Her dark eyes numbly stared at the elegant script until it blurred on the parchment. He thought she would hate him. Never forgive him.

He was leaving her behind.

Elena slowly folded the paper and settled it back into its envelope.

He couldn't.

oOo

She waited, inside his car.

Elena was relieved she'd gotten here in time, but she didn't dare approach the Mikaelson house. Klaus made her skin crawl, and she didn't trust that Rebekah wouldn't come after her.

But she had to see Elijah.

His earlier words resounded in her mind. He would know she was here, by the pounding of her heart. She didn't worry he would avoid her – that just wasn't his nature. If she came to confront him, he would face her. His honor. She had tried to calm herself, but it was no use. And she wasn't sure why exactly she couldn't just let him go.

And then – he was inside the car with her. She jumped in her seat, startled by his sudden appearance. Normally her reaction would have caused some amusement on his part, but he appeared so morose that she felt out of sorts herself. As though their dynamic was off now.

"Why are you here, Elena?"

He wasn't looking at her, just ahead, at the row of trees along the front of the property. She took a deep breath. "Your note… why are you leaving?"

"It would be in your best interest if we all left," he said quietly, and his eyes met hers now. "You deserve a life free of vampires, and all of this supernatural business."

She was silent for a moment, trying to ease the ache in her throat before she spoke. "I will never be free, Elijah. I'm at Klaus's mercy… no one can save me from that," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, and the subtle narrowing of his eyes showed her how conflicted he was. "But right now he's not even my biggest worry… I just don't know if I can live with myself, not knowing what becomes of you?"

"You need to forget about me," he shot back sternly, and the words stung at her. "I've been an abomination in your life, Elena… I've caused more complications than I've solved, and I set you up to be murdered last night." She opened her mouth to protest, but he shook his head, adding emphatically, "Let me go."

He reached across her, careful not to touch her, and she swallowed hard as he opened the door. Then he settled back into his seat, staring at her with a cold gaze.

Her cheeks flushed hotly. Elena slowly stepped out of the car, into the cool air, clutching her coat tight around her. She leaned down to look at him one last time.

"Goodbye, Elijah," she said softly, just before she clicked the door shut. She could feel his eyes on her as she walked away.

oOo

The rain pouring down matched her mood. She curled up in the window seat, gazing out over the streets of Mystic Falls. Streetlights shone over the rain drops, illuminating them like fireflies as they fell through the air.

Her diary sat open upon her lap and her hand rested against the page. She'd spent the last two weeks avoiding the calls of both Stefan and Damon, only talking to Caroline who gave her updates on Bonnie and her mom's transition. Ric was still here, but in a funk after narrowly avoiding serious physical injury by Dr. Fell and her poor shot with a pistol. But his heart and head were a mess. He did tell Elena in one of his lucid, sober moments that Damon somehow determined Meredith was compelled. And after all the recent close calls, Elena was more certain than ever that Jenna was looking out for him from the great beyond. She felt a pang in her chest as she thought of her late aunt. She could use her camaraderie and dry humor right now, to bring her out of her own funk.

Elena was hesitant to admit it aloud, but she knew in her heart that Elijah was at the root of her depressed state. His name was scrawled and emphasized at the top of an otherwise blank page. She wasn't sure when he'd become such a fixture in her mind, in her life. Of course his presence was so commanding that she'd thought of him often ever since she'd first met him. But when had he become someone she would have added to her list of those to save?

Even when Stefan was her main focus during the summer, and then Damon throughout the fall… he was always in her thoughts. She was so relieved when Damon revealed that he'd undaggered the Original that she'd almost kissed him again. It was something she'd considered doing herself when she first saw the coffins in the plantation ruins. But she remained wary of how Stefanwould react, especially after that terrifying night on the bridge. She shuddered in recollection. Elena missed Stefan even after all of this, but she knew it wasn't healthy anymore. She wanted him to find himself, wanted Damon to continue on his path to being a better man, but both of them had proven over and over that they were slaves to their emotions… she couldn't predict their reactions in any volatile situation. As many times as they'd saved her, they'd both let her down, time and time again.

And that was where Elijah held the upper hand. He remained constant. His response in most situations was one she understood, once all the cards were laid out on the table. It wasn't ever that he would show up and snap her brother's neck, or threaten to drive her off a bridge to turn her, or allow himself to be compelled into attacking her. She could even understand why he'd left - as much as that hurt. And it would be easier if she knew he would return, or if she had a way to reach out if she needed him. Not knowing if she would ever see him again, without telling him she forgave him and hoping he forgave her... without telling him how she felt...

It left a hollow feeling in her chest. And a bit of confusion, because she wasn't sure what these feelings she held for him were. Friendship? It wasn't like any other friendship she had... the respect, the honor, the way they regarded each other were all reminiscent of an Old World courtship, which was a realization that both alarmed her and shot a jolt of nervous butterflies straight down to her toes.

But what does it matter? she asked herself. It wasn't like she would ever find out now.

Elena focused on the ground and streets below. She noticed a dark figure nearly shrouded at the base of the oak tree in the side yard. Her heart swelled for a moment. Was it him? But as she squinted closer... from the form and the fit of the jacket, it became apparent that it was Stefan. Keeping an eye on her dutifully despite the fact that Elena was slowly distancing herself from him - a fact they were both well aware of.

She sighed with a slight scowl, looking up to the ceiling. She was starting to feel suffocated by the vampire brothers and their tendencies, their intensity. She couldn't wholly blame them. She'd gotten just as caught up in it, and she knew she was the source of much of the external drama they'd weathered. But watching Stefan and Damon together and how she had fractured their already fragile relationship more... she couldn't bring herself to come between them, to tear them further apart.

And when she glanced down again, he wasn't there any longer.

She closed her diary and stood, pulling her curtains closed. Her thoughts were far too disjointed and scrambled at the moment to work out on paper. Plus she worried about anyone happening upon the direction her thoughts were taking now. She pulled at the loose floorboard in her closet, setting the diary into its new hiding spot. New since Jeremy found it behind her painting, anyway. Then she settled under the covers and turned out the lights, hoping Stefan would stay away. She didn't want to visit that trouble tonight.

And if he did happen to show up, she hoped her heartbeat wouldn't betray her.

oOo

His car slowed outside her house once the younger Salvatore had left. He felt for the vampire, truly... he understood what it was to end up tangled in his brother's web and to lose everything he cared about.

Elijah had left a week ago, certain he wouldn't return. But once he completed his journey, thoughts of her drew him back. He wasn't sure what exactly he expected from her, if anything more than a moment of kindred spirithood here and there. Of course he wanted more, but that was beyond what he knew was realistically possible. However, as penance of his own, he felt obligated to offer her protection from his brother. Keeping an eye over her for the rest of her natural life – it wasn't that long in terms of eternity. If anything else happened to her while he was away, that he could have prevented… it was an understatement to say that the regret would be a black cloud over the remainder of his existence. His mother had called them monsters, it was time to set about changing that. He needed to start by taking some responsibility not just for himself, but for his siblings as well. He would act as the conscience they didn't have, the archangel of retribution when they didn't heed his warning.

He knew his first task in maintaining Elena's safety would be keeping Klaus honest, and that entailed evening the playing field. The daggers were finally gone, forever. They resided at the bottom of the Black Sea now, rendered incapacitated by one of his gypsy friends skilled in the ways of reversing black magic. The sort of magic Esther practiced. And their defusing and future decay meant that Elena wouldn't have to worry about his sudden disappearances any longer, unless she herself banished him from her life. He would remain in her periphery until she needed him.

After the nightmare her life had become, he at least owed her that.

oOo

Elena stretched against her pillow, welcoming the morning sunlight that streamed through the windows. Maybe it would chase out the dreariness in her soul as well. She reached over to turn off her alarm clock, and her fingers brushed against something cool, dewy. She sat up. A yellow rose laid on her nightstand, the edges of the petals tinged with red that bled down and mixed into a deep orange – elegant and vibrant. She glanced around and realized the window was half open. She wrapped her arms around herself after she climbed out from under her warm covers, against the cool breeze of early spring. She looked out the window with the rose clutched in one hand, studying the streets, perplexed. It was clearly left here recently, yet no one was around. Damon and Stefan usually made their presence known… a note, a tag, something. But there was nothing. And she didn't see anything, or anyone. She closed the window now, her brow wrinkling at the mystery.

Elijah smiled, watching her. She would know when the time was right.