A/N Here finally is the next chapter. Trust me guys, I waited as much as you did for updating this story. It took some time (way too much time, I know) but please let me know what you think of this chapter. I really do hope, that muse od free-time will work together more closely in the future ;)

To the Guest who asked about the language I chose to learn last semester: Italian and Swedish. Still racking my brain which one to continue in the summer.

Elijah stood with his back to the window, hands folded behind his back, and watched Katerina warily. She laid on the bed, seemingly sleeping but for the lack of breathing. He had a bad feeling coiled in his guts. It already took so long for her to wake up again, but then again, how much time was needed to bring someone back from the dead? What if the potion didn't work? If it had already been too old to function properly? If Katerina was dead, once and for all? Not only that he couldn't have saved her but he basically had sent her to her death. How could he move on from that?

"She will wake up. She has to", Nadia assured him for probably the fifth time by now. "Since no one has used this potion ever before, we don't know how long it will take. And if Maisie was wrong, I will pull her guts out and feed them to the dogs."

"I should never have given my consent." Elijah's voice was quiet, strained and he spoke as if he hadn't even heard Nadia. "We could have looked for a different way, but I… I wanted it to be the solution. I wanted to be the one to prove the possibility of saving her, since I was the one who failed her the first time. If I hadn't been so goddamn proud…" He shook his head and closed his eyes for a moment to regain his control. He did not know Nadia well enough to let himself go in her presence, but it was so hard to keep himself together when he didn't know if Katerina would live or die.

"It's not your fault. And stop blaming yourself, you're making me nervous." Nadia was quiet for a while. Then, without looking at Elijah, she asked: "Why did you leave her in the first place? You do seem to honestly love her and even if I cannot comprehend why on earth she should take you back, she does resemble the woman my father told me of more when she is with you."

"One reason was my brother. Niklaus returned here and he wanted my help. I once promised him my loyalty, so I would and could not retreat from my promise. But the main reason was, that I did not know if I could trust her. She handed me the cure, yes, but… After years of lies, secrets and games, I did not know if I could trust her. That was why I turned my back on her. I swore to myself that I would check in on her to see if she was alright, if she needed any help. But I did not. Here I had enough to worry about and I knew her pride. She would not have taken me back if I had been on my hands and knees in front of her." Elijah smiled softly to himself. He was not used to second chances and if he was honest he knew, that this was at least the third chance he got to make things right with Katerina. With a curious look he mustered Nadia. "What exactly did your father tell you of her? I only ask because I never got to know the girl she had been before Katerina showed up in England. If it is somewhat to personal, you do not have to answer."

Nadia shrugged. "It's fine, I guess. Father often called her adventurous and brave and curious. Alive and hungry for a life outside of the little village, where she had only been the daughter of the local horse merchant. She had showed him her favourite horse once. A gelding she always hid when her father tried to sell him." The female vampire smiled. "My father laughed when he told the story and said, I were too much like her as that he would ever try and sell my childhood pony, even when I had outgrown him. He held word. I left before the pony."

"I am sorry", Elijah said quietly, noticing the sadness and vulnerability in her eyes. "It had not been an easy time for a girl back then, I am sure of it."

"You know nothing." Nadia abruptly stood and opened the door. "Looking for some coffee."

Once Nadia had left the room, Elijah gave up his place at the window with a frown and sat down beside Katerina on the mattress. "Do even you know what did happen to her? Or is she so much your daughter, that she buried her past deep within? You have to come back, you hear me? Nadia needs you, Katerina. I need you With my mother creating havoc and the werewolves and witches just waiting for any sign of weakness, I do need you. Marcel is building up his army and the werewolves keep attacking, although Hayley tried to negotiate a truce with them. The witches are not likely to cooperate, either. They rather make common cause with my mother. I would fight on all these fronts more fiercely if I had you to return to at the end of the day. I already lost you once, don't make me go through that again."

"How touching." Niklaus stood beside the door, watching his brother. Mockery stood in his eyes but the usual playfulness was missing. Instead there was worry. Not for Katerina, surely not, but for Elijah. Niklaus saw him broken once, after he had killed Tatia by accident. He doubted that their mother would again wipe out his memories if he also felt responsible for Katerina's death. "I just wanted to check in if she's alive and a pain in the arse again again. Did you really keep that potion all those years? Why?"

"I don't know", Elijah had to admit without looking up. "Perhaps I felt that it was important to keep it. I only hope that it still works. I couldn't bear it if she had died because the potion had expired."

"That would be quite a pity. After all I had hoped to have some fun with her. Without physical torturing her, to be sure", Niklaus quickly added when Elijah glanced at him with murder in his eyes. He gripped the knob and opened the door again. "But I bet she can be useful creating some sort of peace. Our lovely Katerina did make some allies throughout the years and I would be surprised if she had simply skipped New Orleans. Let me know if I can get you something. This city can reign itself for a few hours without having blood filling the streets. I'll try and keep the little devil busy. Guess you don't need her in here, too."

"I thank you, brother."

And so Elijah was left alone again with Katerina. His fingers gently brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. Her skin was cool. Elijah closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. He hated waiting, hated it more than he could ever describe. But there was nothing else to do for him. While he sat there impatiently, Esther, Marcel and the wolves were probably making plans on how they could bring down the Originals. Was some speck of hope too much to ask for?

He should never have left her. If he hadn't chosen Niklaus and stayed with her, maybe Elena hadn't even had the chance to administer the cure for vampirism to her. They could have gone together to New Orleans; somehow he would have convinced Niklaus not to harm her. But he had been so angry with her! You would think that someone, who had lost all her family, would treat the family of other's with some respect. But she had killed the young Gilbert to get her hands on the cure to save herself. To bargain for her freedom. To be with him.

Elijah sighed and pinched the back of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. He had doubted her. Her honesty, her love for him. How could he have been so blinded? Now all that they could have had seemed lost. He knew that a life with Katerina Petrova who all too often choose to be Katherine Pierce was everything but easy, but at that moment he didn't want anything else.

Suddenly Katerina's eyes flung open and she gasped for air. Choking and coughing she struggled into a sitting position, while Elijah's hands carefully supported her slim body. Disbelief and relief beyond measure let his eyes gleam. Finally, Katerina caught her breath and looked confused but nevertheless relieved at Elijah. "How long had I been gone?", she asked while taking a closer look at the vampire. "Have you been crying?"

"Almost", he whispered and pulled her in a tight embrace that nearly left her breathless again. "I thought- Never mind. I am only glad the potion worked. Nadia was worried, too."

"I'm not gonna leave you." Katerina wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled his neck. "You don't have to worry about me, alright? I'm not easily killed. Well, I am, but I come back. Although I have to admit, I'm sick of it by now. But here I am, alive."

Elijah breathed in her fragrance and let his head sink against her shoulder. "I know." There was no need mentioning that he had feared otherwise; Katerina seemed to sense his agony. "How are you feeling?", he finally managed to ask. Her beating heart against his chest was a distraction he could barely stand.

"Okay." Katerina shrugged her shoulders and only reluctantly let go of Elijah to look at him. "I'm still feeling weak, exposed and numb. Plainly human. But that's better than dead. And it looks like I'm still my young sexy self, so it could be worse."

"Do I have reason to kill Damon?" Elijah would gladly snap his neck, if he made Katerina's death more painful than it had to be.

Katerina stiffened only for a second, then she was her old flirty self. "Na. I got what I deserved. We had a couple of choice words for one another and he didn't do anything I wouldn't have done. So do me a favour and let it be. It will be punishment enough for him when he learns that I'm alive." She slipped out of Elijah's embrace and took a first look around. "Your room?"

"Our apartment", Elijah corrected and left the bed, too. "That's so if you don't object. This mansion is big enough, there would be no trouble to find a part you would have all to yourself. And for Nadia, of course."

"Our apartment, then." Katerina smiled in his direction and stepped to the window. Behind the glass, New Orleans already prepared for another mostly sleepless night. Flocks of night owls were looking for a bar for the night, not caring that there was another working day waiting for them at dawn. It was a place, where Katerina could imagine to live. "Where is Nadia?"

"Downstairs to grab some coffee. Niklaus is with her and-"

"Klaus is with her?" Fear and horror were displayed in her eyes and she brushed past Elijah to open the door, but he took her by the wrist.

"Remember, he will not hurt her. Niklaus might have his flaws, but he is able to keep a promise. Please trust me, that I would never bring your daughter, your blood in a situation where she could be hurt."

"You I trust, but Klaus? He hunted me for five centuries, he has no reason at all to spare Nadia. You know she has a talent to rile people up-"

"I know", Elijah said softly, trying to avoid hurting Katerina when she struggled against his grip. "I know. But nothing will happen to her. He is not the monster you think him to be. Not always, at least. But he knows that today he better does not get on my bad side. And the less you show your worries, the more he will get bored of it. Trust me, even after all these years, sometimes he is just my annoying little brother."

Katerina took a deep breath and returned Elijah's look with a seriousness in her eyes. "You promise to keep her save from Klaus? All those other vampires, wolves and witches she can fight, but he…"

Elijah kissed her hand he was still holding. "I promise. Now, why don't we get ourselves some coffee and you something to eat? You must be starving already."

"Fine." Katerina dd not let go of his hand as if to withhold herself from running down the stairs. Finally, they reached the kitchen, where the herb smell of coffee was coming from. Katerina stepped inside, Elijah at her heels. Nadia still had her head on her shoulders and sat opposite of Klaus on the table, a steaming mug in front of her. The vampire and the hybrid were staring at each other with disgust and half hidden curiosity mingling on both faces.

"Nadia?" Katerina stood beside her daughter and laid on hand on her shoulder. "You're alright?"

"She still breaths, doesn't she?", Klaus remarked and rolled his eyes. "I have no reason to wish her dead. Well, right now at least. She's interesting enough to be of use, your daughter. Unlike you."

"If I were useless, you would have found me four hundred years ago", Katerina answered, crossing her arms. "I served you a new doppelgänger, but you were the one to screw it up. Aside from the fact you would have made my life a lot easier if you'd killed Elena that early, you know?"

"I did kill her", Klaus reminded Katerina with a raised forefinger. "Her witchy friend just brought her back. How did you even know about Hayley? Do you really keep track with every woman I ever fucked?"

"God, no! Nobody could do that. I have some friends here, that's all. Although most of the are already dead, since your little boy Marcel started cleaning up the city. Don't get me wrong, I like it when I'm not annoyed by witches, but sometimes they do can be useful." Katerina shrugged.

Elijah was slowly moving closer until he stood just behind her. Katerina worried about Nadia getting Niklaus's back up? Irony.

"Oh, don't worry, some witches are still alive. Maybe some of those still know you. Why don't you go and find out? You could prove your usefulness." Klaus stood up and filled his mug again. "Help yourself. As eager as I would want to chitchat, but I have a city to conquer and a mother to kill. Only one thing, Katerina: you're here because of Elijah, not because I would like you to or because I would need any help you might offer or not. If I have one single reason to doubt your loyalty to my family and Elijah especially, I will gladly rip your little head off."

Elijah raised is eyebrows. "Niklaus, do you think this threat necessary?"

"She's supposed to feel home, isn't she?" Klaus shrugged his shoulders and made his way out of the door, coffee mug in his hand.

"Wow. You're sure you wanna stay here, mother?" Nadia raised her eyebrows and leaned back on her chair. "For my share, I'm looking for another place. Someplace decent. With nicer company or none at all."

"I cannot blame you at all", Elijah murmured. "If you like I could help you find something. The Garden District is a lovely place and-"

"Thank you, but no thanks", Nadia interrupted him. "I'm a vampire, I can get a flat myself. And that's just what I'm doing now." She pushed her mug away from her and stood up to give Katerina a fleeting kiss on the cheek. "I'm calling when I found something. Take care of yourself, you hear me?"

"I'll be fine. Watch out for the wolves and give 'em a kick if the bark at you." Katerina gave her daughter a smirk, who vanished through the front door without giving Elijah more than a second glance.

"She does hate me", Elijah simply stated, sounding slightly disappointed.

Katerina shrugged, putting her arms around his neck and pressing herself against him. "So? She will grow accustomed to you. It's a change for her, yes, but she's a strong girl."

"As strong as you. There has to be something in her past but she wouldn't open up to me", he mused, playing with a strand of her hair.

Katerina laughed softly. "What did you expect? You help saving me and you're her new diary? That's not how a Petrova works."

"No, it's not. It's hard work to get your trust." Elijah tilted his head to kiss her on the lips. "What do you think about dinner tonight? The Mayor invited me to some sort of negotiation with other representatives of the human faction."

"So a dinner where I would have to behave?" Katerina scrunched her nose. "Why don't you go there alone, while I in the meantime visit some old friends of mine. And then I will await you in our apartment, naked on the bed. What do you think?"

"I have absolute no objections", Elijah whispered, tracing invisible patterns on her bare arms. "Maybe I could delay my arrival for some time. I'm almost sure the Mayor would understand."

"If we start now, we wouldn't get out of bed in time for you to look as immaculate as you always do." Katerina gave him a lingering kiss, softly nibbling at his lower lip.

Elijah let himself melt into this kiss, pressing her slender body against his chest. "I am willing to take the risk", he breathed, when Katerina finally released him, and scooped her up in his arms. Giggling she held onto him, opening the first buttons of his shirt. It felt good to be alive again.

Sorry for skipping the smutty part, next time I won't do it again, promise.

In the next chapter, Kat will meet some old friends, old enemies and new new frenemies... or something like that ;)