The sun was slowly chasing the night away and the small light of the early morning reminded Elijah he had been driving all night without stopping once. It wasn't really an issue for him but he knew they needed a break. She needed a couple of human hours.

Julie had fallen asleep a couple of hours ago and he didn't want to wake her up. Leaving Mystic Falls was supposed to make their lives easier and drama free and she really needed to rest. Of course, he knew she would be better in a bed but he wanted to get away from his siblings as far as possible. He decided they would stop once she was awake and that they would only find a hotel late tonight. He had no idea where he was driving them to but it didn't really matter to him. He needed a break from being a monster and as long as Julie was with him, he knew he was going to be fine. And the farer away she was from Klaus, the safest she would be.

The truth was, the farer away she would be away from him, the safest she would be. But for the first time in a long while, he didn't want to give up on her. He knew how dangerous it was for her to be loved by him but he wasn't strong enough to leave her. But he didn't have the luxury of being weak. He had to protect her and he didn't care about the things he would have to do to keep her safe and happy.

Elijah could only thing about what his mother had told him the night before and what Julie said after. He didn't know which one of them to believe. Was he a monster or not? He had been one. He knew that. But was he today a monster that deserved to die? Would the world be better without him and his siblings in it? Were his mother and brother right?

He was lost so deep in his thoughts that he didn't hear Julie waking up. She opened her eyes and quickly closed them again, hurt by the small light that went through the windows of the car. Finally, as she brought her hands to her face and rubbed her eyes, her movements made Elijah react.

"You're awake."

"Hey," she said, straightening up and yawning. "What time is it?"

"Over 6AM," he told her. "I'll make a stop soon."

"Yes, please," she sighed and smiled. She leaned back in her seat and slightly tilted her head to look at Elijah who was focused on the road. "You must be exhausted," she said.

"I'm fine," he merely replied.

"Where are we going?" she asked next.

"I don't know," he said. "Where do you want to go?"

"I have no idea where we are," she chuckled.

"We could stop at an airport," he said. "Take a plan to anywhere you want."

"You dream big," she laughed. "I don't have a passport."

"I'll have it done for you."

"Compel it done, you mean," she said, amused. "And where would we go?"

"Anywhere you want," he repeated.

Julie sighed. "I want to go somewhere where I can learn about what I am."

"I don't know where that is, I'm sorry," he said. "But it doesn't mean you can't learn about what you are. You have your mother's journals and your family's grimoire."

"Then I guess it doesn't matter where we are."

Elijah stopped at a diner where they decided to stay for a couple of hours. Julie went to the bathroom and changed clothes and when she came back, pancakes were waiting for her.

"You are awesome," she said as she sat down and took the fork.

"I thought you might be hungry," he smiled. "I'm sorry you had to sleep in the car, tonight I'll get us a hotel."

"Okay," she said and put down the fork. "Look at me," she told him and he frowned but did it anyway. "I want you to promise me something."

"Anything," he nodded.

"Stop apologizing."

"What?"

"I will not break just because I slept a couple of hours in the car. I'm fine. I'm happy. I don't care if we're in Mystic Falls or not. I care that I'm with you and I care that you're unlinked from your siblings as soon as possible. Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

Elijah considered her words for a minute before a smile formed on his face and he laughed. "I promise I'll try not to worry too much."

Julie rolled her eyes and sighed. "That's not what I asked."

"It's the best I can do," he said, getting up from his booth to sit next to her. She moved closer from the window to give him space and she leaned back in her seat as she watched him lean to kiss her forehead. She closed her eyes, enjoying the moment, and as she felt him move away she brought her hands to the back of his neck and pulled him for a kiss. He smiled against her lips before he kissed her back, moving closer to her, placing his hands on her waist as her own moved down his neck and stopped on his shoulders. She didn't want to but she moved away to breathe and saw him grin.

"What are you grinning at?" she asked, amused.

He chuckled and shook his head. "You've changed," he told her.

"Is it bad?"

"No," he smiled. "Just don't change too much." She smiled back and nodded.

They drove to an unknown destination but for some reasons the ride made them both feel better. Elijah insisted Julie slept a little bit more but she refused, asking him questions about his past and the many important events he had witnessed. She was fascinated by all he had to say, and she never ran out of questions to ask.

Finally, just a little before midnight, they arrived in Charlottesville where they found a hotel to rest. Elijah let Julie use the bathroom first and when she got out she got in the huge bed and fell asleep almost instantly.