A Halt in Correspondence
2
For a longest time it felt as if all Elijah heard was the monotone sigh of the sea: waves coming in and pulling away, coming in and pulling away, over and over again. He wanted to open his eyes, but he couldn't. He was too weak…
Then there was the sun – he assumed it was the sun – that came and went, lingering on his face, warm and bright, making the world behind his eyelids a red blur.
Slowly he became more aware of his surroundings. The grainy ground beneath him, the breeze that stoked his hair. Until he was finally strong enough to open his eyes.
Elijah found himself on an empty beach. He lay on the sand, just out of the reach of the incoming waves, clad in an extremely tattered suit and apparently missing a silver dagger jammed into his chest.
He propped himself up on his elbows and let his gaze travel over the deserted strip of beach. He had about thousand questions swarming in his head and that was an incentive enough to pull himself up.
Weak and disconcerted, Elijah decided his best option was to impose as an unwanted houseguest in the nearest private residence until he was well enough to face this brand new world.
The first thing he asked for was the date. He had been dead for the last 22 years.
In the following months he uncovered as much information as he could, learning about everything that had taken place in both human and the supernatural world during his involuntary absence.
The latter had fallen into some anarchy since all who had once governed it had vanished starting with Klaus, then Elijah, and even the feared hunter.
Alaric Saltzman had allegedly died not two years after daggering him. The news of his end evoked mixed feelings in Elijah. There was the obvious relief but there was also sadness for what Saltzman's decease implied.
He needed to investigate.
Murder, plain and simple, explained an old newspaper article he found at the library on a bleak Monday morning. Elena Gilbert had been found dead in her apartment read the small entry in the upper right corner of the crime section.
Elijah sat in the warm glow of the old-fashioned green desk lamps that brightened up the otherwise gray room, staring at the paper in his hand, dumbfounded.
After hearing of the hunter's demise, he had expected this; he had prepared himself for news of her death, but a tiny part of him had still hoped that maybe it wasn't true, however minimal the chances.
But fate had a habit of reminding Elijah that miracles were named miracles for a reason.
The few other articles he found indicated that the case was never solved, which basically meant that either someone had a personal vendetta against Elena and managed to be crafty about it or… vampires. He guessed someone had found out about her life being tied to a hunter whose sole purpose in the world was to end the entire vampire race.
Elijah pondered how unfair it was for one person to have been forever haunted by the shadow of death, being constantly punished for the sins of her ancestors, and how he wished he could have saved her.
During the first year after his awakening, while in pursuit of his siblings, Elijah found himself back in the small town of Mystic Falls. He visited all the old yet familiar places – the Grill, the Town Hall, the Lockwood mansion. It had been over 30 years since his last visitation, so there was virtually no one around to recognize him. With one exception, perhaps…
Elijah couldn't really explain why he decided to stop by the Gilbert residence. Did he long to see a familiar face or stir up memories of times passed? Did he expect Jeremy to refute the article of his sister's death?
However, he was surprised when the door was swung open by a young girl, maybe fifteen or sixteen years old. He noted she had the Gilbert's dark hair and brown eyes when she stopped at the door, holding a phone to her ear as she was in the middle of a call.
She gave him a quick once-over and announced that her father was on a business trip and he should come back next week, then submerged back into her conversation on the phone about the upcoming dance at the school.
Then the door clicked shut, leaving Elijah standing on the porch. Before he left he took a moment to look at the neighborhood. He made mental note of all the ways it was different and how quickly the world changed.
His last stopping point was the cemetery. Elijah walked amidst rows of moss-grown gravestones, the fallen leaves rustling under his feet, and came to a halt before a small cluster of headstones: Grayson and Miranda Gilbert, Jenna Sommers, John Gilbert and the last, most recent addition – Elena Gilbert. 29 years old at the time of her death.
Elijah stood before the small patch of grass, staring at the spot that was her last resting place. About six feet underground she lay in a casket and he wondered whether she had finally found her peace. As his eyes lingered on the green blades of grass, reaching for the clear, cold autumn sky, he noticed all kinds of pains in his chest he didn't care to explain.
He crouched down and set his hand on the ground, feeling the thick rug of grass under his palm – old grass, not the frail, thin blades that would grow on a fresh grave.
He left Mystic Falls, telling himself that this was indeed the last time he'd wipe its dust from his feet. He wouldn't come back again. And even though it wasn't the first time he'd thought so, this time he honestly believed it.
For a long time it was strange being, so to speak, back to life. Elijah had never been daggered for so long. He had left behind a world he could understand completely, a world where he had been in control as much as one could be when chased by a vengeful history teacher. In that world he'd kept his brother and sister at arm's length, he'd had plans and commitments and even a few friends, but after waking up from nearly a quarter-of-a-century-long sleep everything had changed.
It was as if he'd lost everything all over again.
Rebekah and Kol had seemingly vanished into thin air and Elijah could only assume that the hunter had daggered them as well and, being aware of his inevitable death and the fact that he would probably never find another weapon that could destroy their kind, dumped his siblings' bodies into the sea. So similarly to his own fate, he couldn't do much else but simply wait for the tide to carry their remains to the shore, presuming it ever did, and hope that someone would pull out the dagger to free them once again.
Until then, there was little he could do about it. But despite the hopelessness of his endeavor, Elijah was not ready to give up. He would do it all again, willingly – turn the world upside down to find a way to get them back. Because they were all he had, the very reason of his existence, and he needed them.
They made him feel more alive, more human. And the only other person aside from his siblings who had managed to draw forth that sensation in him had been Elena Gilbert, who was now dead.
It was odd how much he missed their habit of exchanging letters regarding the latest events of their lives and discussing miscellaneous subjects. Hearing about her mundane everyday life made him feel somehow more normal, down to earth. In fact one of the very last memories he had before being killed was of reading the last letter Elena had sent him. It had included a photograph snapped at a carnival she had visited with her brother after earning a promotion at work. Elijah found it strange and saddening to think that the brightly smiling Elena standing there in the glow of a long string of lanterns hanging over her head had passed away nearly 20 years ago.
After wandering the world alone for nearly a decade without achieving much, he decided something had to change. And drastically. He had exhausted all rational options, so he finally decided to launch the one major turnaround that was in his power. He decided to wake up Niklaus.
Since Elena had died childless, he was violating no agreements, and however crazy or impulsive his brother might have been, he was also smart, which could turn out to be helpful. Furthermore, he was yet again the only sibling Elijah had left and he was tired of doing everything alone.
He needed his brother, even when he was still far from neither forgiving nor forgetting his past misdeeds.
For five hours he stood motionless next to Klaus's open coffin in a long-forsaken crypt in Toulouse he had hidden his body in, fighting with himself. Elijah knew well that once Niklaus was revived, it would take an army to put him down again, if need be. So when he eventually poured the much-needed blood into his brother's mouth, he half-prayed that his judgment would be right.
Now, as 13 years had passed since the day Elijah had woken up on an empty beach, he was doing a lot better than on that exceedingly unpleasant morning. He was sitting at a small table on a vast balcony of some expensive hotel restaurant with the instigator of this little rendezvous – Klaus and, he could still barely believe it, the long lost Miss Caroline Forbes.
Elijah found it quite incredible how much his brother had changed in the span of merely a few years. After awakening he had been the very embodiment of fury – mad at Elijah, Rebekah, Kol, the entire population of Mystic Falls and, well, possibly the whole world. But as he learned of Elena's untimely death, moreover without a successor to produce another doppelganger, he realized that he'd never be able to create another hybrid and through that he apparently decided that he had no other option but to mend his relations with his family and those he considered potential friends.
Caroline had been his first find and therefore his first 'victim'.
Although Elijah wasn't naïve enough to think Klaus a 'changed man', suddenly at the side of all good, he was relieved that his ever-obsessive desires were now employed in a manner that didn't include murder or torture or, god forbid, another sacrifice.
It was a bright, sunshiny day on which one could hardly expect to do much else but sit under a shade, drink cool beverages and, in Elijah's case, ignore the looks that deemed him insane for being dressed in a black business suit while most people were in t-shirts and shorts or swimwear.
Elijah watched how the waves licked the long strip of sand as he sipped his scotch on rocks and listened to Klaus and Caroline chattering, trying and occasionally succeeding in luring him into their conversation. But mostly he watched the beach and his companions in silence, not able to stop himself from smiling. For some reason he found subtle humor in their appearances.
Caroline looked so young and innocent in her pale blue, flowing summer dress and rather comical with the huge white-rimmed sunglasses and that ridiculously colorful cocktail she was whisking around whenever she explained a point she was especially passionate about.
And it seemed that Klaus had not restrained his vain personality in the least bit today. He looked quite sharp in his light, bone-white suit and fedora, though somewhat as if he'd stepped out of a 1920's-set gangster movie. His appearance may have been of a leisurely gentleman but the grin he wore was positively wolfish.
So judging by the fact that Caroline, unwittingly cast in the role of the Little Red Riding Hood, looked so utterly at ease, Elijah could conclude that maybe, just maybe, his brother wasn't completely delusional. Or, then again, maybe Caroline just didn't care enough anymore to fear him. Elijah knew the feeling a little too well. Loneliness and time had a way of changing people.
"Brother," Klaus said in a sweet drawl, then turned to Caroline. "Darling," he addressed her, satisfied by the annoyed look she shot him. "I must confess, I summoned you here today for a reason." His grin widened even more, if possible. "I have a little surprise in store for you."
"Oh, boy," Caroline sighed, somewhere between amusement and irritation.
Elijah only straightened his posture and turned to face his companions more directly, waiting patiently for the ball to drop.
Klaus glanced at his wristwatch and then around the buzzing balcony, past table after table of prattling tourists and waiters dashing about, trays balanced on their arms.
"Any minute now," he assured them, his eyes bright with excitement.
Caroline raised a skeptical eyebrow at Klaus and leaned closer to Elijah to whisper, "The last time he tried to surprise someone we had to compel a dozen people not to be declared wanted in the state of California."
Elijah chuckled softly at the story. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Well, I'm here," a defiant voice announced from behind them. "Care to explain how the hell you're alive?"
"My brother got bored," Klaus replied casually, "fickle old fellow, isn't he?"
Elijah heard Caroline gasp loudly just a split second before his gaze reached the woman standing before them with a very determined scowl on her face. She was a bit older than he remembered her, but there could be no doubt as to who she was, looking rather fierce in the rich sunlight. Elena Gilbert.
Suddenly her eyes flickered to Caroline and then Elijah and he could have sworn she must have sprained her jaw with the way her mouth dropped open.
"Surprise," Klaus said in a bored, yet mocking tone, enjoying the expression of pure, unadulterated gladness on Caroline's face as she rushed to her old friend, pulling her into a bone-crushing embrace.
"I thought- I thought you were dead!" she uttered between sobs, cradling Elena in her arms as if she'd never let her go again.
"I thought you were dead," Elena said, breaking into a sincere laughter, instantly free of that cold fury she'd displayed a moment ago. "I searched for you for years."
"I'm so sorry, Elena," Caroline explained frantically, tears trailing down her cheeks while her mouth curved into a huge smile, "Tyler and I… we got into trouble. With the council and, uhh, it seems with everyone else. I didn't want to bring you into it, but now it's all over."
It was obvious that the two women had a mountain of things to discuss, but as Caroline's hold finally loosened and she backed slightly away from her oldest friend, Elena's eyes moved to Elijah and for the time being her reunion with Caroline was put on hold.
A warm, though oddly shy smile lit up her face as Elena took a step towards another lost friend of hers. Elijah stood up, ready to extend his hand to her when suddenly the distance between them vanished and Elena wrapped her arms around him so tightly, he was surprised by the force of it.
"You were dead, too," she mumbled, delight mixed with an ounce of sadness. "My god, you're all like three ghosts standing here. Please tell me you won't disappear again," she said, so happy she even forgot to exclude Klaus.
"I wouldn't dream of it," Elijah replied, releasing Elena from the embrace with an amused smile.
"So… how…?" Caroline stuttered, looking from Elena to Klaus, seemingly at loss for words.
"Don't ask me," Klaus laughed, holding his hands up. "I just heard from an acquaintance of mine of a doppelganger lurking around and imagine my surprise when it I discovered it wasn't our lovely Katerina. So I thought I'd track her down and arrange a little meeting."
Elena burst into laughter, making everyone look at her. "Can you believe it?" she asked them, "Because I sure as hell find it hard to believe that Klaus-" there was a note of disdain to her voice as he said his name, "- is the one to unite us all again."
Caroline joined her in laughing and Klaus and Elijah exchanged looks. It was hard to believe. There was no question in it.
The freshly convened foursome spent the rest of that exceptionally beautiful summer afternoon sitting on the vast balcony of an expensive hotel restaurant, recounting the rather incredible chain of events that had brought them all together after some 45 years, enjoying the weather and stiff drinks (which were much needed to avoid certain topics, at least for the day) without a care in the world. And for one evening and one evening only, all of their sins were forgotten, because surely tomorrow would be gray and sober again and then they'd have all the time in the world to revive each old crime, try and convict. Just, it wasn't today.
"Will you write to me?" Elena asked him with those honest eyes of hers boring into his. "I scribbled down my current address," she added after a short pause, handing him a slip of paper.
They were down at the beach, taking a slow stroll with sand crunching softly beneath their feet. Klaus and Caroline had relocated inside to the hotel bar, caught up in yet another heated discussion about this or that. They seemed to be locked into a never-ending dispute.
Elijah stopped, gazing briefly at the horizon. The sun had set but the sky in the west was still a mishmash of red and orange, fading into pink, then purple and finally blue that shifted from very light, almost white to deep dark navy, studded with stars.
He felt Elena coming to a stop beside him and spun around to look at her.
"To be quite frank, I'd rather not," Elijah confessed, watching how Elena's face turned from hopeful to dejected. She had so miserably interpreted what he was trying to say. It made him smile just the tiniest bit, which in turn made her look puzzled. "Ever since this… shall we say halt in correspondence? Well, I've realized that a correspondence is not really enough for me."
A small smile spread over her face. "What do you suggest, then?"
"I was thinking that the next conversations, whatever they may be about, we should have face-to-face."
"I'd like that," Elena nodded.
They kept walking along the waterfront in silence, watching the waves come in. There were so many questions floating around in Elijah's head, but he didn't feel like this was the moment to ask them. After all, they had all the time in the world.
Instead he thought of fate and what a funny thing it could be – it can take four decades, two deaths and a few miraculous 'resurrections' to realize what you really want, what you've been missing out on all along and, moreover, convince yourself that you just might succeed in getting it. Maybe it was time to take his own advice and 'live a little', because with eternity at one's disposal, even foolish hearts can learn.
So it came out sort of a bittersweet, nostalgic and really ironic story. I wanted to write something where the main characters fail to save each other and just give up and about how sometimes other, unconnected acts can work in unexpected ways. Plus I could totally see Elena and Elijah being all polite and respectful and missing their chance because they don't know how to change anything.
I don't know if this worked, but I suppose it's for you to know and me to dot dot dot…
