Denial Is Just a River In Egypt
3
Hours earlier
Elijah sets his travel bag on the porch and fumbles his pockets for the key.
He can't believe he's back in Mystic Falls after being absent for exactly one day. When his sister called him and insisted on coming back, telling him she had something of utmost importance to say to him and refusing to leave before she had, Elijah felt he had no other choice but to turn back.
Knowing Rebekah, he suspects the worst. Well, assuming they can meet before the hunter stakes them both… Damn his stubborn, reckless, imprudent siblings. When will this madness ever end?
He opens the door and steps into the dark foyer, clicking on the light. The house is mostly quiet, only the flickering light of the TV visible from the other room. Elijah listens to the muffled sound.
"Rebekah, please tell me you are not watching–" He can't help the annoyed sigh that escapes him. "–'My Super Sweet 16' again?"
No answer.
"I'll freshen up, if you don't mind, and we can talk then," he calls out and heads upstairs. He shakes his head, frowning and wondering to himself what is that peculiar smell that's mingled into the air downstairs. He hopes Rebekah's not trying to "cook" again. Last time the microwave exploded.
30 minutes later as Elijah descends downstairs again, nothing has really changed. The house is dark and quiet save for the TV and soft lamp-light of the living room. He goes to the kitchen and pours himself a drink, bracing himself for Rebekah's "talk". It just cannot be good, he can feel it.
"Rebekah?" he says loudly and looks towards the archway leading to the other room. "Can I get you a drink?"
Still nothing.
He thinks for a second before filling another tumbler with ice cubes and scotch.
"So tell me, what is it you wanted to talk about?" he asks as he enters the living room, a glass in both hand.
First thing he notices is that it is not 'My Super Sweet 16' that occupies the TV screen. Animal Planet, instead. Hmm… The second thing he notices is that it is not Rebekah who occupies the couch but a small frame, hidden under a blanket, with only a messy heap of brown hair sticking out.
Elijah comes to a sudden halt. He doesn't appreciate surprises. Never has.
He sets the tumblers aside and approaches the girl prudently. Not that he's afraid or even concerned. Frankly, he has very few things that might concern him (mostly blood related). He's just baffled. It makes no sense. What is a stranger doing on their couch, by the look of it, slumbering as if she felt right at home? Has Rebekah made… friends? That just can't be right…
Then his eyes zero in on the tasteful crystal ashtray that lies on the living room table, filled with remnants of smoking and two what seem to be hand-rolled cigarette stubs. Ah, Elijah thinks, finally satisfied with a sufficient explanation – their lavish and conveniently empty residence has apparently attracted a young delinquent.
He prods her with one finger. Hardly a very gentlemanly act, but she obviously needs to go and shouting throughout the house has thus far had no effect. It is really for her own good because when Rebekah shows up, and that should be any moment, she might end up never leaving this house at all. At least not alive.
She stirs slightly, makes a whining sound and kicks him with her feet, which leaves Elijah staring with utter distaste. "Five more minutes, mom," she mutters through her sleep and as soon as Elijah hears the tone of her voice, his eyes widen in shock as he recognizes it.
"Elena?" he all but yells.
Her head shoots up from the pillow, whipping around wildly. Brown strands fall away from her face to bare her confused and sleepy eyes. "What? Where am I?" she says groggily.
"You appear to be having a nap on my brother's couch," Elijah says, dazed.
"Oh, yes," Elena breathes with relief. Then her eyes grow bigger and land on his face. "Wait, what are you doing here? Didn't you leave?"
"I did," he says dryly, "which still does not quite explain you breaking in for a nap."
"Is that for me?" she asks, ignoring his comment, and, without really waiting for an answer, she reaches out to one of the tumblers and takes a sip. Elijah just watches, the frown back in his features. Something is definitely amiss.
What happens next bewilders him even more. Elena pulls out a zip-lock bag, retrieves a joint and lights it up, right in the middle of their living room without any considerations.
"What's happened?" he blurts and quickly grasps for his own drink. There is something indifferent about Elena, as if she's stopped caring for both herself and common courtesy.
She shrugs and blows out a wisp of smoke. "Just having a particularly bad day." She taps the joint against the rim of the ashtray, not looking at him.
"Yes?" he says in a tone that demands an explanation.
Then she does look at him and there's something hard, steely about her gaze. "Well," she states, feigning like she's trying to recall something, "first I thought I had this awful hangover… Then I remembered that your sister killed me."
He's dumbstruck.
"Want a drag?" Her hand stops mid-air, passing him the joint.
He looks at the smoking spliff and then at her. For a split second the anger and annoyance with his siblings passes over his face. "To hell with it," he grumbles and accepts the joint. He'd promised not to smoke since Woodstock but… well, it's not as if he gave his word.
1 hour later
"What the devil?!"
When Rebekah gets home she's greeted by a mostly dark house and a cloud of smelly smoke.
It's in the living room she finds the culprits of this predicament.
"It's the yellow button! Yellow one jumps!" Elena explains hastily, seated somewhere in the haze of the dimly lit room.
"Are you positive? It doesn't seem to work," Elijah ponders, leaning forward calmly, a controller in his hands, and staring at the TV screen where a tiny man in overalls and a red cap bolts around. "Hmm, there is an awful lot of lava in this castle, which makes little sense if you think about it…"
Elena laughs and exclaims that he has to avoid it at all cost because apparently lava kills.
Rebekah snaps out of her speechless state of only gaping at them. She coughs loudly to draw their attention.
"Is it food?" Elijah inquires, his eyes steadily fixed on the game. "I must point out that they might not deliver to this address since Kol… ate the last pizza delivery guy."
"You're telling me this now?"
Another rumbling cough.
Finally, Elena's gaze finds the new arrival. "Oh, no," she sighs, irritated, "it's Rebekah."
"It's Rebekah?" she nearly shouts with frustration. "What am I? A leper?"
"In my eyes, yes," Elena says. "A murdering one at that."
"Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?" Elijah asks, motioning towards Elena with his head while his gaze never strays from the screen.
"Maybe," she answers petulantly.
"And we will talk about it," Elijah goes on, his voice turning very serious for a moment, "as soon as I kill this– this little dragon-like monster."
Elena is distracted for the time being. "It's Iggy Koopa, the tyrant of Yoshi Island! Jump on him! Jump on him!"
"It's not that easy," Elijah interjects, his forehead creased with concentration, "that board-thing is moving!"
"Get him to the lava!"
"Sounds overly cruel…"
"You have to! He won't die otherwise," Elena whines, her hands risen to her face in anticipation.
"I'm trying!"
Victorious music starts playing then, the screen darkening.
"You did it!" Elena shouts.
"I did," Elijah says, surprised at his success.
"Oh, God," Rebekah groans, thoroughly annoyed. "I'm leaving!"
Nobody stops her as she marches out of the house, closing the door with earth-shattering force. Honestly, she's rather relieved. Elijah is going to be so mad at her once the effects of pot wear off. Maybe Elena can keep him high forever?
"You're growing weaker," Elijah observes after pausing the game to look at her. "You need to feed."
Elena sighs and lights another joint as if the very mentioning of her choice-to-be-made is driving her towards renewing her high. But it has another side effect – she feels as if the walls made of doubts and past betrayals vanish between them with every whiff of smoke blown out.
"I know," she admits.
They smoke in silence for a while, letting the wave of calmness and ease wash over them.
"I don't know what to do," Elena says at length.
"I know it's a very important decision," Elijah contributes, "but all I can think about right now is how I want to keep playing this game and listening to– what did you say this was?"
"Bob Marley," Elena tells her absent-mindedly. "How do you even have all this stuff?"
"The console is Kol's and I think the record collection is mostly Klaus'."
Elena laughs a bit. "Your family is weird."
"You have no idea."
They smoke in silence again, both deep in their thoughts.
"So how about it, Elena?" Elijah says as he stubs out the finished joint. "How about agreeing that neither of us ruins this evening by dying?"
She thinks on it, sipping her scotch.
"If you're implying what I think you're implying, if you have become truly indifferent to death, even just for now, you are free forever. That is not a feeling you can ever forget. Don't throw that away. After all, you'll always have time to die tomorrow," he tells her, a warm understanding shining in his gaze. It makes him look so much younger.
Suddenly her lips crack into a grin. "You know what? You're right! So what if I have to drink some blood and will want to murder people? I can always lock myself into the house with TV and books and video games."
"That's the spirit," Elijah chuckles and stands up to go to the kitchen.
"You know, you're about the last person I want to hear from right now." Rude!
"Well, yes, but I felt it necessary to inform you of the whereabouts of our mutual friend," Elijah speaks into the cell phone.
"What? Where is she?"Damon's impatient voice demands.
After downing a glass of blood, Elena remembered that she should let her friends know that she's alright. She feels bad for making them worry but she really needed some time to work things out without any pressure.
"She's with me," Elijah says.
Of course in her haste, she'd forgotten her phone at home, which happened to be the perfect excuse to ask Elijah to call instead. She figures he'll be better at evading the questions since she doesn't want to go home yet (she feels like a small child out past curfew and it makes her laugh at the ridiculousness).
"No, we're not at the mansion." So maybe not particularly good at evading questions… When did he become such a poor liar? She could probably pin it on the pot.
Elena forgets to pay attention to the rest of the conversation but when Elijah slides his phone on the living room table, he says, "I believe it didn't work out quite the way I had planned."
"Oh, really?" she smirks.
"Yes, I expect your friends will arrive shortly."
"Yeah, I have to go home," she sighs and feels a sudden surge of sadness envelope her at having to face the reality again. "I owe it to them. I've acted… irresponsibly today, selfishly."
Elijah smiles. He wishes she didn't have to go. Unexpectedly, this day has turned out to be most enjoyable in a while.
They just sit for a while, listening to the music, until Elena breaks the silence again.
"It's strange and really, really astounding," she says, "but today's been… uhm, kind of awesome. Thanks to you."
Just then a car horn blares from outside, signaling the arrival of her friends.
They both look towards the window but neither move.
"Good-night, Elena, and good luck," Elijah says.
Elena's smile widens. "Good-night," she whispers and suddenly leaps forward, kissing him. It's a decision she makes in the spur of the moment but she knows there's just no way she could regret it.
At first, he's stunned but then he relaxes, kissing her back. His hands weave into her hair and he pulls her closer to him so she's almost on his lap. After another blast of the horn, they break apart, both slightly disheveled.
"Elena!" Elijah says, a hand over his heart, feigning shock. "If I'd known marijuana did such a number on you–"
"Oh, no," she stops him playfully, "don't delude yourself. I'd kiss you whether I'm stoned, drunk or sober."
"Why now, then?"
"What can I say," she shrugs as if stating some universal truth, "I love a man who can play Mario. This was the last straw, I couldn't help myself."
"You are an odd one, Elena."
"Only when I'm high. Otherwise I'm much too proper," she says and smiles brightly.
"That's what I love about you."
She places another peck on his lips before jumping up.
"Text me!" she calls out as she heads for the foyer. Just when he thinks she's gone, her head pops back through the archway to add "and don't play Mario without me! I want to see what's up on Donut Plains!" before she flies out of the door.
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!