Elena could feel the icy breeze brushing upon the exposed spots of her skin; her face, her neck and her hands. She knew that she was pale, her body had also started feeling dumb from the cold. But none of that mattered to her at that moment. Her gaze was focused straight ahead, on the enormous ship that she was previously travelling upon. It had broken into two and both parts were slowly sinking into the unknown depth of the cold ocean. If she was still a vampire, she would be able to hear the screams and desperate cries of the people who were still aboard, holding on the balusters of the brow so they won't fall into the water, whose temperature would definitely kill them sooner or later. The lifeboat on which she was on was already quite a lot metres far away from the sinking ship, making sure there is no danger for the people aboard.
Compassion is the feeling of empathy for others; it is the emotion that we feel in response to the suffering of others that motivates a desire to help. Like Elijah had told her a long time ago, Elena's compassion was a gift. She always felt the urge to protect, to help the people that suffered, even more those that she cared about. Her compassion was also what got her killed and turned her into a vampire; her choice to save Matt instead of herself when Stefan was in the water, trying to save them. In such a situation as the current one, her compassionate side should be taking over; but it wasn't. All she could think about was Elijah. Where was he? He had told her he would find her. Maybe he was still trying to save the other people. But what about himself? Was he strong enough to deal with all the thousands of passengers that were on board? She couldn't help but be concerned. It had only been a few days since the affair between them had started but the unusual protection and warmth she had felt with him kept coming to the surface more and more, especially now that he wasn't there with her. She clenched her jaw and lowered her gaze at her hands, rubbing them together for warmth.
The rest of the people on the lifeboat were also watching the terrifying scenery of the ship sinking; others were praying for their loved ones left on there, others were crying and others were too overwhelmed by fear to even react to the incident. The little girl Elena had met earlier was sitting next to her with her head laying on Elena's shoulder. Sooner or later more and more lifeboats started gathering around theirs. A sailor that was aboard the same lifeboat as Elena announced to the passengers that the lifeboats were all in all 20 and they could carry over a thousand people. Yet all the passengers on the ship were over two thousand. That annoucement made Elena shudder. Elijah wouldn't make it on a lifeboat. She knew him by now, he didn't care about himself as much as he did for others; give that he was a vampire he could as well ship towards her lifeboat to be with her. Yes that should do it. That thought was comforting enough for Elena at that moment. She closed her eyes and breathed out cold air. She couldn't do nothing else but wait.
After almost one hour, the stern part of the broken ship had already sunk completely, taking to the depths an unknown amount of lives that were stuck on that part. It wasn't long before the prow had sunk too. Silence conquered afterwards. The people rescued on the lifeboats had stopped crying and screaming, allowing the voices of the people in the water to take over. But no one was heard. There was no movement on the water, no sounds filling the air. Just fog and silence, making everyone even more anxious and desperate. The sailors on each lifeboat blew their whistles and drove the boats around, in search of any survivors. At the same time, Elena, just as many other passengers, clenched the side of the boat they were on and searched the surface of the water with their eyes. Pieces of the ship were spread everywhere on the water, some carrying frozed lifeless bodies upon them. No survivors.
He couldn't be on one of the other lifeboats. He wouldn't do that, he wouldn't take the place of one fragile human passenger that he could save. He would come for her. Elena felt a sudden pressure on her chest; her eyes were about to go teary but the breeze and the cold didn't allow them to. She covered her face with her palms and bit her bottom lip. He was gone. He didn't make it. He was probably stuck in some kind of room of the ship and he was now in the bottom of the ocean, drowning over and over, then coming back to life only to drown all over again. That was the worst scenario but his absence didn't allow her to think of anything else; till it happened. A couple of icy, wet fingers wrapped around her wrist, pulling her hands away from her face. In the water, right next to the lifeboat, was Elijah, smilling up at her softly. She stared at him for a few seconds, taking in the image of him alive, keeping his word to come for her. Her next reaction was to lean over and hug him as tighter as she could, attempting to pull him up on the lifeboat; but he pulled back, letting his body remain in the water and he cupped her cheeks, making her look at him.
"There is no room for me up there, Elena. I will be fine right here." he whispered at her.
The other passengers had also noticed his presence but given that the boat was full, there wasn't much they could do. With a gesture he also hushed them, to stop trying to help him up. Thankfully, without needing an explanation, they agreed.
Elena also cupped his face, leaning towards him as much as she could till their foreheads barely touched.
"You are so cold..." she whispered. He was an original vampire, temperature didn't affect him, that she knew. But after thinking he was gone, anything could keep her concerned.
"I'm fine, Elena." he responded.
She wanted to tell him that she thought she had lost him. But she couldn't; maybe it was something over his boundaries. She didn't want to express something like that when she didn't know exactly how he felt about her. Especially when she didn't know how exactly she felt about him. She needed time to understand and she wasn't sure how much time they had left. What if he just left, going back to his family, once they were rescued? She just leaned in and kissed him shortly. She just felt an impossible to resist urge to show her gratitude about his safety like that. After that they both remained still and silent, just like all the passengers; though in their case they were only enjoying each other's presence, taking in the glorious fact that they were both technically alive and safe for now.
"The cold will make you weak...drink my blood..." she whispered to him as more quietly as she could, so only he could hear her. She moved her wrist close to his mouth and looked at him intently. He was reluctant, she could see it in his dark gaze.
"Drink." she encouraged him, managing a faint smile on her freezing features.
He nodded and pressed his lips tenderly upon the skin of her wrist before allowing his fangs to grow and sink in the skin, making a small, careful wound. He closed his eyes while drawing a small amount of blood from her system, not allowing her to see his darkened eyes, his monster side.
He pulled away sooner than she expected him to, gasping and groaning, splashing water all around him. He gripped the side of the boat so tight that it cracked yet didn't break as Elena placed her hands on his.
"Elijah, what's happening?!" she yelled, not caring about the rest of the passengers who were panicked all around her.
He looked at her. His fangs were grown and the veins beneath his eyes were apparent. Everyone could see him like this.
"Elena..." he murmured while floating on the water just a few metres away from the lifeboat. He had made this distance himself, though it wasn't enough to cover from the others the exposure of his monstrous nature. "I feel...cold." he continued, his voice unstable.
Elena frowned. The chaos that followed was enough to clear any unanswered questions. Having seen the beast in him, the rest of the passengers on the lifeboat starting yelling, panicking and shouting to the sailor to lead the boat away from that man in the water.
But that's all he was anymore. A man. Not a vampire, not an original. A man.
