Five years of thinking about it left Elijah feeling guilty. It wasn't something he could discuss with his siblings, especially not Kol. The very sight of his youngest brother made the guilt worst.
For the sake of family.
He'd done many things for his family. None left him as out of sorts. She was family, too. Davina Claire was the love of Kol's life. Elijah cared for her as such. Yet, he had not acted like it in a very long time. The girl deserved better.
His awakening should have been a happy moment. Yet, the happiness was not there. Elijah found himself faking it. He could breathe air again and SHE could not. Reuniting with Hayley and Hope, saving Klaus, the few weeks that followed, it was all a blur. He was going through the motions and his family could tell something was off. He was lying to them and attempting to lie to himself. Guilt was not overcoming him. He did what he had to do. There was no other way. It was for his family. These things ran over and over again in his brain and he still couldn't convince himself of it. Perhaps, that's why he stole her remains in the middle of the night. Perhaps, that's why a witch by the name of Hanna was now desperately trying to resurrect her and failing.
"I need more power. It's extremely difficult to do this when the ancestral plane has been cut off. Perhaps, I could channel your sister?" Hanna asked, looking sympathetically at Elijah. Her nose and eyes were bleeding.
"No." He stared off into the distance. "That's not a possibility." Elijah turned from Hanna. He'd tried. It should have been enough to subdue that guilt, but it wasn't. He still felt it gnawing at him. It might just be something he had to live with for the rest of eternity.
"There may be one other way..." Hanna paused. The Original turned and looked at her, intensely. It made her squirm. "It would require sending a soul to the plane. We could dagger you and I'll perform a spell so that you can go find her."
Elijah was silent for a long moment. He thought about declining. After all, this was a witch. Witches hated Vampires, especially Originals. It may not end well for him. "I will get the dagger." He said, finally. His decision surprised even himself. After Hanna gathered her things and Elijah took her to a protected house, Elijah left. It didn't take him long to retrieve the dagger. He returned as Hanna finished setting up for the spell.
"Are you ready?" She asked.
"As I'll be." He laid down. She daggered him and his world went black.
When Elijah woke, he was in a dark place. It was cold and he could barely see his hand in front of his face. He got up and started on a journey. A journey that led him to a cabin in the middle of the woods. He could hear voices, but he couldn't hear what they said. It was strange after so long with Vampire hearing. However, he heard Davina Clair loud and clear. "You have a hell of a lot of nerve, you know that?"
"Davina…" Elijah looked around. He couldn't see her.
"I don't know how you got here, but you can leave now."
"And if I don't?"
"You don't want to find out." She was closer. He could sense it.
His gaze finally found blue eyes glowing in the dark. "I have come to bring you back." He felt a sudden pain in his head and then he could feel himself slipping into some kind of unconscious state.
Her last words to him before he slipped off were "Bull shit."
xXXXXXXXX
Davina Claire didn't know what she'd become. She'd killed Elijah Mikaelson over and over again and all she could feel was the urge to continue. She wanted to crack him. She wanted him to cry for mercy and she was not getting what she wanted. He'd choked on his own blood, something she'd used on him before. It gave her a ping of satisfaction watching him suffer as blood poured from his mouth, but it wasn't enough. She set him on fire. During that, he groaned out, but he still didn't ask for mercy. She'd made him try to tear his own skin off, but not even that gave her the satisfaction she wanted.
She was contemplating her next move when his voice broke through her thoughts. "Have you reached satisfaction yet, or are you making yourself feel as guilty as I do?"
"You feel guilty?" Davina laughed. "Good! You should! You're a selfish bastard."
"And yet I've come to right my wrongs, to seek forgiveness." Elijah's stare was enough to cause anyone to forgive him, because the sincerity could be seen in his eyes. Yet, Davina felt angry. She didn't want to care that he was trying to be noble. Her soul was hexed. She'd been trapped in a dark place and all she wanted to want was to make him pay. But, there it was. That little tiny bit of light. That light was going to be her doom. It already had been.
"Screw it. You can't do much worst." She unchained him and backed up.
He stood up, straightening what remained of his clothing. It was covered in blood and burnt, but it covered the parts he needed to be covered.
"So, how the hell are you getting us out of here? And, you better hope to God that your sister isn't helping you, because what I did to you will look like cake." Davina growled as her breathing deepened when she noticed the Original coming her way. She didn't get a chance to stop him before he had her pinned against the wall so that she had to listen to him.
"I do feel guilty for my part in what was done and I do understand your anger, but I'd like to remind you not to threaten my family, because I will not tolerate you or anyone else hurting them. You took your anger out on me, if you need to take some more, so be it, but you will not harm Freya." Elijah spoke quickly and clearly before he backed off. He was on his knees again before he knew what happened.
"Next time, don't touch me." Davina rolled her eyes and extended her hand. "A truce, I guess. For now." Elijah looked at it and a crooked smile graced her face as he narrowed his eyes. He took her hand and stood, before dropping it.
"How long have I been here?" He asked.
Davina folded her arms and tilted her head, rolling her eyes. "Does it look like I have a clock laying around. Probably not that long. A few hours, at least."
"A few hours?" A pondering look came to his face as he turned from her and looked around. "Any clue where we are exactly?"
"We're dead. Or I am, anyway. This is still the Ancestral Plane. It's just cold and dark now."
"Right." Elijah looked back at her and he had the faintest sign of a smirk on his face. "Davina?"
"Yeah."
"Loose the attitude. It's becoming quite the annoyance now."
Davina smiled. It was a very sarcastic, very demeaning smile. "Awe, do you want a little respect? Like you respecting me enough to kill me?"
A frustrated sigh came from the Original. "Would you like me to leave you here?" His expression showed very little emotion. "I just need to know if I am wasting my time or if you are actually going to be of assistance to get us out of here?"
Davina gave another eye roll and rested her hand on a cocked hip. Her lips were still curved upward as if she were amused, but it was far from amusement. "So, that's what guilt looks like. Huh." The sarcasm in her tone only grew thicker as the words escaped her lips. "Is that supposed to scare me? You're the reason I'm here to begin with, remember? No one asked you to come here. No one told you to." The downfall of the hex the ancestors placed upon her before the ancestral plane was disconnected was that it tore her soul to shreds leaving very little. Now she was like a light switch. She either cared or she didn't, depending on her mood. "You've wasted your entire life away. What's a little more time gonna hurt?"
Elijah let out an irritated chuckle as he looked down, trying to regain his composure. She was no doubt pushing his buttons and Elijah had become a little less patient than he used to be. He finally looked up to her and gave a nod. "Very well. Stay here, but you will never say that I didn't attempt to right what was wronged." Elijah walked outside and poked his hands in his pockets, looking at the dark sky. His eyes searched it as his mind pondered. He had no idea how to get back to his body. That was unlike him. Why had he not hashed out that little detail? As he stood there, the idea hit him. She could reconnect the plane. She was the one who disconnected it after all. "Davina..." He called her to join him.
Davina made her way out to him to see what he wanted. Once she stood beside him, he said, "Reconnect the plane to New Orleans. It's my only way back. Unless, you would like me to stay here with you...forever."
Davina's eyes narrowed and she bit the inside of her cheek, the words "go screw yourself" hanging off the tip of her tongue, but she'd established that hurting him didn't make her feel better. She sure as hell didn't want to be stuck with him for the rest of eternity.
The look on her face must have told what she was thinking. Elijah gritted his teeth. "Stop being a brat and listen." He glared at her. "The ultimate revenge would be to return, would it not? To show what Davina Claire is made of. So, why on Earth would you stay here if I am giving you a way out?"
"Because I'll have to forgive you." Davina walked inside and returned with a dark object. "And I don't want to."
Elijah smiled. "That's too bad." It was the last thing he said before his vision went dark. He woke up to a witch pulling a dagger from his chest. He sped to find some blood and then returned to the witch. "You can resurrect her now. The plane is reconnected."
Hanna got a wicked smirk on her face. "Good." She snapped his neck.
XXxxxxxx
Upon awakening, Davina inhaled a deep breath of air. It was harsh, pricking at her throat and lungs, but bearable. She laid there for a minute, rubbing her forehead with her hand. There was good reason for that, she was checking for the mark. She sat up and looked around, realizing she was alone except for an unconscious Elijah. He was gray. Putting two and two together, she could guess what happened. "I take it you pissed off another witch." She commented as he opened his eyes.
Elijah felt groggy as he sat up. "I need blood." He choked out. He looked to Davina. "I guess she did resurrect you after snapping my neck."
"Yep." She laughed. "I think I like her."
Elijah didn't bother to comment. Instead, he changed the subject. "I need to feed. Do not reveal yourself just yet." He warned her.
A faint smirk teased Davina's lips. "Not reveal myself? Does that mean that I still have to keep my end of the truce and not go kill that sister of yours? You spoil all the fun." Her smirk grew for a brief moment before it faded altogether and her expression became blank once more. She extended her wrist as if it was nothing. She knew Elijah had control and there was a little bit of trust there that not even she expected that she'd have towards him. Especially not after what he did. "Feed. And try not to kill me in the process. Then you can whisk me away to a secret hideaway. As long as there's food. Lots of food. And I need a drink."
Elijah shook his head and a smile graced his lips as a single chuckle escaped. "You cannot kill my sister and a secret hideaway won't be necessary. I'll let you return to your loved ones soon." He took her wrist and bit into it, feeding briefly.
"For now. I can't kill your sister, for now." Davina reiterated as she felt the sting of his fangs and stared at him as he fed on her blood.
After Elijah was done, he dropped her wrist and wiped his mouth with his handkerchief. Walking towards the door, he turned and said, "But, I do believe there is one person who deserves to see you this instant." He opened the door. "I do suppose you need presentable clothing first. Into the quarter, we go." He motioned for her to go out the door ahead of him.
"Did I stutter or something? I don't care about seeing anyone or getting presentable clothes. I just want food, damn it. I feel like I can eat an entire cow. Or a few." Davina stated while walking out of the door ahead of him.
"Well, I'm not taking you for food unclothed." He motioned to her body that had only a few scraps of a decayed dress. While her body remained intact, her clothes did not. "We will stop by a clothing shop and then Rousseau's to see a friend of yours, who did indeed mourn you quite a bit."
Davina rolled her eyes and muttered obscenities under her breath. "Fine." There was no point in arguing because she looked like a true rag doll at the moment.
He put his jacket over her and opened the car door. She got in and he shut it, going around and getting in the driver's seat. Davina kept quiet, not really in the talkative mood, as he drove into New Orleans. His jacket was huge on her, practically swallowing her as it draped over her shoulders. She closed it and snuggled into the seat.
Elijah stopped briefly at a clothing store, coming out with a new dress and handing it to her. He had adverted his eyes from looking at her body the entire time she'd been back and had been doing quite well, only catching slight glimpses here and there. He was a man after all, but he was trying to be respectful.
Once he handed her the dress, she threw his jacket off of her, peeled the scraps from her body, and put the dress on, not caring if he or anyone else saw her do it or not.
Walking into Rousseau's, he should have known Marcel would be there. And, indeed Marcel almost fell out of his chair when he saw Davina. He got up and walked over to the them. "What the hell is this? Some kind of sick joke?" The anger was clear in his voice, but it was Davina who spoke up first.
"My thoughts exactly." She turned her gaze to Elijah and folded her arms over her chest after Marcel spoke, indicating for Elijah to begin explaining. "Do tell what the hell this is."
Elijah shrugged. "I owe you no explanation whatsoever Marcel. You can believe it is Davina or you can not." He pushed passed him and went over to the bar, turning towards the DJ stand.
After hearing Elijah's words to Marcel, Davina had to stifle a chuckle. "Sorry. Guess neither one of us will be finding out today." She shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly before walking away.
When Josh saw Elijah, he got away from the DJ stand quickly. As he approached, Elijah looked towards Davina. Josh followed his gaze. "Holy shit. You did it. You actually kept your word. I mean...I didn't think you would lie..I just couldn't believe you actually wanted to fix your mistake. Not that...Yeah, I'm gonna shut up now."
Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks. Elijah was talking to Josh. Out of all people, it was him. He walked over and hugged Davina, but quickly pulled away. "You...You remember me, right?" He didn't know what Davina had been through or how she was now. So, he was nervous.
Davina was in too much shock at first to return the hug, but after hearing his words, she looked him over before looking into his eyes and laughing; genuinely laughing. "Of course, I do, silly." Her arms draped around his neck as she pulled him into the tightest embrace she could muster. Davina doubted there was anything left of her at all until she saw him. In that moment, she knew that it wasn't too late and a piece of her was still intact.
While hugging Josh, she glanced to Elijah and mouthed the words 'thank you'. Elijah smiled at Davina's 'thank you' and the interaction between the two. He nodded and took a sip of the drink he ordered.
Once she pulled away from the hug, she smiled at Josh. "Why in the world are you still in this city?"
Josh shrugged. "Just chillin,' I guess. I DJ at Rousseau's and vampires and humans are both welcome. It's kinda fun. Of course...The vamps aren't allowed to feed off of the humans. It's everything Cami wanted. Witches are allowed, too. So, your good." He joked, hugging her tightly. "I just...I can't believe it. You're actually here and... When the Originals returned, the last thing I expected was Elijah Mikaelson to walk in here and actually apologize to me. Well, that's not exactly the way it happened. I was kinda drunk and yelled at him and he said he was gonna make it right. Kinda, not in so many words, but I knew what he meant. Here you are." He hugged her yet again. "Sorry, I'm just so glad you're alive."
Davina couldn't stop laughing at his over reactive rambling. It was adorable and it was totally Josh. "Is that so?" She asked in response to his outburst about Elijah while biting back another laugh. "But yeah, Cami would've wanted it that way. I'm glad to see you're doing well, but I'm going to have to cut this short." She hugged him one last time before parting ways and going to Elijah.
Josh bid her goodbye and went back to his DJing. He kept his eyes on her almost the entire time, because he was scared that if he looked away, she'd disappear, or he'd wake up. He'd missed her dearly. She was the best friend he'd ever had.
Sitting down at the bar, she noticed that Marcel had disappeared, but it escaped her mind as she looked at the Original. "Why did you care so much whether I came back or not?" She asked bluntly. "You did it for your family, did you not? And if I were to seek revenge against any of them, you'd do it again, so why?"
As Davina approached with her questions, Elijah looked down at the glass, turning it around and around. "Does it matter? You are here. I did care. Why is the reason important?" He countered her questions.
"What are you trying to pull? Reverse psychology or something?" She asked and reached over, taking his drink. Without thinking twice, she downed the rest of it and slid the empty glass back to him, biting back a smirk. "Because I'm curious. That's why."
"Very well." He paused, turning his gaze to meet hers. "Because I've always quite liked your fierce spirit, you are a sweet girl, and the circumstances may have altered my perception a bit, but you were still you. And, I did feel guilty, because you did not deserve what you were dealt." Elijah confessed. He ordered another drink and ordered one for Davina.
"I'll need her ID." The bartender declared.
Elijah looked into his eyes. "No, you don't." He compelled.
"Nevermind." The bartender said in monotone.
Davina tilted her head to one side and grinned. "Fair enough. Though I wanna see you try to kill me while I'm alive and not waiting on someone to resurrect me. The result would be a hell of a lot different." She taunted for a minute before laughing and taking the drink that the bartender brought. "Anyways, why did Josh say when you all returned? How long has it been exactly?"
Elijah was hesitant. "Five years. It has been five years. Marcel did revenge your death. He is a special kind of vampire and his bite can kill even an Original. Like Lucien. He bit Kol and I. We were asleep until Hayley found a cure. I had five years to regret the things that occurred. And with that, I officially extend my apology." He downed his drink and ordered another.
Her eyes widened and she was actually taken aback, but only momentarily. "Five years?" She blurted out. Shaking her head, she had to down the other drink to rid the disbelief. "So, you suffered a bit, huh? I guess all is forgiven. You were the only one who managed to figure out how to save me. And, I set you on fire. That felt pretty good."