Chapter 86: A Drink for Two
July 26, 2011
It had been over a month since Ellie had forcibly turned Elena back into a human, much to the shock of everyone around them. But that was not the only massive revelation that hit the Scooby Gang. Bonnie had managed a seemingly impossible feat of bringing Jeremy back to life. He was flesh and bone and whole. Ellie and Jenna had cried for what seemed like hours as they held him. They had not been able to save Alaric like they'd saved Jeremy, but being able to hold Jeremy had repaired a small piece of her broken heart. It was one less nightmare for her to choke on.
Rebekah had come to say goodbye before taking off with Matt for the summer to Europe, or maybe they were going to Asia too. Truthfully, the plan was for her to take him to as many places as possible and Ellie understood it. They deserved it. They deserved freedom and a break from the never ending insanity that was Mystic Falls. She couldn't blame them. Had it not been for Jeremy's return to the land of the living, she would have wanted to get out of there as well.
Elijah had proposed the idea before. It was one of the nights where the nightmares had been too much. Too many memories in the confines of this merciless town. Too much blood and too many lives. But it was over. Silas was gone, Elena was human, Jeremy was alive, and she was safe. What more could she ask for? Elijah had not tried to change her mind when she told him that she couldn't leave Jeremy, not now, not yet. She needed time with him so that she wouldn't wake up and that he'd slip through her fingers.
Just because they had decided to stay, didn't mean that Elijah hadn't done everything in his power to make her feel better. And he had a lot in his power. Some days they didn't leave the bed, twisted in sheets and limbs in what felt like never ending bliss. There was relief in falling apart with Elijah holding her close. And to be frank, she had fallen apart so many times that she'd lost count. They'd retreated back to their apartment. When had she started thinking of it as her apartment too? Klaus had a lot of repairs to do on the mansion, but sometimes Ellie just wanted alone time with Elijah.
Other nights she spent cuddling up on the couch with Katherine and Jenna in Katherine's apartment. Last night was one of those nights, only with an extra guest. Jeremy, with much prying, had found out about the time that Jenna and Ellie spent with Katherine. When she'd asked why he hadn't already known since he'd had the ability to creep on her and Jenna, he admitted he'd spent most of his time watching over Bonnie, though he'd watched over them as well. He'd been nervous to interact with Katherine, but he'd been willing to make an effort for his sister. The night had been awkward at first, but as they drank what was most likely overpriced alcohol, the tension had lessened and both Jeremy and Katherine had relaxed.
It was only when she and Ellie were drunkenly singing along to Celine Dion that Jeremy had let his guard down. The two girls were using hairbrushes as their microphones and Katherine supported Ellie in a dramatic pose as they hit high notes that they might not have been able to do when they were sober. With enough drinks in his system as well, Jeremy had laughed along with Jenna. As the night progressed, it started to feel like a regular family affair. They'd played cards, where Jeremy swore that Ellie was using her magic to cheat her way into winning. She'd responded by attacking him with a pillow.
They'd also introduced Katherine to the Harry Potter movies where she quite proudly declared that she would be a Slytherin. Surprisingly enough, she took quite a liking to Hermione even though she thought she was a bit annoying at the same time. It caught Ellie by surprise, she thought that Hermione would have annoyed Katherine. By the end of the night Katherine and Jeremy had ended up drunk wrestling more than once. Jeremy even almost won once.
Katherine and Ellie had ended up passed out in Katherine's bed while Jenna and Jeremy took the guest bed. When she woke, she was greeted by a text from Stefan. "What's that?" Katherine asked curiously as she rested her head on Ellie's shoulder. "Stefan?"
"Mmhmm." Ellie confirmed. "He wants to hang out." When Katherine made no attempt to hide her interest, Ellie continued, "Elena finally decided on Damon. I thought Stefan was going to leave town after he dumped Silas' body, but I guess he decided he wanted to stick around for a while."
"Can't say I'm upset that he decided to stick around." Katherine said with a small grin.
Ellie grinned back as she texted her response to Stefan. "Come on, I'm hungry." Ellie replied as she dragged her lookalike out of the bed.
They made their way into the kitchen to find Jenna and Jeremy already there. "Good morning." Jenna chimed as she and Jeremy had started on breakfast. "Hope you're hungry."
"You didn't set the kitchen on fire." Ellie stated.
"It's a miracle." Katherine sassed.
"Hush, both of you." Jenna shot back as she waved a wooden spoon at them both in warning.
Katherine stood behind Ellie in mock fear. "I'm shaking in my boots, protect me princess."
"I'll never let anything happen to you!" Ellie shot back with fake bravado. Jeremy chuckled in amusement at the dramatics. If he thought about it, their behavior was quite similar to the way Ellie and Elena used to act before everything fell apart. Hell, maybe Ellie was even more comfortable with Katherine. Ellie hip bumped Jeremy out of the way with a cheeky grin. "Move, you're gonna burn the waffles at this rate."
"Sorry Chef Ellie, didn't mean to be in your way." Jeremy replied.
"That's what I thought." She said confidently. "Kat, do you want blueberry waffles or strawberry waffles?"
Katherine thought it over for a moment before she replied, "How about both?"
"That does sound good." Jeremy agreed. He was still a bit nervous around Katherine, but far less than he'd been before he'd spent the night in her home. The four settled into an easy routine while they cooked before sitting at the kitchen table.
"This is new." Ellie commented. In the previous visits, Katherine hadn't bothered to have one. She hadn't seen a need.
"Well, if we're going to be playing the Brady Bunch, I might as well furnish the set." Katherine joked. "How did the new bed sleep? I haven't used it to be honest."
"It was nice." Jeremy said through a mouth full of food. "Pretty comfy."
Jenna nodded in agreement as she gave him a small grin. "Don't talk with your mouth full like that."
"Sorry." He mumbled from yet another mouthful of food.
Katherine wouldn't admit, not ever, not even in her wildest dreams, that this was the closest she'd gotten in so long to feeling like she had a family. Somehow, with some magic that Katherine didn't understand how Ellie could possess, she was piecing together parts of Katherine's life that she hadn't dared to hope for. It felt nice. They ate together easily before Ellie's phone went off once more. "Who's that?" Jenna asked curiously.
"Is it Lover Boy?" Katherine asked curiously.
"Stefan, again." Ellie corrected. "He's asking when I want to meet up."
Jenna was finishing off her plate as she replied, "Oh that sounds fun."
"Yeah, I haven't had the time to hang out with him in a while." Ellie agreed. "I should get dressed." She finished her last bite before moving to take her plate to the sink. She left the three of them as she went to raid Katherine's closet.
"Sure, help yourself!" Katherine shouted from the kitchen.
"Of course, I will!" Ellie teased. It didn't take long for her to get dressed. "I'll see you guys later." She pressed a kiss to each of their cheeks before heading out. She met Stefan on the outskirts of town in a little bar she wasn't familiar with.
"Ellie!" Stefan cheered uncharacteristically at her arrival as he swooped in and pressed a firm kiss just at the corner of her mouth. She allowed it out of surprise, but then again it also didn't bother her much. "You're here! I was wondering when you'd arrive."
"Have you been drinking, Stefan?" Ellie asked. "When did you get here?"
"A while ago." He said with a shrug. "I thought you'd never get here." It was nearly a whine as he spoke. He slung his arm over her shoulder and pulled her toward a booth in the back.
"Why are we drinking?" Ellie asked curiously.
"The love of my life has decided she'd rather fuck my brother, my best friend is stuck back on the other side because said brother killed her, and I still can't make my sorry ass get the hell out of this stupid fucking town." Stefan explained. "So I'd rather spend some time with my other favorite person in the whole world, drinking to forget, even if it's only for a little while."
Ellie grinned softly. "I'm your favorite person in the world?"
They were practically nose to nose as he grinned at her. "Of course you are." He confirmed. "Let's drink!" He called over the bartender to order another round of drinks as he settled into the booth with her. The bartender was quick with their drinks and Ellie found herself losing track of how many shots she'd taken as she kept up with Stefan. When did the music get so loud? It seemed like a lot of the people in the bar had drunk a great deal as well. "Let's dance!" Stefan suggested as they downed another round.
"Dance?" Ellie practically had to shout to talk over the music.
"Yeah!" He encouraged as she allowed him to drag her out of her seat. Her phone was left in her bag, forgotten by the tipsy witch. She hadn't heard any of the incoming calls or texts that she'd received. She had no idea what song was playing, but she and Stefan were dancing close on the dance floor as other couples filled the space around them. Her brain felt oddly foggy, but maybe that was just the amount of drinks that she'd had in the last twenty four hours. "Come on, I know you've got more moves than that." Stefan encouraged as they moved closer to one another.
There was something under the fog of her mind. It felt like a warning, but a warning for what she didn't know. Stefan's hands slipped to Ellie's hips as someone bumped into her, pushing her closer to him. Warning bells… maybe they would be better described as an alarm, went off in her mind. She ignored it. "Since when do you like to dance this much?" Ellie asked laughingly as he twirled her out and then pulled her in close.
"Since it feels like I haven't really danced in a million years. Come on, Ellie, when was the last time either of us let ourselves have fun?" He countered.
"You have a point." She agreed before a small squeak escaped her as he dropped her surprisingly low. There was an unexpected partner switch and Ellie ended up in the arms of another girl. "Oh my gosh, hi!" Ellie laughed as the other girl steadied her.
"Hi!" The other girl grinned in greeting.
"I'm Ellie." She said as she introduced her.
"I'm Ava." The new girl replied.
Ellie grinned at the funny twang in Ava's voice. "You're not from around here are you?" Ellie asked as Ava twirled her around.
"I'm from Louisiana." Ava confirmed. "How did you know?"
She dipped Ava like Stefan had done to her. "You sound kinda French." Ellie explained. "It's a funny little lilt in your voice."
Ava tilted her head with a mischievous grin. "Does that mean you like it? Or should I be self-conscious?"
"I love it." Ellie assured her. "It's very pretty." Ava was pretty in general. She had absolutely gorgeous olive skin and looked like she was practically glowing. If Ellie was any drunker, she'd have said that Ava looked like an angel. "You're pretty." Ellie added on.
"So are you!" Ava replied. The girls were twirling around one another, giggling and holding onto one another like they'd been best friends for years. "Was that your boyfriend you were dancing with?" Ava questioned.
"My boyfriend?" Ellie asked in confusion.
Ava turned Ellie as they continued to dance pressed together and pointed toward Stefan. "That man that is far too pretty to exist." She explained. "The one you've been dancing with for ages."
"Oh!" Ellie laughed as she let her head fall back onto Ava's shoulder. "No! He's not my boyfriend. He's my best friend."
They moved back to face each other as Ava gave her a look. "No man looks at a woman like that and they are just friends." She said knowingly, as if there was something glaringly obvious that Ellie had missed.
"I think you've just had too much to drink." Ellie replied with ease.
"If he's not your boyfriend, are you single?" Ava asked innocently.
Was she flirting? Ellie wasn't sober enough to be sure. "No, I have a boyfriend, Elijah." Ellie told her.
Ava nodded as if that was a very good thing to know. "This Elijah must be a very lucky man."
"Maybe, but I think I'm luckier." Ellie replied. The two of them danced together for the next handful of songs before Ellie felt another presence behind her. She tilted her head back to see a familiar vampire. "Stefan!" She said brightly. "Where have you been?"
"You looked like you were having fun here." He replied. The three moved to the rhythm together with Ellie in between Stefan and Ava. "Nice to meet you, I'm Stefan."
"Ava." She replied. "Sorry to steal your girl for a while."
Ellie sent her a glare without heat and her choice of words. "It's no problem, I didn't mind just watching for a while." Stefan replied as Ava sent her a look right back. Ellie wasn't sure how long the three of them danced together before Stefan suggested, "Come on, let's get another drink."
"We should do shots!" Ava encouraged. "I think I could drink you both under the table!"
"I think not." Stefan shot back. "Ellie here can unhinge her jaw like a snake when it comes to shots. I've never seen anything like it honestly.
Ava gave her an impressed grin. "Well now I simply have to see it. To the shots!"
Ellie woke up disoriented. Where on earth was she? She was in her car, pulled off on the side of some street she didn't recognize. "What the fuck?" Ellie muttered to herself as she sat up. It seemed the motion was too sudden for her uneasy stomach and the young witch stumbled out of the car and dropped into the grass before she found herself puking her guts up.
Her head felt like she had a million nails hammered into it and it only got worse as she puked up whatever it was that she'd had in her system. After she got it out of her system, she managed to crawl a yard or two away before collapsing in the grass. She felt awful. It felt like someone had killed her, buried her twelve feet under, brought her back to life, and then made her dig herself out of her own grave. The sound of the birds chirping happily made her way to die, just a little bit though. The sun was far too bright and she could have sworn that she could hear her own blood rushing around in her head.
What the hell had happened last night? The last thing she could solidly remember was sitting at the bar with Ava as Stefan challenged some random guy to a game of pool. She remembered him kicking ass and the man challenging him to another round with the promise of drinks if he lost again. It had been all smiles and laughter and freedom. She'd not been concerned with being careful. She was with Stefan. There was no way he would have let something happen to her. But she had no idea where she was and Stefan was nowhere to be found. Did he leave her at the bar? Had they gone somewhere else? How much had she had to drink to not be able to remember anything at all?
She needed to move. Laying on the grass in the middle of who knew where next to the road was not a brilliant plan. Her stomach twisted as she tried to get up, so she slowed her movements down enough that she could have rivaled even the best snails. Or would it be the worst snails? Her brain still felt foggy. Surely she hadn't driven when she was so far under the influence. Right? God, she did not feel good.
Ellie moved slowly, but surely, as she crawled back toward her car. She opened the passenger door to find her purse thrown in the floorboard before her. Had her stomach not already turned violently against her, it would have dropped at the sight of all the missed calls and texts. It had been almost a full day since she'd been with Stefan. She wasn't sure who'd called her more, Elijah or Katherine. With a shaky hand, she hit the button to call one of them back. She wasn't sure who's name she'd even clicked. "Where are you?" His voice was sharp as he answered the phone.
"Elijah…" She spoke slowly as she swallowed the urge to vomit again. "I don't feel so good."
"Eleanor, where are you?" Elijah's voice had softened immediately after hearing how she sounded. That could only mean that she sounded like death.
"I don't know." She confessed. "I don't know how I got here… I don't remember." Her head throbbed. "Oh god, I think I'm gonna get sick again."
"What do you mean you don't know where you are?" He questioned.
"Is that Ellie? Where the bloody hell has she been? What the hell was she thinking?" Klaus' voice in the background was even sharper than Elijah's had been. It made her head worse.
"Too loud Klaus." Ellie groaned.
"What's wrong with her?" Klaus asked, though Ellie could still hear him.
"What does alcohol poisoning feel like?" Ellie asked mindlessly.
Klaus was the first to react. "Why the bloody hell would she have alcohol poisoning?"
"My love, I need to know where you are. Can you find something to point me in the right direction?" Elijah asked her after he shushed Klaus.
"It's just… trees and stupid birds that won't shut up." She was trying hard to not slur her words.
Part of her, the part that didn't feel like it was dying, knew that she was probably worrying the both of them. They had probably been worried for a while now. But she was too out of it to really do anything about it. "Ellie, can't you use your phone or something to tell us where you are?" Klaus suggested.
"That's so smart." Ellie agreed tiredly as she opened the maps on her phone. "Where the hell am I?" The location was unfamiliar, but she sent Elijah the location anyways.
"I'm on my way, Eleanor. Stay on the phone with me." Elijah instructed.
"Mmhmm. You got it, chief." Ellie agreed easily. Her stomach rolled as she laughed softly to herself. "Oh no."
"What is it?" Klaus asked.
She didn't bother responding. Instead, she turned and made it all of three feet before her stomach betrayed her again. She kept retching until it turned into dry heaving. At some point, she'd started crying but she didn't know when. The sound of a car engine startled her, but she couldn't move much at all. "Eleanor!" Elijah was at her side in an instant.
"Ugh, god. Don't move so fast please." She whined. "God, I don't feel good, 'Lijah."
"What in the bloody hell happened to you, Ellie?" Klaus inquired as he looked over at her. "You look like shit."
"Always the gentleman, Klaus." She huffed. Elijah didn't seem fazed by the vomit. He simply opted to pull out his handkerchief to wipe her face clean. He tried to pick her up, but she dug her nails into his arm. "No, not yet. Give me a minute."
"Are you going to tell us what happened or not?" Klaus pressed.
"Niklaus." Elijah warned.
Klaus rolled his eyes. He wouldn't admit it, but he'd been panicked and worried when the witch didn't answer any of their calls. He'd even gone to the Gilbert home to see if Jenna had heard from her. "I don't know." Ellie said simply.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Klaus asked.
"I don't know." Ellie repeated.
Klaus knelt down next to Ellie as Elijah held her to keep her from falling back again. "What's the last thing you remember?" He questioned.
"I remember drinking." Ellie replied slowly. "We went out. We were having fun."
"Who's we?" Elijah pried.
"Me and Stefan." She told him. "He wanted to hang out. We went… we went to that bar. I don't remember its name, but we were there. It was fun."
"Stefan?" Elijah repeated. "Where was he?"
"I don't know. I can't remember leaving the bar." Ellie admitted. Her stomach rolled and she gagged as her body tried to force her to vomit, but there was nothing in her system to get rid of anymore.
Elijah pulled her hair away from her face in case something else were to come up. In the midst of her groaning in pain, she didn't see the way Elijah was seething. "He left you like this?"
"I don't know." She repeated. It just felt like she was saying the same thing over and over and over again. But she didn't know anything, she couldn't remember anything. "I wanna go home." Ellie whined.
He pressed a kiss to her hairline. "Of course my love, I'll take you home." Elijah assured her. "Niklaus, drive Eleanor's car home. I'll take her." He lifted her slowly and with far more caution than he had the first time.
Klaus moved carefully with them, in case Ellie didn't handle it well. She tensed up as Elijah lifted her as she tried to move as little as possible. She was crying softly as she tried to stay still. Neither Klaus or Elijah wanted to make it worse, but they were both furious at the state they found her in. Elijah placed her gently in the backseat before pulling off his jacket to place over her. "Why the bloody he-"
"Not now." Elijah said sharply as he cut his brother off. "We will get her home and then we will handle it." Klaus didn't dare push Elijah in the moment.
"I'll call Jenna to let her know that Ellie's ok… well, she's in one piece." Klaus said softly
"That is a good idea." Elijah agreed. He was trying to contain his rage, but seeing Eleanor in such a state made him feel murderous.
In a rare moment of caution, Klaus suggested, "Try taking a breath, brother. Ellie needs you right now. You can't do that if you're ripping someone's head off." He grinned a bit wickedly at Elijah as he added, "Besides, we both know I love a good murder."
Elijah scoffed slightly but it did seem to calm him a bit. "Let's get her home." He opted to say. He drove slowly and winced at the slightest bump in the road because even the smallest jolt had Ellie whine low in her throat. It made him feel like he was hurting her.
The drive home took far longer than it had been to get to her in the first place, but by the time they'd gotten back to the mansion, Jenna and Jeremy were already there waiting for them. "What the hell happened?" Jenna asked worriedly as she rushed over to them.
"Too loud." Ellie groaned, much like she had when Klaus had been on the phone.
Elijah pulled her into his arms easily and she curled into his chest as much as she could. She just wanted everything to stop hurting. "Jesus, Ellie, I thought you were dead." Jenna scolded though it held no real heat.
Jeremy reached forward to take one of Jenna's shaking hands into his own with a small squeeze. "She's safe. That's all that matters." Jeremy reminded her.
The trio followed Elijah as he carried Ellie up to their room. Jenna took the room in curiously as they entered. She had very rarely been at the Mikaelson mansion, and she'd definitely never been in the bedroom that Ellie and Elijah shared. It was almost professionally neat, but still showed signs of life. One of Elijah's jackets was strewn along the back of a leather chair, and the closest thing to messiness in the room was Ellie's grimoires spread out in the corner next to one of the large windows.
To her surprise, there were a few photos scattered about the room that she glanced over as Elijah was getting Ellie settled into the bed. On their nightstand was a photo of Ellie with her arms wrapped around Elijah's neck and pressing a firm kiss into his cheek. He was smiling indulgently as he took the photo. It made him look younger somehow, more human. Another was of Rebekah and Ellie in their caps and gowns, the two girls were absolutely beaming at the camera. Jenna had her own copy of the photo framed in the house. She turned away from the photos as Ellie groaned in pain. "I feel like I'm dying." Ellie whined pitifully.
"You're not dying." Elijah told her softly. "I wouldn't allow it." He was removing her shoes and her socks as he turned to Jenna. "Could you get her a wet washcloth from the bathroom? She was throwing up while we were getting to her."
"Of course." Jenna agreed immediately. She made her way to a well stocked linen closet to grab a rag. She wet it with cold water before ringing it out. Elijah had helped Ellie under the sheets as he tried to soothe her. "Here you go, Elijah." She said as she passed the rag to the vampire. He started with wiping Ellie's forehead and neck before wiping around her mouth delicately.
"Lijah." Ellie whined.
Klaus had made his reappearance then with a body of pills and a glass of water. "Take this." Klaus insisted as he handed over the medicine.
Her hands were shaking as she tried to take it, but Elijah moved to help her. He took out a few pills and tilted them into her mouth, following it up with the water. As soon as Elijah helped Ellie lay back against the pillows, it seemed that the exhaustion overcame her. Klaus and Elijah both listened as her heart rate slowed as she fell asleep. "Do you think she actually has alcohol poisoning?" Jenna asked worriedly.
"I've seen a few friends get it. She honestly seems to have a lot of the signs." Jeremy replied as the four of them watched her sleep. "But that's not like her at all."
"She said she was with Stefan." Elijah said as he tried to keep his composure.
Both Jenna and Jeremy nodded at him. "We were with her yesterday morning when he texted her asking her to hang out." Jenna explained.
"What I want to know is what brain damage Stefan has to think it was a bloody good idea to leave her on her own when she was that drunk." Klaus hissed.
Elijah cracked his neck as he tried to keep his irritation under the surface. "Yes. We will be having a… talk with Stefan Salvatore, that goes without a doubt." He confirmed.
"She won't want you to hurt him." Jeremy piped up. The Mikaelsons turned to look at him as he continued, "Look, it was beyond shitty of Stefan and I kind of want to stab him at the moment, but Ellie loves Stefan. I don't know if she'd forgive any of us for hurting him."
"If he loved her half as much as she loved him, he wouldn't have left her." Klaus retorted.
"You're not wrong, but you can't do any permanent damage to him if you don't want her to hate you." Jeremy countered. "She's kind of scary when she's mad."
"She'll get over it."
"I said permanent damage." Jeremy clarified. At Klaus' surprised expression, he told the hybrid, "She's my sister, and I trusted him with her. She could have died because of how careless he was."
Klaus grinned at the younger boy. "I might like you after all."
"We can't just leave her alone if she actually has alcohol poisoning." Jenna reminded them. "What if something happens to her?"
Elijah was adjusting the cuffs of his shirt as he turned to his brother. "Bring me Stefan Salvatore."
"You don't have to tell me twice, brother." Klaus promised. "Jeremy, would you like to accompany me?" He offered generously. Jeremy nodded in confirmation. "We'll bring Stefan to you brother, don't worry. He'll mostly be in one piece."
"He will be entirely in one piece." Elijah corrected. Klaus raised an eyebrow curiously. "I want to know exactly why he left Eleanor on her own before anything is done to him. I want him to be in his right mind when I talk to him." No one dared to say anything about his cold tone.
Jenna had watched silently as Elijah hovered around Ellie. His concern was apparent, but so was his rage. Despite her sickness, she was sleeping peacefully. Neither Jenna nor Elijah spoke as they waited for Klaus and Jeremy to return. Everything seemed to be happening so quickly that she couldn't keep up. Elena being human again was throwing everyone for a loop. She was struggling to remember certain rules, like having to be cautious due to how fragile she was. Though, she was entirely relieved to no longer have to sustain herself on blood of any kind.
When it came to Ellie though, Elena was more hostile than ever. Ellie didn't spend much time at the Gilbert house if Elena was there. But when the twins ended up there at the same time, it was like warfare. The duo tended to go back and forth in a screaming match, though it seemed to mostly be centered around Katherine. It almost seemed like Elena actually hated Ellie for protecting Katherine. Ellie tried to ignore Elena for the most part. That didn't mean that Ellie's control never slipped however. There had been more than one occasion of shattered windows and lights.
Jeremy had also tended to stay home and keep to himself. No one had quite figured out how to reintroduce Jeremy to society. His death had been public knowledge and there was no way he could just pop up back at school without causing a lot of problems for everyone involved. So he stayed home and played video games and if he wanted to go out, he'd drive a few cities away where it was far less likely that he would be recognized.
What a life their family had been thrown into. She could only hope that Miranda and Grayson wouldn't be disappointed in the way she'd handled trying to keep their family together and safe. Jenna's musings were cut short as one of the doors downstairs slammed loudly. Ellie groaned slightly at the disturbance, but otherwise she remained undisturbed. "Brother! We have the guest of honor!" Klaus shouted from downstairs.
Jenna watched as Elijah pressed a soft kiss to Ellie's forehead before he gestured for Jenna to lead the way. "After you." He told her calmly. She headed downstairs to find Stefan standing in between Jeremy and Klaus with the hybrid keeping a tight grip on the back of Stefan's neck. "Stefan Salvatore." Elijah said with an eerily even tone.
"Elijah." Stefan replied as he rolled his neck slightly, trying to not react too much to Klaus' death grip. "What am I doing here?"
Elijah casually removed his cufflinks as he replied, "Don't you know?" When Stefan didn't respond, he continued, "You were with Eleanor yesterday were you not?"
Stefan gave a small laugh. "Have I made you jealous?" He asked. "She's my friend. So what if I was with her?" Elijah hummed, seemingly not giving Stefan any attention as he rolled up his sleeves. The silence made Jenna uncomfortable, but she didn't dare to break it. Faster than she could keep up, Elijah had lunged forward and grabbed Stefan before prompting throwing him into the wall behind them. Stefan forced himself to his feet as he shouted, "What the hell was that for?"
"Your ignorance is not beneficial to you." Elijah replied smoothly. His hand shot forward and wrapped tightly around Stefan's throat.
Stefan grunted as he tried to remove Elijah's hand. He managed to duck down and pull away as he swore under his breath. "What the hell is your problem?" Elijah's head tilted to the side as he glanced over Stefan. "I didn't do anything to her. I would never."
"You left her!" Elijah roared. Jenna stepped back on instinct as Jeremy and Klaus both moved to stand beside her.
He sent Stefan flying through the wall as Klaus groaned. "Bloody hell, Elijah. I just got the house fixed." He huffed.
Elijah ignored his brother. "But then again, I shouldn't be surprised. It wouldn't be the first time that you've left her. That's how I got to have such quality time with her in the beginning. Perhaps I should thank you for that. But this time?" He struck Stefan down before he could regain his ground. "I found her on the side of the road… disoriented." Jenna flinched at the blow. "Half-conscious. Delirious from her sickness." Each blow drew more blood than the last, but the trio had no real desire to intervene.
"What?"
"She could have died from your idiocy. Had so much as a hair on her head been harmed, you would not have survived this." Elijah hissed.
"I didn't do anything to her." Stefan groaned.
Stefan's eyes widened in shock as Elijah's hand shot forward, plunging into Stefan's chest. "Elijah!" Jenna shouted.
"She could have died." Blood trickled out of Stefan's mouth as Elijah tightened his grip around Stefan's heart. Jenna watched in horror, unsure of what to do. She didn't even know if there was anything she could do.
"Elijah, stop it." Her voice was soft as it floated down from the stairs. He froze immediately, though he did not relinquish his grip on Stefan's heart.
"Eleanor, you're awake." Elijah said calmly.
"Let him go, Elijah." She instructed. She ignored the others entirely as she walked slowly over to Elijah and Stefan. The blood didn't seem to faze her as she grabbed Elijah's bloody wrist as she guided it out of Stefan's chest. Stefan collapsed on the floor before them. "Elijah, look at me." She cupped his face gently. "My love, that's enough."
"If anything had happened to you…"
"But it didn't. I am home. I am safe. Nothing happened to me." Ellie was struggling a bit to stand, but she did her best to not waver.
Stefan was practically slipping on his own blood as he tried to regain his ground. "He should not have been trusted with you."
"I shouldn't have had that much to drink." He didn't seem to appreciate her counterargument.
"He should not have allowed you to leave when you were that far under the influence."
"I don't remember her leaving. I must have drunk too much." Stefan pushed himself to stand tall before the noble Mikaelson brother. "I'm sorry."
Elijah gave him a dark glare. "Your apology means nothing to me. You are lucky to still be alive."
"He is. You've made your point, Elijah. Now, I'm asking you to let him go." Ellie spoke softly, calmly. It was the tone of voice one might use to calm a wild animal. Maybe it was the alcohol that was still in her system, but the violence his eyes promised was very attractive in the moment, even as she was trying desperately to calm him down.
She swayed and the switch in Elijah was immediate as he moved to keep her steady. "Eleanor?"
Ellie shook her head as she tried to breathe properly. "Elijah, I don't feel too… I don't feel too good." She had no idea how she had anything left in her system to throw up in the first place, but she did. Elijah kept her standing as she doubled over. He kept her hair out of her way as she got it out of her system yet again. As it subsided, Ellie allowed him to scoop her up in his arms. "Please don't hurt him anymore, Elijah." She whispered.
He sighed heavily and Jenna knew then that he would give in to Ellie's request, especially when she's so fragile. "Get out of my sight, Stefan Salvatore. I recommend you do not allow yourself to be seen by me for some time, or else I might lose my patience. I would hate to break my word to Eleanor." He glanced over to the bloodied Salvatore. "But I will if the need arises."
"Stefan, go." Ellie muttered as she rested her head on Elijah's shoulder.
"I would listen to her mate, before one of us gets murder friendly." Klaus suggested.
"You're always murder friendly." Ellie shot back as Klaus laughed brightly. Stefan seemed to listen to their warnings and disappeared without a trace, leaving only his blood behind. "I wanna lay down, 'Lijah."
He pressed a kiss to her hair, unbothered by the blood or vomit. "Of course, my love." He glanced over to Klaus. "Niklaus, be a dear and clean all that up. It is your house after all."
Jenna and Jeremy grinned at one another at the look of vague disgust that flashed across Klaus' face. "Of course."
Author's Note:
God I love family bickering, it's so humanizing for all of them. And poor Ellie really shouldn't have had so much to drink, but then again with all of the crap she's been through I can't really blame her. But protective big brother Klaus is precious to me. We've still got a few more chapters to go before we're in NOLA, because I had to come up with something to bridge that gap. But we will get there! As always, I hope you guys enjoyed. Please leave a review to let me know your thoughts!
To xenocanaan: It broke my heart to write it, and I can't really blame him either, he just never wanted to die. And I'd agree, they did treat him a lot worse in comparison. I don't know if he was younger than Rebekah, but if he was that would make a lot of sense as to why he wasn't as close to them. I could see him being closer with Henrik and being changed with his loss. Poor Finn never stood a chance, though I think he was traumatized by the loss of Freya. I hope you like the newest chapter!
To Guest(1): Same, quite frankly I wouldn't be upset if Elena lost it all. It's not like she deserves what she has.
To Lia Angelique: That's exactly what I wanted. Elena was always going to end up human again, but this way, Katherine doesn't die because of her selfishness. I'm also really looking forward to NOLA it will be a definite change of pace.
To chelsnichole12: Thank you so much!
To IrisTurner: Lol thank you! I was really satisfied to screw over one of Elena's plans. Hopefully she's going to have to face more consequences as time goes on.
To Daddy's LiL HeartBreaker: Yeah the vision was partly influenced by everything being out of wack with the Expression triangle, but it was still really cool. Lexi is always the best and let's be real she probably kind of hates Elena for the way she treated Stefan. Yeah, I wanted a bit of a human moment for Kol and him and Ellie are always fun together and she really did need to know that he didn't blame her. I'm glad I can still surprise you guys lol.
To NaRuKo-InuTaiSHo-XD: The update is here! I hope you enjoyed!
To sumaiyahc06: Yeah, it's an every Saturday update thing, there is a lot of chapters tho so I don't blame you lol. I'm glad you're back though!
To Isabelnecessaryonabicycle: I know right!
To Guest(2): I'm so glad you enjoyed the twist!
To Guest(3): You might not make it this far, but she had no idea because they were keeping it from her and while it's in third person, we the readers only know it from Ellie's perspective, if she doesn't know, it's not going to be written about until she finds out. It's also meant to build her anger toward Elena and give her reason to side with Elijah. I appreciate that your comment is respectful though and thank you for the compliment. Don't worry, it doesn't come off as rude.
To Superwholockedin221b: I also really dislike some of the show's plots. And thank you! I really kind of made Ellie to be a foil to Elena, like two parts of a whole and what Elena isn't, Ellie is even though they do have similarities. Elijah did get screwed over a lot and that's part of why I paired Ellie with him. I'm honored that you think I've done them justice.
To Shodai01: Lol, three days is still pretty quick with how long this is. Due to Ellie's pairing with Elijah, the story is going to shift over to NOLA so we're not really ending any time soon. Ellie wanting to leave wasn't an indicator that the story is going to end, but that she's going to be going to NOLA. I actually do have a few things in mind for the way I want her and Davina to interact, so we will be getting that for sure. But I'm glad you're enjoying the story and welcome! I'm glad you're here!
-Madame Magic
Posted: 4/2/22
