"Elijah..."
Mila shot up from her sleep and looked around confused. The sun was already on the rise. What happened? Then she suddenly remembered all the pain and flinched. It was gone now, but thinking about it resulted in phantom pain.
Her eyes met Lauras and the older werewolf smiled sympathetically. She pitied Mila, barely she could imagine the pain the girl had been in. It was horrible to be trapped in your own body, without having a chance that the true nature inside her could break free and shift. Never had Laura seen something like that before.
"He's outside, calling someone. He'll be back in a tick."
She lightly squeezed Mila's hand. The young doctor looked horrible. Her lips were dry and bloody from biting onto them in pain, deep blue circles of exhaustion under her eyes.
"Laura...what...what's wrong with me?"
Mila's voice came out stifle and she coughed, her throat raspy to which Laura immediately handed her a glass of water.
"We don't know yet...Elijah's trying to figure something out, how we can help you. All I know is that your witchy side somehow suppresses the wolf in you and keeps you from shifting to which the wolf fights against, which results quite the chaos. I'm so sorry, Mila."
The young doctor shook her head, slowly calming down and reminding herself of manners. Laura had been so nice to her. She invited to her home and even accepted a vampire and now she stood by her. That was more than any other would do for her...except for Elijah.
"Thank you, Laura. I don't know what I would do without your help."
She laughed and shook her head.
"No, you should thank Elijah. He's doing all the work, being a good boyfriend."
Laura winked at her friend and grinned widely. This cat and mouse game between Mila and Elijah was terribly cute, but also kind of annoying.
"He's my friend. Like you are."
Mila blushed and looked away so her eyes weren't telling the truth. Of course she had a crush on Elijah, maybe even more, but she wasn't ready to admit it.
"Duh, Mila, I'm flattered, but it's like I would call Ben a 'friend'. If you think of me the same way you think of Elijah, I have to say sorry, but I'm taken."
Both women laughed in unison, amused of the thought. It was nice to have something uncomplicated with Laura, just a building friendship, people that deeply understood each other. They were the same kind of women. Resilient, strong, but sensitive at the same time.
"Honestly, Mila. You two should talk. It hurts watching you."
Mila lowered her gaze again, thinking of Dan. She couldn't break his heart again. But wasn't he breaking hers with his behavior? Mila wasn't happy with him, she knew that.
"I'm also taken, Laura."
Laura rolled her eyes, giving Mila a serious glare. That girl would run away from her own happiness if it was literally right in front of her.
"Seriously? We both know you don't love Dan. Be fair, Mila, let him go. It was over when you first left him."
The younger wolf nodded, being deep in thought. How should she deal with all this chaos? It was so much for one person to take. Love-drama was the last thing she needed.
"Vincent, long time no see."
Elijah spoke into his phone, grinning when he imagined the face that his old kind of companion heard the Original's voice through the speaker. Vincent had always been truthful towards him, even if Elijah had resented the disrespect he always showed, but still, he trusted the witch.
A long silence erupted and Vincent seemed to gather his thoughts and figure out what to say.
"Elijah..."
He said into the phone with a suspicious tone. The witches mind surely raced, trying to think of any reason why a certain vampire could call him after 5 years. When he saw him last, he and Marcel erased his memory of always forever. Secretly he had feared the consequences for long, but he hadn't heard of any cruelty coming from him. There were only to possible outcomes by the compulsion: even Elijah could leave behind the Red Door, because he always had killed for his family, or he would become even worse. Vincent always hoped for option one.
"You surely wonder why I call. Vincent, what if I tell you that I found another Labonair?"
The witched gasped and Elijah was now sure that he called the right person. His connection to the hallow would drive him into helping Elijah.
"I would ask you to which end of the world he or she would've went to hide from the hallows lackeys or people that want to get rid of it using Labonair blood."
Elijah looked around and saw some werewolves clean up the mess that the storm made by Mila's uncontrolled magic left behind.
"She's in New York."
Again Vincent let out a sound of surprise. In New York and still alive? That was more than a wonder. It was barely possible.
"How can she still be alive? Everyone who found out would go after her, because they all knew that your niece is the most protected child in the world. That girl, she's easy prey."
Elijah sighed, he already knew that. Probably some of the badest creatures this world had to offer were on her tracks. Good thing that he was an even worse beast himself.
"Let's say I'm particularly interested in her safety. Did I mention that she seems to have inherited the traits of a witch? I only saw and felt pure power like that once and that was with Hope. She broke her curse some days ago and her werewolf side and her magic came to surface. Last night, she was about to shift but her magic seemed to have kept her from shifting. She was in a miserable pain."
Now it was Vincent sighed, taking all those unbelievable things in. He thought he had seen every monstrosity possible, but this revelation really shocked him.
"A werewolf and a witch...of course that doesn't go well together. Man, you can only release her by turning her into a hybrid. It would cut her bound to nature, stopping her magic and making her able to shift at her own will. Sorry, I can't help."
The Original fell into silence, thinking about the possibility. He couldn't do that to her. She wouldn't want to be like him, an immortal, eternally forced to drink blood. There must be another way. He would do anything.
Before Elijah hung up, Vincent's voice sounded again.
"Just one more thing. If you really care about that girl, get her out of the city. You know where she would be safest. We would've more possibilities to protect her here."
He closed his eyes for a second, knowing what Vincent was implying. The place were Elijah suffered most. Where most of his emotionless memories took place.
"New Orleans."
An hour later Mila and Elijah left the pack's estate. Both of them were in silence, having thoughts on their own that quite differed from one another. While Elijah thought about a way how to keep her life as normal as possible, Mila tried to fight the growing tension between them. Being together with him was out of question right now.
They were just so different but also sometimes quite the same. Maybe it was what drew them together, the promise of ease to their problem. She was Elijah's light at the horizon and he was Mila's safe haven. It was hard to be apart, but it wasn't the right time.
"Could you please drive directly to the hospital?"
He sighed, he needed to talk to her about that issue. She wasn't safe in the hospital. But her work was what she loved most.
"Don't you want to go home?"
Elijah spared her a glance, searching for clues as to why she tried hard to not have to go to her home. If that boy hurt her, Elijah wouldn't able to keep himself from killing him. Mila was precious and everyone who violated that was his foe.
"Nothing is there for me, Elijah. Just a post-drunk boyfriend with a bad mood who's boiling of jealousy."
Mila shook her head and looked to her feet. She was so embarrassed. Usually she was a strong woman, never would she have accepted such behavior in a relationship as Dan was showing right now. But she felt like a slut, a relentless heartbreaker.
"What is he jealous of? You surely told him that you are with Laura tonight, which is the truth."
Of course Elijah knew the answer to this question. But he wanted to hear it. Hear her confirm that they had become more than friends.
"You. He thinks I was with you tonight."
She lifted her eyebrows to stress the meaning of her words. Elijah's hands clenched around the stirring wheel when he felt the air around them tighten. A fire burned between them whenever they were close and the little space his car offered wasn't helping for him to be any kind of restraint.
"Is he right to be jealous?"
Her intense eyes met his and Elijah was completely taken aback. He had force his eyes back to the road. Mila gulped and was sure that her glance had shown him the truth. She couldn't hide anything from him, so she wouldn't start lying.
"Yes."
Elijah took in what she had admitted and secretly was filled with joy. She felt the same way as he did. But it was just too complicated. He brought mayhem with him wherever he went and if someone found out how precious she was to him...
Thinking about distancing himself from her, he quickly threw the thought away. It was too late. She already was in the middle of it and making it even more complicated wasn't of any use. They needed to trust each other in their situation.
Back in the hospital they started the round and distracted themselves with the busy everyday life of the hospital. Mila smiled about the fact that the hospital had become the most peaceful spot in her life.
"What are you smiling about?"
Her smile was contagious and Elijah instinctively smiled like a fool himself. He enjoyed watching her like that the most. Nothing more did he wanted than for her to have a happy life.
"Just about the fact the hospital grants me most peace in my life now. Strange isn't it?"
Their hands lightly touched as they moved. With any other person they wouldn't have noticed it, but with each other, sparks flew whenever their skin connected, which was driving both of them crazy.
"No, it's not strange. You know, I came here for the same reason as you did. I seemed shelter after some tragic events in my life. I wanted to start over and I found my deeper meaning of life here. Unfortunately, it's not the safest place. Enemies found out about your existence, Mila."
His words surprised her slightly. She hadn't had the time to figure out what the images from his life meant and of course he hadn't really told her why he was actually here. A vampire working as a surgeon. He must've had bigger errands to run as one of the first vampires ever existing. Another similarity between them. When they came here, they tried to forget, but unexpectedly they found a reason to look into the future.
"I know what you're trying to imply. I understand that I can't stay here forever with what's going on, but I want to enjoy it as long as I can. What reason to fight for my life if I can't appreciate it?"
Elijah nodded understandingly. He would give her the time she needed for as long as he could, hoping that he could keep their foes away from her tracks as long as possible. But her magic already broke through the bracelet, it wouldn't be long until someone would sense it.
They reached the pediatric ICU and concentrated on their patient. Another child with heart failure, but with a good prognosis. Mila had accompanied the case since the mother gave birth. She was standing right to her daughter's tiny bed and smiling while Elijah explained the process of surgery, while Mila did a quick check up on the baby. Barely did she notice how close and natural she and her boss worked together. They didn't need to exchange words to know hat the other would be doing, they were the perfect team. But sometimes, there were little gestures that showed that there was more than a good worker's relation. When Elijah reached over to get something from the little space in between the bed's he gently grabbed Mila's hip to not get her out of balance. She took the stethoscope hanging around his neck, because she forgot her's in her locker. Elijah touched her shoulder when told the mother that she would assist in her child's surgery. Everything went unnoticed for them, because it felt like they have been like that forever.
After Elijah went on to the next cases, Mila stayed to prepare the baby for the OR. The mother, Mrs Arnold, looked after Elijah with a lifted brow.
"Who was that hot doctor?"
She smirked and Mila laughed, she liked the young mother. Of course it was always sad to have an ill child, but she adapting to it so well. Mila tried to spent comfort as often as she could.
"He's the chief of surgery and a brilliant cardiac surgeon. Dr. Mikaelson is the best you could get for your daughter."
Mrs. Arnold wiggled her eyebrows at Mila which made her chuckle even more.
"I'm sure of that. But I think he's a good choice for you as well."
Mila continued to prepare the daughter, injecting syringes into the inflow.
"He's just a friend."
She had to say this for the second time this day. Was it really that obvious?
"That's not what friends look like, with you two all touchy while examining my child. I would've been quite mad if I didn't know that you could multi-task. Saving the world while getting the hot doctor. That's not fair!"
Mila shook her head, grinning from ear to ear. It was refreshing, chatter about love drama, making it feel like a normal thing everyone had to deal with.
"I'm sorry, I just need to distract myself from my baby being in surgery. Playing amor is a good start. Please, can you invite me to your wedding?"
They laughed in unison and Mrs. Arnold caressed her girl's cheek gently, her gaze turning serious. Mila squeezed her shoulder sympathetically. With all the supernatural things going on, it was surprising how little her problems seemed when seeing a young mother with an ill child.