A Fonder Heart

Sitting on the edge of Astra's bed, Elijah calmly ran his hand along her hair. Cleaned of blood with a new change of clothes, she was sleeping soundly all curled up in blankets as Elijah kept a careful vigil over her. She had been sleeping since he had given her his blood, giving him time to clean himself up and change into a pair of clothes for the night. In his other hand, the dagger that had once been imbedded in his chest was slowly being rolled between his fingers.

"Go home," he had told Elena as he picked up Astra's limp form, leaving the blood as the only evidence on the floor. "I will contact you when you are ready to speak. However," he moved toward Elena with a threatening stride, even with the unconscious woman in his arms he appeared intimidating, "You must say nothing to the brothers of my revival. When they find out, lie."

"What about Astra?" Elena asked after she had nodded her understanding, "She doesn't remember you."

Elijah followed her gaze to the blood stained face of his love. "She remembers me now; the way to break the spell was to have her drink my blood, re-establishing our connection."

"What did she say-"

"We will speak later, Elena."

Less than ten minutes later, Elena was gone and the house was calm and silent once more. Astra slept on and Elijah tried not to let his thoughts war inside his mind too much.

Placing the silver dagger on the nightstand beside Astra's bed, he briefly though about having it melted down to remove one of the blades from existence, then again it wasn't hard to fashion a silver dagger. Pushing aside those thoughts, he rose from the bed and pulled the plain t-shirt that he had been wearing over his head and tossed it onto the chair a couple paces away. He was confident that she would remember him when she awoke, so he felt there was no need to change his sleeping habits. Also, there was slim chance of him leaving her alone while she was so weak.

Sliding into the bed on the other side, empty and cold, Elijah finally let the weight of the day's events take its toll on him and allowed him body and mind to rest. He had given Astra a lot of blood and it was sucking the energy out of him. Astra was as still as the dead beside him, her chest barely moving with each breath. She still looked sickly pale, but she was beginning to regain her Roman lineage that Elijah had grown so fond of.

Laying his head on the pillow that Astra wasn't already using, he allowed the steady sound of soft rain hitting the roof to lull him into a calm sleep, his mind still alert for other sounds. There was no vampire that could enter the home so long as Jessica's name was on the house's deed, but Elena's faithful followers were not all vampire and he knew that it was not long before the brothers discovered Astra's home still intact and very much lived in. He would admit to being surprised they had not realized her whereabouts already.

The next morning, a slight movement was all that it took to awaken Elijah fully. Astra had turned in her sleep, a simple roll, which had her lying partially across Elijah's chest. Her curls of hair, some strands still crusted with blood, were tickling the exposed skin left from him having removed his shirt before he got into the bed with her the night before.

Astra's movements appeared to have woken him at the perfect time, because it was in that moment that he could hear the familiar quiet movements of Jessica outside of the house, sweeping off the front stone patio. Dead leaves had blown down to cover its surface during the storm the night before and her perfectionist nature made her wish it clean at all times.

Slowly and carefully extracting himself from Astra's limp embrace, he listened carefully to the steady beat of her heart that was also accompanied by her soft breaths.

Dressing quickly into a suit, while forgoing the jacket, Elijah was descending the stairs when Jessica was stepping inside, her fall coat bundled closely around her body. She gasped loudly upon seeing the Original moving down the steps, her eyes widening for a moment before she let out a sigh of relief.

"It is tremendous to see you again, Lord Elijah," she greeted with a faint smile. "How is Miss Casca feeling?"

"She is recuperating; it would be best to let her rest."

"Of course," Jessica agreed, moving toward the kitchen. Elijah knew that she was going to want to see Astra after seeing the state that the kitchen was in, but he couldn't risk Astra's recovery. He waited until Jessica had seen the kitchen before casually appearing in the doorway just as she turned sharply to rush up stairs.

"She is fine, I assure," Elijah said his deep timber, but Jessica looked frazzled over the condition of her mistress after seeing the bloody mess of the kitchen. "If I let you look inside her room, will you promise not to disrupt her?" Jessica could not be compelled, much like her family before her. Astra had taught them all very well, and it made Elijah both proud and slightly annoyed at the fact that she knew how to refuse compulsion if she wished. Turning away from the kitchen, Jessica obediently followed him up stairs to where Astra was sleeping nearly perfectly, but she seemed to have begun to wake up at some point, most likely when he left, because she appeared to have been reaching toward the door before she fell back asleep.

"I'm so glad," she mumbled as soon as she saw that woman that had helped raise her was no longer bleeding from her ears, eyes and nose. It had been frightening the night before and she had been reluctant to leave, but she knew her Mistress, even if Astra was in a different mindset at the time. Astra was just the kind of person to suffer in private, away from prying eyes or whispering voices.

"I will let you know when she wakes up, but I think that it's best if you stay away from the house for the next couple of days."

"She would not hurt me," Jessica tried to defend, but Elijah shook his head.

"It's not that she would hurt you, but she may react to my presence and I don't want you to get caught in the middle. Remembering the past when she had hated me may have changed her thought of me in the present; re-opening old wounds, so to speak."

"I'll finish what I need to today and then I'll wait for your call," she agreed reluctantly. Elijah nodded, finding that suitable. Elijah remained around the house, listening to Jessica's quiet work as she cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom, removing all blood stains that had been left behind. Elijah moved silently through the house, mostly veering back to Astra's room before too much time had passed. Whenever she moved about her in sleep, he quickly headed back to her room in case she was going to awaken but her heartbeat remained steady.

The day continued on in that fashion until Jessica reluctantly left for the night, not knowing when she would be returning. Elijah abandoned all the other things he had been doing and instead moved to sit on the edge of Astra's bed, watching the darkening lights bring sharpness to her features. The smell of crusted blood was distracting, but Elijah had the hope that she would wake soon and could wash herself properly.

Elena tried her best to act as though nothing had changed, attempting to keep her mind away from the fact that Elijah was no longer dead in the basement of the Salvatore home. Her concern for Astra was also nagging at her, trying to get her to call Elijah or go and visit them. But Elijah's cellphone had been disconnected, probably destroyed by Damon, and she knew better than to invade on a vampire's territory when she had been told he would contact her.

Sitting on her bed, unsure of what she should do, she looked down at her phone on the nightstand when it vibrated with a text message. The number was not one of her contacts, giving her no name but she could guess who it was that had sent it when she read the message 'Thank you'.

Luka.

He was still young and had almost been killed simply because he wanted his family to be whole again. And then there's Astra, who's only family was Elijah. Everyone else had died in Rome, Pompeii, when the volcano erupted. She didn't want to side with anyone, especially when it was her life on the line, and the lives of all the people that she loved. But could Elijah truly be as bad as Damon and Stefan were trying to write him off to be when he had rushed to save Astra as soon as he could, not even caring that he was freed and Elena was standing right in front of him like a bone offered to a dog, no strings attached?

Huffing almost irritably, she picked up one of her many pillows and threw it over her face, groaning loudly into the fabric at her own indecision.

Elijah was at Astra's side as soon as her breathing changed for the first time all day, beginning to become less deep and slowly speeding up. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she watched her face carefully for any signs that she was waking up. Eyelids fluttering and throat working as she swallowed down the dryness of sleep, Elijah was nearly holding his breath when the amethyst irises finally came into view once more. The only light was from the waning moon outside the window, but it hit her eyes directly and brought the colour forth.

"Elijah," she mumbled in a strained, dreary voice, looking into his troubled brown eyes with an almost sad gaze. "Elijah," she repeated more strongly, even though her voice cracked mid-name, reaching for him. He leaned down to allow her to wrap her arms around his neck and shoulders, a reaction that he had not been expecting of her. Pulling herself up enough she brought her lips to his in a kiss that resembled a sorrowful apology, sighing softly against his skin when his fingers found the back of her skull and cradled it oh-so gently.

Pulling away from the kiss, Elijah continued to support her head as she craned her neck to look into his eyes once more.

"I was so angry with you; I forgot how much I hated the feelings of those years. I put you through so much, Elijah. I'm so sorry-"

Hushing her softly, he resumed the tender kiss to silence her apologies, feeling overwhelmed by her reaction to his presence. Her hands clutched as his shirt desperately, holding onto him as though she feared he would run. Pulling away enough to lean his chin on her shoulder, she pressed her nose against his throat and took in deep breaths, taking in his scent and the feel of his skin against hers. Even the slight stubble that had begun to grow on his jaw was welcoming.

"I was such a bitch to you," she murmured against his skin, drawing a started chuckle from the Original.

Stroking his hand through her hair soothingly, Elijah shifted slightly to allow him to hold her more closely, sitting hip to hip with her as her legs pulled up behind him so that her thighs were holding him close as well, encasing him on all but one side. "With good reason," he assured. "I deserved everything that you said and did to me, Astra. I do not blame you or hold any of it against you."

"I'm surprised," she admitted, pulling away from him so that she could trace along his face gently, her fingers ghosting over his high cheek bones, the bridge of his nose, the dip above his upper lip and the dimple in his chin. It was as though she needed to re-memorize his face, the centuries that she had forgotten making everything unclear and out of order in her mind.

Catching her hands in his larger ones, Elijah leaned his forehead down against hers so as to remain close to her. "You should drink something," he began after a long moment of silence, looking into her eyes. "And bathe, you still have blood in your hair." Nodding in agreement, Astra remained exactly where she was while Elijah was reluctant to move as well.

"Blood first," she finally whispered, pulling away. Knowing that movement was needed from both parties or neither would get very far Elijah rose from the bed and stepped out of her way as she slipped from beneath the sheets. She took a moment to steady herself on her feet before turning to move down the steps around her bed, Elijah assisting her discretely. "How long have I been asleep? Is Luka okay?"

"Luka is perfectly fine, and you have barely been out for over a day," he explained, following behind her as she looked around her home, making sure that everything was still the way that she had left it before Jonas activated the spell. She could smell that Jessica had been there recently and sighed in relief at knowing that the woman was still faithful to her amnesic mistress.

Halting at the base of the stairs, Elijah looked down at her as he waited for whatever she was going to say. "Elena was here?" she asked after a pause, inhaling again.

"She brought me here, after she pulled the dagger free. Astraea, you need to slow down," Elijah urged, but she continued moving toward the basement. Now that she was on her feet and moving there was no stopping her. Her home had been entered while she was not aware of it and she did not like that one bit, but she knew that Elena was someone that she had to keep on her good side and so she remained silent on the matter.

Down in the cellar, Astra picked one of her favourite bottles of blooded wine and moved back upstairs, Elijah casually waiting for her by the basement door.

After she was content with the condition of her home and had finished off half a bottle of the blood and wine, she made her way to her room to show and remove the last of the blood from her hair and skin. Elijah continued to hover as she was collected clothes from her closet, asking her to make sure that she was feeling at her best before he left her alone for any extended amount of time. She just rolled her eyes but smiled fondly as she draped her nightshirt over her arm with her undergarments hidden within the material, Elijah still sitting on the top step that led to her bed, ever watchful.

"I'm a grown woman, Elijah," she assured as she moved to the bathroom. "I can shower on my own."

He didn't speak a word but watched as she closed the door, hearing the showed start a couple of seconds later. The sound made it harder for him to hear what she was doing, but he could still make out the sounds of her taking out soaps and a towel, placing them on the counter or shelf. Then the movement stopped.

Astra stood in front of the shower, still dressed, and watched the water fall down heavily. It reminded her of the day she and Elijah had gone to his home, with the rain falling heavily but him seeming not to care in the least. Smiling fondly at the memory, she glanced toward the door with the knowledge that he was still in her room. It was the same day that she had known for sure that she was in love with him, and had decided to place her full trust in him. It was hard to forget the day that you share your body with the man that you love, especially when he is the same man that you lose your virginity to.

Turning away from the shower, she didn't let herself hesitate as she opened the bathroom door and stood in the doorway, watching as Elijah looked back toward her from where he had been gazing out the window, sitting in the same place that she had left him. Stepping up to him easily, she took his hand in hers and pulled him to his feet, the Original going willingly. Once he was at his full height before her Astra smiled in the same way that she had that night, so full of life and innocence, before she drew him down into a kiss.

Elijah exhaled deeply at the caress of her lips, finally letting his body fully relax. Her hands dextrously slipped his shirt from his body, the warmth of her fingers travelling along his skin as she began to guide him toward the bathroom. The shower was still running and he could smell her soaps on the shelf.

"Join me," she urged, stepping back into the bathroom with him close behind. His hands found her sides as he lifted her shirt up and removed the material from her body, revealing her to his eyes once more after so long. And when he embraced her, and skin met skin, she sighed into his ear with a relief that spread through her from the very bone.

There was no curse, moonstone, or doppelgänger. Damon and Elena didn't exist, nor the world around them. There was skin and water, sighs and touch.

The water ran pink with old blood from Astra's hair, colouring the water at their feet for a few seconds as Elijah ran his fingers through the wet strands, washing them as he caressed her skull, feeling her lean heavily against him in return. Bliss was etched across her face, peaceful and finally at ease. The same scent that Elijah had caught on her flesh the past couple of years encased them as the steam from the water fogged the air, thickening the strong smell of her soaps.

Though they had touched, had kissed and shared private moments through the years—through the past couple of weeks especially—the feeling of skin on skin, the shared breath between them with nothing to stop them was a true liberation.

Lifting her off her feet, Elijah held her close to his body as he revelled in the feeling of her, from the soft curves of her Roman life to the warmth that seeped from her skin as though she was still human. Sighing into the silky wet of his hair, Astra allowed him to fully support her weight as the water continued to drum down on her back. Smiling against the soft strands of his hair, she raked her fingers through even though there were no knots to find, and Elijah moaned deep in his throat as he dropped his head back so that he could look up at her, receiving her smile.

"I have missed you," she whispered in Latin, catching his lips in a quick kiss before she continued to map his face with the soft skin, collecting beads of water on the tip of her tongue. "And I love you," she continued, caressing his face with her fingertips as he turned beneath the spray of the shower to face his back to it, feeling the bumps rise along her skin at the missing warmth.

"As I love you," he returned, watching her amethyst eyes warm with her smile as he returned his lips to hers for a proper kiss, sliding his hands along her legs so that they encircled his waist and returned them to an equal height. Cradling his face in her hands, Astra smiled peacefully as she leaned her forehead against his, letting out a soft gasp against his lips as her body accepted him, just as it had so long ago on their first night together and the nights after.

The steady thrum of the water was ever present as they breathed together, bodies pressed until no space was left between. Dark moulded with pale as they curled in on one another, wrapped around and holding tightly, blonde and brunette tangled as their gasps made the soundtrack of their coupling. Silently, Astra began to weep as the water washed away her tears before they had a chance to stain her skin. So overwhelmed, her emotions began to throw themselves about inside of her much as they had done when she was just a newborn vampire.

Smelling the salt of her tears, Elijah pressed her into the corner of the shower as he held her tightly in a comforting embrace. Surrounded on all sides, she allowed herself to lean heavily against the stone walls and meet Elijah's lips in one final kiss to sum up them all.

Yea, I'm cutting out the detailed sex scene, hate me if you want but you'll get it eventually. Muahaha! Anyway, I gave you two chapters in a row so that should help.