Sinners and Saints
Chapter 15
Elijah
I walked through the courtyard and spotted a rather down looking Giselle laying on the couch. She was absentmindedly thumbing through some girly magazine. Her eyes shifted to meet mine. Her face immediately lit up with a big smile.
"Hi Elijah," she greeted as she sat up.
"Hello. How are you today?"
"Well, I don't know... I'm alright I guess."
"That doesn't sound promising at all," I joked.
"Well my day has been pretty dull. This magazine isn't exactly a riveting piece of literature." I chuckled at her candor.
"I'd be happy to get you something more entertaining if you'd like or we could go somewhere," I offered.
"I don't want to be any trouble. I'm a guest. You've already been so hospitable by sharing your home with me, I couldn't ask for anything more."
"Don't be ridiculous. You are one of us now, not some guest. We want you to feel as if you are home." She sighed.
"I know...I guess it still feels weird staying here. Doesn't quite feel like home yet."
"Probably because its been more like a prison for you, all cooped up."
"It's not like a prison at all! This place is beautiful!"
"I appreciate you saying that. You just seem a little...bored here."
"I am... A little. I just usually have so much to do it have a project I'm working on. Apparently I forget how to just be and relax."
"Well we could always use a little more action around here...so if you need anything..."
"I'll think about it. If I come up with anything I'll let you know."
"Thank you! That is all I ask. Also, there are more riveting pieces of literature in the study. Help yourself," I replied with a smile as I continued my way way upstairs.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Freya asked as she entered the room a little later in the day, catching me by surprise.
"Oh, it's nothing," I insisted.
"You look lost in thought again, Elijah. You know you can tell me anything."
"I know...It's just nothing really...I'm just a little concerned about Giselle, that's all."
"Concerned how? For her safety? She is quite safe here with us!"
"No, not at all. She just seems a little... I don't want to say unhappy. That isn't the right word...maybe restless is a better word to describe it."
"Yeah, I could see how you'd think that. She's been cooped up here for days now."
"She hasn't really wanted to go anywhere despite me encouraging her."
"I think she wants to do more but she doesn't want to ask you to take her."
"Why wouldn't she? I kind of thought we were getting along."
"Don't be silly. I think she actually enjoys your company now. My guess is that she just feels bad inconveniencing you," She said with a slight smile.
"But it really isn't much of an inconvenience! I try telling her this and she doesn't buy it!"
"Well she is a stubborn one, much like Niklaus! But she won't just ask you for stuff. She has spent her life being fairly independent, I don't think she likes the feeling of not being able to do things for herself.
"Obviously, Niklaus wont budge about the letting her out without an escort...but maybe we should do a little something to raise her spirits in the mean time?" I suggested.
"Perhaps. Our family did put her in grave danger within two weeks of meeting her...and she saved my life...and was tortured to protect Jackson...I'd say shes earned some fun."
"What should we do?"
"Girls night!" She insisted.
"Okay. I don't think that is exactly my area..."
"Why don't you leave the girls night up to me then?"
"You invite the girls, I'll fetch some supplies."
"Will do."
Giselle
"Giselle! There you are!" Freya exclaimed as she came through the threshold of Niklaus' room. I was sprawled out in the bed, reading a book I'd found in the study. A much improved source of entertainment than those magazines I'd been reading.
"Here I am. What's up?"
"Want to come hang out with me downstairs?"
"Uh...sure." I put a bookmark into the book to save my place and followed her down the stairs.
"Surprise!" She she announced gesturing to Cami and Davina in the middle of the room.
"What are you guys doing here?" I asked happily.
"Girls night in!" Cami replied.
"Girls night in?"
"Yes! We've got stuff to do nails and facials...rom coms, snacks, and most importantly, lots of wine!"
"What do ya think?" Freya asked excitedly.
"I think this is so fantastic. Where do we start?"
"Wine! Except for Davina...its cider for you sweetheart!" Cami teased as Freya began opening the first bottle.
"I figured!" the teenager pouted.
"I'll grab the face mask goo. This stuff makes your pores tiny!" my cousin chirped.
"This isn't going to be like the time we made facial masks at Grandma O'Connell's right?" I asked her with a grin.
"No! I promise!"
"What happened?"
"Oh, Cam here found a recipe for a mask in some damn magazine. We were like 12 so we just threw the ingredients together and ended up with peeling faces for the next three days!"
"Too much lemon juice I think!" She defended.
"You think!?" I joked as we all broke out into laughter.
"This time will be much better, I promise. I bought it from a store so it should be fine!"
"Alright. Face mask me!"
Niklaus
"What are you doing here?"
"Is that anyway to treat a visitor, Marcel?" I asked coyly as I entered his home. He smiled knowingly.
"Only you, Niklaus."
"I am honored."
"You should be. So, what brings you by? I doubt you came all the way out here to exchange pleasantries."
"Fair enough. I wanted to ask you about something happening around the Quarter."
"Alright, you'll have to be more specific."
"There is a group of vampires that are tracking down and systematically murdering werewolves. It sounds like some sort of extinction plan. Is that enough of the 'specifics' for you?"
"Getting warmer...but let me ask you something. Why does this concern you, the great Niklaus Mikaelson?"
"I am simply...a very concerned citizen. This is my city afterall. You always were a fan of keeping the peace, im shocked you don't show any concern."
"Im not having this conversation with you until you tell me what this is really about, because I don't for one second think that you give a damn about werewolf-hunting vampires if it had nothing to do with you," he replied challenging me. He knew me well, the unfortunate downfall of having known each other so long.
"You are always so onry, Marcell. If it is so important to you, this whole ordeal is about Jackson...and his safety. I have intel that they are hunting him specifically. "
"I told you...cut the crap, Klaus. What is the rest? I doubt you care this much about your baby mama's new husband."
"Fine. If you must know, they kidnapped Giselle a few days ago."
"What?! Why? What is the connection?" He asked with a sense of panic.
"They saw Giselle leaving the Strix gala with Jackson. They kidnapped her and held her hostage for over 24 hours. They violently interrogated her for Jackson's whereabouts."
"Oh my god! Is she okay?"
"Yes, Elijah managed to find her before she was disposed of. She didn't give up any information."
"Tough girl."
"She is."
"Do you think she might be able to ID her captors?"
"She could but it wouldn't do us any good. Those vampires are very dead."
"Alright. So if she is still being hunted, she might be in danger."
"We know. We have had her staying with us in the meantime. She goes nowhere without Elijah or myself for her safety. Im not sure if she is still a target. I want to find out what is going on here. I need to keep my family safe."
"Giselle is family now?"
"She is Cami's cousin. She saved Freya's life. She protected Jackson. I'd say she's family. I don't know why it matters to you."
"Just find it interesting, that's all," he said casually.
"So are you going to help us out or not?" I snapped.
"I'll talk to my guys and then make my way over to talk to the Strix. I'm not sure what I'll find out but I'll let you know as soon as I've got something worth telling."
"Thank you, Marcel."
"No problem." I headed out into the cool, dark night.
Giselle
We polished off a second bottle of wine and opened a third. Our faces were covered in facial masks, our nails now donned shiny polishes.
"More wine?" Freya asked waving the bottle in the air.
"Yes, please!" I offered her my glass which she promptly filled.
"Me too!"
"I have to say, I'm usually a whiskey kind of girl but this is some damn good wine!" I giggled.
"You used to drink tons of wine!" My cousin accused.
"No, Julian used to drink a ton of wine," I corrected.
"So you drank a ton of wine..." She argued with a sly smile.
"Julian? Who is this Julian?" Davina asked curiously.
"Oh he's nobody..." I insisted.
"Julian was her fiance." Cami ratted me out!
"Fiance?! There must be a story there!" Freya teased.
"Yes! You must tell us about this guy!" Davina chimed in. I glared at Cami. She smiled smugly back at me. I sighed.
"Fine. He was my fiance. We were together over two years. Obviously it didn't work out. Not much else to tell."
"Well what happened?" The eldest Mikaelson asked curiously.
"What always happens in relationships: things change between the two of you. You don't notice it at first but slowly you find yourselves moving in other directions .. Eventually you hurt each other. That's what happened with us, I guess. It wasn't that the love wasn't there, because it was very much there. I loved him more than I ever thought I could. We were both consumed by work and projects and I guess we just let life get in the way of us."
"That's so sad," Davina nearly whispered. "How long since the break up?"
"A little over a year now. I haven't dated anybody since."
"You'll find someone...I just know it!" Freya encouraged.
"Oh I don't know about that..."
"What!? You are a catch. Some guy will come and snatch you up if they are smart, that is..."
"We'll see about that!" I said with a laugh. "I am quite a handful."
"So, you have to tell us! How hot was this Julian?" Davina asked like the boy crazy teenager she kind of was. I just smiled. "Cami? Spill!"
"Don't look at me! I never met the guy!"
"Giselle?! You were going to marry this guy and you never introduced him to Cami?!" Freya asked with a gasp.
"Well yes...I just didn't have a chance to get them together. He worked a lot so he didn't come her to visit her!"
"Back to the hot thing though..." Frey joked.
"Alright, alright, you horny broads! Julian was...so incredibly hot! He was chiseled, dark hair, beautiful smile. Plus he was just so damn charming. Granted, he was a vampire so they always seem a little more charming than human men."
"Julian was a vampire?! I had no idea!" Cami exclaimed, hitting me in the arm with a playful slap.
"Well it didn't seem relevant! Like what was I going to say? 'Hi Cami, my boyfriend is an immortal vampire!?'" I exclaimed.
"Fair enough. I would have told you to run!" She shot back.
"It's that a bit hypocritical?" I replied.
"How so?"
"We are sitting in the house of the family of original vampires! You are surrounded by supernatural beings!" I said with a laugh.
"Fair enough, G, fair enough," she conceded. Just then Niklaus came walking through the gate into the courtyard.
"What do we have here?!"
"We are having girls night, brother. No boys allowed!" Freya teased.
"Is that your oh so subtle hint that I need to leave?" he asked with a smile.
"Yes it is!"
"Oh fine. I'm going! Don't be too late to bed, Love," he said affectionately squeezing my hand.
"I wont. Don't hog the covers!" I warned with a playful reply.
"I make no promises!" He declared as I watched him go upstairs to the bedroom we'd been sharing. I turned to look back at the girls. Cami quietly chugged the rest of her wine.
"You alright, Cam?"I asked quietly.
"Me? Oh yeah. This is just some really great wine!" She giggled. The rest of us joined in on the laughter and poured more wine.
The Next Morning
Elijah
I dressed for the day and headed out of my room. The smell of a cooking breakfast filled my nostrils. I followed the aroma down to the kitchen.
"Freya, my dear sister, after the night you had I'm surprised you are awake!" I mused. I crossed the threshold to see a different blonde manning the stove. She was flipping pancakes with one hand and bouncing Hope on her hip with the other.
"Try again," She teased.
"What a surprise, Giselle! You look incredibly...domestic this morning!"
"Why thank you! At least I think that is a compliment... Hope and I were up early and decided to make some breakfast for everybody!"
"That is very thoughtful of you...although I think the rest of the girls wont be up anytime soon."
"I think you are right about that. Freya spent the night with her head in the toilet where she is still passed out and the other two are still out cold in her room."
"You really drank them under the table, didn't you!" I said laughing.
"Not intentionally, although Davina isn't hung over. She's just an overly tired teenager."
"Of course. How responsible!"
"It was a very fun night though, so...thank you," she said softly.
"I had nothing to do with it. It was all Freya."
"Uh huh," she said unconvinced.
"Truly!"
"It had Elijah Mikaelson written all over it! Although...Its just like you not to take credit." She said smugly as she carefully took the pancake out of the pan and flipped it into the plate.
"Need help?"
"Yes, could you cut this up in little pieces for Hope?"
"My pleasure!" I took the plate and began to cut up the pancake. Giselle continued to make additional ones. I could hear the sizzle as fresh batter hit the pan.
"Ohh! No! Hope!" She exclaimed. I looked over to see Hope giggling with a hand covered in batter which led to the chef's face also covered in batter. I tried to stiffle my laughter.
"Here let me help you!" I offered. I grabbed a dish towel off of the counter to clean off Hope's hand.
"She is such a little sneak!"
"She is quick...the older she gets, the more of a handful she is!"
"Must be those vampire and werewolf lines coming out."
"Must be." Hope moved her hand up towards Giselle's mouth, smearing more batter into her skin.
"You're killing me, Hope!" She groaned as she placed the toddler into her high chair. As she turned around, she was quickly trying to wipe her face with her hand. I burst into laughter. "You think that's funny?"
"A little," I admitted.
"How about this?" She said slattering my face with the batter as well. Her laughter filled the room. I put my hand into the batter and messed up the other side of her face. She immediately fired back with a handful of batter into my face and hair.
"Oh it is on!" I declared as we both went for the batter. We scooped our hands into the remaining liquid. Defensively, we retreated in opposite directions. We stood waiting for the other to make a move.
"What on Earth is going on here !" Niklaus asked from the doorway.
"Uh...funny story..." She began before bursting out in ravenous laughter
"Actually, she started it!"
"Hey!" She called out as she flung her handfull of batter in my direction. It made contact on the side of my face. I returned the favor.
"Knock it off!" Niklaus groaned.
"Fine! But...to be fair, Hope started it!" Giselle managed to say through her chuckles. I looked at her all covered in batter and joined in with hearty laughter.
"You two are out of your minds!" He said shaking his head. Footsteps approached.
"What the hell is going on in here?" Hayley asked as she joined the fray. "And why is my daughter covered in batter?"
"These two knuckleheads had themselves a food fight. Like a couple of children!" He exclaimed. Hayley just glared in our direction.
"Well...I hope you aren't hungry for pancakes...we are fresh out of batter," Giselle said cheekily.
"We're good, thanks," she replied in a tone drenched with irritation.
"We should go clean ourselves up...come on, Giselle." I put my arm around her shoulder and led her out of the room. The last thing we needed was another altercation between Hayley and Giselle.
Giselle
Elijah and I headed into the nearest bathroom to try to scrape off my attempt at breakfast. He grabbed two wash cloths and wet them under the warm water emerging from the facet. He offered me one.
"Hayley was really mad," I nearly whispered before wiping my face with the warm cloth.
"Yeah, that wasn't your fault."
"Really? Because she seems to hold quite a lot of distain for me."
"I'm afraid that isnt really your fault either."
"How do you figure?" I asked seriously.
"I think she just feels threatened by you. She moved in here because she was pregnant and via this pregnancy she became a part of our family. Now she's moved out and married... I think she worries that you are taking her place in a way. You arent, of course. You are carving out a new place of your own within our family. She will warm up to you. I promise," he assured me with a warm grin.
"Well I sure hope so. I love being a part of your little clan."
"Good. We like having you." I couldn't contain the happiness his words gave me, a smile broke across my face. A face that now was batter free. Elijah still had hair full of it.
"Here, let me help you," I offered as closed the gap between us. I began to wipe away while on my tip toes. Standing close, our faces not far from one another, I could feel his warm breath on my cheek. It was oddly...intimate.
"So, anything you'd like to do today?" He asked.
"No not really..."
"Giselle, it isn't any trouble for me to take you anywhere. Even I like to go out into civilization!"
"That's alright," I insisted.
"So let me ask you, what do you miss doing that you haven't been able to do?"
"Running...exercising really. I realize how lame that sounds."
"Don't be silly. It isn't lame at all. In fact, I think I know where we are going today," he said with a shrug.
"Where?"
"It's a surprise. It isn't running but its exercise and right up your alley."
"So you are taking me on a fieldtrip?" I asked cheeky as I finished cleaning him up.
"A very fun fieldtrip. Be good and maybe you'll even get a souvenir!" He joked.
"You know, You are funnier than I expected you to be."
"Is that a compliment?"
"It is. So when is my field trip?"
"In an hour? Dress for something athletic!"
"Perfect. See you in an hour then," I said decidedly as a rushed out the door.
Thanks for reading!
I Apologize about the long delay! My writers block finally subsided!
