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!
Three months passed by quickly since Niklaus, Hayley, and Hope went away. They had been rather uneventful and certainly quieter without the boisterous Niklaus around or the people he angered on the regular coming to seek vengeance. Not that Elijah or Kol didn't have enemies that could come to call at any time. Still, the Mikaelson family found a moment's peace to relax and find some enjoyment in the simpler things in life, like their lovers for instance.
Speaking of lovers, Eternity had returned alone within an hour of dropping of the little family at the Underground Agency, just as she said she would. After that, for those three months, she didn't leave Elijah's side, remaining with him more often than not. They spent their time talking and laughing or regaling each other with tales of their respective histories while cuddling close. Elijah would wine and dined Eternity often too, taking her to all sorts of places in New Orleans, showing her the great city he, Niklaus, and Rebekah helped build many years ago.
He enjoyed her childlike fascination as he showed her the wonders around them. She enjoyed the liveliness of the locals and the tourists alike. Then, of course, there were those of the supernatural community that they would encounter every now and again, particularly the witches who entertained the ignorant humans with their simple tricks and whatnot. They always stared in wonder at Eternity, giving her an instinctual respect that wasn't necessarily conscious.
It was entertaining to see the New Orleans witches humbled. They had been a thorn in his family's side on more than one occasion since they returned to the city. So to see their smugness wiped away by Eternity was highly amusing and well deserved.
Yes, those three months had been beautiful and Elijah found himself happier than ever - a change from the ten years of misery before her return. Their bond was only growing stronger, especially since the physical intimacy aspect of their relationship had yet to be reestablished, giving them focus on their emotional ties.
Though Elijah wanted Eternity very much, and each day it grew harder for him to hold back, he was patiently waiting until the right moment to finally give in and reclaim her body for his own as he had her heart. He was in no real hurry this time around and he had decided that the moment simply had to be perfect for sexual intimacy. Eternity didn't seem to mind waiting either, just enjoying their time together.
At night, they would cuddle up in his big bed at night and fall asleep in each other's arms. He simply wanted her close, even if sex wasn't on the table currently. He fell asleep next to her and woke up with her by his side. It was everything that he wanted. He was just glad Eternity was there with him. It was a miracle that he wasn't about to take lightly.
Then, after all that time of peace, a crisis came about to disrupt the contented peace at the Mikaelson compound.
One night a group of ten strange immortals from the Immortal Universe came to the compound, while Elijah and Eternity were sharing a romantic meal together in the courtyard. The pair had been talking about simple things of no consequence, when they came. They were pale humanoid creatures with elongated fangs and some were armed with crudely made bows and arrows.
"Vampires," growled Eternity in irritation, as she got up to face them.
Elijah got up too, coming to stand beside her. "They don't look like vampire," he commented quietly to her.
"That's because they're not of your variety," she replied, flashing him a small smile. "These ones are from the other side of the divide. They're more powerful, stronger, faster, and certainly more animalistic. I need to take this one alone. You're no match for them."
Elijah wasn't a fool. He knew his limits. "Very well," he said in understanding as he stepped back. "Just be careful."
Eternity nodded back at him, "Will do."
He watched from a distance as she turned back to the her opponents, her clothes shifting into her typical battle garb of a corset and leather leggings as she did. In her hand appeared her unsheathed katana. "What are you doing here, Blaine?" She called to the one that stood ahead of the others rather casually. "Don't you and your crew have better things to do than to be embarrassingly defeated...again?"
The vampire named Blaine said nothing. In fact, he didn't seem to be aware. His yellow eyes were dead without emotion. He simply growled in response, before signaling for his underlings to attack.
Eternity was relaxed as these vampires were familiar to her, it would seem. She stayed perfectly still as they moved around her, spreading out until they formed a a half circle in front of her.
Elijah could hear their animalistic growls and hisses as they prepared for an attack against her. None of them seemed to notice him standing there watching the battle unfold, which was a bit insulting really. It was as if they didn't even register him as a threat. Maybe he wasn't, but even so, it was a hit against his pride as one of the strongest supernatural beings on Earth. He wasn't used to being considered inferior and it didn't settle well with him.
Then the attack happened, distracting Elijah from his disgruntlement. Eternity moved with that almost impossible to follow precision with her blade. She sliced through two of the unarmed ones right away. Three more tried to sneak up behind her, but she was already prepared, turning on them and decapitating all of them in one swing of her blade.
There was a brief pause where the remaining four underlings were unsure if they should proceed in obeying their leader's command. Obviously, they didn't want to die needlessly, seeing that Eternity was stronger, more skilled, and that they were certainly no match for her. They danced about, hesitating.
Yet, Elijah's lady didn't show mercy. Since they would not attack her, she went after them, killing them all with a few swift motions, leaving only the leader, the one she had called Blaine, alive. She pointed her blade at him and said, "I have defeated your minions once again. Shall you finally face me yourself or shall you run away as you always do, you coward!"
Blaine hissed and roared at her like a beast, before doing the latter and rushing off with a vampire speed that was even greater than that of Earth-based vampires. It was impressive, to say the least.
Eternity sighed as she willed the katana away and turned back to Elijah exasperatedly. "Like I mentioned to you long ago," she said as she rejoined his side, "they like to come after me at random - the creatures of darkness. Drawn to my light, my power, just to try and stomp it out. A futile effort, to be sure, but they simply cannot help themselves. It's a instinct that must be answered, even if it means their deaths."
Elijah smiled softly at her, reaching out to comb his fingers though the hair along the side of her head. "I can relate," he replied. "I too am drawn to your light, but in a different context, of course." He chuckled.
She laughed lightly and smiled adoringly at him in return. It was sudden when her face scrunched up in pain. She groaned next and then collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
He shouted her name and fell to her side in alarm with his usual finesse, though more urgent than normal. He scanned over her body, looking for any sign of injury. That was when he saw the bite mark upon her arm. It was swollen, red, and oozing a puss of a pale green color. It sort of reminded Elijah of Niklaus's bites. If only it had been, then she wouldn't have been affected by it. No, this was something else, something potent to an immortal of Eternity's caliper.
Immediately, he lifted Eternity into his arms and rushed her upstairs into his bedroom, where he laid her gently on the bed. She didn't stir at all, not a sound made either. She was comatose. He would have thought her dead, if it hadn't been for the slight sheen of sweat upon her skin and her labored breath.
He called for Freya, screaming her name as loudly as he could. Moments later she was rushing into the doorway, followed by Kol and Davina, whom had also heard his rather frantic call. They all gathered around the bed with concerned curiosity.
"What's happened, Elijah?" Freya asked urgently upon seeing the ill, unconscious immortal.
"A vampire bite, not one from this world," he answered quickly. "I need you to cast a particular spell that will call Lady Veren to us. She'll know what to do."
His older sister nodded in agreement without hesitation, "Where's this spell?"
"In Niklaus's art studio, there are markings on the floor," explained Elijah. "Use them to call Veren here. I don't know the language of the immortals that he used, but maybe you don't need them. Just lay your hand over the markings and make the call! Now!"
Freya seemed a little uncertain, but did as he instructed, leaving the room quickly for their brother's art studio. Kol followed her to see what he could do to help being well-studied in magic despite his vampirism, while Davina remained behind.
"Is she going to be okay?" The young witch asked Elijah, who's attention was on Eternity's sickly form the entire time,
"I don't know," he replied hoarsely, his voice full of emotion.
Flashes of Tatia and Céleste's deaths flew through his worried, distraught mind. Elijah didn't want to lose another woman he loved, especially when he only just got her back. He didn't think that he could bear it. His mind had been in a rational place at that point to remember that it would have taken a lot more than a vampire's bite to kill Eternity. However, since this was the first time he had ever seen anything take her down, he couldn't help but think the worst.
Freya returned to the room a few minutes later with Kol in tow. "Well, we did our best," she sighed. "Those runes were meant for summoning Eternity, but hopefully this Veren will get the message and come quickly."
Elijah nodded, "Yes, let us hope she does."
For what seemed like half the night, he stayed by Eternity's side, as did Freya, Kol, and Davina. Those three stood around the room to wait for Veren to answer the call they had made, while Elijah sat in a chair by the bed. He had gotten comfortable during his vigil, having taken his suit jacket off and rolled up his sleeves past his elbows. He remained leaning over Eternity all the while, holding her hand in his as they waited.
Finally Veren appeared in the doorway, looking concernedly between the two vampires and the two witches, who looked back at her with a mix of worry and relief. "You lot called?" She said as she moved further into the room.
"Yes, I did, on my brother's request," Freya nodded and then gestures to the ill Eternity. "We have a situation."
Veren immediately crossed the room to her cousin's bedside. "What happened?" She asked them.
"A vampire attack. She killed all but the leader," Elijah explained to her. "However, she was bitten by one of them and collapsed suddenly. Tell me you can help her. Tell me that something can be done." He was urgent and desperate.
The raven-haired immortal looked sympathetically at his pleading face. He knew he wore his worry openly, yet at that moment he didn't care. Veren smiled softly at him and gently explained, "There's nothing that needs to be done, Mr. Mikaelson. My cousin will recover on her own within a day or so. Vampire venom is deadly to some types of immortals, but certainly not we of the Royal Family. This isn't the first time Her Majesty walked into a vampire fight carelessly and was bitten, probably won't be the last either." She laughed a little before she assured Elijah, "The point is your lady will be fine."
Elijah breathes a sigh of relief and almost immediately began to feel foolish for not realizing what he already knew to be true. Of course, Eternity was going to be fine. Yet, he had let his worry get the better of him.
"I'm glad that you were so worried for my cousin, Mr. Mikaelson," Veren smiled warmly at him. "It assures me that she is in good hands with you. Your love for her is a wonderful thing, don't ever stop loving her or worrying about her. She needs it in her duty of great risk."
Elijah returned her smile with one of his own. "Thank you, Lady Veren. I promise to always take care of her," he replied.
"Well things certainly turned nauseatingly sappy in here," Kol piped up teasingly, then turned to his girlfriend. "Come along, Davina love, let us leave this realm of mushiness before it rubs off on us. I hear it can be quite contagious."
Davina laughed lightly at Elijah's brother's jest, shaking her head at him, as she took Kol's hand and let him lead her from the room.
"Glad your lady will be fine, brother," Kol called back to Elijah as he went. "Don't need you moping about again."
Elijah shook his head at his younger brother's retreating form, sighing exasperatedly and rolling his eyes at his antics. "Sometimes I think it was a mistake undaggering that one," he grumbled teasingly, not at all meaning his words.
"But then things would be so incredibly dull without his smart mouth, brother," Freya smirked. "Where would we be then?"
He grinned at his sister, just as Veren reached over to touch his hand that still encased Eternity's. His attention immediately fell back to her as she told him, "I will stay here with you until she awakens. She'll be fine, but I do have some choice words for her when she awakens about this little incident." She smirked at him playfully.
Elijah nodded in acceptance, happy to have her company.
It was there that Freya took her leave of them, going back to her own lady Keelin now that the crisis had been resolved.
Veren sat on the bed and watched Eternity with him for the next twenty four hours until they both heard Eternity sigh and open her eyes at last. The white-haired immortal blinked and then groaned painfully, before she sat up and realized she had the company of not only Elijah, but her cousin as well.
"What happened," Eternity asked, "and why are you here, cousin?"
Elijah immediately kissed her hand that still lay in his and then reached over to kiss the side of her head in his relief to see her awake. He was elated that she was alright, not that he had any reason to doubt. He knew she'd be fine.
"I was called in by Ms. Mikaelson as you had decided to go head first into battle with Blaine's vampire gang again and got yourself bitten by one of those vermin as a result of your carelessness," Veren wasted no time in chastising Eternity, making the immortal queen frown deeply at her in a childish pout.
Elijah found it adorable and couldn't help kissing her head again. "I'm glad that you're alright, Sweetheart," he murmured to her. "You gave me quite the scare."
Eternity looked apologetically at him, "I'm sorry, Elijah. I didn't mean to worry you."
"You don't deserve tenderness," Eternity's cousin carried on at her in irritation. "You underestimates your enemy, didn't exact enough caution, and paid the price, worrying your lover needlessly as a result. You are no amateur, cousin, but this was the most amateurish mistake you could make. Just what were you thinking?"
The white-haired goddess groaned at Veren's nagging tone. "Yes, Yes, cousin. I get it; bad move, need to be more careful. I understand."she was dismissive of her cousin's rebuke.
Elijah paid little attention to their exchange as his heart swelled from Eternity's lack of correction when Veren called him her lover. It made him happy that she quietly recognized him as such, though he wasn't at all surprised that she did. They were growing closer every day, all over again.
When Veren opened her mouth to say more, he noticed Eternity's annoyance and stepped in to say to the nagging woman, "Lady Veren, perhaps now isn't a good time for correction. Your cousin did just awaken." He was diplomatic in his tone.
The fuchsia eyes woman sighed heavily and nodded, "Yes, I suppose not. Take care of her, Mr. Mikealson. Be sure to keep her from further recklessness. I'm sure she'll listen to you."
Eternity scrunched her face up at Veren in response, while Elijah chuckled and agreed to Veren's instruction of him regarding her stubborn cousin. That sour expression turned on him when he did and it only made Elijah chuckle at her and kiss the palm of her hand in affection.
Eternity's cousin sighed and said her farewells to the two of them.
Once Veren vanished from the room, Elijah turned his full attention on Eternity, reaching to cup the back of her neck and kissing her lips tenderly in his continued relief that she was alright. He smirked inwardly as she sighed and melted against him, reciprocating his attentions eagerly.
With reluctance, he eventually pulled back, beckoning her to lay back. "You need to rest, Sweetheart," he murmured to her, as she did as he silently requested. "Regain your strength. I'll be right here with you."
Eternity smiled at him softly, nodding in acceptance of his suggestion. Then slowly she closed her eyes again, this time in a gentle sleep.
Elijah remained ever vigilant, watching over the sleeping immortal, until he was unable to hold back from sleeping himself. He gingerly climbed into the big bed beside Eternity when the need for rest came over him. Pulling himself close to her sleeping form, he cuddled her to him. Quickly did Elijah fell asleep, contented and so very happy.
To Be Continued...