"Elena…" Elijah called softly, looking into Elena's face in his hands, brushing her cheeks softly with his thumbs, trying to will her to respond—to open her eyes—anything, "Elena...Can you hear me?"
Rebekah sat Elena's bouquet aside, along with her own, but as she did, she saw something and took hold of Elena's left wrist, turning it toward her so that her hand opened.
Rebekah gasped softly, then looked up toward the throng of people as Misha and Bonnie came forward and Damon gently nudged Stefan out of the way so Bonnie could kneel at Elena's side.
"Bonnie…" Rebekah quickly said, her eyes terrified, "Look…"
Bonnie's eyes followed Rebekah's to what looked like a large black ink spot in the center of the palm of Elena's left hand, with tendrils that snaked out from its center toward her wrist and up her arm.
Bonnie swallowed, then looked up to Klaus as he bent over and placed a hand on Elijah's shoulder after Kol helped he and Caroline unwrap themselves from the hand binding, taking in the scene with concern.
Sucking in a breath, Bonnie immediately took charge and said, "Klaus, the situation is serious. I need you to take care of the guests—make an excuse for Elena—tell them everything is okay and that they should go ahead to the reception. Perhaps you and Caroline should go with them…then double back to us and help when the coast is clear?"
Klaus nodded, then opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted when Caroline entered the circle around Elena, the concern and upset obvious on her face as she rubbed her wrists from the binding and said, "Is everything, alright?"
"Unfortunately, it isn't…" Bonnie replied in a low and stern voice, then turned back to Elijah as Klaus turned back and tried to reassure Caroline, "We need to get her upstairs so Misha and I assess her properly."
Elijah nodded and wordlessly collected Elena into his arms as Klaus took Caroline by the hand and walked back up to the center of the altar and their guests, who now stood in front of their chairs and were waiting expectantly, unsure as to the cause of the commotion.
"Ladies and Gentleman," Klaus announced, "Thank you so much for your patience. As you can tell, this is a wonderful and exciting day for us all! In the case of our Elena, the heat didn't mix too well with that excitement…"
Klaus gave a fake, reassuring smile to his guests as he watched Elijah, out of the corner of his eye, carry Elena discretely around the altar toward the open staircase on the other end of the courtyard that led up to the second floor and the family apartments with Stefan, Damon, Misha, Bonnie, Jeremy, Kol and Rebekah close behind.
"I'm sure it's nothing that a little rest, liquids and perhaps a good meal can't cure," Klaus continued, then let his smile broaden,"And let us take that same advice as well…Please, find your seats for the delicious dinner that my beautiful wife has stressed over for the last six months and partake of some of the best wine and spirits the city of New Orleans could sell to me."
The guests laughed good naturedly, then, seemingly placated, they dispersed with low chatter among themselves as they moved in a group amass to the far side of the courtyard beyond the gate and the promise of dinner, dancing, and liquor that waited them.
When the attention had left him, Klaus let the smile leave his face and he took in a breath as he shared a look with Caroline, then offered her his arm and they stepped down from the altar to follow the guests to their wedding reception. As they went, Caroline lifted her eyes toward the second floor balcony where their friends had disappeared through the French doors.
# # # # # # # # # #
Elijah laid Elena gently on the king side bed in Rebekah's suite as the rest of their friends formed a circle around them.
When he was sure she was situated comfortably, Elijah stepped back and watched as Bonnie and Misha came forward.
Bonnie took Elena's left hand in hers and examined the palm more closely…she then held it up for Misha to see.
"I've never seen anything like this-but, it can't be good, right?"
Misha's nostrils flared at the sight of the affliction.
He cautiously hovered his own hand over the palm that Bonnie still held open and closed his eyes, trying to feel the energy coming off of whatever had taken a hold over Elena.
Suddenly, he flinched and drew his hand back as if he had been burned, then opened his eyes and nodded to Bonnie, who lowered Elena's hand.
Misha then took a blanket from the end of the bed and placed it over Elena's body with a defeated sigh.
Bonnie continued to watch Misha, puzzled as he brought the blanket up to Elena's shoulders, then leaned over her and placed an ear to her lips, listening to her breathing.
It was extremely shallow, but it was there.
After a moment, Misha opened his eyes again, then stood up and looked straight at Elijah, but addressed everyone in the room.
"It's a curse."
# # # # # # # #
"A curse..." Bonnie echoed, "I've only ever read about them. They're quite rare-very old school."
"You've gotta be joking, right?!" Damon scoffed as he looked from Misha to Elena, then back to the warlock, "Elena's been cursed…on Klaus' wedding day?"
He then turned to Stefan and Rebekah, "It's like a soap opera. It's official. We live in a soap opera."
"Is that true?" Elijah asked, his eyes narrowing in confusion on Bonnie and Misha, "Could it have happened during the wedding?"
"But, we were all there…" Jeremy interjected before Bonnie or Misha could answer, "We would have all seen something happen, right?" How could she have been cursed without us seeing anything?"
"It had to have happened today…" Elijah added, "Elena seemed fine when we left for New Orleans this morning and we've had a protection spell placed on my house ever since we moved in last year—surely, it couldn't have happened before we came here….I would have noticed something, right? Even if something or someone did get through the barrier?"
"Elijah…" Bonnie said softly, "Don't do that to yourself—there wasn't anything more that you could have done. If Misha is right and it is a curse, then it would have been inflicted on Elena very recently."
Misha gently took Elena's hand in his and opened it for everyone to see, "It's a powerful curse, too—inflicted by someone out of malice—it seems to be one that puts the victim in a state of coma and we have no way to know what she's experiencing. It could be nothingness or it could be the worst things imaginable as she's trapped in her own mind."
Elijah closed his eyes and put his face in his hands.
"Way to boost moral, Misha," Damon deadpanned
"I'm just stating the facts. You need to know what we are up against, especially with how fast it's spreading," Misha said, pointing to the lines now going through Elena's wrist and up her arm
"Is there anything you can do to help her?" Stefan asked, his face grave, "Anything to stop it?"
Misha shook his head, "Unfortunately, the only way that a curse this powerful and dark can be stopped is by the person who inflicted it in the first place."
"And how do we get them to do that?" Damon scoffed, "Say, 'Pretty Please?'"
Misha smirked, "No. Their blood has to be paid to lift the curse. That is the only way."
Kol looked over to Damon and drew his forefinger across his neck in a slashing gesture, indicating what they'll need to do.
Damon smiled, "I like this plan."
"How much time do you think we have?" Rebekah asked, now rounding the end of the bed and coming to Elijah's side to comfort him as the older original raised his head from his hands.
Misha lowered Elena's hand and released it, then brought his free hand to her forehead and rested it there for a moment, before he looked over to Rebekah, "I hate to say it, but I don't know."
Elijah let out a defeated breath and looked down to Elena's peaceful body as Rebekah placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Kol," Misha said, turning around, "Does Klaus still have the treasures in the root cellar?"
"The witchy ingredients and do-dads left over from his witch minions like a million years ago?" Kol asked, then smirked, "Yep."
"Excellent," Misha announced, "Youre my errand boy. Bonnie and I will stay with Elena and see what we can do to slow it down and buy you all some time. Elijah…you do what you need to do – stay or leave-it's your choice."
"I want to stay, too," Jeremy piped in
Misha nodded, then turned to the others in the room, "The rest of you, we need to pair off – no one takes on this person alone. We need you to go downstairs to that wedding reception with your eyes open and your mouth shut and be discrete as we hunt for who could have done this."
"You think the person that did this is here—now—still at the wedding?" Stefan asked, shocked
"Yes I do," Misha replied without hesitation, "I have a feeling that since it's such a powerful and malicious curse, that the person that cast it will want to stick around and see the show."
"Who would do this to Elena?" Bonnie whispered, but Misha continued, ignoring her words.
"Despite what you may have read in folklores or seen on television," he said, "Cursing someone like this isn't just a matter of declaring it openly on your deathbed, in the midst of a wrong-doing or even something to be read from a book over a cauldron….the castor of the curse has to be in very close proximity to the victim for a curse like this to work the way it has."
"Well, Elena hasn't been in contact with that many people today..." Rebekah said, thinking aloud, "Mostly us..." she said, gesturing to everyone else in the room, "Other than her participation in the actual wedding when she-"
Suddenly, Misha held up a hand to silence her and his eyes widened as he exhaled, "Oh…Oh...My God!"
Then, without warning, Misha took off running out of the room and across the upper level veranda toward the staircase that led down into the courtyard.
Taking them two at a time, he didn't pause as he heard footsteps –most likely from the other in the group—following.
"Misha!" Damon called in confusion from behind him, "What is it?! Wait!"
But Misha didn't stop.
When he reached the courtyard, the warlock looked around quickly, then ran through the gate and into the garden where the wedding reception was in full swing.
Misha quickly scanned the room, but didn't see her.
"Misha….what the hell?!" Stefan cried as he reached the warlock's side, just as Misha shared a quick look with him, then took off back through the courtyard again, this time toward the front gate.
As he rushed through and grasped the rod iron pickets to swing himself onto the sidewalk without falling from his momentum, Misha almost tripped on something crumpled on the ground.
When he stopped and looked down, he saw who he had been looking for...the wedding officiant.
Misha bent down to her side as Stefan, Damon and Kol arrived at the front gate to take in the scene.
"Are you alright?" Misha asked kindly, but closing his eyes in disappointment, knowing that he was too late
"Who-who are you?" the woman asked in confusion, her voice breaking as she tried to focus on Misha's face.
She touched a hand to the back of her head, then winced and said, before Misha could answer her first question, "Where am I?"
Stefan's eyes narrowed as he interjected, "You just officiated our friend's wedding."
"Where?" she asked, looking around, "Where am I?"
"New Orleans," Misha answered
"What?" the woman wondered in astonishment, her eyes widening, "Wha—what? No…" she shook her head vigorously, "I'm from Dallas and I haven't officiated a wedding in …fifteen years."