I kept my eyes on my strange saviour now as I walked into the kitchen and looked for something to eat.

When I did find some pasta and premade sauce, I was at a total loss at how to cook it. As I reached for a match, a hand caught my wrist, then a chuckle.

"Why don't you let me?"

Now I pulled my hand away with a scowl, staring up at Elijah.

"I am perfectly capable of cooking on my own without any assistance thank you."

He chuckled once more, then walked over to the table and sat himself down on one of the chairs, watching me with amusement in his eyes, as if he found my antics funny.

I ignored him now and stared around the kitchen for a pot. I think I needed to heat some water over an open fire right?

A moment later, I dropped the pan and it rolled to Elijahs feet. He bent down and picked it up, letting me take it, that look of curiousity still in his eyes as I turned away.

He was way too fascinated with me.

Just who the hell was he-?

Now as I went to tip the pasta in, the hand caught me again as he said. "Sit down, you are going to hurt yourself in a moment."

"No I'm not! Sit down or be gone."

Elijah didn't move, then moved back to his seat and watched.

A moment later...

"Ouch-!" I cried as the hot water scalded my hand, making me jump backwards, spilling some of the boiling water onto the flagstones below me.

Elijah sighed now and shook his head, getting up and taking my hand in his, looking at it for a second, then told me to put it in cold water.

For some reason I listened and made a beeline for the nearest bowl of relieving cold water.

When I returned to the kitchen, the pasta was simmering away, and Elijah was chopping up tomatoes. Now he set the knife aside and raised an eyebrow at me.

"You have learnt your lesson, I trust?"

I nodded in distaste, then sighed, sitting down on his vacated seat.

"Something troubling you?" he asked, putting the tomatoes onto a clean plate, cleaning the knife with a new rag.

I shook my head and just mumbled, not expecting him to hear.

"I'm getting married in a week."

"Who to? A nice gentleman I hope?" he said, suprising me- he had good hearing. I nodded. "He is a cousin of the Prince."

Elijah looked impressed. "It seems I am in the presence of royalty, then."

"Oh, no. Nothing of that sort." I hastily corrected him and he inclined his head a little. "Your tone suggests that you seem against the idea of marriage?"

I looked up with a scowl at the handsome man. "That is none of your business." I snapped, then Elijah sighed and nodded. "Your choice, Sophia."

Now he walked into the other room and I heard a quiet scuffle, then he returned, Fleur in his arms.

"Oh-!" I exclaimed, getting up and taking her with the first genuine smile I had on it since the accident... the murder of my father by that... horrible beast that looked like a human.

Elijah was all I had left now... quite literally.

"Thank you so much." I said before I could stop myself, hugging the little bundle of fur. I looked over her soft golden fur at the mans expression. He nodded.

"You're welcome. I found her outside when I bought you back here. I imagined she must belong to you."

My smile unwilligly widened now, then I bought it under control and said.

"What were those things that attacked me-?"

Elijah was silent, then-

"Very bad people. Don't worry, they will not hurt you again. I won't allow them to."

I noticed the way he was saying this was a little... possessive, like he wasn't going to let me out of his sight for not one moment or even less.

"I am in your debt." I now said and Elijah chuckled. "It does not matter."

I nodded once more and buried my face in Fleurs soft yellow fur.

-BD-

As Elijah set the bowl of pasta before the young woman, he glanced up and met her eyes that were the brightest shade of blue he'd ever seen in his so far six hundred years of existing. Her hair was a mass of thick golden curls that cascaded down her back like a waterfall.

Her skin, unlike the other young women and women in general that he had met who had flawless porcelain white skin, hers had a slightly bonzed look to it, giving him the impression that she was one of those girls that had more free will on her life than other girls of her high standing.

He had been passing through the area, travelling from a nearby town, through the woods when he heard the screams and felt curiousity get the better of him.

Elijah had walked through the darkening woods when the labrador puppy ran, yapping away past. He bent down and picked it up, holding it at arms length as it tried to lick his face. Then the scream came again, a womans.

He set the little dog down where it sat, watching him leave with doleful eyes.

Now the scene came to light before him, and he saw the uncouth young vampire pin the girl, his victim to the floor, biting into her neck in such a savage way that made the Original scowl and walk forwards, grabbing the vampire from the injured girl and put a hand under his chin and wrenched back, knocking his head clear off, letting him drop, a look of distaste in his eyes.

The girl coughed now, grabbing Elijahs attention once more as he crouched down and turned her head the other way gently and saw the bite and amount of blood that was leaking from the immensely deep wound.

"Hmm..." he mused, looking at her growing ever more blanker eyes. Now he sighed and raised his hand to his mouth and swifly bit down on it, putting it against the girls mouth. She was too weak to resist, but she still scowled a little and tried to bat him away.

Now as Elijah removed his wrist, letting it heal up, he watched the girls own injury heal up before his eyes, then straighten up, looking around- was he really going to do this?

It wasn't any of his business, but it didn't seem right and appropriate to leave such an innocent girl here where wild animals could attack and kill her.

Now he groaned in defeat, picking her up into his arms, walking back to the destroyed carriage where the father was gone. The vampire had no doubt attacked him and the horse driver. Elijah set her down onto the dusty ground while he looked through the pairs belongings, trying to get a sense of just where they lived. The father, the owner of the house was dead. He could literally take her home.

He found documents in the fathers case now, memorized the address and turned back to the girl, picking her back up into his arms, walking with her up the road before vanishing in a blink.

Now he was bought back to reality by the very same girl saying.

"This is very good. You are an immpecable cook."

Elijah nodded and a smile tried to form, but failed. "Thank you." Sophia surveyed the man through curious eyes once more, then raised her fork with pasta on to her mouth and popped another one inside it.

They ate in silence until Sophia managed to break it by saying.

"When will you be leaving?"

"I don't know." was Elijahs answer, and it was the truth- he truly wasn't sure. This girl was... intriguing. An air about her that he'd never seen before. It intrigued him enough to make him want to stay for a little longer. After all, there were no leads on Klaus, nothing on the doppleganger or moonstone.

He had time.

"Could you maybe escort me to Paris?" Sophia asked now, watching Elijah through slightly nervous eyes- he scared her slightly. From seeing that same look in her eyes, Elijah reminded himself on the fact she didn't know what he was. And what he was were something that would terrify her, make that golden hair quiver in fear as she backed away and ran like any human should do when they faced someone so old and dangerous as him.

But she doesn't know. He thought again, constantly reminding himself as he nodded and said. "If you require an escort, I will do it. "

Sophia smiled, thinking about how she had a week to get to Paris for the wedding to her new husband and safe, secure and hopefully happy future.

"Thank you." she said once more, finishing off her plate except for a few scraps that she fed to her little labrador.

Elijah watched her in silence as she smiled at the little bundle of golden fur.

Intriguing was correct.

Ok, so I've changed the format around a tad:) seems much better in this perspective, and to wite, so I hope you like it:) thanks for the lovely reviews so far:D next up soon enough! Reviews are much loved x Nicc