Closing the door behind her, Elena took a deep breath. Her heart was going wild.
How did she get to this point in her life? Having to deceive and lie? How did everything go so wrong? She was an excellent student. Had such a promising life in front of her. And then in one night everything changed.

Flashback

Mystic Falls, years back

Whitmore college

"So, I pick you up tomorrow, let's say, around 5 and we go to the Lake House?" Stefan said to Elena caressing her face affectionately.

Elena smiled sheepishly and nodded.

"Ah, look at the love birds."- Damon appeared around the corner of the Dorms with Katherine.

"This is your brother?" Katherine now said.

"Yep." Damon replied.

Both Elena and Stefan looked at the pair somewhat gobsmacked.

"Damon?" Stefan said in a surprised manner. It was clear the brothers had not seen one another for a while and Stefan was not expecting him.

"Long time no see." Damon said.

Elena, who had not seen Katherine for months, was equally stunned. But more so, because she turned up with Damon, and it was clear they knew one another.

Elena, who had been dating Stefan for a few weeks, didn't know that he had a brother.

"Isn't this just peachy!?" Katherine chuckled,"two sisters with two brothers. Well, we are not so mushy."

Soon, it came out that Damon met Katherine in New York, and that they were hooking up, but there was nothing exclusive with them.

Damon, clearly had a past that was pretty dark. And him coming to Mystic Falls was trying to escape from the shady life he had been leading.

Days after, in the Boarding House, as Elena came to see Stefan, before knocking at the door, she heard the brothers arguing.

"I am not doing this again, Damon!" Stefan shouted at Damon." I am not bailing you out again."

"This is the last time, Stefan. I will not ask you again. But I need you to this. One last time." Damon said.

"You always say that. And then" Stefan was trying hard to keep his calm. But anger, rising in his veina, made him lose he cool and he picked up the bottle of Bourbon that was standing on the table slinging it onto the wall. He walked out of the house, stumbling on Elena at the door.

"What's up?" Elena ran after her boyfriend."Stefan?"

As she caught up with him later that night, he told her about Damon and his troubled past with drugs. Trying to get away from that life, but failing many times miserably.

"He is not bad, he is just - Damon. Always getting into trouble. Father beat him senslessly. It just made things worse. And I - he makes me - I get so frustrated. I should know better than shout at him."

"Hey, Stefan, don't beat yourself up. You're only human." Elena said.

"Yes, but it doesn't excuse my behaviour anyway. Damon doesn't know what love is. Our mother died when I was four, he was seven, and our father - he lashed out at everything we did. Damon felt most of his - drunken state. He would beat him up badly."

*

Weeks later, Gilbert House

"You're hanging around Damon a lot." Katherine remarked."I don't know how your boyfriend can stand this?!"

"What are you suggesting? Damon and I are friends. He needs friends. You're not one." Elena sprung up from the sofa angrily.

"I am. A friend with benefits. And you, Saint Elena, try to save his soul. It can't be saved, trust me. Damon has sold his a long time ago." Katherine smirked.

Elena looked angered at her twin,"Why are you here?"

"Just came to get some of my stuff. This is my house, too -unless you want to buy my part of it?"

In one respect, Katherine was right. Hanging around Damon, believing that somehow pouring love and kindness to him, she would pull Damon away from his criminal past. And it worked slightly. Damon showed some improvement in character. Elena started falling for the Salvatore brother. Resulting in her, breaking up with Stefan, and not long after starting a relationship with Damon. But, Damon being Damon, could not sever his connections to the dark side and his drug milieu. He hid it quite cleverly from everyone for a while. One person, who knew all the time whar was going on, was Katherine, of course. Whenever there was an opportunity to pose as Elena and sleep with Damon, she did it.

There was no end of Katherine playing around with both Salvatore brothers, to the dire expense of Elena, and inadvertently Stefan and Damon as well.

Elena huffed, pulling a black silk and lace cami set out of the closet. As she changed, she laid down on the bed, her nerves gave in and she burst into tears.

*
A few doors down, Elijah got ready for bed as well. His thoughts swayed to a conversation with his brother Klaus earlier that night.

"How is it going with Katherine? Has the marriage counseling given fruit?" Klaus asked.

"Yes - no. I don't know. It feels like we are one step forward and then two steps back." Elijah replied.

"I will never understand what possessed you to sleep with Hayley? I will never understand."

"Trust me - I - can't explain myself. I had too much that night and I was so - my emotions were all over the place. I was so low and she was there."

"All sweet and lovely - understanding" Klaus resumed.

"Everything just was too much those few days earlier. You know -"

"What I don't get is - why didn't you tell Katherine about - Celeste and the baby. I am sure she would understand why you wish a kid so much."

"I - just - I can't."

"This is ridiculous Elijah. Look how she helped you get through the emotional abyss you were in after Bex, mother and father died. And you were not to blame that Celeste had the abortion. L"

"How was I not to blame?" Elijah said.

"Elijah, you broke up with her because the relationship ended. She never told you that she was pregnant. And went and did it."

"Huh- she - you know - that day- she came to tell me - but I - I was too busy and I just dismissed her - because I - too damn busy to talk to her."

"You thought she wanted you to get back together. She was clingy."

"Don't say that."

"Elijah, it's the truth. She was - like that. Everything was a terrible case of bad circumstance." Klaus said. "You have to forgive yourself."

"I can't. I," Elijah inhaled sharply, "I fuck up. Somehow I always fuck up. And that is why I have to make it up to Katherine. I have to make this marriage work again."

To forgive himself, that was something Elijah still couldn't do.

He was up early and unlike him, he first went to the gym.

✨ Elena was awaken somewhat later by the phone.

She looked around the room at first, propping herself up on the elbows.
She was in New Orleans.

With a heavy huff, she picked up the phone and answered it.

"Are we doing lunch? You got to tell me all about New York. And what you are wearing for the Gallery opening." the chirpy voice shot out. Elena now remembered who it was as she also had to talk to the woman already while in New York.

"Care, yes. Lunch. Got great pieces just made for me by Lawrence." Elena now said getting up."I picked a few things for you, too."

"Caroline, Klaus' wife. I call her Care, so we are more chummy. She is sharp. Nothing escapes her. And that is why we are kind of bffs. At least that's what she thinks."Katherine said.

Elena now talked some more with Caroline, and then got another call. This time it was Camille.

Camille was all business and went on about meetings and the Charity Ball.

Same as Katherine, Elena had the wits about her, and she took charge now. Grabbing the planner she had devised in New York already, she told the blonde all she had planned and how things were to be.

As she hung up, feeling still the wind of the business woman under her wings, she got ready to go, almost like in the speed of light.

The project was in many respects like a salvation. And she threw herself into it.

She didn't see Elijah the next few days as he had to go on a business trip to Washington, DC.

She was sort of relieved that she had a breather, so to speak. But that didn't mean that he was far from her mind. Whatever she had read and heard about him from her sister, she never had expected that he would move her the way he did. His presence, his demeanour, his - everything.

Never did a man had such an effect on her. But he was her sister's husband. And she should not think about him the way she did. And how is she already feeling the way she did about him? She just had one meeting with him. Everything was so wrong on many levels.

✨Days after

"So, what are you wearing?" Caroline said on the video chat.

Elena showed Caroline the choice of the two dresses she narrowed down.

"The one with the slit." Caroline said.

"Ahm - it's too much." Elena said.

"Since when is anything too much. You need to rock. And have Elijah see what he is missing and what he sort of lost." Caroline said."Don't let Hayley look better. And she will wear something - sleezy, like she does."

Elena looked at the dress. It was very revealing, but yet sophisticated. She had not worn anything like this ever, and wondered if she would pull it off.

"I need to get ready myself. See you there." Caroline said hanging up.

Elena now went to finish off her make up. Deciding after playing with her hair, not knowing what to do with it, to put the hair up sort of half way, so it looked like it was mid length.

Not long after, she walked down.

Elijah and her have not seen each other since the first night, haven't spoken either, though he thought of ringing her a few times, but he didn't. And he came late, rushing to shower and change.

Elena waited for him, trying to steady her nerves.

Finally, Elijah came down, looking a zillion dollars.

Seeing Elena, his breath hitched, "You look absolutely stunning"- Elijah complimented his "wife".

"Thank you." Elena slipped. She wanted to compliment him back, but she knew this would not be in Katherine's fashion.

"Shall we?" Elijah now put her hand to her, but with a little nod she turned to the door.

Elijah made a little mental sigh and followed the brunette out to the car.

All the way to the event, both of them were quiet, looking each out of their respective windows. Elena repeating like a mantra - keep it cool, keep it cool.

Arriving at the event, both slipped in the mode of a power couple. Elena shining as she was approached, getting praises for the idea for the Charity Ball and it being held in the open. Same as her sister, she knew how to be diplomatic and charming. Elijah couldn't get his eyes of what he thought was his wife.

"Katherine really is into this new project of hers."-Klaus remarked as he came up to his brother.

"Yes. Camille said that she is - completely emerged in it in every respect. She had never seen her so - involved."-Elijah said.

"That's good. It means she is not giving up on you or the family." Klaus said.

"She is still so distant -hm - do you know - I mean - has Caroline said something? Does Katherine talk about me?" Elijah was fishing.

"No, I am sorry. If she confides in Caroline. They have this special girl's pact - Caroline keeps it to herself." Klaus replied.

Elijah nodded in understanding. Klaus tapped him on the shoulder as support. "

One of their friend's now came up to them and the brothers got talking about business.

And so, the event part of the evening went.

As it was time to leave, Klaus suggested the four of them went to have a very late supper to his friend's new restaurant.

Caroline looked at her husband surprised as it wasn't something that was planned, but the way Klaus' eyes streamed at the blonde to go along with it, and she was on board.

Elijah accepted eagerly,"Excellent. I haven't had anything since breakfast."

Elena could hardly say no. Caroline was all hyped up about the idea gushing now about Gaspar's family recipe,"We haven't done anything together since forever and Gaspar makes the best gambo."

A little later, they got to the place. Gaspar welcomed them, ushering them to the best table in the garden.

"Sorry, it was such short notice" Klaus said to his friend.

"Hey, I told you. There is always a table for a Mikaelson in my place. What are you having?" Gaspar said.

As they ordered, and got their drinks, they started talking random stuff. It was mostly Klaus and Caroline talking about Gaspar, and his Mexican roots, and their trip with him, visiting his family. Klaus sharing his idea to go and live in Mexico for a while, as he got his artistic vibe to start painting again. They now shared that they had already been looking at houses down there.

"It's totally cute," Caroline said,"and it's like there on the beach. And you two can come down, wear jeans and flip-flops and have a relaxing time."

Elena now looked at Caroline narrowing her eyes. Knowing what Katherine told her, neither her nor Elijah would go for something so drastically casual.

"Elijah is all suits. I think he never wore jeans in his life. He doesn't know casual really," Katherine said,"he is a bit stuffy like that, but, one thing I have to give him, which made me stay for so long. He is good in bed, in the conventional way. He is all about making love. It's good, but I love a bit - rougher. He is not up for it. If it comes to it. You can sleep with him. But knowing what prude you are, you will not."

"I might just take you upon the offer,"Elijah said, turning to Elena,"what do you say, Katherine?"

"As long as they have all the amenities" Elena replied.

"You think Caroline would go without running water?!" Klaus chuckled cutely.

"I might." Caroline said.

"For two days maybe." Klaus said. "I plan to stay there for at least a month - maybe longer."

The food arrived and they went on enjoying the specialities of the house.

As Elena excused herself to go the bathroom, and Caroline followed her, Elijah now tanked his brother for this great idea this late supper.

"And it seems to be working. Klaus remarked."She seemed to have relaxed. Not completely, but - I think that soon, you two will be back on track."

"But I still feel like she wishes she could escape." Elijah said.

"But at least we got you in one room together for more than an hour and Katherine - OK, they are back. Work your charm, brother." Klaus said and they switched to another subject as Caroline and Elena neared the table.

Gaspar served them desertand complementary drinks. Caroline, who had too much wine, having heard her favourite song come on, pulled her husband up to dance with her.

"These two, still such love birds like from day one." Gaspar remarked as Caroline and Klaus now swayed to the song.

"Yes," Elijah slipped, now swaying his look to Elena,"Dance?"

Elena gulped, trying to find an excuse, but having heard Gaspar say, "The last of the romantics, you Mikaelsons," she mistakenly nodded and before she knewvit, Elijah led her to the small patio part of the garden, feeling his hand snake around her back, his head so close to hers, making her break into fire,
as she felt his hand move to her lower back so slowly, she gulped, her eyes meeting his.

💕I wanna feel your touch
It's burning me like an ember
Pretending is not enough
I wanna feel us together
So I'm giving in
So I'm giving in
To the trouble I'm in
So I'm giving in
To the trouble I'm in
To the trouble I'm in

You are you are, my favorite medicine
You are you are, you're where the edge began
You are you are, just one last time again

You are you are, you are the trouble I'm in💕

The next she knew was his lips on hers.

*
a/n: thank you for reading.
😀💕