Elijah's heart was shattering. He pulled the phone slowly from his ear. His gaze fell to the floor. Feeling utterly helpless wasn't something that he knew, but that was the exact feeling that was shuddering through him. He felt numb. Helpless.
"Elijah?" Rebekah gently laid her hand on his shoulder.
His eyes filled as he glanced up at her. "They have her."
Rebekah circled around to face him. She pulled her brother into a hug. "I am so sorry, Elijah."
"If anything happens to her…" Elijah could finish the sentence. His voice cracked, revealing the raw emotion that he had for the traitorous woman. She hadn't been the most loyal to their family, but to him she meant the world.
"If anything happens to her, let it be in the name of saving our family." Rebekah spoke softly.
Elijah pulled away. He studied her for a moment before leaving the room. If Katarina died, it would be all his fault. He should never have compromised her safety.
"Elijah." Rebekah called after him.
He waved his hand in the air to keep her from coming after him. "Let me be alone, Rebekah." His voice echoed his defeat. He let his feet lead him to foyer and to the gazebo. He took in the beauty surrounding the room. It meant nothing without the woman that he loved. He threw his fist into the post, nearly shattering the wood. His nostrils flared as he fell to his knees.
He was a man of action. A man of words and ideas. And now, he was a man in a cage, unable to defend those that he loves. Unable to do anything that amounted to a hill of beans. He pinched his cell phone in his left hand. A thread of hope that Katarina would escape and call him was the only thing that prevented him from crushing the device into pieces.
He cradled his head in his hands. Only now that he was alone did he allow the tears to flood down his face. Seeing Niklaus go through pain, seeing his brother's lover facing horrible torment, and knowing that his own lover was taken captive with who knows what happening to her was enough to break any man. He was strong, but with that also came the defeat that was knocking down the leftover walls barely standing in his heart.
He was the oldest, with that came responsibilities. Responsibilities that he didn't know if he could follow through with. He had a duty to his family, but what if he didn't have the ability to save them? He had honor and he had to let that honor carry him through to the finish line; no matter the cost.
He stood to his feet. Reminding himself that if he allowed himself to cry to much longer, it did less to save the ones he loved and more to break him down to nothing. Katarina didn't deserve that. Niklaus didn't deserve that. He had to become the hero, the noble one. He had to be a big brother that would get things done and one to be proud of. That was his creed to himself; his silent promise.
He wiped away the dampness from his face and let out a sigh. Gathering his thoughts together, he straighten his posture and puffed out his chest; reminding himself of the pride that he still was holding on tight to.
The ringing of his phone caught his attention. He hadn't been expecting it, nor was he sure if it was welcomed. Cami's name popped up bright on the caller id as he swiped his finger across and held the device to his ear.
"Please tell me you have good news." He greeted the woman and waited for her response.
"I wouldn't say it's great news, but it may be promising." She reminded him of how honest she always was. She was a woman who was blunt and to the point. Rarely did she lead any of them on without a good reason.
"I'm listening." Elijah prayed for good news. Perhaps he would be rewarded with it.
"That virus has been around for centuries. I figured there'd be little chance that someone hadn't found something out." Cami began. She sounded like she was shuffling through some papers and not keeping her full focus on the task at hand.
"I am well aware." Elijah said impatiently. Getting irritated with her wasn't the best plan and he fought to stay calm and in control of his unruly emotions.
"Well, I reached out to some of my old college contacts and it ended up paying off. There's a Professor French that, years ago, was known for doing research on biological viruses. Rumor has it that he was fired for doing experiments on living organisms in his lab. Although there was no for sure claim, the story is that they were people. Of course, any people that were experimented on had no marks and were just being held in his lab against their will. He went to prison for a number of years, of course, but my thoughts are that if they were vampires being experimented on, then there'd be no marks left because of the rapid healing process. I think that's your man, Elijah." Cami stopped whatever she was doing. Her voice was strong, unyielding. It showed how serious she was about her findings.
"I believe that you are correct, Cami." Elijah reiterated, reminded of the few words that he had heard upon Katarina's abduction. Professor French had definitely been one of the names that he was now becoming familiar with.
"Elijah…" Cami paused, clearly unsure of what she was about to say next.
The sudden pause peaked his interest quickly. "Go on."
Cami swallowed hard. "Elijah, he took on followers. Apprentices might be a better term for them. There's no way of knowing how many people he has doing his work. He may have the brilliantest of minds combing through the biological realm of things. Who knows how many viruses he has against the supernatural already."
Elijah's jaw hardened. He rubbed the back of his head, unsure of what to say next. His fear for Katarina's safety was quickly increasing. There was no way what kind of monstrosities awaited her now that she was captured. He could only imagine.
"Elijah? Are you still with me?" She asked anxiously.
"I'm here." He replied weakly. The instability of it all was a great burden on his already heavy shoulders.
"What's wrong, Elijah? How serious is it?" Cami couldn't hold back her worry. "Don't hold anything back. How's Klaus doing?"
"It's not good, Cami. It wouldn't be a bad idea for you to leave Mystic Falls and go back to New Orleans for awhile." Elijah wouldn't lie to her. He appreciated her moving up to Mystic Falls when they chose to come back to further counsel his brother, but he could't help but feel she would be safer the further she was away.
"I'm not leaving, Elijah. Just be honest with me." Cami urged him to tell her more.
Elijah rubbed his forehead. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure that nobody was listening. "Caroline is transitioning back into a human at this point. The pain she's going through is becoming more than what her body can handle. Klaus is just beginning to come down with the same symptoms. He has yet to experience the same amount of pain, but I know my brother. He's fighting more pain that what any of us could even guess at this point."
"Oh, Elijah." Cami barely could breathe out.
"Tyler Lockwood has an arsenal of other supernatural creatures bordering our property; preventing any form of an escape." Elijah sighed, remembering once again the severity of the situation. At any given day their family could fight their way through this little rebellion, but with one man already down and the chances of both Rebekah and he soon to be catching the virus themselves, that idea was quickly not acceptable. "I recruited Katarina Petrova to find more out and she found your Professor French and a Professor McCloud."
"That's good news, Elijah! When will she be bringing them back?" Cami's voice sparked hope, the one thing that Elijah felt little of.
He fought to keep his voice steady and unwavering, but Cami was known for reading people. She could sense the rawness in his voice. "She was captured before having a chance at getting them and the cure."
"I am sorry to hear that." The disappointment Cami portrayed was obvious. She understood what it meant to lose a friend, as well as to have someone she loved captured. She'd had it happen time and time again. "What can I do to help, Elijah? Give me an assignment. I can't sit on the sidelines and doing nothing."
"That is precisely what she will do." Klaus entered the gazebo. He could barely hold himself up. How he made it out there, was beyond Elijah's knowledge.
Elijah put his phone on speaker. He set the device down on the back of an antique chair.
"Klaus?" Cami's voice echoed through the phone speaker.
"You will not put yourself in harm's way, Camille. You will stay safe." Even Klaus's strongest voice sounded weak and feeble. He struggled to keep himself upright.
"Klaus, you can't control me. You need to know when to ask for help. I thought our sessions had made that abundantly clear." Her voice went from concern to anger.
"Cami…" Klaus tried to speak.
"You need help, Klaus. I can help. I'm the only one close by that can help." Cami made sure to continue her thought. There was no way someone could stop her when she had made up her mind. "Elijah, where was the last time that your friend made contact with Professor French? I'm educated and well versed in professor lingo. I can find what you need to know."
Elijah looked over at his brother. Klaus's wary eyes made it clear that he was not in approval.
"Klaus, I can do this." She restated as if she were standing right beside them and seeing their opposing glances.
Klaus broke his look from Elijah and glared at the phone. "You take every possible precaution. Don't take any unnecessary risks, you hear me, Camille."
"I hear you, Klaus. I will be fine." Cami's voice made it clear that she rolled her eyes on the other end of the phone. "You focus on staying alive. I can't lose my most complexing patient."
"You'll have to give me more than a bloody virus to get rid of me." Klaus tried to manage a strong front, but Elijah could see him struggling to keep the pain out of his face.
"I'll text you the details." Elijah informed Cami as he typed the information into a message on his phone. "Don't put yourself in harm's way, Camille."
"I will do what I have to. Stay safe you two." Cami spoke clearly as she hung up the phone.
Elijah shoved his phone in his pocket and quickly reached for his brother. "You shouldn't be out of bed, Niklaus."
Klaus's eyes expressed his grief for his brother's loss. "I heard about Katarina."
Elijah's gaze dropped. His heart was heavy with the grief he felt.
"No matter my differences with her, I know what she meant to you, Elijah." Klaus's compassion surprised Elijah. It was a welcomed comfort. "We will get her back. You will be with her again."
Elijah pulled his brother back toward the safety and comfort of inside the house. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Niklaus. We both know the likelihood that she'll make it out alive."
Klaus stopped Elijah. "Don't let your mind be overtaken with the monstrosities that could happen. We will get her back. I will give you my blessing to be with her, no matter how heinous her act against me was. You have my word, Elijah."
The impact of the words early toppled Elijah over. He kept his own weakening legs steady and kept treading on with his brother. "I pray we get that chance."