Bloodlines
Chapter 18: River in Reverse
Beta: PrincessOfSilence
Disclaimer: I own nothing of TVD or TO. I only own my characters and my plot.
Another bead of sweat rolled down Elijah's brow as his fever continued to rise and the muggy New Orleans bayou was not helping his temperature. He groaned from his place on the bed while Giuliana busied herself in the kitchen area of the shack that they called home since he was bitten by Klaus. He felt shivers of pain wrack his entire body and the layers of his skin even ached painfully. Watching Giuliana move about did take his mind off of everything, but he didn't know how much longer he had until his symptoms would become worse. Her chocolate and amber waves were tied up off her neck into a ponytail and he was entranced by the swishing movement as she fixed him an herbal remedy. She had Hayley go out and gather some herbs while she watched Elijah and they would take turns watching him. Hayley sat at the table, her eyes glued to the bible with family names that she had found on the front porch and she hadn't said a word.
The tea kettle on the stove screeched, steam shooting from the spout and the very sound made the Original cringe. Giuliana took the kettle off the stove and she poured the contents into a mug she grabbed from one of the cabinets. She blew on the liquid to make it cooler before bringing it over to Elijah who sat up with some trouble.
"I know it's hot, but drink this." She sat beside him and handed him the mug. He took it and lifted the rim to his lips where he could smell the herbs mingling together wonderfully. The scent brought him a sense of calmness and he tilted the cup to hopefully drink some of this serenity down. Once he took some sips, he found the tea enjoyable, but it was quickly spewed out of his mouth by a series of violent coughs. Hayley's head snapped up from her book and she rushed to see if she could be of help while Giuliana immediately took the cup from him, not wanting him to burn his hands and handed it to Hayley so that she could tend to the sick vampire.
"Forgive me. Please," he breathed when his coughs finally subsided.
"There is nothing to forgive." She told him with a shake of her head. "Remind me to kick your brother's ass as soon as you're back on your feet."
"Yes, remind me to remind you to get in line." The Original vampire grumbled and tried to lie down.
"It doesn't help that we decided to shack up in a swamp either." Hayley sighed and went back to reading while Giuliana stayed near Elijah's side.
"Find anything?" She asked the young wolf.
"I went through the whole thing. It's just a regular Bible. With an entry in a family tree, that may or may not be me." She explained.
"But who the hell would have left it?" The green eyed girl wondered. "Maybe Sabine was wrong about the werewolves that lived here. Maybe some of them are still alive."
"It's possible." Hayley shrugged and pulled on her boots. "I'm gonna get some air."
"Go ahead." She nodded and heard the door close shut. Elijah then started to cough again and Giuliana helped him to sit up with a pillow behind his back. "Are you alright?"
Elijah tried to shake it off, but he knew that his symptoms would become worse very quickly. "I'm fine."
"You're not fine, Elijah," she frowned.
"Giuliana, please. This fever will make me unstable. And once the hallucinations begin I'll start to see things. You must leave me here." He begged, but he knew that would be stubborn and stay.
"I will not leave you here like this. I refuse to do it because you need to be taken care of." She told him and he opened his lips to speak again, but she stopped him. "Ah, ah, ah! Don't even start. Just lie down and try to get some sleep."
A small chuckle passed his lips at her firm instruction and he slowly laid down. "You're very strict."
She somewhat smiled back at him, a part of her was constantly on edge about when he'd get worse and she wasn't entirely sure that she was prepared for that. She told herself that she had to be strong for the both of them. "Well, when an Original vampire is being stubborn, he needs to be put in his place."
Elijah chuckled softly again and he made himself as comfortable as he could on the lumpy mattress. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep even though he knew that it wouldn't come easy. Giuliana let her confident, calm air fade as soon as his eyes were off her and she moved off the bed to stand in the kitchen. She wasn't sure how much longer she could continue to watch Elijah deteriorate before her eyes. Hayley watched her in silence and did not want to offer her input because she didn't want to wake Elijah, but she could plainly see that Giuliana was hurting because of Elijah's suffering. She thought that it was endearing how they cared for one another, however she knew that there was something more than a friendship, but they were too shy to admit it to one another.
Just outside the shack, a cool breeze blew through the bayou, giving the area a little break from the muggy air. The water in the bayou was stagnant and the heads of small frogs could be seen poking up from the water to catch some bugs for lunch with their tongues. A blonde haired woman pushed aside some brush and branches to peer down at the now occupied shack that was just a few feet away. At this distance, she could safely observe the young wolf, the vampire, and the human.
Giuliana watched as Elijah's body fussed around on the bed. He'd fallen asleep for a while and for the most part he was quiet, but he was just starting to become vocal. She guessed that he was in a lot of pain and that his fever was increasing. His hands clutched the mattress and his knuckles turned white from the force of it. She could hear the springs in the bed being bent and the fabric of the mattress ripping too. Her hands clutched her tea and her eyes didn't move from his form.
"Never seen a vampire get sick from a werewolf bite before?" Hayley's voice startled her and she spilled some tea onto the floor. She was so quiet that Giuliana had forgotten that she was there. "Sorry."
"It's alright." She placed the cup on the table and took up an old rag to wipe up the mess she made. "And no, I have never seen this before."
"It's not pretty." She frowned. "I know that he won't die from this, but he doesn't deserve to be in pain."
The brunette sat back in her seat and wrung her hands in her lap anxiously. "If this won't kill him, how much worse will he get?"
"He'll get bad. He'll start to see things and then he'll get hungry. Really hungry." She told her. "That's why he doesn't want you around. He knows that he'll hurt you even though he doesn't mean to."
"I don't care. I'm not leaving him." Giuliana said.
Elijah's body suddenly arched off the bed and he gave a loud roar of pain that could have woken the dead. Giuliana was at his side in mere moments, nearly tripping over her own feet and Hayley stood at the foot of the bed. She cooed softly to him to calm him down and combed his damp hair off his forehead to let him know that she was there. His eyes were screwed shut and she could see his eyes moving beneath his lids in a dreamlike trance. She then placed her hand firmly on his forehead and she was sucked into a watery memory of some sorts. She saw a darker skinned woman in a bathtub with her black curls tied into a knot at the back of her head. She was a beautiful woman with shining eyes that were gazing upon a man who had entered the room. She took up a sponge and washed herself as she smiled at him. Giuliana concentrated harder and she could see that the man she was smiling at was Elijah. The memory quickly faded into nothingness and Elijah's eyes snapped open.
"Celeste?" He looked up at Giuliana and she shook her head.
"No, not Celeste." She spoke softly. "It's me. It's Giuliana."
Elijah suddenly realized that he was speaking from the memory that he just had and he now remembered where he was and who was with him. "I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else."
"It's alright. You were dreaming, I think." She took a cloth from Hayley and dabbed the sweat off his forehead. "Was that woman Celeste? She was beautiful."
"Did I let you enter my thoughts?" He wondered with a raised eyebrow and Giuliana nodded. His own body must have been so weak that by simply touching him she was able to see inside his mind; a place which he so often kept guarded. "I'm not well. I should go. This is..."
"No," she took his shoulders and guided him back down to the bed as he tried to get up. "You are not going anywhere."
"Giuliana is right, Elijah." Hayley spoke up finally. "You're sick and you need to be taken care of."
"We're being watched," Elijah said and the girls both thought that he was seeing things again, but Hayley caught sight of a blonde haired woman just outside the hut. Their eye met and the blonde woman ran away immediately, not even turning to look back.
"Hey! Hey!" Hayley rushed after her, opening the door of the shack to see where she ran off to but she was already long gone.
"I need to see her. Please." Elijah mumbled and Giuliana's nose scrunched up. Was he having another dream?
"Who? Who do you need to see?" She asked him.
"Giuliana. I need to see her." He said urgently.
"Elijah, I'm right here. I haven't gone anywhere." She was right above him, but he was looking everywhere but where she was. She wanted to keep him as calm as possible, but she had no idea what he was talking about. Thinking that he was reliving another memory, she placed her hand on his forehead and she was propelled back to a time that was very familiar to her.
Elijah strode down the long hallway that led to Giuliana's chambers and he could already see that there were many people waiting outside. They exchanged words in Italian and he could catch little bits and pieces of it, but he was more concerned with getting to Giuliana. He weaved through them until he was face to face with her mother. She had shining black hair and the same green eyes as her daughter.
"Lord Elijah." She greeted with a small curtsey.
"I need to see her. Please." He begged her and she frowned slightly.
"She is not up for visitors now." She told him, a look of worry strewn across her face.
"Please, I just want to see her." Her mother's frown deepened and she nodded to two men standing outside Giuliana's room. They stepped aside, allowing Elijah to walk forward and he heard the door close behind him.
Giuliana was lying on a bed with her eyes closed and she was sound asleep. One would think she was fine until they drew closer and saw the bloodied cloth wrapped around her neck and wrists. There had been news of an attack in the woods and many members of the village were injured. Some did not make it out alive, but Giuliana was one of the lucky ones. He stepped closer to the bed and sat on the edge, examining her wounds from a distance. They were deep bite marks, obviously caused by a vampire, but the only vampires in the village were himself, Rebekah, and Klaus. Elijah wondered if Klaus was the culprit, but all of the siblings were together on the night of the attack. Perhaps another vampire was moving in on their territory, but Alexander was looking into it.
His fingers lightly brushed some hair out of her eyes and she stirred under his touch. Hazy green orbs were looking up at him and she smiled weakly. Her skin was much paler than it had been because she had lost so much blood.
"'Lijah?" She murmured weakly and tried to sit up.
"It is alright. I am here." He assured her and eased her body to lie back down on the bed. "Do you know what happened to you?"
Giuliana nodded and lifted a hand to her head. "It was awful. All I remember were people screaming and a man's hands on me."
"Tell me more. What else do you remember?" He asked. Hopefully if he could have some details about her attacker, he could warn the others.
"I...I cannot remember anything else. Everything hurts." She whimpered and started to remove her makeshift bandages.
"No, Giuliana." His hands covered hers and she fought him.
"Please, Elijah. It hurts so much." She cried.
"I know it does but you have to keep them on. You could become ill if these wounds are not taken care of." He tried to reason with her, but she was as stubborn as ever. If he could heal her wounds, she would be better in no time, but he couldn't have her causing a fuss and aggravating her wounds. "I can make the pain stop if you listen to me."
That was music to her ears and she immediately stopped her struggling. "You can?" Elijah nodded and he continued where she left off. The bandages on her wrists and neck fell away and he was looking at multiple sets of bite marks. He imagined how much pain she was in and wished that he could have been there to protect her.
"You said that it was a man who did this to you?" He asked.
"Yes, but I did not see his face." She said and sat up with his help. He took her face in his hands and tilted her gaze so it met his, he needed to be sure that she could be compelled and not tell anyone what he was about to do.
"You must remain quiet and do as I say. Do not be afraid." His voice soothed her aching wounds and she found herself agreeing with him.
"I will not be afraid." She repeated and Elijah bit into his wrist. His blood would be able to heal her up quickly and he would have to make her forget this once he was finished. He held his wrist up to her mouth, just rubbing the skin against her lips.
"Drink." He coaxed and she pressed her lips to the bite mark. Still under his compulsion, she had to follow exactly as he said and she took gentle pulls from the wound. She held his hand to her mouth and she closed her eyes as she fed. Elijah let out a pleasurable sigh and threaded his fingers through her soft hair. He watched her wounds heal and her complexion return to its normally olive color. Sensing that she had enough, he pulled his wrist away from her mouth and it healed in seconds. Giuliana had a small droplet of blood on her lip, so Elijah swiped it away with his thumb and she smiled dazedly at him.
"How are you feeling?" He asked.
"Much better. The pain is gone." She said and Elijah could see that the effects of his blood were making her sleepy. Her upper body was wobbling back and forth and she would have fallen back to her pillows but Elijah caught her.
"Woah!" He cradled her close to him and she giggled giddily. "Are you alright?"
"That feels nice," she mumbled as her hands trailed up his arms.
"What does?" Elijah wondered.
"You holding me and being close to me." She stared up at him and Elijah found himself at a loss for words. Giuliana was at times very guarded and never let anyone know things that she did not want them to know, so hearing this sudden outburst of vulnerability was shocking to him. One hand came up to ghost over her cheek and she leaned into him, the softest of moans passing her lips. His fingers moved across her soft lips and down the side of her neck, further lulling her to sleep. He stared into her eyes again and compelled her once more.
"You will not remember that I came into your room, gave you my blood and that it healed you. You were asleep the entire time." He watched as she nodded slowly and repeated it all back to him. "Sleep for now. You need your rest." Her eyes fell closed and she went limp in his hold. Elijah placed her down on the bed and pulled the covers over her body. He watched her peacefully sleep for a few moments before leaning down to kiss her forehead.
"It feels nice when you are close to me too." He whispered against her skin and gave her one last kiss on the corner of her mouth.
Giuliana's eyes fluttered open and she saw that Elijah had fallen asleep once again. She'd never seen that memory before because it was compelled out of her head, but this time she was seeing it all through his eyes. She felt as if she was watching it play on a screen like a film reel that had been dusted off and viewed again after a long time of sitting on a shelf. Elijah had healed her when she had been attacked. She remembered waking up the next morning completely healed and the entire village was in awe that her bite marks disappeared overnight. She always knew that Elijah had been a kind soul and this new evidence further cemented that known fact.
"Thank you." She stroked his cheeks softly as he slept and Hayley sat down at the kitchen table.
"What did you see?" She asked and the green eyed girl smiled.
"That he is a good man." Her reply made the young wolf nod and pick up her book again.
"Come on. Pick up!" Giuliana huffed as she paced back and forth with her phone to her ear on the porch of the shack. The sun had set and Elijah had not gotten better at all. Hayley was inside watching him while Giuliana called up Klaus to ask for some of his blood to heal Elijah. The phone rang an exorbitant amount of times and Giuliana was ready to chuck her phone into the river when he finally picked up.
"Hello, love."
"It's about damn time you picked up." She growled at him. "I've been trying to reach you."
"Is that because you miss me?" He chortled. "Or is it because poor Elijah is too much to handle for you?"
"Klaus, he is sick and he needs your blood to heal him." She said. "He's getting worse and I know that the bite won't kill him, but he's really suffering."
"He deserves it. He deserves to suffer for the accusations he pointed at me." The hybrid hissed.
"And what about Hayley and me? Do we have to suffer too because we accused you of the same thing that Elijah did?" Her voice rose in volume the angrier she got.
"The punishment for the two of you is to be held up in a tiny shack with my brother who is suffering the terrible side effects of a werewolf bite, so yes, you two have your own share of suffering." He smirked.
"You sound like you're proud of this. You enjoy watching people suffer and it sickens me." Her pointed words dripped with venom.
Klaus was truly amused at how angry she was getting. "Maybe next time you will learn not to cross me. Keep your chin up because when Elijah becomes well again, you three will be allowed back into the Quarter where I will be the rightful ruler."
"A king. Is that what you'll call yourself?"
"Perhaps. King Klaus has a rather nice ring to it." He tested the name on his tongue and rather liked it.
"I would never bow to a king who is as repulsive and as selfish as you." Giuliana spat angrily. "I would rather Marcel's rule over yours any day and I'm sure that the entire Quarter would agree with me."
"I wonder if you would be singing the same tune if you knew that Marcel has every intention of making you his queen to rule by his side." He snarled loudly, becoming agitated by that smart mouth of hers.
"I'd rather be his queen than yours." Her last insult hung in the air even after she hung up the phone and she sighed tiredly, realizing that she had lost her head in the situation. Her plan was to beg Klaus to come to the bayou and heal Elijah, but everything managed to get out of hand so quickly. She wished that she would have kept her mouth shut, but she knew that she couldn't let Klaus have the last word. She pocketed her phone and sulked back inside the shack where Elijah was still and Hayley was dabbing his face with a towel.
"Well, that didn't go well." The wolf exhaled and her eyes followed a weary Giuliana over to the cabinet. She pulled out a bottle of amber liquid and poured some into a glass. She downed the entire glass and made at a face at the strong burn, but that didn't stop her from taking another drink. "You shouldn't blame yourself."
"And who should I blame?" She asked her friend and leaned against the counter. "I could have shut my big mouth and just did what I was supposed to do to help Elijah, but no, I had to blow it."
"Klaus needed to be put in his place and you did that."
"But look where it put us, Hayley. We're back at square one." She placed the glass down and palmed her face for a few moments. The two girls let the silence sit in the room for a little before Hayley spoke again.
"This, uh, Celeste chick. She's pretty hot." She said while keeping her hand on Elijah's head. She too was able to peek inside Elijah's memories since they were so unguarded.
Giuliana lifted her head from her hands and nodded. "I know. She's beautiful. How is he?"
"He's fine. Been quiet for the most part." Hayley told her. "He was mumbling in his sleep to Celeste about Klaus being a complete and total nuisance."
"That much hasn't changed." The green eyed girl chuckled and pushed herself off the counter. "I'll watch him for now. You get some rest."
"You're sure?" She asked.
"Yeah," Giuliana and Hayley switched places, both girls moving to the opposite sides of the shack. Elijah had remained quiet for a long time until his dreams started up again. Giuliana could feel his hot skin beneath her fingers and she tried her hardest to make him comfortable but he seemed to grow more and more agitated as the minutes ticked on. In an effort to ease the fever, she ran a cloth under cold water at the sink but was started by Elijah's loud scream. She whipped around to see that he was sitting up and alert, but the look in his eyes was deadly.
"What is going on?" Hayley murmured as she backed as far away from Elijah as possible.
Giuliana swallowed her worry and took some steps towards him. "Elijah..."
His dark eyes zeroed in on her and he launched himself up from the bed. "Niklaus! I'll kill you, you bastard!"
"What should I do?" The wolf asked, clearly terrified by Elijah's outburst.
"Run. He's not in his right mind and he'll hurt you or the baby." Giuliana told her and looked back to Elijah. "Elijah, it's okay. Just calm—" She was then smashed against the wall with the Original's hand clasped tightly around her neck.
"I will kill you for what you've done!" He roared and squeezed her throat harder.
"Giuliana!" Hayley called out.
"Hayley, get out of here now." The brunette pleaded with her and peered at Elijah who was clearly living in another memory, a very angry one. "Please, Elijah, you're hurting me. You have to let me go."
Elijah's fangs lengthened into sharp points that made Giuliana cringe at how they would hurt slicing into her skin. Purple veins surrounded his once friendly brown eyes which were swimming in a sea of crimson. In one swift motion, the hand that was at her neck took a hold of her ponytail and his fangs were embedded in her neck. She tried her hardest not to scream, but his bite was rough and it crunched down on her throat. Hayley continued to stay in the corner of the house and she looked to arm herself with something to whack the Original with to make him stop, but her search was promptly ended when Elijah groaned out and let go of Giuliana. Blood stained his lips and chin and he placed a hand on his stomach. He gagged violently at the taste in his mouth and shooting pains were now charging his entire body. Giuliana pressed her hand to her neck to stop the bleeding as she watched the vampire react to her poisonous blood.
"I'm sorry, Elijah." She whimpered to him, but he still seemed like he was reliving his memories and wasn't fully aware as to what was happening to him. She didn't mean for it to happen, but her blood would change whenever her body felt threatened and as much as she knew that Elijah wasn't in control of himself, her body knew a threat when it saw one. He parted his lips to speak, but was stabbed in the back with a wooden stake. The Original fell to the ground and the same blonde woman from earlier in the day was standing over his body.
"You." Giuliana mumbled, still keeping her hand on her neck.
"Hello to you too." Hayley added as she stepped into the light.
"I wish you would let me look at your neck." The blonde haired woman tutted to Giuliana who clutched a blanket around her shoulders. The three women were seated around a bonfire not far from the shack. The burning wood crackled loudly and Hayley and Giuliana huddled close together because they were unsure if this new woman was a threat.
"I'm fine." The brunette told her. Her neck had stopped bleeding, but the wound was still open. The woman sat across from the two girls and tucked pieces of blonde hair that had escaped from her braid behind her ear.
"I'm sure you both got questions." She spoke.
Hayley rolled her eyes. "Only a thousand of them. Like who are you, why are you following me, where the hell is everyone and if the people in this book really are my family, what happened to them?"
"I'm Eve. I'm following you because you brought an Original to a werewolf country which is pretty much the same reason why everybody else skedaddled." She explained. "If you wanna know what happened to the people in that family tree, I summon it up nice and quick: Marcel happened."
"What did he do?" Giuliana wondered.
Eve frowned deeply, creases forming on her skin. "He killed most of them. Later, the descendants of the ones who dodged death, he strong-armed a witch into putting a curse on them."
"What kind of curse?" Hayley asked.
"Swap nature around, inside out. Made it so their natural stay as wolves. They only turn back human on the full moon. We're hunted by the marks we carry. That crescent moon birthmark - that's why I got rid of mine." Eve showed the girls the remnants of where her mark was. She had done something to get rid of the mark on her skin and both cringed at the thought of the werewolf ripping out her own skin just to make sure that she wasn't sniffed out. "I didn't wanna get found up."
"So, these werewolves are in their wolf forms all the time? And the only time they are allowed to shift back to a human is when the moon is full?" Giuliana's eyes were looking up into the night sky.
"Precisely." Eve nodded and continued to look upon the human. "You do know that your blood is special?"
Giuliana's attention was snapped away from the stars and she stared back at Eve. "Yes, I remember my mother telling me that she ingested a lot of herbs because she was fearful of vampires."
"What if I told you that your blood is very special to witches?"
"I'd say that you were lying," she glowered.
"It is. Your blood is very unique and it puts you in even more danger, especially in this town where witches are clamoring for power where there is none." She said. "It can be used to bind curses and it is a weapon against vampires."
"But, I—" she heard the sounds of leaves crunching behind her and she whipped around to see Elijah walking up to them. He looked much better than he had before. He stalked up to the bonfire, twirling the stake that Eve had stabbed him with in his hands.
"Good evening. Think I might have something which belongs to you." He showed the stake to Eve who looked indifferent.
Giuliana hoisted herself off the log she was sitting on and rushed to meet him halfway. "Elijah, we have this under control. Are you okay?"
"The wound is healed, the fever is broken but for some strange reason I have this sharp and lingering sensation in my back." The Original leered at Eve, but Giuliana placed her hands on his chest to keep him at a reasonable distance from the female werewolf.
"I was just stopping you from yourself." Eve replied.
"What are you talking about?" He raised an eyebrow and looked down at Giuliana who was avoiding his eyes. Underneath the blanket, he could see dried blood that collected around her neck and he carefully peeled the blanket away, revealing the damage he'd done. He stood there in shock, ashamed that he had done this to her.
"If it wasn't for her special blood, I would have had to jump in sooner." The blonde wolf added.
"Special blood?" Elijah's angered gaze lifted from the bite to zero on Eve.
Giuliana lightly pushed Elijah backward, wanting to leave the woods quickly. "We have to get you home." She managed to turn him around and get him to walk towards the car while Hayley stayed behind for a few moments to talk with Eve.
"Who is that woman?" He asked.
"She's a part of Hayley's family." Giuliana mumbled, the loss of blood was taking its toll on her body.
"And what did she mean by your blood being special?"
She stopped to rest against a tall tree and pulled the blanket tighter around her. "Do you remember what happened in the cabin when you bit me?"
Elijah thought back hard, knowing that he was in the middle of a tirade and wasn't himself. Giuliana took a few steps towards him and lightly touched his hand. She opened her mind, allowing him to see her memory of what had happened. He saw his fangs in her neck and the look of fear on hers and Hayley's faces. He then watched himself react to ingesting Giuliana's blood and he could slightly taste it on his tongue as the memory faded away.
"It's not vervain." She answered her question even before he could even speak it. "My blood can change depending on if I feel threatened or not. When you bit me, I know you didn't mean to hurt me, but—"
"Your blood changed to fend me off like I was a predator." He cut her off a lot rougher than he meant to. She nodded slowly.
"I know that it doesn't make sense, but that's just the way I am. I've been this way for as long as I remember."
The Original took a few careful steps towards her until they were standing close to one another. The moon light played over his strong features and he took her small hand in his, feeling how cold it was from the loss of blood. "Just please know that I never ever meant to hurt you."
Her green eyes sparkled dimly and she gently squeezed his hand. "Elijah, I know that it was an accident."
"No. I should have been able to control myself." He said.
"You were sick. You didn't know what you were doing." She tried to defend him. "Please don't beat yourself up over this." He looked down at their joined hands, noticing how small her hand was in his, but he couldn't bring himself to even look at her after what he'd done. "I'll even let you heal me if that will make things better and I won't fight you on it. Promise."
A slight smile tugged at the corner of his lips and his eyes met hers. He admired her for trying to make light of the situation even though he still felt horribly about it. "Fine."
Elijah put the car in park and killed the engine once he pulled into the driveway of the plantation house. Hayley hopped out, mentioning the need to stretch her legs, but Giuliana didn't move from her spot in the front seat and neither did Elijah.
"So, thanks for the ride and the blood." She'd taken his blood before they left and her neck had healed wonderfully, not a scar or mark in sight.
"Quite the awkward little adventure, wouldn't you say?" He smiled but it faded to a somber look. "I'm sorry I tried to hurt you, I would never want that."
"I thought we talked about this. I said that I'm okay and I know that you didn't mean it." She said and finally decided to ask the question that she had wanted to ask him ever since she was able to see his memories. "Elijah, tell me what happened to Celeste."
"That's not important." He tensed visibly.
"Yes, it is important. You have a thousand years of memories and the ones with Celeste came through your werewolf bite. Please, show me." Hayley had shared that in one of Elijah's memories, Klaus had threatened Celeste's life and that was why he was suddenly thrust into an angry hallucination. It made Giuliana wonder if Klaus was just bluffing or if something had happened to Celeste.
Elijah's dark eyes examined her for a few moments, debating on whether or not to show her. He hesitantly raised his hand and he cupped the back of her head. She nodded surely and closed her eyes, telling him that she was ready to see what she asked him for. Elijah let his subconscious part, allowing her to see the memory he had tried to rid himself of since the day it was burned into his mind.
Celeste's paled body lay underwater in the bathtub, her eyes wide open in horror and not a single breath passed her lips. Elijah stepped into the room, fearing the worst after his brother's threat and his worst fears had been confirmed. Celeste, his world, his love was dead and it was all because of him. He eased her body from the tub and cradled her face against his chest. He couldn't feel her heartbeat or her breath upon his skin. Tears stung his eyes and he wished that he was having a terrible nightmare and he would wake up to have Celeste by his side, but to his completely dismay, he was awake and this was his reality. He pressed his forehead against her cold one and screamed in agony. His heart shattered to pieces in his chest and he wasn't sure if he could handle the pain that surged through him.
The brunette jumped back, pulling his hand away from her head and breaking the connection that he shared his memories through. She hadn't realized it, but a single tear fell down her cheek as she witnessed Elijah's suffering. She felt his pain, his anguish, his defeat as he held his lover's body in his arms.
"It was a cruel and bloody time to be a witch. Courtesy of my wonderful brother." Elijah finally spoke.
"She died because of Klaus?"
"She died because of me." He corrected her. "Because I cared too deeply for her. I had allowed my brother to slip through my grasp. I loosened the reigns while Celeste consumed my every moment. I had abandoned him in the name of my own happiness. Celeste paid the price."
"Well, then tell me this, Elijah. Why did we come here? Why are you trying to put together your family when it's so clear that one part of it is broken?" She asked him, growing angry that Klaus had killed Elijah's lover but he still managed to keep coming to his brother's aide.
"To me, the very definition of the word 'broken' suggests that something can be fixed. I have a whole eternity to accomplish one single task: My brother's salvation. If I surrender this, then tell me what value would I be to my family, to myself, to Hayley and her baby, to...to you?" Elijah wondered and she glared dangerously.
"I am so sorry for what Klaus did to you. But if you keep going back to your brother, he's going to keep taking things away from you. He doesn't care about anyone's happiness but his own. How can you justify that?" She was angry how Elijah could love and support his brother so blindly.
"He is my brother, Giuliana. Rebekah, Niklaus, and I are all we have. We are family." He replied simply and the brunette sighed, wanting to get through to him, but she knew that it was useless. They sat in silence for some time and Giuliana cooled down enough to speak again.
"I saw what you did." She mentioned and Elijah looked inquisitively at her.
"I beg your pardon?"
"The night that I was attacked all those years ago. You healed me and made me forget it." She said and Elijah then remembered very well what she was talking of.
"I couldn't have your brother knowing that my siblings and I were vampires." He stated.
"I know that, but..." She trailed off and laid her hand on top of Elijah's which had been resting on the gearshift panel. "I saw what you said about how it feels nice to be close to me. I feel the same way when I'm with you. Whenever I'm with you, I feel safe." Her fingers interlaced with his as she finished speaking and her green orbs met his brown ones. Their faces moved closer to one another's and they could feel their short breaths upon their lips. Elijah almost closed the space between them, but an image of Celeste's dead body surged through his brain. He couldn't let the same thing happen to someone else that he cared for greatly. He abruptly backed away, leaving Giuliana confused.
"Elijah, what is it?"
He shook his head and unlaced their fingers. "Please, Giuliana. You've seen what happens." He gave her one last fleeting look to see her broken expression before he exited the car.
The brunette slumped back in her seat, ashamed and embarrassed for trying to bring herself and Elijah closer together. She hadn't expected him to deny her and in turn, she wasn't ready for the pain of it. She felt something for Elijah deep in her soul and she couldn't explain it. She just wanted to be close to him and enjoy his company. She wanted to be there for him when he was hurt like she stayed by his side while he was sick in the bayou. Her heart ached dully and she let some tears escape her eyes in hopes of it releasing some of her pain, but it only made the throbbing in her chest worse. She thought that Elijah felt the same way about her, or at least he did back in the eleven hundreds. She witnessed him say those sweet things to her and watched how he took care of her that night. Why would someone go out of their way to help another person if they didn't feel something, anything for that person? Maybe Elijah had changed, but she didn't want to admit that it was possible. Pulling herself together, she climbed out of the car and met Hayley who was seated on the porch. Hayley immediately saw her red eyes and her frown, but she didn't say a word as Giuliana sat beside her. The girls sat in silence and Giuliana hugged her legs to her chest, resting her chin on her knees.
"He's wrong, you know." Hayley murmured and for the first time since she got out of the car, Giuliana looked at her.
"Hmm?"
"He thinks that pushing you away will protect you." She explained. "He doesn't want you to get hurt, but he doesn't realize that he's hurt you by distancing himself." Hayley did have her moments, but at times she was very wise. She knew what it was like to be abandoned or left by people she loved and she wanted to be a friend to Giuliana even though she didn't have anyone to help her. The two girls did really think of each other as friends. They'd grown closer ever since they came to New Orleans and it was nice to have a shoulder to lean on in times of need. Hayley wrapped her arm around Giuliana's shoulders and she pulled her close.
"Hey, us girls have to stick together." She bumped her head against Giuliana's lightly, making her chuckle.
"Yeah, we do." The girls embraced one another and Giuliana exhaled deeply, wishing her emotions would leave her body as easily as a sigh. "Thanks, Hayl." She had to admit, being stuck in New Orleans with Hayley wasn't that bad. She felt closer to Hayley than she did anyone else in the house or in the Quarter.
The front doors of the mansion burst open and Klaus sauntered out. "Sorry to disturb this touching moment, but we must be on our way."
The girls separated and stood in sync. "Where are we going?" The wolf asked.
"Because, Hayley, that child you carry is the only thing on this earth that matters to me. Now you can fight me on this, but you will lose." He opened up the backseat of the car and gestured for her to get inside. She hugged her body and shuffled to the car, getting in without fighting him on it. She knew that she would lose anyway.
Klaus then opened the front passenger door and looked to Giuliana. "You too, love. Let's go."
Normally she would have kicked and screamed and Klaus would have had to throw her over his shoulder to get her in the car, but she wordlessly nodded and climbed into the seat. He closed the door and made his way to the driver side, a little baffled that Giuliana hadn't fought him on leaving the plantation house, but he did realize that she had been crying before. Something must have happened between her and Elijah and he was just dying to figure it out. Perhaps he'd get it out of her once they arrived at the Quarter. He placed the key in the ignition and Giuliana fished her phone and headphones from her pocket. She plugged herself in and played her music as she huddled against the door. The first song that came up on the shuffle was Say Something by A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera and she rested her head against the window, letting it play and a wave of emotions hit her as the lyrics rang in her head.
Say something I'm giving up on you.
I'll be the one if you want me to.
Anywhere I would have followed you.
Say something I'm giving up on you.
She wished that Elijah would say something because she didn't know how much longer she'd wait for him. After their conversation in the car, she wanted to walk away and leave New Orleans with her head down, but she would never let herself do that. She never backed away from anything, but Elijah's rejection hurt too much to face. Her green eyes caught a movement in one of the upstairs windows of the mansion and she saw Elijah standing there. She looked away, unable to bear to look upon him and Elijah's heart clenched. He was staring down at her, his face filled with regret and he was wishing that he could go to her. But he watched her get into Klaus's car without a fight. He knew that he had to let her go, but he had to keep her away from him if he wanted her to be safe. The people that he loved were always in danger and he couldn't risk putting Giuliana in the same situation that Celeste was put in. He heard Rebekah's radio playing in her room, the music echoing throughout the entire house.
And I will swallow my pride.
You're the one that I love
And I'm saying goodbye.
Say something I'm giving up on you.
I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you.
Anywhere I would have followed you.
Say something I'm giving up on you.
Giuliana gave one final glance out the window to see Elijah still there and she felt Klaus shift the car into gear. She placed her hand on the window, wishing that could reach out and touch him, but she knew that it was impossible. As the car pulled away, the ending chords of the song were her last and final plea for him to come after her, but only she could hear them.
Say something.
So, were you guys surprised by the ending? Looks like Elijah doesn't know how to take what he wants, but he does have a reason for pushing Giuliana away from him. Looks like Giuliana is now with Klaus and let's see if he can even the playing field. Will Elijah come to his senses? Or will Klaus swoop in and take what he wants? Please review - they inspire me :D
Brucas-chair23: Thanks, girl! So glad that you enjoyed the update! Hope you liked this one too!
VampirePrincess11: Thank you for reviewing! Cassandra will certainly react to Damon's past, but you will have to read to find out ;)
binks13: Thanks for reviewing, lovely! I have heard that The Originals is being renewed for a second season and The Vampire Diaries will be renewed for a sixth season! Woo hoo! More for me to write! Cassandra and Damon naturally click together, but their relationship will be tested in the coming weeks (chapters) with all of Damon's secrets being exposed. Giuliana is a great character too, different from Cassandra, but I think that's why readers like her so much. Giuliana and Elijah had their moments in this chapter, but Elijah did push her away :( Now Klaus will have his turn, so let's see if he can turn it around.
lovinurbuks: Thank you so much for reviewing! Cassandra will definitely find out Damon's secrets and she won't be too happy about some of them. LOL! I won't have Cassandra's feet look like Kim Kardashian's! YUCK!
grapejuice101: Thanks, girl! She's gonna save her man!
Sexytime321: Thank you for reviewing! A lot of readers share your opinion with TVD vs TO updates, but I do try to make both chapters enjoyable for everyone :) Everyone is also very comfortable with Damon and Cassandra, so I totally understand that too. I do want to try and incorporate Damon/Cassandra into some more TO chapters :) I am very happy that you're enjoying reading this story and thank you again for reviewing!
Guest: Thanks for leaving a review! Everyone will be meeting Enzo in the upcoming chapter, so I will be very interesting to see everyone's reactions to what will happen! So stay tuned!
Shining Ruby: Thanks, girl! Glad you enjoyed it!
SomebodyWhoCares: Well, I can't promise that Cass won't get wrapped up in trouble when she tries to save Damon, but we will have to see what happens next ;)
Harshita: Thanks for reviewing! I have to add in as many Dassandra moments as I can because I know that readers love reading them! Cassandra and Damon will definitely have some tension in the upcoming chapters because of Damon's secrets. We'll have to see what happens next!