crimsonlyinglilly

[crimsonlyinglilly]

^^^^^

also very true words.

Do you think that Hayley/Elijah/Jackson could’ve potentially worked as a throuple? 👀

I actually laughed when I read this question. Not because I think it would be impossible but because I think it would be absolutely wild. Maybe if the show was being run by more interesting people we could have had a storyline like this. It would make sense.

I mean on one hand, we have Hayley and Elijah who are in love and on the other hand we have a forced marriage. If anyone was going to have a throuple, they were primed for it. I have said it before but I don't believe the unification magic is so aware that Hayley and Elijah couldn't have stayed in a relationship. Also, no one proposed the idea of a throuple. I feel like that would have worked for the magic aspect of it.

If it did work, Hayley would have had to be the one to introduce it, and you know she would have. Hayley, especially at that time, was definitely a 'have your cake and eat it too' kind of person. And that is not a critique on her. She knew what she wanted and she went for it. So why not bring up the idea to the men.

Elijah would have been on board. He had been pinning after Hayley for like two years at that point and would have jumped at the opportunity to be with her in any way possible. He also has lived so long that I don't think it would have been strange to him. I joke that I love jealous Elijah but we really didn't get many scenes where he was obviously jealous. I feel like he was just, essentially, too old for that teen drama. So it wouldn't have bothered him that Hayley was also with Jackson. Especially because it would mean he got to be with her as well. Jackson would have been resistant for a variety of reasons. I can see him saying "That's not how we do things." But there definitely was a power imbalance there so I could see him caving and agreeing, but resenting it. So not a healthy throuple.

However, overtime, I could see Jackson and Elijah finding common ground. People love to say the men are so different, but they really aren't. They just wear different clothes. Jackson is more like a Mikaelson than he or the fandom want to admit. Jackson treats his pack similar to how the Mikaelsons treat their family. I think this is something Elijah and he could bond over. They've both had to make tough decisions, even bad decisions, in order to protect the ones they love. They've both also messed up a lot. They also both cared for Hayley and Hope which would likely be the first common ground they could come to.

I also love to think over time, given the chance, Elijah and Jackson would become friends. I can just see Jackson talking about hunting or some nature thing and Elijah just casually asking questions, trying to pretend he's not that interested. We view Elijah as an uptight business man, but let's not forget he was originally a farmer/warrior from what is present day Virginia. Elijah is a country boy. I would love a scene where Jackson is surprised by Elijah's knowledge of farming or hunting and then Hayley walks into an intense discussion about crop yields or the best way to skin a deer.

To me, it wouldn't ever be a true throuple, it would more likely be an open relationship. I just never got queer vibes from Jackson, but who knows. But if the show had focused more on character development and family, and less on drama, we may have actually seen a begrudging friendship and mutual respect from the two men. And Hayley would have truly benefited from that. But we all know how little Julie likes to let women have control over their relationships.

Thanks for the ask! These are always so fun for me.

#the originals #tvd fanfiction #the vampire diaries #the originals au #elijah x hayley x jackson #elijah mikaelson #hayley marshall #jackson kenner

[crimsonlyinglilly]

Day 25 Alt prompt - Brain Fog

For day 25 of whumpril, a fill for “Brace yourself.” may come later until then have this.

A new The Origanals AU, Nature's Spare, A Omegaverse AU; Where nature decides it needs a backup Tribrid, it uses Elijah and Jackson to get that.

set 1x01 The Originals

Omega!Elijah, Alpha!Jackson, Mpreg.

Warning for Omegaverse, if you don't like feel free to ignore, descriptions of Heat/Rut, and consent issues as neither are in a clear state of mind.

dubious consent starts from the dashes after 'He’s not thinking much by the time he finds the omega in the clearing.' until the next set of dashes.

—---

Elijah needed a break from the city, from Niklaus’s ungrateful spitefulness, to spit upon such a gift, as if this wasn’t something he and Rebekah hadn't grieved there lost chances of there own.

A child, somehow Klaus had a child and he snarled at the idea that it was a weakness.

Every king needs an heir, as if that was all a child was, as if Elijah and Rebakah hadn’t longed for children of their own centuries ago. As if that wasn’t the same reason Mikael had pushed them all so hard, pushed them until they were in tears and hurt so much that the aches followed them for days afterward.

The bayou wasn't a place anyone would look for him, but Hayley had mentioned her car, and Elijah had followed the directions she had told him. He may as well gather her belongings that her witches had left as he calmed his temper, besides the threat of werewolves weren't really a danger to him but an inconvenience.

He knew better than to return Klaus's temper with rage of his own, so the peace of nature was an excellent place to take a breath and rethink his approach.

It reminded him of his solo hunts back when he was human, alone with his thoughts.

Marcellus was alive and ruling the closest thing Elijah and his family had as a peaceful home in their long lives. He was their enemy now and Elijah needed to remind himself that so he wouldn't see the child Elijah had briefly hoped he could raise before he learnt Klaus could not handle sharing. He should have known better than to get attached at all but he hadn't managed to keep the distance when met with Marcellus' shy request to learn music.

Instead he had let himself grow close to the boy, losing Celeste in the aftermath and hurting himself and the boy as he closed his walls.

He had cut off that part of himself, finally given up of his Omega half, Celeste would be the last Alpha he let know him, Marcellus the last child he thought about raising, nature had made him infertile even before Mother had, it was time he accepted that.

Now though he could be an uncle, help Klaus realise he wanted this, be there to offer stability and reinsurance, help Hayley adapt into their family.

A new start alongside a new life, and after he had gotten so close to giving Hope for his brother.

He was so deep in his thought that he didn’t notice the change within himself until he found he was loosening his tie, then all at once he recognized the flush of heat that was increasing, the growing fogginess of his thoughts as basic Omega instinct took over.

‘It wasn’t possible’ he thought, his next heat wasn’t due for three decades, and even if it was somehow much earlier, he hadn’t lost himself to his instincts since his first heat. But he wasn’t fourteen now, confused and needy and demanding his siblings to settle in his nest to sooth his aching emptiness.

Elijah choked on his whine, unable to stop the sound.

This was far worse, he wasn’t barely more than a child, easily settled and calmed with cuddles and a hand rested on his head, he needed more.

Bark cracked from the tree as he crawled at it trying to breath through the waves of heat and want.

To just think was a struggle.

It was a losing battle.

—--

Jackson doesn’t know why he’s free of the curse, other than magic somehow, a witch likely but why just him and where was it, if a witch had done it to get something from him.

More questions appear as he starts to notice the hot anger and need growing under his skin, even if he hadn’t experienced a rut while human since before he had accidentally triggered his curse, it was hard to forget.

However before he can even think of something to do about it something gets his attention.

He knows he’s screwed the moment he catches the sweet scent of an Omega in heat, and barely has the chance to wonder why one was all the way out here alone before he was following it.

He’s not thinking much by the time he finds the omega in the clearing.

—--

The omega bucks up against him and he finds himself flipped, suddenly underneath the omega, he ignores the sharp fangs on show as the omega panted instead grinning back to bar his own teeth and a growl.

The human in him was impressed at how far gone the other was in his heat yet still able to react to get control, the wolf's instinct thanks to the curse was stronger and just wanted to sink their teeth into the other’s flesh .

The Alpha was in control however due to his rut and it just found the strength even more attractive.

Strong Omega. Stronger pups, better able to protect theirs. It was a matra going around his head, it just settled it, they were going to claim this Omega, mark him as theirs to keep, to protect.

Clearly he would be a perfect addition to their pack, Omega’s were rarely born into the pack and one strong enough not to be overpowered by the rest of the pack was almost designed for the Alpha.

This one was it.

First he needed to calm the omega, prove his strength and fill it.

So he reached up to cup the other’s neck softly until he found the right grip and scuffed the Omega.

The Omega let out a noise of alarm before slumping limply on his chest, he let out a rumbling pur to get an answering one.

They took a moment to breathe before the Omega started to move, squirming insistently as he mouthed at the other’s neck to find the right place.

He grinned into the skin, before baring his teeth.

When he feels a sharp pain in his own neck, the pain is forgotten under his triumph, his perfect omega already returning the mating bite without need to court him, making them a matched pair, a completed bond.

His now, his omega, his mate, his, nothing could tear them apart.

—-

Jackson stared at the sleeping Omega, good looking, slim, clean shaven and dressed wrong for a stroll through the bayou wearing an expensive suit that Jackson’s pretty sure he had ruined, mid twenties, as far as you could guess with a vampire.

He had spent his rut with a vampire.

No, he had mate-bonded with the vampire, he thought as he noted the mating bite on the other’s shoulder wasn’t healing the way the rest of the bitemarks and bruises he had left, did before his eyes .

He hesitated as he thought of waking him, he had always been told the beginning of the bond affected the Omega more, while the breaking of a bond affected the Alpha more, and the poor timing of his wolf instinct being stronger from the curse had leaked into his rut otherwise he’s sure he wouldn’t have mauled the other as much, not that he needed to worry as the marks weren’t visible anymore.

That and his alpha instincts were screaming at him to let his Omega rest to protect his sleep, he shook them away, he wouldn’t be in this place if he hadn’t made the mistake of following them when he found himself transformed earlier. 

Still he kind of needed to introduce himself to him, get the name of the vampire he bound himself to for the rest of his life, ask the other what the hell he was thinking walking around the bayou in heat? What was he doing in the bayou at all, did he have a death wish? 

He hit with a familiar sharp pain before he did, it seemed his time was up, he swore mentally, was this a game, had some witch freed him from the curse to mess with him or the vampire, he didn’t have time to question anymore and instead forced himself up and away from the stranger that now most of him was very sure was his Omega.

He took more last moment to memorise his new mate’s scent and appearance before he left the clearing, staggering away , it wouldn't do to accidentally kill his omega with a bite.

—

Elijah wakes in the dirt, slightly sore and off centre, he looks at the mess he is and goes to the hotel to clean himself, placing all the clothes in a sealed bag, once he helped settle Hayley in the mansion and dealt with Klaus plans, he would deal with his own, find the man who he had spend his heat with and take it from there.

He just had to ensure Klaus didn't find out, his brother rarely took Elijah dallies with outside alphas well.

He’s so busy planning how to work around Klaus that he doesn’t notice the new mark on his shoulder, supernatural healing already taking the remaining ache from it away but leaving it there.

Klaus daggers him before he can get around to any of that and by the time he is freed from that accursed thing he has far more problems than a unplanned heat.

—-

When Jackson returns to human form on the next full moon he’s very concerned to find while the mating mark stood clear on his neck, proof it had happened and his Omega was alive but there was nothing coming through the link.

No faint emotions, warmth or anything really.

He explained what happened to Oliver and Aiden and by the end of the night the pack, both those that had triggered the curse and those that hadn’t, knew.

They were a pack, they would help him find his missing mate.

#whumpril2024 #whumprilday25 #alt prompt #brain fog #omegaverse #the originals au #elijah mikealson #jackson kenner #elijah x jackson #fanfiction #the originals #the originals fic #AU- Nature's Spare

[crimsonlyinglilly]

Day 24 No Time to Rest

Days late for day 24 of whumpril

and a return to the Soulmark Au, which I need a better name for it, any ideas?

Pretty much just JacksonXElijah as Hayley off to yell at Klaus, took me far longer to write this than I planned, also this was the one that started off for 'Touch staved Day 20'.

---

Jackson had fallen asleep the night before with both soulmates in his arms, it wasn't perfect with Hope not with them and as Elijah had been suffering through their combined venom to settle the new bond that would protect them and the pack from ever suffering the Crescent curse again but it was almost there.

So he wasn't that happy when he woke up to the sound of Hayley getting out of the shower, alone in Elijah's bed.

They had convinced Elijah not to deal with the side effects of the venom alone. And being on the other side of the river was the least amount of distance from Niklaus Mikealson that Jackson could be happy with; he knew that would be shrinking sooner than he’d like.

Like it or not they shared a daughter, because while Hope wasn’t his blood he loved that little girl, she was family, and Klaus’s reaction to them taking her somewhere safe but away from her was to curse the entire pack, so they would settled close enough that Klaus could see and hear his daughter, and with Elijah staying with them he would have even less to complain about.

He was going to miss living in the Bayou but living across from the Mikaelsons would ensure he could keep track of the threats they happen to lure to the city which means he could use it to help protect his pack. 

Elijah had already arranged the apartment across from the abattoir into Jackson’s name during the month since he had been discovered as their third mark while also working to create the spell to free them.

“What are you doing out here?” Hayley's voice carried to the bedroom, the reply came softer forcing Jackson to rely on his supernatural hearing. 

“I had to get a drink.” Elijah sounded better than the night before letting Jackson release the last bit of tension he had been holding since the vampire had revealed his plan to suffer thought to effects of their bites after they had bitten him.

At the reminder one of his hands reached up to trace the small scars left by Elijah's fangs, set in place to match where his name appeared in Elijah's neck.

The anchors for the magic that had joined them all, Hayley had a matching set while Elijah had two larger scars, his bite on the other man's forearm and Hayley’s just above his hip, where they had both had grown up with the strange symbols they had learned were the runes of Elijah's name.

Four scars to bind Elijah to them and the pack and Hayley and himself to Elijah. It had appealed to Jackson when they had explained, an escape from the curse, future protection and Elijah becoming part of the pack in a way no one could argue.

Then Jackson had witnessed as Elijah suffered through the venom and realised Elijah had just added them to the list of people he would harm himself to help and Jackson didn’t like the idea he was now stuck watching as someone who was meant to be important to him care nothing for himself.

Jackson understood loyalty but Elijah took it to another level, he had little to none for himself, which was something he and Hayley would need to change.

“And couldn't make it back?” Hayley’s quip called him from his thoughts, he could see her expression, the slight smile, silent judgement and arched eyebrow.

“I didn't want to disturb either of you.” Elijah excused.

“Waking up to you missing disturbed me more than anything else you could have done returning to bed.” Hayley managed to explain his own thoughts as well.

“Are you going to pick up Hope?” Elijah ignored the clear reprimand in Hayley’s tone to ask.

“Yes.”

“I’ll-” Elijah started,

“No,” she cut him off quickly, “you stay here and recover.”

“I'm fine.” Elijah tried to argue but against Hayley and after they had spent most of last night watching as he suffered from the venom and his nightmares he was going to lose. Jackson’s pretty sure if Elijah hadn’t woken up before them Hayley would have found a way to keep him in it all day.

“Still, Freya is going to be there and you said you already arranged for the place next to the abattoir.” Hayley refreshed the plan, Elijah had only managed to tell them before the impromptu bonding ritual and had too quickly fallen to the venom to explain after, however Hayley had been texting Freya for details.

“I have.” 

“Then I'll explain the plan, Klaus can deal with having her out of his sight for the night and we’ll move in tomorrow.” 

“Are you sure?” Elijah asked.

“Yes, maybe while I deal with your brother, you and Jackson can start packing.” Hayley told Elijah and Jackson listened as she walked further away towards the door, before she called back “Oh and we're taking your bed, large enough for the rest three of us and it may be the months I've spent as a wolf but that was one of the most comfortable things I've slept on.”

Jackson agreed with that as he stretched out on it but it was better with two other bodies beside him though.

“Of course.” Elijah replied just before the door shut.

Jackson forces himself up from the bed as the quiet grows, there was no point being alone in the bed no matter how comfortable, when Elijah was in the living room, it wasn’t like he could get back to sleep, .

He finds Elijah draped across the couch in the sun. Long and lean, for once out of a suit and in looser fitted clothes, Jackson had to drag his eyes away from the bare strip of skin shown from where his shirt had ridden up.

He hadn’t really allowed himself to admire the other man before, only seeing him as competition and since discovering he was their third mark he was mostly dealing with trying not to lose control of his wolf instincts that wanted nothing more than to cover the man in his scent.

Something the other had listened to since Jackson had found more than a few pieces of his clothes in the other man's bedroom, mostly his flannel shirts and Jackson wished he could see the man in them, it would at least help him with the fact he still wanted to drown the man in his scent.

He’s not sure if it easier on Hayley due to her past with Elijah or as a hybrid the wolves instinct weren’t as loud but Jackson is deeply aware that his desire of cover the other is a remnant of his recent time trapped in the body of a wolf full time, it still isn't enough to stop him.

Elijah tensed as he drew closer but he doesn't ask him what he was doing or even open his eyes, Jackson kept watching carefully for any sign that Elijah couldn't remove him, he still wasn’t happy that the pack inbuilt protection for their mates had left Elijah helpless even if it had forced him to stop hiding.

Still he didn't open his eyes as Jackson placed a hand on the back of the couch, his shadow falling over the other making it clear what his plan was, he stayed almost frozen, Jackson noted as he kept watch while he carefully positioned himself over the other.

Slowly so the other could tell him to stop if he wanted.

Once he had settled he moved the hand he had placed on the back of the couch and slipped it under Elijah’s lower back, Elijah reacted only to lift himself up to make it easier.

Jackson was careful with his hand as he realised it had settled just above where Hayley had left her mark, while marvelling that he could wrap his arm around his wrist, the man was slimmer when free of his layer of fabric and suits.

Mentally he sighs, setting his head on the other man’s chest, with his awareness spread out through his body where they touched it was a constant reminder of the freedom from the curse.

Two legs, two arms, fingers, human.

The heart beating under his ear is slower than a humans but still a soothing rhythm.

“You're cooler than you were last night.” he said to fill the silence and to get the other to speak.

“Side effects of the venom,” Elijah explained and Jackson smothered the urge curled around the other tighter from the sheer apathy in his voice as he talks about the thing that had left him crying in his sleep the night before he should care more about something like that, “it caused a fever as my body had to fight it off.”

“So it's more like an infection than venom,” he questions instead of giving into his instinct, “This your normal temperature?”

“Yes.”

“Well that explains how you can walk around in suits in the height of summer.” he said to led them away from the more sober topic, he was pretty sure Elijah wouldn’t want to know why both he and Hayley want to kill his mother again.

“Yes, I suppose it does spare me needing to change all my wardrobe every season.” Elijah replies and Jackson has a small moment wondering about his wardrobe filled with suits that cost more than Jackson could ever imagine, some likely older than New Orleans itself.

“You're colder than Hayley.” he says instead, he thinks bringing up the cost of Elijah clothes might make him a little ill if he thinks too much on it, how much did the suit he ruined last month cost? the one he remembers chewing on as a wolf.

“Hayley’s a hybrid,” he explained ”we're both cooler than you.”

“Then I will be sleeping on you during the summer.” he smirks at the idea, it might be nice to have a cool body to rest on during the height of the humid nights, while watching the other’s face for any reaction.

“You prefer a cool pad over a soulmate.” Elijah opened his eyes, raising an eyebrow to look up at him with an almost expressionless face, Jackson looked down to meet the dark eyes.

“Why pick, when I have both in you.” he told him, softening his smirk to a smile he normally only shared with his family and Hayley.

Jackson watched as Elijah slowly grinned.

Jackson starred as he noticed Elijah’s grin was crooked, he hadn’t really noticed before, Elijah Mikaelson was a flawless immortal, near untouchable and unchanging, like a cold marble statue.

Yet he was, flawed, touchable, warm underneath Jackson, he stared more even as Elijah noticed his inspection, smile vanishing to be replaced by once again the cool look and a raised eyebrow.

It's the sheer contentment he feels, free of the curse, his pack safely returned to their families, his missing soulmate now known and in reach and Hayley to return with Hope today to start a new life tomorrow with all of them, that leads him to speak.

“Your smile’s adorable.” he grinned himself at the other man taking even more pleasure at the open shock and almost shy way Elijah looked away from a moment.

It was a shame he couldn’t blush, Jackson thought.

They settled back into quiet and Jackson let his eyes close, he could rest for a while before they had to plan for the move.

It was the surprise, which he blamed as he didn’t stop himself from letting out the almost moan of pleasure as strong fingers carded though his hair, he opened his eyes to look at Elijah.

The vampire once again had his eyes closed but Jackson knew this was a sign of trust and besides the soft smile of his face was one he had only seen being directed at Hayley or Hope, it seemed he was going to be getting the chance to see beyond the mask the vampire normally allowed the rest of the world to see.

His eyes followed the arm up until he had turned his head slightly to catch sight of the new scar on Elijah's forearm.

He smothered the urge to press a kiss to it, to trace the mark with his tongue, he and Hayley had agreed while Elijah was lost in the delirium to take it slower with their soulmate, besides they both knew Elijah would be more receptive from Hayley.

He was still struggling to deal with the idea that Elijah had known for a year and never admitted to it, had pushed Hayley to marry him while knowing he belonged with them, had tried to convince them to forget it after they discovered the truth.

He blamed the witch Celeste for hiding them from him first and then Elijah's family for somehow convincing him that his soulmates would be better off without him.

That was the first thing he and Hayley were going to unteach him.

He was blaming the soulmarks, to explain his own softening feeling to the formally cold manipulative bastard, so now he could see why Hayley was in love with the man besides the fact he looked pretty in the suits.

Not that he was any less cold and manipulating now, it was just that Jackson also knew what he looked like when he was crying out for his mother to stop or wide eyed as his lies were seen though and lost for words. 

He was reminded of that after about half an hour as Elijah’s fingers vanished from his hair and he felt him freeze beneath him. It was strange to realise how relaxed the other man had been before as he was faced with a throwback to the stone faced man who he first met as he opened his eyes to find a flat eyed expressively vampire staring back at him.

“Two of your pack arrived outside.” Elijah explained shifting himself up on his elbows, Jackson already missed the soft half smile.

“Yes,” he nodded, sliding his arm free from Elijah’s waist to place his hand on the arm rest behind Elijah’s head, he ignored the fact he was clearly straddling the other and Hayley would complain if she returned to find them like this, Jackson was meant to wait but he really didn’t want to let the other move to far from him now, ”they wanted to talk.” he explained, he had gotten the call while Hayley had been trying to get Elijah to drink and keep it down last night to he had been short with them, annoyed at their concern over the trust worthiness of his mate while the man in question suffered a room away..

“About?” Elijah asked as Jackson settled other hand on the other side of Elijah’s head, framing him.

“You.” he answered without moving, Elijah could move him by force he was stronger, he could ask him to move instead Elijah hummed in response.

“More of a reason for us to move.” he implied but made no attempt to escape.

 “I’m comfortable here.” he smirked, his weight resting basically on the others thighs.

“Jackson.“ Elijah sighed, and he realised he wasn’t the only one who had missed intimacy, he and Hayley had been trapped as wolves most of the time, Elijah was alone dealing with Klaus, looking after Hope and mourning his lover, the one Jackson had heard Klaus had made kill herself in front of him.

“I’m comfortable here,” he repeated, leaning closer to the other’s face.

“They won’t be comfortable speaking while I'm here.” Elijah reasoned instead of showing any true want to move himself.

“They speak their objections or they forget them.” Jackson shot back, soulmates were part of a pack the moment they accepted the bond, the names marked down in their pack’s book the moment they appeared on the skin. Elijah’s runes had been written in the book before Jackson had officially had his own name.

Besides Elijah was part of the pack, not just because of his marks but for the hours Jackson had watched him suffer from the venom to free them and protect them from the curse. Sure his family, mostly Klaus were a problem but not one they could remove so what were they expecting any of them to do about it.

“It’s not like you won’t hear them in the other room.” he added after a moment.

“I do have noise cancelling headphones.” Elijah replied.

Jackson blinked at a dozen mental images from the strangeness of a big pair of headphones clashing against the crisp cut of his suits to wondering if the vampire had the same oversensitivity that heightened senses caused freshly triggered wolves.

He knew the older the vampires the stronger they got, did that include their senses? Or had the Originals always been the same strengths?

His life was a lot easier when he didn’t need to care about these things.

“You're the reason, we’re back on two legs.” he tried instead,

“I don't need any appreciation for my deeds.” Elijah sighed

“Proof in that after a thousand years of watching Klaus” he snapped back before he could stop himself, there was a flicker of pain in the other’s face before it vanished as if never there, Jackson reacted without thinking, letting his forehead rest on the other man in silent apology before adding “Your part of the pack now, they need to get used to you.”

There was no noise in the apartment as they're eyes stayed locked inches from each other, Jackson smiled when the other gave in as Elijah sighed and dropped back from his elbows.

“Must I get involved in their little fights?” Elijah asked, his head rating on the arm rest, hair a finger breath from his hand, it itched to reach out and touch the surprisingly silky strands as he had the night before when Elijah was too out of it to remember.

“It would help once but i’m sure you’ll wipe the floor with them,” he grinned down before adding seriously  “just no teeth, for anyone, i've seen enough of you sick.”

“You were such kind nurses.” Elijah smiled, only a hint of mocking it his tone, before Jackson could stop himself he started leaning forward.

A knock at the door stopped him before he kissed the other and broke his promise to Hayley so much for needing to go slow.

“No time to rest.” Elijah spoke and Jackson had to swallow as he almost felt the words on his lips. 

“Doors open.” he called, sitting up slightly but not removing himself from Elijah.

He grinned at the pair of men that entered when he caught the reaction, the moment they recognized the shorter brown hair of the body beneath him wasn’t Hayley.

“Afternoon gentlemen.” Elijah greeted them as if he hadn’t just been arguing against his own inclusion, and that his place laying on the couch under Jackson was completely normal for them.  

Jackson wouldn’t mind if it became that.

#whumpril2024 #whumprilday24 #No Time to Rest #jackson kenner #elijah mikealson #elijah x jackson #elijah x hayley x jackson #fanfiction #the originals #soulmarks au #the originals au #the originals fic

[crimsonlyinglilly]

Day 23 Presumed Dead  

Late for day 23 of whumpril.

Back to Mother’s son, this time without either the main Mother or Son.

Centuries after the monster from Finn's nightmares should have died, Finn learns his mother lied when he reunites with Freya.

---

It’s 1614 and he’s at a winter’s market in Danmark with Sage, spending his last few days with her before he’s expected to return to his siblings and their tiresome squabbles when he hears a familiar name.

Even after centuries, the name always made him freeze.

“Auntie Freya, why are the vampires out in the day?” a young boy's voice carried to him, clear only because of his superior hearing.

“They must know a witch.” another older boy explained, before adding “Don’t point at them, it’s rude, they’ll eat you.”

“NO!” the voice shrieked causing Finn to wince, as it cried “Don’t let them eat me.”

“No ones going to eat you Kare.” a woman’s voice joined them, “and Nik, don’t frighten him.”

He’s already turning to look before he can think better of it. Something screams at him to look, ignoring Sage’s call of his name in concern he vanished from her side.

Three dark haired children jumped as he appeared in front of them and the lighter hair woman with them, the youngest child let out a scream.

He could feel the power coming from the woman that made it clear she was a powerful witch but that wasn't what had him stuck as he starred at her.

“Ahhh! No don’t eat me, I'm sorry.” he pleaded but Finn could barely pay him any mind as he realised who was standing in front of him, looking back at him with the same shock.

“Finn?” she choked out tears appearing in her eyes.

“Freya?” he echoed back in shock, this wasn’t possible, mother said she was dead, Dahlia would have killed her after she took her, the same with Elijah.

But somehow here she was, grown up more than he had ever dreamed.

The reunion was cut as it was more instinct that saved him from the small ball of flame the oldest child summoned, his hand closed around the much smaller one and he truly took in the three with her.

Three pairs of dark eyes watched him, a boy and a girl around early teens, matching dark straight brown hair while the smallest one hid behind the girl, a sister he thought, a few years younger, a mess of dark brown curls being the only thing that separated him from matching his siblings.

Something about seeing fear in the youngest eyes reminded him of someone. 

His last memory of Elijah, the quiet “Finn” as Dahlia explained why she had come.

Elijah, looking at Finn seconds before he walked away with Dahlia. Finn stared more as he noticed it wasn’t just the same age, besides the curls and dark blue eyes the boy was a copy of Finn’s lost little brother.

His eyes moved to the older two who both met his eyes with Elijah’s suspicious glare.

If Freya had lived, why wouldn’t Elijah, the one they had made Dahlia’s own child.

“Nico- Don’t, that’s your uncle.” Freya scolded, proving Finn suspicions, hope and fears all at once.

Mother lied, they lived, and Finn had failed them both by never trying to find and save them.

“Mama’s family is long dead,” the older boy told them as he watched Finn with narrowed eyes, Finn released his hand as he felt a vice-like hand grip his heart. Nico- Niklaus, Elijah had remembered at least one of them. 

“Grandma doesn’t have any other children besides father.” the single girl added, pulling him from his thoughts.

Finn watched as Freya stiffened before he caught the meaning of the words, Grandma as in Dahlia, she had truly claimed Elijah, he tries not to let himself blame Elijah, Esther had given him away it wasn’t a lie after all, still there is a sting of betrayal at the thought of Elijah accepting the woman who stole them as mother.

Freya seemed to read his face, even after so long apart his sister seemed to know what he needed as she crouched down besides the only girl of the children.

“Finnley meet your uncle Finnborn.'' She introduced them and Finn watched as the children seemed to understand something unspoken as they all looked back at him with fascination, the fear vanishing from the older two. “The one your father named you after.”

Elijah named his daughter after him, the meaning was slow to reach him, how and why had Elijah named his daughter any of his children after Finn, when he had done nothing but fail his brother, first by helping mother with her spell, then the years after as he ignoring him, ignored the toddler reaching out for him and worst that final day as Finn had just watched as he walked away and then helped mother convince Niklaus to lie with them to father.

It’s Sage that's already there to steady him as he sways at the thought of it, because of course Elijah would name his children after them; sweet, always to open to trust and love Elijah, stolen from his home and family, he would use names to link his new family and remember the one he lost.

He’s pulled into a hug before he can really regain control of his feelings and sinks into Freya's arms when he realises who it is. He’s not sure who let out a sob first but it doesn’t matter.

Its easy to ignore how much had changed, how small she is in his arms when his memories she was always so much bigger none of that mattered.

She’s alive, Freya’s alive and here with him, Elijah’s alive somewhere and he can make it all up to him, he had a niece and nephews to get to know.

For the first time, besides having an endless time to be with Sage, he’s thankful to mother’s spell to turn them into monsters if he gave him a chance to have this.

Freya, his older sister, in his arms and a future to fix his mistakes.

#whumpril2024 #whumprilday123 #Presumed Dead #fanfiction #the originals #tvd fanfiction #fic #AU- Mother's son #the originals au #freya mikaelson #finn mikaelson

[crimsonlyinglilly]

Day 22 Stoicism Breaks

for day 22 of whumpril

Familiar faces, Set episode 10 of season 3 Originals, before this days 16, 18 and 27 of febuwhump and Day 18 Broken Glass

Elijah miscalculates, Tristan wins and Elias is confused.

----

Elijah felt a wave of unease as he felt a sudden weight of magic fall upon him; he knew he let something show past his mask as he noticed the way Tristan’s eyes lit up before he closed his eyes in an automatic attempt to shake off the sudden weight.

—-

Elijah opened his eyes wondering when he closed it until instead of the cemetery and Tristan’s smug face he found himself staring at a white ceiling.

One he knew.

No! he swallowed, slowly shifting his body, twisting his wrists against the restraints; the padded cuffs, hearing the metal bed frame crack under him, feeling the thin white blanket through the thin equally white scrubs that patients who couldn’t be trusted to follow the rule were left to wear.

EJ hadn’t worn them for years when he made his escape attempt, he had been so careful to follow the rules until he found an opening, he waited for years just too make sure it wouldn’t be caught before it was too late if they realised his plans.

It felt too real but it couldn’t be.

Still he remembered the itchy feeling of the fabric, the panic it used to cause him even in the life that followed and why mum and dad always made sure to get Elijah the softest clothes they could. 

“Oi, Coma boy’s awake!” a loud voice shouted, he turned his head to see another man in similar clothes.

Benny, the one who had told him how to hotwire a car once when Elijah was bored, Elijah had forgotten the greys in his hair and the timber of his voice but now it was so clear.

This wasn’t real, it was a dream, a memory of the past it had to be.

But Elijah had never been admitted to the medical ward for injures to his wrists before until his escape.

“Oh! you're awake,” the nurse smiled at him, one of those that had known EJ before he had chosen that name, “your cousin will be pleased.” 

“Cousin?” the word came from him without his plan, this wasn’t real, he wanted it to stop.

“Mr Salvatore.” she answered with a flicker of concern.

Zee? He thought with a flicker of hope, No! He shook his head, he had died, he escaped, he was Elijah Gilbert, he remembered everything, he was Elijah Mikaelson.

EJ Salvatore died.

He couldn’t do this again, couldn't take being trapped and imprisoned anymore.

Knowing that didn’t make any of this feel any less real, didn’t help the growing panic and desperation.

Not this, please.

“He’s been very consistent, calling every few days.” She continued blind to Elijah’s growing distress.

“Yeah, even visited a few times, thinking he’d get bored after the third month.” Benny added nodding.

“Month? How long have i- what's the date?” he changed his question mid way through, a pit growing in his stomach.

“22nd of June 1992.” she said the date as if it was just another day.

No, that was his and Elena’s birthday, he couldn’t be here, he was meant to be getting his parents.

“Fine, Tristan.” he sighed heavily clawing for his control, ignoring the two people who weren’t real, who couldn’t be.  “you win, release me.” he called towards the white ceiling he hates.

“Tristan? Whose that?” The nurse asked, looking as if she wasn’t trying to remember if there was another patient with that name.

“Ah!” Benny let out a noise of amusement, “I heard about people living their whole lives in their coma, is that what you were doing? Come one EJ share with us-” the rest of his word vanished under the loud beat of Elijah’s heart, it felt like a hole opened up in his chest as the idea settled.

It would make sense a world where he had a loving pair of parents, where his dreams were real and he wasn’t insane, where Zee and him were close, where he was one of the strongest being around, where he was helpless, imprisoned for his own good, relying on medication to keep him from breaking apart.

No that wasn’t true, it was real, this wasn’t, he shook his head, but the hand that touch his skin felt real, warm alive

He died, he escaped, this can’t be real.

No No No, the word repeated around his head as he denials failed to help him calm down not this, not here, not again

His calm and control shattered.

“LET ME OUT!” he screamed.

—

Tristan will treasure the memory of Elijah's face as he notices the spell moments too late, the flicker of annoyance giving way to a second of fear before Elijah closed his eyes and Elias opened his eyes to stare back at Tristan.

“Sir?” his pet asked.

“Elias.” he smiled “How are you feeling?” he questioned as he reached out for the boy.

“Confused” the boy admitted, leaning into the touch while looking around them, “where are we?”

Tristan kept his smiled up as he started to lead him away, he had some time before he would visit the wolves and collect his message for Klaus, time to enjoy reconnecting with his pet, to watch as his Elias stripped out of the suit Elijah Mikaelson dressed in that morning.

—-

Elias kept his questions to himself after Mr Martel didn’t explain where they were, instead he lean into him and looked around at the new place, new city, as he ignored the screaming pleas echoing around his head.

#whumpril2024 #whumprilday22 #Stoicism Breaks #tvd fanfiction #au- Familiar faces #the vampire dairies au #the originals au #fanfiction #the vampire diaries #elijah mikaelson #tristan de martel

[crimsonlyinglilly]

Day 20 Touch Starved

Several Days late for day 20 of whumpril

the original day 20 developed so much I didn't think it fit anymore.

So here's more Mother's son, from Dahlia Pov so not a positive review of Esther's mothering skills.

----

It takes Dahlia months to realise that the reason her son stills at her touch isn’t solely due to her actions claiming him or the nasty overreaction she had left on Elijah’s mind.

She couldn’t have her child, the boy Esther had made hers, call her sister that, Esther didn’t deserve a child she betrayed to call her mother. Dahlia would be better but still her anger had powered her magic and shaped the spell in a way that had been admittedly harsher than she had planned.

The boy himself had adapted quickly and in response, took to answering any and all of her questions about his family and life in short one word answers forcing her to use the precise wording to learn what she wanted.

Still Freya’s glare everytime Elijah cried out and gripped his head, when he mistakenly used or thought of the wrong word to refer to Esther or herself, had only left her angrier at Esther.

That anger and bitterness grew as she learned that Elijah’s stillness happened around all adults, that even Freya’s frequent surprise hugs caused Elijah to freeze for a moment.

It easy to link Elijah’s wariness around men to the bute Esther chose, and her rage at the idea of that man laying hands on her son was the only thing that eclipsed her disappointment at her sister. The woman who had bargained her firstborn away to have children had seemingly failed to care for all those that she got.

Was Elijah’s issues something only he had developed, had she pointedly kept her distance from the child she had made Dahlia’s, was it solely due to Elijah’s resemblance to her but Dahlia doubted that after all her sister had left a fourteen year old, nine year old and five year old to wander far from home alone, after all.

Elijah viewed praise with confusion and almost distrust, even as she made sure she regularly complimented him as he followed her instructions and learned control with a rigid unwavering focus she wouldn’t have expected of a child his age. 

Far quicker than she had expected when he magic had multiplied at their first touch as their family magic realised that Elijah being her son made him a first-born and delivered the magic he was due. Taking Elijah from barley having enough magic to count as a tapped witch to equaling Freya a few years ago, the shock had been useful to convince Elijah of offer himself and his magic to her, allowing her to add his magic to hers and Freya’s before she had even returned to her niece, but she had been annoyed at the thought of spending years training the boy control.

Elijah was just as unused to any physical affection aside from that she assumed of his younger siblings. He hadn’t hesitated or flinched from tiny Niklaus as she had watched that day, but when she laid an hand on his shoulder or carefully, somewhat stiffly, it had been a while since she had needed or wanted to offer comfort to another, pulled him into a hug he was tense for several moments before he relaxed.  

She also noted the way he hugged Freya back tighter on the times he froze, held on longer, that sometimes he followed her as she drew back, unconsciously following her touch.

Dahlia had felt the way his hands trembled to stop himself reaching back to hold her too, torn between his obvious want for comfort and quiet resentment towards her.

Elijah may never lover her, his first memory of her was as she tormented his older brother and threatened his younger one before stealing him away, she herself had linked herself to pain in his mind. But she was going to undo the damage Esther’s neglect had done.

—--

Elijah hated the way he leaned into mother’s touch, the way even as he reminded himself why he should hate her; he worked to impressed her, to make her proud for the brief gentle touch he got in reward, a hand on his cheek or though his hair, the press of lips to his forehead or stiff awkward hug.

It wasn’t like he was completely staved of positive touch, Freya was always there with a hug or offering her hand, she'd play with his hair and trust him with hers.

Freya was his sister, no matter what the truth of that was, but Dahlia was giving him the attention he had longed for from mother, what he had watched her do with Finn and Klaus and wondered why he never got the same.

Well he knew why now, didn’t he.

He still couldn’t let himself give in, she made sure he couldn’t call her anything but mother but he couldn’t forget how he came to her; not after the last time he saw his brothers, Finn still on the ground recovering from her making him scream and the last thing Elijah heard was his little brother, his Klaus crying begging him to come back.

#whumpril2024 #whumprilday20 #Touched Starved #fanfiction #the originals #tvd fanfiction #fic #the originals au #dahlia to #elijah mikaelson #klaus mikaelson #AU- Mother's son #elijah and dahlia

[crimsonlyinglilly]

Day 19 “I need you.”

For day 19 of whumpril

Familiar faces, set in 1887, Rebekah wakes from Klaus's latest destruction of her future and speaks to Elijah.

----

Rebekah sits alone after Nic leaves with Marcel, the sound of her heartbroken demand to ‘Get out! Leave!’ left ringing in the air.

Fifty years, Klaus had stolen fifty years.

Marcel had chosen him over her.

Klaus had taken him from her anyway.

She moved without thought to the familiar coffin, Kol’s was locked likely to stop her from freeing him, Finn’s wasn’t which meant he was still free. Rebekah had pushed for him to leave to travel with Sage, unwilling to get him mixed up if she was caught with Marcel.

Even if she hadn’t thought their brother would dagger her for so long she knew the terror Finn couldn’t hide.

She wondered if he had returned during her time in the coffin, sending Klaus silent judgement over her being daggered, the way he did over Kol.

Elijah would have argued for her, she thinks, he might have even helped her convince Klaus to be happy for her and Marcel.

She choked on the bitter laugh at the thought, as if Klaus hadn’t driven a wedge between Marcel and Elijah in their brother’s last days with them, as if his jealousy over Marcel loving anyone else hadn’t led to him undaggering Kol and starting the events that had left Elijah cursed.

There was a limit on what even Elijah could manage with Niklaus, otherwise he wouldn’t have ended up there, still that didn’t mean she missed him any less.

She took an unneeded breath before she lifted the lid and met the still view of her brother, unchanged since she had last seen him.

“Hello Elijah” she smiled as she greeted, ignoring the burning in her eyes and hitch in her breath.

She’d ask Klaus, why he had moved their brother down here, when before she had been daggered his coffin remained in his room, she’d argue about it later, Elijah didn’t deserve to be left in the dark cellar to be forgotten about

“I miss you.” she confessed as she ran a hand though his soft silky hair and blinked back tears as she longed for the warm smile he would give her. The calm soothing voice that she wonders if she’ll forget one day, fears she’s already forgetting it.

The sharp witty words he could cut down their brother with, the comfort he always offered when Klaus killed another lover.

Something she had failed to help him with after Celeste, she had always wanted to know if she had been better at helping him in his grief. Maybe he wouldn’t have been tricked to meet the witches and been cursed.

“I hope you're doing well in whatever life you're living now.” she told him to fill the silence.

—-

Amelia smiled as Elijah shrieked in joy as her husband picked him up. 

She prayed this brief respite from his illnesses would stay, the doctors had warned them that her son’s small body, made frailer by the past episodes, would likely not survive many more. 

The pair of them waved at her, Elijah copying his father, she swallowed back a grief that grew everyday and started to join them.

Her baby was a fighter, but they wouldn’t let him fight alone, every moment they had him they would love him.

—-

“Come back to me, please.” Rebekah whispered uselessly to the still body.

She hadn’t thought anything would be worse than standing helpless as watching as Elijah was in pain in his sleep, unable to help as the witch’s spell turned his soul against his body, leaving him to burn within his mind, unable to escape.

She was wrong; the nothing was worse, the absence of any life within her brother, the empty body they were left with when another witch had used Rebakah’s plan to steal Elijah’s soul before they could return it to his body.

Then released it into the world with only a single tie, meaning her brother was tied to this world, separated from them, alone in the world, yet still barred from never being able to get peace.

“I need you.” she spoke to him, pressing her lips to her forehead, ignoring the tear that escaped her to land on his cheek.

“I love you, big brother” She told him before she closed the lid, hoping somewhere he was loved and one day he could tell her it back.

#whumpril2024 #whumprilday19 #“I need you.” #tvd fanfiction #au- Familiar faces #the vampire dairies au #the originals au #fanfiction #the vampire diaries #elijah mikaelson #rebekah mikaelson

[crimsonlyinglilly]

Day 18 Broken Glass

For day 18 of whumpril

Familiar faces, Set episode 10 of season 3 Originals, follows after this days 16, 18 and 27 of febuwhump.

Elijah deals with the consequences of his own overconfident and underestimation of Tristan.

Hayley and Jackson happen to time their talk at a bad time but manage catch Elijah before he does something drastic

Warnings for self harm and discussion of drug use, withdrawal and self harm.

----

It was a good thing Elijah was familiar to muscle aches, from his episodes and gymnastics or his problem would have been noticeable during their confirmation to deal with Tristan. He wouldn’t want Tristan going into the dark with the belief he won anymore than Elijah wanted him to.

Yes Elias had loved him, but to Elijah he was nothing and would be forgotten.

He just needed to get through this, the after effects that Tristan likely hadn’t even thought for or planned.

Elijah didn’t like his reflection, he had gotten used to the fact it was never the right face looking back at him, too old, too young, black eyes and a wide smile or blood covered, this time it looked like he felt tired and fragile.

With his hair a mess from the way he had been pulling at it, he looked like an addict jonesing for a fix.

It wasn’t completely wrong.

Klaus was away helping Cami, Freya had human hearing and should hear it and Sage had gone out for the night after making him promise to stay inside. He’d complain about her protectiveness but he brought her back for this reason and then foolishly went off alone, placed himself back into Tristan's hands and ended up reliving his last two lives at the same time.

Dealing with the itch under his skin he hadn’t had to deal with for decades and hoped he never would again.

So he shattered the mirror, uncaring of the sound it would make or the broken glass that was going to cut him.

If he fell back into old habits he'd be dead within weeks OD-ing the moment he got high enough to forget his current body didn’t have years of build up endurance.

It made it better, easier to ignore the burning itching under his skin when he could focus on the burning stinging cuts now decorating his hand. The ache from his chest and the ghost of a feeling of Tristan’s hand in his chest had long faded.

He had hoped dealing with Tristan would chase away the lingering consequences of his brief return to Elias, knowing Tristan was trapped.

It hadn’t.

He had barely had a taste of his once addiction, Tristan wanting to use his time with his pet in other ways, and yet the hunger for it was back.

He had already healed those bitemarks and bruises but removing them had just left him with the withdrawal.

The burning itch, the need, the skin crawling. 

He wasn’t a desperate run away on the street anymore, looking for a way to first escape his nightmares and the black eyed monster in his reflection and then the memories of what he did to earn the money for his habit.

He was Elijah Mikaelson, one of the original vampires, currently a witch that had power others would flinch from.

Reminding himself of that didn’t get rid of the crawling under his skin, the trembling that was trying to take over his limbs..

He swallowed as he eyed the broken glass in the sink, red staining white.

Before he could reach it the door slammed against the wall and two hands settled on his arm.

He pulled his eyes away from the remains of the broken mirror and his blood staining them and the sink to look at intruders.

Hayley and Jackson stared at him in horror, anger and concern.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, smiling at them as if nothing was wrong as the words came out calm and controlled. 

Surely the married couple should be at home comforting each other at the pain and near loss they had suffered today, because of Elijah’s first sired, the grudge he had created and the personal army he had also made for Tristan to use.

“We came here to talk to you.” Jackson explained as Hayley seemed speechless as she took him in, Elijah shifted his shoulders slightly, as he realised what a mess he likely looked like, the movement caused Jackson to release his arm but Hayley just pulled it closer to her examining his glass littered skin..

“What do you think you were doing?” Hayley snapped pulling him from the sink, Jackson followed as she pulled him from the bathroom..

Elijah was at a loss, first in how to explain his actions that wouldn’t worry her more or sound so obviously a lie and second why she was here, so instead of speaking he stayed quiet.

She pushed him to sit on the bed, sending Jackson a look over Elijah’s head that he couldn’t muster the strength to try to read before she vanished back into the bathroom, returning with his first aid kit.

“I’m not going to ask you to heal that.” she told him as she ignored the collection of healing plants and pulled out the rest of the tools. “You don’t really look in the head space.”

“I’ve already healed the rest of the damage” he told her realising as he struggled to focus on either of them she was right about his head space, his skin was crawling and his attempt to control his jitteriness had failed as he noticed he couldn’t stop the way his legs were bouncing. 

“Tristan got into your head.” Hayley said more likely to herself as she treated his hand, plucking out shards of broken glass.

“He trapped me in my own head.” he replied, as he switched his glaze between Hayley and Jackson, he wasn’t sure what to say, why they were here or how to convince them he was fine and that they didn’t need to bother themselves, he rarely struggled with knowing the right words to get what he wanted but now he was useless.

Neither of them should be stuck dealing with Elijah as he failed to keep control of himself, he was a thousand years old he could deal with memories of a damaged teenager.

Apparently not.

“You want to tell us what happened between the pair of you?” Jackson’s voice broke the silence that had grown and Elijah looked up from where he had lost himself watching Hayley work on her hand to be surprised that Jackson was sitting on the bed beside him instead of standing.

Was he really that unaware? He had never been so careless around Mr M- Tristan.

“He was my first s-” he winced as Hayley pulled a partially deeply embedded piece of glass free.

“We got that,” Hayley interrupted him, bringing his attention back to her “that doesn’t explain why you followed him into the warehouse.” ‘or why he kissed you’ Elijah thinks she also wants to ask. 

“I’m guessing it happened sometime since you lost your original body.” Jackson added as Elijah stared at Hayley.

Elijah thought about correcting him that he hasn’t lost his original body, it was downstairs besides his sibling’s coffins but instead gave them the answer they were after, the sooner he said it the sooner they could move on and never think of that life.

“Tristan found a messed up teenager on the streets and had him for about a year. He wanted his pet to love him and he got what he wanted.” it was easier to explain as if Elias was another person, to put some distance between them, like Elijah didn’t remember desperate for his praise, as if he couldn’t feel his own happiness at Tristan’s gentle touch.

“You loved him.” she almost choked of those words, stopping her work to stare at him,in horror-pity-disgust, Elijah couldn’t tell.

“Elias did.” He tried to correct them but even his own voice was shaky and unsure.

“Stockholm syndrome.” Jackson mused leaning closer to Elijah to see Hayley better perhaps, Elijah couldn’t help but melt into him, warm-solid-real, better than the strange floaty feeling he had started to feel besides the itch under his skin.

Some small part of him noticed the way Jackson froze for a moment but that part was quickly losing against the hunger and need for a fix.

“He’s gone now.” He shrugged, already tired of any more talk of Tristan. “these no need to pay him anymore, mind.”

“Then what was this about? you hurt yourself.” Hayley asked as she finished taping down the bandage.

“A distraction.” the answer escaped him before he realised how bad it would sound if he expanded on it.

“What?” she asked 

“I needed a distraction.” he offered instead of what she really wanted, he couldn’t admit what he was, that even after a whole new life he was still a desperate addict.

“And cutting up your hand and arm was what you chose?” she said incredulously. Elijah stared at his bandaged hand not looking at either of them as he chewed the inside of his lip to stop himself from adding anything else, he could feel the weight of Hayley’s stare but she made no move to let go of his hand and with Jacskon at his side it was nice, not to be alone. 

“You're shaking” Jackson’s words distracted him and Hayley from wordless standoff, any words he had stalled on his tongue as Jackson spoke again. “Withdrawal?”

Elijah glared at his other hand, the one not held by Hayley, that had joined his legs, moving without his permission.

“From what?” Hayley asked, he didn’t look up from her hand moved from his wrist to carefully curled around his bandaged own. “Elijah.” she called, ducking her head into his view to catch his eyes.

It was Hayley’s tone and the way she looked at him that had him giving in, the lack of judgement.

“Heroin.” he admitted, it wasn’t much, more likely Tristan had given it to him out of amusement than true attempt to harm but it had brought his memories of Elias’s withdrawal with it and while his body didn’t really need it his mind thought they did.

There was a growl from Hayley.

“He drugged you.” Jackson spoke, while his tone didn’t carry any feeling Elijah looked between them to notice a growing yellow colour to their eyes

“It wasn’t much,” he tried to reassure them. “give it a few hours and it will pass.”

“A few hours.” Hayley echoed.

Elijah shifted slightly leaning away from Jackson and then violently shuddering at the sudden chill that sinks deep into his bones.

“What did you want to talk about?” he asked looking between the two, the sooner they spoke the sooner they could leave and no longer waste their time on him failing.

“Not while you're like this.” Jackson said quickly, Elijah looked up to meet the other’s eyes, finding himself closer than he had expected.

“My mind is clear, it’s just my body’s reactions.” he countered, his mind was mostly clear, he admitted to himself as found he couldn’t remember when he had returned to leaning against Jackson’s side.

“So you need some sleep and you'll be free of this in the morning?” Hayley queried, forcing him to look back to her.

He nodded, not at all surprised as Hayley pulled him up and started to help him into the bed, he allowed her, too tired to bother trying to argue, relieved he had thought to change out of his suit earlier for a looser set of clothes.

He was a little surprised when Jackson and her didn’t leave once Elijah let her man handle him into his own bed.

“We came to talk about our relationship.” Jackson explained, Elijah blinked perhaps he was wrong and his mind was affected because the words were not making sense. 

Relationship, ‘our’ as in the three of them, he was in love with Hayley which he thinks she might return, but she was married and loved Jackson, he remembered her screams in the warehouse, the fact that it had broken through to the nightmare he was trapped within his mind.

Jackson loved Hayley.

Elijah's reluctant admiration and attraction towards Jackson was one sided.

So he wasn’t sure where they were getting with the ‘our’.

“Yeah.” Jackson nodded at Elijah’s silence, “ so we’ll talk about it after you’ve slept this off.”

“Easier said than done.” He couldn't help but argue slightly, being left alone with this feeling and his own thoughts was the last thing he wanted or needed. 

He wouldn’t undo Hayley’s care and work binding his hand but once they left he could find another way to distinct his body's nerves and heal it with magic in the morning once the worst of it had passed.

Hayley and Jackson looked at each other in silent communication. Elijah had to accept he really did need sleep as he found himself again unable to read a thing that passed between them, normally he was better at this.

“Well you're not going to be alone.” Hayley told him and Elijah couldn’t stop his audible noise of confusion as both of them started undressing slightly to join him in the bed.

Maybe Tristan had given him more than he thought, as he watched in stunned silence as the bed shifted and he found himself between the married couple.

His bed wasn’t too small, it was twice the size of his bed back in mystic falls and yet he still found himself sandwiched between the two, one of Hayley’s hands reaching out to entwine with his bandaged one as the over reached over him to hold Jackson’s.

He felt Jackson’s other arm move to rest above their heads, nothing was making much sense to Elijah as he laid in the quiet, but the feeling of both of the either side of him was working as a much better distraction than the cuts had as he couldn’t feel the itching under his skin.

He closed his eyes and decided to stop thinking. Hopefully in the morning he could think clearer and he could understand what was going on.

#whumpril2024 #whumprilday18 #Broken Glass #tvd fanfiction #au- Familiar faces #the vampire dairies au #the originals au #fanfiction #the vampire diaries #elijah mikaelson #jackson kenner #hayley marshall #elijah x hayley x jackson

[crimsonlyinglilly]

#dahlia the originals #dahlia to #dahlia #the originals #tvdu #the vampire diaries #tvd #claudia black #asexual #aroace #acespec #aromantic asexual

[crimsonlyinglilly]

Day 17 Hallucination

Day 17 for whumpril

A little late despite having 2 days to finish it because I got distracted sewing layers of lace onto Plush Elijah's 1820 jabot collar

Lady Elijah - Silas could get what he wanted easily but he sees a chance to ensure the originals don't get in his way. Elijah's world is shattered as she remembers what was taken from her.

----

She‘s waiting for Rebekah leaning against the wall in a way that would have left her facing judgement for her unladylike posture, even after it being centuries since she had dressed the part of a lady. One of the many improvements in the last few decades, the technology and the ability to wear her suits without useless judgement and prejudice. 

The loss of two brothers however has her longing for a time when she still wore dresses, and here she stood waiting to see if she’d be losing another sibling, her only sister. 

Waiting to see if Rebekah was truly sure about her want for a human life and it wasn’t another impulsive desire. If she could manage being human after so long being out of touch with it.

As much as it would hurt to watch as Rebekah aged and died, to lose another sibling but if it was a way for Rebakah to escape the fate their parents had cast upon them, for her to live free of Klaus’s possessive control then Elijah would accept it.

Still the sight of Rebekah returning in her dress causes her to smile, she is glad her sister got to experience some of the life they lost.

“You're home.” She calls, wishing she could feel the same pure warmth of affection with her remaining other sibling, “And how did our Cinderella fare?” She asked, still unsure if she would deny Rebekah the very thing their parents had stolen from them centuries ago.

“I won't lie. There were complications.” Rebakah started pausing slightly before finishing with a smile “But I passed your test with flying colours.”

“If this is what you truly want.” She told her as she walked towards her “it's yours.” She said, pulling the cure from her pocket.

With this she would be done, Rebekah could have the cure and Elijah would finally look for peace of her own and leave with Katarina, leave Klaus to lash out at the world, Elijah had lost the last fifty years with Finn and Kol because of Klaus’s paranoia was tired of watching as Klaus hide his own emotions behind anger, echoing and becoming like Mikael even more as time went on.

However instead of reaching out to take it Rebakah stared at her, and opened her mouth to speak, Elijah took a step back as the voice that came out wasn’t Rebekah’s

“Impressive magic.” a voice that sounded like Stefan Salvatore said.

Elijah took another step back as a shiver crawled up her spine at something in the tone she couldn’t name but made her instincts scream.

Her hand tightened around the cure as she blinked and her little sister was replaced by the younger Salvatore brother.

“Silas?” She asked, narrowing her eyes, he ignored her, leaning back to look at her.

“You know you're missing your memories” he told her and she couldn’t help the way she froze, only Finn and Sage knew about that and both were dead, “but can’t even try to get them back. The spell blocks you from even thinking to try.” he finished with a chuckle.

She swallowed as she realised it was true despite knowing she was missing years, she had never looked for a way to get them back.

“Pretty smart. Keeping the memories locked away within your mind but spelling you to never try to recover them.” He kept speaking, more to himself than Elijah who found herself wordless. “If the witch was powerful enough to do that they could have killed you and yet they didn’t.”

She took another step back, aware there was little she could do against him, Klaus’ descriptions of his torment made that clear but deeply disliking the internet in the other’s eyes as he followed her backwards.

“I wonder what they hid from you.” he queried outloud and Elijah mentally cursed as her heel hit the steps and suddenly she found herself being slightly towered over by Not-Stefan Salvatore.

Part of her wanted to ask why Silas had chosen that appearance when she had come to believe he used the appearance of people he targets were close to, Miss Forbes for his brother, surely it would have made more sense to keep the appearance of her sister. 

“Let's find out, shall we?” he smiled at her, not waiting for an answer before  reaching towards her with a gesture. 

All thoughts of wondering about the other’s appearance fled her head as she felt something break within her mind.

Behind the man she saw herself making a deal with an elderly man, offering her protection of the man’s coven from other witches in exchange for them hiding her from other witches, mostly those that could have been asked to find her.

Finn told her to live for herself, she would.

Silas’s appearance changed, pulling her attention from the hallucination-memory back to the man towering in front of her, from Stefan Salvatore to another, tanned skin of the Mediterranean, darker freckles covering his cheeks, laughing brown eyes and darker curls.  

A stranger, someone she didn’t know until she did.

Baltesar.

She choked on a sob as she remembered him, the man who managed to get past her walls, who had accidentally thrown his experiment notes in her face when trying to court her.

Her husband.

Who made her human and gave her the chance to have what her parents had taken when  they killed her.

The brilliant man who had managed to undo mother’s spell simply to see if he could, who reminded her how to be human and gave her months of it and a child.

Henrique.

She remembered losing that humanity, bleeding to death in the birthing bed but it was fine as her final memory was of her son’s cry.

And then waking up again, swallowing back her hunger for blood after months without needing her control, to demand her baby.

Holding the tiny precious bundle, her miracle.

Mikael had found them once, having left the protection to show Henrique the world, coming across him with her son on her hip.

Seeing a side of the man who was her father that she thought from a dream from her earliest years, watching him being oh so gentle with Niklaus as he introduced himself to her son while Elijah had been frozen.

“Where's my grandson?” he had asked that last time in New Orleans and Elijah hadn’t understood, she had deep down, but the memories were hidden from her, no wonder he hadn’t demanded anything else.

Where was her son?

Tiny hands clinging to her leg but she couldn’t move, magic locking her body so she couldn’t, to matter how much she tried to fight against it, pull him into a hug, shield him from the horror, protect him at all.

Because Esther had sold him, stole all their firstborns and never told them.

—

“Niece.” The older woman had greeted, as Elijah could hear the family prepare around them, an unrelated witch managed to get to their home, powerful to get through their defences, they had to prepare their spells, it was Elijah talks to buy them time.

But she was confused at the woman’s familiarity. 

“My, my, you do take after me it seems,” the woman had observed as she looked Elijah over as she stepped across the threshold, and Elijah had suddenly realised who it was “did your mother ever tell you about me?” Dahlia asked.

Once, when she had gained the courage to ask Esther where her dark hair came from, shortly before Kol’s birth. She had sat frozen as mother brushed her hair and spoke of an older sister.

One that grew bitter, cold and cruel by the end Elijah had been biting back her pain as mother braided her hair too tight.

She remembered Finn fixing her hair afterwards, as he noticed her discomfort while mother hadn’t.

She flinched at the memory as she looked between the dark haired woman, trying not to compare herself to her, as far too much of her childhood started to make sense and she noticed the other woman following behind Dahlia reluctance being screamed at by her body posture.

A woman that looked like a mix of Finn and Rebekah.

Elijah's mind started adding things together as she remembered an early memories, of Finn telling her of a monster that had stolen Freya before mother had caught him and told Elijah to forget.

Baltesar’s hand caught hers as he noticed her reaction, and she realised she had started to shake.

Cold and cruel were certainly fair descriptors of the smile that met her as the woman noticed her weakness.

“It seems she told you something.” her smiled shifted a little to hold amusement but even that was cold.

Elijah took an unneeded breath and smiled back, empty and cold.

“Why are you here?” she asked, making sure her voice was clear, strong and calm, and hoped very hard that she was wrong, that there was another reason mother’s sister stood in the entry of her home with her own, should be dead, older sister standing behind her, refusing to look at any of them.

“I’ve come for what is mine.”

—

“Hand it over.” Baltesar’s voice comes softly and she barely notices as her hand moves almost without her control to hand the cure over.

Elijah doesn’t see Silas smile as he opens the box to cure it, she’d lost in her memories of the worst night of her life. 

—

Her denial and refusals to nothing as Dahlia watches her, judges her.

She remembered Dahlia raising her hands and every heartbeat of her family but her son’s stopping, knowing they were dead before they hit the ground.

Her husband's hand falling limp from hers, feeling his body crash against her legs. 

The sound of her brother-in-law, her best friend falling, taking the chair with him to the floor, when moments before he had been laughing with them.

Dead, all of them, some of the most powerful and brilliant witches, people who had welcomed her into the family, years of her life where she had managed to be happy at peace, Gone. 

“Daddy! Uncle! Mama, what's wrong with them?” Henrique calls leaving Elijah’s side to try to wake up Baltesar, and Elijah finds herself frozen unable to follow him down, unable to keep him by her side. 

“Mama!”

He returns to hiding behind her as he notices Dahlia grow closer to them, Elijah feels his tiny fingers gripping her through the fabric, but no matter how much she fights the magic holding her in place, she can’t return his touch, can’t hold him, can’t do anything.

She feels the moment Dahlia sends him into a spelled sleep, the way he slumps against her, her body at least slowing him down so he wouldn’t hurt himself in the fall.

“You can’t.” she manages to choke out past either her own horror keeping her mute or magic.

“I’m sorry my dear,” Dahlia offers her as the other woman, Freya, steps past them to pick up her baby, she feels the fabric of her skirt pull as even in the spelled sleep Henrique tried to hold onto her “but it was a deal.” Elijah hates she can see the honesty in the other’s face, hates how much she resembles her aunt.

But more than that she hates mother, for everything, for making this deal in the first place, for seeing this woman instead of her own daughter, for never warning them of this, for making them into monsters.

Her death was too quick even at the hands of her favourite son, Elijah wishes she could have had the chance to make it slower/

“Not one of mine,” She snapped back, “Esther had no right to barter my child away.” she snarled, letting lose all her control as she pulled against the magic. Showing just what a monster she was, what was the point in a mask of humanity when she was losing all that mattered to her.

Her muscles screamed as they tore and shredded but they healed just as quick , Elijah got a moment of satisfaction and hope as she felt the magic give way and she lunged.

Her knees hit the ground seconds later as Dahlia stepped back to avoid her and with a wave of her hand made Elijah's mind feel on fire.

She ignored the pain and attempted to crawl forwards, she just needed to get her hands on the woman.

“My child.” it came out as a mix of a growl and a whine.

Her baby, her son, they couldn’t take him away, he was the one person she hadn’t failed yet. She couldn’t live with the fact she failed him to.

“Oh child.” Dahlia’s voice was sympathetic as she knelt, Elijah went to lunge for her throat only for her body to collapse underneath her, exhaustion overwhelming her. “Fear not, I won’t make you live with this, it will be far easier without an immortal after us.”

Dahlia may have taken her memories to protect herself from having to deal with an enraged immortal following after her but Elijah had seen pity in her eyes.

—-

She doesn’t see Silas walk away instead she sees Dahlia’s back as she leaves, Henrique spelled asleep held by the sister that had only looked at her once with a gaze full of sorrow.

Freya knew what was to come, Freya had a warning.

Esther had killed them to keep her secret.

Finn knew and had never told her. 

She gagged as she fell to her knees, gravel biting into her skin though her trousers, she ignored the ringing phone and tried to breath, to grasp hold of any piece of control.

She had forgotten them all, walked out of a house full of corpses that were her family and felt nothing but worse she had forgotten her baby, left her son to suffer under the woman that had killed their family.

She failed him like everyone else she had ever loved.

Henrique had grown up without her, had he been waiting for her to come to rescue him all while she hadn’t even tried to get her memories back to get him back.

No one is around to hear her scream, the raw sound of grief and rage, the mourning cry she hadn’t managed centuries before.

—-

Her throat is raw when Rebekah arrives, having run from the prom when her calls went unanswered, the fact there was still a croak to it as she tried to reassure her that nothing was wrong was a sign of the damage she had done, that it would take her healing time.

She manages to make the right words and face to explain that she lost the cure of Silas, apologies about losing Rebekah chance at humanity, even as her mind recalls reading through Baltesar’s notes that had led to her own brief return to humanity.

Rebekah is a little harder to convince to drop her concern; it would seem finding her older sister kneeling alone in front of their house had shaken her, but Elijah did her best to convince her she was fine. 

She’d apologise to Katarina about the end to their plans but if there was one thing Katarina would understand it was this. Katarina had been the only one to notice and explain to Elijah what the marks she couldn’t remember getting were.

Stretch marks, the only permanent sign of the family she had made, of her baby that she had unknowingly carried through the centuries.

Then she would find mot-Esther’s grimoires for the spirit binding spell and drag her from the other side to answer everyone of Elijah’s questions and then suffer, endlessly if Elijah could manage it.

She just needed a witch or two to help.

For once Niklaus proves to be a help instead of a hindrance when she learns of his flight to New Orléans, more than a few witches there.

She lost her baby, after centuries he had likely grown old and died, now she just wanted to hurt those that had any part in it.

#whumpril2024 #whumprilday17 #Hallucination #tvd fanfiction #the originals au #Lady Elijah AU #fanfiction #the originals #the vampire dairies au #elijah mikaelson #dahlia to #elijah and dahlia

[crimsonlyinglilly]

fic planning be like:

#Writing #its all for fun

[crimsonlyinglilly]

#doctor who #doctor x master #the master #i mean its not wrong??? #hoenstly with this im on the masters side suddenly #theyre racist af but yknow what if my best friend abandoned me for squirrels and then every other human died #i would also be racist to those fucking squirrels #^^^^^^ all fair points #i'm suddenly understanding the Master. #damn it doctor leave the squirrels alone

[crimsonlyinglilly]

Do youn think Esther loved all of her children equally and how her relation with Elijah was?

I think Esther is a lot more of a complex character than people want her to be. It's easier if she can just be painted as an awful mother. But it is clear Esther did love her kids, all of them. Just differently. I don't think you can truly measure love in quantity, but she definitely had favorites and least favorites.

Esther loved Freya so much that losing Freya fundamentally changed who she was. She wanted to be a mother so badly that she was willing to do anything to make it happen. People often blame her more for trading Freya for the ability to have children, but don't blame Dahlia for making her own sister trade away her first child. Esther was young when she made that deal and didn't fully know what it meant. She also probably naively believed her sister wouldn't steal her child. But she loved Freya dearly.

Esther also loved Finn a great deal however their relationship grew twisted and toxic because of the loss they both shared. She essentially trauma bonded with her four year old child. Finn's trauma is rarely discussed but it is clear that his mother became his safety after losing Freya. He would do anything for her and Esther exploited this at times and even used him for emotional support. She did love Finn, but the trauma colored that love.

Elijah is her least favorite child. She basically admits it when she tells Klaus that he brought joy to their lives and made them a family again after losing Freya. She was heavily pregnant with Elijah when she lost Freya meaning Elijah's birth and multiple years of life did not bring their family joy or make them feel like a family. Although it's important to remember that while pregnant, she lost her child and moved across the ocean to a new land where she was alone with a volatile husband as this was also the period where Mikael starts becoming a bad/potentially abusive husband. I can't imagine she didn't experience some level of post-partum depression after having him. To top it off, Elijah favors Dahlia more than either of his parents. He likely reminded her of her sister and everything she had lost.

She views Elijah as more of a second parent. She expects him to always behave and keep his siblings in line. When the others step out of line, she has more sympathy for them. She offers Finn, Kol, Klaus, and Rebekah second chances in witch bodies but tortures Elijah, mocking him for what he is and that he is no longer her "noble son." We never see any exchanges between Elijah and Esther that have any type of warmth. This doesn't mean she didn't love him, but hey have a very strained/neglectful relationship.

Klaus is her favorite child. He was the only child she had with the man she truly loved. Even though Klaus seemed to get the brunt of Mikael's anger, he also gets the most protection from Esther. To the point that Finn is jealous of this attention. Klaus arguably did the absolute most vile deeds that should disgust Esther but she still showed love and compassion to him. He was the problematic child that could do no wrong.

Kol is pretty low on the ranks but still above Elijah simply because he had magic. Esther would have wanted to pass on her magic somewhere even is she wasn't truly practicing. She would have loved it but also feared it. Kol would have also driven her crazy because he was always so independent and often getting in trouble.

Rebekah has a special place in her mother's heart as the only daughter she had after losing Freya. It would have been painful at first as she looked so much like the child Esther lost, but she would have viewed it as a second chance. Rebekah always had a soft spot for Esther and losing her mother devastated her.

Henrik is pretty high at the top simply because he is the youngest. Henrik seemed to have a happy spirit from the few brief moments we see him. The baby of the family is always special. His death sent Esther into such a spiral that she created vampirism.

None of this means I think Esther is an awful mother. There are definitely terrible things she does, but at the end of it, she truly loved her children. Was she the best mother in the word, no. But we have to remember she was a young woman who was also a victim.

Thanks for the ask!

#esther mikaelson #freya mikaelson #finn mikaelson #elijah mikaelson #klaus mikaelson #rebekah mikaelson #kol mikaelson #henrik mikaelson #the originals #tvdu #tvd #the vampire diaries #the mikaelsons #tvd meta

[crimsonlyinglilly]

Day 15 Mind Games

Finally caught up for whumpril, day 15 on the 15th of April

Familiar faces and back into a past life, Tristan plays mind games with Elias and Elias doesn't stand a chance.

Warning for manipulation and the threat of ignored consent, Tristan and Elias's relationship is a toxic mess.

-----

He made a request he knew would push Elias to far.

“No i can’t-'” Elias snaps suddenly stumbling back from the bed and Tristan before he froze as he realised what he had said.

There was a look of horror before he managed to regain control of himself, “no, i’m sorry, i didn’t mean-” he started back tracking, shaking his head as he returned to his place on the bed. “Whatever you want, sir” he told the watching Tristan as he settled on his knees on the mattress. 

Tristan smiled.

He knew he was pushing too soon after Elias’s last strange episode of illness, the boy was barely hiding his exhaustion and sensitivity to touch, he had been working for this since shortly after he had taken the other in.

He wanted Elias to know Tristan would listen to his no, wouldn’t ignore them and use him anyway, wanted the other to see him as something beyond another client from the streets.

Tristan had realised that despite how much work it had taken to get the boy to accept him and everything he had been supplying him since he came to live in the house that was how the boy saw him.

He wouldn’t accept that.

Tristan didn’t want a professional relationship, he didn’t want Elias to be able to hide behind that distance.

He wanted his pet to trust him because then he could break that trust or threaten to and watch Elias shake.

He wanted his pet to lean into his touch, because then he could withhold that touch.

He wanted his pet to want to please him, so Elias would crave his attention without Tristan even asking.

He wanted his pet to love him.

And he was going to get what he wanted, he had hundreds of years playing these games and Elias, his poor sweet Elias despite the intelligence he had and how jaded he had become after years on the street and whatever came before, was a drug reliant teenager.

So he ran a hand down the teenager’s back until the tenseness faded, 

“It’s ok, you can trust me.” he told him in a soft calm voice,

“I- just, Sir?” Elias looked at him with wide eyes, confusion clear, it was an expression he had never seen on Elijah Mikaelson but one he was learning to enjoy.

“You can tell me when it’s too much, you still need to recover right?” he asked gently as he soothed the young man.

Elias nodded at him, his eyes never leaving him looking for any trace of a lie and Tristan almost grinned as he caught a moment of awe, instead he carefully moved the other to lie by his side, resting his head on his shoulder and threading his fingers though silky soft hair.

“Will have to arrange your punishment when you're feeling better.” he told him, keeping the smirk that wanted to show to himself as the boy looked up at him, with wariness but not fear.

It wouldn't do to surprise the other with it, he wanted Elias to trust him to hear him and with his lines but remember his place as Tristan’s plaything.

“You take it so well.” he complimented, showing only soft fondness as he gently placed a kiss on the other’s forehead.

The natural eagerness to please within Elias did nothing but help Tristan’s plans as Elias’s cheeks flushed and he looked away, unthinking curling further into Tristan and with it falling further into his grasp.

He didn't stand a chance, but soon Elias would be happier this way, with Tristan being the only thing that mattered to him.

#whumpril2024 #whumprilday15 #Mind games #fanfiction #elijah mikaelson #tristan de martel #the originals #fic #tvd fanfiction #au- familiar faces #the vampire diaries #the vampire dairies au #the originals au

[crimsonlyinglilly]

Day 14- Alt “You’re pathetic.”

Picking an alt for day 14 for whumpril but hopefully with this i'll have caught up

Familiar Faces set Season 3 ep 14, set after Day 13 Angry tears and before Day 10 Adrenaline

The Mikealson ball goes on, Elijah is not enjoying it before he gets dragged into being part of the hosts

-----

Elijah bit back the urge to curse out loud as he saw Elena enter the ball despite his pleas that she stay away from Esther, why couldn’t his sibling just listen to him, before he could make his way to her and try to get her to leave he was stopped by another sibling.

“Elijah.” Finn called as he stepped into his path, Elijah had managed to avoid him and Klaus since he arrived, mostly staying at Jenna’s side or speaking with Kol and he flickered around the room to greet all the guests, likely on mother’s order. 

He stopped, not that he had much choice as Finn stood in front of him, he hated the fact he had to look up to meet Finn’s eyes at this closeness.

“This is a new start.” Finn tried to reason with him as he glared back, at least he didn’t need to explain to Finn why he was angry at him.

“She’s the one who failed us,” he snapped back, reminding his brother.

“Elijah we all need to-” his brother started but Elijah cut him off with a laugh.

“Change” he finished before stepping away“and yet you return to the same place you have always been, at mother’s side, clinging to her skirt.”

He frowned as Finn following him forcing him to step further away from where he had left Jenna and Elena who he noticed was joined by both his other brother, the Salvatore could at least keep his self sacrificing twin with the witch with a habit of using doppelganger blood

“Tell me brother who has placed the job of minding our siblings since i’m not returning to the role?” he asked, covering his annoyance as he realised he was being shepherded away with a taunt he knew would push Finn’s patience.

“Mother wants to see you.” Finn admitted as Elijah realised he had been led away, not just from his family but to a side door, one clearly closed off for guests. 

As much as he wanted to remind them he was just a guest here and pull away from Finn to return to his family, he could also feel Klaus on the other side of the door.

It was rather clear this ‘choice’ only had one answer.

“Of course, always the errand boy.” he signed as he gave in, he would have left it if he hadn’t noticed the shift in Finn’s expression a mix of pleasure and getting what he wanted and fulfilling mother’s request, “You’re pathetic.” he smiled coldly at his brother before turning away and barely glancing at Klaus as he met him on the other side of the door.

—

After months living in this house as it was renovated, and the last kept them as little more than house arrest he knew where they were going.

He isn’t surprised to find Esther standing of the otherside in the living room waiting for him, he is however to find Kol and Rebekah also waiting there, so this was planned, he didn’t glance at either of them in betrayal for not warning, he understood.

It's just he no longer cared about Esther’s wishes.

So had she called him here to humiliate him in front of them as a warning to them or was this an attempt for her to remind him of the full family, to use his siblings against him.

Unfortunately for her, his complete family didn’t include her and he would love to see what would happen if she attempted to ban his siblings from seeing him.

“How can I help you Mrs Mikaelson?” he asked the image of a polite guest, ignoring as Finn and Klaus followed him into the room.

She sighed heavily as if he had disappointed her.

“Elijah, I expect you to deal with your petulantance.”she told him “I understand the emotional issues returning to a younger body and reliving childhood could have confused you, I’ve watched over you, I understand what you have gone through from this curse.”

He choked at her words, refusing to let the panic he felt at the thought of her watching from the other side as he worked on the street, as he crawled after Tristan and cried himself to sleep for the first few years he was in the hospital praying his uncle would come back for him.

“May I suggest getting yourself checked out at the hospital.” he offered turning his choking into an amused scoff, “either your hearing is going for your having memory issues but I told you this morning you're not my mother.” he repeated.

Elijah didn’t look away from her but he heard his siblings shift around the room, clearly uncomfortable at the tension or that he hadn’t given in.

Maybe that was why hse had chosen to do this in front of an audience she was hoping he’d give in to spare them of the discomfort, he had never really liked conflict in his first life.

Turns out that’s something he had learned to, some point over the last thousand years.

“Elijah, do not embarrass me.” she snapped.

“I’m sorry,” he demurred, looking down but watching from the corner of his eyes as she relaxed before speaking again “but your continued existence is an embarrassment to Niklaus reputation.”

“Hey!” Klaus snapped from the side only stopped by her hand wave.

“I mean how come you fail to make sure she stays dead but Zach does.” he called over as if the use of his brother’s name so carelessly didn’t hurt, he rolled his shoulder well aware that his looser postured made Klaus uncomfortable a reminder that he wasn’t just his responsible controlled older brother.

“Zachary Salvatore is on the other side,” Esther spoke softly, soothing, Elijah froze as something crawled its way up his throat. “He wouldn’t want this for you-”

Right, it was repulsion in his throat, at the idea she could use Zach against him. That anyone could use Zee against him when Zee was his, only his, they were all each other had. 

Stop living for others, you're free. Live however you want EJ, Zee’s last words for him, going to his death but more concerned Elijah would lose himself in the afterwards.

She was smiling so sure that had swayed him.

“Since Klaus failed to make your stay there permanent, maybe I can try.” he smiled back, ignoring the way all his siblings flinched.

He wasn’t surprised by the sudden movement from the edges of the room.

Finn and Klaus, Mother’s golden boys. He really needed to deal with the unfortunate refresh of his childhood feelings that the age of his body had brought and Esther’s return had empowered.

Two hands grabbed him at the same time both very much going to leave bruises, the hand on his right catching his shoulder thumb pressing onto his collar bone while the other vice like hand curled around his forearm, he didn’t look away from Esther’s eyes keeping a smile on his face but he noticed the taller one was on his right, Finn’s grip was the one threatening to break his collarbone with the grip tighter than Klaus.

Seemed Klaus has learned a little.

“BOYS STOP!” she shouted after a moment’s delay, was that shock at her son’s attacking the normal peacekeeper or had she wanted Elijah to get a warning from it, Elijah tried not to wonder anymore, he didn’t care about anything Esther wanted. “I expect you to be civilised,” he bites back the comment over learning that from the Gilberts, “not act like animals” he heard his own teeth click as he swallowed another comment over her taste in lovers, he had brought Klaus into this once already.

“Fine, what do you want?” he sighed, rolling his shoulders as he did, the sooner he agreed to whatever she wanted, the sooner he could leave and get away from her.

“You’re to stand with the family during the toast.” she told him, the frown on her face, this had clearly not gone how she wanted.

“Why?” he asked, know there was more to it but unable to see what

“The town knows you,” she smiles and he hates that he knows it means she won, “they trust you, it will help us settle in peacefully.”

He agrees with annoyance he doesn’t let himself show.

—-

He downs the drink the moment the toast is raised, the glass cracking in his grip.

How dare she! Airing his family secret, his adoption, to the town just so she could claim him, at least it was only his birth he brought into question.

That she had let Elena alone.

Still he’d take Isobel over Esther.

Fine, she wanted to be his mother in the eyes of the town, she could have it. The town was going to have questions and they would go to Elijah first, he was the one they knew, he’d grown up with these people, he knew just the ones that would spread the story faster than Esther could.

Elijah was going to be honest, as honest as he could and she couldn’t blame him if it was the truth, it was her own fault if it embarrassed her. 

#whumpril2024 #whumprilday14 #“You’re pathetic.” #fanfiction #elijah mikaelson #esther mikaelson #klaus mikaelson #finn mikaelson #the originals #fic #tvd fanfiction #au- familiar faces #the vampire diaries #the vampire dairies au #the originals au

[crimsonlyinglilly]

Day 13 Angry Tears

Still on catch up for whumpril, here's day 13

Familiar faces, set TVD season 3 end of ep 13 and beginning of Ep 14, take place before Adrenaline

Elijah doesn't deal with Esther's return well and Esther doesn't take the hint.

-----

I want us to be a family again. It echoed around in his head.

He had been silent since he had had to pull on Kol’s sleeve to ask him to stop Rebekah, to get her to leave Elena alone, his younger brother had stared at him a moment before vanishing after her one his second 'Please'.

After that he stood at a distance watching as Esther spoke to his remaining siblings. To reassure her boys, calming Finn's anger over her death and soothing Klaus’s nerves. It wasn’t that different from his childhood, Elijah stood quietly until he was needed to calm bickering younger siblings or distract them when mother wanted to focus on her dark arts.

I want us to be a family again.

She looked unchanged, her clothes a frozen picture of a long forgotten time, a village buried under dirt and people reduced to dust through the passage of time

And yet she was there, alive, speaking to them of forgiveness and new chances, and Elijah was bitter, angry, another parent returned but again the wrong one.

How come she got to speak of forgiveness when she had never asked for theirs when she stole their lives and futures from them. When she ignored her husband’s violence leaving bruises on them.

I want us to be a family again.

He had planned to wait for Rebekah and Kol, to apologize to for Elena’s actions and his failure to undagger her and to properly reunite with his brother. He had tried but watching as Finn and Klaus slipped back into the way things used to be, looking at mother as if she had done nothing wrong, made him sick, angry.

I want us to be a family again.

It was giving him a headache, Elijah Mikaeslon’s original love and idealization of her, his anger over her failings made worse by the countless deaths where he relieved them all over again. Watching Finn seemingly forgot the words they had shared months ago, before Elijah  remembered everything.

They ruined us.

We can do better.

Remembering what Esther had done in the aftermath of him killing Tatia, what he had done to Klaus when he had learnt the truth.

And as Klaus looked between them, Elijah realised he couldn’t stay, as anger and secrets burned inside. Klaus couldn’t know that he knew about her, couldn’t learn what he had made Aurora do out of his own anger and grief.

He wanted to go home, to Jenna, Jeremy and his cats, to call Elena or his brothers, older brothers who cared, even if one was without his humanity it was still better than watching as two of his brothers apparently forgot all the pain Esther had caused them as they tried to please her.

He just needed to get away.

“Elijah, where are you going?” Klaus called before he managed to get to the door.

“Home.” He called back, ignoring the fact he could hear the three of them following him, he was surprised Klaus hadn’t used his speed to grab him but he supposed that was a positive of her presents. 

“This is our home.” Klaus snapped, and Elijah twisted to face them.

Mother and her golden boys, Elijah smother the thought as he took them in Esther expression almost blank if not for the faint concern, Klaus angry and Finn looking at him almost pleadingly until Elijah met his eyes and he looked away.

They ruined us.

We can do better.

‘Apparently not’ Elijah thought, Finn could offer comfort to a teenager that barely remembered him but once Esther returned Elijah was once again a reminder of an event he wasn’t there for, an annoyance and obstruction.

“I’m not playing happy families,” he replied keeping his anger from his tone, adding as Klaus started looking hurt and Esther gained a disproving expression, “not with a woman always more concerned about her own appearance than the good of her children.”

Esther flinched at the words looking shocked to be the target of his anger while Klaus blinked looking at him with confusion.

He looked at Finn who kept looking away, Elijah would have taken it as an improvement if his older brother hadn’t reached out to Esther, to offer her comfort over the truth being laid at her feet.

Right, he should have known better.  

I want us to be a family again.

She could have that but Elijah wasn’t going to be part of it.

—--

Jenna hadn’t asked much when he arrived at the door, just pulled him into a tight hug and let him go to his room, barely touched since he was last there. 

He almost damaged the expensive suit that Klaus had brought him in his rush to get it off and change into his own clothes and pulled on one of Dad’s sweatshirts over the top.

It was still too big and he thinks as he breathes in he could almost pretend dad was still there.

Neither Luci or Kit seemed to hold any grudge over the months he had left them and had joined him as he pulled the cover over himself, he hadn’t wanted to talk or think.

It wasn’t fair, how come Mikeal and Esther returned when all they had done was hurt and damage their children while his parents, mum and dad, stayed dead no matter how much their children wanted-needed them.

He swallowed around the lump in his throat and kept his eyes closed ignoring the heat under his closed lids. He wasn’t sad, he was angry but he was a thousand years old, he was too old to cry over it.

—- 

In the morning his call to Elena added more to his problems Kol had fulfilled his promise and stopped Rebekah and told her about Esther, Elijah pretty sure his twin knew he wasn’t happy about that by his flat tone but she had also told him what he had been missing stuck under Niklaus’s possessive guard since Mikeal’s death, Caroline’s dad was dead, Alaric was in hospital and someone was hunting down council members.

She was still staying at the boarding house, both a mentioned returning that day, excited about living together again, just the promise of that had managed to slightly loosen the knot inside him.

He could have his family back, Esther, Finn and Klaus could go back to playing happy family and Elijah could still have all his siblings, without needing to stop them killing each other. For a brief moment Esther’s return was a blessing.

When he smiled at Jenna it was real, it was content and peaceful as both ate breakfast at the table and he ignored the guilt at the idea of having left Jenna here alone, before it was interrupted by a knock at the door.

Elijah didn’t think to hesitate to answer the door, expecting to see either of his younger siblings, a chance to reconnect with them, he was more than disappointed when found someone else there

He froze when the door opened to Esther, looking far more suited to the modern day than she had, the night before.

It made looking at her hurt less but somehow made his anger worse.

“Hello?” Jenna called over Elijah's shoulder as he found his words gone as he starred.

“Hello, I'm Esther Mikaelson,” she introduced herself to Jenna smile at her over Elijah. “I’m inviting you to the Mikaelson ball and I've come to collect Elijah-”

“No.” he cut her off, looking at the envelope in her hands.

Gilbert House.

“Elijah” she started like a disappointed mother over a tantrum which she could have been if he was very aware he had been the one to deal with most of his younger siblings fights and tantrums, and that during most of his own he’d been left alone or for Finn to deal with. “I understand your anger, Klaus shouldn’t have forced you to move in with him, he should have allowed you to bring your belongings but as a fam-”

He almost choked as he listened to her, had she ignored what he said or was she so sure he would relent and return to his place, the one he had put himself when he was a child and it was the only way to get her attention, the way his brothers had.

“Please leave,” he cut her off “I’ve invited Rebekah and Kol” not you went unspoken.

“I asked them to let me speak-” she started, he ignored her instead trying to close the door.

“Don’t care.” he smiled until the door froze and he could feel her magic in the air.

“Eylaugr Mim”- she started old Norse rolling from her tongue as if her had never stopped speaking to which may have been true, Elijah was just relieved it no longer gave him a headache, however the idea that she thought she could browbeat him back into his place with a name snapped his temper.

“GILBERT.” he shouted, pleased that at least stopped her, “Elijah Gilbert, the name’s on the invitation Esther.” He lifted the paper to her and watched her as she took a step back at the use of her name, her reaction was a balm to the hot anger burning in his chest, the flicker of hurt he caught. “I love my siblings, they are the only thing I'm keeping. Mikael’s name and everything else from either of you, I cast off.”

“Elijah,” she called her hand going to her heart, and yet the magic holding the door didn’t let up “you're my son, a part of this family.”

I want us to be a family again.

He had a family; it was scattered and broken but it was his and she wasn’t a part of it.

“Fuck your family! The one where you ignored your favourite son’s tears so you could keep your husband, the standing you gained from him and your lover. He was the head of his pack; he could have claimed Niklaus, saved at least one of your children from the raging man you choose.” he revealed it all, the secrets that shaped them and scared them just as well, none of that matter to him anymore  “I raised them as much as you, from the time i was five and you gave me Klaus, while you had fed Kol, then the same for Kol and Rebekah.”

He took a deep breath pleased when she kept quiet.

“The joys of this curse i’ve been living,” he explained sarcastically “is reliving every moment leading to my death, every time. I was never a child for you, neither was Finn really, just extra hands, we never got the chance to because you pushed everything you could on us. He might be happy to return to doing your bidding but i’m not, I've outgrown that need for the crumbs of your attention.”

“Elijah this is a second chance for all of us to do better.” She offered her hands reaching out, Elijah may have believed it before, but if she had changed, had seen the errors of her ways, where was the apology for turning him into the monster that had murdered the woman he loved, why was her power still stopping him from closing the door.

It was a mask, he wondered if she even knew how much of herself she was faking, at least it explained where Elijah had gotten that habit.

“All of us you failed first” he shook his head as he explained, “Try it with the others, they always mattered more, your secret keeper, your golden boy you kept from a good father for your own selfishness, your blessed prodigy that you stole his magic from, or the daughter you took any chance at a family of her own from.”

“You're my son.” she repeated but the words just caused the hot feeling in his eyes to grow.

He wasn’t going to cry, not in front of her, she didn’t get that, not after a childhood of ignoring his tears.

“You're not my mother.” he told her, the words offering him a lightness in his chest he took comfort in as he kept going “I’m the Gilbert's son, I was your spare set of hands.” he used the surprise at his own magic to slam the door before any more spite could escape him.

Angry tears escaped him instead as he glared at the door.

—--

Jenna waited for a moment after the door slammed, watching as her nephew’s back curled over slightly until the first shudder escaped him and she placed a hand of his shoulder.

She wasn’t going to force him to turn to her or anything of the sort just offer him the comfort she had wanted to do since she had been forced to sign the guardianship forms, to make sure he knew he wasn’t alone.

Her chest hurts when he twists and crumples against her, curling into her to hide, the way she used to watch him do with her sister despite the fact he’s taller than her, he wrapped her arms around him.

Another painful realisation was she had missed him growing in the last couple of months.

“I’m a thousand years old, I should be far beyond this.” came quietly and she just held him tighter. A thousand or eighteen, he was still her little nephew, the one she watched grow.

“I don't think you ever grow past your parents hurting you.” She tells him she had heard enough to work most of it out, Elijah was happy to be reunited with his original siblings but the same wasn’t true of his first parents.

“She’s not.” he snapped but he carried no weight, “I hate her.” he muttered into her shoulder, almost calmly if she hadn’t heard his voice crack. 

“Oh honey.” she sighed sadly, reaching up and running a hand through his hair. He had cut it while he was living away, started gelling it but it seemed hadn’t done that yet this morning. “But you don't, do you?”

“I want to. She deserves it.” he grumbled. 

“I’m sure.” She agrees, she had alway wondered where the maturity that had haunted her little nephew had come from, after learning about his dreams and past lives she had thought it was those that made sense. But no, it was a horrible pair of people who should never have become parents in the first place screwing up their kids, a thousand years ago, so bad that they haunted the world in the aftermath.

I raised them, he had said pain clear i was five. I was never a child.

“Why was it them that came back, why not mom and dad.” Elijah muttered angrily and Jenna hugged him tighter, knowing she couldn’t be her sister but needing him to know he wasn’t alone.

#whumpril2024 #whumprilday13 #Angry Tears #fanfiction #elijah mikaelson #esther mikaelson #klaus mikaelson #finn mikaelson #jenna sommers #the originals #fic #tvd fanfiction #au- familiar faces #the vampire diaries #the vampire dairies au #the originals au

[crimsonlyinglilly]

Day 12 Weak Pulse

Also Day 16 Coughing Fit and Day 21 “Just hold on.” for whumpril

Still working on the catch up, and so here a collection of several days.

Familiar faces, set Season 3 x 15 of the vampire dairies follow on from CPR

Kol watches his brother and gains several questions however the answers have to wait as Elijah ignores his own health.

---

Kol watched as his mother’s protective circle starts to fail, the flames starting to flicker and die down. He looked between mother’s shock and Elijah stiff form, hand held out stretched as he focused on smothering Esther’s power.

Esther’s power as well as the Bennet line, he remembered learning under Ayana, besides her children, that line was powerful, Elijah hadn't had enough power or interest to take part in those lessons back then.

And yet Elijah was countering it on his own even channelling his original body that shouldn’t have been possible without-

Just as he thought it he noticed his brother’s heart beat start to slow from it’s heightened rate, getting to a level that would be normal to a vampire but was wrong from a teenage human under stress.

“Stop!” he ordered appearing beside his brother, one hand reaching out to grab Elijah in an attempt to shake him from his concentration 

“I won’t kill me while I’m linked to you.” Elijah countered but Kol could hear the laboured sound in the words, the way he was leaning into Kol’s hand, uses it to keep him upright.

It may not kill him but Kol was well aware of the permanent damage overuse of magic could cause, so he swallowed, remembered where the echoed sharp stabs of pain he felt during their journey here and with a quick jab from the hand not holding Elijah, slammed a hand into the bruises left from the CPR.

He winced as Elijah let out a choked cry and he heard the surprised grunts from his brothers as they all felt Elijah’s cracked ribs shift and ignoring his discomfort he caught Elijah.

Elijah crumpled into his arms, coughing. His magic vanishing causing mother’s protection to flare back up, he ignored that as well as the sound of Finn’s questions, it seemed mother hadn’t shared with him that Elijah would be part of this spell.

Kol let Nic inform their oldest brother of what mother's true intentions for their current human brother, it seemed Mother hadn't been completely honest with Finn, why he thought she would be this time when she hadn't when she had first killed them all, was beyond Kol.

Instead he spent his attention on Elijah, who was stuck in a coughing fit, struggling to catch his breath, while using his supernatural hearing to make sure his hit hadn't broken the rib and cause it to puncture.

He didn't want to need to take his brother to ER since they had apparently made enemies of al the witches in this town

They shouldn’t have let him come Kol thinks, the moment they realised his injuries they should have made him stay back.

But then when had any of them ever managed to get Elijah to let them go, his stubborn protectiveness was the one thing none of them had ever really tried to break because they all liked having that attention at one point.

And look where it had ended up getting Elijah.

As the coughing fit ended, Elijah slowly regathered his breath to straighten as he returned his glare back at the pair in the circle, stepping away from Kol.

Moments later the protective flames flickered again and Kol had to check that Elijah wasn't trying something before mother started to shout calling to the Bennet ancestors.

It seemed the Salvatore brothers had fulfilled their roles, it was only the fact Kol was still watching Elijah that he caught the flickering of grief in his brother’s face as he also realised what it meant.

Right, because the oldest Bennet witch had trained Elijah in this life, even if Kol was judging what and how much his brother knew, Elijah had called the woman, Grams, and the youngest was a friend of Elijah’s.

It seemed their Mother was as bad as Klaus at ruining Elijah’s new life and bringing death to the people that he grew up with. 

He pulled Elijah back to him, his brother falling easily into him without resistance, Kol would assume he was lightheaded and exhausted from both using to much magic and pushing an injured body.

He discovered Mother and Finn’s escape as he looked up to find the woods empty, other than Klaus watching with concern, but for once Klaus was silent.

He rested one hand on Elijah’s neck to catch the faint beat under the skin and waited as the weak pulse slowly started to strengthen and return to its normal pace. Faster than he was used to from Elijah but this was the new normal for his brother he was going to get used to it.

The self sacrificing hadn’t changed sadly, only growing worse as it had expanding to cover even more people to Kol’s annoyance, he had thought to keep the link between them as something to stop Klaus from daggering him and protect Elijah but if Elijah was willing to use it to risk permanent damage to himself the sooner they were all unlinked the better.

“Can you walk?” he asked, as his mind started pointing out how much smaller Elijah was now, Kol wasn’t unused to being taller than Elijah but this was different, Elijah Gilbert was a growing teenager who hadn’t spent most of his time training under the unforgiving hand of Mikeal or hunting their food.

And now exhausted and in pain, it had stripped away the commanding confident aura Elijah normally had, that made himself the fearsome, merciless 'noble one'. Leaving just Elijah, his brother, and currently the most fragile of his siblings.

“Probably not.” Elijah admitted not looking at him and Kol blinked when he realised the silence from Elijah wasn’t caused by the injuries or the magic overuse but embarrassment.

“Idiot.” Klaus snapped but before Klaus could move towards them, Kol shifted his hold on Elijah and swept him up into his arms while trying to be careful not to jar his ribs, he had done enough damage tonight.

“Wha- Kol- what ar- '' Elijah started to ask looking at him with wide eyed surprised. Kol ignored the louder thoughts that Elijah should have a nosebleed if not more considering how much power he had used, he’d worry about that after they dealt with mother and her plans to kill them.

“Just hold on.” he told him, waiting just long enough for Elijah had followed his instruction before he took off into the woods back to the house Klaus had brought them.

Elijah would be staying with them until the threat of their mother had passed. It wasn’t like Elijah could argue since that was his own rule he had set in place centuries ago.

In the morning once Elijah recovered from this magic overused Kol was teaching him to heal broken bones and getting him to fix those ribs, he was getting tired of the dull echo he could feel through the link.

#whumpril2024 #whumprilday12 #whumprilday16 #whumprilday21 #weak pulse #Coughing fit #“Just Hold on” #fanfiction #elijah mikaelson #kol mikaelson #the originals #klaus mikaelson #fic #tvd fanfiction #au- familiar faces #the vampire diaries #the vampire dairies au #the originals au