Tears and Rain

Mystic Falls, Virginia, 1864

Astra remained in the back of her property as the played with the flower that Mikael had given her, thinking on what he had said. As delicate as a flower; to be delicate was something that many women prided in. For her, though, she had lived her life for nearly two thousand years as a vampire that was feared not only for her age, but her company. It was known that the Original Vampires childe was someone to be feared. She hated being seen as soft or fragile.

For so long she worked to gain a reputation among vampires and then had been forced to drop it and hide away like a frightened infant when she was no longer with Elijah. First they left Klaus and then she left him. Klaus was hunting for the both of them and Elijah was hunting for her. Now Astra's stuck in the same town that the deceitful doppelgänger is and will more than likely meet up with Klaus because of it.

Would Damon be against moving away when they were married? Far, far away?

At the thought of her fiancé, Astra's body froze when his voice drifted from inside her house. She had shot up from her seat and was halfway across the garden before a human would have been able to register the movement. The rocks beneath her feet were the only sound that filled the garden as she stopped breathing, listening carefully to where Damon's voice was drifting in from near the front entrance. She could hear where William and Carter were still in the sitting room, but they had gone quiet and were clearly listening to the human at the entrance.

She marched passed their doorway quickly and rounded the corner to where Damon was talking with Mikael, both men looking stiff as a board. Her dead heart leapt in her chest when Damon looked over to her with a broad smile and bowed gentlemanly, while Mikael glanced over to her briefly with a look of disapproval in his eyes.

"Damon, what a surprise," Astra greeted with a smile, stopping for a moment just inside the entrance way. "I thought you were spending the day with Stefan; is he here with you?"

"No, I'm afraid that Stefan was stolen away by Katherine. I wanted to come and see you but I was not aware you had company," he trailed off as he looked over to where Mikael was still watching him with a critical eye. Astra hissed quietly at Mikael when Damon looked away from her, only loud enough for the Original to hear her warning.

"Oh, yes," Astra quickly jumped back in and sped her way toward them, placing a hand on Mikael's shoulder gently. "Damon, this is my uncle Mikael Mikaelson. Mikael, this is my fiancé I was telling you about; Damon Salvatore. Mikael won't be able to make the wedding so he wished to pay us a visit before," Astra quickly lied, rolling along quickly with a story that would be convincing.

"My deepest regrets," Mikael said pleasantly, deciding it best to humour the woman lest she continue to grip his shoulder and break the bone beneath her palm. She eased up slightly when he spoke and instead removed herself from his side to go to Damon's.

He wished that there was some way to warn her.

Astra's pupils dilated as soon as she was within reach of Damon and a nearly silent growl issued from deep within her chest cavity. Mikael's hand shot out like quick human reflexes and he quickly pulled the woman back as soon as he heard the growl. "Forgive me, Mr. Salvatore, I just need a quick word with Astra." Damon nodded pleasantly and turned away to look about, busying himself while Astra was pulled rather quickly from the room.

She continued to issue a quiet, possessive growl even when outside of the room. Forget about Damon, she wanted to find Katherine and rip her apart.

"He smells like that whore," she rasped out, her eyes fixed on the doorway that led out to where Damon still was. "Why does he smell like her?" she snapped as she looked over to Mikael, as though he would know the reason for it. It wasn't just a smell from getting a hug or brushing shoulders. It was the smell of a lovers embrace; Damon hadn't washed and still smelt strongly of sex and Katherine. "I am going to kill that vile wretch."

Mikael never once released her arm and guided her further into the room so that Damon did not hear her by chance. "You must keep your wits about yourself, Astraea," Mikael snapped. Pushing her down into a seat, the piano bench closest, he kept a strong hand on her shoulder when she coiled to jump right back up.

"I'll rip her throat open and drink that bitch dry." Her entire body was trembling with a rage that Mikael had not seen since she first learned of Elijah's lies and secrets. He feared for the life of the undead doppelgänger when the elder vampire got her hands on her. She surely would not leave the exchange unharmed if even still alive.

"You must think clearly on this, Astra. It will expose you and Damon would surely not act positively to such a thing; his brother fancies her, no? You told me of a witch as well, she could do something drastic if her mistress dies."

"I don't care," Astra nearly shouted.

"Well, start caring," Mikael growled back. "Or I will be forced to chain you down in your own basement. Now, you will go out there and calmly tell Damon that it is not a good time for him to be at the house. Am I clear?"

Astra's eyes were fading to red and the veins began to appear around her eyes. There was no chance that she would be able to go near Damon without losing her control again. Mikael forced her chin upward and met her enraged violet eyes, watching as the blood appeared around them that showed all of her rage in one glance.

"You will remain seated here, silent, until I return," he ordered, watching a robotic look come to her face as the red and veins began to fade away. Not hesitating a moment more, the older man marched out to meet one of the many roots that were causing this problem. Damon looked surprised to see that it was Astra's 'uncle' and not the woman herself that had appeared back in the room. Mikael fought against the urge to wrinkle his nose as the stench that was rolling off them man and instead looked him directly in the eye.

"You are going to leave here and return home. There was no one here when you knocked on the door and you will not remember a single moment of our encounter today," he ordered calmly, holding the bright blue eyes of the older Salvatore brother. Damon nodded his head numbly before he walked from the house without another world.

Roman Empire, Pompeii, 78 A.D.

Astraea craned her neck to look up toward the dark skies without getting herself wet, the heavy rain falling down on the city. She shivered softly when the wind blew some of the wet droplets at her and forced her to step back under the protection of the halls roof. She needed to get out of the hall, but she didn't want to race all of the way home in the pouring rain. Ducking to the side, she covered her mouth as she coughed faintly a couple of times. No blood covered her skin when she inspected her hand, but she knew that it was bad for her cough to be coming back.

The effect of Elijah's blood was fading away again.

Sighing softly, she took a moment to remember the warm dryness of being under the hall's roof before collecting her skirts up into her hands and darting out into the rain. She gasped at the icy feeling of the water hitting her skin and ducked her head down to hide her sensitive neck, turning down a side-street between a grouping of houses to shorten her trip to her house. Her sisters wouldn't be there that day, and she was sure that even her parents would be off meeting with one of the other families on their street. Her father was actually trying to rush her marriage now that she was 'glowing with health'. That wouldn't last much longer unless Elijah gave her blood again to return the temporary healthy glow to her.

She shrieked in surprised when the man of her thoughts suddenly appeared in her path, catching her arms as she ran directly into his body and preventing her from falling backward. Her heart was hammering inside her chest as she looked up to Elijah's face, water dripping down from his nose and chin, and felt her cheeks warm. It was nearly painful, the need to touch his face and wipe the water away.

"Caught you," he teased softly, his words followed by an abrupt flash of lightning that made Astra jump.

"Elijah, you are soaked," she gasped in surprise as she suddenly became very aware that it looked as though he had been swimming with his clothes on. What had remained dry of the front of her dress was no longer, the water spread from his toga to her tunic. Elijah looked down at his apparel, as though he had forgotten that there wasn't a dry stitch upon his form. He didn't seem to mind, though, as he simply smiled faintly and looked back to Astra's eyes. The frown that had been marring her features faded away at the warm brown of his eyes. They appeared to be smoldering. "What have you been doing? Why are you so wet?"

"I was looking for you," he answered honestly, tilting his head to the side ever so slightly. Astraea's cheeks flamed at the thought before she gasped loudly as he pulled her against his chest more firmly, his strong arms wrapped around her waist and keeping her tight against him. "You'll catch the cold out here," he declared suddenly. Astraea didn't even have a moment to think of what to say before they were off, too fast for a human to see.

"Elijah," she squeaked in shock against his shoulder, her hands clutching the material of his toga so tightly that the water soaked within it ran out through her fingers. They stopped a moment later, however, and Astraea was immediately aware of the fact that she could feel no water falling on her head. Pulling away from Elijah's shoulder, her eyes widened at her new surroundings.

"Welcome to my home," Elijah breathed against her ear, still wrapped around her with a sturdy grip. Astraea shivered at the feel of the water on her skin chilled from his breath and tried to distract herself by looking around at where he had brought them. His home. It was strange to think that Elijah actually lived somewhere; she had never really taken the time to wonder about where he was staying and what sense of style he may have had in his abode.

The door behind them, already closed, was thick and held within a broad archway. They were only in the main area of the home with three more archways on the other walls leading into different rooms. She could see one held a set of stairs and another appeared to open into a grand sitting area. She began to awe over the painting that he had on one of the walls in the entrance way, the wall that was first seen upon entering. It was of the gods, and the war that had once waged between them.

"This is amazing," she whispered, leaning—still wrapped in his arms—toward the wall to get a better look. The detail that the artist had put into the wet plaster painting was enthralling and Astraea felt that she could stare at the image for days just picking up all of the different details until there was nothing left hidden inside the paint and plaster. Turning her eyes to Elijah, she smiled up at him and was relieved when he smiled back to her.

"Come, let's get you dry," he said simply. This time, instead of whisking her off with inhuman speed, he walked her toward the set of stairs that she had seen. Going willingly, Astraea marvelled the painting as she passed it before directing her attention to the new surroundings. It was like there was always something to look at in the space of Elijah's home; every room had a decorative piece that just captivated whoever was inside.

"Your home is beautiful," she complemented shyly, feeling slightly ashamed of her own home now. Elijah didn't seem to like the downcast of her face and guided her to look up to him instead. His eyes had not lost that warmth from when she had first looked into them and her heart leapt inside her chest.

"Your father was the one that hired the artists; they are the same ones that did your home," he told, his thumb caressing along from her chin to the corner of her jaw. She shivered at the feel, trying to act as though it were actually the wet clothing that she was wearing by wrapping her arms across her chest. Looking away first, she directed her gaze out the nearest window instead. The rain had not stopped falling and it didn't appear that it would for a while yet. "Perhaps it is best that you wait here until the storm has passed," Elijah added on when he saw the direction of her gaze.

"Yes, that would be best," she agreed quietly, feeling her cheeks warm at the thought of being so alone with Elijah. In the past they had hardly ever been truly alone. When they were in her room, her parents were always just down the stairs; when they were in public they were always surrounded with other that were watching; even when he had brought her to the top of the city it was momentary because of the night chill and wind that had gotten to her.

"I have no dress to lend you, but I could give you something dry so that your dress may dry before you take your leave back home," Elijah continued on a moment later, leaving her side and heading for a room just down the hallway. Astraea followed after him curiously before she jumped and tried to step back out when she realized that it was a bedroom. It was one thing for him to have been in her room, and another for her to enter his. A man's room was no place for a woman, especially an unmarried virgin.

She could not make it three steps before Elijah seized her wrist and gently pulled her back inside, handing her a white toga and red sash. He had another set of clothes draped over his arm for himself and stepped out of the room with the simple order to drape her dress on the shelf by the fire when she was finished dressing. He would wait in the hall.

A blush heated her cheeks to a boiling point but Astraea did as she was instructed, beginning to peel off her dripping clothes bit by bit.

One half of the chapter is worrisome, the other suggestive…

I hope everyone enjoys this! For those who are actually reading it! I found out that there are actually people who skip the past tense chapters completely! That is one of the most offensive things that people have done to me on this site and I thank all of you who are kind enough to read—and enjoy—these chapters. So, thank you.

Chapter 28 – Blood Vengeance

"What changed, Astra? You never used to be this way. What about Damon?"

Astra's eyes darkened to red at the name and Stefan quickly drew backward and released her arm. Knowing that it would not do to attack Stefan while on such short patience—since it would be both bad for Elijah's deal and would surely make her feel guilty later on—she took a deep breath to calm herself down and straightened her posture.

"Your brother is a selfish, conceited, hypocritical man whore that does not even deserve a second thought. I loved Damon, I did. Would you remain in love with someone when they take your heart and break it simply because they enjoy sex so much they feel the need to sleep around months before getting married? Believe me, I understand Katarina's involvement and she will learn how very foolish her little compulsion uses were. It is not that I have changed, Stefan, you just never provoked me and saw this side."