Right.

So.

I wrote this chapter months ago. And I've always been unhappy with it so tonight, at 4 in the morning, I finally decided to edit it a bit. I came on here to change it and that's when I realized I somehow never posted it on here.

So, here it is. The last chapter I wrote before we went on lockdown.

I don't want to say that 'if everything goes well I should start posting again in September" because that means I didn't get a job and therefore not everything is well, however, if I plan on posting again next month, I will keep you posted.

I hope you enjoy this chapter and I apologize for the wait again.

Seven days had come and gone since Mackenzie turned Cornelius and his manor into ashes. Seven days since they had to run away from the Forest. Seven days waiting for Heidi and Alexander to find them in Paris and tell them if Margo had condemned them to death.

Confined in their hotel for a week now, Mackenzie and Elijah hadn't left their room, nor talked to anyone who wasn't a hotel employee or from a delivery service. Shopping online had come handy, especially since all of their things were still in Germany. However, clothes seemed to be unnecessary now that Mackenzie spent her days in a robe, sitting by the window, looking at a grey and cold Paris.

She had thought, quite foolishly she would say, that the worst had gone. That she had been through enough terrible things, and that she would be able to live in peace from now on. But it appeared that her mother hadn't quite delivered all of her secrets. Was there any good way to find out one's mother didn't die of cancer? Or that one's ancestor had been killing his entire family in order to live longer? Who she thought was her only family left was only interested in her for her youth and powers. Well, he wouldn't be hurting anyone else from now on. She wondered how many Fays he had killed or was planning to kill. Did his spells die with him? Or were all the remaining Fays in the Forest also going to die like her mother did? There was only one way to tell, and, according to Heidi, it could also save her life.

If one single Fay were spelled it would be proof of Cornelius' plans and would prove Mackenzie's innocence. It was up to her godparents to convince the queen that she had acted in self-defense. It would be hard, especially since Mackenzie had burnt all the evidence.

"What are you thinking about?" Elijah asked as he sat next to her by the window, handing her a hot cup of tea. She took it with both hands, welcoming the warmth invading her skin.

"I'm wondering how no one ever figured out how Cornelius managed to stay alive," she answered with anger in her voice. "He was surrounded by the strongest witches who ever lived."

"He was very clever. He had centuries to learn how to fool people. Besides, they probably thought he used the same spells they do. Margo has been around for a while too."

"Heidi said they used magic to stay young. Cornelius was an elemental, he didn't have magic."

"Elementals have their own kind of magic, you know that. And he was a Fay, nature was his element. Witches know what herbs to use to slow down the effects of time."

"And so did he," she snarled. "But he chose to kill people instead."

"Herbs wouldn't have given him his victims' powers and would've been less effective."

"If he…" she paused.

"What's wrong?"

She put the mug down on the table stand behind her before she stood up. "They're here."

A few seconds after she spoke, someone knocked on the door. Elijah stood up with a tightened heart, hoping whatever Margo had decided wouldn't have him kill whoever would be coming after them, because no matter what happened now, he would protect Mackenzie until he was dead. And he couldn't die.

He opened the door and found Alexander and Heidi standing on the other side. The Original had never seen such a serious look on the heretic's face. Mackenzie appeared behind Elijah, making him step aside to allow their guests to enter.

"Did you just come out of the shower?" Heidi asked as Elijah closed the door behind them.

"No…"

"Then you should dress. It's not a time to let yourself go," the witch reprimanded Mackenzie's lack of self-care.

"What did Margo say?" Elijah interrupted.

"She wasn't happy," Alexander replied. "She really liked Cornelius. Our accusations against him embarrassed her."

"Queens don't like to be embarrassed," Heidi added. "She didn't want to believe it, at first."

"But?"

"Did you talk to everyone Cornelius could've hurt?" Mackenzie asked, afraid another Fay would die because of Cornelius' evil ambitions.

"His spells died with him, fortunately," Alexander said. "However, we were in luck."

"The manor was badly burnt, completely destroyed, in fact. But we managed to salvage most of the basement."

"Or what was left of it, at least."

"Is Mackenzie in any danger from Margo?" Elijah asked, tired of all this chit-chat.

Alexander slid a hand in his jacket pocket and took out a letter from it. It bore Margo's official seal.

"This is an official document banishing you two from the Forest," he said as he handed it to him. Elijah quickly opened it and started reading it.

"It's an order to kill!"

"If you ever step foot in the Forest," Alexander nodded.

"Alex," the witch reprimanded. "This isn't funny."

"I never said it was," he shrugged as he took out another letter from his jacket.

"This is a royal pardon," Heidi quickly said, reassuring both Mackenzie and her boyfriend.

"We found powder in the hallway of the castle, where you were taken," Alexander explained. "It proved your version of events."

"The powder matched a substance we found in Cornelius' basement. Among other herbs and potions used to steal someone's magic or render them unconscious."

"We also found a few journals and grimoires. Most of them were burnt but we found names of several of his victims."

"All Fays," Heidi added. "All thought to have left the Forest at some point. We never knew what Cornelius was doing until last week. Margo…" she paused. "It was hard for her to admit you did a big service to the Forest. She wanted me to thank you for that."

"She was good friends with Cornelius," Alexander said. "He was her advisor and she trusted him. She'll be in an awful mood for a while… Not sure I wanna go back there 'till the next century," he chuckled, however he was the only one finding amusement in this.

"So, she's safe?" Elijah asked, wanting to make sure no one was coming after her.

"Mackenzie's safe," Heidi nodded.

"You're a hero," Alex informed her. "The entire elemental community of the Forest is very grateful for what you did."

"I killed two people," she reminded them. There was nothing to be grateful about.

"You saved countless of Fays from Cornelius," Heidi told her. "Be proud of that."

Proud? Mackenzie didn't feel proud. But as her godmother thanked her on behalf of all Fays, she couldn't stop thinking about those words Elijah had once told her, months ago: Robert was her first, but he wouldn't be her last. And neither would Cornelius.

Alexander and Heidi didn't stay long in Paris. Despite his reluctance in going back to Germany, Heidi had no wish to be anywhere else than in the Forest. They had left behind them all of Elijah and Mackenzie's luggage. All his suits and all her gowns. The scrolls, the spell books, the old grimoires...

The return of her clothes didn't encourage her to put some on, and she spent an entire day in the same robe going through the boxes of books and other elemental related research. She didn't speak much, and though Elijah wanted to help her, he didn't know how. He didn't know what she was looking for, or even if she was looking for anything at all. She obviously needed time. Time to reflect on Cornelius' actions, and on her own. And he didn't mind giving that to her, if it could help her, if that was what she needed.

Eventually, one morning, she came out of the bathroom wearing one of the fancy dresses she had found online that first week in Paris. It was a short white dress with a slightly rounded skirt. A pink, almost red, flower pattern was scattered all over it. She was wearing a pair of white sneakers and had pulled her hair up in a high ponytail. That day, Elijah recovered his smile, as did she.

They went on to explore Paris, a city Elijah knew well. He knew where to find all of the city of love's secrets. The beautiful alleys harboring small yet interesting shops, the not so crowded yet delicious restaurants, the best yet deserted places to sit and rest and enjoy the view.

She didn't speak much as they explored the capital, but she was in better spirit and Elijah was holding onto the little smiles she spared him here and there. They came, they saw, they conquered, and he felt like he had been talking for days on end without getting any answers from her, but he knew she was listening to his every word, trying to remember all of it, her eyes speaking for her, showing her fascination in the vampire's knowledge.

It was the Louvre that fascinated her the most. Devouring every piece of art with her gorgeous sparkling brown eyes. It seemed Elijah had at least one thing to say about all of them. It was her favorite place in all of Paris, and they had come back every day for almost a week just to make sure they saw everything. At some point, they managed to make their way to the Mona Lisa, La Joconde, after waiting in line for almost an hour just to be able to catch a glimpse of it.

"I don't get it," she said, speaking her first words of the day, "it's not even one of the best works in here."

Elijah chuckled quietly. "You think it's overrated?"

"It's beautiful," she shrugged. "But I don't get what all the fuss is about."

"I think I'll agree with you on that," he said, sliding his hand down her arm before intertwining his fingers with hers.

She squeezed his hand as she moved closer to him and they resumed their visit of the museum hand in hand. She absorbed everything he told her, every bit of information, even though she knew it would be impossible for her to remember it all. But she could try to at least learn the most interesting ones. They bought a bunch of pretty yet useless things in almost every gift shop and made a stop at one of the coffees where everything was ten times more expensive than decency demanded. The pastries were good, though, and they wouldn't ruin the day by complaining.

That night, Mackenzie sat at the window again, her hair dripping wet, the robe absorbing every drop. She stared out the window, looking at the Eiffel Tower glowing in the night. Paris was pretty at night, she had to admit, all those lights made for a beautiful sight.

"You okay?" Elijah asked as he came to sit near her, at the other end of the window bench. He was wearing a casual black shirt and a pair of joggers.

"My feet hurt," she smiled as she wrinkled her nose.

Elijah laid back on the wall behind him, picking up a pillow from the floor and sliding it between his back and the corner of the window. He took Mackenzie's left foot and brought it to his knees, then started to massage it.

"We had a long day."

"Yeah, it's weird…"

"What's weird?"

"I don't feel tired."

"Ah," he smiled. "The night is young."

"Do…" she paused. "Do you feel tired?"

He arched an eyebrow. "I'm a vampire. It takes a lot to wear me down."

"I know, it's just…"

"What?"

She sighed. "We've been here for almost three weeks now and… you haven't fed since we left Germany."

"Don't worry about me," he replied quickly. "I'm fine."

"But…" she didn't get the chance to finish as he pressed a sensitive part of the sole of her foot which made her breathe out and moan and relax enough to lay back against the wall. "You give me your blood every three days… you're gonna need to feed at some point."

"We ran out of blood bags."

"You don't need blood bags."

"I'm fine."

"I don't mind…"

"No," he said, firmly and categorically.

She sighed again as she removed her foot from his knees and sat up.

"Elijah, I really don't mind."

"It's not up for discussion," he said as he stood up.

She followed him.

"You give me your blood. Why can't I help you for once?"

"I don't want your help," he told her dryly, louder than he intended it to be, making her jump slightly. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he stepped towards her before taking her face in his hands. "You know what I mean."

"I know you won't hurt me."

"You don't know that. And neither do I. I've never had…," he paused, "an ultimate's blood. And judging by the mere smell of it… I know it's a bad idea."

"And I know it's a bad idea for you not to feed."

He closed his eyes, trying to fight back the temptation, the hunger.

"Elijah," she whispered. She put her hands over his and moved them away from her face. "I know you're in pain, I can see it. And I like it as much as you like seeing me suffer. Let me help you. Please."

"You're not a blood bag and I don't want to treat you like one."

She smiled, then placed her hands on both sides of his face as she tiptoed to rest her forehead against his. He leaned over, his eyes shut as if not seeing her would make it easier to ignore her proposition.

"Let me help you."

He hesitated for a long moment during which she had started moving her thumbs over his cheeks.

"You'll push me away if I can't stop myself."

"I will," she nodded.

"You can't let me hurt you."

"You won't."

"Promise me," he said as he gently seized her wrists. "Promise me you will stop me."

"I promise."

She felt his warm breath on her face as he released her wrists. His lips came crashing onto hers almost immediately, surprising her, but not enough that she didn't kiss him back. She felt his hand on the back of her thigh and she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. He lifted her up quickly only to lie her down on the bed in the next second. The sudden and rapid movement made her gasp. Elijah started kissing her chin, then her throat, then her shoulder. Her robe was undoing itself; the belt had given up. Her eyes grew big as she felt his lips travel down in areas no one had been before. She was only wearing a silk top and the matching underwear, a gift from Margo, or Heidi, she couldn't remember, that was too revealing to wear alone, so she always put on the robe to stay decent.

Elijah's fingers were now on her skin as well and she drew a deep breath when she felt them open up the robe. He found the strap of the pale pink lingerie top and let go of it just to make his fingers slide down her body to her bare stomach. His large hand then found her waist and his thumb started caressing her skin. His lips came back up to her throat, then her chin, just to find her lips again. She placed her left hand on the top of his arm, the one he had on her waist, and slid her other hand in his hair.

He broke the kiss, allowing her to breathe again, just to take her breath away all over again as he said three words she had longed to hear.

"I love you."

She stared at him in awe. The last ten months came back to her in flashbacks, reminding her of how it had come to this, making her wonder what she had done to deserve him. She loved him too, and she had known it for a while, and all she had hoped for was that he felt the same way. All she had hoped for was that he loved her as much as she loved him. And she wondered if he knew how much she cared for him.

"I love you so much it hurts," she replied in a whisper and with tears in her eyes.

Her answer seemed to please him as he kissed her again. Hungrily, needily, lovingly. He had understood her perfectly, because he felt the same way. It hurt to love someone that much. Because if either one of them lost the other it would kill them too. They belonged to each other, and they couldn't survive without one another. They needed each other, like they were a part of them, and they were. They were a part of their heart, their reason to live, their reason to get up in the morning, their reason to smile. She was the reason why he had become immortal. Because he had to live that long to meet her. She made his life worth it. She was worth all the pain and all the hurt. He would do it all over again to be with her. A thousand years of disappointment, betrayal and loneliness, just to be with her. Because she needed him too. Because he was her reason to live, to go on. He was her person, her best friend, her everything. He had saved her, and he would keep saving her. Every minute of every day, she lived it all for him, and thanks to him.

His hand left her waist to go higher, sliding beneath the silk. She gasped as his thumb caressed her nipple, but he didn't stop, and she didn't want him to stop. She would give him everything, because she was his, just like he had already given her everything, because he was hers.

The room was dark, the only source of light coming from the streetlamps and invading the bedroom through the small gaps in the curtains. Mackenzie was sleeping in a black shirt too big for her, Elijah's bare arms wrapped around her as he had brought her to him. It wasn't late, wasn't even midnight yet, when the phone rang. It woke him up first, perhaps because it was his phone. He tried to gently move away from Mackenzie, as to not wake her, but as he sat up, and his feet reached the ground, he heard her move, and she turned on the lamp on the nightstand.

"Who is it?" she asked groggily as she rubbed her eyes.

He didn't reply as he picked up and gave her an answer as he greeted his sister through the phone.

"Rebekah?"

Mackenzie moved towards him, placing a kiss on his right shoulder blade before wrapping her arms around his bare chest and resting her chin on his shoulder. But she felt something was wrong as his body tensed up and she let go of him and moved to sit beside him. The look on his face confirmed her doubts and she now worried about Rebekah and started to wonder if Elena had once again tried something to hurt Elijah's family.

"We'll be on the next flight," Elijah said in a small voice, one she wasn't used to hearing.

"What is it? What happened?" she asked, panicked by the look on his face.

"It's Kol," he said, his voice cracking. "He's dead."