Reclaim Those Missed Centuries

When it came to living with Elijah, there weren't many 'late mornings'. He was a man that did not like to waste time, and so that meant for early mornings and fast starts. But what kind of man could he be, if not fair?

Astra lay on her side, back to the window that had the late morning sun peering in through the glass and between the open curtains. A smile adorned her face as Elijah's fingers gently ran through her hair, her eyes closed and her fingers tapping out a rhythm-less beat on his pectoral muscle. Legs tangled together, skin warm against the morning rays, they were content. Opening her eyes to look into Elijah's smiling ones, her smile widened as she tried not to laugh at the very apparent sex hair that he was presently sporting. Reaching up to run her fingers through it, she made a mental note to try and convince him to cut it shorter. It had steadily been losing its length over the centuries, so she doubted it would be too hard.

"I didn't know such silky hair could defy gravity so well," she teased, tugging at his hair until his neck was exposed to her lips and teeth. Elijah made a sound deep in his throat that was a mix between a chuckle and a moan. Smiling in satisfaction, Astra laved her tongue over the reddened skin to sooth the faint sting left from her blunt teeth.

In retaliation, Elijah used his hold on her hair and was able to pin her down as he rolled atop her form. Her heart felt as though it stuttered in her chest, her pupils dilating as she gazed up into his dark eyes. How she loved those eyes. Her white teeth were shown perfectly in her smile, the dimple on her cheek revealed through shadows from the morning sun. Elijah couldn't stop the impulse he felt to stroke the dip in her cheek, a soft smile touching his lips before he leaned down, out of her sight, to place a chaste kiss against the skin.

Sighing softly, Astra began to trace her fingertips up and down Elijah's back, leaning into his cheek and pressing a ghost of a kiss there. The warmth of his form against hers was so familiar, so wonderfully familiar, that she couldn't stop the smile of pure satisfaction that took over her. Sliding her legs from the knot that had been created during the night, she lifted her legs to caress the outsides of his thighs and over his hips, drawing a shiver from him as she drew him in between her thighs.

Turning her head to his, Elijah took the silent invitation and mirrored the action, meeting her lips with his in return.

A gasp was torn from her lungs when he thrust forward, his hips meeting hers perfectly and causing her to tense sharply. Framing her face in his broad hands, his hips rolled leisurely as she shuddered beneath him, her hands dancing along his sides as they alternated between gripping onto him and stroking along his ribs and the muscles of his torso.

No matter how angry she became with Elijah's actions toward her in the past, this moment was always one that she would cherish.

Elijah's lips trailed down to her throat, teasing the taut tendons there before his tongue dipped into the hollow at the base, in the center of the collarbones. She sighed at the familiar feeling, her hands moving up to continue carding through his hair, just as she had been doing the night before. Elijah found himself inspecting her skin, comparing it to the first time they had been together and every time since.

Even as a vampire, she had changed with the times.

"This," Astra hissed out suddenly, her body tensing sharply when he stroked a particularly sensitive place within her. "This is what I've missed," she admitted, looking down to watch as Elijah pulled himself up to support his body on his hands resting on either side of her, towering his body above hers. Wrapping her thighs up on his hips, she pressed against his lower back with her heels and pushed him forward again, drawing him into her body as they sighed simultaneously. "I've missed you, Elijah, so much."

Ducking down again to silence another gasp from Astra, Elijah's hands found her hair once more and manoeuvred her to arch her back, her head tipped back into the pillows as her hips canted into the perfect position. "I finally got you back," Elijah growled against her lips, his fingers tightening nearly painfully in her hair. All she could do was moan at the feeling, trembling beneath his dominance. "You're mine, Astraea," he reminded, the muscles on his back tensing and jumping when his pace increased.

"Elijah!" she cried out sharply in surprise when his thrusts grew sharper, quicker, and so precise.

Not wanting to pull his hair out, Astra's hands grabbed the headboard above her, leaving her torso exposed. Elijah didn't miss the trust such an action required and slipped his arms beneath her back, gripping her shoulders to keep her anchored against his thrusts as she tried to keep some form of composure.

"You're hiding," he purred as he pressed a kiss against her sternum, the skin taut from her stretched position. Turning his head to nip sharply at the soft skin of her left breast, above her heart, Astra jerked beneath him. He groaned when her inner muscles tensed, almost as if she was teasing him accidentally in return for his actions. "Don't hide from me, Astraea," he urged, nipping at her again. "Never hide from me."

Snapping up, Elijah's sudden fangs tore into her throat and produced a scream from Astra as her back arched completely off the bed, her hands nearly crushing the headboard. He could feel the vibrations of her scream through her throat, seeming to hum against his fangs as her blood pooled on his tongue, warm and sweet.

"Elijah!" she cried out, her head instinctively tipping to allow him better access to her neck. The thought of him biting made her gums ache against the urge to bite him in response.

Don't hide.

Fine.

Baring her own fangs, Astra pushed Elijah sharply onto his back, never losing the connection between their bodies, and ducked to bite him back. His fingers dug into her back, urging her to move her hips above him as she gulped at his blood. Holding his head with one hand fisted in his hair, Astra's other hand moved to the headboard again and used that as her leverage as she began to rock and twist her hips, getting sharp groans and gasps from the Original in her grasp.

Pulling her fangs from his throat, with Elijah doing the same, she pulled herself up to look down at him. Blood painted their mouths and their eyes were just as red as the liquid they drank.

"No more hiding then, amor meus," Astra purred as she looked into his chocolate eyes within the swimming of blood-red. The Latin words made Elijah groan and arch his hips, jarring Astra's body above him and making her eyes fall closed at the deep thrust it caused. Catching her lips, tasting his blood on them, Elijah repeated the action until she was nearly screaming into his mouth, her hand in his hair almost wrenching his hair out.

When her body tightened around him achingly strongly, Elijah broke the kiss to throw his head back with a guttural groan. The sound caused a heat to reform in Astra's core even as she trembled through the aftershocks of her release, unable to move from atop her lover.

Elijah seemed perfectly fine with that, his hands keeping her anchored down on his hips as he gasped for unneeded air below her.

Sitting back on Elijah's hips fully when her trembles finally ceased, Elijah looked up at her through dazed eyes to see that she was smiling at him. Amethyst eyes seemed to sparkle as she looked down at the man she was seated upon, her hands absently tracing along his abs without looking at them. Elijah's hands moved to stroke along her thighs and hips, regulating his breathing as he watched her inhale deeply at the caresses.

"We should be getting out of bed," Elijah pointed out before choking on a groan as she squeezed her muscles around him, still buried in her warmth. "Astraea…"

"I wanna stay in bed," she argued playfully, beginning to roll her hips leisurely, just as he had when they first began. "Stay with you," she purred in addition, grinning down into his eyes before she scratched her nails down his chest and stomach while rolling her hips forward.

"Astraea," Elijah groaned out, his chest rumbling with the pleasure that starting to boil in his veins again. Smiling widely as she began to speed up her pace, letting her head fall back as her hair nearly tickled his thighs. Broad hands gripped her sides, keeping her up and supported as he aided her movements, branding her with the heat of his flesh against hers.

Sitting up abruptly, Astra was pulled flush against Elijah's body as his lips began to scatter kisses along her chest. He could hear the hammering of her heart, singing to him from only a couple of inches away. Briefly, it made him think of holding her heart in his hand, as he had been forced to do when the werewolf shot her with the wooden bullet. Clutching onto his body desperately, she pulled him in and wrapped him in her arms, rocking them together as they began gasping for air all over again.

With the memories of her hatred for Elijah so fresh in her mind, clashing with her present love for him, she had become desperate. She didn't want to let the memories win, or affect how she thought of him now. She wanted to act on the love she felt for him and bring that relationship back from the depths of their hearts, to resume where they had been forced to leave it behind.

Pushing Astra backward, Elijah caught her before she actually hit the mattress and cradled her up against his body as he slowly pressed her downward, letting her adjust to the new position for a moment before he continued her previous pace for her, letting her lay back and just feel. Her feet kicked out and knocked the pillows from the bed, her hands fisting in the sheets, as she tried to alleviate her body's urge to move.

Kissing her soothingly and lifting her legs up over his hips, letting her ankles knot behind his back, Elijah moved just for her. He knew exactly what made her body thrum with pleasure and what could bring her to a quick end or a gradual build in sensation.

Unable to produce a sound as her body locked up, Astra's head fell back with her mouth open in a silent scream, fingers nearly ripping the sheets as her legs tightened impossibly around Elijah's waist. Even as they both heaved for air, trying to recover, Elijah pulled her into another kiss that revealed his entire heart to her. Hers seemed to stutter in her chest, but she returned the kiss as she wrapped him in her arms again, savouring the feeling of him so close.

Having him all to herself.

Elijah began playing with the tousled blonde curls that haloed around Astra's head like gold, looking down at her contented face as her breathing gradually returned to normal. "Well," she finally panted out, looking up at him with those sparkling amethyst eyes. "Good morning, love."

Elijah couldn't help but to grin in contentment at her words, amused by the underlying tone as he dipped to catch her smiling lips in another quick kiss. "A wonderful morning, my beautiful star," he corrected casually.

After spending the morning in such a fashion, neither occupant of the house was in any rush to leave somewhere to drag themselves back into the affairs of Mystic Falls. At least…not quite yet. They did, eventually, make if down to the kitchen. There wasn't a single trace there of Astra's sickness, and they sat outside on the back porch sipping at tea flavoured with blood, each from their own supply.

As quickly as Astra was healing from the ordeal, however, it was not something that would miraculously mend overnight. She had stumbled and nearly fallen when first trying to stand, probably only made worse because of the events of that morning, and Elijah had forced her to take more of his blood to aid in her healing.

Astra sighed as she leaned into Elijah's side, taking in his warmth as the days steadily grew colder.

"I want to go to Rome," she said suddenly, looking around her garden. She had demanded it changed before she went near it again, not wanting to be reminded of her times there with Damon or when she had been grieving over her love for him. Once a garden based off rock, this new one was grass and greenery, filled with exotic flowers during the warmer seasons. There was one pathway of flat stone that led back to a roman style gazebo, a manmade mote surrounding it with colourful fish swimming along inside.

Turning his head to press a kiss against her hair, Elijah inhaled her scent before speaking. "Soon, my love, very soon."

The quiet moment was broken, however, when both vampires heard the familiar sound of tires on the gravel drive. Astraea's body locked up for a moment at the sound, wondering who it could be, but Elijah stroked a reassuring hand along her upper arm. "Are you expecting someone?" she asked after a brief pause, to which he only shook his head.

"Stay here," he ordered after a moment, catching her eye and holding it until she gave her consent with a simple nod of her head. She immediately missed his warmth upon his departure, drawing the blanket draped over her legs a bit closer to try and hold in the warmth. She continued to listen carefully as Elijah moved through the house to meet whoever it was at the front door.

"Is she alright?"

The moment Astra heard who it was, she was on her feet and racing after Elijah, darting past him and nearly tackling Luka to the floor. However, she overestimated her own strength and wobbled upon contact, bearing him down with her weight. Thankfully, Elijah and Jonas were both there and were able to steady the two of them before Astra knocked them both down her patio steps.

"Astraea," Elijah began in a scolding tone, his hand on her arm remaining. She shushed him, however, and bent at the waist to rest her ear over Luka's chest. Just listening. Listening to his heart.

"I'm fine, Astraea, I promise," he assured, understanding why she was clinging onto him so tightly.

Remaining silent as she took in the steady thump, thump, thump within his chest, Astra let herself relax just slightly. "It's so strange," she mumbled as she finally drew away to stand at her full height. "I…I keep thinking back on it and it's almost like I'm watching everything happen in a movie. Two different conscious memories are messing up my brain."

Luka cracked a smile at her words, but he noticed that she was still too pale for her usual pallor. Astra smiled shakily back before she froze, spotting someone else over Luka's shoulder. Standing in a thick fall coat, a scarf encasing her throat, Elena Gilbert looked uncomfortably out of place as she tried not to take in the people before her.

"Elena," Astra greeted after a moment. Brown eyes flicked up to her for a moment, hesitant, before Elena nodded her own greeting.

"Hi, Astra."

Stepping past Luka, who reached for her when her legs shook, she offered a smile of assurance before moving carefully down the steps to approach Elena. Her bare feet shifted the gravel on the driveway, but she didn't acknowledge the discomfort that it brought her as she approached the doppelgänger slowly. Elena looked shaken and unsteady, probably having spent the entire previous day and night freaking out over the realization that she had freed Elijah, saved Astra and had been inadvertently responsible for everything that had happened. Elena wasn't stupid, Astra knew that, and she was well aware that Luka's near death, Astra's condition and Elijah's imprisonment and release were all on her. Simply because of the line she was born into.

"I…I'm sorry about-"

Astra cut Elena off by gently wrapping the small supernatural girl in her arms, resting her chin on Elena's head as she embraced the younger, smaller woman. Elena's body was rigid in her grasp, clearly surprised at Astra's actions. She had fully been assuming that the vampire would be angry, livid, that she and Luka had both nearly died because Damon was trying to keep her safe. "Thank you," Astra whispered instead, tipping her head down to whisper into Elena's soft brown hair. "Thank you for bringing him back to me."

Elijah watched the exchange between the two women with a curious eye, having been expecting Astra to be annoyed with Elena for her initial involvement in his death. She had not known of the dagger and the plan to kill him when Damon first tried, but she was the one to put the blade through his heart the second time. Astra was fully aware of that, and instead of allowing her overwhelming anger to take hold…she bargained. Elena had killed him, yes, but she had also been the one to later set him free—which also saved Astra's life in the end.

Elena was left blinking in surprise, taking in the soft scent that came off of Astra's form as she held her in a sturdy embrace. She…she was warm. The vampire was so soft and warm that it took Elena by surprise for a moment, having convinced herself that anyone who worked for an Original would be cold, heartless and rough. But she wasn't. That only made everything harder, though, as she listened to Astra thank her, true sincerity ringing in her words.

Her heart was beating beneath Elena's ear, the older woman's greater height making her feel so small, so weak and insignificant. She realized now that this Astra, the woman holding her like a mother does her distraught child, was the one that Stefan had once known. This was Astra's softer side, the side that was shown to those who earned her trust, and her gratitude.

"I'm still sorry," she mumbled against the soft material of Astra's overly large t-shirt. Briefly, Elena wondered if it was actually Elijah's. "I'm sorry for what they did…and for what I did."

"You made it right," Astra countered as she pulled back from Elena, meeting her dark brown eyes with catching amethyst ones. "That's what matters most to me, Elena. You made it right."

Please don't hate me for not updating. Please…?