Chapter 4

The biggest differences that Elijah found between his current home in Atlanta and Mystic Falls was the noise. Over the years, the world had grown noisy and sometimes unpleasant. Seeing the world change and grow had been exciting and intriguing, but Elijah missed the peace he could find outside. He would often step outside to get away from his siblings' constant bickering; taking a stroll was common back then. No matter where he went, there was always noise—so many humans with so little patients that they never stopped to enjoy the little things.

But being back in Mystic Falls, Elijah was once again able to enjoy the quiet of such a small town. With Alex and Rebekah on their way to Mystic Falls to help with the search for Kol, since his own search had come to an abrupt halt, he needed to find a place for them to stay. They needed someone private, and since Elijah knew that Alex's family home wouldn't be suitable for their needs—at the moment—due to Jenna's baby, there was only one place left.

A property Niklaus had purchased when he had returned to Mystic Falls five years prior. It seemed to have been left half renovated, probably due to Klaus being sealed in his own coffin. Elijah had found it odd that his brother had intended to lay down roots in the small town; it had never been to his liking.

The home was empty. Few furniture pieces sat in different rooms, and there were a few stray buckets of paint and brushes lying about. Elijah had walked through the house and found one room that appeared to be an art studio that held a few pieces of art sitting under dust covers. Glancing through them, he would recognise Niklaus' art anywhere. It had hurt to see them.

The last time Elijah had seen Klaus was in the coffin that Alex had placed him. Desiccated and unable to move, he was bound and sealed away. Not only to protect Elena but everyone. The time would come one day when he would release his brother, but he knew it probably wouldn't be in Alex's lifetime. But even for all his faults, Elijah missed his brother. For a thousand years, he had always just been around, and now for the first time ever, he wasn't.

Their last conversation had been full of anger and betrayal. Niklaus had led him to believe that Rebekah, Kol and Finn were lost to him forever. It had pushed Elijah to the point that he had wanted his brother dead; for the first time, he had wanted to rip out Niklaus' heart and watch him die. But now, all he wanted was for their family to be together. Their promise of always and forever seemed to haunt him, even more so as he stood in the house that Elijah believed Niklaus had meant to make their new home. Being in the house was to quiet, too quiet. And for the first time in a long time, Elijah wished for the noise of the city.

Rather than allow himself to dwell on his feelings for his sleeping brother, he focused on making sure the home would be suitable for Alex and Rebekah once they arrived. Finding two bedrooms, he cleared the dust and ordered a few basic things that they would need. He also ordered some grocery's to be delivered for Alex and blood for himself and Rebekah.

The house was in a mostly suitable state by the time he heard a car pull up the driveway. Alex had called him when they had landed at the airport and had given him a text when they passed the town border. He had made sure that he had food waiting for when she arrived since it was late, and no doubt Alex would be hungry. Alex's love for food was one of the few things that Elijah found amusing. In the five years that he had spent learning everything he could about her, loving her, and treating her to food from all over the world, he knew that nothing made her happier than a pizza. They had continued to have the pineapple on pizza debate every time they ordered it, but it never got old.

Elijah opened the front door to see Rebekah climbing the steps. She smiled widely and pulled Elijah in for a hug.

"Thank god, someone normal," she said.

"Hey," yelled Alex, from where she stood at the boot of the car.

Elijah chuckled. "If anyone is normal, Bekah, it would be Alexandra."

"Ha!" Alex climbed the steps with her bag slung over her shoulder. "You're the weirdo."

Rebekah laughed and shrugged. "Whatever." She released Elijah and strolled inside.

Elijah reached for Alex and cupped her cheek. He leant down and pressed his lips gently against hers. It had been too long since he had seen her. The kiss was meant to be sweet and short, a simple hello. But Alex reached up with her free hand and cupped the back of his head. She deepened the kiss, and a small moan fell from Elijah. His other hand slid around her waist and pulled her body against him. The feeling of her skin, the taste of her lips, her sweet smell of honey; all of it calmed him and warmed his soul.

He pulled back and smiled. "Hello to you too."

Alex returned his smile. "I missed you, and I'm stressed."

He stroked her cheek. "Don't be. We will sort it out." He touched his forehead to hers.

"I know."

Elijah kissed her forehead before stepping back, taking the bag from her hand and lacing their fingers together. "I made pizza," he said.

Alex gasped. "Yes!"

They walked inside and headed straight to the kitchen. Elijah watched as Alex looked around the house and seemed to admire it. He watched as she scrunched up her nose and furrowed her brow; it almost made him chuckle. He knew that she wasn't happy about being in Niklaus' house, but he could tell that it annoyed her that she actually liked the place.

"Klaus had better taste than I thought," she said.

He nodded. "That he does. However, he was always a little over the top."

"This place is massive for one person."

Alex's face seemed to glow as she spotted the fresh pizza sitting on the bench. She clapped her hands and dashed around the counter. Elijah placed her bag on the floor by the door and walked around to join her.

"I believe he intended for more than one person to live here," he said.

Alex took a bite and hummed her smile content.

"This is so good. Who would live with him?" she asked.

Elijah leant against the counter. He didn't know how she would take this.

"My belief is that he wanted it to be a family home," he said.

Alex frowned but didn't respond.

He cleared his throat. "Over our years together, there were a few times where we actually were happy. We were together, getting along for the most part. Niklaus always wanted us to be in the same home, and he would always make sure we had one. It always ended badly, but it always started out with good intentions."

"Klaus had you all in coffins. Was he going to wake you up and just expect you all to stay with him?" she asked.

Elijah didn't know how to respond. Alex was right; he would have. The thing that worried Elijah is that after a brief period of anger shared between them, they most likely would have repeated their cycle and stayed in the home.

"That is exactly what he would have done," said Rebekah.

She walked into the kitchen, propped herself up onto the bench and crossed her legs.

She said, "He would have woken us up, told us that he had a new home. Any signs of resistance would have ended up with our daggers put right back in."

"That's messed up," said Alex.

Elijah sighed and shifted. Again, Alex was right. Even though everything inside Elijah was telling him to defend his brother, how could he? Alex probably would never be able to understand the relationship between them all completely.

"Hey, you okay?" asked Alex.

Elijah cleared his throat and smiled at her. "I'm fine."

She put down her pizza and grabbed his hand. She squeezed it and stepped closer until their bodies were touching.

"I'm sorry, I'm being judgemental again."

Elijah shook his head. He understood her difficulties with Niklaus. After all, to save her sister, she had to complete a ritual in which Niklaus murdered Elena, and then she had to lose someone she had loved. He could never blame her for her hostility towards him.

Squeezing her hand back, he said, "I understand. Anyone would think the relationship between us is messed up. We are dysfunctional, but after a thousand years of insanity, what can you expect?"

Rebekah laughed. "I think dysfunctional is the polite word."

Alex chuckled and nodded. "That it is. But even after a thousand years," she looked up at Elijah and smiled, "you two turned out alright, at least in my books."

Elijah leant his head down, smiling at her. "Well, I'm glad, Miss Gilbert, that I meet your standards."

"That you do," said Alex.

She closed the small gap and kissed him. Elijah wrapped both of his arms around her waist, and Alex cupped his cheeks. It was sweet and loving, and it just seemed to make all their emotional crap just disappear.

Rebekah made heaving noises and jumped off the counter.

"You two are so gross; I'm going to find a snack," she said.

Alex laughed and broke the kiss.

Elijah ignored his sister and nuzzled his nose against her cheek.

"Don't kill anyone, please," yelled Alex after Rebekah.

"Yeah, yeah. Stop making out and find Kol," she yelled back.

Alex looked back to Elijah. "She's right; we do need to find him."

Elijah slid his hands down her back, over her bottom and cupped the backs of her thighs. He hoisted her up and placed her onto the counter. She gripped his shoulders and smiled. He ghosted his lips across hers. She closed her eyes as his breath sent a shiver down her spine.

Kissing her cheek, he said, "He will be fine for another few hours."

"A few hours, huh?"

Elijah nodded. "We have a few days to make up for."

He kissed her again; this time, it wasn't sweet. He kissed her deeply and held her tightly against him. He slid his tongue along her bottom lip and then slipped it into her mouth when she opened it for him. His hands cupped her hips, his finger digging into the denim of her jeans.

Alex gripped the back of his neck and moaned as his tongue danced with hers. She grabbed the tie around his neck and tugged at it until it slid from his neck and onto the floor. She pulled at the buttons and pushed the jacket off his shoulders.

He pulled the jacket off and threw it to the ground. At any other moment, he would take a moment to dust it off and lay it over a chair or the counter but having Alex so close sent all his senses into overdrive.

Alex pushed at his shirt, and as he pulled it from where it was tucked in, she pulled back from his lips for a moment to pull the tank top, she had on, off and throw it behind her. She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled his lips back to hers in a searing kiss.

Elijah moved his mouth from hers and along her jawline. He nibbled along her skin, sucking and kissing, as he moved to her ear. He bit down on her lobe and sucked it into her mouth.

She cried out and reached for his belt.

"Don't tease me," she said.

He smiled against her throat. "Never."

His lips continued their journey down her throat to her tanned chest.

She popped open his belt and popped open his pants. She hooked her finger into his briefs and pushed them down his thighs, his hard cock popped out, and she wrapped one hand around the base and pumped him gently.

"I need you," she gasped.

He nuzzled and moaned against her chest and slid his fingers tips along her sides. She shivered and buried her free hand into his hair.

"Please," she begged.

He hooked his finger into her pants and yanked them down her legs, bringing her panties down too. Her pussy was dripping with anticipation. Her scent called to him, as sweet and fresh as her blood was. He pulled her pants all the way off and dropped them onto the floor; he dragged her body flush against him and ran his fingers up the side of her legs.

Her legs wrapped around his waist, and she cupped his face. He kissed her again and reached down to grab his cock and line it with her dripping entrance. Sliding forward, his head rubbed against her fold, and she whimpered against his lips.

"So wet," he mumbled against her lips.

Alex moaned and tugged at his hair.

"Only for you," she whispered.

He smiled and pushed himself inside. They both moaned out as he buried himself in her depths. Gripping her hips, he pulled himself out and then thrust back in. Elijah was tempted to fuck her until she forgot her name, but he wanted to take his time. Being buried inside her, her walls squeezing him, his name falling from her lips, made it so much better.

Alex's fingers tightened in his hair, and she dug her heels into his ass to push him in deeper.

"Elijah," she cried.

"I love you," he said.

Alex opened her eyes and stared into his. "I love you too."

He kissed her and increased the speed of his thrusts. Every time his desire for her seemed to grow. The taste of her lips, the sensations of her body against his, the way she called out his name, it only made her want her more.

She shivered at his touch, and it delighted him to feel her respond. He wanted her to tremble, to cry out and be overwhelmed with such want that it was almost too much. Elijah's finger dug into her skin as her body tightened around him, pulling him closer to his own end.

He dropped his head to her chest, her heart danced beneath her skin, the blood in her veins called out to him. His lips found the tops of her breasts, and he slipped out his tongue to taste her skin.

Alex grip tightened on his hair, her body squeezing him enough more.

He licked across the blue lace of her bra that covered her harden nipples; he bit down and pulled a squeal out of Alex.

"Elijah, fuck!"

He sucked the nipple, lace and all, into his mouth and thrust into her harder.

She whimpered at his touch, and her head fell back. He glanced up and watched as a look of pleasure, overwhelmed her bruised lips.

"Alexandra," her name fell from his lips in a whisper.

She opened her eyes and looked him in the eye.

He released her nipple and leant up to kiss her again.

"I'm so close," she gasped.

He pushed himself harder, his thrust seeming to bury himself even deeper than before.

"Cum for me," he said.

She moaned, and he caught her lips. He swallowed her moan. He gripped her blonde locks and shuddered as her walls clamped down on him as her orgasm washed over her, pulling his end from him.

They stilled against the counter. Elijah smiled at her and cupped her face. He leant their foreheads together and took a moment to calm both of their hearts. She nuzzled her nose against his, her smile was bright, and her cheeks flushed.

"I love you," she said.

She pulled Elijah to her for another kiss.

"I love you too," he said.

They didn't spend hours catching up, but after having sex in the kitchen and a quick clean up, they ate cold pizza and headed upstairs to shower. One shower turned into two since it seemed they could not stop themselves, but they did manage to dress in fresh clothes.

Alex sat on the bed, dressed in a pair of clean jeans and a tank; her grimoire opened before her and a Mystic Falls map beside that. She had attempted to track Kol again but had been unsuccessful. Elijah stood over by the window that overlooked the front driveway, a glass of scotch in his hand and a thoughtful frown on his face.

Alex glanced up at him and couldn't help but smile. When their relationship was still new, she had found him interesting to look at. He would often end up staring out a window considering his options; he would end up with a faraway look in his eye, and only when he had come up with a conclusion or an option would he take a sip of his drink. It had taken a few years to understand the different responses he would make; if he was happy, a small smirk would appear briefly on his lips; if he was displeased, a small huff would fall from his lips; and her favourite, if he were annoyed, his eyes would roll, and he would polish off his drink with one mouthful. Looking at him now, she watched as his brow furrowed.

They had already discussed everything they both knew about what was going on. Alex had explained to Elijah the notes she found about a linking spell, and it had concerned him just as much as it had her. Alex had tried looking in the grimoire to see if there was anything about linking spells that she had missed, but there didn't seem to be anything. She had also searched for a way to find Kol, but again, she had nothing.

She closed her grimoire and said, "I need some help."

Elijah turned to face her, the furrowed brow faded, and a look of interest appeared.

"How can I help?" he asked.

"As helpful as you can be, you lack one element," said Alex.

He nodded. "You meant a witches help."

She nodded. "I'll give Bonnie and Sarah a call. I thought that if we pool our magic together, then maybe we can overpower the cloaking spell."

Elijah frowned. "I didn't think that was possible."

She shrugged. "Everyone says it's impossible, but I've never met anyone who has tried it, so why not give it ago. Nothing else we can do until someone either spots Kol or we think of something else."

"Right." He finished his drink and then said, "I'm going to ring a few contacts, see if anyone can help."

Alex nodded. "I thought you did that already."

He sighed. "There are still a few people I haven't tried."

He walked over and pressed a kiss to her cheek before leaving the room.

Alex glanced over the map and frowned. She had no idea if a combined effort would work, but it couldn't hurt. She dialled Sarah's number and waited. It rang three times before she answered.

"Hang on…hang on."

Alex cringed as she heard a crash.

"Fuck!"

Alex bit down on her lip to keep herself from laughing.

The phone jostled, and Sarah huffed. "Sorry, I dropped my phone."

"All good, how are you?" Alex asked.

Sarah sighed. "Exhausted. I just spent 30 minutes arguing with my lecture about my last assignment. Stupid bitch thinks just because she worked in Paris means that she knows everything." She huffed and cleared her throat. "Anyway, how are you? How's Elijah?"

Alex smiled. She missed Sarah.

"We are good, currently in Mystic Falls on an Original hunt."

"Klaus didn't get out, did he?" Sarah asked.

"No, no. Not Klaus. He is still locked up," said Alex.

Sarah sighed happily. "Good. So which Mikaelson got in your bad books?"

Alex laughed. "None. Kol is actually missing."

Sarah paused, hummed, and said, "Oh, really? You sure he isn't off on some blood binge?"

Alex snorted. "Yeah, I'm sure."

It had been her first assumption, too, when Elijah told her a week before that he couldn't contact Kol.

She said, "Especially since someone has him cloaked."

"Oh yeah, that's a bit sus."

"Exactly. I was actually calling to get some help; I was hoping you and Bonnie could help me track him."

"How? If he's cloaked, what else can we do?" Sarah asked.

"I want to try and overpower the spell, but we'd all need to be together."

Sarah said, "Interesting. Well, finals are underway; I still have three to do. I was planning on coming back to Mystic Falls with Elena on Friday; that's when all our finals are done."

Alex nodded. That was three days.

"I think Kol can survive a few more days," said Sarah.

"I suppose."

"It's not like someone could kill him."

That was the thing, though. Alex wasn't sure what exactly was going on with Kol. Were the Council involved? Were they planning on linking the Mikaelson's together? There were too many unknown facts, and it made Alex feel powerless. She hoped that Sarah and Bonnie could help her change that.

"So, you will be here Friday?" asked Alex.

"Yeah, Friday. I'll let you know if I can come back sooner."

Alex sighed. "Okay, great."

"I got to go; bye, Alex."

"Bye, Sarah."

If she had to wait three days, then she would have to wait three days. She did bring the duffle bag full of information with her, so many Alex could go over it again. Maybe a second pair of eyes would notice something she hadn't.

But before she did that, she tried Bonnie. Hitting the dial button, she waited. The phone rang four times and then it was answered.

"Bonnie's phone," said a deep guys voice.

Alex frowned. "Is Bonnie there?"

"Yeah, she's just in the shower. Who's this?" the guy asked.

"I'm a friend, more like an older sister. Who are you?" Alex asked.

He chuckled. "I'm just a friend."

"Yeah, okay. Could you tell Bonnie to call me?"

"Sure," he said. "But she might not be able to call you until tomorrow. I'm rather a handful."

Alex scoffed. "Whatever."

She hung up. She would need to tell Bonnie to drop him; he sounded horrid.

Chucking her phone onto the bed, she jumped up and walked over to her bag. Alex had bought along a few books that she had hoped might be able to help. While she waited for Elijah to make his calls, she would see what she could find.

For a time, the small-town vibe seemed to suit Rebekah. Elijah had encouraged her to try and find her place in this new era after she had woken up, but do it without needless slaughter. Never having experienced high school before, Rebekah chose to enrol in Mystic Falls High School to find out what all the fuss was about. It was interesting watching how desperate the humans were, all rushing around, all of them trying to be better than their friends. It had amused her for some time. Rebekah had even enjoyed shocking Alex's sister and her friends when she showed up. Even though she had promised to be on her best behaviour, it didn't mean she couldn't stir up some not violent trouble.

By the time Alex and Elijah decided to leave, Rebekah had grown bored of the small town. She wanted to see more of the world, explore how it had changed, so she left the quiet town and explored the modern world. Eventually, she regrouped with Elijah and Alex; she liked having her family around her.

The one thing that she had always enjoyed about Mystic Falls was how easy it was to find a fresh drink. The high school boys were always the same, cocky and thinking with the head between their legs. Rebekah didn't even need to use compulsion to get them alone; they would just follow her.

So just like she always had, Rebekah strolled straight into the Grill and spotted a particularly rowdy group of teenage boys. They were all wearing their football jumpers and shoving one another over by the pool tables. She didn't walk right over and interrupt; she wanted to have a little bit of fun.

Rebekah moved over to the bar and compelled herself a drink. She sat on the stool, crossed her legs so that her skirt revealed more of her thigh and glanced over at the group of boys. It took less than a minute before one of them spotted her, smiled and then nudged all his friends. Rebekah had to hold in her laugh as she watched the first boy who had looked at her be pushed by all his friends to go over to her.

He was rather cute for a teenager; sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, a fit body. He even had a cute smile that was gracing his lips as he crossed the room. Rebekah imagined that he would take delicious.

"Nice to know that your taste in men hasn't changed."

Rebekah turned around in her chair to face a familiar blonde hair blue eyed young man that had once been a footballer himself.

"Matt Donovan." She smiled. "You look good in a Sheriff's uniform."

Matt smiled at her compliment. He said, "Thank you; you look good yourself."

Rebekah flicked her hair over her shoulder and shrugged.

"When did you get back in town?" he asked.

"Less than an hour ago."

"You here because of Kol too?"

She nodded. "I dropped Alex off with Elijah and have let them to…reunite."

Matt cringed slightly. "Right."

Rebekah smirked.

"So you decided to come down to the Grill and see what was on the menu?"

She nodded. "That I did."

Matt stepped into her personal space, his body leaning against the bar.

He said, "Find anything that has piqued your interest?"

Rebekah giggled. "Maybe. Why? Jealous?"

Matt laughed softly. "Possibly…but I should also tell you that the town's water supply is still laced with vervain."

Rebekah sighed and pouted. "Shame. He did look delicious."

Reaching out her hand, Rebekah ran her fingers down the black-tie that Matt was wearing. She enjoyed the look in his eyes as his heartbeat increased just from her touch.

Back when she had been living in town, she had gotten to know Matt. Unlike the rest of Elena's friends, he had been kind and welcoming, and Rebekah had admitted to herself that she quickly became smitten with him. Matt was too nice for a girl like her, but he was funny and charming, and his dimples were adorable when he grinned.

"Maybe I could take you out for dinner; make up for the disappointing outcome," said Matt.

Rebekah nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me."

"Great, you busy tomorrow?" he asked.

Rebekah finished her drink and said, "I'm free now."