"You know Elijah, me trying to help you isn't going to work if you're resisting me." I said to him bluntly as I folded my arms and glared at the barely touched herbal tea I had made for him. "These herbs will help settle your mind, but you're not letting yourself relax in order to let me in."
"I am perfectly relaxed, and there is no need for all of this. There is absolutely nothing wrong with me." Elijah continued to protest, however I just shot him a blank look as I reminded him that he still had flashbacks and episodes, which by definition meant that he was not fine. I pestered him for as long as I could until he finally agreed to let me put him under for a deep trance so that I could try to help get his mind back on track, to help him find his way to close that red door or erase it altogether. So far the only reason he hadn't completely freaked out again like the time at the diner was because myself, Hayley and Hope were there. He was holding himself together, but I could see the threads beginning to break bit by bit the longer he tried to hold on. I got Hayley to help me persuade him, and as she sat next to him with Hope on her lap, she held Elijah's hand as I lit some incense and created a magical spell which sent Elijah into a deep, tranquil sleep whilst also paralysing his body so that he didn't become violent should he start dreaming.
I worked on him for hours, trying to help him see that although he had done terrible things in the past, he was not a bad person, but it was difficult. For a guy who portrayed such a distinct character of nobility, to remember the darkest moments of his past had torn a rift in his own reality. By the time I was done, the most I had done was help reduce the intensity and frequency of the flashbacks, but Elijah himself wasn't back to normal. There was still a bitterness within him, so after pulling him out of the trance, I leaned forwards and laced my arms around his neck whilst leaning against the back of the couch. "What is this for?" He asked in surprised at my show of affection and worry, reaching up his hand in order to touch his arm as my hair brushed against his.
"I just don't want you to spiral, Eli. No matter what, I hope you remember that there are plenty of people who love you just the way you are. Past sins and all." With that I planted a big kiss on his cheek then grinned at Hayley, kissing her too and then Hope since I was suddenly in such a good mood. "I feel like pancakes. How about I make pancakes for everyone?" Hayley agreed but remained sitting with Elijah on the coach with Hope, so I left them alone to enjoy a little time together. I wanted them to have as many moments together as possible, since from what I could gather, Hayley intended to go through with the bonding ritual with Jackson after all.
I cooked away until Nik returned with Cami in tow, whereby I quickly abandoned the food and rushed outside where, having already met Hope, I pushed open the door in order to lock eyes with her. Immediately her expression changed to one of shock, staring at me open mouthed before she cried out. "Oh my god!"
"Surprise! I'm alive too. It's good to see you Cam." Grinning from ear to ear, Camille and I walked forwards to hug one another as she then gripped onto me, making sure that I was real as the tears started to fall in disbelief.
"I can't believe it, you and Hope…you're both alive. You were…there was a funeral and everything…it was a beautiful service, flowers everywhere…oh my god…"
"Well, I'm glad at least the funeral was lovely. What's the point in dying if people aren't going to dance over your grave and get drunk?" Totally ignoring Nik, I laughed with Cami and hugged her again before we all moved inside so that we could talk, Nik quickly taking the lead as he explained everything that had happened, including Kol's help to hijack their mother's spell, Rebekah putting her blood in the wine that Esther drank, and everything else that followed.
"Now that we've entombed our mother, I intend to finish making the city safe for Hope. Which, to start, means dealing with the lingering problem of Finn."
"Oh, once he figures out what you've done to your mother, he's gonna go off the deep end." Cami worried with a click of her tongue, looking more than a little pale over the fact that she had totally screwed over a Mikaelson. I had liked Finn when I met him before, but it sounds like right now he was being more than a pain in the ass. A total asshole, really.
"That's exactly why we need to keep you out of harm's way. Hayley and I will return home and take care of my wayward brother. Elijah will remain here with you. He's been experiencing some side effects since his ordeal as our mother's captive. Best he stay here and convalesce." Nik smirked with amusement at his older brother, who remained irritated that we were all insistent that he be kept away from too many humans in case of any sudden murderous and bloodthirsty episodes.
"A single violent outburst at a filthy road-side café, and one never hears the end of it."
"Oh, Cami has a way with minds plagued by demons, brother. You two can bond! And we all know that our family druid has a magic touch like no other. In fact it's a wonder she hasn't snapped you back to your old self already." I took offence to the insinuation that it was my fault that Elijah was still a little crooked in the head and quickly rose to defend myself.
"Hey, I would have Elijah on the mend if he wasn't so damn stubborn. I swear, it's a Mikaelson thing." To this Nik just smirked before he then clapped his hands together, signalling the end of the discussion.
"Well, if you excuse me, I best be on my way! Rebekah should have already woken up in the body of Angelica Barker. Once she has cut the ties of Miss Barker's former life, she'll make her way directly here. You should expect her shortly." Nik was in no mind to wait around, so after kissing Hope goodbye he started for the car out front. Hayley wanted to hold her one last time, so whilst she was saying goodbye, I considered running after Nik. I almost did, but then I kept myself from doing so. What was the point? He'd barely even looked at me all the while he'd been here, I won't give him the satisfaction of thinking that I was pining after him.
"You'll keep her safe?" Hayley said to me as she continued to cuddle Hope in her arms so I quickly snapped back to attention and nodded my head.
"There are multiple boundary spells around this place. No one's going to find us here." I promised her sincerely, and after one final kiss, she passed Hope over to me. She fussed a little, making Hayley almost lose the will to leave but after promising her that it won't be long now before Hope will be back with her, Hayley followed Nik out to the car. I brought Hope with me to the porch so that they could see her as they left, the car slowly pulling away and heading down the driveway before vanishing from sight, leaving me to sigh heavily and shift Hope up in my arms. She was getting big now, definitely much heavier than when she was first born.
I hope Bekah will be alright. Body jumping was a delicate type of magic with many things that could go wrong. If I have to fish around for her soul in random bodies, then I won't be happy. That kind of work could take time. A lot of time. "You sure picked a hell of a family to be born into, little one." I said to Hope as I stared into the distance, weighed down by my own thoughts. "But you know, you also picked a family that love you more than anything else in the entire world, so maybe you made a good decision there. With everyone fighting so hard for you, I think you'll never have any problems in life. At least, that's my hope for you." Hope looked straight at me then and smiled, gurgling and cooing before her hand reached out to grasp hold of some of my hair, fascinated by the colour and curls. With a chuckle, I kissed her cheek before carrying her inside the house, thinking no more of the troubles that surrounded us.