wrist before delicately picking up Caroline's head, tilting it back before putting her wrist into his mouth,

"Take whatever you need, Love, that's right. You're going to be perfectly healthy in just a moment, you'll see."

And before their eyes, the bites began to fade, and a hint of colour returned to Caroline's skin.

She released Niklaus' wrist and pushed herself up slightly, so that she was sat and then, without any warning at all, she flung herself into Nik's arms, slamming her lips into his.

And even though she was crying and terrified and still had battle adrenaline running through her veins, a burst of joy shot through her as Nik's arms wrapped around the blonde, tugging her in closer as he deepened the kiss.

Elena's head dropped onto Enzo's shoulder while she watched as Caroline gently broke the kiss, pressing her forehead into Nik's, who was delightfully pink-cheeked.

And then Nik got to his feet, tenderly helping Caroline to hers before coming back to Elena and Enzo, biting into his wrist again and offering it to Enzo first,

"I'm not hurt," Enzo told him and Nik just shrugged,

"Better to be safe than sorry. Have a drink."

Enzo took two mouthfuls of Nik's blood before Nik bit into it again and extended it to Elena,

"Heal up, Little Love, and none of this 'I'm okay' bullshit, just let me heal you."

She sighed, but allowed it, letting Nik press the wound into her mouth and she'd be lying if she tried to say that she didn't feel an immediate sense of relief as the wound in the back of her head began to heal and her battered body began to feel rejuvenated,

"I want you two to take the car home," Nikalus was talking to Enzo and Elena, his tone left no room for arguing, "Caroline and I are going to clean this up and go on a merry little hunt and we'll meet you at home, alright? And you," he pointed at Elena, "Are going to phone Elijah as soon as you get to the car and you're going to tell him what happened here tonight and make sure that they're safe and unharmed. Then text me or Caroline just to tell us that the family are okay."

Elena wanted to argue with him, she wanted to tell him that she and Enzo would stay with them, that they could do this hunt together, but just from looking at him, Elena knew she wouldn't win this fight,

"Okay," she conceded quietly, "Are you okay?" Nik nodded, his eyes darting between the carnage and Caroline and Elena got the vague impression that what he actually wanted was not suitable for her ears and eyes.

She sucked in a sharp breath,

"Be safe," she told them before planting a soft kiss on Nik's cheek and then another on Caroline's before she made her way off the bloodied rink, making her way over to the benches and swapping her skates out for her boots.

Enzo was at her side in an instant, the shopping bags in his hands and his own boots back on his feet,

"Come on," he told her quietly, "Let's go."