A/N: So this is an attempt, inspired by a prompt from honor_in_revenge over at our little Elejah sanctuary on Fanforum. My version of the events around Elijah's phone call with Elena in the finale and the following hours. Although Elijah has been the last person Elena has talked to before her death, I think we'll sadly never find out the details, so I sent my thoughts on a journey. I hope you'll like the result. This is planned as a short three-part series. The title is inspired by the beautiful, bittersweet song from Secret Garden.
Disclaimer: TVD with all its characters belongs to its rightful owners, I've just borrowed them to send them on a little journey of my own.
Part I. Farewell
And I will see you again – at the end of the rainbow,
In the land of all the lost and hopeless dreams,
Where nothing can separate us anymore,
No reason, no classification into enemy or friend.
That's when we'll meet again –
A woman and a man.
Two souls, one kind –
And all the hurt will stay behind.
"He's gone, Elijah… There was nothing I could do to stop it!"
The words of his sister, the raw and utter pain resonating in them, still echoed in his mind.
He walked down the small path towards the clearing where he had parked his car – an hour, minutes ago? He didn't exactly recall. The silver shine of the full moon fell through the leaves of the dark, old trees surrounding him, weaving a magic blanket of light, enwrapping everything. His thoughts trailed off. Thousand years, an eternity, lying hidden there in the shadows of the darkness, so many memories, forever connected with that place.
"Niklaus!" He, running through the forest, the wind in his dark, long hair, his bare arms grazing some twigs – young, oh so young… How old has he been? Eighteen or maybe twenty…
"Niklaus! Stop running and come back to me! It's nearly dinner time and you know father won't be pleased if we're late!"
"Just a moment, Elijah! There, I've almost caught it!" The eager voice of his younger brother, he could only see a mess of disheveled blond hair and sparkling blue eyes behind a bush.
He sighed, squinted his eyes to estimate the time at the level of the dark red late afternoon sun over their heads.
"Damn", he cursed under his breath. They had to hurry he didn't want to experience another day of this week ending for his brother in tears. Mikael wouldn't understand it, he never did. Like he never realized how hard Niklaus tried to please him.
He moved quickly, silently, with the suppleness of a wild animal behind the bush, catching his brother around the waist and throwing him like a bundle over his left shoulder.
"Gotcha!" he laughed.
"Noooo, that's not fair! Elijah, I've almost caught my first bunny!" Wriggling, Niklaus tried hard but with very little success to escape his firm grip. His voice tilted in a mixture of frustration and disappointment.
"I swear, when I'm older I'll pay it back in kind! I'll be much, much stronger than you!"
"Oh, I'm sure you'll be, Niklaus." He tried hard to suppress a smile. "But first I'll bring you back at home and put you in the washing trough – you smell and look like a damn ferret!"
"Tatia…" Her full, tempting lips under his, sweet and red like the wild berries she just ate – his blood pulsing in his ears, louder than the wind in the trees above them, the world around them fading away. Just he and her – this feeling of eternity.
His breathless voice, cracking around the edges, his forehead resting against hers, his hand buried in her wild dark hair…
"Tatia, oh my God, Tatia… I love you."
Her dark eyes, burning his heart, his soul, her fingertip on his lips, her own lips curving into the hint of a smile, her sulky voice, enwrapping, intoxicating him…
"Don't tell me, Elijah… Show me."
The same dark, captivating brown eyes yet deeper, more soulful, like aged before their time.
"I'm so sorry, Elijah… I wish there was something I could to do to help…"
And he heard, moreover, felt the sincerity behind those words, and it worked like a balm for the hurt that burned in him since last night, just as his stupid, treacherous heart that didn't want to stop feeling, caring, not even after a thousand years on this earth – especially not for this one girl, the second Petrova doppelganger. Elena…
He reached his car, pausing for a moment, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath. He had to regain his composure there was no time now for losing himself in memories, although soon enough they would be the only thing that remained for him.
Niklaus… There was something about the circumstances of his death that felt strange to him. Why on earth were the Salvatore's – definitely descendants of his bloodline - still alive while Tyler Lockwood was dead? What exactly happened in that warehouse?
There were more questions than answers and he desperately needed to know them, all of them. He had to speak to Laurence, his new warlock. In a moment like this he missed his former warlock even more – dear Dr. Martin who had become much more than an ally over the time. Looking back over the last century he was probably the only one whom he could have called a good friend.
He unlocked the car, slipped onto the driver's seat. But first things first… He had to make a call, one last call before he left Mystic Falls – a farewell, literally.
Dialing her number, he tried to steady himself with all his willpower, his gaze adjusted into the dark. He put on his stone like business mask. And yet his heart skipped a beat as she answered the phone right after the first ringing.
"Elijah…" Her voice was shaken, and just for a second, his treacherous heart and mind wished that her sorrow would be directed towards him. "We're on our way back to Mystic Falls. We just heard about Klaus…"
He interrupted her, his voice serious and steady. "Elena… I just called to ensure you that despite those circumstances nothing has changed in our deal. I gave you my word and I'll stick to every single point of our arrangement. I've instructed Kol to stay away from Mystic Falls and Rebekah to leave this night, just like me. I'll make sure they'll never return, I promise you won't see us again, no one of our family in your whole lifetime."
He heard her breathing, her voice suddenly softened.
"Thank you…" She paused, as if she was suddenly uncertain, searching for words.
"Elijah…?"
He closed his eyes for just a second, her velvety voice enwrapping him.
"Yes?"
"Take care…"
His heart skipped another beat, and for the first time in centuries words failed him. Her words, those two little words - he knew he would recall them for the rest of his time on this earth, and if Alaric would actually find him, he would take them into his grave. Like a last blessing, much more than he deserved.
"You too, Elena" he managed to say after a brief pause, every piece of his being yearning to stretch out this moment a bit longer.
"Farewell..., Elena."
He tapped abruptly the power button of his handy, leaving him with the sharp and bitter feeling as if he'd just cut every single string of his heart in his chest.
