Rebekah let out a long sigh, studying the vampires in front of her. Elena was curled up on the bench seat, her head resting on Elijah's lap. She'd led there to push his limits; to see what she could get away with where Elijah was concerned, all of them knew that much, it was more curious that Elijah had done nothing other than shift slightly, allowing both of them to get comfortable. Rebekah wondered just how much of Elijah's behaviour was due to being ill and how much was simply her brother.
She kept the thought to herself, just as she didn't mention that Elijah was holding the book he was pretending to read upside down, or that he hadn't bothered to turn a page since they'd taken off.
Halfway into the flight, Elena woke up with a yawn, lazily stretching her body out within the available space she had.
Elijah put his book to the side as Elena sat up, rolling her neck from side to side with a soft sigh.
"Are we there yet?" She asked Rebekah, pouting slightly.
The blonde rolled her eyes at Elena. "You only slept half the flight away, we've got a little over an hour to go yet."
Elena let out a dramatic sigh, flopping back onto Elijah's lap, eliciting a sigh from the Original.
"What's wrong, Elijah?" Elena asked innocently, fluttering her eyelashes up at Elijah. "Am I annoying you yet?"
Elijah looked down at Elena and raised an eyebrow at her, making her laugh. "You're too easy to wind up."
Elijah said nothing, only let his head fall backwards and his eyes shut with a soft exhale of breath. He didn't bother opening his eyes when he felt Elena remove her head from his lap, she wasn't there to hurt him, and if she tried he was sure Rebekah would intervene on his behalf.
"Elijah? Are you alright?" Rebekah asked softly, she and Elena both watching Elijah with worried eyes, in Rebekah's case at least, although she suspected there was a glimmer of something behind Elena's.
"I'm fine, sister." Elijah replied just as quietly as Rebekah. "I find I'm rather eager to deal with the cause of this…affliction."
"You and me both." Elena muttered, wondering to herself just how much of a role she and Elijah played in each other's illness. She couldn't deny that she felt better when she was close to him, it wasn't her emotions saying that, she rationalised with herself, she physically felt better next to Elijah, it was interesting. He seemed to feel the same way, from what she could read on his face anyway.
"I need a snack when we land," Elena shrugged, changing the topic from boring feelings, "I'm sure there's plenty of tourists no-one will miss."
"No." Elijah said firmly. "You will not kill anyone else."
Elena clenched her jaw, glaring at the man who couldn't even be bothered to look at her. "Since when do you tell me what to do?"
"New Orleans is tumultuous at the best, Elena, your lack of emotions will not be adding another problem to the mix." He opened his eyes to look at her, raising an eyebrow. "If you want to feed from people, I will not stop you, but you will not kill them."
Elena met his eyes defiantly, her chin jutting out as she glared at him. "Your concern for the people of New Orleans is touching, Elijah, but why do I feel like there's something the two of you aren't telling me about your connections there?"
"Elena…" Rebekah warned softly.
"No, Rebekah," Elena argued, not taking her eyes from Elijah, "I'm willing to try New Orleans to fix whatever is wrong with me, but I will not blindly follow you into a lie." She raised an eyebrow at him, folding her arms over her chest. "So, help me, if we get there and I find out you are lying to me, I won't give a crap about your stupid little rule."
"Be careful, Elena, I am not above putting restrictions into place so you cannot do anything reckless."
Elena scoffed. "What am I? Your child?"
Elijah's eyes flashed as Elena twisted his previous words against him.
"You said you weren't going to lie to me." Elena continued.
"It's not Elijah's secret to tell, Elena." Rebekah interjected, growing more concerned with the tension blossoming between the pair in front of her. "It's more delicate than you can understand."
Elena's glare alternated between the pair either side of her, debating whether this was a topic worth arguing about. Taking stock of the unwavering looks on their faces, she huffed, turning her back on the pair of them and stalking to a secluded seat in the rear of the jet.
Silence reigned over the rest of the flight. Elena hadn't left her seat in the back of the plane, mulling over the Originals she was travelling with; wondering what could be so sensitive that they would be skirting around it in the way they were. Being out of Mystic Falls, she was completely removed from the rumour mill that usually ran through their small town. She wasn't sure if that was a relief or not.
Did she trust Elijah? That was the question that ran through her mind over and over during the rest of the flight and the drive to the old plantation house. They'd betrayed each other several times, but despite that there had always been a mutual understanding between the two; they cared for their families and they would do anything for them. The secret had to involve Klaus, Elena mused, he was the only other Original still standing, more than that, there were only two people Elijah would protect so vehemently, and one was on the flight with them.
"I've been thinking," Elena said suddenly, breaking the silence as she leant forward from her seat in the back on the car, one arm on each of the front seats, "if this is such a big secret, shouldn't you be keeping me away from the very place I assume you're keeping it?"
The siblings exchanged brief glances before Rebekah turned her focus back to the road with a sigh.
"We weighed our options on the flight back." Elijah explained, seemingly content to leave it at that.
"And what? You decided to trust me?" Elena pouted, mocking the Original sat to her right. "Were you hoping I'd beg?" She mock whispered, drawing a snort from Rebekah.
"We are choosing to trust you, Elena, despite what other people involved believe." Elijah said, turning to face her. "I am hoping you won't make me regret it."
Elijah held Elena's gaze unflinchingly as she tilted her head at him, assessing the Original's integrity. She inclined her head in a slight nod; satisfied, Elijah turned back to the front of the car.
Elena sat back in her seat behind Elijah, pulling her feet up to rest on the back of his seat, lightly nudging him in the back. She wasn't sure if she would ever truly doubt his integrity, emotions or not, there was just something about him.
"Other people involved means Klaus, right?" Elena asked, continuing to nudge Elijah in the back. "Are you going to tell me what I'm walking into? Or just leave me to figure it out?"
"Well, we're here now." Rebekah sighed, pulling the car to a stop. "So, I guess you have your answer."
Elena let herself out of the car, admiring the plantation house in front of her as she shut the door firmly. Elijah was much slower to exit the car, shutting the door calmer than Elena, raising an eyebrow at her when he noticed her curious look.
"Was there something you wanted?" He asked.
Elena shook her head, pursing her lips slightly. "Just thinking."
"Steady on, love."
Elena turned to look at Klaus, quirking her eyebrow at him. "Says you of all people."
Elena didn't flinch when Klaus appeared in front of her a split-second later, trapping her against the car. "Don't push my good-nature, love, you're only here because of Elijah. After what happened to Kol, I'd think twice about getting on my nerves."
Elena said nothing, only tilting her head at the hybrid curiously. Klaus had always been volatile, but this wasn't that, he was plenty controlled, it almost seemed like nervousness bubbling underneath his harsh exterior.
Klaus regarded her with a similar curiosity at her lack of response, laughing after a moment. "Well, I never, Elena Gilbert's flipped the switch!" He laughed again, glancing at Elijah and Rebekah before turning back to the doppelganger. "I can't say I ever expected that from you."
Elena shrugged. "A sire bond made it hard to have a say in the matter."
Elijah's head snapped up to look at Elena as she dropped that titbit of information, she hadn't revealed she was beholden to a sire bond.
"If you step a foot out of line," Klaus whispered, leaning closer to Elena, "I will kill you."
"Noted."
As Klaus pulled away from Elena, the front door to the home swung open once again revealing a vaguely familiar face.
"Elijah," she sighed happily, coming down the steps to the house, "you're back."
"What am I? Chopped liver." Rebekah muttered to herself.
"Oh, I know you!" Elena realised as the brunette stepped into a patch of light. "Hayley, right?"
Hayley nodded. "You're the doppelganger."
"Elena." She snapped, quickly reigning in the annoyance that flared in her. "My doppelganger status is pretty irrelevant nowadays."
"Right." Hayley nodded again, turning her attention back to Elijah. "I didn't realise you were coming back today."
"Something came up." Elijah acknowledged, accepting the bag that Rebekah threw at him from the trunk of the car.
Klaus and Hayley both regarded Elijah with curious looks, piquing more intrigue in Elena; they didn't know about Elijah's illness.
A sharp look from Elijah made it clear that Elena wasn't to say anything, she inclined her head slightly in acknowledgement, a raised eyebrow making it clear that she wanted to talk to him later on. Elijah returned a similar gesture, resigned to several difficult conversations that would have to take place.
"How do you feel about a shopping trip tomorrow?" Elena asked suddenly, turning to Rebekah. "I really don't have all that many clothes to be staying here indefinitely."
"You can't be wandering New Orleans, love." Klaus interjected immediately, pulling Elena's attention his way. "You're the doppelganger, vampire or not, people here will be desperate to get their hands on you, we can't have that."
"So, I'll get a witch to change my appearance." Elena shrugged, not seeing the problem that was clearly inscribed on the Original's faces.
"Magic is banned here." Hayley was the one to break the silence, frowning at Elena. "Marcel Gerard punishes any unauthorised magic with execution." She said, like it was obvious.
Elena turned to look at Elijah, folding her arms over her chest as she narrowed her eyes at him, refusing to acknowledge his slightly chagrined expression. "You have so much explaining to do."
This story is going to mess with canon timelines, it will be explained later on, but essentially I've pulled up the timeline of The Originals, so that Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah have already set up residence in NOLA with Hayley, who they know is pregnant. I just don't want to have to rewrite that reveal into this because I really don't care for Hayley, so I've messed with the timelines a little, it shouldn't have much of an effect, but I'm sure there's some confusion right now!
Please let me know what you think!
~ I x