Pillars of Granite and Blood

Mystic Falls, Virginia, 1864

Mikael had been reluctant to leave her alone after it had taken her so long to calm down, but it wouldn't have been wise to remain in the village much longer. Not only would it draw more attention to her, but he had to continue his hunt for Klaus before he caused further trouble. Astra refused to leave her room the remainder of the time that he was there and growled whenever he said that Damon was trying to speak to her; the boy was sending messengers, arriving unexpectedly and even asking his brother to try and speak to his fiancé.

"He worries for you, Miss," Annabel said softly as she sat herself on the edge of her mistress's bed, running a hand soothingly along the curls of her hair. "Please, at least talk to him. Perhaps Miss. Pierce compelled him and he holds no fault?" she suggested, brushing a tear from Astra's cheek. "Enough crying now, please."

"I am sorry that you must see me as this, Annabel. I am more than this, I swear," she stuttered out, wiping fiercely at her cheeks. Annabel frowned in sympathy and handed the older woman the cool cloth that she had brought with her, letting her mistress press it to her warm, reddened cheeks and soak up her tears.

"Go and see him, Lady Casca. You may very well be surprised."

Astra nodded her head numbly and sat herself up in her bed. Her movements were robotic and stiff, but Annabel was there to help her dress and apply a light layer of makeup. Her face didn't remain red and teary for long because of her healing abilities, giving Astra her solid appearance once more. She did not feel so solid, however. She felt like the flower of freshly spun glass that Mikael had told her she was and wished that she could reinforce herself with stone and granite.

The soft lilac colour of her dress drew out the colour in her eyes and Astra took a moment to revel in their colour before Annabel touched her lightly on her arm and offered her a glass of blood from the glass jar that Mikael had kindly brought for her. She smiled stiffly and took the glass, dismissing the woman to allow herself time alone before she left. The fresh blood surrounded her senses and Astra had gulped it down before the smell could leave the room.

Turning back to the mirror, she let her race relax and watched as it warped and changed into the monster that she had been forced to become. Her red and violet eyes looked deadly and supernatural, the dark shadows and veins surrounding them grotesque. Snarling at her reflection revealed the sharp, lethal canines that had taken so many lives already. She was going to take another.

"I'm going to drain that bitch," she hissed. This would be the face of death for Katarina Petrova. She would know no other image before she died because it would be Astra that claimed her life. Perhaps she should tear her heart out and hold it to her eyes as the life faded from within her; she could even force Katherine to rip out her own heart. It would be so lovely to simply stand by and watch as Katherine took her own life.

She had been warned to stay away from what belonged to Astra; now, she was going to learn the price of ignoring such a severe warning.

Her life was the only penance that would sate the ancient vampire's rage.

There was a cold, calm air around Azura as she left her home and climbed into the carriage that was waiting for her in front of her house, taking her into town. Damon had decided to pay her a surprise visit; she was going to return the favour. If Katherine also happened to be there at the time that was just going to be a bonus. The ride into town had never taken so long before, but Azura found herself wishing that she could simply run to the Salvatore home; it would cut her trip in less than half. But with the combination of her outfit and the number of vampire hunters in town she didn't want to take a chance.

It made her think, however, back to the time that she had been having tea with Damon's father and he had spiked it with vervain. Had Katherine been put to the same test or was there something that was different? How was it that she could live in the same home as a vampire hunter and live through it? What was she doing that allowed her to hide her so well?

The witch, Astra realized. Her hands clenched into fists as her hate for the magical beings began to grow all the more. They were ruining her life. Perhaps if she was able to reveal Katherine to the council she could torture the girl but leave her death to the humans, where she didn't need to concern herself with gaining anymore of Nicklaus's fury.

Taking in a deep breath of air, Astra leaned back against the cushions in the carriage and tried to keep herself calm as she waited for the moment that she would enter the town and face her fiancé. She felt the tears trying to fight to the surface and pressed them down. It couldn't be Damon's fault, it had to be completely on Katherine's shoulders. There was no chance that she hadn't gone against Astra's threat and instead compelled Damon for his affections and body. To pull both brothers along as though she could have them both and feel no guilt, it was disgusting.

The houses began to pass by and Astra straightened herself to look out and gage how long it would be before they arrived at the Salvatore home. She found herself watching the people that walked along the streets, speaking to friends, spouses and coworkers. The sight of married couples made her stomach tighten and her heart drop, but she pushed the feelings aside.

Was this really worth it? Was it worth staying here, with Damon, if she had to live in fear with her heart aching in pain every time she thought of what he had done?

Astra almost called to the driver to tell him to turn around, but stopped herself when she saw her fiancé's family home appear before her. So, instead, she straightened herself and waited. She would speak with Damon first and then it would be Katherine's turn to understand her wrath. The carriage pulled up in front of Damon's home and the driver assisted Astra to step down, nodding his head when she ordered him to wait for her.

The door was already opening as she ascended the steps, Stefan appearing in the doorway. She smiled in greeting, even though it did not reach her eyes, and was given a smile in return. "It's been a while Stefan," she began, giving him a kiss on the cheek in a sisterly way. "How are you?"

"I am doing well, thank you. Has your uncle gone home?"

"Yes, he left this morning. I feel bad that I have been pushing you and Damon aside, so I felt it best to come and visit. Is he busy?" she asked, watching something flash in Stefan's eyes. Jealousy? Her own heart seemed to stop inside her chest at the emotion, very few reason for it being there leaving her concerned.

"He has taken Katherine out to town for a short while. Would you like to come in for some tea? We can catch up while we wait for them to return?" Stefan proposed, offering her his arm. Astra felt like breaking down and crying all over again at his words and couldn't bring herself to move. Stefan must have easily seen her reaction because he instead wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her into the house, his grip on her tight. "Why don't you tell me of your uncle?" he proposed softly, trying to get her mind off of her cheating fiancé.

ᵻ

Roman Empire, Pompeii, 78 A.D.

It was slightly awkward to be wearing a male's clothes, even if it were for a completely innocent reason. Astra tied the sash that Elijah had given to her over her chest so that the dress wasn't hanging open and her chest was covered properly. The material wasn't thick enough at the chest to hide her assets properly as a woman's dress would, leaving with her the only option of improvising.

When she stepped out of his chambers, Elijah was already waiting in the hallway, dressed in fresh, dry clothes. The storm still raged on outside of the home, rain pouring past the windows and thunder shaking the ground they stood on. Still cold from being in the rain, Astraea tried to repress her shivers as she wrapped her arms around herself, looking toward the window at the end of the hall that showed the heavy rainfall.

"Come, back inside, I will light a fire," Elijah instructed, guiding the woman back into the chamber. She went willingly, but was still tense about where she was. Sitting on the end of his bed she felt out of place and found herself fidgeting with the material of her dress. Elijah was swift and easily had a fire burning within minutes, the heat quickly filling the enclosed space.

"Thank you for this," she finally said through the silence, a flush warming her cheeks as she looked down to her lap. "It is very much appreciated."

Elijah smiled back in return before he moved over to the bed, but instead of sitting beside her he moved to recline against the pillows that sat up against the wall. He motioned her forward, beckoning for her to join him. Her cheeks flamed with a blush as she moved up the bed to join him, falling backward amongst the pillows and throws, smiling at the sensation of sinking into the materials. Elijah looked pleased by her reaction, leaning on his elbow as he faced her with such lightness to his eyes that it warmed her heart.

"Tell me more about your family, please?" she asked timidly as she leaned toward him slightly, as though there was a secret between them that must not be overheard in his empty home. Elijah looked reluctant at first, as he did every time his family came up in conversation between them, but he didn't see the harm in telling her slight things, keeping away from the subject of his demon side.

"You have met Nicklaus," he began, watching her eyes light as she leans closer. She always loved hearing of his family. His life sounded so lively and exciting compared to hers. She was simply an unmarried woman that was slowly dying; even the supernatural could not save her. "I am the oldest of the remaining children of my family; I once had an elder brother named Aaron, however he had passed on before I was born." Astra moved in closer to him, the conversation seeming to make her forget all about her earlier shyness. "My brother Finn was born just after me. He…he struggles most with what we are, and I fear for him."

For hours, the fire burns and died within the hearth and the light began to fade away, the storm raging on for past the protective walls. Elijah told her of his family, of his one lone sister and all of his brothers, his father and mother. Tales were shared and laughs were sung through the room, Astraea edging her way closer as Elijah told her a story of when he and Nicklaus had frightened their younger brothers, Kol and Henrik, while they were hunting. They had nearly lost their lives, but they still laughed at the memory. She held onto him tightly as he told her about Henrik, the youngest of his family that had perished terribly. Elijah wiped the tears from her cheeks that fell so freely for his lost brothers, kissing the skin to sooth.

Astraea breathed in his scent deeply, the masculine smell surrounding her from all sides as she lay against him, surrounded by his blankets and pillows. Her arms were trapped between their chests, Elijah holding her close with one arm, draped over her waist, while the other was beneath her head as he played with the golden strands of her hair.

"I wish I could show you my home, before it was changed. The beauty of it. You would have loved it there," Elijah whispered against her forehead, feeling that she was back to her normal temperature. "Everything was so green and natural, without the numbers of people that come with this city."

"Maybe someday, somehow, I will see it," she whispered softly. Elijah frowned slightly at the words, so much like a goodbye that it struck painfully in his undead heart. He released her suddenly, however, when she fought to get out of his arms as she began coughing, her hand covering her mouth. The smell of blood flooded the room as the red dripped down between her fingers, staining the material of the makeshift dress.

The fit was worse than any other he had ever seen before, seemingly never ending as he rushed up to kneel beside her, his hand resting on her back. The feel of the coughs rocking through her were so harsh that he was amazed she was not crying out in pain at the mere feel. It must be torturous for her, especially as a human with less tolerance for pain.

The first chance that he got, a break in her coughing as she desperately fought to take in lost air, he pressed the torn flesh of his wrist against her lips and forced the blood into her mouth. She was so disoriented that she didn't fight him, drinking down the liquid that was soothing her as soon as it poured down her throat. Both her blood and his was smeared across her chin and staining the dress she had made herself, spread along Elijah's healing wrist and hand.

Astraea was breathless when he pulled his wrist away, gasping for air as she teetered where she sat. She had been trying to get off the bed before she ruined his sheets, and instead had destroyed his toga. The pain, however, had completely distracted her from thinking on anything besides make it stop! It was worse than anything else she had ever felt and there was so much blood that had come up from her throat that it ran down her chin and neck, destroying the material of Elijah's toga at her chest. She felt tears burn her eyes in embarrassment, shame and fear.

"It is alright," Elijah tried to sooth, wrapping an arm around her to try and bring her to rest her head on his shoulder, but she fought against him and stumbled off the bed, leaving him watching after her in concern.

"It is not alright!" she screamed, facing his as she tried to wipe the blood from her mouth but only ended up in smearing it along her cheeks and hands even worse. "This is your fault!" she continued. She didn't see the look that came to Elijah's eyes as she spoke, the fear and agony going unnoticed. "I was prepared to die and then you came along and ruined it! You made me feel, and fall in love with you and now I am terrified that I will die!" she was crying and screaming and in complete hysterics, looking a mess with her hair a mess, her face covered in blood and tears and her clothing ruined. "I don't want to die. This is your fault, this is all your-"

Elijah's lips caught her own before she could continue, ceasing all words from her. Their mingled blood stained his lips as his hands moved to bury in her hair, preventing her from pulling away. Fall in love with you. She had said it; she had told him she loved him. The warmth and happiness that consumed him was like nothing he had ever felt before and he could not stop himself from kissing her, ignorant to the blood, and holding her close.

Only after he had nearly as much blood on his face as she did he pulled back and meet her shocked, abnormal, beautiful, amethyst eyes and smile. "And I love you."

He could hear Astraea's heartbeat quicken in her chest as she looked up to him, dazed and overwhelmed. He supposed that sharing a kiss with her of such passion was not wise to do before a confession of love, but he was caught up in the moment. And then she smiled back, her hands moving up to stroke her thumbs along his cheeks, transferring the blood from her hands to his smooth skin. With gentle urging she brought him down to kiss her again.

Sliding his hands back to wrap around her torso, his long fingers began playing with the tie of the sash around her chest, making sure that she felt him doing so. She tensed for a moment before relaxing against him again and allowing him to pull at the knot. The sash fell to the floor between them, loosening Astraea's dress.

Ahaha! Cliffhanger!

I'm evil, I know. All the people that skin the past chapters can kiss it, cause they don't get these moments!...and moments to come…

Anyway, I promised many chapters and I am going to live up to that, so here's the second of my updating frenzy!

Chapter 30 – Nature of the Dead

"Hello again," Astra greeted as she smiled brilliantly, getting a smile in answer. Jenna had some rolled papers and maps in a bag over her shoulder, most likely for the properties they were going to be looking at that morning. Elijah greeted the other woman as well, his charm showing through. Astra fought the impulse to roll her eyes as red flushed Jenna's cheeks before she started talking.

"So, I'm thinking we'll take different cars and you can just follow me, that way you don't have to worry about coming all the way back here?" she suggested, looking between them. She looked shocked at the sight of Elijah's truck, but then again it was just a guy thing to have a large vehicle. Astra seemed to see the look in her eyes and shook her head in a way of saying 'no, he's not compensating'. The flush darkened and Astra felt proud of herself as she smirked.

"Sounds great, are you ready to leave now? Do you need help with anything?" Elijah asked courteously, getting a sputtering smile from Jenna as she declined. Astra gave him a curious look for his actions but didn't say anything as she walked alongside him back toward the truck. He helped her into her seat and closed her door before he moved around to the driver's seat and pulled away from the curb, waiting for Jenna to get in front of them in her car.

As they were waiting, Astra looked over to him and raised an elegant blonde eyebrow. "What are you up to?"