No One's POV
"ELIJAH!" Eliza gasps, jolting awake with a bolt, eyes flashing open and almost scrambling awake, startling both the Parker twins and Elijah who were all three in her room
The Gemini siblings had all but burst into their best friend's room ready to rain hell on Earth on any and everything, Elijah promptly panicking upon Eliza falling unconscious, inner vampire frantic and unable to do anything to help his mate.
"Eliza?" Elijah questions softly, moving immediately to Eliza's side, hands hovering over her hesitant to touch, as if afraid to break her.
"Lijah!" Eliza smiles, throwing herself into his arms, the Original quickly catching his mate, arms automatically wrapping around her.
"Eliza." Elijah answers immediately, confused at the turn of the situation, but head bending down to dip into her neck, resting lightly in the crook of it, relieved to see his mate unharmed from whatever had made her fall unconscious over an hour ago.
"Are you- are you sniffing me?" Eliza questions after a second, the question slipping out of her mouth before she can stop it; the question also making the Gemini siblings tense slightly, moving to react slightly.
"Nonsense, Eliza. I am not a werewolf." Elijah answers dryly, but he moves his nose slightly away from her jugular, telling Eliza that it was exactly what he was doing; she refrained from giggling.
"Never mind… It doesn't matter… Animal…" Eliza teases good-naturedly. "I remember, Elijah." At that she lifts her head from his chest to look at him in his eyes, hands come up to touch his cheek.
"You re- remember?" Elijah asks, his gaze deep and unfathomable, glimmering with a type of fragile hope.
1920s, Chicago
The drive to the Carter mansion was a familiar, if not a comforting one to Elijah, he had traveled it many times over the course of the last several months.
But this one, this one was important, more important than any others; he was going to ask Eliza to marry him.
The image of his mate hovered in his mind, her soft blonde hair, fashioned in a short cut around her slim face, much like the flappers of the Roaring 20s, her green eyes shining in the sun, and soft nature that soothed his restless inner animal.
He had never once believed, than in his long eternity he would find her. Find the salvation and redemption that he didn't deserve. But he had. He had found Eliza Carter. His precious treasure, his light, and he desired her, craved her, and wanted her more than anything else in the world. And he would rip worlds apart just to keep her safe, keep her by his side, keep her love.
A short walk from his car to the old colonial style front porch of the Carter estate, Elijah straightened his suit unnecessarily before ringing the doorbell, it chiming loudly.
"Mr. Mikaelson." Jarvis, the head butler, answers, looking more worn, tired, and less put together than Elijah had ever seen him.
"Hello Jarvis. Is Eliza available-" Elijah begins to speak.
"Mr. Mikaelson-" Jarvis cuts off, his expression one of almost pity and sorrow. "Mr. Mikaelson, you should come in."
"Jarvis, what-?" Elijah steps in at the invite, Jarvis taking his coat politely before leading him to sit down in the foyer.
"Mr. Mikaelson, have you read the paper?" Jarvis questions, again cutting off the Original's questioning.
"No, I have not. I have- I have been out of town for the week on business." Elijah shakes his head, not understanding what this had to do with anything, but getting an uneasy feeling in his gut.
"Perhaps you should." Jarvis hands him a paper gently.
High Society, Socialite's Daughter, Eliza Carter, Killed in a Tragic Car Accident
"I- I see." Elijah feels the paper drop to the floor of the Carter estate, it echoing loudly in the empty Carter estate like a gavel to his heart and soul.
"They are at the gravesite now." Jarvis informs him.
"Yes- thank you, Jarvis." Elijah hears himself say vaguely, but his world had gone grey, everything he had wanted taken from him; he would never see his mate again, Eliza was gone, taken from him, he wasn't even able to save her.
Elijah disappeared from the Carter estate.
Later that evening, after the crowd of pointless socialites were long gone, and those that truly loved Eliza had grieved, a lone figure stood over a freshly dug grave.
Eliza Carter
May she sleep with angels… And I'm sure she'll teach them a thing or two.
October, 16 1899 – April 11, 1923
"I remember, Elijah." Eliza nods, smiling.
Elijah's gaze moves quickly to the tossed boxes that had fallen to the ground when Eliza had fallen unconscious, picking up the small platinum ring that was inlaid with diamonds.
"Will you accept this?" Elijah questions, presenting it to his mate.
For a moment Eliza furrows her brows, a little confused to the reasons Elijah was presenting her with the first ring and not the older one.
"Do you remember what I told you? That I would help you remember. And if you did not, that it did not matter?" Elijah prompts. "You remember. I am gratified for that. But you are still Eliza Saltzman. And I wish for our future together, our future in this day."
"And just to clarify… This isn't an engagement ring. Because- because, I'm really not ready to be married…" Eliza waivers for a moment but still with a little bit of a smile on her lips.
"A symbol of our future. And my devotion to you." Elijah answers.
"Okay." Eliza smiles, allowing Elijah to slide it onto her finger.
"This was so sappy. I think my teeth have cavities from watching that." Lucas says, now butting into the moment, his hand dropping from his defensive stance and shoulders rolling back a little, relaxing.
"Well you didn't have to stay." Eliza immediately retorts, her gaze turning to her best friends.
"Sorry for being worried about my best friend who suddenly fell unconscious for no damn reason." Lucas rolls his eyes.
"Fair point." Eliza concedes.
"So… When are we leaving? We should start packing, right?" Lucas asks, Olivia looking a bit resigned to Lucas' question and the impending, inevitable future for her, her brother, and Eliza.
"Leaving?" Elijah questions now, not understanding.
"Obviously." Lucas shrugs. "Eliza remembers your time together. As if she's going to let you run back to Mystic Falls by yourself. That place is like supernatural central and a danger magnet all in one. It's like you don't know her at all." At that Lucas does another sassy, impressive eye roll.
Elijah opens his mouth to protest, not wanting his mate anywhere near Mystic Falls or, the small selfish, possessive part of himself that was growing louder, not wanting him near his brothers, who also had a past with Eliza.
"You know me so well, Luke." Eliza grins in a sort of conspirator look, expression gleaming. "When does your plane leave, Elijah?"
Happy 4th of July to all my American friends!
I'm literally doing nothing exciting... Except working an a final paper for one of my summer college courses... Woo hoo! :P
Anyways, back to Mystic Falls & the Scooby gang here we come! What trouble can they all get into? Guess we'll see!
Polkadottedgiraffe11