Christmas Day

It was a blessing in disguise that Elijah had been ditched by his siblings for Christmas. Rebekah and Klaus, thick as thieves these days, had gone ahead and planned a party in England. When he had gone to see a friend for the night, they didn't tell him they would be gone by the time he returned in the morning. It was strange yet relaxing to not have them around. The silence freed up room in his mind as his thoughts ran free, unchecked and rampant. He suddenly felt an urge to destroy the house they had inhabited for three months but one glance in the mirror quelled his urges. The suit he wore was unwrinkled, the white handkerchief tucked into his waistcoat pocket unstained and his face was that of a human. He wished to keep it that way.

Now that he had time to himself and didn't need to right the wrongs of his siblings he realized he had way too much time on his hands. He could do whatever he wanted to do. What did he want to do then? He closed his eyes and when he opened them again he turned away from the house. Elijah found himself overlooking the valley. It was early in the morning, the mist swirling in between the hills, dragging itself through the deeps, raking its cold white fingers through trees and bushes, stretching towards the rising sun. The rich forests of evergreen covering the slopes lent the scenery a picturesque touch. Somewhere a church bell rang. Elijah knew there was a village down there, covered in fog on this December morning. It occurred to him that they had never gone to this village, not once, while they had stayed here. He would remedy that.

He was free to do so after all. Niklaus wouldn't be controlling his every step and not even Rebekah would pry into his private life, inquiring after every single person he had met. In her own way she was as obsessively keeping him in check as their brother. The last century had been exhausting with them. Elijah had watched those two grow closer. After a while they had shared secrets and had kept them from him. He hadn't minded. It had been a relief to see Klaus' murderous tendencies redirected towards more favorable pastimes, ones that included their sister. However, their comradeship had soon turned into an imbalanced team up. They had brought out the worst in each other and Elijah had found himself cleaning up messes, covering up killings in exceeding numbers. The lectures he had given them wore him down. United they had been stronger, more able to resist his sermons. He hadn't managed to reach either one of them. Elijah had been used to Klaus shutting him out, but Rebekah… his sweet sister had been becoming as defiant and unruly as their tormented brother. The allure of chaos had proved to be stronger than the pull of morality. That had been nothing new. Yet Elijah had started to think he was failing his siblings. The guilt had kept gnawing at him and had made him irritable and moody. A few decades later he had found solace in the presence of all sorts of people. Witches, spirits and humans, provided they didn't ask too much and allowed him peace of mind.

Now this peace had been given to him freely and with the wind at his back Elijah slowly strode towards the small French village in the valley. There was no hurry and he decided not to rely on his supernatural gifts as he neared the little cottages.

It wasn't a big village, but it wasn't ridiculously small either. Busy people were hurrying in the streets, children were shouting, laughter could be heard here and there and bells were ringing at precise intervals. Elijah found it all very interesting. The simplicity of happiness that had always eluded him seemed to blossom naturally in these villagers. He saw only cheerful faces, red cheeks and twinkling eyes. Most people were rushing from their cottages, women wrapping shawls around their heads, men carrying tools, pulling the coats tighter around their bodies. One girl jumped past him and he called after her in French.

'Excuse me, Mademoiselle, there seems to be a commotion going on here. Would you mind telling me the cause?' She turned giant hazel eyes on him and bowed slightly. Elijah suddenly noticed his attire betrayed noble descent. He smiled reassuringly and the little girl seemed to take courage.

'Monsieur, don't you know? It is Christmas day! Everyone is going to the market to buy food for supper.' She took her little basket. 'I have to hurry too, Monsieur, mommy asked me to fetch some eggs.'

'Run along then.' He said and she disappeared with another slight nod of her head.

'Christmas day.' Elijah murmured to himself, looking around. How could he not have noticed? But neither the sun, nor the clouds, nor the earth seemed changed. Only these people kept track of this day that filled their homes with happiness. 'I shall have a look at that market.' He thought. He only had to follow the people.

When he arrived at the marketplace, the most colorful of spectacles unfolded before his eyes. People were trading, arguing about prices, outshouting each other and shoving each other to the side to get the better goods. Yet they were doing this, with a smile on their faces and when money or goods had exchanged hands, people patted each other on the back and hugged, wishing each other 'Joyeux Noel!' and all the good things on earth. The amount of food displayed was enormous, but Elijah could see that there would be many mouths to feed. He could almost picture the marketplace being completely empty in about an hour. The merchants will have packed up, the people will have gone home, he will remain alone. As he made his way through the crowds he accidentally spotted the little girl he had spoken to earlier. The tiny child was trying to get the merchant's attention, who was paying heed to everyone else except for her. Without thinking Elijah strode over there and pushed himself to the front.

'Excuse me, my good man.' He addressed the gruff man with a large black beard. A set of dark eyes settled on him and bushy eyebrows rose high.

'Yes, Monsieur, how can I help you?'

'I believe I need…' He turned to the child. 'How many eggs did you say you needed?' The girl's mouth gaped open but he motioned for her to come closer and asked her again. This time the child answered.

'Two dozen, Monsieur.'

In a minute the request was fulfilled and the small basket was brimful with beautiful round eggs.

'Thank you, Monsieur!' The girl beamed and bowed. Elijah waved her off.

'Not at all. Have a wonderful Christmas day with your family.' He turned to inspect the market further. There was a tall tree standing in the middle of the place. It was decorated with only a few wooden ornaments, but a giant star gleamed on top of it. Probably painted brass, he mused. As he wandered around aimlessly, listening in on conversations all around, exchanging a few pleasant words with people here and there, he noticed he hadn't once made use of compulsion ever since he had gotten to this village. It surprised and saddened him that it should come as such a shock. As time dragged on, the marketplace grew empty. Less and less people needed to complete purchases. He had heard the church bells ring, hadn't counted the strikes though, therefore had no idea what time it was. He assumed it must have been close to noon since the men were coming home from the woods, talking loudly, laughing amongst each other.

When there was no one else outside he ventured into the church. It was neither big nor out of the ordinary. The bare stone walls were neither covered with paintings nor with paint. The village probably didn't have enough money to afford any of those decorative elements. The small windows barely let in any light and the few candles burning on the altar added to the obscurity, filling the place with smoke and soot.

'May I help you, Monsieur.' A small priest appeared next to Elijah.

'Thank you, I am just a wayward visitor.'

'Alone, on Christmas day?' The priest asked, surprised.

'It would appear so.' The vampire replied quietly.

'I see.' That said, the priest left, muttering to himself. Elijah didn't pay attention. He was staring at the single painting hanging behind the altar, half hidden in the shadows. He couldn't quite make out what it depicted. Suddenly the priest appeared next to him.

'Monsieur, I believe I have found a solution to your problem.' He smiled.

'My problem?' Elijah looked surprised. 'I don't have a problem.'

'You are alone on Christmas Day, Monsieur. That is a problem right there!' The old man said.

For a moment Elijah considered simply vanishing. It had been an enjoyable day but maybe it was time to leave. He felt like he was intruding on the world of the living. He hadn't asked for their kindness. Yet, the moment passed and he was still standing there.

'There you are Monsieur!' Another voice called from the entrance of the church. The two men both turned towards the thin young voice and beheld the sight of the small girl Elijah had encountered earlier.

'Madeleine! What a pleasant surprise.' The priest's wrinkled face broke into a smile. 'Shouldn't you be with your family?' He asked.

'Yes, Père.' She nodded eagerly. 'But mother and father sent me to find Monsieur, who helped me at the market. He's supposed to come eat with us today.'

The priest burst out laughing.

'My dear child, it seems you have stolen my thunder! I had wanted to do the same myself.' He turned to Elijah. 'You see Monsieur, you are high in demand.'

He didn't know what to say. This was all very strange. Here he was, standing in a dark church, in the middle of a forlorn little village in France, on Christmas Day. His siblings had left him alone. But fate had other things in mind for him.

'This way Monsieur.' The little girl, known as Madeleine, took his hand. She started pulling him towards the entrance. This was the second time he felt like he should leave. Why were they so nice to him? He hadn't done anything to deserve their kindness. They didn't know him. If they did, they would surely shy away, run away screaming, curse him, and try to get rid of him. If his siblings were to be here they would laugh at his indecision. 'What are you doing Elijah?' 'Just kill them Elijah' 'Why are you letting yourself be pushed around by humans?' 'They are just humans'. He felt their scorn, their condescension. But they weren't here. Neither Niklaus, nor Rebekah. He was free to make his own choice. The moment passed again and he was still there. He grasped the child's hand tighter.

'Lead the way, Madeleine.' He said, decidedly.

This was his decision. It was Christmas and it was his decision. Why shouldn't he be happy for one day?