For some reason, my new program I am using to type now is strange with paragraphing. I tried to fix it the best I can, but I am apologizing now it it all comes off as too spaced apart.

On another note. This is another one shot based loosely on the short story "Fever Dreams" by Ray Bradbury (very...very...loosely) I hope it isn't too bad.

Fever Dreams

Characters/Pairing: Elena Gilbert and Elijah Mikaelson
Summary: Elena has been bitten by a werewolf and when she starts to hallucinate she finds herself waiting for someone to bring Klaus, but what does she begin to see?

Barely able to focus, death pushing closer and pulling away like toying with a cat and string, Elena could feel her heart beat. She couldn't move any more, even the sweat dripping from her brow weighed her head down onto her fluffed pillow. The room was dark, only a small candle was lit in the corner to help ease the sensitivity, but that was blinding her eyes as well. Elena Gilbert; given a second chance at life-was dying and from a werewolf bite no less. The wound itself was a gruesome, postulating boil on her arm that was truly a sight for sore eyes and by now bringing her closer to the edge of death with the burning tormenting and scalding.

"Klaus"

Elena let out the air in her lungs, not wanting to believe that her final words would be those of the hybrid that she hated the most, and as much as it pained her to admit it, the only one who could save her life.

"Elena?"

There was a way he said her name, the emphasis on the first half of the word like it was scrawled on parchment,

"Ee-lay-na" she repeated, her tongue swollen from the dryness as she stumbled over her pathetic imitation of his accent. The pronunciation was off, but she didn't care. It didn't matter. It was a foreign word to her now, as even in her daze she had forgotten her name, but regardless she found it amusing to say.

Dying, she was...but that didn't mean she couldn't laugh.

In the darkness, she heard footsteps coming towards her bed, sturdy and confident as they echoed in her eardrums.

When her visitor (carefully as ever) set on the bed, the curve of the added weight was like rolling down a hill, spinning out of control and Elena couldn't help but let out a gasp, though remaining stiff as a board.

The mysterious presence remained silent, but the frail vampire could feel them watching her intently though she couldn't see. The silence of the room, with the knowledge of company was calming. Instead of being asked the constant question of "are you all right?" or "how do you feel?" this was refreshing.
This guest knew, and for some unexplainable reason she felt...better knowing they were there, like instead of being your average run of the mill blood sucking vampire, she was a psychic vampire, draining their life energy source instead.

"I am doing everything I can." the voice was gruff and familiar, and even in her disrupted state of uncertainty, Elena realized who it was.

"E-Elijah?" she choked on his name, the wolf's poison calling for its cure, settling on the closest relative to it.

"Yes." he replied curtly, and she felt his hand rest on her blanket covered leg causing her insides to scream, "I heard about what happened and I came as soon as I could."

"Did you come here to kill me?"

She was begging, as pathetic as it was to the "honorable" Original vampire, and the wave of pain that shot through her spine was mocking her murderously, she knew this feeling all too well.
She had to feed.

"Is that what you want?" Even he sounded pained to say it, knowing that this was the inevitable outcome to her plight, yet he seemed to understand. After all, who would want to go out like she was?

She would have been better off drowning in the lake.

Elena opened her mouth to speak, but dizziness took over and her head fell to the side with no strength in her muscles to lift it from the pillow, which was covered in her own sweat and blood from when she vomited.

Her heart was pounding, and she could see figures dancing in her mind, visions of death? The souls of lives taken so soon that they laughed at her now, the one to be given the unwanted second chance to have it taken away in such a horrific manner?

"Karma." she murmured, feeling her lids fall over her blinded eyes.

"Elena, you are speaking nonsense." His hand brushed her hair from her face, smoothing it down her chin to guide her to face upwards, seemingly up to him. "Here, it's not a cure, but my blood should slow down the poison long enough to find my brother."

"Can you?"

She couldn't be sure if her voice was working, instead she fought to move her hand, tap him lightly for his attention.

"I will drag Nicklaus here by his fangs if I have to Elena." she couldn't see his expression, but his tone was so sure, so confident and driven, a feeling she had lost when all of this began. "Trust me Elena, you have my word."

She could feel his fingers entwine to the back of her head calmingly so he could guide her lips to his wrist.

Even in a vampire's veins, the blood still pumped, and the sense of hunger overcame her, all inhibitions gone with knowing her death was nigh. He allowed her lips to touch his cool skin, beating against her lips as if calling to her, but she was hesitant.

"It's fine Elena, you have to. Give me the chance to try and help you before you give up. If I fail you I will kill you myself if that is what you wish."

Giving up was a harsh way of putting it, but Elena understood his words, the underlying meaning. She knew Damon had killed Rose as she suffered, but she wasn't sure if he or Stefan would be able to let her go regardless of what she wanted.

I can't she wanted to scream, but her hunger screamed louder, reminder her that she could and that she would.

It hurt when her fangs, pointed and ready, extended through her gum line, it was a sharp yet welcoming feeling of intrusion to each instinctual bone in her body, and pierced his skin. The throbbing of Elijah's veins joined hers as one while the warm and rust scented (yet sweet tasting) thickness slid down her throat.

Suddenly, she grew aware of him, his emotions teeter tottering between the excitement as the grip on her head tightened, tugging slightly at the hair around his fingers to massage her scalp and his breath was hot on her forehead as she drained him. On the other hand, he seemed hesitant. Elijah knew as well as she did how personal blood sharing was, but right now it didn't matter-at least not to her- as long as Elijah's blood flowed through her she was stuck in tunnel vision only knowing that his skin was on her lips his grip growing stronger, pulling her closer against him and the pounding of his heart matching with her failing one were not lost to her.

Regretfully, Elena pulled her head back to release him, curling against him from the weakness as he fussed with her. Elijah swept the hair from her face again, and paid attention to the spot of blood left on her lip, wiping it off with his thumb. She could hear him breathing heavily, her focus still skewed, but she felt herself smile as he laid her back onto her pillow, flipping it over so she had the cooler and dryer side against her skin.

"You will feel better I'm sure," he told her, though she knew there was no way he could. This was a final ditch effort to help her, but it was a logical one. "Your vision should return shortly."

Elena could feel him, his worries and concerns were deafening, but most of all his strong sense of duty and need.

"Don't leave."

Her voice was fading as she drifted off, falling into the stupor of the poison and it's temporary cure.

Elena opened her eyes, panting savagely as they darted around her surroundings.

Shades of purple, vervain colored smoke clouded her vision besides the colors shooting out at her, blasting to her senses like looking through a new pair of 3D glasses.

Otherwise, she felt fine, Elijah's blood had worked, but he hadn't said it would work as well as it seemed to have.

"Elijah?" she searched around the room, blinking frantically to push away the strange visions of uncontrollable color, but they only became stronger, banging into her mind like an unwanted visitor.
She could hear nothing around her; in fact there wasn't even a sound outside where usually she could at least hear a fly buzzing.

In a rocky manner, Elena moved her legs over the edge of the bed, shocked she had the ability to do so, and her feet received a shock from the waves on the floor.

Waves?

Elena had lived in this house for her entire life and never realized how badly the floor was bowing. As she stepped forward, it was like walking on the ocean, each wave pushing her forward and backward as she swayed uncontrollably with each step to her door (which only seemed to be moving further and further away).

She was trapped in Alice's Wonderland, the high from Elijah's blood (more potent due to its Original line) was powerful it seemed, but too much for her poisoned legs to handle as she collapsed to the ground.

Forced down to the floor on her hands and knees, Elena went to move the hair from her face when she felt a familiar sticky texture on her lips.

Blood.

Her mind raced, the feeding from Elijah was quick, and she remembered him wiping it away before resting her back on the pillow. Now, it was like he hadn't even been there.

A scurry on the floor brought Elena's eyes up to the level of her nightstand and she had to hold back a gasp. A mouse, staring straight in her eyes, it's whiskers twitching curiously on its hind legs, was watching her with what Elena could have sworn was a coy smile.

"What do you want?" she growled, "You and your beady little eyes. Who are you?"

Mice never bothered coming into a vampire's home (nor did they ever bother to speak), so this couldn't be just any ordinary mouse.

However, it cocked its head and twitched its whiskers again, letting out a little squeak before it turned to rush away.

"Wait!" Elena called out, reaching for the leg of the end table, but to catch nothing but air. "Come back!"

Giving in, she rolled onto her back, the vampire -still stiff- looked up to the remaining purple ceiling. Now it seemed as though the smoke was beginning to form shapes in the colors, visions of stars and even the moon at its crescent phase began to show.

Her world shifted around her then, the intoxicating poison reached once more and instead of putting her in a blinded vegetative state; combined with Elijah's blood (which was still dripping from her mouth) it was like an acid trip.

Now she felt like she was lying in the grass happily while the moon changed phases overhead. Elena watched blissfully, glad she was finally able to have some standing again (even if it was all pure insanity), as the white globe shifted to become whole again.

As it did so, the vampire began to feel an aching sense in her muscles, a foreign thrust like they no longer belonged under her skin, stretching and contorting painfully and worst of all the itching was instantly unbearable, forcing her to roll into a ball-anything to dodge the pain.

This wasn't right; she could feel her bones being forced to break, snap in two when a new hunger attacked her throat, demanding its sustenance.

Opening her mouth, she released a powerful roar, shaking the walls as her imagery of the stars and sky began to shatter around her. A roar, but vampires didn't roar and when she looked up she saw it was the moon, a new curse was being tossed into her life as if being a doppelganger then a vampire were enough. She could feel her transition.

"Elena!"

A different voice, a different tone and a different hand pulling her from the proverbial fire spoke as she screamed.

Scrambling away, Elena hissed as her vision cleared to the bloody mess before her and two brothers standing hardly a foot away. One held a softer expression while looking pained and tortured, as the others piercing blues struck her hard as she panted, still on all fours.

"Where is Elijah?" she growled, moving to the far corner of the room, not sure what was happening to her. The hardwood floor had a puddle of blood taking place right where her head had laid, but the opposite vampires looked confused.

"Damon? Stefan?" Her chest was tight and she could feel her legs stiffen, and the bite on her arm had only worse, "Where is he?"

The two brothers exchanged distant glances, Stefan shrugging while Damon approached to kneel down to her level.

"Elena...are you feeling all right?" his hand moved to wipe her lip but she jerked away.

"Where is Elijah?" she snarled, using all of her strength to push the brother away and her body revered at the sudden movement, screaming out in protest. "He gave me his word he would find Klaus!"

He had been her only hope, Elijah would be the only one able to bring his brother back to help her, but the brothers acted like he didn't even exist.

Stefan joined his brother now, a look of equal concern on his features. Clearly they had no idea what she was talking about.

"Elena...when did you talk to Elijah? Because we have been searching for him to find Klaus...but he's gone with his brother."
This had to be some sort of sick joke. Elena wasn't crazy, but now she was definitely frightened.

"What are you talking about Stefan? Elijah was here! He...he gave me his blood..." she was grasping to terms of reality, the field she was lying in was long gone, her werewolf transformation seemed to be over, and she couldn't help but ask if she was losing it or if they were.

"What?" Damon snapped, "You took Elijah's blood? Come on Elena, now you haveto know you are losing your mind."

Stefan nodded in mimicking agreement with his older brother, "He's right Elena. Not only is it highly unlikely Elijah would give you his blood, knowing the effects, but it has to be that bite making you hallucinate. Elijah has been gone for...almost over a year now."

He watched as Elena looked to the pool of blood and rubbed her finger over her own lip to wipe off the dried remnants.

"That blood is yours." The dark haired vampire pointed, "You were vomiting in your sleep while you screamed."

Feeling relief, Elena gasped slightly, not realizing however just how sick she was. Had she vomited up Elijah's blood? And had the brothers been unaware of Elijah's visit after all?

Shifting to move, she was overcome by an uncontrollable dizziness, and her legs giving way under her so she slipped in the puddle.

"What is happening to me?" she choked out, a look of horror glazing over her face, "Am I dying?"

The question had been hanging over her mind for long moments now, knowing (or being told) Elijah wasn't real and this was the harsh reality she faced, she wasn't sure what to do.

At this moment, the Salvatores weren't much help.

"If we can find Klaus in time...no, but he is off the radar. Even Kol, Rebekah and Elijah are nowhere to be found and trust me we have done everything we can to find any of them." Stefan explained, but his voice was fading in and out as she dazed. "Caroline is with Bonnie using every bit of magic she can to find Klaus."

It was all real; she was really dying without any hope. They wouldn't find Klaus, if he didn't want to be found at least.

That meant Elijah hadn't been real, her chance at life had been faked and she wasn't going to make it much longer with nothing anyone could do to stop it.

"Elena!" another voice was calling to her, "Elena, wake up!" more commanding than desperate, this voice was achingly powerful.

Slowly, cautiously, Elena opened her eyes not realizing she had faded away, to the sun shining and birds chirping.

There was no more purple smoke, no more pain, and no more Stefan and Damon. Instead, it was Elijah staring back at her, his hair ruffled, his eyes glazed over in suspense while his expression remained calm and collected.

"You are not real." she muttered, taking the blanket and pulling it over her face. She wouldn't believe it. She couldn't get her hopes up.

"Elena! Come on Elena wake up! Don't do this!"

She could hear Damon and Stefan calling to her, their panicked sounds pulling at her heart strings. She had to wake up so they would stop worrying.

This wasn't real.

"Just let me die."

"Elena...I gave you Nicklaus' blood, you aren't going to die."

The words brought Elena's gaze to meet his. She had many conversations with the Original over time, and still she couldn't tell for sure, but he didn't seem to be lying.

I'm not going to die...She thought with relief.

"Are you sure?" she asked aloud, "Where is Klaus?"

"No Elena, just stay with us and you will be fine." Stefan's voice was so soothing, drawing her back to them, and a brief flash of Damon carrying her to the bed disturbed her vision.

She was living in two worlds.

"I had to...force the blood from him." Elijah explained, bringing her back to him, "It will take a bit longer to heal you, but it will work...I promise."

"Elena, Klaus is gone, we can't find him!"

"Elijah...where are Stefan and Damon?" Her head was sorting out the hallucinations, any clue to find out which were real, and which were false.

"They went to hunt the wolf that did this to you..." replied the Original, looking to the bedroom door; she hadn't noticed her hand was rested on hers reassuringly.

"Elena, we are right here with you! Elijah isn't real don't listen to him!"

"Bonnie was actually the one who contacted me to find Klaus."

Elena could see it all now, her stories were intertwining, and she was living in both realities talking to the Salvatores while looking to Elijah.

"So...I'm not going to die?" she asked again to make sure.

Elijah smiled and although Elena felt incredibly weak she found it in her to match it with her own grin.

"No Elena, you are going to be just fine."

With hardly a blink, Elena was staring back to the Salvatores, both letting out sighs of relief as they covered her with the blanket.

"Welcome back."

From across the room there was a mirror, and from it Elena could see her ashen grey skin, her eyes red and the veins blackened with disgust. She was not okay, she was dying.
"I'm not dying." her throat was hoarse and unreal, the purple smoky shadows still danced around the room, surrounding her two friends like veils of confusion and she thought for a moment that...the walls were singing into her ears.

"Elena, hallucinations are normal, you just need to separate them from your reality."

"My reality."

Cocking his head to the side, Stefan looked to her, confused. "Yes Elena, this is your reality, you are safe now with us. Just stay with us all right?" But the dying, poisoned vampire shook her head,

"No. This can't be true. I'm not dying." she ran her nails over her face to feel her skin, "Elijah found Klaus. He saved me."

"Elena you are going to be fine. Your Salvatores will be back soon."

Elena twitched at a familiar, yet displaced sensation, like a hand brushing her cheek, but neither vampire before her had moved an inch.

She was drifting away again; she could feel her poisoned mind relaxing back into a state of normalcy.

"I am not dying." she said again with more determination as her eyes began to close, the sweet scent of blood jogging her senses.

"No Elena," she could hear both Salvatores say in unison (though she knew they both were lying).

"You're not." Elijah, again, when her eyes fully opened, was there. "I gave you my word and I didn't break it."

Remaining silent, still weak; Elena could still see Stefan and Damon's faces plastered in her mind. They watched he die, fade off from the poison and that pain was not something she would be able to forget.

"I'm not dead." the temporary insanity was throwing her off center, tearing her mind in half as she repeated the words over and over.

"No Elena, you are just hallucinating, I promise you it will get better." Elijah's words were beginning to mirror the Salvatores now, giving her some ground to hold on to.

Elijah's reserve was like a steady holding ground, keeping her from trying to tear out her own heart from the unforeseen guilt.

She made Stefan and Damon watch her die.

"I'm not dead." she said again, hoping to make it all seem that much more real. From the corner of her eye, she felt a tear begin to form, her body mourning the loss of her own life.

Quickly, as if understanding what the tear was for, Elijah wiped the drop away with his thumb, holding his hand on her cheek for her comfort, which she welcomed thankfully.

"Those were not your Stefan and Damon, Elena. They are on their way back now, but you need to rest." His thumb caught another uncontrollable tear, and the young vampire leaned closer into his hand and nodded, having hardly any strength.

"Please stay." she begged, gripped his knee, which was crossed over the bed, desperately. "I don't want to be alone and I don't know who else to trust."

She needed an anchor, and Elijah had saved her life by being there when she needed him, she could have gotten stuck in the hallucination. With Stefan and Damon coming back, she would need him there to remind her that this was the real world, since he wasn't in the other.

"Of course." he agreed lightly and moved her blanket, allowing her body to curl up against his and lay her head on his lap.

She smiled as he covered her again; rubbing her arm lightly to lull her to sleep again and Elena found herself pushing away the fighting voices of her friends.

"No! We can't lose her!"

This was her reality.

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