I'm so sorry I haven't updated more often. To be honest, I've had some problems with the story, but the next chapter is coming soon, I've already started to write it. Thank you for being patient, let me know what you think :)

Chapter 59

Goodbye my lover

I looked around in a nice living room; it was decorated with stylish furniture and discreet colors, but at the same time it was cozy. Clearly the whole house needed some cleaning up, no one had probably lived here for a while, but I certainly wasn't complaining; this was much better than the basement. I stopped in front of the bookshelf and ran my fingers softly over the leather covers of few dusty old books. Apparently this house belonged to Ava, so these must her books. I would have loved to take a closer look, but this probably wasn't the best time.

Damon and Katherine were sitting on the dark brown couch and there was another young woman standing next to the fireplace. Her arms were crossed and she was looking at me cautiously. If I had understood correctly, she was a witch. Then there was a young man who Katherine had called Jeremy and a little older man who was sitting on an armchair having a drink. The blonde vampire and her friend were gone; apparently they had gone to look after the blonde's mother. I tried to observe everyone in the room as imperceptibly as I could, clearly they all were nervous. No one said a word when Ava walked in carrying a tea tray.

"Would you like to take a shower, Anna?" she asked. "I think my clothes would fit you if you want to get changed."

I nodded, a shower sounded wonderful.

"Someone has to watch her," Damon stated gloomily. Clearly he didn't trust me at all, even though I had promised to help them. He was worried about his brother, but at the same time he was angry and frustrated. No doubt there was a lot going on that I didn't know about and obviously it had something to do with Katherine. Although Damon had acted like a jerk, I saw the silent distress in his eyes and tapped his shoulder while passing the couch. Obviously that surprised him; he was staring at me when I followed Ava to the hallway.

"I'm sorry about the mess," she said when we headed towards the bathroom. "It has been a while since Elijah and I lived here. I was going to sell this place, but I just couldn't."

I nodded and touched her shoulder, she seemed quite sad. Clearly she really loved Elijah. She opened the bathroom door and turned the light on. The bathroom was large and tidy; obviously someone had cleaned it up. The tile walls were misty green, which reminded me of the 70's. The sink cabinet matched the walls and there was a colorful fluffy rug in front of a big bathtub.

"This was my bathroom," Ava explained smiling. "Elijah didn't like this very much, he preferred something more…simple."

I nodded, Klaus probably wouldn't like this either, he had always hated the decoration style back in the 60's and 70's, we never had much bright colors in our house. Or maybe I should call it his house; he had made all the big decisions. The only room that was completely mine was my library; whenever we moved, he had always allowed me to decorate it however I wanted. It felt strange to think about our home when I was so unsure of how to handle with everything Ava had told me. I couldn't believe Klaus would have done such thing to Elijah and Rebekah. I had no idea what I would say to him when I would see him.

"Here's a clean towel," Ava said. "I'll go and find you some clothes."

I nodded and smiled at her gratefully. When she left, I picked up a hairbrush and started to untangle my matted hair. It would be nice to take a warm shower and change my clothes… My thoughts were cut off when the door opened and Damon stepped inside. I saw his reflection in the mirror and immediately turned around to face him. His face was completely callous; I had no idea what he was thinking.

"Maybe you're not acting," he muttered. "I know you weren't when we met."

I looked at him cautiously, trying to see what kind of response he was hoping to get. He huffed and waved his hand.

"You want to hear something pathetic, River?" He paused and chuckled humorlessly. "I actually fell for you back then. Can you believe that? There's just something about you…I can't quite put my finger on it…"

I swallowed and tried to back away when he approached me.

"Don't be afraid," he muttered while touching my hair. "I really should have kept you…"

I didn't appreciate his tone, I wasn't some object. Apparently my expression told him what I was thinking, since he gave me a grin and leaned closer.

"There's something I need to know," he stated looking into my eyes. "Why Klaus? I mean you must know that he's a monster, how can someone like you love him?"

I looked at him calmly and shrugged. Love didn't always make sense, how could I explain that to him when despite of all my knowledge I couldn't even explain it to myself. I didn't approve all the things he done and right now I was very angry at him, but that didn't change the fact that I loved him. Maybe that made me a fool, but I couldn't change what I felt. Whether that made me more or less human, I really didn't know. Was it wrong to love someone who did bad things?

"He definitely doesn't deserve you," Damon muttered.

I shrugged again, I didn't know if he deserved me or not, but I was still his. Would that be the case if I would never see Elijah again? I could only pray I would never have to find that out. Damon huffed and shook his head.

"I really don't get it…And for the record, you honestly should dumb that bastard. Anyhow, here."

He took something from his pocket and placed it on my palm. My locket. I looked up genuinely surprised, I had thought I would never see it again. He looked a little uncomfortable when I smiled and signed him thank you.

"What are you doing here?" Ava's voice asked from the door.

Damon rolled his eyes and turned to look at her.

"We had a little chat. See you, River."

Ava looked at him suspiciously when he passed her on his way out.

"Why did he call you River?" she asked.

I shrugged and gently touched my locket. I was so happy to get it back that I almost let out a sob. Thankfully I managed to stop myself.

"Ok, here are the clothes, take whatever you want."

I nodded and thanked her before she left. She had brought me two pairs of jeans, one blue and one black, and few tops. I couldn't wait to try them on. I had never worn jeans before, but I would for now on and Klaus would just have to accept that.

...

"Wait here, all of you," Elijah said firmly and closed the car door behind him. He didn't wait for anyone's reply, it was best to get this over with. Instinctively he gritted his teeth while approaching the big house that belonged to him and Ava, although they hadn't lived here for years. It wasn't far from New York where Ava was from; she had always loved this place. Elijah was unsure about many things, everything had happened so quickly. Niklaus was a hybrid now, his other siblings were safe and Ava had taken Annabelle.

The thought made Elijah to clench his fists, no matter how angry he had been at Niklaus; he would have never harm Annabelle. Of course killing Niklaus would have hurt her, but Elijah had been too blinded with his rage to properly think about that. He hadn't considered the consequences of his actions; he had only cared about his revenge. That was the reason why Ava had left… He couldn't really blame her, he had been a terrible companion for her, but that didn't change the fact that she had definitely crossed the line by dragging Annabelle into this.

He didn't have any real plan when he approached the front door, he didn't even know if Ava was here… Apparently yes, some kind of spell prevented him from opening the door. A protection spell, probably by the Bennett witch. He had to admit that it was very efficient; he couldn't even hear anything from inside of the house.

"Ava!"

He called for her few times, but there was no answer, maybe the spell worked both ways… Suddenly the door opened and Ava was standing in the doorway. At first she looked stunned, then relieved and finally she zoomed in front of him and hugged him tightly.

"Elijah…You're alright…I was so worried…"

He felt her tears on his neck and a part of him wanted to comfort her, but he didn't touch her. Finally she noticed that and pulled away looking miserable, like a dog that was expecting beating.

"Elijah…"

"Is Annabelle here?" he asked callously.

She lowered her head and nodded.

"Yes, I…I only wanted to save you…"

"You know that she is like a daughter to me, how could you possibly think…"

"I know," she interrupted him tensely. "Hate me if you want, I don't care, as long as you're alright."

For a moment he wasn't sure what to say.

"Why would you do something like this for me, if my brother would have…"

He didn't have time to finish his sentence when she suddenly slapped him.

"God, you're so blind," she snapped, staring at him fierily.

Now he was really confused, she had never acted like this.

"I love you, you fool!" she shouted. "I've loved you for almost 90 years and what have I got for it, some buddy sex from time to time and maybe some occasional smile and a friendly touch, if you're not too busy plotting the ways to kill your brother. Well no more, I'm done with you, mister."

Elijah stared at her, he was completely stunned.

"What…"

"I would have done anything for you, I would have given my life without hesitation," she continued quietly. "Go ahead, hate me if you want, I'm done caring. You're safe now, so I don't have to feel guilty for not being there for you."

"Ava…"

"No, I'm done humiliating myself; I hope you and your revenge are very happy together."

With that she turned around and marched back into the house. Elijah was too stunned to follow her right away and when he tried to, he remembered that he couldn't get inside. For a moment he simply stood there, trying to decide what to do. It didn't take long before Klaus appeared next to him, followed by Kol, Rebekah and Stefan.

"Well?" Klaus asked impatiently.

Elijah wasn't sure what to say, he was still quite confused. He cleared his throat, but thankfully he didn't have to say anything when Anna appeared in the doorway.