Title: Flirting 101

Author: Alysia

Category: This will be a short Elejah all-human story. I'm thinking more fluff than anything.

Rating: I'm really in the mood to write smut, though there isn't any in what I've got written so far. But here's hoping...

Summary: Elijah decides to take pity on the woman seriously crushing on his brother Klaus and teaches her how to flirt.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone familiar to TVD.

Chapter 1

37 Ways to Flirt…

She knew she shouldn't have. She knew that more than likely it was the same muck that was printed in every magazine, both viral and paper, since magazines first came into print; but she lost out against the curiosity.

Unable to help herself, Elena Gilbert clicked on the link. It wasn't as if she had any difficulties finding dates, and she wasn't unfortunate looking. However, her appearance wasn't the be all and end all for her. She knew that in comparison to her friends, she was considered rather plain, but it had never bothered her.

Until she was introduced to Niklaus Mikaelson.

It was at that moment that she'd been struck with the realization that she was easily looked over, and for the first time in years, she didn't want to be. Nicklaus, or Klaus, as he insisted when he settled his gaze on Hayley Marshall; was easily one of the most handsome men she'd ever met.

As his brother introduced them, Elena watched as he politely nodded at first Bonnie Bennett. His eyes brightened in interest when he was introduced to Caroline Forbes, dimming when he noticed the engagement ring on her left ring finger. His smile remained polite as she was introduced to him, nowhere near as interested as he'd been in Caroline. She'd watched with resigned acknowledgment as his expression once again brightened when he came face to face with Hayley.

High school and college had solidified the friendships that she'd made with her friends. She, Bonnie and Caroline had grown up together, vowing to be best friends forever. It had worked…for the most part. They'd had their arguments through the years, but they'd managed to work past it all. Freshman year of college introduced them to Caroline's roommate, Hayley. The four of them remained tightly entwined after college, while she didn't consider herself best friends to the last woman, she'd stopped fighting it when they were thrown together all of the time.

Their small group had grown to include Matt Donovan; her first boyfriend and Caroline's fiancé. Stefan Salvatore and his brother Damon often joined them on their nights out; she, Caroline and Bonnie had known them since before they left for college. Stefan had been in their year, she'd instantly taken a liking to him and he'd become her closest guy friend. Damon joined his brother most outings, developing a love/hate relationship (to that day) with Bonnie. Alaric Saltzman rounded out the group their senior year of college. He, like Damon, was slightly older than the rest of them. And through Rick, they'd met Elijah Mikaelson…though Elena didn't really consider him part of the group.

The first time that she'd met him, she'd taken an instant dislike of him. Elijah had been completely charming upon their first meeting. Rick had convinced them to join him at a club and she'd seen him seduce some random woman, taking her home with him that night. It hadn't been the best first impression, and she'd come to learn that the woman he'd taken home was only one of many.

Three months had passed since Elijah had introduced them to his younger brother. Three months in which Klaus steadily developed a relationship with Hayley. It actually hurt her to watch the progression of their relationship, she hadn't even felt a sting when Caroline and Matt became involved. And of course, with Klaus, came Elijah. She didn't know which was worse; watching Klaus and Hayley hang all over one another, or being forced in Elijah's presence.

Catch his eye. Make contact from across the room to show interest…

Snorting, Elena rolled her eyes at her computer screen. Clicking on the red 'x' at the top right of the screen, she closed her laptop before moving to her closet to pick out her outfit for the evening. Once again she'd been out voted. Honestly, she'd have been happy going to a quaint bar and grill. Dinner and drinks sounded perfect, but Hayley, Caroline and Bonnie wanted to dance.

Sorting through the various blouses and pants, she hemmed and hawed through her options. Reaching for a tight red dress, Elena pulled it out for consideration. Turning to face the body length mirror, she held the dress up in front of her. It was the one 'sexy' article of clothing that she owned. Caroline forced her to buy it months earlier, and it hung in the back of her closet with the price tag still attached. It was really a beautiful dress and it showed off her modest curves, but she didn't want it to look as if she was trying too hard. Quickly putting it back, she reached for a pair of boot cut jeans and a white shirt.

Stepping into the club, Elena exhaled a weary sigh. Hayley had been nice enough to offer to pick her up, but she knew that Klaus would be there as well. Knowing that she'd be tortured into watching her friend dance and rub against Klaus all night was enough, she didn't need to watch it before she was forced to. And then her plan to pick up Caroline had changed at the last minute when the blonde called to tell her that she and Matt lost track of time.

Making her way to the bar, she tucked her hair behind her ear. Pointedly ignoring the men that surrounded her, not wanting to see them all dismiss her as a potential partner for anything, she patiently waited her turn to be served. Hearing the woman next to her giggle, Elena's eyes turned to the mirror behind the bottles that that lined the bar in front of her. She caught the reflection of the source for the woman's girly sounds and frowned. Through the mirrored wall, she met Elijah's eyes.

Paying no mind to the woman, she directed her inquiry to Elijah. "Isn't she a little young for you, Elijah?" Elijah was seven years her senior, and though she was shorter in stature to the blonde next to her, she knew she was older than her.

"I'm so glad you could make it tonight, Elena," he drawled sarcastically, pulling away from the statuesque blonde he'd been chatting up. Stepping around the woman that had previously held his attention, he moved closer to Elena. "Really, I do so look forward to your acidic personality. It really is the highlight of my week," he continued on, the other woman completely forgotten.

Elena watched her slink away before turning back to her unwanted companion. "Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized with false sincerity. "Did I chase away your plaything for the night?"

He was stopped from replying when the bartender stopped in front of them.

"What'll it be?"

"A Stella for me, and she'll have a Long Island," Elijah answered without pause.

The bartender nodded before moving off to retrieve the drinks.

Elena blinked, unable to help her surprise. Elijah hadn't even hesitated to order her usual drink. "Thanks," she mumbled, the insult she'd been forming died off.

He smiled. "It isn't as if I did some amazing thing. You order the same thing whenever we go out dancing, you're the same predictable woman. Just like you order the same drink, you wear your hair the same way with the same minimal amount of make-up you always do. And of course you make no effort with your clothes. Jeans and a simple shirt." He made a point of checking her out from the tip of her head to the boots on her feet. "It's like you don't care."

A severe frown pulled at her mouth. There was nothing wrong with her appearance. So what if she didn't wear a lot of make-up? It wasn't as if she didn't know how, she just chose not to. And she was more comfortable in jeans than she was in anything else. And her shirt, though tame in comparison to some of the tops the women around her were wearing, was form fitting and showed the hint of her bosom. She knew what dressing provocatively caused, and she wasn't sure she wanted to invite that sort of trouble in her life again.

"And I should try for you, because you say so? Why? So I can end up being another notch in some random man's bedpost?" She shook her head. "Unlike some people, I have standards. Sex should be about more than some one-night stand with someone you won't remember come the next morning."

"It doesn't sound like you're having any sex," he shot back. When the bartender returned with their drinks, Elijah casually dropped enough money on the bar top to cover them and a tip. "Do me and the world a favor, Elena. Get laid."

"Get bent," she shot back easily. Turning away from him, she flipped her hair over her shoulder, anxious to be away from him.

It had taken two hours, but the rest of her friends finally straggled in. Caroline and Matt were a pleasant sort of nauseating that night. She'd had no interest in seeing them together, not that she harbored any residual feelings for Matt. No, her thoughts more centered on the fact that she was fully reminded of the fact that she had no potential lovers, let alone a steady lover in her life. She didn't think on it often, but being around them always made her feel slightly lonely.

Damon had decided to grace them with his presence, and apparently it was a good day for him and Bonnie. The two danced close together and were more often in their own little world than concerned with what was going on with their friends. And Elena was truly happy for her friend. While Bonnie would deny it until she was blue in the face, she harbored deep feelings for the older Salvatore brother.

And of course, Hayley and Klaus were just as wrapped up in one another as they had been since their first meeting. Sitting across from them, she had the perfect view of them. Hayley sat in the seat, her chair slightly turned towards Klaus as he stood, his body turned in towards her in response. His arm rested on the back of her chair and Elena watched as every now and again he would lean in close to Hayley to talk to her quietly. Their closeness had definitely grown and Elena suspected that their relationship had progressed from fun and flirty to passionate, and the thought left a bad taste in her mouth.

"How 'bout a dance, love?" Klaus asked, loud enough for the members of table.

Beaming at him, Hayley placed her hand in his as he pulled her towards the dance floor.

Elena saw nothing other than the dancing couple. One by one, her friends abandoned her for the dance floor, but she saw none of it. Instead, she found herself imagining what it would look like if she was the one so closely entwined with Klaus.

Taking the opportunity, Elijah stared at Elena. "Could you possibly be any more obvious?"

The question pulled her out of her thoughts and she started. Looking to the man standing next to her, she rolled her eyes. "Isn't there some twenty-one year old you should be molesting?"

He chuckled. "Cute, Elena. Is that jealousy I hear in your voice?" Leaning in closely, his gaze traveled down from her eyes and settled on her pert breasts. "What? Jealous that no one is…molesting you?" He pulled away, his attention turning back to her eyes.

Anxious to look away from his probing gaze, her eyes swept over the sea of dancers. As if of their own accord, they settled on Klaus and Hayley once again and she frowned.

Following her gaze, he took notice of the couple. "You know, it'll never last," he supplied, not even sure why he gave a care to reassure her of the fact.

"Hmm?" Elena asked, forcing her gaze to move past the pair.

"As if you don't know who I'm talking about," who did she think she was fooling? Maybe her friends could turn a blind eye to Elena's feelings, but he was very much aware of it. "My brother and Hayley, it will never last. They're too different."

"They don't look as if they have any issues with one another," she muttered.

"No, not yet," he agreed with her judgment. "That right there though," he gestured to them with a nod of his head, "is nothing more than sexual chemistry. My brother is nowhere near ready to settle down. You have issues with my relationships?"

"A one night stand does not constitute as a relationship," Elena shot back.

He continued on as if he hadn't heard her speak. "At least I'm there with them, involved, even if it's only for the night. But my brother? He's always looking for the next best thing."

She shook her head. "Klaus isn't like that," she denied.

"And you think that after a handful of meetings that you're an expert on my brother?" Elena saw what she wanted to see. She based her judgments on first acquaintance, and she had yet to remove her rose colored glasses where Klaus was concerned. "Or maybe you're wishing that he was different? That he'll sew his oats and suddenly wise up and realize that he wants more out of life and that you'll be that woman."

She shook her head. "You don't know what I want."

"No?" He smirked then. "I know that you think that you're some prize for someone, and maybe you are," he allowed evenly. "But you're hardly enough to tempt my brother. Look at Hayley, Elena," Elijah instructed. "Look at that dress on that nice little body of hers. While there's nothing wrong with yours, she takes care in accentuating her attributes. She uses make-up to enhance her features. She takes care in styling her hair. She is the embodiment of girly. She flirts with him, entices him." He shook his head. "And unless you do the same, he will never notice you."

"I shouldn't have to change who I am to attract a guy," she denied.

"No, and I'm not speaking of a complete overhaul, but putting care into your appearance doesn't change who you are," he was quick to defend. "She's beautiful," Elijah continued to list. "She carriers herself with a confidence that I've never seen in you. She flirts."

"So a haircut, some new clothes and flirting will ensure a relationship?" Thank goodness he had come around and shared that with her, she never would have been able to guess otherwise. Inwardly, she rolled her eyes at herself for even considering this insane thought path.

"Every man likes to be flirted with, Elena," he said with a sigh, as if speaking to a child. Briefly he had to wonder about her personal life. He didn't know Elena very well. After taking notice of her harsh judgmental look after their first introduction, he hadn't had the inclination to. Other than a brief a conversation he'd had with Stefan, all he knew was that her first boyfriend was a total nightmare and it had discouraged her from getting back out there. "Do you have plans tomorrow?" When she didn't provide an answer, he went on to assume that meant she was free. "You do now. I'll be over at eleven."

Elena shook her head. "I…why?" No, no. The more important question was, why wasn't she arguing more with him? They could hardly inhabit the same area without falling into at least one argument.

"You'll see." Taking one last drink from his beer, he set the bottle down on the table before fishing his keys out of his pocket. "Please don't keep me waiting tomorrow." He cast a glance at his watch. "Or should I say, today," he corrected.

Pursing her lips, she turned to watch him exit the building…alone. Huh…she didn't think it was possible for him.

End of chapter 1. What did you guys think?