Elizabeth's POV

"Why won't you help us?" Stefan asked, his voice full of frustration.

I didn't even look up from the book resting in my lap. I was curled up on the couch in the Salvatore living room, enjoying the peace before someone inevitably ruined it.

"Well, dear brother of mine," I said coolly, flipping a page, "I have absolutely zero interest in your 'Protect Elena at all costs' drama."

Stefan let out one of those long, over-exaggerated sighs. He had that pleading look in his eyes, the kind that used to work on me when we were kids. Not anymore.

"Lizzle, please," he said gently, "I just want you and Elena to get along."

I finally looked up, raising a brow. "Well, Stefan, that decision isn't just mine. You've forgotten something vital—free will. Maybe fate and the other party should get a say."

"She's not Katherine," he said, like that meant everything.

I snapped the book shut and stood, glaring at him. "Do you ever stop to think that maybe I have a damn good reason for not wanting to play nice with Elena?" My voice was calm, but my words were ice. "I came back to Mystic Falls to see you and Damon, not to babysit the doppelgänger of the woman who wrecked our lives."

He opened his mouth to speak, but I didn't let him.

"For all I know, she's just as selfish. She walked into our house uninvited—strike one. And then, what? She erased Jeremy's memories without his consent? Strike two. You say she's not Katherine, but she's already playing god with people's lives."

"Liz—"

"No," I cut him off. "Stefan, I'm happy if you've found someone who makes you feel less broken. Truly. But stop pushing this 'you must be friends' agenda on me. I won't be guilt-tripped into liking someone just because she has a pretty face and makes your heart flutter."

And with that, I vamped out of the room, leaving Stefan alone in his sea of Elena-flavoured delusion.

I ended up at the Grill, ordering a drink and a plate of pasta. The idea of going back home to Stefan the puppy, Damon the love-struck fool, or Alaric playing Mystic Falls' moral compass made me lose my appetite.

My phone buzzed.

Elijah
"Meet me. Town sign. Now."

I didn't even hesitate.

I paid, stepped outside, and vamped straight to the edge of town. The moment I hit the shadows beneath the Mystic Falls sign, he was there.

Elijah Mikaelson.

My husband. My home.

I ran into his arms without thinking, and he caught me like he always did—strong, steady, safe. His lips met mine, warm and hungry, and he whispered against my mouth, "I missed you, my love."

I smirked up at him, brushing my fingers along the lapels of his perfect suit. "Now that's what I like to hear."

He leaned his forehead against mine. "I missed you more than I have words for."

I smiled, letting myself relax into him. "Then let's not waste any more time, Mr. Mikaelson."

A playful grin tugged at his lips, and in one swift movement, he scooped me into his arms and vamped us to the apartment he was renting in town. We didn't make it far past the front door—his lips found mine again, hot and demanding, and then we were in the bedroom.

Pressed up against the wall, he groaned. "These damn clothes."

I laughed softly, teasing, "Then let me help you with that."

I stripped off my shirt, and his jacket followed. Soon, the world melted into nothing but skin and warmth and tangled sheets. We fell onto the bed, wrapped in each other like we had something to prove. No brothers. No doppelgängers. No ghosts of the past.

Just us.

Elijah kissed my forehead, brushing a lock of hair from my face as his fingers laced with mine beneath the covers.

"I love you, always and forever," he whispered against my lips.

I smiled, touching his face gently. "Always and forever, Elijah."

And in that moment, I was finally at peace.

But peace doesn't last long in Mystic Falls.

And I had no idea Katerina Petrova was waiting for me back home, with chaos in her smile.