Very early the next morning, Peter awoke to a knock on his door. He looked and his clock and then pulled back the curtain on one of his windows. It wasn't even light out yet. Who could possibly be coming to see him at this time? As he went down the stairs, he wondered if it was Klaus or someone who worked for him. He was even more surprised when he found that it was Elijah. 

 "Elijah. What are you doing here at this time?" he asked. 

 "I know you weren't expecting me, and I'm sorry to have woken you up. May I come in, please?" 

 Peter silently stepped aside and let Elijah through. He doubted Klaus would have sent his brother there at four in the morning, so whatever this was, it was something he didn't want Klaus to know about. 

 "Did your brother send you here?" Peter asked anyway. 

 "If he did, I would have come at a more decent hour. I wanted to speak to you myself, without Niklaus' knowledge. What is it my brother wants from you, Peter?" 

 Peter hesitated, wondering if he should tell Elijah. Was that something Klaus would want him to do? But then again, Elijah would no doubt discover it from his brother anyway. 

 "I think he wants me to spy for him," he admitted. "Nothing so drastic, actually. Just to be...observant. He has a lot of enemies in the world, and he needs help picking them out, I suppose." 

 Elijah nodded. "I see. I understand, and it is good of you to want to help Niklaus. But he is dangerous, Peter. You are no doubt putting yourself in danger by having anything to do with him." 

 It gave Peter a warm feeling to think that Elijah cared enough about him to come visit him in secret and warn him. Yes, of course he knew how dangerous Klaus was; no one had to explain that to him. But he couldn't exactly tell Elijah he was really staying close to Klaus to stay close to him. 

 "Thank you," he said honestly. "I truly appreciate you coming to speak to me yourself. It shows what a caring person you are." 

 Elijah turned away without properly acknowledging the thanks. He walked to the little table where Peter had sat alone many times in the past few months, to have a quiet meal or just think, and sat down in one of the two chairs. 

 "Have you made any other friends yet?" he asked. 

 "No, not yet," Peter answered. "I'm usually either with your brother or trying to have some peace after visiting with him. He's a lot to handle." 

 That seemed to make Elijah smile. "Oh, I know." 

 "Don't you have any friends besides your siblings?" 

 "No, not any real ones. Not for a long time." 

 Ah, so Klaus was most likely behind that. 

 "If you...don't mind me saying so," Peter went on, "I think you're quite likeable. I don't see why anyone wouldn't want to be friends with you." 

 Elijah nodded. "That's kind of you, but Niklaus... has a tendency to drive everyone away." 

 "But you haven't left." 

 "How could I? He needs me." 

 Peter nodded. "I see. Well, he seems to need me, too, so perhaps we'll just be lonely together."

 Elijah raised his eyebrows. "Yes, I suppose so. That is an interesting way to think of it. But, anyway," he stood up, "I suppose I should be leaving. I'm sure I'll see you again soon, Peter." 

 "Of course." Peter stepped back towards the door without taking his eyes off of him. "How soon, do you suppose?" 

 A change came over Elijah's face, and he looked quite sad. 

 "Peter, you should know this," he began. "I know what you're thinking. I've known what you were thinking since the first time I met you. But we can't. I made a rule myself: I can't fall in love again, not with...it's hurt me too many times before, in the past. It's best if I never make that mistake again." 

 Those words crushed almost all of Peter's hope, but he kept calm and said, "I understand. But perhaps we'll still be friends." 

 Elijah went out the door without saying goodbye. Peter closed it behind him, and began to wonder, really wonder, what Klaus would think about this.