10. Starting Over

My hope is blood on broken glass

A shattered hole, a scattered past

And I can't wake up cause the darkness won't let go

And I can't wake up cause the darkness is taking hold

And this nightmare is closing in

There's a sorrow beneath my skin

There are angels and demons at war inside my chest

The good and the evil are fighting to possess

And I can't stand up as the ground shakes underneath

And I can't stand up as the earth gives under me

~ Maggie Eckford - Everything Is Lost ~

In the darkest night

I'll be waiting for you

I will shine for the both of us

I will carry you through

I will be your fire when everything goes dim

I will burn for the both of us

Let the light back in

~ Maggie Eckford - Let The Light Back In~

Gia was on top of him, looking deep into his eyes and wondering what the hell was wrong with him. What was he thinking of? He was obviously distracted.

He had arrived to Algiers a couple of weeks back and they had only shared a few fleeting moments since then. He was mostly keeping it to himself. There was something that kept him distracted, distant. His body was here but his mind elsewhere. That was why she had made the suggestion. She was hoping that a training session could help ease his mind a little bit. Take away the problems that were concerning him. She was wrong. Elijah could not concentrate. It was easy to predict his moves. She took him down like he was nothing.

"Ok." She said getting up. "Spill. What is it? Something is definitely bothering you and I want to know what."

"Nothing is bothering me Gia."

"Like hell it isn't. I've barely seen you these past few weeks and you've barely said anything when I did. If you don't want to talk about it fine but don't lie to me."

"Alright, I do not want to talk about it."

"Yes, because thinking about it is so much better. You can't keep it all inside Elijah. It will tear you apart. Talk to me. Let me help you."

"There is nothing you can do to help me, Gia. Nothing at all."

"Was it your mother? Did she do this to you?"

"No, I did this, a long time ago."

"I don't understand."

"You do not have to."

"How am I supposed to help you if I don't even know what's wrong?"

"As I have already told you, you cannot help me Gia. No one can."

"I don't believe that. Whatever this is, it can't be that bad."

Elijah gave her a sad smile.

"It is worse than you think. Worse than you can even imagine. And it cannot be undone." he walked closer to her, cupping her face with his hand.

"There is nothing you can do to help me. There is nothing anyone can do and I ask you, no, I beg you to stop. Stop trying, stop talking about it, just stop. This is my burden to bear not yours."

He left her alone and returned to his apartment. Took a bottle of scotch from a shelf nearby and poured himself a drink.

She did not understand. How could she? She saw him as her instructor, her mentor, her savior. What could she know of his pain? How could he confide in her? The truth was so different from what she knew. So far from what she believed him to be. Kind, gentle, caring, maybe a little arrogant as she put it. What would she think of him if she ever learned the truth? That he was as much of a monster as Niklaus had always been. Maybe even worse. Niklaus had never pretended to be anything else than what he truly was. Never concealed himself. Not like he did. The noble one. The righteous. That was the sham he lived upon his entire immortal life. He was nothing more than a murderous, bloodthirsty animal like his brother. And he had killed the woman he once loved. He had ruthlessly murdered her. Feasted upon her flesh and drowned in her blood. And he had enjoyed every single second of it. How could he tell her any of this? He could not and he would not. Just the thought of her seeing him as a monster was enough to drive him insane. That secret would die with him. No one could ever know the truth.

The sun was blazing above the marble tombstone. The sign carefully concealed of those unaware of what to look for. After Elijah's departure Gia had spent the entire day trying to decipher the drawings in the castle. The pictures she had taken was of the highest quality so all there was left to do was decipher their meaning, something much easier said than done. The binary code was pretty easy to solve though. Just another set of coordinates like the last ones. This time to New Orleans. The coordinates sent her to Lafayette cemetery, straight into the witches' home. She just hoped she wouldn't run into any of them. There was absolutely no way she could explain her presence there. It's not like she could tell them the truth that she was after an ancient relic that could give her leverage over her worst enemy.

It took her some time but she was finally able to locate the tomb she was looking for. An old and intimidating tomb that even ordinary people believed it held tremendous power. Marie Laveau's tomb. A very powerful voodoo priestess of the 19th century. The center of her power was said to be in this very cemetery. Or so the stories told. No one had actually found what it was that made her so damn powerful. The fact was though that New Orleans's witches were immensely more powerful in comparison to the rest. Especially those of the Garden District.

Gia carefully examined the tomb searching for anything out of the ordinary. Possibly a triskelion sign since that symbol seemed to be everywhere. After long examination of the drawings, Gia now believed that the necklace of protection, apart from the magical abilities it contained, was actually the key to finding Merlin's ring. The only way to unlock the chamber, in which it was hidden, and take possession of the ring.

There was another sign at the bottom of the tomb which seemed to be older than its higher levels, way older. It was a circle with a stone in the middle. The ancient symbol of the sun. The stone seemed to be of the same material as the one on the necklace. A red ruby. Gia tried pressing it and when that didn't work she tried moving it to another direction. Nothing happened. Then she noticed something else. Just below the sun symbol there was another symbol at place. The symbol for the spring equinox. And both symbols were surrounded by a triskelion sign. Comprehension slowly came and Gia knew what it all meant. The tomb would only reveal its secrets at the exact moment that the spring equinox occurred when the rays of the sun hit the stone and not a moment sooner.

Back in Algiers:

"So, is that what you've been doing all day, brother? " Niklaus asked Elijah when he saw him drinking so early in the morning. It had been days since he left the compound. Not once did he go back. Klaus had finally decided to pay him a visit only to find a shadow of the brother he once knew. Elijah was as slick as ever but his eyes told him a different story. There was a storm inside him that threatened to consume him whole. "Drowning your sorrows in alcohol? Be careful, brother. You're starting to resemble me. Abandoning your family and all."

"I have not abandoned my family Niklaus." Elijah firmly stated.

"Oh no? Then what are you doing here? In a time of need I might add."

"Mother has been defeated. You and Rebekah have assured that. My presence was not needed at the compound anymore."

"Our mother might have been defeated but our father has not. Mikael is still out there. His mere existence threatening my daughter's life." Klaus yelled at him. "You left us when we needed you the most. Tell me brother, did Hayley's marriage hurt your feelings that much?"

"Leave Hayley out of this. She had nothing to do with my decision to leave."

"Then who did? This new vampire you seem to be paying so much attention to?" "Oh yes, I do know about her. Is she so important to you that you would allow your family to perish?"

"I am only here to assure Hope's safety nothing more."

"And how are you doing that, brother? Cause it sure as hell doesn't seem like it."

"Hayley's marriage might have secured an army for your daughter but make no mistake, brother. It will not be enough. Our father is not the only enemy we have out there. And although I have no doubt that our father will meet his well deserved fate. By your hands I might add, other enemies may still arise. We have lived a long life. And we have hurt a lot of people. We will not be able to protect Hope unless we are united. Hayley has united the werewolves. Now it is my turn to unite the vampires. And Gia is of no concern of yours. Whatever I might or might not feel about her, family always comes first. You know that better than anyone. I am still by your side am I not? I have stayed by you through all the horrors you have caused in the past and continue to do so to this very day."

Klaus shook his head and exited the apartment without a single word.

Elijah was glad to see his brother leave. He had his own issues to deal with at the moment and he did not need to have to deal with his brother as well. His sudden interest for Gia concerned him though. Niklaus had a bad habit of destroying the people that matter most to him and his siblings. His preferred form of punishment. Elijah and Rebekah had felt his anger to their very core and Elijah could not allow any harm to come to her. He would have to keep a closer eye on Gia from now on.

He went in search of her. His first stop was to her apartment. Elijah called on to her and when she did not respond to his calls, he opened the door and entered.

The apartment was dead silent. It would seem absent of life if not for the running water in the bathroom. Elijah slightly opened the door to the bathroom and looked inside. He could barely see through all the water steam in the room. Could not make any shapes. He was about to enter the room when the door suddenly stood wide open.

"Can I help you Elijah?"

Gia appeared in front of him in nothing more than a towel. It was wrapped around her body caressing her every curve, her hair still wet from her shower were dripping water on the floor. She was smiling.

"I… I… Please do forgive me. I did not wish to disturb you." Elijah said trying to calm himself. Her appearance was a shock to him. He did not expect to find her there, not with her not responding to his calls. And he especially did not expect to find her in this condition. She was breathtaking.

"Did you want something, Elijah?"

"Want? Ah, no. No. I was just making sure you were alright." He nervously stated.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"No reason. No reason at all."

"And yet here you are."

"Here I am. I… I guess I just wanted to see you. I did not like the way we left things earlier this day. And I… I wanted to apologize. My behavior towards you these past few days could have been better."

"Not just towards me. And yes, it could have been a lot better."

"And I am sorry for that."

"I don't want you to be sorry, Elijah. I want you to talk to me. I know something is troubling you. I can see it. I just don't know what to do about it."

"If there was anything you could have done Gia I would have already told you. But there is not. Do you really want to help me?"

"You know I do."

"Then stop reminding me of this. Just be there for me like you have always been. That is enough. Now, how about you get yourself dressed so we can go for a drink?"

"What's the matter, Elijah? You don't like what I'm wearing?" She spun around herself once and turned to face him again. "And here I thought you liked me in this towel. You know, with you sputtering and all."

"I do not sputter, Gia."

"You do now." She laughed, straightening his tie and moved towards her bedroom still feeling his eyes on her back. She loved teasing him. His presence there was a blessing, lessening the disappointment she felt for her failure earlier this day.

Elijah watched in awe as she walked away wondering what the hell had he gotten himself into. He was getting more and more attached to this girl with each passing day.

They started spending more time together after that, getting closer and closer to each other, learning one another. He did not share his angst though. She still had no idea how his time with his mother had affected him, the horrors he held hidden deep within. And she never asked. Not after that night. She kept wondering though. He could see it in her eyes, that unasked question just beneath the surface. Why was he so afraid to trust her with this? He was not afraid of her reaction anymore. She would stand by him no matter what his past indiscretions were. He knew her well enough to understand that now. So why had he not told her yet? What was keeping him from confiding in her?

Gia was in her room getting ready for the equinox. The sun would soon reach its peak and she had to be at the cemetery before that happened. The time she had spent with Elijah was great and all but she had a job to do and she could not afford to wait. She would have liked to be able to accept Elijah's proposition but if she lost the equinox tonight then she would have to wait for another year to get what she was after. Merlin's ring. And if she was lucky, Phoenix. He couldn't be far away. This was his only chance for the relic as well. Maybe tonight was the night. The night that she'd be waiting for all along.

She arrived at the cemetery just a few minutes before it all went down. When the sun hit the stone, the stone started to shine with a blazing red light. Gia moved closer and placed her hand upon it. She applied a little pressure and the circle surrounding the stone started to glow. Then a ray of red light left from the stone as new symbol appeared in a tomb a few yards away. It was a triskelion sign. The symbol, which was not there before, was now glowing and it had a small ruby in the middle of it. When the red light hit the ruby the same thing happened again. A new ray of light left from the ruby and a triskelion sign appeared in yet another tomb showing her the way.

When it finally stopped, Gia was deep in the cemetery in an empty area with nothing more than a bunch of dead trees around. Mist appeared out of nowhere and a new tomb made its appearance. This tomb was old, very old, and was now standing in the middle of that empty area. Gia approached with caution.

The tomb did not appear to have any way to enter it but there was a certain sign carved into the wall. The same circular design that was on the necklace was also portrayed on the wall with a hole where the stone should be. The diameter of the hole seemed to fit the stone of the necklace perfectly. Gia removed the necklace from her neck and placed in the wall. The stone of the necklace entered the hole and the wall started to glow before it disappeared into thin air. The necklace fell onto the ground. Gia picked it up and entered the tomb.

The inside of the tomb was sterile. An old marble coffin stood in the middle of the room. The, ever present, triskelion sign carved on the coffin followed by a single name, Merlin.

This was it. Gia let a smile lighten her face. She had done it. She had finally found Merlin's tomb. Gia moved closer to the coffin, lifting her hand to touch it when a voice from behind firmly spoke.

"Step away from that coffin and make no sudden movements or you will meet your husband's fate."