" Hello Caroline," Klaus said getting up from his seat putting on a fake smile, as he looked at her, "Have you finally accepted my proposal of giving you a tour of my city?"
" Your city, like," Caroline said, she looked around before focusing her attention back on him," this is your city."
" Why, not love, this city is mine I built it long before you were born," he replied with a cheeky grin. If Caroline noticed that it did not match then smiles he used to give her she didn't comment on it and instead replied sarcastically,
" Yes, yes everyone knows that you are a thousand years old big bad wolf. " Klaus merely gave an empty smile, her wording to describe him bringing back his siblings' lack of loyalty.
" But that's not why I am here, " Caroline said turning serious, " Where is Elena? "
" Ah! so Elena is the reason that you have undertaken a drive of about nine hours," Klaus said as if the answer surprised him when he had known it from the very moment he had laid eyes on her.
" Yes, now where is she,"
" You know, love, you seem very concerned about her now," Klaus said deflecting the original question with practiced ease, " when from what I had known none of you and your little gang had even given her a call to check on her. From what I had seen every time she had called it immediately went to voicemail. How disappointing! I thought you cared about your friend more than that."
Caroline flustered before murmuring some half-hearted excuses, " We were busy, a lot had happened, and the fact that Elena is somehow pregnant with your kids, it's a lot to wrap one's head around."
" I don't doubt that. " Klaus said, not showing how those words with a special emphasis on his kids, coming from her affected him. It was a crime to show weakness and he couldn't afford it not when he was alone like this.
" If you must know, however," he continued, " I have left her with the oh so noble Elijah out in a swamp," he then took her hand grasped it in between his fingers, to his surprise she allowed him, didn't protest the moment at all. With another hand, he grabbed another map of the bayou and marked with a black marker the exact location he had left both of them in.
" Go on, find your doppelganger friend, " he said with careless ease and let go of her hand which dropped to her side. She looked at him, really looked at him and she seemed to sense his loneliness from his cover, see through his cover, see him. He wondered if it was enough to make her stay, it wasn't enough to make Camille stay but was it enough to make her stay?
She grabbed the map and without another word turned around, leaving Klaus to feel lonely and alone as he stared at her retreating back. Who would after all care for a worthless bastard?
Elena pressed the wet cloth to Elijah's forehead as she glanced at him in concern. As she had feared the hallucinations had already started and his condition grew worse. She had offered him to drink her blood since her and her baby's blood was connected he would also be able to drink Klaus's blood. But Elijah had put his foot down saying that he would not be able to control his bloodlust if she was bleeding. Elena had continued to pester him about it, while also helping to bring down his fever. The hybrid bite was apparently worse than the bite of a normal werewolf and Elijah's hallucinations had not yet stopped. It was only with her making more batches of the potion that he even in his weakened state was able to control himself to some extent.
Elena now knew that she was a witch or at least she had magical powers till the time of her pregnancy. How that made her feel? She didn't know, not yet at least. She hadn't had time to mull it over too busy in taking care of the vampire in front of her and dealing with the fact that she had finally found her family. Elena Andrea Labonir the name in itself felt so perfect and wrong at the same time. It was like it was just another identity of her, for her. Another one that she had to add to the already growing number of parts that she had made for herself. But she still didn't know who she was really, now when she had looked at her reflection in the clear crystal water of the swamp it felt like she didn't even know herself at all, who she was. She couldn't even call her face, her own, that was the cruelty of her fate. There were many times that she continued to wonder how things in Mystic Falls would be like. That place was still her home even if after the revelation that her family had lived here once and will continue to do so, made New Orleans also feel like a home to her. She had never been anywhere apart from Mystic Falls, and when the day after she had left the place tears streaming down her face, the anguish of her brother's death still fresh in her mind and heart that she felt that she had left the innocent girl there. The part of Elena Gilbert that after everything had still managed, survived to stay innocent, pure.
She wondered what that part was doing now, wondered if it would still be there roaming the familiar roads of that town. Excited about graduation, preparing for her college. Would that part be happy? Would it be happy nestled between the arms of Stefan while Damon watched from the sidelines? Would it be happy as it shared a drink with Bonnie and Caroline as they planned for another sleepover? Maybe not happy, but it would feel safe. But why dream of something which she could now never have? Something so totally out of reach that it felt like a distant memory of another life. Elena shook her head, this was not the time for these thoughts. She removed the washcloth from Elijah's head as she adjusted his head in her lap and pressed the washcloth back on his forehead, taking extra care not to touch his skin directly. She had no intention of seeing any more sex dreams, nor invade on Elijah's privacy. But it seemed that a piece of cloth was not enough to stop him from projecting his memories in her mind.
" Elena please, this fever." Elijah said, " my mind is flooded by these torturous memories. You have to leave."
" We can end this," Elena said earnestly "just drink a few cups of my blood and all this will be over,"
She sighed in annoyance when he made to protest,
" What is your deal? Okay, let's do one thing I will offer you my wrist, and you may drink blood from it and meanwhile, I will also hold a wooden stake just over your heart. If I think that you are taking too much then I will stake you."
" I am not going to drink from you."
" I can stake you, you know, I have done it before. I am not something precious and fragile that needs to be kept behind glass. We can end this and you know that there is someone watching us. Now I don't think I can fight whoever it is alone and in your weakened state neither can you. So no questions asked we are doing this."
With that Elena got up and picked the sharpest stake that she could find which was lying around. It was not that she didn't trust Elijah, in fact, the precaution was more for his peace of mind than it was for her. She reached beside his bedside and angled the stake while also holding her wrist in front of him. Elijah tilted his head refusing to give in.
"Look I know what the third stage is like, you will start to think of me as someone else. This is the safest option. Come on I will stop you if needed." Elena urged, Elijah finally gave in and bit into her wrist. He stooped after a few seconds and slumped back down on the bed. Elena removed the stake and glanced at her wrist, before glancing at Elijah who to her surprise was asleep.
" I don't know how intelligent it is to feed your blood to a vampire bitten by a werewolf or a hybrid in this case," A voice interrupted from the doorway and Elena turned around after than she thought was possible. And in the doorway standing like the beam of light she truly was, was Caroline Forbes.
" Car.. Caroline," Elena was able to stutter out as she stood up, blinking her eyes rapidly to make sure she was not the one hallucinating.
" Hey," the blonde replied breathlessly managing a sheepish expression on her face. And Elena couldn't help the smile that broke out on her face as she rushed to embrace her best friend.
Another chapter please review.
