Hello Reader! I am sooo sorry for the delay in posting! If you dont follow mebon Tumblr (xxwritemeastoryxx) and seen my ramblings or even just my random posts, I had a very hard time mentally the last several months. I almost reached a breaking point and realized I needed a lot more help than I thought. I am doing better and I'm getting the help I need. With that being said, I took some time to just write without posting anything just yet. Forgotten Alliance is finished in terms of writing. But I wont be posting it all at once. Thank you so much for your patience during this time. It is really appreciated! I'm skipping the reviews for the previous chapter cause I know you guys just want to dive right on into the chapter. I promise chapters will be posted sooner.
Happy reading!
Elijah,
It's times like this, when Hope is visiting you, that I wish I could just swallow my pride and go out there and spend a day with you. I can feel you worry and I can feel the disappointment in the bursts of joy you have at seeing your niece. But I can't go back empty handed. Even with the promise of the cure in less than two months time, I can't bring myself to do it. I can't bare to see the look on Hayley's face. She's got a point though. As much as I was trying, I wasn't doing enough. This, while it is everything I was afraid of, has given me faith that it won't be long before you are cured. For the months it had taken Lily to get three strands separated, Jax's team managed to do it in two weeks. It won't be long.
I hope that writing this out while Hope is visiting that you can feel everything as I write this. While I hate that I am away from you like this, I'm okay with the fact that me staying away as I have ensures a cure. We'll be okay.
I love you Elijah. And at this very moment, I miss you like crazy.
Elizabeth sighed as she dropped the pen on the desk. Things had changed since she had left Hayley's. As much as she wanted to go, she didn't want to deal with the hybrid. She didn't want to show up empty handed any time soon. And if that meant staying away, she'd do it for the time being.
As she sat at the desk, she felt the sense of calm wash over her and a smile pulled at her lips. Writing the letter had worked. She'd been able to convey the feelings she needed while writing and it seemed like Elijah was calming down from the worry and stress that he had been feeling. One day soon she'd be going over there to visit. She just needed to have some kind of news before she went.
"Where the hell have you been?" Malakai asked as Elizabeth made her way into the compound later that day. Ever since Vincent had come looking for Elizabeth, she had been scarce. She was hardly ever home and if she was, it was only for a few minutes at a time. Time had been moving quickly since Elizabeth had made her deal with Jax. Another week under their belt and it seemed that things were going as she needed them to be. Things were already different and it was only a matter of time until they changed even more.
"What are you my father?" Elizabeth asked as she walked towards the stairs.
"Come on, Liz." He said as he watched her reached the stairs. "Talk to us. You missed a council meeting last week, you sent Josh to this week's."
She stopped with her foot on the second step and turned towards him. "Things are being taken care of that is all that matters. I've spoken with Mary and the Mayor. I'll be there at the next council meeting to discuss a few things that I've been doing." She shrugged her shoulders. "There is nothing that needs to be discussed at this moment."
"What about Vincent? Have you spoken with him? You are on the council with him."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes slightly. "He's actually on his way over here. There is no need for you to worry, Kai."
"The last time you said that, you compelled me to leave." He noted.
"Have you ever thought you ask to many questions?" She shrugged once more and made her way up the stairs.
She was in fact meeting with Vincent in a few minutes. There were several things that she needed to get situated. There were things coming up that she was going to need his help with. Elizabeth knew she could let him in on some details and it wouldn't be breaking the contract at all.
"How was the church meeting?" Elizabeth asked the moment Vincent stepped into the room.
"Wonderful." Vincent said with a small smile. "St Anne's hasn't been that full for quite some time. It's nice to have a place where we can just go to talk things out."
Ever since Vincent had taken the church back, it had been thriving. It was a safe place for anyone to go to. It was also the perfect place to hold town meetings whenever needed. Peace had been spreading through the city quite easily since the reopening of the church. Vincent had done well in keeping to his word about the place. Magic couldn't be used the moment you stepped into it. Vampire's bloodlust and enhanced features had been toned down once they walked in. For the wolves, their ability to change at will was stopped, making everyone essentially human while visiting.
"I'm glad." Elizabeth said with a genuine smile.
"I'm hoping this meeting between us will be a success as well." He said with a nod of his head.
"As do I." She agreed. "I know things haven't been clear on my part."
"Your head hasn't been in it since you've returned." He noted as he walked over to the sofa and took a seat. "What is weighing on that mind of yours?"
Elizabeth chuckled and shook her head slightly. "So much. But I wont bore you with all the details of how I feel like I failed the Mikaelsons."
"I am assuming during this time you haven't kept to the promise you made before leaving." While it wasn't a complete deal breaker to Vincent, he just wanted better for the city. If Elizabeth was lost in other things, he wanted to know.
"I needed time to myself." She admitted. "I lost so much time looking for something that I knew wasn't going to come easily." It had been the first time she had said the words out loud. She had known it all along that things would have been easier if she had just jumped ahead. But as she always told herself this was always supposed to be a last resort. "The last few weeks I've seen things more clearly than I have been in years. So no, I haven't broken that promise to you. I haven't been an active participant in finding a way to bring them back."
Her words had surprised Vincent. Even as the words had settled deeper into his mind, he was still wasn't sure if this was really what Elizabeth was saying. "That bond of yours isn't going to get in the way of what is best for this city?" He had chosen his words carefully. If the roles had been reversed and his mate had been locked away somewhere, he would have done everything he could to free them. But seeing as this was the Mikaelson's they were talking about, his idea of it all had been twisted to see a Mikaelson free New Orleans for several lifetimes.
Sighing, Elizabeth walked and took a seat in front of Vincent. "It won't get in the way of the plans we made for the city." Even though she hated to say the words, it was what she believed in the moment. She wasn't going to be leaving the city soon. Not when she had to keep a close eye on Jax.
"No more missing council meetings?" He wanted the assurance of all the questions on his mind.
"Nope. I'll be at every one of them." She nodded her head. "There will be times during the week that I will need a day or two to myself to get my emotions in check. But that will always be after a meeting. Mary and the Mayor agreed that this was what I needed to ensure that the city was my top priority and not me chasing after stories."
Vincent sighed and shook his head. "That isn't you. You wouldn't give something like this up so easily."
"I can't do it anymore." She looked at Vincent in the eyes. "I can't go out there hoping for one outcome when I know damn well how it ends. I refuse to get my hopes up for them to be shattered by a miscalculation or the fact that I did things the wrong way. So yeah, this is me giving up. Time will tell how things will play out. I wont be the one actively doing this. Someone else can take the lead for now."
Vincent couldn't find anything to say at first. She really had taken a step back from the plans she had when she had taken over at the beginning of all of this. The fire that he had seen in her eyes a while ago, it was dimmed in comparison. "Alright." He said with a nod. "I can see that you are all in."
"Good." She nodded. "Now lets get started on the long list of things I've missed at the council meeting.
"What do you mean she isn't coming?" Hayley asked as she let Malakai into the house.
"She doesn't want to be here." He shook his head. "She made it perfectly clear that coming here wasn't high on her priority list."
Hayley sighed. "It's been weeks. Hope has been wanting to see her and she wont answer my calls."
"What you said got to her, Hayley." Malakai said as he looked over at her. "She believes that everything you had said was justified and that coming here in between now and her having the cures seems pointless. Something about false hope."
"Did you tell her that I was just acting out on anger when I said that?" She asked as she ran a hand through her hair.
"Several times." He nodded. "That night, it was like she had a new fire burning in her. But the last few days, I watched that fire die out while she not only distances herself from us, but she's pouring herself into the work for the city."
Hayley plopped herself down on the couch. "I get that she is angry with me. I deserve that. But she shouldn't shut Hope out because of me. We both know she needs to see Elijah too."
"She's not doing well with being away from him. I can tell she misses him and as much as she wants to come and see him, she's not going to come here empty handed." It was the truth. Elizabeth had said it several times before Malakai made the decision to head out there himself. He had spent hours trying to convince Elizabeth to get in the car with him. But no matter how many times he tried, he couldn't get her to agree. "I don't know how to convince her to just drop what she is doing and come for a visit."
"Kai!" Hope came running into the room a moment later. She had been visiting the Mikaelsons when he had first arrived. But as she rounded the hall corner and entered the living room, her eyes quickly scanned for Elizabeth. The excitement on her face at hearing Malakai's voice had fell the moment she didn't see Elizabeth.
"Is Aunt Liz outside?" She asked looking between Malakai and Hayley.
Hayley sighed and motioned for Hope to come over to her. Hope walked over to her and Hayley pulled her up into the seat next to her. "Liz is really busy right now." While it was the truth, she wasn't going to out right say that Elizabeth didn't want to come. "As much as she wanted to be here, she couldn't. So she sent Kai here to spend some time with us."
The pout that formed on Hope's lips had actually hurt Hayley to see. Elizabeth and Hope had a connection that no one else shared with her. Elizabeth had been like Hope's friend and between the two they had their own language that before Hope could even speak, Elizabeth understood. If Hayley had just kept her mouth shut, Elizabeth would have been here spending time with Hope. She wouldn't be keeping her distance.
"She'll come and visit the first chance she can." Malakai added. "She hates being away from you and your Uncle. Eventually her missing you two will be too much and she'll drop all her work and come for a visit."
"That sounds like a long time from now." Hope said as she looked between the two. "Can't we call her?"
Hayley looked at Malakai Hopeful. They both knew Elizabeth wouldn't answer Hayley's calls. If Malakai tried, they might just have a chance for Hope to speak with her. Malakai nodded his head and began pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. "Let's hope she's not busy."
The phone had barely rang three times before Elizabeth answered it. Is everything okay Kai? Both Malakai and Hayley could hear the worry in her voice. At least Elizabeth knew that Malakai was headed out to Hayley's.
"Yeah, everything is fine." Malakai assured her. "Someone was upset that she didn't get to see you and asked if we could call. Are you busy?" He listened as she sighed. He could hear a few things happening in the background before the sound of a door closed.
I've got some time. Not much, but it's probably enough to make her day. Malakai nodded even though she couldn't see it. He held out the phone for Hope and she left Hayley's side quickly and grabbed the phone.
"Aunt Liz?" She asked into the phone before it even reached her ear.
Hey, Hope. They could all hear the excitement in her voice. How are you?
"Good!" Hope said with a smile on her face at hearing Elizabeth's voice in her ear. Hope dived into everything she had been up to the last few weeks. Everything from the tea parties she had with her Aunts and Uncles to the picnics that they all went on out by the lake. Elizabeth chuckled and even asked about specific details about the events she spoke about. "Uncle Elijah says he wishes you would come visit."
There was a pause on the other end of the line for a moment. I know. I wish I could visit him too. But I've got a lot going on right now and I promise the moment I can I'll go visit you both.
"Okay." There was a sad tone to Hope's words. "Aunt Bex said you're staying away because you are mad at my mom."
Both Malakai and Hayley's eyes widened. They hadn't expected Hope to mention that. A sigh passed Elizabeth's lips.
Your Aunt Bex- A knock at the door stopped Elizabeth from saying whatever it was she was about to say. I have to go take care of a few things, okay?
"Okay." Hope said into the phone.
Can you give your Uncle a message for me the next time you visit?
"Yes!" The saddened tone was replaced by excitement. If there was anything Hope loved, it was giving her family news about Elizabeth.
Tell him I'm sorry for disappearing on him. I'll be there when I can, I promise. And that he doesn't have to be so worried all the time. That had caused Hope to laugh at her words. I'll talk to you again soon. Okay, Hope?
"Promise?" She asked with a smile on her face.
I promise.
Without another word, Elizabeth hung up the phone and Hope handed Malakai the phone. "I think everything is going to be okay." Hope said with her smile still on her face as she looked at the two adults in front of her before practically running out of the room.
"Oh he is going to love that." Malakai said with a slight roll of his eyes.
"This really has hurt her. " Hayley mentioned as she leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees.
"Put yourself in her shoes, Hayley." He said as he put his phone away. "You went out there trying to do everything you can to get your mate back, to come back empty handed. She had already been upset with the spell. But to have it thrown in her face minutes after coming back from that, it broke her."
"I've had my fair share of doing things for the people that I loved. But you're right, I was still to hard her about everything. It wasn't fair to her when she has done so much to make sure Hope was safe this whole time." Hayley shook her head. "There is no way to fix this is there?"
"I used to know Elizabeth like she was the back of my hand. But so many things have changed since I went into that coffin. She used to not hold a grudge on anything. But after what Aya had done to her and everything in between than and now, it's hard to tell what she's capable of anymore. The best thing to do is just give her some space. She'll come around."
"So what was so important that you had to step away?" Jax asked as Elizabeth came back to stand next to him.
"That falls out of your contract knowledge." She said keeping her eyes on the team working away just beyond the window. "If it was something you needed to know, I would have had the conversation right in front of you."
Jax chuckled. "So secretive. Eventually you wont care about sharing those secrets."
Elizabeth scoffed. "Even without my humanity there are some things I would never share. You don't care for my history. You only care about the pain you'll be able to inflict and the research you'll get."
He smirked and looked over at her. "Even after all these years, you still don't realize the full capability of what I can do."
"And we both know that if I didn't need this cure so badly, I never would." She said never taking her eyes off what was in front of her.
"It's only a matter of time." He said as his smirk grew. "Then you'll know exactly what I have planned."
The words had made Elizabeth's heart sink at hearing them. It didn't help that the moment of fear that filled her happened the moment she felt Elijah's presence.