Three days later and 2,775 miles away
"Gate 23 will be opening in approximately ten minutes. If you just take a seat we will call passengers up by rows when we're ready for boarding."
Elijah nodded at the attendant and retreated from the check-in counter. He slipped his ticket back into the counterfeit passport and tucked both documents into his jacket pocket.
He glanced around the waiting room for a vacant seat.
The freshly forged passport smelled particularly of vinyl though in all other ways it was a perfect imitation. He had received it and the four others just yesterday from one of Niklaus' shady associates in an even shadier part of Los Angeles. He would have liked to have had them sooner, in order to leave the country sooner, but apparently you cannot rush perfection.
So only now, nearly a month after leaving his family, was Elijah at last prepared to embark on his mission to deceive Mikael. In all that time his father had not made an appearance; every time he called his brother, Niklaus would confirm that things were quiet at his end of the country.
Things were quiet here as well.
Too quiet.
It deeply concerned Elijah that his father, for all intents and purposes, had fallen off the grid. He worried Mikael was planning some malfeasance - if he could only direct the brunt of that violence away from the others.
The passports were part of the ploy - just like the multiple plane tickets Elijah had purchased for each member of his family. It was all part of an attempt to create a paper trail so obvious that any spies in the employment of Mikael would be sure to spot it and report back.
If his father could use his blood to track him, Elijah was sure he was being watched. Even now his eyes swept the waiting area before falling again on the departures board.
He would be glad to move on from California. He had done things here he was far from proud about - but all for the sake of the plan and all in the interests of his family.
In order to draw Mikael's attention to him, for the last four weeks Elijah had been making as much noise as possible.
The best way to create a distraction was to make a scene; within two weeks of his arrival in Los Angeles every national paper was running stories on a string of mysterious murders in the area. It was a necessary hypocrisy; Elijah recalled scolding Niklaus and Kol over the centuries, reproaching their reckless feeding habits and reminding them pointedly that piles of bodies served as a beacon for their father.
And to think that he had judged Leah for the very crime he was now committing.
Elijah sighed as he sank into a seat to wait for the boarding announcement. He did not want to start thinking about Leah, especially in these last ten minutes, especially when the countdown on the board reminded him there was still time to turn around and fix what was broken between them.
Months and years and decades he might be gone, before Mikael was dead, before he could return. Could he truly condemn himself to spend that eternity without her?
The possibility had been strongest in those first few days after Colorado. She didn't want to stay; he simply couldn't - it had felt like the right thing to do to separate. It had been easier to leave her in the urgency of the moment, easy to cloak his cowardice in a familiar sense of duty.
His letter had confessed as much.
And since Hayley had given it to her, since Leah had read it, he knew she had believed him.
Since she had chosen to remain with his brother, he assumed she had forgiven him.
He hoped that she would wait for him.
And yet every time he called Niklaus, Elijah couldn't find the courage to ask to hear Leah's voice.
It terrified him that he might be wrong: that she had chosen to stay - but not for him.
The fear was as constant as her presence in his thoughts. Sometimes he thought he heard her laughter in the crowd; some other red hair and he thought he saw her face. The California sun recalled her smile; the Pacific was not as blue as her eyes.
No ghost could haunt him half as much as she who held his heart three thousand miles away.
What am I doing?
What have I done?
Elijah hoped there was no time to answer these questions but when looked down at his watch he realized only a minute had passed. The powers that be in the universe was stopping time and forcing him to reflect on his mistakes.
He tried to think about something else, about facts, and strategy and logistics, about how he would continue to deceive Mikael once he landed in Melbourne. The ruse would be precarious; the consequences, if discovered, apocalyptic.
He could never have brought Leah with him - it was too dangerous. His mind kept replaying what his brother had said: her heart in Mikael's hand and then what would his unspoken promises be worth?
I didn't even tell her I love her. I didn't even tell her goodbye.
What the hell had he been thinking?
The music in the waiting room cut out for the announcement.
"Attention passengers. There is a slight delay with the boarding of Flight 127. We expect a wait time of only ten or so minutes. Please expect another announcement when the gate is open. Your patience is appreciated."
How very expected, Elijah frowned. He was not looking forward to this extra time with himself.
Elijah hated when planes were delayed or trains ran off schedule. He hated having to sit in this dim and dingy room surrounded by such a motley assortment of characters he could have mistaken the airport for a zoo. He hated having to negotiate with his brother's crooked contacts and to be quite honest he hated this entire plan because above all else Elijah Mikaelson hated having this same debate with himself at every hour of every day.
Was he making a mistake leaving Leah with his brother?
He was momentarily saved from his thoughts.
Elijah tucked his bag further under his chair as another passenger made his way up the narrow aisle toward the attendant's counter. It was a man, hand clasped in the hand of the woman by his side.
"Morning," the man opened, "we just got through security and we wanted to know if you've started boarding yet?"
"We're on our honeymoon," the women beamed, "and they upgraded us to first class!"
"Congratulations," the attendant smiled, "and you've just made it. In fact, we'll be calling up all passengers soon, listen to the PA for the announcement. We would be delighted to offer you a complimentary glass of champagne once we have you on board."
The women squealed in excitement before gushing her appreciation. She squeezed her new husband's hand and the ring shown brightly on her finger as the couple took a seat across from him.
Elijah lowered his eyes thoughtfully as they passed by again. He recognized a sign when he saw it.
He pulled out his passport again and this time brought out another as well.
Opening the red folder, Elijah smiled at the name the forger had chosen for Leah's Russian surname – a Mikhailov indeed. In all but name Leah was already a Mikaelson. He had left her in his brother's protection because he trusted that somewhere deep down Niklaus believed this too; he would protect her as he would protect his own daughter.
Leah was so stubborn anyway, she would never have taken his last name.
Why was he even thinking about this now?
He looked up at the couple across the aisle.
Oh.
As in: Oh, boy, had he fucked this up with Leah.
Leah.
An untamable force of nature – a perfect storm that overwhelmed your senses until you begged for mercy. She was the warm sand he had wash up upon, the lightning that struck him down, that oasis he had stumbled upon after a thousand years in the desert.
But she was also simply a girl, one with a heart as breakable as it was resilient.
And there is only so much a heart can take.
Elijah felt the guilt in his chest tighten into a Gordian knot.
Since August a distance had been growing between him and Leah, one that he did not wish to acknowledge even now, but he was not so deep in his denial that he did not realize that the fault lines ran back to him. As much as he had allowed himself to grow impatient with her, frustrated with her, even angry with her, it was undeniably his actions which had bent the bough until it broke.
So Leah had every right to be upset with him, to push him away, to want nothing to do with him. If anything, she was now enjoying herself free from his smothering affections. Maybe she would even come to realize she liked it better that way - away from him. That would certainly make this long separation easier to endure.
Ah, there he was again, repeating old excuses. They didn't sound as convincing the hundredth time around.
Elijah stared up at the board behind the attendant's desk wondering just when they were going to open the damn gate. His eyes returned to the couple from before. They were enthusiastically sifting through one of the travel magazines from the check-in desk, no doubt planning what sights they would see on their honeymoon.
He had never been to Australia with Leah. They hadn't made it out that far east. They had plans to do India, Singapore, and Bali this summer.
But plans were not promises, he reminded himself ruefully - plans change.
Elijah returned Leah's passport to his pocket reminding himself that this was one plan that couldn't change.
The announcement crackled on and the music cut out again.
"Passengers for Flight 127 from Los Angeles to Melbourne, please have out your passes. We will be boarding momentarily."
Finally, Elijah thought as he slipped a hand into his breast pocket to retrieve his boarding pass.
He remained seated, watching the couple across from him take photos of themselves with their phones. How lucky they were, he reflected with a touch of bitterness. The plane could probably go down and they would still be fawning over each other.
It was easy for them, this unconditional love - they were both human. What was there that could ever threaten their devotion to each other?
Was he a thousand years old vampire?
Was she a bloodthirsty hybrid?
Was there a resurrected madman intent on putting a stake through their hearts?
No - and that's why love came easy to mortals; by the time this couple across from him woke up and realized just how wrong they were for each other they'd both be dead anyway.
That was the problem with falling in love with another immortal: a lot can happen between now and forever and break ups were an ugly business.
Perhaps Niklaus had been right. Perhaps five years was all fate would allow Leah to be his.
He was making excuses again. If he didn't get on the plane soon Elijah worried he would make up an excuse not to.
He exhaled deeply, unclenching his fist; his boarding pass lay mangled in his hand.
Was he making a mistake leaving Leah with his brother?
Yes - but he couldn't go back now. Her life - everyone's lives - depended on him acting as a diversion, on him getting on this plane.
His head remained inflexible. His heart, however, reminded him that both plans and planes can change.
Elijah tried to ignore his heart. He did not need it right now and it had always been his greatest weakness anyway.
Yet trying to ignore it only make it beat louder. The Original suddenly felt very anxious, unsure, a wave of doubt that made his brow sweat and his hand shake.
Elijah stood abruptly, checking the time on the departures board again. Any second they would be opening the gate and he would walk through the jet bridge, get on that plane, take his seat and be on his way – there would be no more doubt, no more debates, no last chance to turn around and go back for her.
He would see this plan through to the end, because that was the right thing to do.
Leaving Leah had been the right thing to do.
Except that one wasn't an excuse - it was simply a lie.
"Now boarding 6:25 Flight 127 to Melbourne. First and Business class ticket holders, please make your way up front for boarding."
That was him; this was it. It was time to get on that plane and not a second too soon.
Was he making a mistake leaving Leah with his brother?
Yes, yes, God yes - but it was too late to turn around now.
"Boarding pass, sir?"
The attendant held an electronic scanner in one hand, the other outstretched and waiting.
Elijah awkwardly fumbled with the crumbled ticket, attempting to smooth it out before handing it over.
Just as the woman scanned it another announcement rang out overhead.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have just received word from the pilot that there appears to be an issue with one of our engines which requires re-inspection. We ask for your patience as we put your safety first. At this time we are closing the gate. We apologize for the delay."
The PA clicked out. The entire waiting area erupted into groans.
Elijah, however, felt only relief.
He recognized a sign when he saw it.
The attendant handed his ticket back with a polite smile.
"Sorry about this, sir. Please hold onto your boarding pass and we will scan it again when we call you back up."
Again he nodded, retreating from the counter. This time, however, he did not return to his seat.
Elijah walked away from the gate, tearing his boarding pass in two with both hands as he went. With long, confident strides he began to retrace his steps through the airport.
This was, after all, the wrong terminal for domestic flights.
Overhead the departures board had refreshed. Flight 127 was now marked as cancelled.
A sign indeed, for it was when he looked up that Elijah ran into the last person he ever expected to see.