Revival

Elijah sat Astra on the edge of her bathtub gently, the half-conscious woman swaying dangerously when he released her for a moment to turn on the water and lower the plug. She made no sound of protest as he began to carefully peel away her ruined clothing, using the gaping hole in the chest of her shirt to tear the article completely in half. Her coat was thrown to the side already, the tatters of the shirt joining the bloodied and bullet riddled material. She was left in her black bra, the stains of her blood marring her tanned skin. Elijah kept a steady hold on her arms when she began to tip backward toward the tub.

"Astraea," He said softly, lifting a hand to her face and caressing a thumb across her cheek. She opened hazed purple eyes before smiling tiredly.

"I knew you'd come for me, Elijah." He smiled softly back to her in reassurance, brushing a blood caked lock of hair away from her temple to inspect where she had been shot. The wound was completely healed, the only things remaining of the injury was the blood to prove that it had been there.

"I need you to stand up for me, Astra," Elijah instructed softly, holding her sides to assist her in standing and remain standing. She swayed on her feet, falling against him when the sheer amount of blood that had been replaced with vervain had her unable to keep up and awake. "Wrap your arms around my neck," He ordered, feeling her arms circle around his throat with barely any hold to them. He used what he could of her strength to release her sides so that he could undo and begin to pull down her jeans.

"I can…do the rest," She mumbled against his shoulder, her hands threading in his hair softly. "But I need blood." Elijah helped her to sit back down on the edge of the tub, allowing her to rest herself for a moment. Her jeans were pulled down to her thighs, revealing matching black underwear with white lace trim.

"I'll get you blood, you get yourself cleaned up," He assured, looking along her body for any injury that hadn't healed. Her chest was going to be sore for a short while, but there was no longer a gaping hole from where he had been forced to break through her sternum to get to the bullet. Long lines and large patches of still wet blood remained as the evidence, too much for any human to lose without severe consequence. He stepped from the room quickly and headed straight to the cellar for the blood wine that was saved for Astra, separated from the wine that he drank.

He grabbed a regular glass for her to drink from instead of the wine glasses they usually used and made his way back up the stairs, carrying the bottle with him. Astra seemed to have gotten tired of trying to get all of her clothes off, only succeeding with her pants and underwear but was unable to achieve with the bra, and had simply fallen back into the half-filled tub, the water already beginning to tinge pink as the blood seeped into the water.

"I hate this," She slurred out, sounding drunk from alcohol instead of nearly dying. Elijah took pity on the woman, helping to manoeuver her legs over the side of the tub so they weren't hanging over as she had left them. The soap that had been added to the water made a sufficient amount of bubbles that he was able to allow her to keep her modesty. He carefully helped her to sit up so that he could unclasp the back of her bra before helping the slide the wet article off her shoulders and let her rest back into the water again.

"Here," He offered quietly as he held out a glass of the blood mixed with wine, holding it against her lips and waiting for her to tip her head back, following her lips with the glass to allow to drink some of the liquid. She took a couple of gulps before turning her face away, resulting with Elijah pulling back and looking at her with concern.

"I can't, the wine's too hard to take down right now," She explained quietly as she swallowing thickly. Elijah sighed softly, pulling back and placing the glass on the shelf around the tub. Astra relaxed into the waters, the once clean and clear liquid turning a murky red as the blood was washed off.

Instead of pressing her to drink anymore, he moved over to the shelving unit and took a handful of small wash cloths before returning to her side and running one under the tap. She looked up at the sound, her eyes still tired and unable to open fully, before she closed then again in disinterest.

Before long, Elijah had the blood washed away from the injury that had been on her temple, helping her to pull her hair back until a time that she could wash it properly on her own. She was soon wearing a clean pair of undergarments and one of the shirts that she had stolen from him at one of their previous residences. She leaned heavily against his side as he walked her into her room, her feet knocking and tripping over themselves.

"You need blood," Elijah said after he sat her down on her bed, letting her lean against the post to keep herself up. She didn't disagree, groaning at the inviting sound of the one thing that could bring her back to herself. She twitched when she heard the ruffling of fabric and allowed her eyes to open. Elijah was pulling back his black dress shirt, revealing the perfect skin of his torso beneath, stained with her blood.

"What are you doing?" She asked quietly, her face drawing into a frown.

"As I said, you need blood," He repeated, tossing the shirt onto a chair before stepping up to where she was still sitting, her eyes becoming wider with each step. Elijah sat on the bed beside her and turned her until she was facing him, taking her face gently in his hands. "Take mine," he ordered, revealing his neck to her. She groaned in near pain as the temptation of his offer pulled her forward, gently taking his neck in her hands.

"Elijah…" She whispered against the skin, leaning heavily in the crook of his throat and shoulder.

"Take all you need, Astraea," Elijah whispered, wrapping his arms around her shoulders to keep her close. She took a moment to inhale that scent that was purely him before opening her mouth and biting down hard into his neck. Elijah tensed momentarily at the intrusion of fangs in the side of his throat, before relaxing against her hold. Astra's breath was quick against his neck, her hands still cradling his throat.

As the blood began flowing through her system, the vervain's effects weakened until she was able to move on her own and became more demanding and bit harder into his flesh. She soon pushed away from the bed post, pressing her body closer to his. Elijah's arms wound tight around her waist, drawing her as close as he could. Astra inhaled deeply through her nose, the smell of his blood and the scent that was uniquely Elijah flowing into her lungs and pulling her deeper into bloodlust. Throwing her leg over his lap, she was left straddling him as she tried to hold onto him even more tightly, her hands clutching at him neck and hair. He hissed at the feeling of her nails digging into his skin, her fangs digging into his throat.

She pulled away from the bite and inhaled deeply, the smell of his blood permeating the air of the room. She gasped for breath as her hands clutched his arms, her eyes never leaving his blood stained throat. The flow from his neck slowed quickly before stopping all together as the injury healed itself. She licked the thick liquid on her lips before her hands pressed against his chest and pushed him down roughly to lie on his back, hovering over him.

Elijah's breath was heavier as well, his hands gripping at her thighs with bruising force. She growled low in her throat before diving down again and driving her fangs into his shoulder, drawing a sharp intake of breath from him in reaction. She almost purred as his blood flooded her mouth, the wonderful taste driving her toward insanity. She pulled at the injury with her elongated canines, ripping the skin open further to draw out more blood from the injury. She didn't even notice the hitch in Elijah's breath or the dig of his fingers into her thigh from the pain.

"Astraea," Elijah gasped out, her violet and red eyes snapping open before she drew her teeth from his flash, her tongue gliding over the injuries as they continued to bleed for a moment more, removing as much of the blood from his shoulder as she could. Her sheets were covered in his blood, stained crimson. Permanently. Ruined.

"I'm sorry," she whispered against his shoulder, refusing to look at him. Fluently, he rolled them over so that she was pressed into the mattress. His hand slipped up the shirt that she was wearing, making her jump at the ticklish feel on her stomach as his hand moved up to where he had plunged his fingers into her chest. Her fangs receded and her eyes returned to their human state, looking up at him.

"I'm sorry," he answered back, looking down at the faint red scar that was going to be gone by morning. His hand moved out from her shirt to push the material down enough to see it clearly, visible between the swell of her breasts. "I apologize for snapping at you earlier today, I was angry with Klaus and you were there. It was wrong of me."

"It's alright, Elijah," she mumbled as her hand lifted up to take his face in her hands, some of the blood that had gotten on her palms smearing onto his face.

"Even after I injured you, yelled at you; you stayed with Caroline and tried to save her from the wolves. I should have been with you-"

"Enough of this," Astra said as she shook her head, closing her eyes. "We both know that neither of us will back down and this will go on for forever. Let's just agree to disagree." Her proposal caused him to huff slightly, the warm breath brushing over her face and moving her hair away. She smiled at the adorableness of the action and, using her hands framing his face, she pulled him down to press a kiss against his lips, smearing more blood. "Thank you."

Elijah didn't say anything further, only returned her kiss for a moment before he moved to bury his face in her shoulder. He would never openly admit the fear and worry that he had felt when he discovered her with the wolves—the agony of her pain pushed through to him was unbearable. Holding her now, his blood flowing in her veins, her smell sounding him; everything felt right again. Astra's hands moved gently through his hair, brushing the shortened stands at the back of his skull through with her fingertips.

Her bed was not fit to sleep in and he didn't want her moving about to change the sheets—and he didn't feel like doing it himself. So, he lifted her from the mattress, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist and let her wrap her legs around his hips before he moved to leave the room. She hummed softly in contentment as her carried her out of the room and down the hallway to his room, sliding her down to rest on the high bed. The shirt rose up to show the underwear that she had chosen and bared her skin to his eyes again. He pulled his eyes away from her legs and looked up to the tired look on her face. She watched him.

When her hands reached out for him, he immediately moved into her embrace, resting his head on her chest as she wrapped him in her arms and cradled him to her. She began to run her fingers through his hair again, this time brushing his long bangs back and away from him face, allowing her to see his full complexion. She smiled faintly as she caressed his cheek with her knuckles, his own hand mirroring the action against her thigh.

Astra finally broke the silence when she whispered, "They know." Elijah didn't reply, didn't need to ask who she was talking about, didn't even have to ask what she thought on it. She was petrified. Her hands stilled on the back of his neck before she looked down as he lifted his body up until he was resting on his elbow next to her, his head hovering above her own.

"We will cross that bridge when we get to it," he finally answered back. She nodded her head doubtfully, knowing that there was nothing else that could be done. "Nothing will happen, Astra. Tonight proved that even though they knew you worked with me they still didn't hate you. In shock, true thoughts and emotions are revealed. Neither brother had time to hide what they thought in the spontaneity of seeing you and showed that Stefan would still offer you help and Damon would not jump to kill you."

Astra let out a short, bitter laugh.

"Maybe he won't kill me, but that doesn't mean he won't try. He's tortured Stefan, his own brother, he's killed innocent people and is slowly falling off the rails. He's losing his mind and I'm worried that this might just be too much and finally push him off completely. They both love Elena, but she loves Stefan. It's the same as with Katherine. Now, he sees his past fiancé in love with-"

Astra paused in what she was saying when it registered that she had actually just confessed love to Elijah without even meaning to. Did she love him? Her eyes slanted over to see a frozen look of shock on his face, his eyes looking off toward the window. A flutter started in her stomach and she blinked slowly to draw herself back to reality.

"In love with an Original, who's the brother of the one trying to kill the woman he presently lo-"

Elijah's lips silenced her so suddenly that she thrust her hands out in shock, slamming them against his chest in the process. He didn't react, however, but merely wrapped her in his arms, pressing her flush against him. The bare skin of his torso was hot against her chilled hands and the material of his pants caressed her bare legs. Her hands soon slipped around to embrace his torso, returning his embrace as her lips pressed and danced with his.

Elijah rolled onto his back fluently, keep his arms around her and refusing to remove them as she smiled against his lips. She relaxed into his hold completely, pressing quick kisses against his lips in a type of goodnight gesture before she laid her head down on his bare chest. His hands glided up and down her spine, playing with the strands of her hair and messaging her back. She hummed in contentment once again, her own fingertips stroking along his collar bone tiredly.

"Rest, Astraea," he whispered after a moment as he lifted a hand to brush his fingers through her hair and push it away from her face. She exhaled heavily one last time as her body relaxed fully against his ministrations, allowing her to drift off into a dreamless, black sleep.

Elijah remained awake, however, for many more hours. The blood that he had lost did make sleep incredibly appealing, but there was far too much on his mind.

The Salvatore's were well aware of her presence now, and that could bring both positive and negative consequences. He could not afford to keep Astra hidden away anymore, dodging the brothers at every turn. Not when Klaus had dropped off the radar again. He would need her completely focused, and with her mind drawn off on the brothers all the time there was too much risk.

Had the choice been his, he would have hidden her away the second Klaus became a recluse. The witches made the decision for him, however, that Astra would never be able to back out of the fray. She would be forced to stand at his side to the end. Whether it be Klaus's, his, or her end.