Chapter Nine – January 1951
He stood in front of the mirror and stared at his reflexion, wondering whether it was visible somewhere in his eyes or in his face.
He had started to wash his hands obsessively multiple times per hour, almost scrubbing his skin bloody, and he knew it wasn't going to be long until someone noticed, until someone recognised the signs.
Elijah sighed, dried his sore hands and joined his brother at the breakfast table.
"Good morning, Niklaus," he muttered and poured himself a tea.
Niklaus sat bent over the papers, scrambled eggs and toast growing cold on his plate, hardly touched. Elijah frowned when he saw that his brother was reading the local news – of a London newspaper.
"Morning, brother," Niklaus replied without looking up. "I think this might interest you."
He shoved the newspaper over to him and pointed at a small article in a corner. Elijah raised a brow at his brother and glanced over the short text.
A twenty-two year-old Russian immigrant was found dead in his flat in Durban Road this Tuesday, killed by several blows and kicks to the head and the chest. The landlord discovered the body when a neighbour who had heard noises and raised voices from the flat expressed his concern about the mechanic. The investigation is ongoing, Scotland Yard is…
"What did he do to her, Elijah?" Niklaus asked, his voice almost soft.
"Sorry, what?" he stammered, looking up from the newspaper with a start.
"What did he do to her? What was the reason?"
"Who are you talking about?" His voice was far too defiant, too aggressive; and of course his brother heard that and smiled mildly.
"Shall we stop it here, brother? I'm not blind."
"I have no idea what you're referring to," he replied, this time too quietly.
Klaus chuckled and took a sip of his tea, pulling a face when he found it was cold. "Come on now, Elijah. First of all, Katerina leaves her parents three days early, but returns on the planned date," he raised a brow at his brother and added: "But keep pretending that you don't know where she's been if it makes you feel better. Secondly, my ever-punctual brother returns home a day later than he said he would. Thirdly, on precisely that day a young man is killed in the street where your girl grew up-"
"How do you even know where she –" he asked sharply and stared at Niklaus, shaking his head. "What makes you find out such things about her?"
"Caroline gave me a letter to post, it went to Katerina's parents' address," he explained impatiently. "I wasn't finished. Point four, my brother returns with a definitely manic air about him and keeps scrubbing his hands like there was something on them. Dirt maybe." He took a spoonful of his eggs and added: "Or blood."
Elijah fixed him with a cold stare. "What do you want, Niklaus?"
"The truth," Klaus replied conversationally. "I want to know what made my ever-so-noble, flawless, restrained brother lose control with so… fatal an outcome." He leaned back in his chair and fixed his brother with his stormy blue eyes. "What did he do to her?"
Elijah shook his head firmly. "I won't tell you, Niklaus. I believe not even Caroline knows… "
His brother smiled. "You know, Elijah, you were the one with the Sherlock Holmes novels. I never liked all that deducing, but I'll give it a shot. So, the three most probable reasons for a murder are, um, greed, jealousy and revenge if I'm not very much mistaken."
"Stop that, brother."
"I think we can rule out greed, don't you, what is there you could want from a young Russian mechanic? Jealousy's looking a lot better, but then again – she hasn't been home for years and you're not the kind of person that would kill a man just because he's been knocking around with your girl, especially not this brutally." Niklaus eyed him closely and went on in a very quiet voice: "Revenge sounds a lot more like you, brother. Killing someone this violently, against your sacred law and your ruddy pacifism – he didn't hurt you. He hurt someone you care about. It can't have been any of us, so that only leaves Katerina. Something bad, certainly a crime… if it made you this angry, my money is on rape."
Elijah's fingers closed around the teacup that promptly shattered in his grip. Tea spilled over the table and drenched his toast. Niklaus smiled sadly.
"I'll take that as a yes, then." He sighed and finished his eggs. "Told you – we're not that different. It just took a little more to break you."
Breathing heavily, he contemplated the tea stains on his cuff and answered in little less than a whisper, more to himself than his brother:
"You have no idea how much I hope you're wrong, Niklaus."
"Oh, I believe I do know," his brother replied, still with that tragic smile on his lips.
"No," Elijah breathed. "You don't. Because if I am like you, then we are both lost. And then Bekah is, too. Maybe even Kol. If this family cannot save itself, then no one can."
"I don't need saving, Elijah," his brother bit back and got to his feet. "I'm getting better."
"Obviously. And you proved just how much you were in control by breaking Kol's nose on Christmas Eve?" Elijah scoffed.
Niklaus chuckled and shook his head. "Be honest, brother. He deserved it. If I hadn't done it, someone else would have. Maybe even you." He patted his shoulder and smirked at him. "Don't worry, I won't sell you out… as long as you don't give me any reason to."
He sighed and stared at his plate and the tea-stained newspaper. "Are you blackmailing me?"
"No, I'm protecting myself. God knows what you'll end up doing now that you've gone over the edge, brother."
*A/N* Did that come as a little surprise? I hope it did ;)
Welcome to Elijah spiralling. Out of character? Possibly, but think of the witch in TO that he promised to keep safe and then killed because she tried to harm his family. I think he can be fairly violent, with a little incentive. That, and he's dealing with a trauma, let us not forget that.
Did you like Klaus's little Holmesian escapade? In character or out of character? Let me have your opinion!