He never liked attending funerals. Perhaps it was because he was somewhat immortal state, that it reminded him that he was capable of outliving everyone around him, or that it reminded him of how fragile a human life was.
In a dark suit and tie the vampire stood alone in the background of the main funeral party that consisted of Snow and Charming's closest friends, including Belle, gathered around former Cricket's casket with a fresh headstone placed at the head that read;
ARCHIBALD HOPPER
Friend & Conscious
Waking up in the living room the previous day to find that it was indeed his sister that had killed the therapist, from a memory that had been extracted from the only witness to the murder by the saviour herself. The feat of magic only confirmed what he already knew about the blonde. Her magic. It's what healed him during that final confrontation with his mother after having his neck snapped. But why? Now that was a question that would have to try and answer another day.
Today he had to focus on the eleven-year-old boy that had lost one of his closest friends to his mother's temper. Stood with Pongo's leash in his hand, he and those in attendance listened to his grandmother give the eulogy for her old friend.
"Some of us knew him as Archie" Mary Margaret started "Others, as Jiminy. But we all knew him as a true friend. And though, he may now be gone, he will always live on inside of us. Reminding us to be our best selves, to do the right thing, to always fight for what we believe in. So, we shouldn't think of today as goodbye, just as a way of saying… Archie, we'll be listening".
As the eulogy ended Elijah saw Henry turn to leave the funeral with his mother quickly following him only to stop when the eleven-year-old saw his uncle stood a distance away from the main group as the vampire met his gaze.
Leaving his mother behind, Henry towards the man, the vampire dropped to the ground just in time for the eleven year old to wrap his arms around his Uncle's neck as he buried his head into his shoulder with Pongo's leash still in his hand as the young boy sobbed into the man's coat while the vampire held him as tight as he could, leaving the blonde saviour biting the inside of her cheek as she felt her eye's sting at the scene despite promising herself not to cry.
Taking deep breath's the saviour managed to take control of her emotions as she saw the uncle and nephew pull apart from the embrace as the man cleaned the young boy's face of the tears with a handkerchief.
"Better?" the former Principle asked his nephew.
"Yeah" Henry answered with a nod of his head and a sniff "Can you take us home 'Lijah?" the eleven year-old asks him.
"Henry-" the blonde saviour went to protest hearing the request only for the man in the dark mourning suit to answer.
"Of course" he agrees to his nephews' request taking Pongo's leash from his nephews hand, the vampire stood up to meet Emma's gaze as Henry continued to wipe away the stray tears from his face.
"We'll meet you at the apartment" Elijah tells the saviour, hoping she would allow him to return him to his home with his birth mother and grandparents.
"Okay" she agreed, allowing the man to guide his young out of the cemetery hoping to eek out as much time as he could with him.
The short drive from the cemetery to the apartment building was a quiet as the vampire kept a close eye on his nephew through his rear-view mirror as he drove with the Dalmatian laid out across the seats resting his head in Henry's lap as the young boy watched the world go by.
As he neared the building, the saw the first of those choosing to walk to the wake being held in the Charming loft, taking note of the young she-wolf that he hadn't heard from since his sister's disappearance. Not that he expected a call or anything, just not radio silence.
Something wasn't right. Sure, his sister was capable of murder, and so was he. But this was sloppy, they were taught better than the evidence the Sheriff's had gathered revealed. He needed to get to the bottom of this, perhaps not for his sister's sake, but for the sake of the young boy that sat in the backseat of his car.
Pulling up to the curb outside the apartment building, the vampire cut the engine to the car as total silence enveloped the pair and dog, the heaviness of the day's emotions pushing down hard on their minds, happy just to sit and wait for the others to disappear into the building
"Uncle 'Lijah" his voice broke that silence of the car "Is it true that your not the school Principle anymore?".
"Yes" the man could only tell him "It's true".
"But why?" the boy whined from the backseat "You didn't do anything wrong". He thought everything would go back as it was once the curse was over, which meant having his Uncle back at school once he returned home.
"It nothing to do what I have done Henry" the vampire tells his nephew "It's what I might do. Being what I am...I have to make sure I'm not a danger to anyone, especially to the people I love the most. Underneath the tricks you wanted me to show you the other night, I am something that not even the most heroic of those could stop. It's for the best for everyone that I don't go to school for a while".
"But you're not like the Evil Queen" the statement made the man clench his jaw at the mention of the woman. He wanted to correct him, because he could be worse than the Evil Queen.
"We should go in. Your mother will be worried where you are" he didn't give his nephew much of chance to argue further as the vampire left the confines of the car to speed over to the other side to open the door for Henry and Pongo to leave the car and head into the building together.
Climbing the stairs with ease the young boy let himself into the apartment with Pongo alongside him, leaving his uninvited Uncle on the other side. The door opening alerted the blonde mother to her son's arrival as he headed straight to the downstairs bedroom with Pongo as his Uncle remained outside in the hallway to watch his nephew leave without so much as a goodbye.
Leaving her parents with the other mourners, the blonde sheriff, long strides took her to the open door to find the man in dark suit, with his hands stuffed in deep pockets of the the long dark coat that hung down to his knees as the image of his nephew sitting on the bed to be blocked by the blonde Sheriff.
"Hey" Emma quietly greeted the man on the other side.
"Hello" he replied with a faint hint of a smile on his lips.
"Thanks for bringing him back".
"It was no problem" he replied as he saw Mary-Margaret and David trying their best to keep their heads down at the counter as they set out food and drink for those who had come back to the apartment after the funeral.
"We're just setting everything up" she tells him "Did you want something to drink? I think we've got something you can have".
"I shouldn't" he declines her half invitation "I don't think either of your parents would like to extend an invitation my way".
"Invitation?" she questioned him with a curious brow rising on her face, only having noticed how far he was stood from the open threshold of the apartment door. It was at least a good foot away from "I'm sure they wouldn't mind".
"Another...quirk of vampirism. We require an invitation from the owner or occupier of a home to enter, otherwise we cannot enter".
"Oh-" she trailed off "That's...weird" she goes on not sure what else to say on the matter.
"Inn's and castle's were bit of a of a grey area back home, but here, it's a little more straight forward" he goes on to say.
"So, you literally can't come in" she asks the man on the other side to the door. He could see she was secretly enjoying this small piece of power over him, the sparkle in her eye as she stood a little straighter than before, the way the corner of her lips quirked up
"Couldn't even try" he shrugs at her "There are obvious remedy's to the problem but neither will get me very far in this instance".
"I'll have to remember that" she says to the vampire feeling the tense feeling between them ease enough for the vampire broach the subject that was on his mind since the previous night.
"There was another reason why I came to the funeral other than to pass on my condolences. I was hoping you'd grant me a favour for the day".
"What's the favour?".
"Give me the day to find my sister. Allow me to find her and speak to her, I'm afraid my words to her the other day only made things worse than I intended. if I can fix things with her perhaps she'll become more co-operative with the town's law enforcement".
"Do you really think you can find her?".
"Your parents have always found a way to find each other, the same goes for my sister and I. No matter what, we've been able to find the other. I owe her to try".
"Why do get the feeling you're going to do this even without us knowing" she observes outload.
"It felt better asking for forgiveness would be harder than permission in this case".
Looking back at Mary- Margaret and David, one look told her that they had heard what Elijah wanted to do. But she knew what she was going to answer without either of her parents trying to stop her.
"Go ahead" the Sheriff tell him, trusting her gut "Just call us if you need some backup, she was pretty angry before she disappeared".
"Trust me, her anger isn't the thing I'm most worried about" he said letting out a breath of relief that his request had worked. "Thank you".
"Good luck. Maybe we can talk about a way for you to spend more time with Henry, once everything's calmed down, maybe lunch at Granny's or something".
The thought of spending time with nephew warmed his heart but also made him a breathily chuckle leave his lips that went noticed by the blonde sheriff in front of him, leaving the woman confused at his response.
"What's funny?".
"Nothing" he says shaking his head at her "It's just, it wasn't too long ago I was doing the same for you Miss Swan".
"Yeah. I guess not" she muses to herself recalling the times in which the man set up a meeting with his nephews and his birth mother, often behind his sister's back.
"I'll be sure to call if I find anything" he tells the blonde before turning to leave her watching him descend the staircase to start his search for his older sister.
He wasn't sure where he should start in his search for his sister as he made his way down main street on foot. There were a few obvious places he needed to check first, knowing she would seek comfort in familiar surroundings during her time evading the hero's. Two places came to mind straight away. Her office. And her underground vault in the cemetery.
The latter seemed the most likely place for his sister to take shelter in. He just hoped she would allow him the time to try and speak his thoughts on the matter of her involvement in Archie's murder. His words before he felt his neck twist to the side were not the ones he should have said which earned him the snap of his neck. It just meant he had some ground to cover.
Crossing the street the vampire stepped up onto the curb of the clock tower and soon to be open Library the man paused when he heard an unusual banging coming from inside the quiet library.
Deciding to investigate the noise himself the vampire approached the door the vampire reached out for the door to find it unlocked. Letting himself into the building the man was taken aback to see a familiar long dark leather coat and silver hook banging against the elevator doors that went down to the underground mines that spread underneath the town.
"Captain Hook" his voice stopped the pirate mid-bang as the man froze in place at being caught out by the vampire as he slowly turned away from the elevator doors to face the vampire, clenching his jaw as the vampire moved around the pushed over book cart.
"How adorably inconvenient" Elijah tells the pirates glancing at the watch on his wrist "Unfortunately I don't have time to play right now. So you have two options. Option One: You tell me how you got to Storybrooke or Option two: Violent disembowelment".
Reaching inside his jacket the pirate pulled out a curved white bone blade wrapped with a cloth at the handle that made the vampire still at the weapon he had seen used first hand and the pain it caused.
"How about option three" the pirate retorts with a grin "The one where I put this in your cold dead heart" he adds waving the blade in his hand.
Not giving the pirate a second more , the vampire sped over to pirate in blur to attack the pirate only for the latter to haphazardly thrust the blade toward where the vampire's heart should be only for his armed hand to meet the elevator door with a oud bang making the frightened Belle inside shriek in fright at the sudden force to hit the doors she hoped that stayed closed until Rumple came to find her, as Hook came face-to-face with the demonic face that he had only come into contact with a number of times in his long life.
With his arm and hang pinned to the door the pirate swung his hook towards the raging vampire, hitting true as the point of the hook imbedding it deep into the vampire's neck before dragging it forward ripping through the muscle and skin, making the vampire lose his grip on his arm long enough for the pirate to knee the creature in the stomach, making Elijah double over and fall onto the floor clutching at his neck allowing him to flee the library.
Blood seeped through his fingers as the vampire growled to himself for letting the pirate so easily beat him as he stumbled his way back onto his feet to the control panel next to the metal doors as the deep wound starts to heal itself as the vampire in the suit hit the button to open the doors allowing the woman stuck inside to step out to see the library pirate free with a bloodied Elijah trying his best to wipe the blood from his neck with a white handkerchief.
"Elijah!" she gasped seeing the man with blood coating his neck and hand "A-are you okay?".
"I'll heal" he tries to reassure his friend as he turned his attention to the door to continue his pursuit of the pirate "I need you to call Mr. Gold, tell him an old enemy of his is in town. A pirate of the name Hook. Tell him to come and find you".
"He's already on his way" she informs him.
"Good" he states to himself before turning back to the librarian "Stay here and don't leave until Gold gets here".
"What? No!" she refused.
"Belle" he sighed out, every second he spent there was a second Hook was getting away.
"I'm not waiting here-".
She was cut off when the vampire turned on her, taking her by her shoulders trapping her gaze with his as she librarian stood frozen as she saw his eye's dilate "You will stay here until Rumplestiltskin comes to find you".
"I won't leave" she monotony replies before the vampire lets her go, stepping away as she blinks out of his control.
"I'm sorry" was the last thing she heard from the man before he sped out of the building, leaving the woman behind to wait for her true love to find her and take her to safety.
He couldn't have gotten far, he could smell the rum the wafted from his mouth in the air as he followed the scent down the various back alleys that eventually took him nearby the docks. He had to push down the feeling of guilt for forcing Belle to stay in the safety of the library, but he couldn't risk having a vengeful Dark One after him for allowing her to get hurt.
But the time he had spent arguing with her was time wasted finding the pirate and finding out how he got to Storybrooke without the compass and portal.
Making his way down a secluded alley scattered with fishing crates to the side with his bloodied handkerchief still in his hand the vampire came to stop when he spotted a familiar figure walk out in the middle of the alley way with the white bone dagger still in his hand, the vampire coming to a stop in front of him.
"How did you get here?" the vampire enquired with the pirate.
"Funny thing what regenerative waters can do with a petrified magic bean" the pirate replies.
"You didn't take the trip here alone then" Elijah easily deduced knowing who exactly had come with him "Let me guess. " he trails off "..Cora".
"Now who am I to ruin the surprise".
The vampire opened his mouth to reply when he felt his head burst out in sudden pain making him groan out as Cora emerged from her hiding place to watch as her son clutched his head in pain as he fell to his knees as blood vessel after vessel burst in his head
"Now!" Cora instructed the pirate to do as he was instructed pierced the tip of the white bon blade above the vampire heart before he felt the handle slip out of his grasp as it sunk into the vampire's chest on it's own accord allowing Cora to let go of her hold of her son's head as he painfully gasped feeling the blade fully imbedding itself into his chest before collapsing onto the concrete ground unconscious at the mercy of his mother and the pirate.
"Bloody hell" the pirate drawled out "That demon wasn't lying".
"Lestat rarely does" the sorceress replies waving her hand as a cloud of smoke engulfs her unconscious son's form to a place he would be safe for what she had in store with him.
With her son now safely in her possession, it was time to gain her daughter's favour, starting to take a look at the life her children have led during their time in the Land of No Magic.
With the hero's distracted by events at the town line, the older sorceress was free to roam the two story home her children lived in with Henry. The older woman venture into room seeing trinkets of her children everywhere. From the brown leather high backed chair that she just knew her son would spend hours in reading the books that had been stacked on the floor next to the piece of furniture to the cabinets full to the pristine kitchen she had a woman's touch.
Venturing up stairs Cora first found herself walking into a bedroom, she found a wood panelled room with matching floor that was covered in stacks of books, with a silver mounted stag head mounted above the Queen sized bed. Looking around the room the Queen of Hearts found a desk littered with trinkets he had kept from the Enchanted Forest with frames holding still images of Henry from a young infant up to now until she found a brightly coloured piece of folded card with child-like messy misspelt writing on the front that read 'Happy Father's Day Uncle Elijah'.
"How sweet" Cora said to herself as she turned to see a outline of a frame in the corner of the room under a dust sheet. Using her magic the dust cover flew off the frame that she hand picked herself to frame her son's portrait as she quickly closed the distance between her and it to see the picture that would her to fully control her son only to find the picture missing from the middle.
Huffing to herself the sorceress turned her attention to the walk in closet to see how her son had lived for the last twenty-eight years. The bolt of white light outside lit the room for a second at a time as she stepped into the small room. On the wall was a long wall unit with a rack of grey suits from light to dark with a couple black and dark blue variation's, with dress shirts neatly folded into piles underneath and small drawers of cufflinks, ties and shined shoes.
So this is how her son has been hiding his monster. Behind cloth, jewellery and a sense of nobility that he had inherited from his father. Unfortunately it had only worsened.
With everything she needed to learn of her son, the sorceress turned and left the walk-in closest to venture down the hall to find something that would bring her daughter back to her.
Meanwhile across town, the hero's had their hand's full at Storybrooke General as the Charming Family were waiting for Ruby to return with Dr. Whale to the hospital to perform surgery on the outsider that had stumbled into town after crashing into Hook at the town line during an altercation between him and Gold.
She hadn't heard from the vampire since leaving the loft over twelve hours ago with the request of finding his sister for them. As soon as Archie came to the apartment alive and well with the news that Cora and Hook were the one's behind Regina's frame job, she called him. He needed to know his mother was back in town, if not to protect Henry but to protect himself from the woman that wasn't afraid to hurt her own children to get what she wanted. And with no clue where his portrait was, well she didn't want to think what she could do.
Stood away from her parents sat in the waiting area, the blonde Sheriff bit the inside of her cheek as she held her phone to her ear listening to the dial tone over again, mentally pleading him to pick up as Greg Mendel's waited for someone to save his life down the corridor.
"Come on, come on, pick up" she whispered to herself as she hung up her phone and dialled his cell again. Her quiet pleadings were heard by her parents.
"Emma" Mary Margaret called out to her daughter "Who are you calling?".
"The one person that can save that guy if Whale doesn't come back" she tells the pixie haired woman as she heard the dial tone go once again going to voicemail. There was so much information she needed to condense in a thirty second message, but she try her best;
"Elijah, it's me. We need your help. Something happened at the town line, we're at the hospital..just get here as soon as you can please. Bye" hanging up her phone the sense of dread washed over her as she took a second to wait for it to pass as the disappointment tasted sour from not being to reach him.
"Emma, we know you're worried-" David tried to comfort her only for her to cut him off.
"No one's heard from him since this morning" she reminded her parents. Elijah was right in a sense when he asked if he could go and find his siter that morning. It was easier telling her parents what the vampire was doing other than asking for their permission. And despite the looks on their faces the pair let the subject drop knowing there wasn't much they could do to stop him.
"I'm sure he can take care of himself" Mary Margaret tried her best to reassure her "He did this all the time back home. Disappear without a trace only to come back-".
"Can he though? You saw what Cora did to him. I can't let someone else Henry care's about get hurt" she reasoned to the pair "He can help with Mendel as well. He can heal him and compel him to forget anything he saw".
"Yeah and what do you think he'll want in return?" her father scoffed at her.
"He's not like that" she tried to argue.
"Emma-".
"He's Henry's family" she snapped at the pair "We got lucky with Archie. But if he's gotten hurt or worse, Henry would be devastated. And- I wouldn't know what to do if that ever happened"
She really wouldn't, and if she were being honest she wasn't sure how'd she cope knowing she allowed him to go search for his sister alone. She was the saviour and he believed in her to bring their happy ending's for decades. He relied on her to help find his sister's redemption, even if it was still possible.
"So once we've delt with Mendel, we find Elijah. Agreed?" she says looking between the pair in front of her.
"Okay" Mary Margaret agreed alongside her husband knowing they couldn't let her look on her own.
Hidden away in the secret room in her vault, the former Queen waited for anyone to come find her. Perhaps she was secretly hoping it would be her brother. He was always good at finding her even without his improved senses. The same for her. Playing or hiding from their mother, they would always find each other. Or maybe this time he would give up since believing that his promise to their father was now clearly impossible.
She was taken out of her thoughts when she heard a muffled voice coming outside the furnished room filled of trinkets of her Evil Queen day's as the mirrors that once hug from her palace wall, now surrounded her in the decorated room.
"Mom? Hello? Hello? Hello? Mom?" hearing her son's muffled voice through the wall she walks over to the mirror that hung on the wall of the only door of the room. Waving her hand over the reflective glass, it turns' transparent so that she saw her son on the other side searching the vault "You in there? Can I come in? Mom?".
Movement behind the eleven year old made him look back to see a door hidden in the wall open ajar "Mom?" he calls out making his way towards the door "Mom?"
Letting himself into the room the boy was eagerly greeted by his adopted mother as the woman brough him into a warm embrace as she pushed the door closed behind him, holding him tight against her as she let out a sigh of relief to be holding the one person that hadn't turned his back on her like everyone else had done.
"Henry, I'm so glad you're here" she tells him pulling away from the embrace to take his hands into hers "I missed you so much when… I have to let you know, I had nothing to do with Archie".
"I know. I always knew" he replies as his mother carried on.
"I was framed. I don't know how. I… It just seems like everything…" You knew? How did you know?".
"Simple" he stated as a puff of blue smoke engulfed the eleven year old to transform back into Cora to stand Infront of her daughter for the first time in years "Because I did it".
"Mother…" she shuddered out in fear seeing the woman alive and well in front of her "You… I thought we stopped you. How did you get through?".
"Determination. I had to see you. I needed to tell you, that I know why you and your brother sent me through the Looking Glass. And I know why you tried to have me killed. And it's… It's alright".
"I think it's not alright" her daughter retorted.
"I love you. I just… I've always shown it in all the wrong ways. And I never should have made you marry the King. I'm so sorry. When you cried over my coffin, it… It all changed".
"You framed me – for the cricket" she accused her remorseful mother.
"Temporarily. So you could see what these people really think of you. Including those nearest to you".
"You made an airtight case" she argued "Anyone would believe it, including my brother".
"Your brother's sense of nobility has always been his downfall and that's my fault" she admits to her daughter as the latter shook her head to herself not wanting to hear excuses for her "I was trying to make him into someone he wasn't to marry a Princess, to make this family better. Only..." she gulped as the tears continued to brim in her eyes "I made him into a monster in the portrait. I didn't want you to reject me. Not again".
"You wanted me broken" she state to her mother, seeing right through her plan.
"Receptive" Cora corrects her.
"You are the most manipulative…" the former Queen started only to pause knowing anything she said to her mother would be wasted time "No. I won't even argue. Come with me. We're going to town" Regina tells her mother moving around her, heading to the hidden door.
"It's the middle of the night" Cora questions her.
"I don't care" she snaps at the older woman turning to look back at her "We'll wake them up – Emma, Elijah and Henry and the two idiots – and you can tell them how you lied. You owe me that".
"And then you'll let us start over?" Cora asks her daughter hopeful that her conditions would be enough for to forgive and move on.
"I don't see that happening, mother. But I am… I was trying so hard to be worthy of Henry. Elijah and I deserve the same thing from you".
"You're right" Cora admits "For you, sweetheart. Anything".
With her eye's trained solely on the road ahead of them, the former Evil Queen drove herself and her mother closer to the so-called hero's to put the whole mess of Archie's murder to rest, proving her innocence to the accusations that were thrown at her by the hero's and her family.
"Nervous?" the former Queen asks her mother in her passenger seat.
"Not about owning up to what I've done" she answers her daughter "It's just… These carriages are strange. And something's irritating me…" she says pulling out the handprint craft she had found in his bedroom as well as the card she found in her son's room.
"Oh. For Mommy" the older woman chuckled at the sentimental piece "Oh, that used to be you" she adds before holding up the first Father's Day card Henry had made for Elijah at pre-school. While other's made theirs for their father's, he made one for his Uncle Elijah and one for every year after that.
"And Uncle 'Lijah" she coos "You should've seen how hard your brother fought me to get back here, made me wonder if he loved Henry more that you do".
"When were you in our house?" the former Queen asked her mother.
"I haven't had the pleasure".
"Those were in my house. Think I don't know where that was? It's one of my most treasured possessions. And I know exactly where that card comes from". It never left his room. She was surprised their mother so easily found it, the card was usually stored in one of the draws of his desk. He had taken it out recently.
"Well, let's be honest. Taking me to be pilloried by the town might gain you some points, but, as long as Emma and her parents are here, he's not really yours. Not like he was when he made things for his one and only Mommy" she points out to her daughter "The same goes for your brother" the Queen of Hearts adds "Elijah broke your promise of 'Always and Forever' the second he thought you would kill that poor man was true".
The statement made Regina pause, their mother had heard them make that promise, which meant she heard Elijah trying to persuade her to do what Rumplestiltskin wanted them to do
"You heard that?" the question came out as more of a statement as she tried her best to keep her eye on the road feeling her mother's gaze on her.
"Of course I did. Your my children" Cora simply tells her before continuing "You've been too bad for too long, and now they see you as a… A snake. You don't want their love at all. What do you want?".
"My son back" she answers.
Pulling her car over to a parking spot outside The Rabbit Hole, the elder Mill's sorceress turned in her seat to address her daughter "And I want my daughter back. I meant everything I said earlier. I am so sorry. I can do better. I won't push you away again. Let me into your heart. Together, we can get him back again".
Believing her mother's words the younger sorceress leans across the seat, putting her head on her mother's shoulder as her mother embraces her in the confined space.
"How?".
"Oh, I have a few thoughts" she tells her daughter "But first, I have a gift for you".
Pulling out of her mother's warm embrace the former Queen's brow's furrowed at the
"Gift?" she questions her mother.
"Yes" she answer's as her loving smile drops from her lips into a frown as she reaches up to push a lock of her daughter dark hair behind her ear "I'm afraid your brother broke his promise of 'Always and Forever' long before he made it. It's time you knew what really happened all those years ago".
A pulling sensation from his chest is what awoke the vampire from his slumber as his groans reached his own ear's, his eye's snap open to feel his arms suspended above him and the rattle of chain reach his ears. Looking up he saw the source of the feeling to seeing his metal cuffs around his wrists that were attached to a chain and the chain held in the stone archway of his sister's vault.
Sensing he wasn't alone, his head snapped to the right to see his mother stood there with the bloodied white bone blade still in her hand.
"What do you want?" he growls out at her.
"I only want us to be a family again Elijah. But I'm so sorry. In order for that to happen..you must tell your sister the secret you've been keeping from her so all this time".
The sound of heel's hiding the stone ground made the vampire look up to see his sister emerge from the darkness a scornful frown on her face as she looked at him like she was about to rip out his heart right there and then.
"Regina" he states in trepidation only for the Queen of Hearts to bring his attention back to her.
"My son, tt's time you told your sister, who it was that told me about Daniel".
"It was Snow" he reiterated the same lie that he himself almost believed. It was Snow.
"You're right" she says cupping his cheek to stroke his cheek with her thumb "It was her. But who else was it that told me" she pressed him placing the tip of of the curved bone blade against his chest as he felt the blade piece his skin without any pressure to be applied by his mother "Tell her, that you couldn't stand her running away without you, of leaving you behind, that you told me what she was planning to do the night Daniel died".
"Sister please-AHHHHHH!" he screamed as the blade sunk deeper into his chest. Making herself look away the elder sibling blinked back the angry heartbroken tears that threatened to fall at the pain she heard coming from him, her hand clenching
"Tell her Elijah" Cora continued to press as the blade sunk further as her son continued to groan out in pain "And the pain will stop".
"I didn't- I did-" the words choked "Ahhh!".
"Mother!" Regina finally spoke up to stop her only for her protest to go unheard as the captured vampire made his admission outload for her to hear over the groans of pain".
"IT WAS ME!" he finally yelled out. The admission made the elder Mill's sibling jump back as their mother pull out the blade from his chest, leaving the bloodied white bone blade to sit in her hand. His chest rose up and down as he panted heavily from the pain he had endured, his head hung down in the shame that washed over his mind, before his head was snatch back up by his chin as he was met a face he never wanted to be on the end of again. The Evil Queen. But no, this wasn't the Queen this time it was his sister. His betrayed and heartbroken sister that had just found out his greatest secret.
"I-I'm sorry" he stammered out to her in fear like he was a boy
"Why?" her voice shook as her fury rolled off her in searing hot waves. Why would he do that? Why would he tell her about Daniel?.
"I-I-" he stammered, struggling to answer her simple question. Only it wasn't. Why did he tell their mother about Daniel?.
Dropping his head from her hand, his sister's angered gaze met his as the tears brimmed in her eye's as she decided what she was to do with him next. A final death would be too easy, no, not after all these years he had spent lying to her face about that night. He needed to hurt. By doing making his one fear in his life a reality.
The one thing she swore she would never do.
She turned her back on him and walked away.
The Land of No Colour
Years Ago
He knew returning to the place he was born would be dangerous, especially with the enemies that he had made during his time in the Kingdom of Transylvania, but he needed more recruits to join his cause. The Frankenstein Estate wasn't one of the largest estates in the land, but the family held enough wealth and influence to keep his cause going for years to come. And from what his men had told him, now all that wealth had gone to the sole heir to carry on his scientific research.
In Victor Frankenstein's laboratory the infamous hunter of the supernatural stood engrossed in the man's had-written notes of his experiment that used the natural electricity in the lightening bolts that flashed across the dark skies of the land to reanimate a deceased subject. And it worked.
The rookie had managed to bring his brother back to life, it not in a monster like state. Although he did cheat. Using an enchanted heart to replace the one that had burnt during the first try. But he wouldn't need magic once he was under his mentorship.
"Who the hell are you?" his voice didn't seem to disturb the stranger that stood int he middle of his laboratory, the man in his last forties dressed in a dark suit and tie with short, dark hair neatly combed to the side.
"Master let me fetch the authorities" Igor asks his employer stepping towards the door.
"You won't need to do that Igor" the stranger called out stopping the doctor's assistant from leaving the room.
"I must say Dr. Frankenstein" the stranger went on "Your work on using electric current to stimulate motion is fascinating, it's something I myself must admit have never seen before. If not flawed" he tells the younger scientist as he snapped the book shut in his hand.
Victor had to take a minute to realise as he blinked in bewilderment that this stranger dared to question his life's work "Excuse me?".
"You miscalculated the fragile state of the human heart" he states to the younger doctor matter of factly as she stood with his hands neatly tucked behind his back "Which is why you resorted to magic to bring your brother back to life. Now if you had used a different one, then perhaps your chances of success would've slightly improved, not by much, but enough so that Gerhardt wouldn't be the monster he is now".
"How do you know my brother?".
"Your father spoke of him at great length before he died, although I was more interested in what you were doing" the man tells him "Dr. Frankenstein. The man that tried to bring back the dead. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Doctor Abraham Van Helsing. I'm in need of someone with your skillset for a venture of mine".
"For what?".
The question made the corner of Abraham's lips twitch in amusement as he was about to widen the young scientist's young mind to the world that existed without his knowledge. Tot the world that he discovered once he left the Land of No Colour to research medicine in other realm's.
"Do you believe in vampire's Victor?".
AN: Hope you enjoyed the chapter!. This chapter cover's The Outsider and In the Name of the Brother.
Hopefully you all got notified via email, the issue has seemed to be fixed for the time being and apologies you got an email thinking there was a new one, there is a massive backlog, I know because I got one as well.
New OC! Dr. Van Helsing! I mean how can I have a vampire fic without the vampire hunting GOAT himself. He'll be popping up here and then, with a face claim:
Drum roll...
Introducing: Richard Armitage (North and South/ Robin Hood 2006-2009) as Dr. Abraham Van Helsing
I have BIG plans with him Hehe! ;)
And for reference the white bone blade in the chapter is 'Papa Tunde Blade' from The Originals.
Marco794: Yes this is still an OC X Emma story. I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the Elijahx Ruby/Red pairing. Kinda relieved if I'm being honest how it would be received. I'm enjoying the pairing as well. Emma and Elijah aren't happening for a little while still and we have Neal to get through first. :(
Also for people who have asked questions in reviews please check your PM's if you haven't already. Thanks, and let me know how you prefer for questions to be answered. By PM''s or in Author's Notes. I really don't mind questions as long as it's appropriate to the story.
The next chapter is going to skip the next few episodes seeing Elijah's current predicament, but you'll be able to keep up with the few scenes that are going to feature in the next chapter.
Until then...
Remember to:
Follow/ Favourite/ Review/ Comment