Elena stared in awe through the windshield as they drove through the small, picturesque, coastal town.
"Exactly how long have you lived here?" Elena asked curiously
"I've had an estate here since the early 1700s," Elijah replied as he brought the car to a stop at the one stoplight in the center of town, "After what transpired with Katerina in London, 1492, Niklaus and I grew…estranged. I wandered from place to place for over two centuries before I finally returned to England, hoping to find him again, but by then he and Rebekah and moved on. At the time, the English government was leading several expeditions to the 'New World', as they called it, and were asking for able bodied men to sail with them," he turned to Elena and smiled, "It was then that I decided that it was time to return home."
"So is your estate, in town?" Elena asked, with a raised eyebrow, "If it is, I find it hard to imagine that it would fit in such a small hamlet."
Elijah smirked, putting the car in gear as the light turned green, "It's no longer an estate, really. Most of the land has been sold off over the centuries. All that's left now is the house and the surrounding wooded area that's been designated as a wildlife sanctuary. It's about fifteen minutes outside of town on the ocean."
"Why so far? Not one for crowds?" Elena asked playfully as she watched the early risers in town walking the streets in the morning sun, starting their day.
Elijah smiled, "People here are friendly enough, but my ancestors were Nordic, so I feel more at home near the sea."
As they drove across the boundary and headed out of town, Elena took in the light as it danced in the trees of the desolate wooded area that surrounded the country road they now found themselves on. And, as they passed over the first hill, she smiled as she caught a glimpse of the ocean Elijah spoke of.
"So, how exactly have you managed to live on and off in this town for over three centuries without people catching on to what you are?"
"Well, there are two more towns on the isle just east of here," Elijah pointed out, "So I've divided my time between the three towns whenever I return, every century 'arriving' in a new town and claiming to be the grandson or the nephew of the previous owner—always getting the 'what a remarkable family resemblance' response from the next generation. It's a bit exhausting really, but I found out early on that if I don't go into town for something—even just a Snickers bar—and interact with people, they tend to get suspicious and you gain the reputation as the town recluse. It's not pretty."
Elena smiled, "You eat Snickers bars?"
"Surprised?" Elijah teased, raising an eyebrow
"Yes." Elena confessed
A few moments later, Elijah turned the Mercedes in through an open iron gate with Federalist-style brick pylons flanking the long driveway that would lead them to the large, three story brick mansion Elena could now see sitting up on the rolling green hills overlooking the ocean.
Elena took in a breath. The house was something straight out of Gone With The Wind.
"It looks like a plantation…" she said softly
"It was," Elijah replied, "At least until after the Civil War. We grew tobacco mostly. I employed only free men-never much cared for the idea of slavery. Apparently, while I was away for long periods, Misha used it as a stop for runaways on the Underground Railroad."
As Elijah pulled the car around the circle at the head of the driveway, the front door to the mansion suddenly opened and a beautiful, but plump, African-American woman with graying hair stepped out onto the portico and waved at them.
"Friend of yours?" Elena smiled, raising a curious eyebrow
"Yes..." Elijah replied as he put the car in park, "And my housekeeper,"
"Really?" Elena asked, surprised
"Yes," Elijah smiled, then quickly leaned in toward Elena and whispered, "Watch out…she's a hugger."
Elena chuckled, unbuckling her seat belt as she watched Elijah open his door and climb out
"Bonjour, Vivienne!" Elijah called, putting on his sunglasses as he walked up the driveway toward the older woman.
"Bonjour, Monsieur Elijah!" Vivienne smiled, as she came down the steps and met him, wrapping her sweater tighter around herself.
"Nous vous remercions de l'ouverture de la maison sur un délai aussi court," Elijah said kindly in French as he kissed her on one cheek, then the other, "Je l'apprécie."
"Mon plaisir. Bienvenue à la maison, Sir, Il fait tellement longtemps," Vivienne said, before she stepped back and took Elijah's chin in her hand, musing in her thick French accent, "Ahh... still so handsome. It should be a crime, I tell you...a crime!"
Elijah smirked as Viviene released his face and raised a curious eyebrow, "Your siblings are not with you on this visit?"
"No, not this time," Elijah replied
"Oooh…am I sad or not sad?" Vivienne smirked, playfully
"I think you're not surprised," Elijah retorted with a small smile and watched Vivienne touch a finger to her nose and point at Elijah with a chuckle.
Elijah then turned to Elena as he sensed her approaching from behind, removing his sunglasses as he took her arm and brought her forward, "Elena, may introduce Vivienne Blanchard. Vivienne, this is my friend, Elena Gilbert."
"It's nice to meet you," Elena managed to say before she suddenly found herself engulfed in the large woman's arms as she stepped forward and hugged her.
"Bonjour," Vivienne smiled broadly as she pulled away from the still shocked girl
Elena looked over to Elijah and saw him desperately trying to hold back his laughter as he watched her reaction.
"Well," Vivienne said after a few moments, "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call. I'll return on Thursday. Oh, and..."
She gave a quick glance to Elena before leaning into Elijah, speaking French in a low voice, "le sort de protection que vous avez demandé, est en hausse."
"Thank you," Elijah said when she pulled away and dropped the key to the house into his hand.
She then winked at Elena before setting off across the lawn toward the back of the house.
Elijah immediately took Elena's hand in his, placing the key in her palm.
"I'll get the luggage out of the car. Go have a look around," he smiled
Elena looked down to the key in her hand, then up at the mansion looming in front of her.
# # # # # #
Elena slowly opened the two large, mural painted wooden front doors, taking in a breath of anticipation.
Elijah's house…
Elijah has a house...
It was amazing and comical and surreal all at once.
And it was an adventure... just like Elijah himself.
Suddenly, Elena found that she wanted to know everything about it, just like she had wanted to know everything about him.
The sunlight followed her inside, illuminating the main entry that was seemingly encased in marble—a marble front hall and a marble staircase that wound up three stories.
Elena turned in a circle as she walked down the hall littered with centuries worth of old paintings, clocks and other treasures, and quickly took in glimpses of a dining room, a ballroom with walk-through windows and a wedding cake chandelier, two parlors, a picture bay window with an astonishing view of the ocean and a library with wall to ceiling walnut bookcases.
As she wandered into the library, she ran her hand along one of the bookcases, surveying the collection, then crossed the center of the room and made her way over to a sofa table standing along the edge of the room near a roll away desk.
Elena narrowed her eyes as she scanned the photographs upon the table, smirking at Elijah through the centuries— sitting at a nightclub table with Kol smoking a cigarette in the early 1900s—with Misha, leaning on the hood of a roadster in front of a brick house Elena didn't recognize sometime in the 1950s—sitting with Rebekah and Klaus in a formal portrait in the late 1800s—standing with Klaus and a group of men outside a building sometime in the early 1800s with a street sign in the background identifying that they were on Bourbon Street in New Orleans—and finally, a three set frame of Elijah and a young black woman standing on the front lawn, of the house she was now standing in, in three different centuries…
Elena smiled in awe as she realized that the young woman standing with Elijah in the three portraits-a painting in the 1700s and photographs in both the 1800s and 1960s—was Vivienne.
"She's been a loyal friend…" Elijah said as he came up behind her, smirking over her shoulder at the picture Elena was looking at, "And she's kept both my house and me in line for a very long time."
Elena looked over her shoulder and raised a curious eyebrow, "How can she be in all three of these? Is she a vampire?"
"She's a witch," Elijah replied, taking the frame in his hand gently, "Her family has been bound to serve Klaus since the French Revolution, but he's always been careless with the witches and warlocks he binds. She fell out of favor with him and came to work for me in the late 1600's and has been with me ever since. She runs the household and has helped me locate witches and warlocks for odd jobs over the centuries. It's been nice to have her around-less lonely. She's been like my nagging sister and my smothering, protective mother all rolled into one."
Elena chuckled at the comment, then asked, "But she's immortal?"
"Not exactly, " Elijah said, "Like my friend, Misha, she has been able to slow down the aging process by using magics and natural herbs, but ...
There was a moment's pause as Elijah put down the frame set and sighed
"What is it?" Elena asked, putting a hand on his arm when she notice his face drop
"Forty years ago, she told me that she was no longer going to make her elixir," Elijah said softly, "that she had decided to let herself start aging again—that she's ready to finally let go and die a natural death."
"I'm sorry…" Elena whispered, casting her eyes again at the photographs in the frame
"I'm not…" Elijah straightened, a small smile crossing his face, "It's her life-It's her choice. Deep down, I am happy for her and maybe—maybe even a little jealous."
"Jealous of dying?" Elena inquired
Elijah nodded, "When you've lived for as long as I have, Elena, you start to miss being human. And dying…is as human as it gets."