Elijah stares at the lit-up screen of his phone, contemplating. It had been half a week since he had met Maggie. The knowledge of her existence haunted him ever since.
The elatedness he had experienced upon finding her and caring for her had long vanished and had been replaced with a constant ache and desire to be near his mate again. Despite this dire urge, he had kept true to his word and had distanced himself from Maggie per her request.
He hadn't believed Maggie when she declared to have already found her soulmate, but had kept his incredulity tucked away under a well-practiced mask of stoicism. If Maggie had truly found a soulmate, someone other than him, he would have noticed physical evidence of this.
The whole notion was foolish, but understandable. How could his mate, with her dulled human senses, possibly comprehend the strong emotions he currently experienced? Maggie was most likely confused in her affection for the deficient human she had married. The love they shared couldn't possibly live up to that of the love between two soulmates.
After the mention of her marriage, his gaze had immediately dropped to her ring finger for material evidence of her union, but came up short. Elijah had noticed the way Maggie had blushed under his inquisitive look, and he had switched topics.
Elijah had kindly offered his mate to bring her back home, convincing Maggie that he would not harm her or her husband. In addition to this, he even apologized for the inconvenience he had caused. The fabrication of these statements had stung a little, knowing they were false in nature, but after centuries of dealing with easily frightened human beings, Elijah knew this was the kindest thing to do as to not alarm Maggie.
He had pulled up to a nice-looking home and had of course insisted on opening Maggie's door for her and walking her up to the porch before saying their goodbyes. His mate had meekly agreed to all this.
Elijah had watched from a distance how Maggie got greeted by a group of relieved-looking people. He had silently pondered which of the males was supposed to be Maggie's spouse, but found it difficult to distinguish anyone who had been especially affectionate towards his mate.
But whoever it was, he resented the man for not properly caring for Maggie and would be certain the man would eventually be punished fittingly.
The noble Original did not easily feel dejected, and he knew he would get his mate one way or another but like with the dish he had prepared so lovingly for her; gentle persuasion and seduction worked better than force. Which meant that satisfying his bloodlust would have to be delayed until Maggie was completely his.
Elijah lets out a frustrated sigh before finally coming to a decision. Within seconds he is dialing the last person he had wanted to speak to.
"Elijah." The voice on the other side of the line radiated every bit of mistrust and accusation that Elijah had been expecting. "It has been a while."
He ignores the urge to retaliate with a comment of his own, there was no time to waste on petty squabbling. "Niklaus, I need your help."
• • •
Maggie swiftly makes her way down the various aisles of the supermarket. She needed to make haste, seeing as Emma was waiting for her at the Gilbert home. Jenna had offered to watch Emma on her free days, which meant Maggie now had the luxury to cram in a short shopping trip.
They were running low on food, and she was trying her best to make ends meet on her shortened salary. Her boss hadn't been sympathetic towards Maggie for missing a day of work due to being kidnapped.
It has been a few days since Maggie had been introduced to the world of the supernatural and things have returned to their normal pace for Maggie, or as normal as life can be when you're aware of the existence of vampires and werewolves.
After some internal debate about the cost of the can of soup she was holding, Maggie decides to put it back and walks over to the checkout, making sure to send the tired-looking cashier a warm, but equally tired smile.
Maggie has been trying very hard over the past few days to repress her recollections of Elijah, but she found that his statements gnawed at her in the night when no other thoughts occupied her mind.
She had considered his words and the way he had treated her, and supposed that he might have felt connected to her in some way. He had offered her the illusion of true love and a happy ever after, but Maggie knew what love looked like, and she believed there was no way that the man could harbor such emotions after knowing her for a few hours.
Besides that, pursuing anything with Elijah would endanger Emma and expose her daughter to terrible things. Despite Elijah's kindness towards her, she had also witnessed his anger, indignation, and ability to severely harm another being with little to no remorse.
"Alright, dear. Your total is $67,29."
The cashier's voice snaps Maggie out of her pondering and her eyes lift in shock at the digital screen of the cash register. She hadn't meant to splurge on groceries, but almost all the cupboards were empty.
"I had a coupon." Maggie mumbles whilst searching her bag. She tries to ignore the agitated sigh from the middle-aged woman behind her.
"Your card declines." The cashier announces in what must be her most sympathetic tone after Maggie's failed attempt at paying.
Her boss was late with her salary payment. Maggie goes red and turns from the cashier to the lady behind her, muttering an apology.
She makes a quick estimation of how much money there should be in her account before turning back to the cashier, who was visibly growing impatient due to the holdup. "I will just take the cereal and rice, please. I will put everything else back-" Maggie offers before getting cut off.
A voice speaks up from behind Maggie. "I can pay for you. If that's alright with you?"
Maggie looks up to meet the eye of the stranger that had spoken up. The man smiles in an assuring manner at her as he steps toward her. She automatically steps back and shakes her head when realizing the man was awaiting her reply. "That's very kind of you, but you don't have to-"
"I want to. I very much believe in random acts of kindness." The man grins.
"Just let him pay for it! You've been holding up the line for ten minutes!" The agitated woman behind them snaps, hands waving around in frustration.
Maggie swallows and hesitates before nodding and stepping back to let the man pay. She didn't like to accept favors from strangers, those could only lead to trouble or debt, but on the other hand, Emma needed to be fed, and to live off only rice and cereal for the coming days didn't seem like an option either.
"Have a good day!" The man smiles before turning away.
Maggie hastily grabs her grocery bags and follows him, catching up to him outside. "Wait, can't I know the name of the person that helped me out?"
The man glances over the woman's shoulder at something before shifting his gaze back to her face. "How about this, I will tell you the next time I see you."
"That's much too vague. What if I never see you again?" Maggie allows a genuine smile, a little more relaxed now. She really hoped to repay the kind stranger in some way.
"You will." The man smiles. "I will be in town for a bit."
• • •
"Momma! You came!" Emma runs up to her mother, arms raising in a silent request to be lifted.
"Hi, honey. Yes, I'm here." Maggie bends down and lifts Emma and tightly hugs her.
Ever since Maggie's kidnapping, Emma found it hard to believe her mother would come to pick her up. Maggie understood her daughter's uncertainty, but hoped Emma would soon be able to trust her again.
"How are you?" Jenna asks, hand remaining on the door.
"I'm alright." Maggie smiles. "Busy day at work. People love to leave little... surprises for the maid every now and then."
"People are the worst." Jenna gives her a look of understanding.
Maggie grins. She gently places Emma back on her feet, when she does so her attention is drawn to the gathered group in the living area.
"What are you guys up to?"
"Ric, Stefan, and Damon are busy planning to deal with Elijah." Jenna rolls her eyes. She was glad to finally be included more in the lives of her loved ones, but didn't believe trying to one-up an ancient vampire to be a wise idea.
Maggie automatically looks up at the mention of Elijah's name. Despite not wanting to pursue anything with her kidnapper, she didn't like the idea of the guys trying to thwart Elijah. He wouldn't hesitate to kill them. "What are they planning exactly?"
"Elijah visited Elena to make a deal two days ago. Damon doesn't believe Elijah can really keep Elena safe and alive during the ritual."
"But, he promised me-"
"Are we really going to trust the promise of someone we don't know?" Damon cut in, joining the three at the door.
"Damon." Maggie greets mildly, eyes wary. She was still processing the fact that Stefan and Damon were vampires themselves and were probably the reason for the many 'animal attacks' Mystic Falls has seen.
"Margaret, you look nice." Damon compliments, a smirk playing on his lips.
Maggie ignores Damon's attempt at flattery. "Elijah is trustworthy to some extent, he brought me back."
"That's because he is in love with you." Damon rolls his eyes.
"Someone is in love with you?" Emma gasps, hands grabbing onto her mother's shirt to gain her attention.
"No, sweetie. Damon is being silly." Maggie pacifies.
Emma thinks this over for a second before nodding. Her mother had warned her about Damon's silly behavior.
"I didn't agree to any of this." Elena calls, also walking up to the door. "I think Elijah can keep me safe, it's just that my opinion doesn't matter to them. We're not planning on hurting Elijah." Elena assures, hoping to ease Maggie's conscience a little. She didn't know if Maggie cared about Elijah, but discussing his downfall at length seemed needlessly cruel to her.
Maggie's gaze drops to Elena's clavicles, between them the familiar silver pendant was once again resting. Elijah had given her Elena's necklace when they said goodbye. He had urged her to wear it for her protection. Maggie had considered this before giving it back to Elena this morning. She hadn't wanted to cause strife or initiate a feeling of discontentment in the teenager. Maggie hoped Elijah wouldn't be cross when he found out.
"You're not planning on hurting him. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to keep you safe." Damon mutters.
"Damon." Stefan warns.
"Emma seems to be growing out of her clothes." Jenna notes, changing the subject.
"I know, she grows very fast." Maggie's smile falters a little. She had never wanted Emma to look out of sorts, but clothes were expensive, especially seeing as Emma's wardrobe needed to be changed every few months due to her growth.
She couldn't help but feel incredibly jealous sometimes when she saw other parents with their children, doting on them, spoiling them. It reminded her of her own shortcomings as a mother, something she didn't want to dwell on for too long.
Jenna's eyes light up. "I have quite a pile of Elena's children's clothes in the attic, if you want, you can have those."
"That's very kind of Jenna, but surely you want to keep them? For your own-" Maggie's gaze wanders to Alaric, who had been quietly sipping his drink in one of the chairs. She knew Alaric and Jenna hadn't been together for a very long time, but the two seemed very fond of each other and both seemed to be willing to put in the work for a long-term relationship. Especially now that Jenna was aware of the supernatural, the two seemed inseparable.
Alaric chokes on his drink when he notices Maggie's raised brows. "Oh no. We're not having kids anytime soon. Please take them, Maggie."
"What about you, Elena, don't you want to keep them?"
"Take them all, Maggie. Emma needs them, besides that, no use in them gathering dust in the attic." Elena offers, glad to be of help.
"Can we go home? Please?" Emma whines, hands pulling on her mother's arm. After being away from her mother all day, she wanted her attention to herself.
"Yes, of course." Maggie bends down once more to lift Emma onto her hip, bounding her a little to draw some giggles from her before turning back to Jenna. "I will pick them up next time, thank you again, for watching Emma."
After saying their goodbyes, Maggie carries Emma to the car, buckles her in, and drives off, not noticing the car that was closely following them.