Caroline waited for Matt to finish his shift nervously tapping on the table looking around the Grill. 

"I'm done!"-Matt said joining her-"you don't look happy..." 

"Happy?! Matt, are you serious!? The Prom was the worst since this school was founded, we were supposed to have the greatest time ever when we get to our senior year. 

"You are in the wrong town, Caroline. I still don't get how you don't wish to see things for what they are." 

"I see them, but I cannot just take it!"- she said honestly. 

"What are you going to do?- i am surprised you didn't leave yourself." 

"I love this place, here are my friends." 

"What friends?! Elena and Tyler are gone, Bonnie is not even interested in anything, except magic. Even the Mikaelsons are gone-" 

"I know. Bonnie is just...too much. She didn't even want to open the door last night...we have to do something." 

"We?"-Matt said astonished. 

************************************************************************************* 

Breaking off from the kiss both Elena and Elijah stood in silence for a moment enveloped by the darkness.  

"My darling-" - he uttered softly, pulling her gently into another kiss. They would forever take this night with them holding those kisses as pieces of something extraordinarily precious.

With the dawn breaking they ventured back to the house. Alicia was already up and waited for them in the kitchen, where she had already prepared the breakfast for them. Her face was not a bearer of good news, so without any delay she informed them of it. 

"Zoe sent a message regarding Bonnie. She is not responding to her and all her attempts to stop her from immersing herself completely in Expression is failing. Silas is getting to her. And you are not nearly as ready to face him!" 

"I'm ready!"- Elena said reassuringly-" you do what you have to get Bonnie away from him. She is stubborn... sometimes" 

Alicia wasn't happy about the decision she had to make, but desperate times call for desperate measures. She then passed a paper with a message for Elijah. Elijah took it and unfolded it 

"Sophie Deveraux"- he uttered. 

"She has been looking for you- apparently she has a private matter to discuss!" 

Elena now looked at Elijah hoping he would fill them in. 

"What has my brother done now?!"- he said simply. 

"After breakfast we need to make our way to the Falls"-Alicia said to both of them. 

Elena took some fruit and asked him if they could speak in the living room. 

"I guess you have to follow through whatever is going on with Klaus. I have to go to the Falls. " 

"I need to...yes... I hate to leave you..." 

"We will have time to ourselves, I promise you that!"- she said. She kissed him now to seal that promise and then walked out of the room.  

Alicia and Elena made their way to the Falls, and Elijah to his meeting in New Orleans. 

************************************************************************************* 

In the Falls, Zoe tried to talk Bonnie into letting her into the house. Bonnie used Expression to stop her in her tracks. Expression was too much for Zoe, so she opted for some friendly help as she called Caroline and Matt for reinforcements. As they arrived, she instructed them what to do. 

"I need you to call her to the door, so I can try magic to open a door"-Zoe said to Matt. 

"Did Klaus send you?" 

"No"- Zoe said- "the other brother." 

"Elijah?"-Caroline said- "why would he want to send a witch- what is going on here... ?" and as Caroline wanted to attack Zoe, she struck back, showing her that it wasn't wise to mess with her. 

"I am sorry, but don't do that please, I am not here to harm Bonnie." 

Matt suggested they break in and Caroline had no problem in obliging him. They found her friend in an  

unusual state. They tried talking to her, but it appeared she was in some kind of trance. Zoe made a call to Alicia, who told her what mixture of herbs she should use. She took out packets of dry herbs, she carried in her bag. 

"You are very well prepared!"- Caroline remarked seeing that the woman carried all the necessary equipment a herbalist would carry. Zoe quickly prepared the mixture and they now used the essence in the way so Bonnie would inhale it. 

Elena and Alicia arrived not long after, and they walked into the house. Both Matt and Caroline looked at their friend as if they had seen a ghost. It was Elena, but she seemed different somehow. Her hair partly braided and neatly arranged, dressed in jeans, long  

black boots, and a black sweater. 

"How is she?"- Elena said not greeting them at all. Bonnie regained consciousness and now looked at everyone standing around her. Alicia examined her. Bonnie was bleeding from her nose still, so they agreed they would take her to the hospital. Alicia said to Zoe to follow and make sure she was not given vampire blood to heal. 

"Why?"- Caroline raged. 

"We cannot have her transform because we will lose the link with her ancestors, as she is the only one who knows where Silas' whereabouts are!"-Alicia explained. 

"Caroline, don't do anything stupid!"-Elena said knowing that her friend could be impulsive. 

"What?...You are back two seconds and you are calling the shots!"- she shouted at Elena- " and where have you been, and why do you look...the way you look? You are not a vampire..." 

Matt now looked at Elena hoping they would get some answers. 

"It's a long story, but I will tell you, but we need to go to the hospital, don't you think guys!?" 

They agreed to put Bonnie first. So they went to the hospital, and Alicia stayed back at the house. 

Several hours later, as they returned from the hospital to Matt's place, Elena sat down and told them what had happened to her and what she had been doing. 

"So, you took the Cure, became a Huntress, and human, and you have been training and living with Elijah?!"- Caroline said with disbelief in her voice. 

"Yes."- Elena replied simply. And before Caroline could continue Elena's phone rang and she updated Elijah. 

Both Matt and Caroline just looked at their friend in amazement. She spoke to the Original with great familiarity. For one moment he thought that she was compelled.  

"Stefan and Damon are out of the game?"-Caroline asked Elena straight out as she put the phone down 

"Are you sure you got your feelings back?!" 

Elena now felt slightly angry and that was the sign that her Huntress in her wished to attack Caroline, but she subdued it and confidently said- "Very sure!... Look...I had time to think and... I know this kind of a weird change...one minute I am human, then I am a vampire, now a Hunter... it's still me... and this me needs to go now...- thank you Matt, but I will stay at the Falls Inn"- 

"If that's what you want!"- he replied. 

"I kind of need my own space..."- she explained. 

Elena left the house, and Caroline let a sound of shear frustration out and then left herself. Matt sent a message to Elena to meet her at the Lockwood mansion when she was done with the witch. 

Elena parked her car in front of Bonnie's house and got in. Alicia had been working on a plan how to minimize the danger when confronting Silas. Elena informed her that Bonnie would be fine after some rest. Then the witch explained Elena what would take place. 

"The only way is that I link myself to Bonnie, but she is still so very weak. I am afraid that this could kill her, she consumed too much power in a short time and didn't have a teacher to tell her how to cope with it. She kept it really under wrapps, she managed to deceive Zoe completely. It is dark magic and although she comes from a very powerful line of witches who are very close to an Original witch." 

"We only have two days." 

"I will close the rips in the Veil then and you will kill Silas. it will be done!"-Alicia said confidently.- "I have faith in you. You have the resolve." 

"You are so sure of me?!""-Elena said. 

I have told you, teachers are people who have to be sure or otherwise it all collapses, at least good teachers!"- she smiled a little.  

Elena sighed. Her phone rang again. "Elijah-"- she said. Alicia walked away to give her some privacy. 

"I could not speak earlier. I don't really want to meet you at the Mikaelson mansion.... you know why... I haven't booked the room at the Inn yet. Ten tonight? Ok, see you then. Take care. " 

She notified Alicia that she is leaving and that she was to meet Elijah. As she got out of the house, she called Matt. She wasn't really happy about the way things turned out with her return. Her emotionless state before she had disappeared created a rift between her and her friends. She need to bring things in order and mend what could be mended. 

Matt waited for her in front of the mansion.  

"I am sorry"- she started as she walked to him as she got out of her car- "I couldn't call you back when I got your message.... I am really sorry, Matt, about everything, but I had to keep it a secret, and I really needed time to myself- it was all too much..." 

"Stop apologizing, Elena"- Matt said kindly- " you are back, and I am glad you are ok...and especially cos your are not a vampire anymore. " 

She smiled at him- " I guess you would understand....why are we here?" 

"Here"- he pulled keys out of his jeans pocket and passed them to her -" You can stay here- I know you can't go to the Boarding house- and your house is...you know!" 

Elena took the keys reluctantly. 

"You are with Elijah?!" he asked. 

" Matt... "- Elena didn't want to hear disapproval from him.  

"It's ok Elena, who am I to tell you what to do... " 

"Remember when you asked me what it is with me and the Salvatores- and our talk on the bridge-" 

"How could I ever forget it... I've seen so many Elenas...-" 

"it was all me, and this me too, this is who I was supposed to be. It was written in the stars. Over night I became vampire, then this. I am human but a bit different than before. And Elijah... I love him, I had feelings for him. I know you don't get it...but this is real." 

"You said that you should love the person who makes you glad that you are alive- so he is that person?" 

"When we were arguing about college and marriage....I talked to my mum afterwards and she had kind of told me to say what I feel cos I actually knew how I had felt. She was right. But I kept burying things and choosing things because I didn't want to hurt the people because they were good to me. Stefan was good to me, so I latched onto him." 

"And Damon?" 

"Ah, Damon... Good girl wanting to turn the bad boy into a good one." 

"That leaves us Elijah?- 

"I love him because I feel so me when I am with him, he listens to me, we can talk, I feel free with him. We are together even when we are not together, I can feel him... and I know him. It's a heartbeat thing. You will get what I am talking about one day." 

"When you were gone, I pretended that I didn't worry about you, it was kind of easier to deal with it. I guess I will always worry about you." 

"That's why you are my best friend"- Elena said. 

They hugged, and he let her walk into the mansion. He set off to the Grill. 

The huge house felt hollow. Once it was a home, now it looked like a museum of memories. She evoked of them back. 

"You cared about her, didn't you?!-"- "It's a common mistake I'm told- it's one I will not make again!"- the phone buzzed, seeing Elijah's name on the display she answered. 

"I am not at the Inn, but in the Lockwood mansion... yes... I will wait for you here." 

********************************************************************************* 

Caroline informed Stefan and Damon, who took the first available flight from Vancouver to Richmond. Stefan could hardly contain Damon's fury for having been taken for a fool. In the meantime, Alicia tried to find a way how to get linked to Qetsiyah so she would spare Bonnie. Elena went to see Bonnie for a little while. When she left, Zoe stayed on with Bonnie making sure she was not disturbed by anybody. 

Elijah arrived at the mansion. The place brought back the conversation he had with Elena. As he wanted to ring the bell, Elena opened the door and welcomed him with a very happy face. She invited him in. 

"What irony to be here with you again."- he said and sat down on the sofa next to her. 

"I know"- she mumbled- "so much changed that day." 

"It did."- he said and looked at her with love and adoration. 

"How was New Orleans?"- she inquired. 

"It's to do with the woman.... werewolf Hayley .She is with child she claims is Klaus'... witches have confirmed to be so...- " 

"Pregnant? With Klaus' child...Can vampires? They can't..." 

"Magic...he is a hybrid. I do not know. At this very moment, I want to think about you and what exactly will take place on Saturday."- he took both of her hands in his. 

"Alicia is now looking into ways how to manage the spell without Bonnie-" 

"And you?" 

"I am fine. I had a good talk with Matt. Caroline, ah"- she sighed- "I guess things cannot all fall into place at once." 

"Never at once. From what you have told me- she is the one who always was insecure about you." 

"Let's not talk about them...me... rituals..." 

"Do you want to go out for dinner? There is a formidable place half an hour drive away from here." 

"No-"- she said looking at him seductively " I just want to be here with you." 

Her phone buzzing interrupted them. She looked at the display- It was Matt- "What?- When?-All right, I'll be there in a minute." 

Elijah questioned the call as he saw she was disturbed by it. 

"Bonnie- things turned bad and Meredith gave her vampire blood." -Elijah wondered why would that be a problem- and she explained that it could interfere with the link with Qetsiyah - I have to see Bonnie-" 

"Of course-"- Elijah said- "I will stay here-" 

"I think it is best... I am sorry." 

"Elena- you go now- I will wait here"- She kissed him and shot out.