I own absolutely nothing. What a shame.

Elena hugged her pillow tight and stared at the wall that had been her constant companion for the better part of a week. If it weren't for Caroline making constant trips to the dorm room and throwing her spring break plans out the window she might have never moved.

A knock sounded on the door. Caroline with dinner, making sure she ate something. The blonde was one of the only ones who knew everything after she had caught them together in January.

She sniffed and buried her face under the blankets.

The knock came again.

"Come in," her broken whisper was muffled by the comforter. Only after she had said it did it cross her mind that Caroline wouldn't knock.

"I'll take that as an invitation."

Barely able to breath she poked her head out from under the blanket and looked over her shoulder to confirm what her ears had already told her.

"Elijah?" She sat up, swiping at her cheeks.

"I'm afraid I don't have much time," he spun her desk chair around and sat, "so perhaps you could be helpful and answer me honestly."

She scooted back into the corner where her bed was pressed. Her heart always gave away her lies, so she nodded.

Her fingers picked at a loose thread on her comforter. She had stopped being able to smell his cologne on the sheets days before.

"You're in love with my brother."

Her body came alert. Could he smell Kol in her room?

The heavy lashes shadowing her cheeks flew up. He took her wordless stare and pounding heart as the admission he sought. Her lips parted slightly.

Tears shimmered in her eyes.

"He is in love with you."

She blinked, lowering her eyes, and a glistening tear dropped from her lashes to the pillow clutched in her hands.

"You with to be with him," he passed her a handkerchief, "but fear Niklaus will kill you and harm him if you transition."

She nodded slowly and wiped at her eyes, crumpling his handkerchief in her hands.

"How?" She whispered.

"Niklaus sees what he wishes to see," Elijah straightened his cuffs, "and as long as he heard you were safe he didn't look further. You two were lucky the vampire checking in on you answered to me and not him. I got a call on Sunday morning saying your mood had taken a drastic shift; that coupled with Kol's reappearance and sudden depression told me what I needed to know. He loves you, but you already knew that."

Elena was too surprised to do more that nod.

"Do you want to be with him?"

She found her voice, fragile and thin. "I can't."

"That's not what I asked you," he shifted to sit on the edge of her bed. Elena hugged her knees to her chest. "Is Niklaus the only thing between you? If he were not an issue would you be with Kol right now?"

"Yes," she chewed her bottom lip. "I love him."

"Then I must apologize for what I'm about to do."

Her eyes snapped to his, confusion flashed in the depths. Her vervain filled necklace was torn from her throat and she gasped.

He caught her chin before she could look away. "Hold still."

Every muscle froze. Fear was an acceptable response, but she could feel nothing beyond curiosity as she watched him.

He pulled a vial from an inner pocket – one of the three she had sent with Kol days before – and placed it on her nightstand. A second vial filled with a thick crimson liquid that was not blood.

"Drink this," he held it out.

Her brows rose; she made no move to fight against the compulsion. The whisper of a memory slid through her mind; the vial held herb infused wine and the distinct taste of copper: her blood.

Elijah reached into his pocket and placed a small object beside her vial of blood.

She looked from the now empty vial to the one on her night stand: a potion of herbs and blood, her blood, and a lapis lazuli ring.

"How did you do this?" She ran her tongue over her teeth.

"I believe you briefly met Freya during your day in New Orleans," he tilted his head. "Did you know we lived in the city a century ago?"

She nodded. Kol had told her about it: how Klaus and Elijah had daggered him, and how his siblings had been forced to flee from Mikael a few years later.

"My father found me before burning the city," his eyes took on a far off look. "He nearly killed me and left behind a sliver of white oak. I've held onto it since then, and a few days ago I gave it to Freya along with a vial of your blood."

"Klaus will dagger you," she breathed.

"He'd have to find them first," he chuckled, "and he'll find them very difficult to locate. Torment is the worst he can do."

His fingers curled around her neck.

"Elijah…" he paused and met her eyes, "… why are you doing this?"

"Because in a thousand years I've only ever seen Kol happy when he's with you," he cocked an eyebrow, "or are you referring to the compulsion?" She nodded once and he smirked. "Because Niklaus cannot blame you for a stolen choice."

"Is this going to hurt?" She swallowed.

"A split second, and then nothing until you wake up." He gave her an inquisitive look, allowing her a chance to say no – take everything back and say she wanted her human life – but she said nothing.

Elena inhaled her final breath as his fingers tightened on her throat. The last thing she heard was the snap of her neck.

Elijah lowered her onto the bed until it looked like she was sleeping and sat down. He reached for his vibrating cell phone when the door opened to reveal Caroline Forbes.

Her eyes darted from Elijah to the bed where her best friend's heart no longer beat.

"Niklaus," he spoke into his phone.

"Where are you? The witches are up to something, and you're needed."

"I'm certain Freya can handle the witches," he listened as Caroline's heart raced. Rage filled the small dorm room. "I had to take a trip to Whitmore."

"I don't suppose you checked in on Elena."

The sound of her best friend's name snapped Caroline out of her silence.

"He killed her," she shrieked, knowing full well that Klaus could hear her. The response that came back was not Klaus' voice as the phone was ripped from his hand.

"You what?"

"Do relax, Kol," Elijah sighed. "Miss Forbes is speaking without all of the facts. I did not kill Elena. I compelled her and turned her…" a loud crash came through the speaker, "… she would have never agreed otherwise. You've been moping around for a week over that very fact." He glanced at the bed where Caroline sat smoothing Elena's hair away from her face. "If you get on the plane now you should get here in time for her to wake up."

He raced through the empty halls – devoid of students still on break – at vampire speed. He had almost reached the door when he was shoved into the opposite wall.

"I believe that's close enough," Elijah held him by his throat.

"Let go of me," Klaus' complexion turned purple. When Elijah held his ground he got a grip on his wrist and shoved him down the hall.

Elijah got to his feet but before he could make a move to defend himself razor sharp fangs punctured his forearm. He tore his arm away, twisted and forced Klaus to his knees. His strength waned under the toxin running through his veins.

Kol ignored both of them and rushed into the dorm room.

Freya and Rebekah came to a sudden stop. Relief washed over him.

"Sister," he grunted, "I wonder if you might oblige me in a binding spell."

"Certainly," Freya straightened her jacket. She pulled a folded sheet of paper from her pocket with a stick of charcoal and completed a half-drawn circle.

Elijah jerked back as the sigil grew beneath Klaus. By the time he rolled up his sleeve to check the bite on his arm the sound of wheels over wood reached his ears.

"Did you get the violence out of your system?" Hayley put the brakes on the stroller. "Because your daughter is about to wake up."

"He killed my doppelganger," he beat against the barrier holding him in place.

"I didn't kill her," Elijah rolled his eyes. "I turned her, and she is not yours."

"If she's anyone's she's Kol's," Freya's eyes narrowed.

"What the bloody hell does Kol have to do with this?" He glared at his brother.

Through the open door they heard a harsh gasp for air.

Caroline slipped from the room and Rebekah poked her head around the corner, but the younger vampire closed the door before she could actually see anything.

"They've been together for months," Caroline crossed her arms.

"And unless you wish to lose Kol," he folded his sleeve over the angry bite, "you'll leave them be. You have more than enough hybrids to protect Hope and a small store of Elena's blood for emergencies."

"I will kill her, and dagger both of you," he seethed.

"Actually…"

"Would you like to be added to the list Rebekah?" Klaus snapped.

"If you would let her finish," Elijah cut him off, "you would know what she was going to tell you. You'll have a hard time achieving either of your threats, brother. I'm certain by now you know the daggers are gone, and thanks to Freya Elena is quite durable."

Elena shot up. Her hands circled her throat attempting to soothe the burn. Strong fingers curled around her wrists, drawing her hands away from her neck.

Her tired eyes squinted against the late afternoon sunlight that filtered through the window. His face slowly came into focus until she could see the raw emotion blaze in his eyes.

"What have you done, darling?" He searched her eyes.

"I'd say I made a bad decision but," she swallowed the lump in her throat, "Elijah compelled me, so technically…"

He released her left hand to caress her cheek.

"Everything hurts," she breathed. She gripped her chest where her heart pulsed weakly and forced the remains of her human blood through her body. "Why does it hurt?" Her tongue ran along her teeth.

"It's your body," his thumb grazed her bottom lip, "telling you to feed."

Her eyes flickered to the nightstand.

Kol followed her gaze to the single vial of blood: a shot to jumpstart eternity. He twisted the cap off and held it out.

"Last chance to say no," he inhaled the rising smell of human blood. It belonged to her.

She plucked the thin tube from his hand. Her fingers tingled where their skin met.

Chewing her lip she focused on the blood for a moment before tipping it up. Euphoria spread over her tongue and down her throat, but she didn't get a chance to enjoy it before her skin blistered and bubbled. A shriek escaped her mouth as she scrambled back into the corner.

Kol moved to shade her from the sunlight.

"On the nightstand," she drew in ragged breaths as her skin healed.

His arm reached blindly behind him for the table until his fingers closed around a thin metal band. He slipped the silver on her right ring finger and examined the round stone that rose from twisting silver vines.

"I don't know how I feel about my brother giving you jewelry, darling," he flipped over her hand and kissed her palm.

"It's kind of a necessity," she gave a soft laugh.

"Still," he pulled her into his arms. The argument in the hall had calmed down in volume signifying that Hope had woken from her nap.

"If it bothers you that much you'll have to get me a replacement," she teased. Her arms snaked around his back. The steady thump of his heart filled the room.

"I might do that," he kissed the top of her head.

Tu Finis

There were some scenes that were not written in as I wanted to tell the story primarily from Elena's POV.