Elena met Liv at her family's  bookstore. They walked together up to the attic.

"This was really ancient magic..."- Liv said- " it's good that I am the only one from my family who has inherited this gift... "

"I know..."- Elena said- "don't really wish to involve Jo in it...she so full of herself....sorry...ahm..."

"Hey, she is my sister...but yeah...she is a bit stuck up... right... let's open the magical Pandora's box"-

Liv opened a cabinet and took out a black book out of it.

"The Black Grimoire..."- Liv said and sighed a little. She pricked her finger with a needle and a few drops fell on the lock allowing Liv to open the book.

Both women suddenly felt a cold freezing wind blow through the whole attic.

"Oh, yes...cold and black..."- Liv said- "huh...right..."- she now opened the book and to Elena it appeared that all the pages were blank.

"There is nothing there..."- Elena remarked.

"To you..."- Liv said- " trust me there is plenty I see... and as I said it is only for those witches in my family who have the gift to dabble into black magic..."

"What does it say..."- Elena wanted to know.

Liv finally stopped at a page and read it now as if she was in a trance.

Elena had learned in all her years as a hunter that was wise to wait patiently, although at times it was very trying.

As Liv finished it, she closed the book, sealing it with her blood again and put it back in the cabinet. She was awfully quiet.

"Tell me...whatever it is...I can take it!"

"It's not good Elena.."- Liv then said- " I saw your death!"

"Sorry?!"- Elena looked at her surprised.

"Maybe it is not yours... maybe it is one of those doppelgangers of yours... the warlocks want to kill you...!"

"But why...? I am the hunter...?!""

"You're blood opens the gates..."- Liv said.

Elena sighed. She was quiet for a moment.

"All right...how are we going to swing this??... I don't make deals...you know me!"- Elena said looking at the witch.

"Caroline is in danger too.."- Liv added.

"Because she is the dark moon werewolf... and they will need her for the sacrifice too!"- Elena said.

"Yes..."- Liv confirmed- "everytime I open the book, magic is sent to them like a stream of messages..."

"It's dangerous, I know...so far we... I am cloacked... but Caroline isn't...huh...anyway...tomorrow we have fun at the ball and sunday all hell can break loose..."- Elena said.

They both walked out of the attic.

Elena's phone rang and she saw an unkown number. She declined the call.

"And the vampire?"- Liv then asked as they got to the shop.

"Have no time for him now...he is locked in the dream world... I have bigger fish to fry... see you!"- Elena said and walked out of the shop.

"See you..."- Liv muttered and went about her business.

****

Elijah tried again to make the call, but everytime it was declined.

"You must be very busy..."- he muttered and then took a taxi to try her apartment. During the drive, Klaus informed him that he had met a charming neighbour and that they were invited to a fundraising ball of a different kind. Elijah agreed to attend it reluctantly. His mood dumpened completely as the day progressed as it proved to be impossible to hunt Elena down. He kept missing her all the time.

Sometime in the evening he met up with Klaus and day exchanged their updates.

"So...now that she is not locked in a dream... and is very real...she is nowhere to be found... I hope you tried several times all the places she goes to?!"- Klaus said.

"Seriously??... You know that I am a thorough person..."- Elijah was annoyed with his brother.

"What if she is not the one?"

"I will see you at the apartment..." - Elijah left.

He wondered around the city. She was there, so near and yet so far away. His sat down in the park. The darkness enveloped him. He shut his eyes searching in his mind moments they shared. Has there been more than the dance.

Flashback

"Elena?..."- he said as he neared the woman that was standing in the gazebo.

"No,... Katerina Petrova, my lord..."- the woman said.

He opened his eyes. And for a moment it felt like something had kicked him in the gut.

He took his phone and opened the gallery looking now at Elena's photograph.

"I hope you remember it too"- he thought.

His eyes smiled as they shone the warmth of his heart when he looked at her. He then went to the building where she lived. He got to the apartment. She wasn't there.

The next door neighbour looked at him, and then said.

"Miss Gilbert is rarely home. Sometimes it is as if a ghost lives here."- the seventy-year old woman said and walked away.

Elijah thought what to do for a moment, and then took out the pressed forget-me-nots from his pocket and tucked them somehow on the door and left.

********

Just before the sunrise, Elena walked in her apartment building, tired, with a messy hair, and a few cuts on her face. It was yet another crazy night at the sewers, trying to get rid some of the underworld creatures and their warlock helpers.

As she got to the apartment, and wanted to unlock it, her heart stopped still as she saw the flowers sticking out just above the doorknob.

She took the flowers as she opened the door, got in like in a haze and then muttered to herself-

"He is here...."

She took her phone and called Caroline.

"What Elena..."- Caroline said sleepy-"it's still dark... are you ok??"

"He was here, Caroline...at my apartment!"

"Who was?"-

"Elijah!!"- Elena uttered.

And all of a sudden Caroline sounded very much awake- "You met him...wow...and?... Don't tell me you staked him?!"

"NO!..."- Elena said slightly annoyed- "I haven't met him...no...he left me flowers..."

"That's good, right??"

"It's the forget-me-nots...from my dream...the song..."

"OK...well...that's good, right?...in a way...?"- Caroline knew she had to tread lightly with her friend.

"Yes and no...huh... I just...phew...sorry... I just freaked and had to call you..."

"Right...look...tonight is the ball... you probably just got in, right?"

"Yes..."- Elena said.

"Good... we can meet around ten...or eleven...get some sleep...and then we will try to come up with a strategy... I guess you have to let Liv know..."

"I really don't need this right now...the warlocks are causing so much madness..."- Elena said.

"I know...my mum is freaking out and she doesn't yet know about the sacrifice..."- Caroline said- " but please let me enjoy the ball today and then at midnight we can go fight the magi from hell"

"Ok..."- Elena hung up and went to take a shower.

*****

Sometime in the evening

"No, Rebekah... he has found her, but not really... and we are now going to a Ball..."

"Great...you two are having fun and I have to chase mother here... Sophie and I are on our way to Mystic Falls...clues are there appartently..."- Rebekah said.

"Keep us updated..."- Klaus said and hung up.

"Ready?"- Klaus said to his brother.

"I am not going to accompany you..."- Elijah replied.

"As you wish... I am going to have fun...don't wait up"- Klaus said taking his mask and left the apartment.

In the apartment below, Caroline got ready to leave for the Ball as well.

Klaus rang the doorbell and soon Caroline opened up.

"Good evening, fair lady."- Klaus said to her as she appeared at the door.

She greeted him warmly and they left.

Elena had spent the day sleeping and Caroline had to send her the gown over to her apartment. As she was getting ready, she had Elijah in her thoughts.

"Stop it..."- she said to herself as she put the mask on looking at herself in the mirror- "there cannot be love for you and you know it...you spend all your nights in the dives and sewers...plus he is a vampire... why couldn't he just be a man...an ordinary man..."- she sighed and steadied her thoughts, then finally got out of the apartment. A car was waiting for her. The chauffer helped her with the gown and soon they set off.

We had a dream I feared we’d wake from
So, I kept my eyes shut tight
But I felt you stir and all came undone
Now, I have no alibi

Words of a song that played on the radio caught her attention. She looked outside into the night traffic. 

In the Lexington house apartment, Elijah looked at the mask Klaus had brought for him.

His phone beeped and he looked at the message- it was from Klaus.

"A Elena will be at the Ball!!"

He took it and swished out of the apartment as if the wind blew him away.

Elena's car stopped in front of the Hotel where the ball was held. Getting out of it proved troubled as well as getting in. She never felt comfortable in anything that wasn't casual wear. Very rarely she would wear a dress.

"I really thank you"- she said to the chauffeur who helped her.

"You're welcome."- he replied closing the door of the car.

She stepped away and was ready to go in she moved her head as she sensed a vampiric being close by. She turned to face it.

"Elijah..."- she uttered as she saw him stand in front of her.

"Sorry...do..."- he said and although she still had her mask on, the melody of her voice told him that it was her standing in front of  her.

"Elena!!"- he then said and they both stood there as if taken in again by a spell. And then she removed the mask and looked at him with eyes stern and angry.

"Leave!"- she said.

Completely taken in by her reaction he stood peacefully looking at her trying to read her hearbeat, but he could not hear or sense anything.

"You do remember?!"- he then said with hope.

Her heart screamed wanting to go over to him and embrace him warmly, but the huntress instinct raged repelled by the vampiric stench she felt. The only thing she now thought being reasonable was to move away, as she did walking into the hotel. He followed her taking her by the arm.

"Elena..."- he said trying to find in her eyes a common sentiment, but she coldly removed his hand twisting it slightly.  

Some of the people in the lobby looked at them nearly horrified by the scene.

"Go..."-she said and he left the lobby.

A man came up to her asking her if she was fine.  She confirmed that she was perfectly fine and then went to the lift.

Inside she shut her eyes, trying to steady herself a bit, but overwhelmed by it all, tears ran down her face. Words of a song were thruming in her head.

Can we just pretend, can we just pretend
That nothing’s lost or broken?
Can we just pretend this is not the end,
It’s only mixed emotions?
Can we just pretend, can we just pretend
Nothing’s broken?