I do not own TVD or TO.
Turns out I wasn't actually better yet. It was a brief reprieve before an ear infection got me. That's passing out of my system now, but it made sitting at the computer and typing impossible because I couldn't concentrate on the story long enough. Instead I made very confusing notes and created some gif sets over on tumblr.
"You know?" Elena's eyes darted down to her swollen stomach.
Her heart thundered beneath her rib cage with a mix of fear and anticipation. She had wanted to know since accepting the truth, it would certainly make explaining the situation to him easier, but what exactly would she be learning in the next few moments?
"I know," Davina nodded.
"Marcel," he clapped him on the shoulder, "I wonder if you might be of assistance?"
He saw the hesitation in the younger vampire's eyes.
"That depends on what you need," Marcel spun on his stool. His eyes flickered over Klaus' face. "If you're looking for your brother it's gonna take me a little time to get him back to you. I wasn't keeping him here in the compound."
"That's not it," he waved one hand dismissively while giving him a pointed look. "I trust my brother will be returned to me with all haste."
"Then what can I do for you in the meantime?"
"I've lost a friend of mine," Klaus' mouth lifted in a small smirk.
"I'd hardly classify the two of you as friends," Caroline strode into the darkened bar. "Hello Marcel."
"Very well, sweetheart," he acknowledged her with a nod, "I've lost the friend of a friend. She likes to wander you see," he turned back to Marcel, "and I'm afraid she's wandered off; didn't return home last night."
"I take it this is your friend," Marcel's eyes flickered to Caroline.
"Elena," she nodded. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out her cell phone and pulled up a picture from a few months before. "This is her."
Marcel took the phone and stared at the brunette. There was something familiar in her features.
"We were hoping you or one of your nightwalkers had seen her," Klaus tilted his head. He saw the brief flicker of recognition enter Marcel's eyes, but it was distant. Centuries before he had possessed a few sketches of Katerina that he used to try and find her; Marcel might have seen her face once as a child.
"She looks familiar, but I can't say I've seen her anywhere," he glanced up and called over another vampire. "Diego, have you seen this woman?"
He glanced at the phone and shook his head.
"Keep an eye out for her," Marcel passed the phone back to Caroline.
"That's it?" Caroline frowned.
"Like I said: I haven't seen her," Marcel shook his head, "but I'll keep an eye out for you."
"Thanks," Caroline spun on her heel.
Marcel watched her go for a moment longer than necessary before turning to Klaus. His eyes narrowed as he tilted his head to regard his sire.
"I find it hard to believe you're putting in an effort to find someone who's not even a friend." He cocked an eyebrow.
"We have our ups and downs," Klaus shrugged, "but she's very important to me. Let me know if you see her. I'll be waiting for your call."
She knelt beside the coffin as the lid swung open. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw him. She had hoped to never see him like that again: lifeless and grey. She paused with her hand over the dagger and glanced up through her lashes at Davina.
"You're not going to cast another spell on me are you?"
She shook her head. Truthfully she wasn't sure about her decision to let Elena remove the dagger, but there were some things that he needed to know, and she felt fairly confident that she could put the ancient vampire back down if need be.
"You've got some news that really can't wait that long," she gave a pointed look to Elena's stomach.
It was always a slow process, returning to himself. There was no feeling worse than that of being trapped within his body.
The first thing he became aware of was the persistent burn in the back of his throat; it increased in intensity as his hearing returned. Four heartbeats echoed in the enclosed space; three within arm's reach.
His gums ached, teeth itching to tear free and sink into warm flesh, but he swallowed down that desire when his eyes snapped open.
"Elijah," her voice was small when she saw he was awake.
"Elena," he rasped, voice rusty from disuse, "what…"
He took in her appearance as he slowly sat up. Her hair was shorter and fuller, her skin appeared to glow. He had barely straightened up when she threw her arms around his neck. He stiffened for a moment, afraid his hunger would win out, before returning her embrace.
He could smell the rich blood rushing beneath her olive skin and the soft lavender from her shampoo. One of the heart beats he had heard earlier came from behind him, but three appeared to be located in his arms. Swallowing he bit his cheek and ran his tongue along his teeth before pulling back a few inches.
Glancing over his shoulder he saw a young girl in a chair. Her porcelain features, long brown hair and white dress created the illusion of innocence, but there was something dangerous in the set of her mouth; something angry in her eyes. She was the only other person in the room.
"Elena…" he cleared his throat and looked down. He felt his eyes widen when they reached her abdomen. "How long was I…?"
"Daggered?" She managed a small laugh that was closer to a sob and blinked back a wave of tears.
He nodded. She was still human and didn't look much older than when he had left her home in Mystic Falls, but Tatia hadn't looked much older than Elena when she died and she had been twenty-seven; Petrovas aged remarkably well.
"How long was it after you left Mystic Falls before Klaus…?" She stopped before she could choke on the words.
"Three days," he remembered it vividly. He had still been able to smell her under his skin when his brother had forced the ash-dipped blade into his heart.
"Then it's been about three months," she smiled.
"Three… but…" his eyes fell to her stomach. She was not the type of woman who slept around, but the evidence was before him.
It was almost amusing watching him flounder for words. She had never seen the noble Original at a loss for what to say; he always seemed to have something on the tip of his tongue. Part of her wanted to let him flounder for a second longer but she had a feeling she knew what thoughts were running through his head and she didn't like him thinking that. She was not like Katherine; the night she had spent with him meant the world to her.
"One of the many benefits of doppelganger blood," she tried to smile. "Just one more reason for vampires to come after me," her laugh was bitter. She knew they had done it together but the conception was her fault; he had hesitated to bite her during the height of passion, but she had told him it was okay. She had exposed her neck and all but begged him to do it.
"Elena," he looked up from the dual heart beats emanating from deep in her body, "are these children… are they mine?"
"You'd think I would have put more thought into how I'd say that," she nodded, "but I just had that bomb shell dropped on me." Her hands started gesturing as her voice took on a higher quality. "Kol says it's happened before, but he never saw the women. If he had he could have told me it was a doppelganger thing. There were two of them, but he never saw them because they were dead by the time Kol got there and –"
"Elena," he cut off her rambling. He brought his hands up and held the sides of her face. He was starved, desperate for blood, and she had unloaded a lot of information but in spite of her fast voice and gesturing hands her heart had remained steady.
"Sorry," she swallowed, "I'm babbling."
"I noticed," he rubbed his thumb over her smooth cheek.
His skin was dry against her face but she couldn't bring herself to care. The rough stroke of his thumb was the best thing she had felt in weeks.
"You need blood," she held his wrist in place.
His eyes flickered over her face before glancing back to the chair again.
"Considering my only options are a child and you," he got to his feet slowly, "I'll have to wait."
"I'm not a child," the girl piped up. She crossed her arms and eyed his grey skin, not missing the way his eyes darted to her neck. "You don't look good."
"Well," Elijah gave her a small smile, "it was only a short time ago that I had a mystical dagger embedded in my chest, so I'd say I'm holding myself together quite well." He paused and tilted his head. "Who are you?"
"Davina," she stood from her chair.
"New Orleans is at war," Elena pushed her hair behind her ear.
"I was aware of that," he nodded. "The witches took…" he trailed off before he could reveal anything. If Elena was in town and in contact with Kol she likely already knew about Hayley and the baby, but it was unlikely that Davina did and her allegiance was still unknown.
"Did you know it's over me?" Davina swallowed.
"You?" Elijah frowned, but before he could question anything footsteps sounded outside the door.
The wood flew inwards to crash against the wall.
Elijah and Elena caught only the briefest glimpse of the man on the other side before Davina threw up her hands.
"You think this is the right place?" Kol eyed the church. He was intimately familiar with the grounds, having slaughtered the parishioners nearly a century before.
"You said yourself the Bayou was out of the question," Rebekah pointed to the shuttered windows above their heads and nodded.
Inside the morning sun was all but obliterated in the darkened sanctuary. Through the gloom they spotted a priest cleaning the mess that had settled over the room; he glanced up at them before turning back to his task.
"The church is closed; if you want your horror fix go and take a ghost tour."
"Can't say I care much for ghosts," Kol hummed.
"We are, however, fascinated by window shutters," Rebekah held her hands behind her back.
"The windows on your attic have shutters," Kol finished.
"Window shutters?" The man straightened up and fixed them with a sceptical look. "You're interested in window shutters?"
"It's our current obsession in life," Rebekah smiled sweetly. Her eyes flickered to the walls where an all too familiar sight greeted her. "What's your name?"
"Father Kieran," he approached the pair, "and you are?"
"Curious," Kol followed his sister's eyes to the red stain on the wall. He had seen a similar stain the last time he had been in the church; it had glistened in the flickering candle light. The last time he checked there weren't many people willing to spill blood in a church. "What happened here?"
They could practically feel the deep sigh as it passed through the priest's lips.
"St. Anne's used to be the heart of the neighborhood, but it's been abandoned since the night of the massacre." His eyes took on a haunted look when he turned to stare at an area in front of the wall; in his mind he saw the metallic glint of the scythe as it was drawn across a throat, the red stain spreading over the pristine seminary gown. "Nine students were killed… by one of their own," he cleared his throat and turned back to them. He pointed to the floor. "You're standing on blood."
"You'll find we're not squeamish," Rebekah held back her scoff.
"Where's the attic?"
"Like I said," Kieran's eyes hardened. "The church is closed."
Rebekah rolled her eyes before flashing across the five feet separating them. She placed her hand on his chest and stared into his eyes as she compelled him.
"Where is the attic?"
"Past the sacristy, up the stairs," he gulped.
"Thank you," Kol smirked as he passed them.
"Now forget we were ever here," Rebekah finished. She circled around him and followed Kol through the sanctuary. When she stepped onto the stairs she heard the priest leaving the church.
If there had been any doubt in her mind that she was in the right place it flew from her head when Kol flew past her. He was still picking himself up when she walked around them towards the anxious voice.
"Was that necessary?"
"Now, now, love," Rebekah crossed her arms at the threshold, "a little throwing about won't hurt him. In fact," her eyes found Davina, "I think you should toss him around a bit..." the breath stilled in her lungs when she saw her brother standing alongside the coffin. "Elijah?"
"Sister," he greeted. He had every intention of addressing her further when she was thrown backwards by a gust of wind.
Elena's eyes widened when Rebekah disappeared from the door. Davina crossed the room in quick strides and went through the door. She heard a series of thumps when she moved towards the door, but an invisible barrier stopped her from exiting the room.
Elijah joined her at the door and pressed his palm against the clear space. His eyes narrowed when Davina returned a moment later.
"What is this, Davina?"
"Did you think I was just going to let you go?" She stepped back into her bedroom. "I hardly know you and I don't trust you."
Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on the story so far.
So next on my roster is Addicted followed by SAF.