Glass Houses and Paper Mountains

Mystic Falls, Virginia, 1864

Astra watched from her place as William walked about her living room, picking things up and examining them with a sneer on his face before he placed them back down. She rolled her eyes at the annoyance before she rose from her own seat and moved toward the hallway that had the basement door. While William was distracting himself, the others barely a concern, she would have to talk to Annabel and let her know that she would remain in the basement. William had asked where her maids were but she was saved from having to answer when Carter interrupted with 'they knew you were coming, boy' and successfully distracted the male from his question by drawing him into a rant.

Locking the door behind her, she made her way down the steps. The air grew all the more cold as she walked downward, her heels tapping ever so lightly on the stone before she came to the bottom and looked around. Annabel appeared not a moment later around the far corner, nodding to her mistress.

Astra brought a finger to her lips to tell the other woman to be quiet. Annabel nodded her head and stayed where she was while Astra walked over to her, bending at the waste until she was able to whisper into the younger woman's ear. Annabel listened carefully as Astra explained that she would remain in the room in the basement, more blankets and clothes would be brought down to her and she would have it arranged for a meal to come as well.

"Stay safe, Miss. Casca," Annabel whispered back, so quietly that even Astra barely heard her and it appeared that she was only mouthing the words. Astra nodded her head in answer, looking down into her eyes, before she turned to head back up to the top floor. She's need to have William distracted again later for when she brought the things down for Annabel, but it was worth it.

The door was locked behind her once more, the voices of her new house guests floating through from the other room. She didn't want to go over to them and speak with any, aside from Mikael since he knew better than to annoy her. She had met Mikael hundreds of years after being turned and for some reason she had actually gotten along with him; the brothers did not like that one bit.

"In need of a break, my dear?" Mikael suddenly appeared before her, causing Astra to smile just faintly.

"Are you offering?"

Mikael smirked faintly and offered her his arm, "Come, let's walk."

Leaving the buffoon that he brought with him in the hands of Carter, who seemed more than likely that he was planning on killing the other man in his sleep anyway, Astra knew that her house would still be intact when she returned to it. The men inside were too afraid of her and the fact that she was over 1500 years old only added to that fear. Mikael led her out to her back garden and straight to a bench so that they could sit and talk.

"Do you know where they are?" Astra asked first, looking over to the father of the man she loved.

"No, I have lost track of them. Nicklaus is very clever with hiding his location if that is what he truly wishes," Mikael said regretfully. "I had lost track of them a short while ago and have been trying to find them since. There have been no sightings in the area, though, so I believe that you are safe."

"I fear every day that I will be found; and I do not even fully know why," Astra growled out in annoyance as she looked off to the woods that surrounded the home. "What an irritation. You nor your children will tell me a thing of my very existence or the reason for Elijah's lies," she snapped, darting her eyes over to him. Mikael showed no immediate reaction to her harsh temper, but instead moved to pluck a flower from the ground, marvelling it for a moment.

"You are more frail than you think, my dear," he finally commented. "Elijah once told me 'she is a delicate flower, spun of fine glass but as bright and strong as the richest of diamonds'. I did not know what he meant until I met you; now I understand. Now, I must protect you from him before he has a chance to break you."

"But I am not a delicate flower," she countered, meeting his bright blue eyes with her strange, beautiful amethyst ones. "I am a strong, independent woman and I was even before I met Elijah."

"You were on your death bed-"

"And prepared to die. I was not looking for a way out; I was prepared to pass on as I was destined to. Elijah messed that destiny up and there were consequences; it's hard to miss when I must live with them each day. What did Elijah do, Mikael?"

"That is not my story to tell," he answered cryptically, getting a growl of annoyance from Astra. "I do not even know if is Elijah's story. Perhaps, my dear, you need to look back through your family tree. Hm?" Astra's eyes moved to look over to him suspiciously, knowing a hint when she heard one. "So, a marriage?"

"That is not up for discussion, especially with the father of my past love," she snapped quickly. She was getting increasingly short tempered lately and she was positive that it was the fault of the undead doppelgänger. Damon and Stefan were lucky to have been saved from her irritation, but Mikael was taking the brunt of it at that moment. He clearly didn't mind, but she knew that she would regret snapping at him as she had later on.

"Perhaps you are more delicate than you assume, dear," Mikael simply said as he rose to his feet, turning to look back down her again. Astra held still as he reached down and tucked the flower behind her ear, leaning forward to press a kiss against her forehead before he disappeared before her eyes. She sighed softly, looking down to the ground and forcing her shoulders to relax. She had hoped he would take her away from the stresses but he just brought up more.

Roman Empire, Pompeii, 78 A.D.

Elijah had told Astraea once that he was dead, technically, because that was how he was turned into the demon that he was. Yet, as she had her arms wrapped around him, her face buried in his neck as he kept them hidden away from the people and the lights, she was pleasantly warm. His body radiated warmth, his heart beat steadily inside his chest and he moved and breathed like a regular man.

"I do not wish to leave this," she finally whispered against his shirt, feeling and hearing as he hummed in agreement, his arms tightening around her gently.

"I must take you home before you parents believe that I had abducted you," Elijah said softly, the amusement in his voice making her smile and nuzzle her face more firmly into his chest. "I do, too, though. To hold you like this…is a dream," he continued, lifted a hand to run it through the strands of her hair that had loosened from its bindings.

"I wish that I did not have to go home; I wish I could stay out all night and be beneath the stars that gave me a name," she reminisced faintly as she positioned her chin to rest on his chest and her eyes rose upward to the sky. The bright dots of the stars made her smile, and the movement of Elijah shifting his head to look upon them as well only broadened it. "Have they changed over the time you have been alive?"

"Not really, I imagine that it would take centuries to change such a thing. There are many Gods and Goddesses, but not all become written in the stars," he answered back. She nodded her head in understanding before she closed her eyes and resumed her previous position. Elijah stayed still for a moment, only moving to run his fingers along her smooth strands. She sighed in contentment and tightened her arms around his torso.

He suddenly stopped stroking and looked down at the top of her golden blonde head, watching the small amount of firelight that peeked around to them dancing along the strands and making them look as though they were glowing. She shifted at the sudden lack of touch and looked up to him, the violet of her eyes taking him by surprise for only a moment. "I wish to show you something, if you will permit me to take you away from here," he offered up, keeping his dark eyes on her light ones.

A smile broke across her face and she nodded her head quickly. "Please, do."

Without further hesitation, he bent and lifted her off her feet and let her legs drape across his arm while the other supported her shoulders. Astraea gasped in surprise as her hands twisted in his tunic in reaction to the lack of her own support, looking up at his shadowed face in shock. "Hold on, and close your eyes," he ordered calmly, waiting until she had done as he asked. Astraea didn't like the sensation of not being able to see or feel where she was going, but her trust was in Elijah.

A small shriek left her lips when a huge rush of cool air pushed against her, the sound being swallowed up by the wind and carried away without a second thought from anyone in the city. Elijah's arms were ever holding onto her, never once wavering as he pressed her against his chest. Astraea didn't dare open her eyes as the wind beat against her face, her hands gripping Elijah's tunic until she feared that she may have torn it.

Then it all stopped.

The wind was still there, but it was light and airy; nothing compared to the hard push that had been pressing her hard against Elijah's chest before. It felt cooler, wherever they had stopped, and she finally opened her eyes. Her hands were slack on Elijah's shirt as her eyes widened and her lips parted. She wanted to say something, but her voice wouldn't allow anything to come forth. He slowly put her back on her feet, allowing her to adjust to standing before he stepped back to give her space.

Elijah looked out over the view that had her in awe, feeling proud that he had been able to show her something that was so new to her. The light of the fires from the festival reached above the roofs of homes and other buildings, the torches than lined the streets casting brilliant glows and dangerous shadows all over. The endless sky of blackness and stars hung above the city, reaching out and blending with the black waters that were beyond the city. Astraea leaned forward along the stone of the cliff side that Elijah had placed them on and looked along at the bright specks of light.

"It is all so beautiful," she whispered in awe, looking back over at Elijah as he watched her carefully. He didn't want to take the chance of her slipping while still so close to the edge.

"Have you never seen the full city before?" he asked in return, stepping back up to her and gently wrapping an arm around her waist to draw her to him, letting her side lean against his front. The moonlight that touched her skin made her appear pale, while in the daytime her skin was kissed by the rays and looked strong and dark.

"Never; thank you for this." Her eyes held her joy, the dimples in her cheeks appeared at the brilliance of her smile.

Even with the beauty of her face, he found his eyes drawn toward her neck, the slender expanse of skin looking so inviting. The warmth that radiated off her form called to him, willing him in for just once taste. She caught his stare and shifted beneath his gaze, twitching in an attempt not to cover her neck. It was still a clear memory in her mind of the last time that he had bitten her, licking the blood from her lips when she coughed it up. Guilt welled within Elijah when he realized her fear and he quickly guided her face with gentle fingers until she was looking up to him again.

"I am truly sorry what I did to you, Astraea," he mumbled out softly, fearful that he may scare her away again. A sad smile came to her lips and she took his hand in her own gently, cradling it to her cheek as she looked back out to the dark sky and celebrating city.

"I will always forgive you, Elijah. Always," she promised, turning her face into his hand and pressing a kiss against the skin of his palm. A smile came to his lips and he leaned forward to return the gesture, lingering with his lips against her temple before he drew back enough to wrap her in his arms again. The wind was cool and he knew that he could not keep her above the city for too long, so he would allow her to enjoy the time they had there comfortably.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed! You're all amazing, it's great to hear what you all think. I've also have a lot of people adding this story to their alert list—to their 'follow' list, as it has been changed now—so I'm glad to have more people wanting to find out what happens even if they don't feel the need to leave a review. Hope you enjoyed, the next should be out soon!

Chapter 26 – New Familiarity

Having spent so much time with him, she didn't miss the subtle twitch of his jaw in anger and quickly stepped up to wrap her arms around his waist and press against him, resting her chin on his shoulder. "I'm alright; but I hate that man."

"Being on the list does not mean we must save him immediately. That is, should something happen," Elijah rumbled, causing Astra to smile as she tried not to laugh at his words. In saying that, he showed such protective and possessive nature that it made her stomach tingle in excitement. There was no human man that could ever make her feel the way that this vampire did.

"Elena may just throw a fit. Although, I hear that she hates him, as well," she pondered. "Maybe she's willing to negotiate?"

Elijah nearly growled, the vibrations running from his chest into hers and making her shiver. She jumped in surprise when she suddenly felt the warm, wet sensation of his tongue run along her shoulder, collecting the blood that had yet to dry. There was no repressing the shiver the travelled up her body as he pulled away from her and began removing his suit jacket and pulling up his sleeve just enough to bare his wrist.

"Take some of my blood, it will help."