Chapter 53: Pest-it-dies

Hayley murmured softly as she slept curled up in her favourite foetal position whilst still tightly clutching Elijah's hand. She was such a stubborn little thing even when she was asleep and it often amused Elijah to watch her follow and catch his hand if he ever needed to move it away. Currently, her fingertips tickled his wrist hanging onto his hand by a by a breath for when she inhaled they lifted, freeing him for a few seconds. A few seconds was all Elijah needed and soon in a silent swoop he was off the bed but paused to watch her tenderly. She had finally drifted into safe slumber. He sighed gently as he heard her murmur again and then disappeared into the night.

Elijah Mikaelson strode reflectively towards a bar. A very specific bar within the French Quarter where he has often spent time with his then beloved Celeste. Elijah recalled his devotion to her and it churned nausea within him to place himself in the mind of his past self. It was strange how things could change so drastically, how whilst with time the world turned and transformed itself, a world within a person could equally mould itself into an entirely other being yet by still managing to retain the same material foundation. In other terms, this concept felt like a new suit being stitched from the same cloth and each time this suit would wear. Life sometimes rained rewards which may come in the form of a patch to heal an empty whole or thread to tie loose ends but all in all the suit would wear. After a thousand years Elijah wondered what his soul suit looked like. If it even existed. What even was he anymore?

Maybe this was partly the reason why Elijah's physical suit always remained immaculate. He straightened it and looked down at his reflection hiding on his shoe.

"Well...?" he spoke glancing up from the ground but not turning his head to face the rustle behind him.

Celeste walked forwards into the pool of street light her gold dress flaring up as if set alight. It shimmered in the light in a hypnotic manner, all sparkles. It sure did announce her arrival. Elijah observed the curves of her body which he no longer wished to hold or touch and then rose his eyes to meet hers.

"I didn't think you'd accept my request." She spoke curtly but the pleasure in her voice was undeniable. She neared Elijah and he felt her perfume sting his nose with nostalgia. It was the very scent that enveloped her when they had been lovers. Then he had found it warm, honey mellow but now he sensed repugnance, the sickly sweet smell suffocating. Celeste approached him like a Queen Bee buzzing even more closely and he found her flitting behind him, her fingers dancing across his shoulders blades… his clavicle. Elijah swatted her wrist and gripped it tightly tugging her in front of him. Her dress shook and her heels clattered musically. The Queen Bee had become a petulant irritating wasp.

Celeste giggled like a school girl and suddenly cupped his face and stole a kiss. Elijah's lips stung but he did not wince. Luckily he was immune to the sting of the wasp. She hugged and wrapped her arms around Elijah's neck and hanging from it mischievously peaked up at him.

"Mmm now that was risky don't you think." She mused in delight.

"How do you think Hayley felt seeing that?" She asked him watching carefully for his response.

Something tugged at Elijah inside but he remained calm.

Celeste raised her eyebrows on receiving no response. She quickly snapped her fingers and muttered and incantation.

"To be fair, that mind meld was becoming awful irritating. It all started off rather fun, tormenting her about us, about her little wolf problems but jeez that woman thinks so much it's unbearable."

Celeste scoffed and laughed as she leaned against a street lamp.

Elijah remained silent and unmoved. He stared at her with a studious look.

"Oh don't look at me like that. I'm very well aware that you're very fond of her but we both know it won't last."

"She belongs with her pack Elijah." She spoke as if she were reassuring and explaining something to a sad little child.

"You do understand that don't you?" She asked, cocking her head to one side

She sighed when Elijah still made no response.

"Well this is no fun." She replied pouting and turned on her heel disappearing into the bar. She reached now tattered stool and turned over two broken glasses and began filling them with a dusty bottle of blood red wine.

Elijah after pausing to look at the door frame stepped into the bar and a flash of it in it's past shiny glory fell into his mind. Now the place was dead and forgotten. Cobwebs coated the covings and surely rats scuttled under the creaking floorboards. He doubted the piano could sing a single correct note and it irked him so to see it's wasted corpse.

Celeste stepped towards Elijah and trailed her fingers down his arm and clutching his hand pulled him close. She held both glasses of wine, the stems crossed and Elijah plucked one out of her hand and brought it to his lips. Celeste slinked her arm into his and pressed him close as she sipped her own and then began to sway to imaginary music.

Elijah watched her attentively and circled the dead room with her as she drank the glass dry.

It took exactly 3.2 seconds from then for her glass to hurtle towards the floor and crush itself into frosted smithereens. Celeste's eyes lolled backwards and she croaked slumped against Elijah's breast. He held the body until it's life drained.

He wondered what sort of reception the title Pest-it-dies would have on the eager crime thriller readers. A tale of passion and torment, betrayal and darkness. Pests and Poison. Pesticide.

His thoughts however soon diverted as a shriek rang into his ears along with the knocking of floor boards. The knocks pattered like a frightened beating heart and Elijah sighed laying down the body of Sabine and closing the eyes out of respect, for this was no longer a vessel polluted by Celeste.

He blinked it irritation at the knocking and then stepping back paused and crotched down. He trailed his thumb along the floor board and then with a little prod and shift lifted up a plank of old mouldy wood.

Beneath it an old face that had once looked up at him with love now stared and struggled in terror. Celeste fought the ties that bound her original body tightly into the ground. She rattled and shook but it was no use. There was no magic here. He'd made sure of that. Elijah hovered of his ex with a disappointed expression. Elijah slipped a hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out a jade studded silver danger. It's pointed tip glinted in the flickering candlelight and also within the dark pupil of Celeste's eye as she recognised it. She after all was the one who had gifted it to him. He was making her death theatrical.

Elijah gripped the back of Celeste's neck as he pressed the blade into the white lace material of her dress. As Celeste's felt the cold blade touch her skin she began to cry. Her muffled sobs in French incoherent.

Elijah's grit his teeth and sunk the blade into her heart.

"Désolé." He whispered the words that she never could and gently lay her body to rest.