Elena took a shaky breath, and nodded at Stefan before walking down the hall, making her way to the room Finn had informed her Esther would be waiting.

"Elena." she heard a voice say from behind her. She spun around, seeing Elijah coming through the door way to catch up with her.

"I understand my mother requested to see you," he said quietly, his fingers brushing against her arm slightly as he came to stand beside her. She felt goosebumps rise in their wake, and she swallowed hard.

"Uh yeah..Why? Is something wrong?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows. She watched as Elijah run his tongue over his lips.

"Well, her ability to forgive my brother after everything he's done to destroy this family, strikes me as a little..strange; to say the least." He said, speaking with his hands, something she'd come to realize he did often.

"Do you think that it's an act?" She asked quietly, watching as he came to stand in front of her.

"It has me asking questions I'd never thought I'd ask." He near whispered, staring down into her eyes, watching as she looked sideways before meeting his gaze once more.

"Can I depend on you to tell me what she says?" He continued.

"Of course" she nodded, "I'll find you later, okay?"

Elijah watched her as she walked away towards his mother's study.

Elena walked out of Esther's study, fixing her gloves back on her arm. She sent Finn a tight smile as she passed him before heading back to the party. She made her way down the stairs, spotting Elijah talking to the mayor.

She caught his gaze and slowly motioned towards the door with her eyes before walking outside. She walked past a horse and buggy and smiled, reaching out to stroke it's face before continuing. She wanted to get away from the others so that when Elijah caught up to her, they wouldn't be overheard.

Elena came to a stop when she stood by a fountain. The garden of the Mikaelson Mansion was beautifully lit, and she couldn't help but to stare in awe.

"Elena." She heard Elijah say from behind her, and she turned around.

"Elijah." she said softly, licking her lips. "Can we be overheard?" She mouthed, watching as he stopped and listening.

"No." he said quietly, staring down at her. "Elena, what did my mother want?" He asked her, his dark eyes boring into hers.

"Don't drink the toast tonight. It contains traces of my blood and it'll bind you and your siblings together. Whatever happens to one, happens to all. Your mother is planning on killing her family." Elena whispered, feeling her heartbeat speed up.

Elijah looked down at her, and for a moment, she saw his walls he kept so carefully constructed around him, fall. The look of pain that flashed across his face, made Elena want nothing more than to hug him. Instead, she reached out a hand and placed it on his arm.

"Warn your siblings, but steer clear of Finn. He's in on your mother's plan." she said softly.

"This is possibly your only chance of killing Niklaus, yet you tell me to warn my siblings. Why?" Elijah asked, placing his hand over hers that rested on his arm.

"The price is too high. I can't let people I care about get killed." She said softly, looking up at him.

Elijah swallowed, realizing what she was implying. He nodded and reached a hand up, brushing it across her cheek. "Thank you, lovely Elena." he said softly.

Elena closed her eyes, enjoying the feather like touch of his hand on her cheek. She leaned into his touch, sighing softly. Then it was gone, and when she opened her eyes, so was he.

Taking a deep breath she lifted her skirts slightly and headed back towards the party.

Elena glanced around the room, watching as waiters started handing out glasses of champagne.

"So how was my mother?" Elijah asked, coming up behind her. Elena spun around to look at him, swallowing hard.

"Intense." She said, turning towards him even more.

"And for what reason did she need to speak with you in private?" He asked, picking up two glasses of champagne and handing one to her.

Elena didn't answer, instead she stared up at the stairs which Esther was standing on. The witch smiled and nodded at her, thinking that Elena was on her side.

"Elena..." Elijah said firmly, capturing her attention again. "..should I be concerned about my mother's intentions?"

"She just wanted to apologize, for trying to have me killed." Elena said, her eyes downcast.

"So it's true then. She's forgiven Klaus."

"It's true." Elena whispered, forcing a smile.

She stared into Elijah's eyes, happy that she'd told him the truth a few minutes earlier. She knew that this interaction between them was just for show, put on for Finn and Esther.

She was pulled away from his gaze when she heard Esther speaking.

She watched as Esther raised a her glass before bringing it to her lips.

"Cheers." Elijah said, clinking their glasses together, smirking.

Elena lifted the glass and pretended to drink, watching as Elijah did the same.

Elena walked into her bathroom, staring into the mirror. She rubbed her neck, groaning softly. Tonight had been so freaking stressful. Elena took a cloth and wet it with warm water, washing her face of all it's make up and day grime.

She unzipped the back of her dress and let it fall, stepping out of it. She hung it back on the hanger that it had originally been placed on and put the bag back over it. She now stood in her black lace panties and the corset she'd worn under her heavy ball gown. She didn't know how people stood to wear those things all the time centuries ago.

Tucking a piece of the curly brown hair behind her ear, she stepped into her room, nearly jumping out of her skin when she saw Elijah sitting down on the window seat, flipping through a book she'd left setting there.

He looked up, his eyes widening when he took in her appearance before he looked away and cleared his throat. Elena grabbed her cotton housecoat that was hanging on her closet door and pulled it on, tying it around her before turning back to Elijah.

"Sorry about that..." she said quietly, feeling the blood rush to her cheeks and her heart pound loudly in her chest.

"The apology is mine, I should have taken it into consideration that you'd be getting ready for bed." He said, brushing it off with a wave of his hand.

Elena nodded, blushing still. She walked over to her dresser and looked in the mirror. She reached up, pulling the pins out of her hair, letting it slowly fall. She sighed in frustration when one got stuck, the pin tangled in her unruly curls.

She heard a low chuckle before Elijah was behind her, guiding her hands away from her hair. He gently worked the pin out of her hair, placing it with the rest before continuing to remove the remaining pins.

Elena stared at him through the mirror, the way his face seemed completely relaxed as he did the simple task. She chewed her lip, admiring how much more handsome he looked when he was at ease.

When all the pins had been removed, he stepped back slightly, sliding his hands in his pockets. Elena smiled softly at him, taking the earrings out of her ears. She then turned to him, and licked her lips.

"I take it you're not here for a social call?" She said softly, watching as his walls seemed to go up, once again.

Elijah nodded, before stepping back. "My mother apparently needed us to drink of the toast to complete the binding spell. When it did not work, she and Finn disappeared."

"Do you think she'll try something again?" Elena asked softly.

"I don't doubt it one bit." Elijah said coolly.

Elena reached out, touching his arm once again. "I am so sorry Elijah. I can't even imagine what you're going through. I know how much you love your family, and having your mother returned to you after a thousand years...only to find out that she wants to kill you. It's horrible." she said softly, squeezing his arm gently.

Elena watched as his walls slowly fell again. She slowly stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his chest. She let her head rest on his chest, feeling him stiffen momentarily before returning the gesture. One hand rested on her back, the other on her head. He let his chin rest on the top of her head.

Elijah knew that he said he wouldn't make the mistake of caring for another woman again, especially the doppelganger; but he couldn't help it with Elena. She was so warm and compassionate, and willing to do anything for those she loved. Although she resembled Tatia and Katerina, she was their polar opposite.

After a while he pulled away, but his hands remained where they were. He brought his hand around to cup her cheek, stroking the skin softly.

"Thank you again, Elena." he said softly, "You are truly an amazing person. Even after I betrayed your trust, you still found it in yourself to forgive me."

Elena smiled softly, bringing her hand up to cover his. She stroked his hand gently before taking a deep breath. She knew it was now or never. Slowly, she brought her other hand up to rest on the back of his neck. She pulled him down so that their lips were only centimeters apart.

She closed her eyes, feeling his warm breath on her lips. After a moment, she leaned up, connecting their lips. When she did this, she couldn't help but sigh contently against his lips. She'd been wanting to do this for longer than she'd like to admit.

She felt one of his hands slide back into her hair, threading his fingers through her brown locks. The other slid to her back, pulling her body flush against his as he pressed his lips to hers a littler harder.

Elena felt Elijah lightly trace her bottom lip with his tongue, silently asking for an invitation to deepen the kiss. Elena obliges him, letting her mouth open. She moans quietly as his tongue quickly dominates hers before exploring her mouth.

Elena eventually pulled away, gasping for air. She stared into Elijah's brown eyes. They seemed to have darkened considerably since she first kissed him.

Elena smiled softly at him, before leaning up and pressing a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. Elijah turned his head, capturing her lips with his again.

Elena giggled against his lips, her arms wrapping around his neck. Elijah's gripped her hips, pulling her even closer. He then started backing her up so that her back hit the wall.

Elena whimpered when Elijah separated his mouth from hers again. Her protest died on her lips the moment he started placing hot, wet kisses down her neck. She felt him nip the skin with his blunt teeth, and she bucked her hips towards his at the act. She felt his arousal when she did that, and it caused heat to pool between her legs.

She heard Elijah let out a throaty growl before he pulled back, resting his forehead against hers.

"I can smell you..." he said, huskily.

Normally, Elena would have blushed at that. But in her highly aroused state, she just smirked. She let her hands slip inside his suit jacket, and she started pushing it off of him, down his arms.

He stepped back and swiftly removed it, tossing it to the window seat before pressing his lips against hers again. His hands found the knot in the robe's tie that kept the piece of material snugly around her. He pulled it lose, letting the material part in the front.

Elena pulled away, staring up at him as his eyes raked her body. The tightness of the corset caused her breasts to be pushed up more so than usual. Elijah slid the cotton robe down her arms, tossing it aside before starting to kiss down her neck again.

As he did this, Elena felt his leg slip between hers, causing her legs to part slightly. She groaned when she felt the slight friction from his leg rubbing against her center.

"Oh..god. 'Lijah." She murmured, feeling him smirk against her neck.

He gripped her hips before turning her around, pressing her front into the wall as his fingers quickly worked on the strings of her corset, loosening it.

Elena rested her forehead against the wall, feeling his arousal pressing against her ass as he unlaced her corset. She let herself rub against him slightly.

Elijah growled when she rubbed her ass against his arousal. Once again he spun her around, pulling the corset from her body. He watched as her breasts spilled out, her nipples tightening when the cool air hit them. His hands slid down to grip the backs of her thighs. He picked her up, pressing her against the wall as her legs wrapped around him.

He kissed her again, his hands cupping her breasts, lightly pinching her nipples. She groaned loudly, rotating her hips against him best she could.

Elena gasped when she felt herself being pulled away from the wall. Before she could comprehend anything, her back was pressed against the softness of her mattress. Elijah hovered over her, staring down at her.

Elena licked her lips before sucking her bottom lip between her teeth. She worried the flesh, watching as his eyes darkened even more, if that was possible.

Elijah leaned down, kissing her again as his hands cupped her jaw. While their other kisses had been lustful and passionate, this kiss was pure affection. Elena smiled, kissing him back before resting her hands on his shoulders. She pushed him with all her human strength, so that he was on his back.

She quickly moved to straddle him, leaning down to kiss him again. Before he could deepen the kiss, she pulled away and started kissing his jaw and down his neck. While she did this, her fingers started working on the buttons of his shirt. She nipped his collarbone, smirking at his groan. She sucked the skin that she had just bitten, leaving a hickey. She knew that it would soon heal, but it didn't matter.

When her she'd successfully unbuttoned all of the buttons on his shirt, she pulled back enough so that he could sit up and allow her to push it down his arms. He then captured her lips in another kiss, his hands fisting in her hair again. Elena moaned and grated her hips against his, feeling his dick pressing against her folds, the only thing separating them was his pants and her lace panties.

Elijah used his vampire speed to switch their positions, pressing her into the mattress once again. He hooked his fingers in her panties, and pulled them down her legs. He nearly growled when the smell of her arousal hit him full force. He quickly stood up and shed his shoes and pants.

He moved so he was hovering over her again when he was equally naked. He kissed her again, groaning into her mouth when she hitched her leg up and wrapped it around him. He could feel her center pressing against his hard dick, and he knew he couldn't wait much longer. He had to feel her wrapped around him.

He used his hand to guide himself to her opening, slowly teasing her as he slipped in a little and then pulled back. He continued this, going deeper each time before he was buried in her fully. He rested his forehead against her neck, using all of his self control not to pound her into oblivion. The feeling of her warm, slick walls around him nearly made him snap.

He slowly started moving, enjoying the noises that were coming from her as he did so. He kissed her softly, allowing him self to pick up his pace slightly.

He continued to move into her, feeling her walls slowly start to tighten around him, warning him that she was close. He started kissing down her neck, nipping her jugular with his blunt teeth. Her blood was practically calling to him, but he resisted the urge to bite her.

He felt her nails digging into his back, her legs tightening around him as she bit into his shoulder, her orgasm taking over. He growled when she gushed around him, her walls milking him as he continued to pump into her.

"Elijah..." Elena moaned, turning her head to the side. She slid her fingers into his hair, pressing his mouth against her neck a little more. "Bite me.." she breathed out against his shoulder.

Elijah felt his eyes darken, and his fangs elongate, and he knew that the veins were visible under his eyes. He kissed her neck before letting his teeth carefully pierce through the skin. When her blood filled his mouth, he groaned; finding his release as she clamped down around him once more.

He pulled away from her neck after a few gulps. He licked the wound before pulling out of her, and rolling onto his back. He brought her body on top of his, running his hands over her back.

Elena smiled, snuggling into his chest. She sighed at the feeling of his fingers ghosting across her back. "Will you stay the night?" She asked him softly.

"Of course, sweet Elena." he murmured, kissing her head.

She smiled and leaned up, pressing a gently kiss against his mouth. After a moment she pulled back and let her head rest on his chest again. She was happy that she'd made the decision to tell him of his mother's plans. She knew that she couldn't afford to lose him, no matter what.