I own nothing but love this show and this ship!

Elena couldn't bring herself to regret the decision she had made. Everybody had already sacrificed so much for her and she couldn't let them anymore. She knew deep down nothing that happened was her fault but her existence continued to cause everybody pain and she just couldn't do it anymore. Yes, she had decided to go through with the transition but Stefan and Damon barely gave her any room to breathe and she felt as if she was getting lost inside herself. They were just trying to help her but everything either of them said or did just made it worse.

Stefan's bunny diet was not working for her and despite Elena's protests that it was making her sick Stefan insisted that she would become used to it over time. Damon had taken her out and let her try to feed from humans but he had been so focused on not letting her kill anybody that he hadn't actually helped her at all. In fact, she had nearly killed someone and she felt worse.

She threw up the animal blood and she wasn't getting any human blood and she was exhausted all the time. Elena had managed to convince both brothers to leave her for while so she could be alone. She curled herself up in the center of her bed and even though she was alone she heard the Salvatore's fighting inside her head and she finally decided she couldn't take it anymore. They were unintentionally tearing her apart, worse yet, she was tearing them apart.

She had to learn to control herself without Stefan or Damon's interference. She had considered asking Caroline but she would side with Stefan and Bonnie was out of the question. She had to take the time to figure this out on her own.

She thought about taking her car but they could easily track it down so she walked out into the night and let the cool air hit her face. Her vampire senses trembled and knew she was making the right decision and ran.

Those were the thoughts that ran through her head at this moment. She was on her knees in a dark alley. The ground was wet and she was surrounded by vampires who were all snarling at her. They had drained her of most of her blood and she was weak but not afraid. Her blood was covering her skin and clothes.

"Did you think you were just going to get away with this?" A man asked approaching her. He grabbed her hair and tilted her head back so her neck was exposed. "You don't steal from us and just walk away." He lowered his head inhaling deeply. Elena tried to pull away but the man just held tighter. "I like your fire." He said pressing his lips against her skin. "And you taste good. Maybe instead of killing you we can come to some other arrangement." He slid his tongue down her neck and across her collarbone licking her blood as he went.

"Not if you were the last man on Earth." She snarled and pushed him away. He rebounded quickly and was about to thrust his hand into her chest when his head fell to the ground. Elena shrieked and his body took a few steps towards her before it fell in front of her. She scrambled backwards and hit the shins of another vampire who pulled her up quickly but in an instant his heart was ripped out of his chest and he fell too. The others took off without hesitation. Elena's eyes went wide when she looked into Elijah's eyes. He was calm and didn't even seem put out by this situation but she couldn't help but wonder why he would even help her.

"Are you alright Miss?" He asked assisting her to her feet and offering her a handkerchief from his suit pocket. Elena's hand trembled as she took it and used it to wipe her neck. Of course Elijah wouldn't recognize her. She had a charm that was disguising her appearance. Elena now looked like a blonde haired, blue eyed girl and it had kept her safe for the last few weeks since she had left Mystic Falls.

"I am now. Thank you." She nodded but she wasn't. She had lost a lot of blood and was barely holding herself upright but she couldn't tell him that. She tried to walk away afraid if she spent too much time around Elijah would recognize her. He was the last person she thought she would run into. She stumbled and fell forward but Elijah was quick and caught her before she hit the ground.

"Careful." He warned setting her back up and retreated a few steps.

"I just need some blood and I'll be fine." She smiled and noticed Elijah staring at her. Her smile quickly faded. "I'm sorry I put you out like this. I'll be on my way." She moved to walk by but without warning she passed out completely.

Elena woke up in an unfamiliar room. She was lying across a bed and her head felt like it was on fire. Her eyes burned and it felt like every nerve in her body was pulsing.

"Ah, you're awake." Elena sat up slowly so her head didn't spin.

"I am." She nodded and they made eye contact. "Where am I?" She asked looking around.

"I brought you to my home." He told her.

"Why?" She rubbed her head.

"Because you are weak and this was the closest place to let you rest." Elena nodded.

"Oh. I'm okay now, I should really go." She stood but she wasn't really okay and she knew Elijah could see it as well.

"You are not alright and I insist you let me help you." He wasn't really insisting, he was demanding. "Come with me." He commanded and Elena knew she was in trouble. She had no choice but to follow, she was too weak to even attempt to out run him. His hand rested against the small of her back as he silently led her downstairs. Elena felt a rush at his touch and it was all she could focus on. She couldn't lie, she had always felt an attraction towards him but now it was amplified tenfold and all she wanted to do was kiss him. She had never felt this, the overwhelming need to be touched. Caroline had tried her best to explain it once but her words failed to describe the feeling. Elena did think it was odd that she was having these feelings towards Elijah. Not even Stefan or Damon brought out these kinds of emotions and it suddenly made her feel guilty.

He ushered her into the kitchen. Normally the dark would have bothered her but she had gotten used to it. Elena had run before she was able to get a daylight ring and now spent her life in darkness. Elijah gracefully walked to the fridge and pulled out a blood bag for her. The scent was powerful and Elena's hand trembled as she reached for it but retracted her hand quickly. She wanted to tear into the bag but she had to compose herself.

"Is something bothering you?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

"I…" She couldn't lie to him. "I'm still new. It's just a little overwhelming is all." She said taking a deep breath.

"I see." He circled around her and she could feel his eyes glancing everywhere on her body. He was inspecting every inch of her. "How long ago did you turn?" He asked stepping up behind her. He wasn't touching her but he was uncomfortably close. She could hear him take a deep breath near her neck and she shuddered but not out of fear.

"Two weeks." She admitted.

"Two weeks? Really?" She didn't like that he was doubting her.

"Yes, why?" She asked turning to face him.

"You turned two weeks ago and yet you haven't tried to attack me for this blood yet. You have an amazing amount of self-control." Elena felt her face beam at his compliment and took a step closer. It was like she was drawn to him. "If it's not too much to ask how did you turn?"

"I was in a car accident." She said rubbing her arms. Still not a lie. "It's been difficult."

"I understand." He returned to the kitchen and got a glass out of the cupboard and slowly poured the blood into it clearly teasing her with it. He offered it to her once again and this time she took it and quickly. Elijah smirked at her but she didn't care. She needed it and brought the glass her lips. She began slowly but she drank faster and faster until there was nothing left and when the liquid was gone her hand tightened and the glass shattered. She jumped at her own response.

"I'm sorry!" She panicked.

"It's quite alright." He waved her off and began picking up the pieces. She bent down to help him and when their hands touched there was a shock. Elena pulled her hand away and they made eye contact. His eyes were soft and he smiled at her and she admitted it made her nervous. It was crazy but she was feeling a strong pull towards him. She could see his mind was racing but she held herself together. They were both brought out of their daze when Elena noticed the sunlight through the window. Elijah turned to see what she was looking at and she flew backwards into the wall.

"Thank you for everything you've done but I have to go." She quickly and raced out the door. She sprinted as fast as she could to the hotel she had been staying in and slammed the door shut behind her. She threw herself down on the bed thankful she had made it through the night and managed to keep the object she had stolen from those vampires. Elena had no idea what it was for but it was the price she had to pay to keep the necklace she wore. The necklace that changed her face.

She clutched onto the small orb and closed her eyes willing herself to calm down. She hadn't had nearly enough blood and all the running she had just done had wiped her out but she had to get away from Elijah before the sun had come up. He had always made her uncomfortable for more than one reason. They shared a powerful connection and Elena found Elijah very intimidating. The last time she had seen him he had tricked her into going into the woods with him and trapped her in a cave with Rebekah. She couldn't blame him for his actions, she had lied to him and nearly gotten his entire family killed and to this day it made her feel horrible. Elena would never have agreed to Ester's plan if she had known her true intentions but she couldn't change the past and couldn't ask Elijah to forgive her.

Elena sat up and pulled Elijah's letter out of the bedside drawer and re-read it for the hundredth Elijah must hate her and rightfully so. She had betrayed the trust he placed in her and she would feel guilty forever because of it. She didn't have a right to feel the way she did about him now.

Elena wasn't even sure why she cared so much about what Elijah thought. She wasn't the only one who had lied and their relationship was rocky at best. She knew deep down that he had never wanted to hurt her just like she had never wanted to hurt him. The pain just seemed to go round in a vicious circle and Elena wished she could stop it.

She laid back down and wondered if Elijah had known it was her tonight he would he have still saved her? She was safe for now and had nowhere to go until nightfall so she closed her eyes picturing Elijah and attempted to get some rest before she completed her mission. The problem was he images of his face kept her awake and she imagined the things she wanted to do with him. She may not be able to be with him in the real world but she could always have her fantasies. That would just have to be enough.

When Elena woke again it was finally dark. She took a quick shower and changed her clothes before shoving the orb deep in her shorts pocket and sped out the door.

She arrived at the meeting point and immediately panicked when no one was there. Maybe they weren't coming after all and then Elena would be stuck, the charm she wore would only last until this morning unless she brought this object. She began pacing and her agitation grew before she finally heard a voice.

"Well hello there." Elena turned to the witch and smiled. "I didn't actually expect to see you."

"You didn't think I could do it?" Elena asked pulling the orb from her pocket and showing it.

"I would have bet my life you couldn't. You proved me wrong." The woman stepped forward but Elena stepped back.

"Our agreement?" She asked.

"You can keep that necklace and I've already spelled it to be permanent." She agreed and Elena tossed the orb to her. "Thank you my dear. You just helped me save my entire family." Elena nodded.

"I'm glad I could help. Thank you for this." She played with the necklace around her neck.

"It was a very small price to pay. Take care of yourself, it would be a shame if anything happened to you." She said.

"You too." Elena nodded and sped off. She finally felt free, Stefan and Damon would no longer be able to track her down and she wasn't cursed to wear Katherine's face anymore. She could go wherever she pleased and the idea was liberating. She felt her stomach twist and she realized her liberation would have to wait. She needed to feed.

For some reason Elena found it easier to feed in a crowd rather than sneaking around in alleyways. She hadn't killed anyone but she had been close. Crowds made it so she had to keep herself under control. She walked into a club where the music was blaring and there were so many people shoved together in the small room. She ordered a few drinks to calm herself down, it also seemed to help before she fed. She felt he buzz and began to dance. It wouldn't be long before some guy tried to pick her up and that would be her opening.

As predicted a dark haired man moved in front of her and rested his hands on her hips. She moved herself closer. They danced close together for a while before Elena broke away from him and backed away. The man followed her like a lost puppy to the back of the room. She slammed him against the wall and looked him in the eyes.

"I'm not going to hurt you, just say still and don't yell please." She compelled and bit into the man's neck. His blood was warm and felt so good as it trickled down her throat. She had to force herself to stop and took a few deep breaths before looking back at the man. "Thank you." She always felt the need to thank her donors. She had no idea why but she wanted to be polite. "Now you're going to drink some of this and be on your way." She said biting into her wrist. He did as he was told and Elena leaned against the wall for a few minutes as she let the blood work its magic on her still weak body. Once she felt refreshed she realized she was now truly free and she was going to start right now.

Elena compelled herself a few more drinks. She danced to her hearts content and for the first time in a long time just felt happy as thoughts of Elijah filled her mind again.

A pair of hands wrapped around waist and she was pulled back into a strong pair of arms. She lifted her hands above her head and reached for the man's face and turned her face into his chest. He smelled amazing and she felt hypnotized. She moaned as his hands rose and cupped her breasts. In return she felt him get excited behind her and Elena realized it had been a while for her. She hadn't had sex with anyone since before Klaus took Stefan away and her body was suddenly aching with desire. This was the first time since she turned she felt the need and pictured Elijah's hands roaming her body this way. Elena tried to turn to face him but whoever it was held on tighter to keep her in place. He must be a vampire and that made her more excited. His hands slowly made their way down her body and rubbed the inside of her thigh. Elena moaned again and felt her head spin when he kissed her neck.

"Oh god." She said and a fire ignited in her belly. She needed this so badly.

"I've been called many names but never that." He finally spoke and Elena nearly jumped out of her skin. He finally let her turn around but kept a tight hold on both her arms. "Hello again." It really was Elijah and Elena felt embarrassed she had enjoyed his touch so much.

"Hi." She said weakly. "What are you doing here?"

"I saw you dancing and wanted to speak with you." He said smiling.

"That was a bit more than speaking." She said.

"Were you not enjoying it?" He responded pulling her closer.

"I didn't say that." She argued and he put his hand back between her legs.

"Good." She practically through herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck pulling herself as close as she could to his body. She could feel the arousal in his pants and it felt as every nerve ending in her body were charged with electricity.

"Ah." Her blood was racing and her emotions were going haywire. She lost control of her own body as Elijah touched her and before she realized what was happening she sunk her teeth into his neck and was drinking. The strange thing was that he was letting her. Not only that but he seemed to enjoy it as his arms held her body tight making no attempt to make her cease. When Elena finally stopped she felt mortified at what she had just done but it gave her a rush at the same time. She had never felt anything like this before, not even with Stefan and her entire body was on fire. She kept her face touching his afraid to make any other movements. Elena watched the marks on his neck heal quickly but some of his blood was dripping down his neck and she wanted it. She tried to control herself but she gripped his shirt tightly and leaned in once again licking the blood from his neck. Elijah tilted his head letting her have better access.

"Maybe we should continue this conversation elsewhere." He said but before Elena could protest he grabbed her and they sped away.