A/N: Sorry it took so long to update this. With the Christmas holidays I was a little busy, and I also struggled to write this chapter out.
I will apologise in advance if you find spelling and grammar mistakes. I'm not completely happy with this chapter, but I thought I should post :)
The song for this chapter is Saving Grace by The Afters.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, they all belong to the writers and creators of The Vampire Diaries and The Originals. Although I take full credit for Eliza :D
Forever and Always
Part 6 - Saving Grace
No one ever tells you what to expect when you die. Often it's related to darkness and within that darkness there will be a shine of hope, a glimmer of light that guides you to your next journey in life. But in this instance all that was seen was grey, a blur. Nothing was just black and white. Only whispers could be heard, not that it was a comfort as none were familiar.
Was this really what life amounted to? A mother could bring a child into this world, only for them to lose them moments later and if they were lucky they could have them until they took their last breath. Parents were suppose to outlive children. They spend their lives protecting them and teaching them wrong from right and hoping that when they are old enough to explore the world on their own, they use these traits in the best possible way.
Eliza had spent her life living a normal life, even if her mother figure was far from it. An immortal mother was more than she could hope for. A protector in her own right, but also a role model to learn from as she had the most compassionate soul. She knew her birth mother was a witch, she wasn't naïve. Her mother had done terrible things to other people in the name of protecting her coven. But her foolishness had consequences and now she lay in a cemetery somewhere in New Orleans.
Elena gave her a fighting chance in this cruel world. Nothing was as simple as it seemed. Werewolves and Vampires existed, an ongoing war between the two species and then adding witches into the mix made it even worse. Some choose to be neutral, staying true to keeping balance. Some side with the wolves and others the vampires or like her mothers coven they fight for their own selfish gain.
Elena taught her that it wasn't the species that mattered, it was about the person. The doppelganger fell in love with an Original Vampire when she was human, her best friend was a witch, the other a vampire and her own brother was a hunter. She had a friend in all aspects of the supernatural world and she made it work. They fought side by side to keep her alive and she continued to seek peace in New Orleans as well. Elijah wanted the same thing, he brought hope when their was none. He let the witches do their craft and the wolves roam free around the city. Any problems and he would sort them. Now the hope was gone…what little light Elena had left in her was dwindling and Eliza had known that.
~SavingGrace~
Like a man on a wire
I balance between
A heart filled with desire
A head that knows everything
Somewhere out in the middle
You found me
~SavingGrace~
When Elena was human she had something to fight for, her humanity...her life. She was shielded from the supernatural for as long as possible, but it was inevitable for her world and the supernatural to meet. She was a doppelganger after all. Her blood broke the hybrid curse, it was a binding agent and whatever else. Being human wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
The last few years of her human life were spent sacrificing herself to save her friends, and losing people at the same time. She didn't want to lose anyone else and when it came to a decision on whether she continued living as a human, while the man she trusted and respected led his family away from a deadly hunter, Elena's compassion wouldn't let him. They deserved to live a life without fear, she just needed to sacrifice herself one more time for the man she had come to love.
The fear that he would never return scared her more than anything. He had spent his years protecting her, even after betraying each other. They valued the meaning of family. Everything they ever did was for family. Elijah would have led his siblings away to give her a human life, but her friends lives could be collateral if the worst were to happen. They had the idea to desiccate Klaus, but it was just an idea. He had protected his siblings from Mikael for centuries and with the promise that he would leave Elena and her friends alone, he would help desiccate Alaric instead.
But Elena had other ideas...
~SavingGrace~
I've got one foot in the clouds
One foot on the ground
You keep me steady somehow
Keep me from looking down
Somewhere out in the middle
You found me
~SavingGrace~
She was linked to Alaric. It seemed so simple and yet it was the hardest decision Elena had to make. He was her remaining guardian. He had stayed and looked after Jeremy and herself as if they were his own children. And now she had the power to take it all away. It was bittersweet. The man she knew was no longer there. The human hunter known as Alaric Saltzman was kind, a borderline alcoholic but he befriended vampires, but after Esther had used her dark magic on him, he had changed completely.
No longer did his eyes hold longing for the life he could have had with Jenna. His bromance with Damon was over and the common understanding to protect those they care for and the town of Mystic Falls was now forgotten. The undead man that had trapped Elena in the high school held no shadow of the man he once was. He was just an empty shell, fuelled purely by magic and an objective to rid the world of vampires.
So she made another deal.
~SavingGrace~
Falling into you
Is safe and sound
You open up my eyes
I see it now
~SavingGrace~
She had always felt safe with him. He provided strength when she wasn't, he protected her when no one else could. He had risked his own life to save her from Alaric. Her once guardian would be mourned, but in truth he was already gone.
Elijah Mikaelson had kept her safe and in turn she would do the same. His blood would protect her once again from the pits of darkness that would soon come and she would rise as one of them...a vampire. She would admit that she never wanted the immortal life, but with Elijah she could see eternity. She could live to look out for her brother and finally she could protect her friends and family, instead of everyone risking their own.
Elena had found everything that she ever wanted in a thousand year old Vampire. He held the same values and she was cherished like a queen. When the curse was put on Elijah her life line had dwindled, he had been everything and she was holding on to hope that he would awaken again. He wasn't gone from her forever.
The only solace she had was finding a young child, Eliza. She held such innocence and yet she was cursed as well. For she was bound to the man she loved and for that her life was ultimately shortened. Elena was surprised that they had managed to hide for so long, but as with everything else, her dear Eliza was taken from her too.
~SavingGrace~
You're my saving grace
You're my saving grace
I run to my hiding place
My saving grace
~SavingGrace~
Her saving grace was gone. The young girl that Elena had found and taken in was banished from her life by the heartless hybrid that she knew as her brother in-law. Eliza came into her life when her humanity was on the precipice. Elijah was no longer there to ground her, he was slumbering in a coffin beneath her feet and all the things that she had manage to hold on to were failing.
She was a vampire and yet her sense were forgetting his scent. She had memories of them together and yet it felt like they were fading, blurring. She couldn't hold on much longer once the witches began to dwindle. The adrenaline that coursed through her veins from the revenge was slowly losing its effect, that was until Eliza entered her life.
Maybe it was the idea of motherhood, or the innocent girl that reminded Elena of what she had been through after she met Stefan Salvatore. She couldn't let anyone kill the little girl before she had even lived. Being with Eliza was so easy and in a heartbeat she was gone and although Elijah was back, Elena didn't know whether she could hold on much longer. She had tried to ensure her safety, but it seemed that the spirits or magic didn't agree.
~SavingGrace~
My life hangs on a string
But I'm not afraid
I feel your love down below me
If it starts to break
Somewhere out in the open
You found me
~SavingGrace~
Flashback
Upon arriving in New Orleans, Elena had one more stop to make. She needed to see the resident witch that had become a close friend to her years ago. They had respected each other and she was in dire need of some magical help.
Elena knocked on the brown door of a small house that resided on the outskirts of the quarter and a minute later she could hear movement with her vampire hearing. The door opened with haste and stood before the vampire was the confident witch Davina Claire.
"Davina!" Elena cried with desperation and happiness.
"Elena?!" The now grown witch was confused, she hadn't seen Elena in almost twenty years.
"I need your help. Please." Elena pleaded even if she hadn't gone into any detail. She was hoping that Davina wouldn't ask many questions. She didn't have long because no doubt whispers of her presence were already making its way to the Originals.
"Anything" Maybe it was the way that Elena was practically begging for her help, or the fact that she had an inking that it had something to do with Klaus, Davina decided to help without questions being asked.
"I need you to do a protection spell on someone. She's my daughter and if Klaus finds her, he will kill her." Elena was almost rambling and Davina had a hard time catching most the words, but she understood her part in it all.
"Have you got some of her blood" Davina had a few spells that she could try but it needed the blood of the intended and since that wasn't Elena she could only draw on the essence of the person to be spelled.
"I...I..I only had time to get some of her hair. I didn't want to worry her." The witch took the hair from the envelope that Elena handed her. It wasn't as good as blood but it was still a connection.
Davina stood at a table that held a few candles and an empty bowl, herbs and various substances. The hair was placed in the bowl with a bundle of herbs thrown on top, Davina grabbed Elena's hand and used a knife to cut the vampires hand. The blood poured onto the contents of the bowl. Elena closed her eyes and just listened to the soft chanting and when she finally when she met the eyes of her old friend, it was marred with sadness and disappointment.
"It didn't work. Whoever this person is...they are already part of a bigger spell. I'm sorry...but the spell won't take until the other one is removed." Davina squeezed the brunettes hand in comfort and watched as resignation fell over the doppelgangers face.
She could only hope that Eliza was safe. She had been kept hidden this long, Klaus would have already done something if he'd found her.
Elena left the house and made her way to the compound where her husbands body lay and where her 'family' were awaiting her arrival.
~SavingGrace~
Falling into you
Is safe and sound
You open up my eyes
I see it now
~SavingGrace~
Present
Elijah held Elena close, never wanting to let her go. But he knew that she would eventually leave his arms. Her broken sobs were smothered by Elijah's suit jacket. She clung to him fiercely afraid that he would be taken from her again. Just his mere presence was enough to keep her tethered to this world and with every breath she took his overpowering scent calmed her.
He was there with her. Elijah was back.
Elena could shout from the rooftops with happiness, but among the happiness was a void in her heart. Her daughter lay across the room lifeless and her reality came crashing back full force. She had gained her husband, but they had together lost a child. She never wanted to mourn Eliza, she had hoped that they would find a spell to undo the curse. The Carson witches had tried to look into spells to find a loophole but had yet to find one. Elena thought they had more time.
While Klaus was still healing and most likely plotting his next course of action, Elena found the strength to finally separate herself from Elijah. She needed to see Eliza without pending conflict or interruptions. She didn't want to say goodbye, but it was inevitable. She would have to return her body to Thomas and the rest of the Carson Coven. She deserved to be put to rest with fellow witches.
~SavingGrace~
You're my saving grace
You're my saving grace
I run to my hiding place
My saving grace
My saving grace
~SavingGrace~
She gripped Elijah's hand tightly as she slowly moved towards the body of an innocent soul. It surprised Elena that even in death Eliza looked beautiful and at peace. If their was anything that Elena could be thankful for it was that Eliza wouldn't be sought after now. She was no longer cursed, she was free and although given a perfectly normal life, she still had a supernatural purpose. But in death she was free to roam with no deadline on her life.
Elijah took in the young woman that he had watched grow. He had watched her through the years and was proud to notice some of his traits shining through because of Elena. His lovely wife had made him apart of their lives, even if she never knew she was doing it. She negotiated with Eliza, when the young girl didn't get her way and her sense of morality could easily have matched his.
He stood behind Elena as she sunk down to her knees. Her actions her delicate as though she was dealing with a precious jewel. Moving Eliza's head into her lap, Elena run her fingers through Eliza's hair. She didn't care that she wouldn't feel her touch. She had no qualms with what her actions looked like, she just wanted to hold her once more.
"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. You saved me. The little girl who liked to bring worms home as souvenirs saved my life. I was so lost without Elijah and if I didn't have you, I wouldn't have been able to carry on as I did. I hope you can forgive me sweetheart, I let you down. I love you...
I love you..."
Her soft cries filled the compound as her tears made their way down her cheek. Elijah had moved to sit behind Elena and wrapped her tightly in his embrace. She wasn't the only one who had lost someone. His return meant her death and for that he felt guilty. He was yet again allowed to rise and live an immortal life, while she had barely lived beyond her school years.
"Eliza Mikaelson" Elijah didn't have to say anymore, because to give his last name meant everything. She was a member of his family, regardless of how she got there. She was a Mikaelson and she would be remembered as such.
~SavingGrace~
Carry me now
On your shoulder
I won't look down
Pull me closer
~SavingGrace~
No one knows what to expect when you die. They just believe that you move on to a better place. A place where you can find peace and be reunited with the ones you love. But what if the ones you love are still living? Does heaven exist? Or do the suffer like Elijah had to...
You saved me
Tendrils of death are always lurking, especially those who meet their makers or have reached their end. Death is inevitable and yet we suffer the loss each time it happens. It never gets easier to handle.
forgive me sweetheart, I let you down.
The light at the end of the tunnel didn't exist. The abyss was suffocating and yet it had never been so freeing at the same time.
I love you...
But Eliza was luckily because in the darkness, it wasn't always lonely. She was sure somewhere deep in her dying mind or ghostly one that she could here the family she loved talking to her. Suddenly she had nothing to fear, the whispers that were once unfamiliar were now becoming clear.
I love you...
Eliza Mikaelson
~SavingGrace~
Carry me now
On your shoulder
I won't look down
Pull me closer
Pull me closer
~SavingGrace~
Reluctantly Elena moved Eliza's head from her lap gently. She didn't want to leave her laying on the compound floor so she got the idea to move the body to Elijah's coffin until she could make arrangements. Elijah picked up the lifeless body and walked slowly to the basement with Elena following. He lowered her into the coffin with ease.
He leaned over and whispered "Rest my child" and kissed him softly on the forehead. He took a step back and let Elena say a final goodbye. Her grip on their joined hands was getting increasingly tighter and if he wasn't a thousand year old vampire, he was sure his bones would be broken. But he watched as the woman he loved fought to keep her humanity and her composure.
He hadn't been her salvation for quite some time, it had been Eliza. Elijah understood that losing her could cost him his Elena. He couldn't lose her again and yet he wouldn't be able to fault her if she did. He had been the cause of her heartbreak, he had been cursed and only her death would awaken him. But he would fight to keep her from falling. That he was sure of.
Elena looked at the young face that lay in front of her and gave a sad smile. She copied Elijah's action and kissed Eliza on the forehead. "I love you" was all that was heard.
~SavingGrace~
You're my saving grace
You're my saving grace
I run to my hiding place
My saving grace
My saving grace
~SavingGrace~
Elena had been so distracted with grief and Elijah had been too busy comforting his wife, that they failed to notice that a body was healing.
Thump...Thump...Thump...
The sound echoed so loudly in the basement that they were surprised they couldn't hear it before and just as they were thinking that their grief was deceiving them. A loud gasp could be heard from Elijah's coffin.
"Eliza!" Elena was shouting in relief and confusion, but nonetheless she embraced her daughter tightly as the young woman shot up from her previous position.