I apologize profusely for the amount of time it's taken to get this updated. I think the majority it has to do with my mindset. It takes a very particular mindset for me to work on this story and I'm so often in Klaroline mode that I forget to give this one attention. I'll try harder though. Promise.

Thank you all from the depths of my heart for reviewing, reading, favoriting and following.

I really truly appreciate it. Keep 'em coming!

Paris, France.

Stefan,

You're over a hundred years old. Three weeks is not an eternity.

I'm glad Jeremy's okay. Thank you for watching over him. He really needs a friend right now. I don't want him going back to his old ways, you know? And I will reach out to him. I wanted to call him from one of the pay phones but my French isn't good enough yet to figure out how. Did I leave my cell phone at home, by any chance?

No Katherine yet. (Although, according to Damon she's in Rome.) I'm not even sure Elijah's still looking. I think I'm taking up too much of his time. I kind of feel bad about that. Still wondering why he even decided to help me at all. I mean, I know I asked him but I didn't really expect him to say yes.

I'm so confused, Stefan. Damon told me that no matter how hard I tried to avoid it, I'd have to kill someone eventually. He said I should have done it after the transition, since I'd have to do it either way and sooner was better than later. But Elijah keeps saying that I don't have to kill if I don't want to. I don't know what to believe anymore. Did I make a wrong choice here?

I don't want to turn off that switch and lose what humanity I have left. I just wish I knew how to handle everything I'm feeling right now. How do you do it?

Missing you always,

Elena

...Elena hugged the piece of paper to her heart. Just holding it made her miss him more and she hadn't even read the words he'd written yet. As she began to unfold it, she heard something faint, like the blowing of wind. Leaving the paper on the window seat, she got up to inspect the suite.

Another burst of wind echoed and drew her toward the kitchen. But the place was empty. She slowly pulled one of the drawers open, keeping as quiet as possible, and took out a knife for protective uses. By now her heart would be pounding furiously if she wasn't already dead.

Her fear had heightened but so had her senses. She smelled a spicy cologne on the air, and heard the brush of a blanket. They were in the bedroom – her bedroom. She carefully made her way to the door, pushing it forward slowly, brandishing the knife. Once it was fully open, she glanced around. Nothing. Her eyes directed toward the the bathroom inside and she zoomed in with vampire speed, unintentionally. She flipped the light switch up expecting to see the intruder but all she saw was the porcelain sink and toilet, and the paisley shower curtain hanging unmoved. She gripped the knife again, confused.

"You're going to have to do worse than a knife to kill me."

She whipped around, her hair following. There on her bed he lay, tousled brown hair, black jeans and matching t-shirt with the teasingly low cut V in the neck. He was completely at ease with his hands folded behind his head against the pillows, wearing his trademark smirk.

"Damon?" Her eyebrows furrowed. "What are you doing here?"

"Good to see you too, Elena. My life's great, thanks for asking. I could not be happier."

She let out a breath of relief. "Sorry, but when you unexpectedly show up - and in my bed, no less - it's a little surprising."

"You didn't hear me come in?" He tutted. "Some vampire you are."

She rolled her eyes. "What do you want, Damon?"

"Why do I have to want something?" He sat up, letting his legs dangle off the edge of the enormous bed. "I can't just come say hello?"

"You could have called."

"Phones are so impersonal." He got up and brushed past her going to the living room. "Snazzy suite, you got here. Even better than the last."

Elena followed, growing irritated. "I liked the other one. We would still be there if you hadn't kept coming by unannounced."

"My bad." He spied a mini fridge in the corner, hiding beneath a vase of flowers. "Two fridges? Lemme guess. One for the blood, one for the booze. But which is which?"

"Look, Elijah's going to be back soon. If he finds you in here - "

"What is he your father now?" He scoffed. "Daddy doesn't want boys in the room when he's not home?"

She folded her arms, defensively. "Not ones who tried to kill him and his brother in the past."

"Can't we all just get along?" She frowned, creasing her brow. He smirked at her apparent annoyance. "That's a Stefan face right there."

Her shoulders eased. "How is Stefan?"

"Don't know. Don't care." He began rummaging through the mini fridge and raised his eyebrows triumphantly. "Ah. Booze."

"How could you not know?" Elena continued. "You see him every day."

He paused his search, hand still resting on the door, to look up at her. "Elena, I haven't been back to Mystic Falls in a month. I left. For good."

"I don't understand. Why would you leave?"

"Why not?" He rolled his eyes, going back to the fridge. "Needed a change of scenery. The Originals split. Tyler and Caroline's moms are cleaning up the mess. And Stefan's playing house with Jeremy." He lifted his lips in a lopsided grin upon finding three miniature bottles of bourbon. "Seemed like a good time to disappear."

"So you just left?"

"Pretty much." He flicked the twist cap off his thumb sending it rolling across the marble granite. "Actually I'm not so far from you now. Staying in a villa in Rome. You should visit."

"What about Stefan?"

"What about Stefan?" He kicked the fridge door closed and swung around while downing the entirety of one bottle. "He's a big boy. He can take care of himself. He doesn't need me. He never needed me."

"Is that what we're gonna do now? Have a pity party?"

"Pity party's still a party," he grinned, toasting her with a new bottle.

"The only reason you think no one cares is because you don't let them. Anytime someone gets close enough, you have to ruin it because you think you're not worthy."

"Sounds like you got me all figured out."

She sighed, shrugging. "I'm sorry if I hurt you, Damon. I never meant to."

"Look, I don't need you to make me feel better, okay? All I need right now, is this," he said, holding up the alcohol and taking a swig.

"So, what? You're gonna go on a destructive binge and kill people until you feel better?"

"You could join me if you like," he smirked.

"I'm not a murderer, Damon."

"Of course you're not. You're a vampire. Small difference." He raised an eyebrow in afterthought. "Actually, not really."

"That doesn't mean people have to die. There is such a thing as will power."

"Excuse me, Ms. Zen. Since when does one kill give you oodles of will power?" She stared at him, bemused. His eyebrows lowered. "Have you not made your first kill yet?"

"Elijah's been teaching me to feed without having to drain to the point of death," she told him proudly. "It's all about control."

"That's a load of crap. You're going to kill someone eventually, and the first one is the worst. You should have gotten it out of the way weeks ago."

"I don't want to kill anyone."

"Doesn't matter if you want to or not. It's inevitable."

"No. It's not."

He grabbed her shoulders, staring at her intently. "It will eat at you, Elena. The bloodlust never goes away. And you won't be able to control it until you know how it feels to kill."

"Well, maybe I'm different," she said, raising her chin defiantly.

"Don't be naïve. Stefan was naïve, look where it got him. Or do you not remember that whole mass murder period?"

"Klaus made him that way, Damon. He only did it to protect me. And save you!" she reminded him.

"He was that way before he met Klaus! There's a whole history of Stefan the Ripper that you don't even know about."

"Well regardless, I'm not Stefan. I've got this, Damon."

He shook his head, disdained. "I'm gonna have to have a talk with Elijah."

"No. What you're gonna do is leave."

As he began to protest, the door opened and Elijah walked in. His face was a stern as the suit he donned and his eyes darkened at the sight of their guest.

"There's the man of the hour," Damon greeted.

Elijah glanced back and forth between Elena and Damon before nodding in greeting. "Hello, Damon. I wasn't under the impression you were invited in." He glanced at Elena. "You all right?"

"Fine. Damon was actually just leaving."

She began pushing Damon toward the door as he pouted, poking out his lower lip in mock sadness. He slipped away and out of her grasp in the blink of an eye and stopped just before Elijah.

"I was just curious. Why is it you've kept her from making the first kill when you know how important it is?"

Elijah's eyes glazed over. "Elena has made it abundantly clear that she doesn't want to kill any humans. I'm simply respecting her wishes."

"Oh please. You're an Original, not God. You can't stop it from happening."

"It must pain you to know that she's managed not to kill after only a month when you still can't seem to control it yourself." He put a fingertip to his chin. "I guess it's not too hard to see why she didn't choose you."

Elena stared at him, crestfallen. "Elijah..."

Damon's nostrils flared, his eyes wide with contempt. "Elena's free to do whatever Elena likes."

"I assure you, she does."

"Well. Thank goodness the world has Elijah Mikaelson to keep tending to the Petrovas." He turned to leave but stopped as if he'd forgotten something. His eyes held a tinge of malice. "Speaking of which, any messages you want me to take back to Katherine?"

Elijah stiffened, his face falling completely. Damon's expression filled with delight, relishing in the Original's reaction.

"She didn't tell you she was in Italy?"

"You're lying."

"Maybe. But if you want a second opinion, you could always ask Klaus." Elijah tried to remain unmoved but something flicked across his eyes. Damon tsked. "I guess it's not too hard to see why she didn't choose you."

Elijah grinned, smoothing out his jacket. "You should go, Damon."

"And if I don't want to?"

"Let me make myself as clear as I possibly can. If I find you here again, the next time, I won't miss."

"Miss what?"

With a swift swish of his jacket, Elijah thrust a dagger deep into Damon's chest. Damon fell to one knee, keeping himself up with his palms on the floor. Elena rushed to him but Damon disappeared out the door. She stopped, shoulders slumping, and turned back to face Elijah.

"What the hell was that?" she asked him incredulously.

"A warning."