Disclaimer: I do not own Elijah or any elements from the Vampire Diaries/the Originals. I do, however, own my OC Eternity and any elements from my up and coming novel. Please review! I'd appreciate it a lot! Thanks and happy reading!


The rest of the night was agony. Elijah could unwillingly hear Niklaus and Hayley being intimate. Hell, everyone in New Orleans could probably hear those two. It only served to drive him mad as it remained him of his own escapades with Eternity, making him long for her while she was away. His body ached for her presence, for her skin against his, just as it had for the past ten years. The want of her was worse now, however, since she had returned, but remained out of his full reach...for now anyway.

He paced his bedroom with a glass of bourbon in hand. The liquor was calming his nerves, which were frayed from his anticipation for Eternity's return. Niklaus was right, he wasn't his own anymore. Eternity had a hold of him so completely that it made it impossible to not desire her to be near by. He was starting to understand why Loki had been so obsessed with keeping Eternity and trying getting her to return to him for four hundred years. Though Elijah would never act so abhorrently as he had, he still could sympathize with the Trickster in his need for Eternity.

Now that the immortal woman had returned, his need for her only grew - and of course, he didn't just mean physically speaking. It wasn't that he couldn't live without her. He could, if he had to. Hell, he had been doing so for ten years. No, it wasn't that. It was simply the fact that he didn't want to live without her. He wanted to keep her with him permanently; as permanently as possible.

Though they were a long way off from even considering it, marriage did come to mind. However, Elijah wasn't sure if Eternity even recognized such a concept. Did her people even have marriages? He knew she had been in a committed relationship with Loki, but she never did say if she had been married to him. He wondered if marriage was viewed differently for the immortals beyond the stars. Maybe a committed relationship was a marriage to them? Or maybe there was a different way for two lovers to bind themselves together forever. Perhaps some sort of spell or ritual. Elijah didn't know, but he wanted to find out.

Hours passed with wonderings such as this swirling through his mind, as he continued to pace, refilling his glass of bourbon every now and again in an failing attempt to calm himself enough to cease moving. Upon making such a realization of failure, Elijah moved from his bedroom into an adjacent room where he kept a shiny black grand piano. Music always helped sooth his restless mind. So, it was there beneath a small crystal chandelier that he sat and began to play a quiet, soothing tune.

Yes, the music definitely helped keep him distracted from the mess of a man he was with Eternity away. It had certainly helped before, whenever he had been feeling particularly miserable over the past decade. Though, at that time, Gia would often times play along with him on her violin. He smiled softly at the memory. They had made some great music together, he had to admit. She was so musically in tuned that he could play anything and she would be able to jump into the melody seamlessly.

Thinking of Gia, Elijah couldn't help feeling the pang of guilt again over how things had ended between them. She was definitely better off without him, but he still felt as if he had lost a good friend as a result of his selfish careless attempt to move on with his life after Eternity had left. Perhaps one day, she could forgive him and they could remain friends.

"Elijah," called Eternity from behind him suddenly, breaking his thoughts regarding the other woman immediately.

He paused in his playing abruptly and turned to see her standing there in the doorway of the adjacent room. She was smiling softly at him, dressed in a flowing white dress with her hair braided over one shoulder and decorated with pink roses. With the subject of marriage not far from his mind, Elijah couldn't help thinking that she looked like a bride on her wedding day.

"Eternity," he whispered her name.

He went to get up and go to her, but he didn't get a chance to get far, as she quickly approached him at the piano. "Don't stop playing on my account," she said as she sat on the bench beside him, facing the keys. "You play beautifully."

Elijah smiled, turning back to the instrument and resumed playing. She listened to it contently for a few moments before she surprised him by joining in, turning the tune into a duet flawlessly. He looked at her briefly and she smirked at him as their hands moved in perfect sync together, each playing their own part with professional expertise.

"I wasn't aware that you could play," Elijah said to her, while they played. "Though I probably shouldn't be as surprised as I am that you can."

"The piano is one of my favorite instruments," replied Eternity. "The guitar, in all it's forms, is my other. I'm quite apt at both actually."

"Beautiful and musically talented. My type of woman," he winked flirtatiously.

She laughed lightly, before growing a little somber. "Speaking of musically talented, I received word from Hel about Gia, while I was away," she told him, looking down at her hands as they moved over the piano keys. "My daughter told me that Gia told her to go away in less than flattering language at first, but thanks to Hel's stubborn persistence, the young vampire has come around to her presence."

"I see," he replied, mirroring her somberness while he glanced at her. "Well, at least, we know she will be safe. Thank you for ensuring as much."

"Of course," Eternity replied, looking at him in return with a small smile.

They played in silence for a little while longer, until the melody wound down and soon they stopped playing all together, ending their duet. Elijah smiled at Eternity and she smiled back at him. Upon impulse, he leaned over and captured her lips in a sweet kiss, cupping the side of her neck in his hand as he did.

She sighed in contentment, reciprocating his affections eagerly and mirroring his movements. Her small hand reached up and cupped the side of his face, as she pulled herself closer to him.

His other hand that had been resting on the keys of the piano reached over to wrap around Eternity's waist, holding her gently in his grasp as their kiss intensified. His tongue slipped into the warm cavern of her mouth, tasting her throughly. She moaned slightly. Elijah could hear her heart racing in her chest in excitement, her breathing becoming labored as desire began to course through her.

However, before things could escalate, a small voice suddenly called into the room, "Uncle Elijah?"

Elijah and Eternity broke away from each other immediately, looking over at the doorway to see Hope standing there, dressed in her pink nightgown, looking curiously at them. Elijah rose from the bench and went to his niece, picking the seven year old up and asking her, "What are you doing up?"

"I heard the pretty music," she replied with a giggle from being lifted up. "So, I came to investigate. Would you play some more, Uncle Elijah? Please?"

"I don't know if your dad and mom would appreciate it if I didn't send you immediately back to bed," he told her with a smile. "You do have a big day ahead of you."

"Yeah, I know. We're leaving, because of the bad man trying to take me away."

"Exactly."

Elijah set Hope back down on her feet, just as she reached for his hand, tugging on it pleadingly. "Please play, Uncle Elijah? Pretty Please? For me?" Hope looked up at him with those big blue eyes of hers.

It was enough to make even the strongest man cave. Sighing in defeat, he smiled down at her and relented, "Alright, but if anyone asks, this was completely your fault. Understand?"

Hope nodded vigorously up at him, before practically skipping over the the piano bench. She sat next to Eternity, who smiled adoringly down at the girl, and waited for Elijah to join them.

He went and sat down on the other side of Hope, reclaiming his original spot at the piano, and quickly began to play a soft, upbeat tune for the child. Eternity soon joined him, turning the melody into another duet. Together, they played flawlessly, while entertaining his niece, making the girl laugh giddily.

They played for a long time, playing various tunes, all of them happy and child friendly. Hope enjoyed it immensely, bringing smiles to the faces of the two adults, as she smiled and laughed and sang along, making up the words as she went. It was a beautiful moment, one that Elijah was surely never to forget.

Some time later, Hayley and Niklaus appeared in the doorway fully dressed for the day, no doubt looking for their daughter whom had been missing from her bed. This signaled the moment's end, as it meant that morning had come and it was time for the last gathering of the Mikaelson clan as a whole before his brother took his wife and child away to safety.

Hayley took Hope away, back to her room to dress for the day, while Niklaus remained to make a request of both Elijah and Eternity. He wanted them to prepare the morning meal, as Rebekah and Freya had been away for the rest of the evening, after he and Hayley had returned from the bayou, spending time with their significant others. They would return by mealtime, but wouldn't be around for the preparations.

Elijah and Eternity both agreed to help out and once they had, Niklaus walked away.

Once more they were alone with each other, but now there was work to be done. Elijah stood from the piano again and extended a hand out to Eternity, whom took it graciously, rising from her seat as well. He kissed the back of her hand as she came around to stand by his side, making her smile at him with affection in return.

"Shall we, my lady?" Elijah said.

"We shall," she nodded, and then laughed lightly.

Taking her by the hand, he lead Eternity out of the room and headed down to the kitchen.

Normally, Elijah would have simply went into town and compelled wait staff and caterers into serving his family's meal. They were aristocrats after all. It was the seemly thing to do. Yet, he also understood that this meal was a very personal, family oriented one that required a personal touch, just like all the other normal family meals that both Niklaus and Hayley insisted upon.

Therefore, he set to work once they arrived in the large, state of the art kitchen. He moved about the space expertly, preparing breakfast for the entire family as of it were nothing. Eternity aided him, working along side him by hand as non-magic people do. She had mentioned how she could conjure a full scale meal with her powers when they were getting started, but Elijah quickly dismissed it. The kitchen was a no magic zone, he had told her and made her laugh.

From there, the two of them cooked eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and they made fresh squeezed orange juice to drink. They conversed as well. Elijah told her stories of the meals he used to have as a boy that his mother used to cook. He spoke of how she was a fantastic cook, one of the few traits of his mother that he could speak fondly of. He told Eternity about how he would help Esther prepare meals, having taken joy in it and having a talent for it.

Then as what often happened when Elijah spoke of his family, the happy tale turned sour as he spoke of how Mikael hated his enjoyment of cooking, seeing it as an unworthy pursuit for a make child, outside of a need for survival in the wilderness. Otherwise, cooking was woman's work and growing boys hadn't any business cooking or taking enjoyment in it. Mikael had always taken Elijah from his mother's side, whenever he was caught enjoying helping his mother making meals. He would take him outside to train in more manly skills, such as hunting or fighting.

Eternity listened intently to his tales and then spoke of her own upbringing under the harsh guidance of her grandmother, Queen Galaxia in return. She told him of the difficult and relentless training, showing her no mercy as she trained Eternity to be the great warrior she was prophesied to become. It had been quite the change from the carefree and easy life she had been leading under the care of her aunt and uncle as a child, according to her, and difficult to adjust to at first.

It seemed that they both had rather trying upbringings, something that they found they shared in common. Though he didn't know if that was a good thing to have common ground in a rough childhood. Either way, Elijah felt himself grow closer to Eternity whenever they spoke of their pasts. It felt as if they were connecting, finding things to bind them together.

Soon the meal was ready. As if on cue, Niklaus came into the kitchen to announce that everyone had arrived; a good thing, because that meant that everything had been prepared on time. There was a certain precision to cooking a large meal for a group of people and timing was everything. Once his brother had made the announcement to them, he disappeared again to rejoin their family.

Since there was a lot of platters, bowls, and whatnot to carry, Elijah finally allowed Eternity to use her magic to get everything to the big table set up in the courtyard. With a snap of her fingers, all the food and drink that they had made together was off the kitchen counters and onto the long table out of their current view.

Once again taking Eternity by the hand, Elijah lead her out of the kitchen and down into the courtyard where everyone was waiting. There were a few faces that he knew that Eternity hadn't seen yet sitting amongst his siblings. Freya's girlfriend Keelin was there, as was Rebekah's Marcel, Finn's Sage, and Kol's Davina.

Elijah and Eternity were the last to join the family, being the preparers of the meal. All eyes fell upon him in friendly greeting, while the wondering eyes of Keelin, Davina, Marcel, and Sage fell upon Eternity, staring at her shining grace in that newness way everyone did upon first seeing her. The chatter between family members had quieted immediately at their arrival to the table, but it became deafening as the first timers took in the immortal queen. It was as if everyone stopped upon the noticing of her by them.

"To those that haven't had the pleasure," Elijah announced to the table, "I would like to introduce to you, my lady, Eternity."

"Good morning to you all," said Eternity with a warm smile. "It's a pleasure."

There was a collective 'good morning' in return. Then Niklaus told those that didn't already know about how this plan to protect Hope was all from Eternity herself. He had said as much with gratitude to her.

Elijah and Eternity sat down at the table, in the last two vacant seats next to each other. He, being ever the gentleman, pulled her chair out for her and once she was seated, pushed it in for her. Then he sat down himself beside her. Once they were comfortable, everyone began to dig into the food that had magically appeared upon the table.

Of course, Davina, being a powerful witch took much interest in the magical being that was Eternity. She asked a bunch of questions, wanting to know more about her. Elijah's lady readily answered every one of the young woman's inquiries patiently, having grown used to the curiosities of others. Keelin, Sage, and Marcel all listened to Eternity's talk about herself with the same interest as the witch.

Other than the many questions for Elijah's lady, the entire meal was light and friendly amongst family. The conversations were plentiful as were the laughs and amusement. Elijah felt his heart warm at the sight of his family together and while without any animosity or tension between them, despite the circumstances of such a gathering being bittersweet. Niklaus would be leaving soon with Hayley and Hope, but at the moment, all that mattered was the togetherness of family.

Once the meal was over, Niklaus decided to make a toast, in that dramatic way of his. He always had to make a profoundly heartfelt speech, Elijah thought with amusement. Though in this case, it was understandable seeing as their family was splitting up for an undetermined amount of time.

"My family is the most important thing to me," Niklaus said to the table. "Though we've had our share of ups and downs, we always manage to find our way back to each other. I promise you all that we will be reunited. Once the threat against Hope has been dealt with, we will be a family made whole again. Until then, I hope that each of you continues to look after each other, living happy and fulfilled lives as the Mikaelson clan. And remember our family motto: Always and Forever!"

The entire table erupted into gentle applause and words of agreement to Niklaus's rousing words. Hope smiled and cheered for her father, while Hayley looked at her husband proudly.

The festivities carried on for some time after that, but soon the happy family moment had to come to an end. After making the farewell rounds to everyone, Niklaus, Hayley, and Hope left the table to gather their belongings and returned a while later, announcing to Eternity that they were ready to depart for the Underground Agency. The time had come for them to leave the Mikaelson compound and the atmosphere grew more somber, stealing away some of the earlier lightness.

Eternity joined them as she was to be their guide. Before departing, however, she went to Elijah and kissed in farewell in front of everyone, promising to return to him soon. Like the other times before, he didn't like the idea of her leaving his side, but he understood she would come back. So he let her go.

Without waiting another moment, Eternity rejoined his brother, sister-in-law, and niece, spiriting the three of them away with their belongings in a vanishing act that was instantaneous and left the rest of the family in awe.

"That's quite the disappearing act," Kol quipped with amusement. "I wonder how much she charges for instant travel."

"She's not a bloody taxi service, you wanker," Rebekah shot back with a smile. "Have some respect."

Everyone that remained broke out into laughter, reclaiming a bit of the joyfulness from before.

To Be Continued...