The forgotten one.
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but my OC. Review/favourite/follow! Ok now on with the story!
Chapter 9-
Aria's POV-
I was curled up against Elijah's chest, we were laying in my bed after spending the night together again. Our limbs were entangled and I was still trying to find a heartbeat in his undead body. Of course there wasn't one.
Elijah was still asleep. Thoughts of last night won't leave me alone. I pushed the question of do I love him, to the back of my mind.
"I love you." I whispered it, it sounded strange on my tongue. Unnatural. He didn't move or stir awake. "I love you." I tried to saying it again, testing it out. It still felt foreign to me. Maybe I was just an emotionally stunted person.
After an hour of being deep in thought, Elijah woke up. He stretched his muscles and kissed me. I liked this whole waking up next to him in the morning.
His fingers were stroking my hair, if I let myself, I could be lulled back to sleep. Little moments like this were the ones I loved and craved. Life was so screwed up right now and it would never be the same, so to just be able to lie here in the arms of the man who loved me, felt right. It felt like I belonged here and nowhere else. I was made to be in these arms, I never wanted to move. But I had to. Because even though I didn't want it to, life went on and I couldn't freeze our moments like these together.
"I should go before someone finds us up here." He slipped out of bed and pulled his boxers back on. He was about to walk over to put his pants on but I grabbed his hand, he looked surprised but I wasn't ready to end our time together.
"Can't you just… stay?" I asked it quietly and I sounded desperate. He nodded and laid back down in my bed. I traced patterns on his chest, amusing myself in my own way. He just watched me with a smile on his face.
The clock's numbers changed to 10 AM. "Now I must go, your aunt is showing me around the old property lines."
"Sounds boring wouldn't you rather stay here with me." I raised a seductive eyebrow. Wow, I just got really clingy really fast. What was he doing to me?
"I'll be back later today." He sat on the side of the bed and started to do up the buttons of his white shirt. I wrapped my arms around him from behind, his back against my stomach. I didn't want to let him go, but I did and I watched him walk out. I dropped back onto my bed and groaned.
I got dressed and it wasn't too long before I got bored and went to the grill, I was flagged down by Rick who looked like the third wheel next to Damon making out with his new love interest, Andy Star. I found her name ironic since she was a reporter.
I sat down net to Rick and ordered some fries. Damon looked up from his make out session and saw me, he half glared and half looked surprised.
"Hey." I said and swatted his hand away as he snatched away one of my fries. I just love fries.
"So you finally managed to tear yourself away from your original boyfriend?" I choked on my fry that was halfway down my throat when Damon said this. In front of Rick. I glared at him as Rick looked confused and Andy looked dazed, compulsion maybe?
"Your finally over Elena, I see." Two can play at this game.
"So is he any good in bed, I wouldn't expect him to sleep with a seventeen year old since he's all about morals but to each his own."
"Hey Andy, did you know that Damon once dated Caroline Forbes? She's seventeen and your how old Damon?" he was being a hypocrite! Sure Elijah was way, way, way older than Damon but so? Damon had no right to act as if he was any better and he was really pissing me off.
"Elijah?" Rick looked very confused now. "Your dating Elijah?!" looks like he pieced it together. "You cannot be that stupid!" I was stupid?! Elena was playing ping pong with vampires who were brother! And by ping pong, I mean the fact that she's in love with both of them. It's so obvious. And Jeremy has got the worst taste in women, first it was Vikki who was a drug addict turned vampire and then as his rebound it was Anna! They were all just jealous about the fact that Elijah is more powerful than all of them combined and then some.
"Oh look here's the boyfriend now!" Damon had a smug smile on his face. I'm glad somebody here is happy because I am most certainly not. My good morning mood was long gone now. I was having such a good day.
Jenna and Elijah walked towards our table. Elijah and I shared a smile that did not go unnoticed by Aunt Jenna. She raised an eyebrow, I shrugged discreetly. She mouthed 'later.'
"Hey everybody!" Jenna said. She sat down beside me and hugged me, then ungraciously climbed over me to be next to Rick. I patted the space next to me that was available and Elijah slid in.
I found his hand under the table and grabbed it. I looked at him and he smiled in a loving way.
I caught Alaric's eyes as he saw our linked hands, he was disappointed or mad, I couldn't tell.
"Well as much as I would like to continue this, I have to grade papers." Alaric stood up and was about to walk away.
"Let's have a dinner party!" Andy burst out. It was sudden and weird. Suspicious and almost Damon like. I looked over to him and he just nodded at me and flashed me his stupid trademark smirk.
"That's my girl. Just full of good ideas aren't you? I'd be happy to host. Tonight?" this was bad, he was planning something. I looked over at Elijah worriedly. He looked at me and read the worry on my face, he gave my hand a squeeze.
Jenna accepted while Alaric declined, Jenna won and they were going.
"We would be delighted to attend." We? Since when was I going?
Everybody left apart from Elijah and me. I leaned over to whisper in his ear. "Don't trust them, they're planning something and you can't die on me. You just can't." He kissed away the tear that must have fallen without my knowledge.
"I won't. I promise."
"Be careful of them, they will do anything to protect Elena and if that means finding a way to kill you, then they will find a way." I whispered it urgently.
He nodded and I fell into hiss comforting embrace.
"I'm not going in."
"Yes, you are."
"You can't make me."
"I can."
"But you won't." I clung to the car door while Elijah tried to convince me to go inside. It was a struggle to even get me into the car, but Elijah seemed to think that this dinner would be of matter of importance or whatever. He grabbed my waist and picked me up. I opened my mouth in protest but it was quickly forgotten when he sealed my mouth with his.
"Will you go in now?" I nodded. I was about to knock on the door when it opened before my hand could touch it. Vampire hearing, I forgot.
"Good evening." Elijah greeted Damon who opened the door.
"Please come on in." we didn't enter though.
"If you have less than honourable intentions about how this evening is going to proceed, I suggest you reconsider." His voice sent chills down my spine. Sometimes I forget that he is an original vampire and could snap my neck like a twig.
"Nothing dishonourable. Just getting to know you." I didn't believe him not for a second.
"Good." We enter the old fashioned, Victorian styled boarding house. "Because although I have a deal with Elena, if you make a move to cross me, heads will roll. Are we clear?" Elijah said it calmly and like it wasn't just a death threat.
"Crystal." Damon looked at me, he looked guilty. Elijah says hello to Jenna and I hug her, needing the feel of comfort. She seems surprised at first but soon hugs back.
Turns out, John was invited too or not because he just turned up.
Damon convinced Elijah to join him for a drink while I helped in the kitchen next to Andy and Jenna.
"So Elijah?" Andy and Jenna both turned to me. "Is he any good in bed? He looks like he would be good in bed." Jenna asked very openly, blush was starting to show on my cheeks. It wouldn't match my lip gloss. Damn.
I leaned in, "he is amazing in bed." They giggled and we all laughed.
Andy was called back out to the dining room, "I didn't know you cooked." She shook her head and flung some flour at me. I stuck my tongue out at her like a five year old and grabbed an egg and cracked it over Jenna's head. She gasped and then we both laughed and cleaned ourselves up and went back to the dining room.
"Where's Elijah?" he was missing from the long rectangle table.
"He had to go home. He said he was sorry and that you would have to get a ride with Jenna. He was really vague about it." Andy told me. What's weird is that her pupils are dilated. She's compelled.
I waited till everybody had their backs turned and weren't watching me, I called Elijah's phone. I heard it ring. It was coming from the basement. Damon heard it too, I ran before he could.
The cellar. I was nearly there when I was pushed against the wall. Damon.
I knew it.
I pushed against his chest, he didn't even budge. Well when all else fails…
I kneed him in his balls. He dropped to the ground, wasn't so invincible after all.
Elijah was laying on the ground, dark black veins were visible, and he was grey and dead. Except there was no stake. I dropped to my knees and tears fell and splashed onto his cold, grey face.
Then he shot up and grabbed me and we were gone in a flash. He stopped somewhere in the woods. I wrapped my arms around him and a sob crawled out of my throat, my shoulders were shaking.
"You promised you wouldn't die on me." I pulled away and studied his face. He wasn't grey anymore, just pale. And there were no more branching veins climbing their way across his smooth skin. I kissed him and put all my anger and sadness into the kiss. Elijah didn't say anything, he just kissed me back which was exactly what I needed.
He pulled away and leaned his forehead against mine. Our breathing was matched, it was fast and harsh.
"You were dead…" I trailed off, I wonder if this was a touchy subject.
"I'm not. I'm right here okay?"
"Okay."
"I want you to go home, I have to talk to your sister." He pulled away.
"Can't it wait? I just saw you dead, I need you here. She's with Stefan and he probably planned this with Damon, just talk to her tomorrow when they're not there. I don't want you to get hurt, I care about you too much-"
"Care about me?" he cut me off. "I love you and you just care for me?!" he was nearly shouting now.
"Yes I care for you Elijah!" I yelled. I didn't like how he was critiquing my feelings, like they weren't good enough.
"No. you're lying. I know you love me, just as I love you. But you're letting your fear get in the way. Push the fear away Aria. Tell me you love me, because I know you do." He took my face in his hands and looked into my eyes. Blue against chocolate.
"I can't say it Elijah."
"And why not?" he yelled at me, I flinched.
"Because everything I love, I lose! And I can't love you because I don't want to lose you!" I lost my parents to a car crash, my brother to drugs, all my friends were supernatural and would one day die in a war with each other that my sister was constantly in the middle of. Regret filled me as I saw the heartbroken look on his face. He flashed away and I collapsed onto a log that was next to me. My cries filled the night and all I could think of was how much I could love Elijah if I had let myself love him.
I walked until I was at the boarding house, I got into my car and drove away before anyone could stop me.
The lake house was in front of me now. And all I saw was the ultimate betrayal. Elena had staked the love of my life and I didn't even get to tell him that that's what he is to me.