A/N It's been quite a long time since I updated this story, all I can say if life happened and at the time I had lost inspiration from the source material. I recently got pulled back into the world of TVD/TO and I decided to come back and continue this story. Work isn't as hectic as it has been the last few years so I'm going to try for bi weekly updates.

Elena was enjoying the solitude of nature and thinking of her looming conversation with Elijah. She wasn't quite sure what possessed her to kiss him outside the diner. They had been dancing around one another since the day Rose presented her to Elijah for a pardon. There was just something about the stoic original vampire that Elena found herself drawn to. No matter how many times they let one another down there was always the understanding that they did it for family.

Elena's thoughts drifted to Damon, the grief may be gone but the love she felt for him was still present. She intended to spend eternity with him, could she really move on so quickly. She's always wondered in the back of her mind what would've happened if Elijah had been around when she transitioned. She had no doubts he would've enlightened them to the sire bond immediately, unlike his brother who just sat back and enjoyed the show. She knew she had already grown to love Damon before her transition but would she have acted on it so soon after had they known about the bond. She knew the answer was no, Damon was many things but he never would've acted on it not knowing whether it was what she really wanted or not, his reaction once they found out was proof of that.

Elena was broken from her mental turmoil by the sound of someone approaching her. She felt him next to her before he spoke aloud, "The view here is truly a thing of beauty." She turned her head to find his staring not at the scenic forest but directly at her, her breath caught in her throat. Elijah was staring at her with such intensity, he reached his hand out to cup her cheek. He seemed to be searching her face for something. For what she had no idea but she knew the moment he found what he was looking for, his lip ticked up in a small smile. He reached his hand out to cup her cheek, she felt a jolt travel down her spine at his touch. Elijah never broke eye contact as he leaned into her. When his lips met hers it was different from their last kiss, it was soft and slow. She readily granted him access to her mouth in hopes of the kiss deepening. However, instead of deepening he slowly pulled away and rested his forehead on hers, with his hand still cupping her cheek.

Neither of them spoke for a few moments they just stood there in a quiet embrace.

Elijah was first to break the silence that had enveloped them, "I do believe we have much to discuss my lovely Elena." Elena didn't miss his use of a possessive pronoun in front of her name, Elijah was nothing if not meticulous with his words. When she didn't immediately respond he continued, "Would you like to join me for a walk?" Elena was still having trouble forming sentences so she nodded her head and felt a sting of disappointment when he removed his hand from her face. It disappeared quickly when he reached down and interlaced their hands and they began walking.

They walked in a comfortable silence , neither one knowing where to begin. Finally Elena spoke, "What are we doing Elijah?" Elijah smirked,"Why dear Elena, I thought it obvious. We are enjoying a relaxing stroll through nature." Elena let out a small sigh and looked at him, "You know what I'm talking about Elijah, I know I jumped you at the diner but what was that back there?"

Elijah released a small sigh of his own, he stopped walking and turned to look at young women who etched her way into his mind many years ago. " My dearest Elena I'm afraid in this instance I'm at a loss for answers to your questions. For the first time in a long time I did not think before acting on impulse."

Elena didn't know why she was so unsure of herself but she couldn't stop herself from asking, "Do you regret it?" Elijah's eyes widened and he stared into Elena's eyes, "Of course not, in fact it's something I've dreamed of doing again since our time in the gazebo in Willoughby." He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "However, that does not excuse my actions Elena, I should not have done it. You came to New Orleans to seek help for your friend, not to become involved in another quarrel between my family. I have caused enough trouble for the petrova doppelgangers."

Elena looked the original in front of her, he was always so guarded and closed off to the world, but in this moment with her he was letting his guard down and she could see the vulnerability in his eyes. There was something he wasn't telling her, something that was hurting him. "Elijah, what is it you're not telling."

He looked into her brown eyes so full of compassion and understanding, he wondered if she would still look at him with those same eyes when she found out that it's his fault that she was cursed to die by his brother's hand. "When I was with my mother she unlocked a long buried memory in the recesses of my mind."

Elena remained quiet so he continued, "The day Niklause triggered his wolf gene, he was not the only one to kill that day. Tatia did not die in order for Niklaus to be cursed, her blood was used for the ritual because it was already available. She discovered Niklaus and myself with a dead villager, and she ran from me. I gave chase to try and explain that I was still the man she loved. She injured herself while trying to flee from me, we had only transitioned a few days prior and I was unable to control my bloodlust. I drained her of her life and in doing so cursed her bloodline. When I brought her to my mother to try and save it was too late, I was distraught so mother did what she thought best and made me forget. She locked the memory behind a door in my mind and used Tatia's remaining blood to curse Niklaus, creating the doppelganger curse in the process."Elijah could no longer meet her gaze, "I am to blame for all the suffering you have endured by my family's hand. I do not deserve to find happiness with you."

Elena was shocked, "Elijah, it was not your fault, you had no control over your bloodlust and there was no one to teach you how to control it. You never asked to be made a vampire, that was your parents doing."

Elijah looked up in surprise, "Elena don't you understand, if I had not killed Tatia then her blood would not have been used in the ritual. Klaus would have never descended on your family." Elena scoffed, "Yeah, and there's also a good chance I would never have existed. If Tatia had not been used in the ritual then the doppelganger curse would have afflicted another family. There's a very good chance I would not be the person I am today, if I even existed at all."

Elijah looked at the young women in front of him in awe, her ability to see past the monstrous deeds truly was extraordinary. She had almost limitless compassion for others, even as a vampire she was still the same person she'd always been. She reminded him of Tatia in that regard, but she was also different. Where Tatia was scared of the monster within him Elena accepted it, embraced it even. She was a perfect mixture of her predecessors and also uniquely herself at the same time.

Even after everything he confessed to her she was still standing here looking at him the way she's always looked at him, he was just to blind to see it for what it was before. Before he could talk himself out of it Elijah kissed her.