A/N: Hiiii everybody! *Hi Doctor Nick!* If you don't watch the Simpsons, you probably think we're insane. Or even if you do watch the Simpsons, you probably still think we're insane in general. You aren't wrong! Thank you soooo much for the awesome feedback, we appreciate all of you so much! Savily in particular, we love you and all of your reviews. In fact, when you mentioned that bit about Kol and Jessie having their own vow? We didn't even think about it, but we immediately adored the idea, and it'll take place the chapter after next. You're our inspiration! :D

Warnings: Okay, so this chapter is pretty loaded. There's some heavy stuff in here, starting with a confrontation between Jessie and Leon that turns very, very ugly, involving both physical, kind of sexual abuse and emotional abuse and mentions of previous sexual abuse. There's some serious contemplation of suicide, and even an attempt. So, here's your warning, if reading about things like this upset you and might even serve as a trigger warning, we do not recommend this chapter.

Other than that, there's some Elijah-Jessie bonding in this chapter that we worked really, really hard on and we hope you like it, and we hope it's in-character for Elijah. Anyway, without much further ado, please read, review, and enjoy! Thanks again :).

Chapter 10: Nothing but Darkness

Jessie's Perspective

"Leon, you're back! I missed you!" I watched in mild disgust as Amy leaped forward into his hearty embrace, then averted my eyes as he tilted her head up and captured her lips in his. Ugh, he always slurped. Someone needed to teach him how to use his tongue properly, because it didn't feel all that great to have Salazar Slytherin's freaking basilisk roaming around your mouth.

At least he brought the rest of our stuff. My I-pod better be in there. I couldn't survive without my baby. It was a miracle I lasted this long. Oh, and the rest of my ADHD medication was important too, but not on the same level of my music.

As she pulled away, he gasped at the blood caked around her neck. "What happened, baby?" He dabbed at it and brought it to his mouth. Creepy, much? Who even did that?

"It's a long story," she sighed, but the stupid smile was still glued across her face. Around him, she became a doe-eyed waif. "But I'm okay, I promise. I'm just going to take a shower to get clean." She promptly headed to the bathroom, letting loose a little squeal as he landed a playful smack on her arse on the way. The noise echoed all around the room and I shuddered, even after she closed the bathroom door behind her.

Then he transferred his attention to me. Oh goody, this should be fun. "Jessie, baby- you miss me?"

No, actually, I did not, but I couldn't very well say that out loud. "Of course," I breathed, forcing a grin of my own. "Why wouldn't I?" Maybe because you're a pervy, hateful prick.

His eyes searched my face- he must've picked up on my lack of enthusiasm. "Aw, don't be jealous, baby. I'll give you love, too. Come over here." It felt like I was marching right to my death as I entered his protective hold. I closed my eyes as his lips crashed against mine and his hands wandered to my chest, groping me over my shirt.

He must've noticed that I stiffened against him, so he abruptly ended the kiss. "What, you're too good for me now? Huh? Is that it?"

Great, now he was angry with me. "No, wait, don't be mad." Reluctantly, I pulled him back against me. "I'm not any better than you."

"Good." He ducked in to kiss me again. His breath was rank with cigar smoke, and stale whisky. Ick, ick, ick. His hands wandered all over and all I could do was suppress my periodic flinches. "You're doing it again!" He pushed me away, none too gently, might I add.

"Doing what?" I knew damn well what. "I'm not doing anything wrong, Leon, calm down already."

Leon's hazel eyes, so gentle when gazing upon Amy, burned with a fire that he seemed to save only for me. "Ghetto bitch thinks she's above me now, don't you?" My eyes lowered to the ground and I desperately wished for a hole to swallow me up. Any hole would be much appreciated. "So, what is it? You're fine with trying to fuck some random asshole at a fancy party, but you won't give me, the man who kept you from becoming no better than shit on the street, the time of day?"

Random asshole at a fancy party . . . ? Hold the freakin' phone. How would he know about Jackson? He wasn't there! Wait a second . . . Amy! Dumbfounded was an understatement for how I felt. Chills spread themselves all across my body and I shivered. Only Leon could rip away all of my protective walls and make me so vulnerable. I hated it. "Amy told you." It wasn't a question.

He laughed bitterly, without humor. "I called her after you were asleep last night to check up, and she told me about it. Really, Jessie? That's low, even for you." I hugged myself to try and regain any of the warmth he'd stolen away from me. His stance softened, though, and he stepped forward to pull me into an unwanted hug. "It's okay, baby. Not all men like dirty little tramps. You're used goods. But that's okay, baby, you know why?" Each word was an individual stab to my heart, and no, I didn't want to know why. "I like you tainted."

Allowing a sudden rush of fury to course through me, I shoved him backwards with all my might. "How about you stop putting me down, and take a look in the fucking mirror?! Stop being such a loser, and get a girl your own age."

Leon stood before me in a flash. Like, it was a blur. I didn't think any person could move that fast. It scared me, if we're being honest here. He grabbed me by my arms and began shaking me until my teeth rattled. His iron grip hurt more than I'd ever like to admit. "You know what, Jessie? You're just as much of an idiot as you are a slut! I found you on the streets, put a roof over your ungrateful ass, and kept you clothed and happy." Happy was a hell of a stretch. "What was our deal? What do I get in return?"

"Stop!" I tried to wriggle out of his hold. "Let me go, you're hurting me!"

"What do I get in return?" Leon shouted in my face, saliva all over me. He wouldn't let me go.

Even though it was hard to respond with how ferociously he was jerking me around, I managed to make do. "I've had sex with you! Starting when I was only thirteen. Isn't that payment enough? I paid back my debts." This time, I shimmied an escape and ducked away from him. "But I don't want to do it anymore! I'm done servicing you. I don't owe you anything!"

His hand struck across my face faster than I could blink, I crashed right into the floor. Leon stood over me in one of his fits of rage, and I coughed out a dry sob as he landed a kick right in my stomach. "You owe me everything!" Another kick. "Without me, you would be nothing! Without Amy, you would be nothing." Another kick, and I swore he cracked a rib that time.

Leon abruptly stood back and gazed down at me almost contemplatively. "Fine, you know what? I don't need your slutty ass to warm my bed at night. I don't need you. I never wanted you anyway, not like I want Amy. She's much better. You're a poor excuse for your sister, I hope you know that. You're nothing compared to her. We're done, you and I. I tried, I really tried to give you a chance for your sister's sake, but you are nothing but a filthy little whore!" With that, he up and stormed from the room, slamming the door behind him.

Amy was still in the bloody shower. If she hadn't heard any of that, then she must've spontaneously gone deaf. But whatever the mysterious circumstances, I just couldn't stay in that room anymore.

So, sobbing bitterly and uncontrollably, I found my way onto the roof of the hotel. Not just for the cool, pleasant night air, mind you. The edge was looking mighty fine just about then. Before I knew it, I was standing right on the ledge. Maybe it would be best if I simply jumped off. Amy would be better off without me. Everyone would be better off without me.

By now, I was crying so hard I couldn't even breathe. My vision was blurring all over the place and a feather could've knocked me over. The ground was so far down. It would hurt it when I splattered against the concrete, but at least it would be over quickly. At times like these, I just wanted everything to be over. I couldn't take it anymore.

Leon could live happily ever after with Amy. It would be easier for them without me there, acting perpetually as the third wheel. Maybe Amy would be sad at first, but she'd learn to get over it. Leon was right about me, and if he could see it, then surely so could Amy. She'd understand eventually that it was the right thing to do.

Now, I just had to finish convincing myself.

As I was in the process of steeling my resolve, a voice startled me out of my trance. "Cold night, isn't it?" When I didn't budge an inch, the man's light and mild, yet unyielding voice drifted over to me once more. "You should be inside on such a cold night, not out here." It was a hint to step off the ledge, but I ignored it.

Again, I was crying far too hard to even begin to muster up much of a reply, but I did glance back over my shoulder. From what I could make out through my tears, it was . . . Elijah? I was so dizzy, it was hard to tell. "L-L-Leave m-me alone! I-I-I wanna be alone! J-J-Just leave!"

"It is a nice night, I suppose." Elijah said it so matter-of-factly that I couldn't help but wait to see where he was going with this. He took a few precise steps closer to me, as if judging how close he could come without scaring me off the building. "I'm not too partial to the cold myself, but it can be quite unbearably hot here, so it's a welcome change."

It was really quite embarrassing how violent my sobs were, and how little control I had over them. He didn't seem to mind, though, and if he did, he didn't say anything. Cautiously, he stepped up on the ledge next to me. "It's a long way down. Quite painful, I assume. I wouldn't recommend it, if I were you."

All I could do was shake my head and step away from him, but my clumsy self nearly lost my balance and toppled right over the edge, so he lashed out a hand and steadied me. My heart beat a mile a minute- that was close.

I mournfully looked up at him through my wet lashes, finally gaining up the nerve to do it. To step off. But he didn't need to see it, I didn't want to put him through that. "L-L-Let me g-go. J-J-Just l-let me do it. E-Everyone w-would be better off-f." He didn't leave, but that wouldn't put a stop to my plan. Just then, I began to take a step off . . .

"As your uncle, however strained our newfound relationship, I will not let you do this." That well-dressed bastard didn't let go, or leave me alone. Instead, he gathered me up in his arms and outright lifted me off the ledge. So much for the kind and sensitive approach. Well, there went my suicide attempt.

Now, I really couldn't breathe. It was actually a little worrisome. Breathing was a good habit to maintain. "Hush now, little one," the side of my head was pressed against his chest as he cupped my hair. It was . . . comforting. "You've worked yourself up. You'll faint soon enough if you don't settle down. Breathe, child. Take deep breaths."

I tried to do what he asked of me, I really did, but my breathing was still rapid and uneven. My lungs just weren't doing their damn job correctly. He slowly began to stroke my hair in a rhythmic motion. "You're hysterical. There there, you need to calm yourself. Shhh, shhh, shhh." His deep, steady voice gradually lulled me into a state of tranquility. "What is it that upset you so? Is this about Klaus?"

This was a predicament. I couldn't very well tell him about Leon, or Leon would probably die, and no matter how much I hated him at the moment, I didn't want him to die. But briefly considering suicide over the Klaus predicament? That didn't hold up.

He attempted to push me away to presumably to look me in the eye, but like the little bitch I was, I latched onto his shirt stubbornly. "No," I whimpered, "don't go." That wasn't meant to sound so pathetic. No adult had ever taken the time to give me solace and- well . . . Leon's way didn't count. Even I could observe the sheer improbability of this situation, though, since I spewed profanities all over him not too long ago. I sincerely regretted that now.

He absorbed that for a moment, then wrapped his arms around me completely. Never before had I felt so warm, so safe. "I'm not going anywhere, little one."

"I-I'm sorry," I mumbled into his fancy-pansy dress shirt, unable to stop, "for yelling at you. I was just really, really mad at Klaus and you were . . . there. Don't be mad. Please don't be mad." I couldn't stand another person furious with me, not after my confrontation with Leon. "I don't want you to be mad, please don't be m-"

Elijah shushed me again, but not in a bad way, per se. Not in a "shut up" kind of way. In a . . . caring way. "I'm not mad, Jessica. Calm down, little one, I'm not mad." Gently, he pushed me back by the shoulders and looked me dead in the eye, like he tried to do before. "I'm not happy about it, mind you, but considering your state of mind, I will allow it to slide. Do not expect the same courtesy again." I let my head drop down to break off eye-contact, but he nudged my chin back up with his pointer finger. "Do you understand me, Jessica?"

I nodded mutely, not trusting myself to speak. But based on his expression, I figured out verbal answers were more up his alley. "I get it . . . I'm sorry, 'Lijah. I like you a lot now, and I'm sorry for making it seem like I didn't. It probably doesn't matter, though, 'cause you hate me. Everybody hates me."

He gave me a sad little smile, and brushed away my constant stream of tears that had only now started to dry up. "Nobody hates you, little one." He never met Leon. "I most certainly do not. You have a mouth on you," we chuckled together, "but believe it or not, it isn't easy to hate you. You are more likable than you give yourself credit for. You have Niklaus's blood, after all, and despite his . . . flaws, he could charm his way out of Alcatraz." A dry smirk toyed at his lips. "It appears you have inherited this talent . . . for the most part."

"Except when I'm insulting your music tastes . . . Which, by the way, I actually like. I play violin, so I don't really know why I attacked you with that. Just couldn't think of anything else, really. It sounds awfully stupid in hindsight. Rose-colored glasses are a myth."

This time, he genuinely smiled out of amusement. He found me funny. That enforced me with a boost of pride. Together, we began to walk to the roof's staircase, leading back into the motel. "Violin, you say? I play a little myself. Perhaps you could play a piece for me at a different time, if you would like."

He seemed earnestly interested, not just saying it out of politeness. "Yeah, I'd like that."

Sticking out an arm, he stopped me in my tracks before I could reach the staircase. This conversation had been prolonged, but it was bound to happen, after I nearly jumped off a building. "Jessica, I would be negligent in my duties as your new uncle if I did not question your motives for what happened back there."

"Uncle, uncle," I played with the unfamiliar word. "Never had an uncle before. Well, I never had a father either, so I guess everything's changing. I still can't really believe that one. Just have to roll with it, amirite?"

This was definitely not the answer he wanted to hear. Apparently he didn't like my clever side-steps. That man just oozed strictness. It must've been something to do with the suits- and oh dear lord, I just noticed the stain my tears left on his dress shirt. Was there anything I couldn't ruin? For Merlin's sake.

"Your attempts to dance around the truth are endearing at best, but this is a serious matter."

As serious as matters could get. "What happened back there . . . never happened." He arched a dark eyebrow almost scornfully. "You can't tell anybody. I wasn't going to do it, not really. There's nothing to tell."

Elijah saw straight through me. Was he some sort of mind-reader, or was I just the worst liar in the history of con artists? "You took a step off, I had to catch you. Your lies are flimsy, and frankly, beneath you. I suggest another approach."

Why wouldn't he just let this go? Why did he have to care? It made everything so much harder. If only he could be like every other adult and ignore me. But then again, I actually sort of liked the attention he was providing me with. He was focused on me. Solely me. Not perfect, flawless Amy, but me. Even if it was for all the wrong reasons.

"I'm . . ." I struggled for an appropriate response. "I'm fucked up, Elijah." That definitely wasn't it, but at least he didn't take the time to scold me for it, sensing that I couldn't handle that at the moment. "I don't know what to tell you. I'm seriously fucked up. I . . . had a conversation with somebody from my past after the whole Klaus ordeal, and it just pushed me over the edge . . . for lack of a better term."

He listened to me, actually listened to me. And the dip of his head indicated for me to continue, so I did. For once, I could open up to somebody without inevitable judgment. "I'm not the niece you probably wanted. I'm not . . . Hope. I will never be like her- besides the fact that she's three years old. She's innocent, and I'm not. I haven't been in a really, really long time. Growing up in that system . . . you don't know what it's been like. I don't know what you've been through, but you don't know what I've been through. I . . ."

Another wave of tears overwhelmed me, and I stepped away from him so he wouldn't have to see. Never before had I felt so vulnerable, not even on the edge of the rooftop only moments before. "I don't want to be like this, 'Lijah. I really don't. I want to be better, I want to be good. But then I screw something up, I get hurt all over again, and I end up worse than before. It's a cycle of destruction, and sometimes I just want to end it. Amy would be better off. All I do is bring her down. If I died, then maybe she'd finally be free."

I barely knew the bloke, yet I trusted him. My deepest, darkest secrets and now he knew about them. He could see me for what I really was. Broken.

If I talked anymore, I knew I'd break down all over again. But luckily, I didn't have to, because it was Elijah's time to shine. "My family has been on this planet for a thousand years." Shock numbed my mind, and I was about to call bullshit when I realized, how much weirder was that then what occurred during the dinner party? Just roll with it, Jessie. "Yes, it's difficult to believe, but we are the first vampires. The Originals. I understand you don't believe in vampires, or magic-"

"After this evening, I don't know what I believe in anymore," I told him honestly, then realized I interrupted him. "Sorry. Proceed with your thoughts."

He didn't seem to mind too much. "In the time we've been alive, we have wrecked so much havoc and violence and hate. . . . No matter how much you think you despise yourself, I can assure you, you haven't experienced it to the degree of my self-loathing." His voice was low and his eyes far away, in a distant land. "You're a child, a baby in the grand scheme of things. Allow me to be so trite as to say it won't always be this way."

It became apparent for me that he wasn't just comforting me anymore. He might've been strong, composed, proper. A thousand years old. But that didn't mean he didn't ever need a shoulder to lean on. So, even though it was an awkward movement, I placed a hand on his shoulder. I vowed to be strong for him. He glanced over to me in pure surprise, but he didn't move my hand. "Maybe, just maybe you're right. It won't always be this way. Maybe it isn't over for me, but it also isn't over for you. I know what it feels like to hate yourself. Maybe not like you do, but I get it. But, I don't care what you've done, you're . . . good."

He opened his mouth to protest, but I wasn't finished yet. "Don't try to argue. You are good. You forgave me for shouting at you and insulting you, when you didn't have to. Defended me to Klaus, when you didn't have to. Saved a fifteen-year-old fucked up kid from killing herself, when you didn't have to. You saved me. You solaced me in one of my darkest moments, and dammit, you didn't have to. You're a . . . vampire." Still sounds weird saying it aloud. "You're a . . . thousand years old." Sounds REALLY weird to say that one out loud. "Okay, you've probably killed people. But let me tell you something, humans aren't so much better. At least not the ones I've dealt with. You're with me right now, talking to me, listening to me, and you might just be the first person besides my sister to ever do that. So, no, I don't care what other people might think of you, and I don't even care what you think about yourself. You. Are. Good. That's the end of it."

For the first time in my life, I might've actually had a positive impact on somebody. He stared at me, rigid and unmoving, but his calm mask dissolved right before my eyes. He was . . . touched. Genuinely touched. Like he desperately needed somebody to say that to him, appreciate what he did for others instead of naming him as a monster as if he were nothing else.

In a move so swift I couldn't have prepared myself for it, he pulled me into him once more, but this time, I didn't think the embrace was for me. It was a slip of his beloved control, one his siblings would surely mercilessly mock. That didn't mean I stopped it, though. Holy Shakespeare, this man had been around for a thousand years. How many times had anybody stopped and given him a goddamn hug?

So, I wrapped my arms around his middle, and you bet your arse I hugged my uncle. He essentially saved my life. It was the least I could do. And besides, I lapped up the paternal attention like a malnourished dog. "Thank you," he whispered so quietly I nearly didn't catch it. He cupped the back of my head again. "Perhaps . . . this is what my family needs. Our family."

Wait, hold the phone. I instantly pulled away from him, even though I secretly liked his amendment to "our family." "That doesn't mean we're moving in with you right away, though! Klaus . . . Klaus is a freak."

He smiled his dry, Elijah-smile. "Give it time. He at least accepted his position as your father. He has made . . . progress. "

"That makes me feel so much better, thank you, 'Lijah." The sarcasm was almost palpable. In much better spirits than before, I smirked and tacked on, "Uncle 'Lijah."

He definitely felt like an uncle now. Even kind of a father, really. More so than Klaus, anyhow. I was certainly ambivalent about this family. Elijah was turning out to be the parental one, while Kol, on the other hand, had the potential to be more of a best friend, or even a brother of sorts. I didn't feel much toward Finn or Freya, and I did like Rebekah, although again, she came across as more sisterly.

And then there was Niklaus bloody Mikaelson. Don't even get me started on him. No, seriously, don't. Uncle Elijah could express all he wanted about Klaus "accepting his fatherly duties," but that was a whole lot of bullshit, if you ask me. Plus, even if he did man up to the job, who said I wanted him as a father? It would've been so much easier if it were Elijah.

He stuck out his arm for me to hold, and I slipped my hand into the crook of his elbow. "Come, my brother and sister are here, likely pestering Amy to no end."

It was Rebekah more likely than Freya, and . . . he didn't say "your father," so I presumed it to be Kol. I didn't mind that, I seriously liked the bugger and enjoyed his presence. He was obnoxious, undeniably so, but then again, so was I. Platonic soul mates, if you will. At least I had two new family members on my side. Three, if I decided to count Rebekah. I would need them, if I had to stand against the malevolent force by the name of Niklaus Mikaelson. "We ought to save her, then."

A/N: What did you all think? We told you it was pretty heavy. Like it, love it, hate it? A bit of an emotional roller-coaster there. How did you like the development in Elijah and Jessie's relationship? We wanted to give you more insight to Jessie's character, too. Don't worry, it won't undermine the bond she has with Kol. In fact, the chapter after the next one will flesh that one out even further. Anyway, sound off in the comments, we'd love to know what you thought about this installment!