There was a breeze that day, he could feel it as if it had been only yesterday. The breeze carried with it the scent that he had grown to recognize. His eyes closed, taking in a deep breath through his nose letting the scent permeate his senses. It was a smell he would never forget. "Katerina. I had thought you and Niklaus would have been in one another's company this day." His voice rang out softly carried by the breeze to the young lady.

"Lord Elijah." Katerina responded automatically before giving him a polite curtsey. "I'm afraid Lord Niklaus had more pressing matters to attend to." she answered softly before tilting her head slightly and offering a small smile. "Perhaps you would care to accompany me today milord." she offered holding out an arm for him to take.

"It would be my pleasure Katerina." Elijah responded before slipping his arm into hers as they started to walk along the garden path. Elijah's gentle gaze found Katerina's as they walked the breeze blowing her hair every which way. She let out a giggle as her hair tickled her chin. Elijah lifted a hand to tuck a strand of it back into her braid.

"Thank you milord." She said with another small giggle smiling up at him. Elijah returned the smile with one of his own, followed by a nod.

"You are welcome Lady Katerina." He offered.

"Milord. How about we play a game." She asked tilting her head to one side a bit like a curious cat. Elijah couldn't help but to smile down at her, his gaze softened as his eyes met hers. He nodded as if to tell her to continue on to what she was saying. "How about, I run, and you try to catch me?" She explained before slipping out of his grasp. "Come on Lord Elijah. Let's see how fast you are." her voice was teasing as she backed up slowly before lifting her dress skirt and turning to run.

Elijah couldn't help but to smile after her, however, where she had once been, there was now something else. Something darker, colder. Elijah's brows furrowed as he approached the figure ahead of him. Surrounded by a darkness he could not quite explain, he stepped closer to see a dark form laying on the ground, no, not a ground, a floor. She was inside.. "Katerina?!" he cried out picking up the pace before running to her side.

He sat upright as he screamed out the name, panting, sweat running down his forehead, t-shirt soaked, causing it to stick to him. He panted trying to catch his breath before lifting a hand to his arm, pulling away the small bandage over his forcep. He let out a sigh finally having caught his breath and looked around the room. It was bare save for a bit of furniture, giving it the appearance of a summer cottage or a small hotel room. He'd half expected to see a body laying on the floor not far from him, but there was no on there. No one living or dead, just him.

He looked down at his hands once more, his fingers finding the metal of his daylight ring, tracing over the contours of the stone set in the center of it. It was a constant reminder of what he was, a vampire, an original, the oldest of his kind, and thus carrying the biggest burden, protecting the lines of hundreds of sired vampires under his family. But how could he protect them forever, if this was the price he had to pay. A bite from an unsired hybrid in a battle for power. "I'm sorry Niklaus." Elijah muttered before removing the bandage from his arm, finding the wound now nearly fully healed. The fever and hallucinations were now over, but his remaining fear that Katerina was in danger, was not.

It hadn't taken him long to find the place. After all, he was an original. He could compel answers out of anything but a werewolf or witch, but he found the information he needed. Katerina was alive, and she was human. He felt guilty for leaving her behind now. Felt responsible for her, and he hoped that she would forgive him. His next step would be his most drastic measure, he only hoped, he wouldn't be too late.

"Katerina. It's good to see you in one piece still." Elijah's voice rang through the house. Katherine jumped at the sound of it before furrowing her brows in confusion.

"Elijah? How… how did you get in here? I haven't invited you.." her voice was shaky, as if she were either frightened or weak.

Elijah's lips pursed together as he looked down at his hands, fiddling with them a bit. He held something between two of his fingers that he was using to clean out under his nails with. "Yes, I am aware of this Katerina." Elijah said casually before tossing the toothpick he had been using into a nearby trash can.

"You're tracking dirt through my floor Elijah." Katerina stated rather flatly, the sound of her voice becoming distinctively sharper. She pulled the covers back off of her before sliding off of the bed. "What were you even doing? Why are you so filthy Elijah? Wait.. " she stopped tilting her head a bit to the side. "The hell are you even doing here?" she asked her voice growing more annoyed as she approached him. Her dark eyes scanned him up and down taking in the state of his clothes. A brow shooting into the air. "You lost the suit. Not bad." she said making a slightly impressed face. "Could use with a little less dirt however." She said coldly in a rushed voice as she swung her arm out from behind her and bringing her hand towards him, stake protruding out of it.

Elijah's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he lifted a hand just in time to catch the stake into his palm. He let out a groan of pain before twisting his arm enough to free the stake from her grasp. He grasped the stake with his free hand pulling it loose and gasping for air. "Getting.. A bit slow there Katerina." he said, his voice straining to keep out the pain.

Katerina's eyes widened as she stepped back watching him struggle to remove the stake from his palm until it was free. Her eyes now watching the hand as he dropped the stake and ripped a piece of material off of the bottom of his shirt tying it around his hand tightly. "That hurt." he said shortly his voice rising a few octaves before looking over at her.

"No.. Elijah, what… what have you done..?" she blinked looking back to his soiled clothes then the still bleeding hand. "You're human?! You dug her up! You.. Are you insane!"

Elijah answered with a mere shrug still putting pressure on his hand before sitting down on an empty chair. "Sorry about the blood." he gasped short of breath.

"Don't be. Come on you need a hospital. I can't believe you Elijah if… anyone found out.. Ugh!" she didn't finish the sentence, instead she helped him out of his seat and lead him to Mystic Falls General as quickly as humanly possible.

…..TO BE CONTINUED….. Maybe..