#kalijah fanfiction

[umaficwriter]

We Never Go Out Of Style is back!

You can read it on AO3 or FFNET

enjoy and PLEASE read the notes!

#kalijah #kalijah fanfiction #kalijah fanfic #katherine pierce #elijah mikaelson #tvd #the vampire diaries

[finnicks]

( fic ) i’ll do anything for a taste of you

i’ll do anything for a taste of you

the vampire diaries | elijah/katherine explicit, 5.1k Katherine begs Elijah to turn her back into a vampire while having sex.

#kalijah #kalijah fic #kalijah fanfic #kalijah fanfiction #katherine x elijah #elijah x katherine #elijah mikaelson x katherine pierce #elijah mikaelson fic #elijah mikaelson fanfic #elijah mikaelson fanfiction #katherine pierce fic #katherine pierce fanfic #katherine pierce fanfiction #katherine pierce x elijah mikaelson #tvd fic #tvd fanfic #tvd fanfiction #the vampire diaries fic #userjaded #my fic #*mine

[kasagia]

Our little game pt. 3

~Part 1~ ~Part 2~ ~Part 4~ ~Part 5~

Pairing: Klaus Mikaelson x witch! reader Summary: Thomas has been trying to mend your relationship all weeks leading up to the wedding. You must admit that he was a true, sweet gentleman, but… something was wrong. You didn't feel those butterflies (or moles as Kol used to say) in your stomach when you were close to him. You thought that maybe after bachelorette party and wedding you two would again get along with eachother and everyting will be fine. But drunk you had a completely different idea to solve this situation. Warning(s): smut mention, swearings, I used the thread from "Friends", I don't regret anything (I guess) Word count: 4,6k

*Two months later*

"I can't believe it has gone by so quickly, I feel like I just arrived in New Orleans." I said to the girls while we were putting on our dresses for the party.

"Yes. Me too. I feel like Elijah proposed to me yesterday, and now the four of us are going to my bachelorette party."

"Actually five. I invited Cami." Rebekah corrected Kath while fixing her makeup.

"Since when have you exactly been friends with Klaus' therapist?" I asked, not believing for a moment in her good intentions toward the bartender.

"Since she's trying to talk you out of the ridiculous idea of getting back with your ex."

"Hey! We all agree that we're not going to discuss that topic. Today is about Katherine. Only her."

"Take it easy, Y/N. We're just worried about you."

"There's no need, Katherine. I can take care of myself. Also, I haven't decided yet what I'm going to do with this mess around me. It's enough that the Mystic Falls gang put me on their blacklist a week ago. I don't need more complications."

Yes. Officially, Damon Salvatore has become my enemy because I refuse to help him bring Elena back from her "sleeping beauty state." At least Bonnie stayed my friend.

"Well, I saw both of you in that new restaurant. You two seemed quite enjoyable with your company." Rebekah snapped me out of my thoughts.

The original vampire spent the whole two months trying to force me to set up with her brother. It was getting pretty tiring to the point that I decided to avoid Klaus like the plague and not give the blonde a chance to put her plans into action. I loved her with all my heart, but I will not allow anyone to meddle in my affairs and try to set me on a particular path. Not even one of my best friends.

"Yeah, like one meeting was a declaration of true, unconditional love." I replied sarcastically, turning my attention back to my reflection in the mirror. I started putting on my makeup, being careful not to accidentally gouge my eye out with mascara. "Thomas and I spent half life with ourselves. It's obvious that we're feeling good together when we know each other better than anyone else."

"That's what we're all trying to tell you!" the woman snatched the mascara from my hand and turned to look at me in the eyes. "You don't love him anymore! He is like an old, favorite movie; you watch it because you have a soft spot for it, not because it brings you new, amazing emotions. You got used to having him around. And you're afraid that my brother will destroy your idea of loving Thomas. Even if it's obvious to everyone that you don't have any feelings for him. You fell for Nik, finally admit it to yourself!" she burst out, reproaching me again.

"Rebekah, enough. You're crossing the line." Freya stepped between us, wanting to reassure her little sister and trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"You want me to finally make a decision? Fine. Right after the wedding, I'm going back to Thomas. You don't have to wish me luck. I already know I'll be very happy with him." I replied, staring furiously at the blonde over Freya's shoulder.

"You have to be joking?! Seriously? Are you doing it just to spite me?"

"I'll meet you all downstairs. I promised to call Tom before we went out all night." I said, ignoring Rebekah's angry look at me.

I left the room quickly before any of the vampires (or the witch) could stop me, heading for the only place I could get some privacy.

Klaus' art studio.

The guys had already left the mansion an hour ago, teasing Katherine that they would make one last effort to find someone better for Elijah before she "ringed him with a golden muzzle," so I was sure no one would find me there. Who would have guessed I was hiding in the "cave" of a big bad wolf?

I was walking in a dark room, lit only by the moonlight. I took my phone out of my dress pocket and dialed Tom's number. I put the device to my ear, staring at the unfinished painting on the easel. Klaus must have been pretty pissed while painting it. I hadn't even seen so much intense red when the hybrid returned covered in blood from one of his "preventive missions."

"Y/N?" Thomas's voice snapped me out of my thoughts about the original.

"Hi." I replied with a little smile, sitting on the piano opposite the easel. Klaus went all out designing his studio.

"Hello, honey. Are you going out with the girls?"

"Yes. So don't bother calling; I won't answer, and even if I do, I doubt I'll be in a good condition." I replied jokingly, smiling wider as I heard his laugh.

"Ha ha. You know what they say: You are the truest version of yourself after alcohol."

"Is this your way to tell me that you're waiting on a drunken love confession from me? It isn't quite romantic, don't you think?"

"I don't care about it as long as it's true." I smiled. I wanted to respond to his taunt, but I froze in place as I saw someone's all-too-familiar blue eyes in the darkness of the studio. As our gazes met, he went out from the shadow and stood right in front of me. "Y/N? Can you hear me?"

"I have to go. I'll call you tomorrow, Tommy." Klaus wrinkled his nose at the "cute" diminutive.

"Have a good time, honey. Don't drink too much or I'll have to pick you up." before I could answer, Klaus snatched the phone from my hand.

"You don't have to worry about her. She will be in my excellent care, Timon," he said maliciously before aggressively hanging up.

"Seriously? Don't you have a brother to drink up instead of messing with my boyfriend? By the way, his name isn't Timon."

"Your boyfriend?" he laughed incredulously, shaking his head. "Since when? If I remember correctly, he left you for like... two years ago?"

"So what? You're not better at all."

"Unlike him, I was interested in your fate, love."

"Sending your minions to follow my every move is stalking, not caring. And stop calling me that. It's disgusting." I said, turning towards the exit, but the hybrid blocked my way as usual. The look of displeasure on his face instantly made me feel much better.

"They didn't follow you... most of the time. I just wanted to make sure you're okay and you're not putting yourself in unnecessary danger for the sake of those imbeciles."

"Did you know that there is an ancient gadget called the telephone? You could have checked for yourself if I was alive."

"You changed your number." I blushed at my stupidity. He was right. Right after breaking up with Tom, my phone suffered minor damage due to my sudden emotions and relative lack of control over my magic. I just don't know why it hurt so much that he couldn't text me. It's not like I've been waiting for his call all these years... right?

"Well, we can't go back in time and change that anyway. There's no point in dwelling on it." I finally replied, looking away from him to hide my true feelings.

The man wouldn't let me get away from him so easily. His left hand went to my chin, forcing me to look again into his blue eyes, which gradually began to give way to his night-black pupils.

"So that's it? You want to go back to him as if nothing happened? Like I didn't send you a thousand bloody letters to beg you for a little piece of your attention like a desperate fool, that I am every single time you look at me!" he exploded.

His jaw was clenched in anger, and his other hand was clenched so tightly that it seemed to me that droplets of blood were dripping from it. But my stupid brain could only process one goddamn thing in this improbable situation.

"Letters? What letters?"

"Oh, don't play with me like this, love…" he tried to walk away from me, but I grabbed his arm before he made any step towards the exit.

"Klaus, what letters? I didn't get anything from you since you went." I asked, searching his face for any explanation.

"Don't lie to me. It's even beneath you." he replied contemptuously.

A red light went on in my head. The son of a bitch had no right to walk into my already messy life with his fucking shoes and accuse me of whatever shit he fancied. This is exactly what caused my agitation. Not the hostile look I couldn't take from him.

"Beneath me? How can you tell if something is in "my type" or not?! You don't even fucking know me!" his jaw tightened. In the next second, he pushed me into a wall and put his hands on both sides of my head. His eyes were enraged, mad, and... passionate.

"I know you better than myself. I spent months admiring you in the shadows until you decided that I was curious enough to be noticed by you. It took you a bloody year to warm up to me and to treat me like something more than a monster. And when we were apart… I've never missed anyone as much as I have missed you in the thousand years I've lived. You told me here months ago that you would be the one to burn me. You were too stubborn to admit our connection that much, that you, love, didn't notice I was already burned by you a long time ago."

"You're lying. You wouldn't even have come up with that stupid excuse if Thomas hadn't shown up. You want me to lose my chance at happiness, don't you? The moment I trust you, you'll stab me in the back for your own amusement."

"Is your beloved ex-boyfriend, as I would like to point out, clouding your mental clarity so much?"

"Maybe he's my ex, but unlike some people, he really cares about me, not my power."

"Did he? Because if I had a chance, which you gave him, I would never, ever leave you. Not even if I could rule all of this damn world."

"Please, it's impossible that you could truly love…" he cut me off, pulling my face closer to his lips to shut me up by kissing me.

I imagined that moment so many times in my head, but nothing conveyed the true feeling of his lips on mine.

I moaned as he bit my lips and opened a way into my mouth like that. His treacherous tongue slipped inside like a snake, catching mine in his snare.

The sounds of brushes and paints falling were my only warning before he grabbed me around the waist, set me down on the table, and made me his height to (surely) kiss me dead.

The moment one of his hands started wandering toward the zipper of my dress, making me shiver every time his fingers touched my exposed skin, was a time when the warnings of my mind shouted over the dark, hidden desire of my foolish heart.

*SLAP!*

My hand left a small red mark on his left cheek for a while before his vampire power healed it. He slowly turned his head towards me, with his own hand on the place I slapped him, shocked that I (a little, mortal witch) was that dumb-brave to do this.

I breathed heavily as I stared into his impenetrable oceanic iris.

"Don't..."

"Why?"

"Because I… you… we can't…" He leaned his head down toward mine so that our noses were touching. Our lips were disconcertingly close for me to express any logical thought that wasn't related to HIM.

"Y/N!! We're going to be late! Hurry up!" Katherine's voice made me jump out of the hybrid's embrace, scared of what might have happened in the art room if she hadn't interrupted us.

Before I left the room, he grabbed my hand and turned me to face him. I fell straight into his chest. His second hand grabbed around my waist, making sure I wouldn't go before he stopped talking.

"Have your fun, love. We'll continue this discussion when you return." he said as he tucked my hair behind my ear. 

"Y/N! What could possibly be taking so long?!"

"We have nothing to discuss." I growled, yanking myself out of his grip, and went out without even looking at him.

I need vodka or I'll completely lose my mind.

~•♤♤♤•~

"Ha ha, I can't believe it!" I was laughing so hard when Rebekah finished her story about Klaus and Elijah running from bees when they were humans.

"I swear to you, they came out of the river drenched as ducks, only to meet some "huge and terrifying wild beast" and roll in the mud to let him lose their scent. They screamed like little girls as he approached them and growled at them. Kol was bursting with laughter, but in the end our mother's old fur fell off him and he had to run away from them."

"All right! How do I look?" Katherine emerged from the dressing room, making an impressive turn in front of us to present her dress (not a particularly successful one, given how much alcohol we had consumed).

"I like it, but you look much better in your real wedding dress." Freya commented as she adjusted Cami's fake veil.

Yes. All five of us decided to put on white dresses and continue our evening dressed like this. I have no fucking idea how it happened.

"I know where we should go next!" Rebekah screamed, threw my legs off her and got off the couch. She ran over to Katherine, showing her something on her phone and whispering conspiratorially. I shrugged, grabbing a bottle of champagne.

Freya snatched the bottle from my hand, handing it to Cami. The barmaid drank the rest of its contents and sat down next to me. I put my head on her lap so she could comb my hair. I closed my eyes, feeling a little relaxed for the first time in weeks. The quiet whispers of the vampires in the background and the slow, calming movements of the blonde's hand were a wonderful sleep aid.

"Don't fall asleep, sleeping princess! We're going dancing." an enthusiastic Rebekah nudged me gently on the arm, trying to pull me out of my own world.

"Dancing? Where?" I asked, opening one eye to look unconvinced at the blonde.

"You will see. Come on, the night is still young, and we're not drunk enough." the vampire grabbed my arm and dragged me down the stairs to the waiting limousine.

The five of us drank chilled champagne from the limousine in seconds, continuing to talk nonsense until we were at the door of the club Rebekah wanted to take us to.

If I had seen its name better, maybe I would have realized that this is the same place the guys went to celebrate Elijah's bachelor party, and maybe what happened later that night wouldn't have happened at all.

But we all went inside and lost each other in a sea of other people.

I looked around the crowd until I saw a familiar face at the bar. Instantly, my heart warmed, and the unreasonable desire to approach him overcame the rational side of my brain. I ran towards him, doing my best not to step on the white dress. Without knowing why, the people around me immediately let me through, so I didn't have to push through them.

"Nikkie!" I screamed when I saw the hybrid. I made a few steps toward him, and I fell into his arms, tripping over my fake wedding dress. I could hear Kol chuckling in the background. "I've missed you, love."

"You know I can get you two married at any moment, brother? Just say a word."

Kol took his beer from the bar as I leaned dangerously close to him, threatening to accidentally spill the alcohol down my dress. Klaus held me closer to him so that I wouldn't wobble from side to side, checking to make sure my drunken walk towards them didn't injure me in the process.

"Shut up, Kol. She's drunk."

"Hey! I'm not drunk, but you're ridiculously hot when you're mad." I giggled as I cupped his face and kissed a crease between his eyebrows. "And so sweet when you're confused." I said, chuckling after he gave me an incredulous look.

"The offer is still valid." a vampire muttered under his breath, teasing his brother.

"For bloody hell, Kol, I'm not gonna marry her!" he growled at him. Suddenly, I felt very sad. Tears came to my eyes from nowhere.

"No? Why? You don't love me?" I asked, sobbing. His eyes immediately fell on my weeping form in pure panic. Nik gently pulled me to him and cupped my cheek, wiping away my tears with his thumb as he looked at me softly.

"Yes, Nikkie, don't you love her?" Kol interrupted our moment, much to Klaus' annoyance and anger.

"If you want to live to see tomorrow, get out of my sight. Now."

"Have fun together, Nikkie!"

He followed him with his eyes until he disappeared into the crowd of others. His eyes softened as he looked at my tear-stained face.

"Love, why are you crying?" he asked softly, wiping away my tears.

"Because you don't love me at all!" he sighed, hugging me tighter and kissing my head tenderly.

"Of course I love you." he whispered timidly into my hair.

"You do?" I moved away from him, placing my hands on his chest so that I could hold onto his body the whole time while looking into his eyes.

"It's impossible not to, love. Can we go home now?"

"No. Say it again."

"What?"

"That you love me."

"Y/N. You're drunk, just come with me and…" I cut him off by catching his stupid, beautiful lips in a kiss.

At first, he stayed there, shocked, not even making the slightest move. I got a little irritated after a while, so I cupped his face in my hands and pulled him closer, biting his lower lip until it bled. I moaned in a kiss, as I could feel his sweet, addictive blood on my tongue. Without knowing why, I felt "the alcohol mist" in which I found myself begin to slowly leave my body. In the next moment, that annoying man finally started to respond to my affection. His arms were all around me, reaching into every part of my body.

In an attempt to regain control, his lips began chasing mine. We fought with each other, giving all our hidden passion, anger, and frustration into that kiss. But it still wasn't enough for me. And he knew this.

"Don't be such an asshole and stop teasing." I groaned, breaking away from him for a moment.

"Never." he whispered against my lips, skillfully avoiding mine.

"For the love of God! Kiss me right or…" I moaned as he interrupted my threat by biting into the sensitive skin of my neck.

He was drinking from me.

Klaus. Fucking. Mikaelson. Was drinking from me.

And it felt amazing.

I gasped, pulling his hair with one hand and grabbing his muscular shoulder with the other. After a few minutes, he pulled away from my neck and kissed me again, this time complying with my request. During our demanding kiss, I felt a trickle of blood running down my neck to my chest. The wound closed in a matter of seconds.

I summoned my magic to teleport us to his room. More specifically, his bed. I started to rip off his shirt so as not to interrupt our kissing session. But hybrid has other plans.

He pulled away from my bruised, tingling lips and grabbed my hands just as I was about to get to the waistband of his pants.

"We need to stop, love."

"Why? I thought you wanted me."

"I do."

"Then shut up and kiss me."

"No. We can't. Not like that." he sighed as I started to bite and make hickeys on his neck. He grabbed my hair, pulling me closer.

"Don't act like you didn't dream of it. Like you don't wanna feel my hot, naked body on yours. Like you don't wanna drink from me while fucking me and leaving marks on all of me to make it clear to everyone that I'm yours." I whispered against the skin of his neck.

"Y/N. Stop." he growled, pushing me away from him when he felt my hand dangerously close to his pants' fly.

"Why? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't finally get this damn feeling out of our system!"

"That's not how it works and you well know that."

"God! Why do you always have to make things so hard for me?!" I started gathering my things, intending to leave the refusing-me hybrid.

"Where are you going?!"

"To Tom! Maybe he will be a man and fuck me, if you don't want." I found myself instantly in his strong embrace. He was breathing rapidly, his pupils so dilated that his blue irises were almost impossible to see. He desired me. If he wanted me too, then why didn't he use his chance?

"Be careful what you wish for, love."

"Let me go. I wasted enough time for you." I groaned as I tried to break free from his grip.

"You're not going anywhere."

"Why?" I asked, lifting my head in challenge.

"Because you're MINE. Mine to touch, mine to kiss, mine to fucked from your mind every single thing that isn't me. We belong to each other. And you hate it. So much so that you can't accept the feelings that are between us. This is why you gonna go back to my bed and sleep by my side so I can make sure you're not going to do something incredible stupid tonight."

"Don't act like a protective boyfirend, if you don't care about me." I choked out, taking advantage of the fact that he doesn't look me in the eye and instead places small kisses on my face.

"You stupid woman, don't you see how much I've already done for you just to keep you safe and happy?"

"You wanna make me happy? You wanna satisfy me? You wanna make sure I'm only yours? Then shut up and finally let it happen." I kissed him, pushing him on his back, so I could sit on him.

I started to strip myself, looking straight at him. His chest rose and fell at the speed of light, black pupils completely replacing his blue irises. I take a moment to appreciate his tattoo and kiss every flying bird.

"Lie that you love me." he said, after turning us so I was under him.

"It wouldn't be a lie." I thought as he kissed his way to my underwear.

"I know it's part of your game. Just... pretend for a moment you really feel something for me Y/N."

"It's not a game anymore. And since our first meeting, I have felt for you... everything."

"You win." he said, kissing me with all of his desire for me, and trying to get any response out of me.

"You win.'" I thought, letting myself get lost in the feeling of his skin on mine. "And I'm fucking terrified of it."

~•♤♤♤•~

Consciousness begins to slowly return to my battered, relaxed body. I sighed, snuggling into something warm and cozy beneath me. I put my head in a more comfortable position and took a breath of the amazing perfume.

Klaus' perfume.

I froze in place, afraid to make any move. After a few minutes, I finally decided to hesitantly open my eyes and lift my head slightly.

My fucking God.

I slept with Klaus Mikaelson.

With my brain overheating from the new information, I had the opportunity to take a closer look at the unconscious hybrid. He looked so... innocent when he slept. And carefree, even blissfully, judging by his gentle smile, which I could see despite the darkness in the room.

The disheveled hair on his head only made him even hotter. It was also helped by the fact that I was probably the perpetrator of his messy look.

I tried to slowly put myself out of his arms to get the phone, but Klaus instantly held me closer when he felt from his sleep my littlest move. I carefully placed my head back on his chest. I let myself hear his beating heart and smell his addictive perfume for the moment.

Curiously, I looked around his room, enjoying as much as I could of what little peace I had left before my partner woke up. For a moment, I could imagine that Klaus was my boyfriend, we led a dull, safe life together devoid of anything supernatural. Hope lives with Hayley for a week, with us for the second, his family comes over once a month for dinner together. And above all, no one wants to kill us, we have no enemies from whom we must defend our loved ones. Maybe we'd even get married and have children of our own?

Married.

Wedding.

"OH MY GOD! Klaus! Hey. Nik. We have to get up, or we'll be late for the wedding! Oh, come on! You can't sleep that hard! Niklaus!" I screamed. I tried to pull his arm to wake him up, but his eyes were still closed. "If you don't wake up, I'll smear your room with all those expensive paints you have."

"Shh, five more minutes, love." he mumbled, turning on his side and pinning me to his bed with his arm. He pulled me closer, burying his nose in my hair.

"Katherine is going to kill me if we miss her wedding." I said in panic, unknowingly brushing his hair with my fingers.

"I won't let her do this." he tightened his grip on me, still in his semi-conscious state. "You might as well not mention her name in my bed."

"Klaus, I'm serious. Move. We have to get together."

"Vile woman, have you no pity on me?"

"Not even a little. Now get off me, you're heavy." I moaned under him, trying to move his body.

"I have a better idea of how to spend the day than being at my brother's wedding with the devil. I think you'll like it too. Last night, you did. Very much, considering the moans of my name coming out of your beautiful, alluring mouth."

"Yeah… talking about last night. It doesn't change anything, right? I mean… we're… we not…"

I stopped as he placed his head close to mine so he could lick up the dried blood from my neck. This man would be my death.

"Penny for your TRUE toughts?" he whispered against my neck, pulling away from it to look into my eyes.

"I just..."

"Yhm?" he leaned closer to my lips, but before he could kiss me, I pushed him off me and off the bed, sending him crashing to the floor. I took the opportunity to wrap myself in his duvet, running into the hybrid's bathroom before he recovered from my unexpected move.

"Dress up. We have to be there in 10 minutes. Don't forget the wedding rings!" I screamed, knowing full well that he would hear me through the closed door even if I was whispering. I listened for a moment, standing perfectly still, until I heard his grumpy mumbling and footsteps walking away.

With a sigh, I leaned against the door, sliding myself down to the floor. Memories of last night started to slowly come back to my mind, including his half-drunk "I love you."

What the hell have I done?

#Spotify #klaus x reader #klaus oneshot #klaus mikaelson #klaus mikaelson x y/n #klaus mikaelson x reader #klaus mikealson fanfiction #klaus mikealson x reader #klaus x y/n #klaus mikaleson imagine #klaus mikaelson x oc #rebekah mikaelson #kol mikaelson #elijah mikaelson #katerina petrova #katherine pierce #kalijah #tvd klaus #tvd fanfiction #tvd x reader #the vampire diaries #the originals #first kiss #drunk confessions #mini series #tvd #romance #morning after #freya mikaelson #kissing

[elejahfanfic]

Kalijah_

@beautyandwords

#kalijah #katerina petrova #elijah mikaelson #alternative universe #fanfiction #the originals

[anime-lover-forever-1127]

The Queen's Daughter & The King's Heir {Klaroline}

The Queen's Daughter & The King's Heir

----------

Disclaimer - (Cause fanfiction is tricky ground and I hope not to offend the creator of the original story and get sued)

I do not own "The Vampire Diaries", it belongs to its original creator Kevin Williamson, Julie Plec, and L. J. Smith. Nor do I own "The Originals", which belongs to its rightful creator Julie Plec, Michael Narducci, Leslie Morgenstein, Gina Girolamo. This is only a fanfiction, it is a piece of nonprofit work - that I was inspired to write by the original work. I do not own the images/art used. So these images aren't mine; just edited a lot of the time. If you own a picture or Video that I found online, and you either want your name added, or me to take it down. Contact me and we can talk it out. P.s. I also ask that you do not copy my fanfiction and/or publish it onto any other website.

Warnings: Cami Bashing, Angst (Caroline's dead T-T), Klaus still loves Caroline (he will ALWAYS love Caroline)

Word Count: 1.4K

Requested By: Animeloverforever1127

Summary: I know of no Queen of England, save my mother. And I will accept no other queen, except my mother.

----------

It was the king's thirty-fifth birthday, so a celebration was held in his honor. The whole royal family, the council, some ambassadors, and a few select nobles had been invited to attend the event.

Normally, the event would be put together by the king's wife, the Queen. But when she passed away three years ago, her daughter, Princess Elizabeth Coraline Mikaelson took over, assisted by her aunt, as well as her mother's old ladies-in-waiting, when possible.

Each guest was chosen by the women, and the event was strictly invite only, with the threat of imprisonment, and even beheading, keeping any unwanted personnel away.

But sadly, that did not mean all pests were kept out, as a result of the council's insistence for the king to begin seeking a new bride, so they could secure a male heir, Camille O'Connell had made her way onto the invite list.

She was a distant cousin of the current king of France, and with Sean O'Connell constantly pushing the matter, the council had decided to accept her as a candidate. That was the official statement the council had written down in the documents. But everybody knew the real reason.

Camille was the closest, blue-eyed, blond woman that the council would find, with the most royal blood to be crowned queen.

There were many women who were much closer to various royal families, but all of them had been rejected by the king.

So the council, in one last Hail Mary, had prayed that this woman, who shared a resemblance to the late Queen, would be enough for the King to accept.

But so far, after the initial introduction, the king hadn't glanced twice at the women.

This didn't dismay the women, who constantly tried to involve herself with the people at the party.

She tried to mimic the late Queen by trying to involve herself with the politics, but was quickly dismissed by a quick glare and hiss from her brother, to, "Join the ladies."

So with her head hung low, she picked up her skirts, and approached the women, only to be greeted with fans. Katherine's bright red lips formed into a smirk, Camille couldn't see it from the other side of the fan, but the ex-lady-in-waiting's eyes said it all.

The blond was unwanted.

"It's quite pathetic isn't it." Katherine said, snapping her fan shut onto her hand as she stared down at Camille, "I would have thought for sure the council would have taken the hint by now."

"Well they are men. What can you expect?" Bonnie Mikaelson, the wife of the youngest Mikaelson sighed, joining her sister-in-law. She glanced at Camille, "As a woman, I would have expected better of you. You should be able to take a hint, no."

The blond grew angry, "How dare you! I'm going to be the next Queen! I suggest you show me some respect!"

This outburst caught everybody's attention.

Klaus stopped talking with his brothers, his eyes narrowing at the women, he took a step towards her, only to be stopped by a manicured hand.

He turned to see his sister smiling at him. Without a word, she nodded towards her niece, who was making her way towards Camillie.

"And who dares spread such lies?" Elizabeth asked, joining the group of women, her tone low. Her expression was calm and controlled, unlike Camillie's who was beginning to huff from her outburst.

"My brother! Sean said so!" Camille answered proudly.

"That's unfortunate. Your brother must be lying to you." Elizabeth informed the women. "I know of no Queen of England, save my mother." Camille opened her mouth to try and argue, but she was stopped by the look in the princess' eyes, "And I will accept no other queen, except my mother."

This left everybody speechless.

Nobody could counter the princess' words, the only one who could, was the king, and he was remaining silent.

If the princess herself refused to acknowledge any other queen, then what could they do?

The last Queen was beloved by the people, the king himself trying to gain another, would not please the people, leaving the council with no other option then try to gain the royal family's approval.

But now, the princess had publicly refused to acknowledge any other Queen, other than her mother.

Katherine and her husband smiled, proud.

If you looked closely, you could see Lady Rebekah's eyes grow glossy, well a tear slid down Lady Bonnie's.

And the king…

Klaus' eyes were wide, as he stared at his daughter.

"Caroline…" He whispered, the name that left a sweet taste in his mouth, and a hum in his ears.

If only she could see their child now.

The older Elizabeth got, the more she reminded him of her mother.

Her hair, the same sunshine shade of mother's hair.

Her eyes, the same bright pools her mother's were.

But this…

Back straight, head held high, the strength in her eyes. The very image of a Queen, just like Caroline was.

The king walked over to his daughter, the attendants wondering what he would do, Elizabeth stared her father in the eyes, having no intention of taking back her words.

Klaus smiled, pleased to see her determination, which only reassured him that he was about to do the right thing.

He embraced his daughter, before turning to some of the most important and influential people in the nation. "Let me be clear, I have no intention of re-marrying. As your princess clearly stated, England will only have one Queen. And so long as I reign, her Queen will only ever be Caroline Elizabeth Mikaelson."

"But what about an Heir, your majesty?" Sean pleaded, trying to get the king to see reason.

Klaus smiled, and turned to his daughter, "England already has an Heir, when my time comes. Elizabeth Coraline Mikaelson will become Queen, and King."

Elizabeth nods, smiling, she agrees with her father, "The Queen's Daughter and The King's Heir."

----------

I know this was short, it was sad/sweet/heartwarming, with multiple layers of emotions (at least that's what I thought), but it was short nonetheless. I feel kind of guilty writing short drabbles, because my disclaimers are so long, so this is the disclaimer I'm going to use for shorter fics. I know some of you may say, why don't I use this shorter version for all my fics then, well because like the disclaimer says, I'm scared of getting sued (not enough to stop writing - but enough to have a long ass disclaimer), and the long disclaimer gives me a peace of mind, because I searched up everything I needed in a fanfic disclaimer, and then created my disclaimer based off that, so I could cover all my bases.

Also, the prompt line came from "The Tudors", delivered by Marry, and I just loved it. And ofcourse, my Klaroline obsessed brain came up with this as a result. This is what I was watching when I got inspired to write this: reign_supremacy/video/7116209497676287238?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7089957633293108742

Anyways,

KLAROLINE FOR LIFE BECAUSE I WILL GO DOWN WITH THIS SHIP!

#Klaroline #Klaus Mikaelson #Klaus #Caroline #Caroline Forbes #Elizabeth #Rebekah #Rebekah Mikaelson #Fanfiction #Angsty #Katherine #Katherine Pierce #Elijah #Kalijah #Kennett #KLAROLINE FOR LIFE BECAUSE I WILL GO DOWN WITH THIS SHIP! #klaroline fanfiction #klaroline for life!

[thememoriesofaqueen]

A Valentine's Surprise

A/N:  This is for all my loyal readers who have accompanied me for several years. Thank you for your support <3 Happy Valentine's Day 2023 <3

Pairing: Kalijah (Elijah Mikaelson x Katherine Pierce)

Word Count: 2,3k

Warnings: None

Status: Complete

Summary: It's Valentine's Day and while Katherine isn't a fan of cheesy expressions of love that only get made once a year, she is disappointed that Elijah seems to be more interested in his books.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Tick tock, tick, tock. The ticking of the old grandfather clock was - alongside the occasional sound of a page getting turned over - the only noise that filled the air in the otherwise awfully quiet room.

Katherine lounged on the divan and shot dagger gazes at the book currently placed in Elijah's lap. It looked old and boring and she couldn't fathom what made Elijah interested in it. Perhaps it was indeed the fact that it was old which fascinated Elijah. A doubtful taste, especially since he could have something much more interesting.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips and she threw her head back, audibly making her displeasure known. Unfortunately, her attempts seemed to remain unnoticed. Elijah's eyes were still glued to that damn book and without looking up from it, he even reached out for his cup of probably-already-cold tea to take a sip.

What was it that he had said? 'Katerina, I think a quiet afternoon would be nice. Perhaps you even want to join me in the pleasures of reading. I can recommend xy book.' – or something along the line.

At first, Katherine had thought that he was joking but to her great horror he really meant his words and now he was sitting there with that damn book in his lap which occupied his entire attention. Certainly not what she had expected today.

Surely – and Katherine wanted to put great importance on it – she is no one who expects cheesy things on Valentine's Day. Hell, she doesn't even want to be showered in flowers and balloons and stuffed animals (and whatever else gets gifted on these days). It appeared to be fake and if one isn't the romantic type of person the other 364 days of the year, one shouldn't bother to make a 180° turn on a day that's incredibly commercially exploited. 

Nonetheless, she had expected more than being literally completely ignored by Elijah.

Elijah, the man that shows his affection in and with the tiniest actions. The man who gives her a kiss on her forehead before she falls asleep and the man who often quickly pecks her cheek when he passes by her. But on the day that is literally known in the world as the most romantic day of the year, he chooses to ignore her, read, and even recommends she read a book herself.

It's unbelievable and makes her want to pout. What was exactly what she decided to do now. 

Again, it goes entirely unnoticed. Not even another dramatic sigh made him look up.

How is life so damn unfair?

Katherine pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes as she continued to eye Elijah. For once, he seemed to be entirely relaxed although highly focused on that treacherous book in his lap. A porcelain cup with tea stood on the table next to his armchair which made her wonder if it was finally empty or not. This book enchanted him so much that he even forgot the leave-water he had made himself after he told her he desired a quiet afternoon. He seemed content, which only made her own dissatisfaction worse.

Katherine decided she had enough of this awful state, so she finally got up from the divan and headed over to him. Her heels echoed on the wooden floor but Elijah only looked up at her when she (carefully) lifted the book up and placed herself on his lap instead so that her knees were left and right beside his legs and she was comfortably squatting on his lap. It was a little straitened on that armchair but she didn't care. Katherine could see a little sparkle in his eyes, but otherwise, he kept a straight face.

He did, however, take the book out of her hands and put it on the armrest so he can continue to read. At least he slipped his other arm around her waist and therefore kept her close to him.

Was that progress? Probably. Better than nothing, she supposed.

She put her arms around his neck and nuzzled her nose in the spot where his neck met his shoulder. 

The brunette kept quiet for a while, enjoying his proximity although she got more annoyed the more time passed and the more he turned yet another page in his book.

"Elijah", she mumbled against his neck which caused the hand that was lying flat on her back to draw small (and admittedly incredibly relaxing) circles on it. It was, however, still not the reaction she desired.

Instead, she now started to plant kisses along his neck and let her fingers slide through the hair on the nape of his neck. Surely that must ignite some kind of reaction.

"Elijah?", she mumbled again against his skin and this time, she got a reaction from him.

"Yes, Katerina?"

"Is this book more attracting than me?", she asked and finally lifted her head away from his neck so that she could face him.

Elijah raised his eyebrows and looked at her in amusement.

"Of course not."

"Then why do you keep ignoring me?"

"Who says I'm ignoring you?"

"Your lack of response?"

Her statement let him hum which in turn let his chest vibrate softly. "I enjoy your presence thoroughly, my darling Katerina. Is that what makes you so upset?"

"I'm not upset, Elijah", she retorted.

"The pout on your lips tells me otherwise," he stated and finally set the book from the armrest to the side table before he placed both hands on her hips.

"Well, I was thinking you'd want to go out. Have a nice lunch or dinner perhaps. But you're glued to that book." Now it was her turn to raise an eyebrow which quickly changed into a frown when she noticed him chuckling lowly. "What's so funny?", she asked in confusion.

"Well, I did ask you to join me in reading, didn't I?"

"You did. I still don't see the connection."

"But it appears you didn't follow my book recommendation?" he looked at her questioningly although he must know the answer. Of course, she hadn't followed his recommendation because she didn't intend on spending the day reading.

"Perhaps you should", he added after a while as he noticed her gaze darken.

After she made no movement to get up or even consider his words, he started to brush his hands up and down her hips, his expression softening. "Please, Katerina."

Katherine narrowed her eyes and couldn't possibly deny his request. Not when he asks her like that.

"Fine." She got up from her place on his lap as elegantly as possible. "What was the title again?"

"Poetry Of The Nymphs."

Right. She knew there was a reason she didn't start to read. Not only because she wanted to go out or at least do something with him - and by 'with him' she meant a joint activity and not separate reading. The last thing she wanted was to read poems that sounded like a magical fairytale. Or whatever its content was.

Her gaze now wandered to the four gigantic shelves full of books. They weren't put in there in a messy type of thing, no, they were all neatly lined up despite the big number of books. But how was she supposed to find one single book? She didn't even know what it looked like.

Seeking help, she turned to Elijah.

"No, Katerina, you were supposed to find it yourself."

"Elijah..."

She gave him a look that showed him that she wasn't in the mood for searching. Especially not after he still insisted on her getting that damn book.

Apparently, there was something in her gaze that made him sigh and get up. With a targeted grip, he reached into the upper half of the third shelf and pulled out a very old-looking book. Without commenting, he handed her the book and then stepped back a few steps.

He seemed like he was genuinely curious about her reaction to that book. Something she couldn't really comprehend because he cannot expect her to want to join a book club. But if he insisted...

Katherine's gaze landed on the leather cover of the quite heavy book. It had a dark red hue and still looked kinda new despite its age. She assumed it must have been in Elijah's possession for a long time or at least had a careful pre-owner. She couldn’t explain it otherwise.

Deciding it's best if she sits down and places the book on her lap due to its heaviness, Katherine returned to her previous location on the divan.

With another quick glance at Elijah, she opened the book. She had no idea where to start because it had a lot of sides and she certainly can't read all that in one sitting. To her great surprise, however, it seemed to want to open itself and showed her the right spot. Not because it was magic but mainly because she found a dry, pressed flower in it. It was a single, dark-purple carnation.

She carefully took the flower, that had previously hidden a poem in old, very swinging letters written underneath it, out of the page. It had a beautiful color and she wondered what it did in there. It certainly didn't belong to the book and it surely wasn't a bookmark. Did Elijah leave it in there?

Perhaps she had to focus on the poem on this page to find the answer. She figured it had something to do with it since she didn’t believe this was a random finding. It was a bit difficult to read but after a few seconds, she had it covered.

The poem was about a man who was deeply in love with a woman but who was too shy to ask the woman of his dreams out, afraid that his feelings weren't returned. So he decided to communicate with flowers. He deliberately avoided roses that would make his feelings too obvious, instead, he chose carnations. At first, he secretly brought a bouquet of white carnations to her which were associated with purity and luck. After he saw her accepting the white flowers, he continued to secretly give her more flowers. They became more and more colorful - or rather intense - after she accepted the last bouquet and had the same reaction as before. He brought her light red carnations after the white ones, that were associated with conveying admiration. Eventually, he brought her darker shaded carnations which expressed deeper sentiments of love and affection. When he secretly brought her a bouquet of dark purple and red carnations, he was discovered by her as she had waited for the secret admirer to show up.

Katherine had to turn the page to discover how the story ends. She found an ivory, small envelope between the next two sides but choose to ignore it for the time being, feeling like it was important to finish the poem first.

After the woman had unmasked her secret admirer, the man finally had the courage to declare his love. To his great relief, his feelings were returned and the woman declared that she too had admired him from afar. The poem ended with them starting a happy and loving relationship.

Katherine smiled but didn't dare to look up at Elijah. Somehow her own heart started to pound after she took the envelope that was waiting to be opened. She could tell that this envelope didn't belong to this old book and as she turned it around, she could see 'Katerina' being written in familiar, elegant handwriting on it.

"What's this?" she asked and finally looked up to discover that Elijah was still standing in the same spot as before and watching her with great interest.

"You have to open it to find out," was his simple reply and she could tell that there was a certain fondness in his expression.

Now her heart started to pound even more as she carefully opened the envelope.

In it was a simple but expensive unilateral ivory card. Its paper was thick and looked like it was for special occasions. She again discovered Elijah's elegant handwriting on it. It said:

'Dearest Katerina, it would be my greatest honor to let me take you out tonight. Until I receive your answer, I remain in hopeful anticipation. Yours forever Elijah'

Katherine's lips opened slightly because of how beautiful and thoughtful this was. It was beyond romantic and it made her speechless.

"Elijah...." she looked up to see him slowly stepping towards her, the fondness in his expression now more prominent than before.

"I do hope I shall receive your approval", he said softly and extended his hand to help her up and which she took.

"Of course you do, Elijah. I'd be more than happy to go out with you," she whispered and wrapped her arms around his neck before she leaned in to kiss him. As she expected (and hoped), Elijah returned the kiss, and let his hand rest on her cheek, his thumb brushing along her jawline.

"You make me a very happy man, Katerina." He whispered in return as soon as their lingering kiss ended.

"I guess there was a reason that you wanted me to read this afternoon," Katherine said with a soft giggle.

"I certainly hoped you would. Seems like my strategy didn't entirely work out."

Now she understood why he ignored her because he hoped she would give in and read to help with her boredom. And now she also understood why he initially didn't want to help her search the book. He wanted to build up tension. Some kind of game he knew she would usually enjoy.

"Thank you, Elijah. I enjoyed it and I believe I have never been asked out like this before. I won't ever forget it." And she meant every word she said. It meant a lot to her that he chose such a special way to ask her out.

"I love you, Katerina."

"And I love you."

Now, this day could only end up fantastic and memorable.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

#Kalijah #Katherine Pierce #Elijah Mikaelson #Katherine x Elijah #Katherine & Elijah #Elijah & Katherine #Elijah x Katherine #tvd ff #the vampire diaries #fanfiction #one shot #tvd #ff #katherine stan club #elijah stan club #A Valentine's Surprise

[katherinereilly19]

OC - Annalee Mikaelson portrayed by Adelaide Kane

In Oldest Mikaelson Sister, Annalee is the one in the coffin not Esther. When Bonnie and Abby wake her up, Elena and the Salvatores have to deal with the fact that they are out of their depth. Anna does not want to kill her siblings but protect them, where Esther failed them as a mother, she excelled. She says that she does not have favorites but the entire family knows that Kol, Nik and Rebekah are her favorites.

(not my gif)

#mikaelsons #klaroline #kolvina #kalijah #tvd fanfiction

[lilacsandorangeblossoms]

I got this idea for a kalijah prompt. I don’t know I’m going to continue it or just leave it here but I have been thinking about it all night. So I thought I would share it with everyone.

Prompt: Katherine and Elena identical twins and 17 their parents died last year and they now live with their wealthy grandmother in palm beach Florida. Hayley is hired to be their latest tutor. She only lasts a day. Stefan is the new tutor. The girls are not thrilled by this new tutor. Katherine is dating 19 year old Elijah Mikaelson. Katherine and Elijah only see each other during the summer but this summer Elijah has been busy so they haven’t been able to see each other as much.

“Time to meet the girls.”

Hayley takes breath as she puts her hands on the double door handles and the girls bedroom. She looks so out of place in this home. This is sophisticated and up class and she’s in jeans very worn sneakers a tank top and a cropped jacket.

When the girls came to live with their grandmother last year they could of choose different rooms, they don’t like to be apart and especially not after what happened last year so they sleep in the same room.

“Alright time to wake up.”

Katherine wakes up startled and pulls out her stun gun doesn’t even lift her purple sleep mask and aims the stun gun at the noise. Hitting Hayley in the chest and she goes down. Elena pulled her red sleep mask up and sees Hayley shaking on the floor. “Kat I think your shot our new tutor.”

Katherine has laid back down in her bed full of purples and blacks “new or not she needs to learn one way or another.”

Elena can’t argue with that she pulls her mask back down and lays back down her bed is full of reds and pinks.

Xxx

A couple hours later Katherine and Elena come into the kitchen, Katherine is a blue wrap dress and a Elena is in pink shirts with a white tank top. They notice Hayley sitting at the table. “Oh your still here?”

“Katherine is sorry just everyone knows not to come into our room before noon. And you did look tired so knocking you out actually helped so in a way Katherine helped you.”

Hayley doesn’t even know what to say to that she looks up at the chef Sophie who just rolls her eyes and places a bowl of fruit in front of each girl.

“I was going over the reading list and you girls have to read a book before the school year which is next week. So what book did you choose.”

Katherine rolls her eyes as she pops a blueberry in her eyes. Elena replies to her “we didn’t choose a book it’s summer and we were busy.”

As Hayley is about to explain something they hear a car horn from outside and Katherine smiles and glances over at her sister. “Daddy’s here.”

Both girls laugh as they get up. Hayley looks back at the chef. “I thought their parents died.”

“They did that would be Katherine’s boyfriend Elijah.”

Katherine runs out to the motor court and standing next to his Lamborghini is 19 year old Elijah Mikaelson in a green v neck and a pair of jeans, Katherine jumps on him and wraps her arms around his neck her legs around his waist. He holds her tightly. “I missed you my Katerina.”

#katherine pierce #tvd fanfiction #story prompt #hayley marshall #elijah mikaelson #kalijah

[lady-ye]

The Chaos Theory (6352 words) by Lady_Ye Chapters: 3/30

Chaos theory states that within the apparent randomness of chaotic complex systems, there are underlying patterns, interconnectedness, constant feedback loops, repetition, self-similarity, fractals, and self-organization. This behavior is known as deterministic chaos, or simply chaos.

Caroline Forbes, a monster with her humanity intact. One who prided herself on her morals and control.

Kol Mikaelson, the unhinged orignal. The forgotten sibling who was always left behind with a dagger on his back and chaos in mind.

Katerina Petrova, the girl doomed by her cursed blood. A lie, a shadow, created by destiny itself to wither away. One is for all and all is for one.

An unlikely trio with a burning urge to survive. But how far is one willing to go? Limits will be tested, bonds broken and morals left behind in this game of survival.

#katherine pierce #caroline forbes #kol mikaelson #klaus mikaelson #elijah mikaelson #stefan salvatore #damon salvatore #elena gilbert #klaus x caroline #elijah x katherine #klaroline #delena #caroline&katherine #my brotp #kalijah #fanfiction #ao3 fanfic #ff.net

[darlingmurdock]

𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊 ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

LIFE HAD PREVIOUSLY been significant; before a lovely dawn. A memory crammed within the confines of a letters of remembrance, scrawled with careless chuckles and profound joys. Waffles strewn with otherworldly quantities of syrup, as tiny spirals of heavenly pity blossom through the monotonous turmoil of realism.

A beautiful relationship between three girls; flows smoothly when introduced in excellent language. It is nothing like a dream with such amazing participation. A girls steadies a lovestruck so sweetly reciprocated, blissfully ignorant of the throat-scratching yells and anxious headaches. Only an ideal existence could compare to exchanging ever-growing grins and infectious companionship.

Caroline noticed the crimson red and golden tint flashing over her knuckles. She moved her attention to find herself in a cracked mirror. In frustration, she hits the mirror. She felt her throat burn as she looked into her own mirror, wanting to sob. She eventually achieved her wish. She was entirely liberated. She had been set free. She has taken back control of her life. She survived, she got herself, Katherine, and Bonnie out.

click here to read more

#caroline forbes #bonnie bennett #katherine pierce #klaroline #kennett #kalijah #caroline x klaus #bonnie x kol #katherine x elijah #tvd #tvdu #the vampire diaries #the originals #klaroline fanfiction

[rockclimbinglover12107]

Rating TVD ships :

Stelena: 6/10. Paul and Nina had good chemistry and it was certainly the better option of the two main ships but I found them very vanilla and I take the stance that the brothers ruined Elena so I can’t bring myself to fully support it. Also, the retconning of this ship after season 4 always bugged me.

Delena: 1/10. Nothing about this toxic ship made sense and it was clearly done as fan service. Elena HATED Damon in the earlier seasons and it was clear her only loved her because of Katherine. Damon was clearly manipulative towards Elena, always controlling and undermining her, and I have already mentioned the fact that the Salvatore brothers traumatised Elena and ruined her life.

Steroline: 4/10. This ship had the sole purpose of giving two main characters an ending with another person. It was boring and they were obviously better as friends. However, they weren’t overly toxic or impactful so I didn’t mind them too much.

Bamon: 8/10. It was much better than Delena and their chemistry was good. Their time in the prison world was one of the only semi-interesting elements of the story after Katherine died . Bonnie deserved a dynamic love interest and she brouggt out the good in Damon, something that Elena did the opposite of. However, I don’t see the ship lasting as Bonnie is a very moral character and Damon is pretty much the opposite.

Klaroline: -100000/10. Everything about this ship sucked. His attraction and interest in Caroline made no sense and realistically she would be a brief fling at best. Her sleeping with the guy who essentially wanted to kill her best mate was shady and the fact that KATHERINE of all people had to call this out was honestly sad. Also some ( not all ) of their fans are so annoying, always complaining that they didn’t end up together and disregarding all of the pain that Klaus caused. Most TVD fanfiction revolves around either them or Dullena and this is really annoying to me, as someone who doesn’t ship them.

Forwood: 3/10. It’s better than Klaroline but it’s still toxic and both characters annoyed me when they were together. Caroline was better when paired with one of the other girls or Stefan ( as a friend ) and I thought that Tyler was always either boring or a horrible person.

Steferine: 5/10. Paul and Nina’s chemistry really shone with this pairing and they were interesting in season 2 but as time went on they became tiresome and Katherine’s obsession in season 5 was both annoying and completely out of character. I was much more interested in the Katherine / Caroline dynamic and also the Katherine / Elena dynamic than the Steferine one in this season.

Kalijah: -5/10. This man found a way to free her but chose not to use it and instead was going to allow her to die at the hands of Klaus. Then he got upset when she fled to stay alive and held it against her for years. Finally, when they had a fling in season 4, he broke up with her and betrayed her over killing ONE guy who was her enemy, conveniently ignoring the amount of innocent people that he and his family have killed. Everything about this ship, aside from the actor’s chemistry, sucked and the idea that he was loyal to her for 500 years is absolute bull.

That’s it for now, but I may do a part 2 with some non-canon ships or any canon ships that I haven’t covered yet.

#stelena #anti delena #anti steroline #bamon #anti klaroline #anti forwood #steferine #anti kalijah #tvd #stefan salvatore #elena gilbert #anti damon salvatore #bonnie bennett #anti klaus mikaelson #caroline forbes #anti tyler lockwood #katherine pierce #anti elijah mikaelson #just my opinion

[mismaeve]

♕ Burning Lights ♕

❝ And my heart won't beat again ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤIf I can't feel him in my veins ❞

Chapter 23 of the Burning Lights series Pairing: Katherine Pierce x Elijah Mikaelson Warnings: PG16+, some angst Word count: 9323 POV: Katherine Sidenote: Finally!!! It's been a long time coming but I've finally done it. It's the longest update I've written so far and truth be told, no matter the feedback this gets, I will be forever proud. As always though, don't hesitate to let me know your thoughts, I always appreciate it. Oh and P.S. I threw in a treat for you guys, especially for cologne nonnie. Enjoy! Love, Maeve xx _________________________________________________

The soothing breeze on their penthouse balcony felt nice on her warm skin. The night that surrounded her was quiet and serene. She could scarcely notice the occasional car driving by on the street countless stories below her. She was embraced by a state of calm she had rarely felt before during her many lifetimes. A memory appeared before her, bringing her back to a time where the world itself was more quiet still. A memory that almost seemed like a dream, or a glimpse of a past life.

ㅤ

“It’s so peaceful here,” she said with a soft smile on her delicate features. “I’ve noticed you coming here a lot lately,” Elijah’s voice was tender, warm. Katerina turned her head to glance at the handsome lord sat beside her and saw that he was watching her. “I suppose I like to come here to escape the castle,” she confided in him with a smile that turned somewhat sad. “The castle or my brother?” “I know I shouldn’t feel this way, yet I cannot help it,” she continued quietly, a part of her frightened that wrong ears should catch her words. “Are you having second thoughts?” his voice seemed sincere, caring. As if he was genuinely interested in what she was feeling. “I’m not sure,” she replied with a sigh.

ㅤ

She wasn’t having second thoughts this time. This time, Katherine Pierce found herself being sure of her choice. Truth be told, now that she looked back at it, she knew she had lied to him then. She had been sure then as well. She had been sure that she no longer was interested in the lord Niklaus. She had been sure that someone else had captured her heart. His older brother, the lord Elijah. The same older brother who was now in their bed fast asleep. Katherine turned around and leaned against the railing, her eyes travelling to the sleeping frame on the master bed. She felt her lips turn upwards in a tiny smile at the sight of him. The brunette watched the sleeping frame move some, his arm stretching over to her side of the bed. His hand patted the empty spot next to him and his eyes opened. Once their eyes locked, Katherine’s smile grew some.

A soft groan escaped Elijah’s lips before he spoke. “ The bed misses you,” he said his voice sounding sleepy. “ Is it the bed that misses me or you?” Katherine teased him lightly as she pushed her body off the railing and made her way slowly back inside their bedroom. “You caught me there, love,” he mused softly, a somewhat sheepish grin spreading across his handsome features. “ I like it when you miss me,” she purred as she moved onto their bed. Moving on all fours, she moved closer to him, her face hovering only inches from his. “ I figured as much,” he said with a smirk, his hands going to her sides and continuing to travel south until finding their resting place on her hips. With a satisfied grin, Katherine leaned down and planted a kiss on the corner of his mouth, letting her lips linger there before moving down to his jaw. She felt his grip on her hips tighten as she trailed kisses along his jawline, each kiss appearing hungrier than the one before. A soft groan came from Elijah as her lips reached his neck, kissing and nibbling on his soft skin as they continued their descent on him. She felt his hands leave her hips and slip underneath his shirt that she was currently wearing. With feline-like grace, Katherine positioned herself properly on top of the man she loved, leaning down on her forearms, allowing her fingers to find their way into his hair, where they softly tugged at it. As Elijah’s hands roamed all over her naked body underneath her shirt, her lips left his neck and found his in a deep and hungry kiss. Despite the two of them having been at it almost constantly ever since they had gotten back from Diana’s, their hunger for each other had not diminished, if anything, it had gotten stronger still. In that moment of their mouths colliding in mutual desire, Elijah’s hands had left her body and he used them to push himself up into a sitting position. His arms went around her and pulled her even closer as their tongues engaged in a sensual dance only they knew. Their lips devoured each other for another moment until his mouth travelled down her jaw and to her neck, prompting a soft moan to emit from Katherine’s lips. His mouth on her neck made her skin feel as if it were on fire, a fierce fire that only he could start and only he could extinguish but only after he had let it rage on and consume her whole.

ㅤ

“Do you think it’s painful?” she asked sounding unsure. “Truth be told, I haven’t given it much thought,” Elijah shrugged. “ I can’t imagine it being very pleasant for the person,” Katerina expressed with a hint of curiosity behind her words. Elijah didn’t respond, and there was a moment of silence between them. “ Have you ever...,” she paused choosing her words carefully, “ done it with someone you cared for?” “ I can’t say that I have,” he told her quietly and appeared to be deep in thought. “ Would you?” she asked after a moment. “ Drink from someone I cared for?” he looked at her and Katerina felt she needed to avert her gaze. “ If that were the case, I imagine it would be for a different purpose,” he told her softly, prompting her to look at him with a confused expression. “ Different how?” she asked. “ Normally, we would feed to satisfy our hunger. Alas, if I were to drink from someone I cared for,” he trailed off, his gaze not leaving hers, “ it wouldn’t be to satisfy my hunger. I would go as far as to say it would be something intimate, sensual even.” “ That said, I would never presume to take without being told it was alright,” he added after a while.

ㅤ

“ I want you to do it,” Katherine sounded out of breath, his lips on her neck making her breath heavy with desire. “ Do what, love?” Elijah asked her huskily between kisses, his fingers working on unbuttoning her shirt. “ I want you to have me like that,” she whispered in a low voice, leaning her head slightly back to extend her neck even more. He continued to kiss her some more before he suddenly stopped and moved his head to look at her. “ Are you certain?” he asked her once she opened her eyes and found his. “ Yes.” “ I don’t want to hurt you,” he said softly and leaned his forehead against hers. “ Something’s telling me it won’t really hurt,” Katherine reassured him. He didn’t reply but she felt him nod, and Katherine found herself anticipating it the same way she always anticipated feeling him inside her. When his lips found their way back to her neck, she closed her eyes with a low groan coming from her slightly parted lips. His hands slid her shirt down her shoulders, exposing the skin beneath. Thinking that she would feel a sharp sensation any moment now, she was surprised to feel him move them around some, his arm around her waist, lifting her up slightly. Katherine cried out in pleasure so intense it was almost agonising as he guided her back down again on his lap, the two of them becoming one just as his fangs had pierced the skin on her neck. His arms were around her, holding her firmly in place, his hand was in her hair, grasping it intensely. She felt she wouldn’t have been able to move even if she had wanted to. She allowed him to take all of her, to take everything she had, and she found it felt like heaven and hell combined. All she could feel was immense pleasure, their connection to one another magnified by a tenfold. It was only too easy for her to surrender to it, to get lost in it, it was a delirium of a different kind.

ㅤ

“ I believe I have never felt this happy at the sight of my blood healing someone,” Elijah mused softly as he watched his bitemark on her neck slowly heal over and disappear completely. “ I guess Diana knew what she was doing after all, despite all your doubts,” Katherine pointed out with a raised eyebrow. “ It was a trying situation to say the least, can you really blame me for wanting to be sure?” “ It doesn’t really matter now, I’m here and I’m fine,” Katherine offered him a smile before giving his lips a gentle peck. “ And soon to be a vampire,” Elijah reminded her with a soft smile, his hand going to brush away a loose curl from her features. “ Exactly,” Katherine murmured as she took her accustomed place with her head on his chest and his arm around her, constantly trying to pull her even closer. “ Speaking of which, I didn’t hurt you, did I?” she heard him ask her carefully, a hint of worry in his voice. “ Did it sound like you did?” Katherine smirked to herself. “ I honestly couldn’t tell, it sounded very intense either way.” “ Because it was, the most intense experience I’ve ever had,” she murmured as she closed her eyes. “ Thank you,” Elijah whispered and planted a gentle kiss on the top of her head. Katherine didn’t reply, only a soft smile played on her features. She felt sleep was beckoning her and made no attempt to escape. As she felt herself being embraced by the sweet tranquility of sleep, the last thing her conscious mind registered was Elijah telling her he loved her.

ㅤ

Katherine was studying Elijah’s face, debating whether to share her experience with him or ask him to drop it. She knew that deep down, she ached to share her experience with him, that she should tell him what happened after she crossed over, so to speak. She also knew that she wasn’t fooling herself with the idea that since she had been the one that had to actually die, that it had been any easier to be in his shoes. She knew well enough that what Elijah had gone through was just as horrible. “ I remember being terrified,” she started after a while. “ I remember you trying to distract me with all the things we would do and places we would go, and as comforting as it was to listen to your voice, I could still feel the dread deep down inside,” she sighed heavily at the mere memory of her experience only a couple of days ago. “ Were you in pain at any point during the ritual?” Elijah asked quietly, his eyes studying her face. “ No, there was no pain,” Katherine said after a while. She wasn’t lying, it hadn’t been painful. No physical pain at least. “ I’m sensing a but coming,” his voice was quiet, almost a whisper. Katherine sat down the glass of wine she had been nursing for the better part of the evening and got up from the couch. The brunette made her way to the tall windows, noticing that dusk was settling over the town square. “ I don’t even know how to explain it if I’m being honest,” Katherine started as her eyes followed the smoky dusk, “ It wasn’t so much pain as it was fear and dread.” “ I had never felt such dread in my life,” she whispered quietly, her eyes catching on Elijah’s reflection in the window. He was watching her from the couch, his expression somewhat somber. “ It felt like all hope was lost, like this truly was the end. No more possibilities, no more chances, no more opportunities of righting any wrongs. The only promise that existed in that moment was the promise of nothing, of emptiness, of this cold and dark place where loneliness was going to be your ultimate undoing.” She hadn’t realized until now that tears were slowly building up in her eyes. Katherine quickly blinked them away and cleared her throat. She was determined to leave that particular experience behind her, no matter the cost. But sadly, she hadn’t prepared for the mere memory of it to be so vivid. She could almost feel it in her body, all that fear and dread that she had felt that night on Diana’s kitchen table. “ What happened then?” Elijah’s voice seemed to be miles away, a distant sound at the end of a dark tunnel. “ And then I died,” she turned around and forced a smile which in turn prompted Elijah to offer her a frown. “ What I’m saying is that, as death approached, what had appeared to be unending dread, slowly started giving way to peace,” Katherine explained as she slowly made her way back to where Elijah was sitting. “ Slowly, inch by inch, the dread and the fear made way for this warm and peaceful feeling. I could feel my body slowly starting to relax, all that fear becoming a distant memory,” she finished softly, her smile now a genuine reassuring one. “ It was like slipping into a hot bath after a long day, you know?” she shrugged and sat down on the couch, swinging her legs across Elijah’s lap, “I felt like somehow, everything would work out. The peace soothed me, I felt like I was being wrapped up in this soft blanket which would always protect me from everything. It was utter serenity,” she trailed off and shrugged again, “ I wish I had known then that it wouldn’t last.” “ Did something happen after you....,” he trailed off, clearly struggling to utter the word out loud. “ Died?” Katherine helped out with an understanding smile. Elijah nodded, a glimpse of regret on his features.

ㅤ

“ I know you think the worst is done, child, but I’m sorry to disappoint, it’s yet to come,” Diana told her softly, taking her hand in hers. “ I’m dead, aren’t I?” Katherine asked although she already knew the answer. Diana nodded. “ What do you mean, the worst is to come?” she asked, a hint of fear taking residence upon her features. “ You must find your way home,” Diana explained, giving her hand a firm squeeze. “ Home?” Katherine asked feeling a bit puzzled. “ Back to your body, baby,” the witch informed her. “ Don’t go wandering around for too long, the longer you stay, the harder it will be to get you back,” Diana continued, her blue eyes locking with Katherine’s brown ones. “ All I have to do is find my body and I’ll come back?” Katherine asked with a raised eyebrow before glancing around at their surroundings. “ Easier said than done. If you’re unlucky, some of the spirits will try to convince you to stay,” the old woman warned her. “ But, if I’m dead, are you?” Katherine suddenly asked feeling somewhat alarmed. “ No, dearie. But I wasn’t about to let you go off without instructions,” Diana smiled warmly at her, and Katherine felt herself more at ease. “ But,” Katherine started but was interrupted by the old witch. “ Don’t you worry about anything else, focus on finding your way back,” was Diana’s last words to her before the woman was gone and Katherine was left alone.

ㅤ

“Diana was there?” Elijah asked in mild disbelief. Katherine nodded. “ I know Diana told me afterwards about where I was and what kind of place it was, but I still can’t wrap my mind around it,” she explained before taking a sip of her wine. “ It was neither dark nor light, it was something in between. The place was neither cold nor warm,” she started slowly, her memories taking her back to when she was in the spirit world, as Diana had put it. “ I took her warning to heart and started to move, looking around frantically to see if I would find something, anything familiar,” she trailed off. “ Do you know where you were?” Elijah’s voice was quiet, careful, as if not to startle her. “ I was in 1492 Bulgaria,” she answered with a sad smile. Her eyes found Elijah’s and saw that he understood more or less of what she was about to tell him.

ㅤ

“ No way, please, no,” Katherine whispered to herself once she realized where she was. Or rather when she was. She stopped in her tracks, her eyes landing on something on the ground not too far from her. She didn’t have to get closer to know what it was. Either this was a sick joke or the universe, or the spirits or whatever were trying to punish her all over again. Katherine took a breath and forced herself to move. She had to get back, and if that meant reliving her worst memory all over again, then so be it. As Katherine proceeded to enter the village of where she once had lived, a sound from behind her made her jump around. She looked to the woods behind her but couldn’t see anything. Yet something made that sound again, like someone was stepping on dry branches and leaves, getting closer and closer. Katherine stood her ground and waited. A figure of a woman was slowly emerging from the woods and stepping out onto the road. Closer and closer the woman was making her way towards Katherine. The brunette paled once the woman was close enough for Katherine to recognize her. “ Katerina, my sweet child,” the woman spoke softly in Bulgarian, addressing Katherine by her given name. A name the woman herself had given her. “ Mama?” Katherine gasped in disbelief. She had prepared for having to find her mother brutally murdered by none other than Klaus himself, and yet here she was, standing in front of her. There was no blood on her, nothing to indicate that she had fallen victim to a psychotic hybrid. The woman extended her arms, inviting Katherine into an embrace, the smile on her gentle features radiant and loving. Katherine could see tears of joy in her mother’s eyes. The brunette rushed forward and let out a relieved sob as she felt her mother’s arms embrace her and hold her close. She smelled like she always had, of lavender and honey. A smell Katherine thought would be lost forever.

ㅤ

“ In that moment, I didn’t care about where I was, all that seemed to be forgotten. All I could think about was feeling my mother’s touch,” Katherine said quietly, watching Elijah pour some more wine into her glass. “ Was she real?” he asked. “ She felt as real as you do. But it took me a while to remember that she couldn’t be,” she said in a voice that was flooded with disappointment. “ She told me about this gruesome man who had come to our village one night. A demon with dark eyes and a soul darker still,” Katherine could remember how terrified her mother had looked while telling her of Klaus’ visit. “ She told me of the servants and the servant girls he had mercilessly butchered with his sword, some he had torn apart with his bare hands,” Katherine couldn’t help but shudder at the memory of her mother’s words. “ She spoke of Niklaus,” she heard Elijah say. “ She said she and my father had escaped to the woods, and that we should head back to their hidden hut, that it wasn’t safe in the village,” Katherine continued. “ I had started to follow her when I remembered what Diana had warned me about.” “ That some spirits might try to convince you to stay,” Elijah murmured softly, placing his hand on her knee where he proceeded to stroke it comfortingly. Katherine nodded. ㅤ

“ Katerina, you must come, it isn’t safe here,” her mother’s voice sounded desperate, the fear in her eyes all too real. “ I can’t,” Katherine said in an agonizing voice, wanting more than anything to see her family well and unharmed. “ Your father will want to see you, he will be besides himself with joy,” her mother pleaded. “ I want to, I do, but I have to get back,” Katherine tried to make her mother understand that she couldn’t stay. She had to go. “ I am begging you, child,” her mother gripped Katherine’s hands and pulled her into another embrace, holding her tight against her chest. Katherine wrapped her arms around her mother’s frame, breathing her in while she had the chance, savoring the scent of lavender and honey, wishing she’d never forget it. “ Come, my child,” her mother whispered in her ear and Katherine found herself nodding. “ You have to come home with me,” her mother urged her. Home.

ㅤ

“I knew then what was happening,” Katherine sighed and sat down her empty glass on the coffee table. “ She wanted you to stay,” Elijah whispered. “ When she said ‘home’, it finally struck me. I had to leave her if I ever wanted to get back to you and the land of the living.” “ Did she let you leave?” Elijah asked her carefully. “ She continued to plead with me after I tried saying good-bye to her,” Katherine started slowly, the memory of it feeling all too real now. “ Eventually, I just turned and started back the way we had come, all the while listening to her pleas. It was like my heart broke all over again,” she whispered. There was a moment of silence between them, neither one of them said anything. Eventually, she carried on with her story. “ The worst came when her pleas, which seemed to follow me no matter how far I got, turned into these haunting whispers.” “ What did the whispers say?” Elijah asked. “ They blamed me for what had happened. They kept echoing in the thick air, I couldn’t escape them, I couldn’t block them out. And the closer I got to the village, the worse they grew,” Katherine closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she continued. “ It was as if they were trying to keep me from entering the village. Their words grew harsher and harsher, the voices started sounding more and more in pain, soon they resembled wails or moans of pure agony,” she trailed off, being unable to continue. It was hard to talk about it, but it was harder still not to. She knew she would eventually have to tell someone of her experience in the spirit world, and she knew it would have to be Elijah. She wanted to tell him, more than anything now, but she couldn’t do it without being brought back to that place, back to those voices, back to her mother begging her to stay. Finally, being able to see her and feel her, and talk to her, only to have to turn her back on her. What she had had to do in the spirit realm, were one of the hardest things she had ever had to do, a mighty high price to pay in order to stay alive. And she had paid in full. And now she knew, if she didn’t tell him about it, it would haunt her forever. “ You don’t have to continue if you don’t want to,” Elijah tried to reassure her but there was no stopping her now. “ So I decided to run, to run towards the village. I realized that the village was the answer since they were trying so hard to keep me from it,” she continued, ignoring Elijah. “ As I was about to enter our keep, the wails appeared to be inside my head, it was a deafening roar. I couldn’t hear anything other than the wailing, I couldn’t think, I couldn’t focus,” she exhaled and leaned back against the couch. “ The moment I opened the door and stepped inside, it got quiet. The only thing left was silence so deep and profound, that for a moment there I wondered if I had lost my hearing for good,” she chuckled halfheartedly. “ I was still expecting to see blood everywhere but there wasn’t any. Everything appeared to be normal.” “ I had seen the slaughtered servants and maids outside our keep, but there was nothing inside. It felt wrong somehow,” Katherine’s voice trailed off.

ㅤ

“What happened once you were inside the keep?” Elijah asked her as he returned from the kitchen area with two cups of coffee. “ I almost failed, is what happened,” Katherine said thoughtfully as she took her cup from Elijah and wrapped her palms around it. “ What do you mean?” he asked her as he took his seat next to her. “ I had gone upstairs to my chambers where I saw a crib. I could hear a baby cooing,” her voice had dropped to a whisper. She didn’t have to look at Elijah to know that his expression was pained. “ Katherine,” she heard Elijah sigh softly and raised her hand to stop him right there. She knew if she were to even look at him, let alone hear his comforting words or feel his touch, she would lose it.

ㅤ

“ Hi, my little one,” she whispered softly with a smile as tears pooled in her eyes. She reached out and picked up the infant girl with the utmost care. Katherine bent her head down and inhaled the sweet scent of her daughter, her lips gently brushing over the baby’s fuzz of dark hair. “ I’m here, your mother is here,” Katherine murmured with a strained voice. She felt so overwhelmed, so overcome by joy and longing she didn’t even know she had. A quiet chuckle escaped her lips as she felt a tiny hand grasp a lock of her hair and tug at it gently. “ I’m never leaving you again,” Katherine whispered as she held her daughter against her chest. She had forgotten her purpose of returning to the living, she had forgotten about Elijah, she had forgotten about her dying on Diana’s kitchen table. Furthermore, she seemed to have forgotten everything that had happened in her life, her 500 years on the run, Mystic Falls, Elena Gilbert, all of it was gone. The only thing that mattered, the only thing Katherine found herself capable of thinking about was right here in her arms. Her daughter.

ㅤ

Katherine clenched her jaw, fighting the tears that had already started to fall down her cheeks. Elijah didn’t say anything, allowing her this moment of trying to pull herself together. And for that Katherine loved him. Slowly, she found herself starting to calm down, her breath was no longer hitching in her throat, and she was able to take a deep and steadying breath. “ I had no intention of leaving that place, I wanted nothing more than to stay there and be with her,” she continued after a while, her voice low and quiet. “ She had fallen asleep in my arms, and I moved us to my bed. Laying there with her so close next to me, I felt like I would never be able to stop admiring her,” Katherine breathed out, her memories beginning to overwhelm her yet again. “ It felt like I was in a trance or something, she was completely mesmerising,” a sad smile had appeared on her lips. “ How did you manage to leave?” Elijah’s whisper prompted her to clear her throat and take a sip of her coffee. “ I didn’t know what it was at first,” she began slowly, “ I only realized it after I had come back from the spirit world, and you embraced me,” she trailed off and glanced up at him with loving eyes. “ What?” Elijah looked a tad puzzled. “ It was you,” she said softly and raised her hand to his cheek, letting her thumb brush over his features. “ Me?” he raised his eyebrows. “ You were calling me home without even knowing it, without even being there with me to guide me back,” she offered him a soft smile as she dropped her hand from his cheek. “ Well, you weren’t really there but at the same time you were.” “ As I was laying there on the bed with my infant daughter who I thought was lost to me forever, a different kind of scent caught my attention. It seemed so familiar, yet I couldn’t place it,” she explained sounding thoughtful. “ The more I focused on the scent, the more it came back to me, what it was I had to do, that I couldn’t stay there,” she said quietly.

ㅤ

“ I haven’t forgotten you, I never will,” Katherine murmured as she placed her daughter back into her crib, “ And I will love you forever. You are loved, my sweet daughter,” her voice broke as her fingers stroked her daughter’s face for the last time. The infant girl stirred and opened her eyes, a soft cry escaping her tiny lips. Katherine clenched her jaw and turned around, with her back facing the crib she heard the baby begin to cry. As she used every ounce of her strength to take a step towards the door, she felt her eyes well up like never before. With tears streaming down her cheeks and her daughter’s growing cries, she slowly left her chambers following the scent that had caught her attention earlier. The scent had taken her out of the keep and to the woods that grew in the back. It didn’t take her long to recognize the path she was following. Katherine along with her parents had taken it multiple times whenever they had gone to visit their ancestors. With every step she took, the scent grew stronger, more powerful, reminding her of her true home where she belonged. The brunette paused and looked around her. She found herself in the middle of the Petrova burial site. As she moved past the ancient looking headstones, recognizing some of the names displayed there, she stopped before one which appeared to be lighter in color. There was something there, in the air around it, it appeared to stand out from all the other headstones. She carefully moved closer and felt the scent grow in power, it was so strong she could almost taste it, feel it on her skin. Upon inspecting the headstone closer, her eyes widened some as she realized it was her own headstone. Her birth name was displayed on it, along with her date of birth and date of passing which read 2013. She took a deep breath, something was telling her that this was her way back. Even the air felt alive with electric currents surging through it. Everything had gotten so still, there wasn’t a single sound or smell, save for the familiar scent which had guided her here. Katherine reached out carefully and felt her palm touch the cold stone of her final resting place.

ㅤ

“ The next thing I knew I was in Diana’s kitchen, and I heard you talking with her outside,” Katherine smiled to herself at the memory. “ The moment you saw me standing there in the doorway, you rushed to me and pulled me into your arms, and I felt that scent again,” her smile was growing some, her eyes fixed on Elijah’s. “ As ridiculous as it might sound, it was you, or your cologne to be exact, that I had noticed in the spirit world,” she chuckled as she watched Elijah become puzzled. “ I’ve always loved the scent of it, it’s always reminded me of home for some reason. Mainly because I would only be able to smell it when we were close, in an embrace for example,” she admitted truthfully. Katherine watched Elijah shake his head, a hint of a smile playing on his handsome face. “ I supposed a confession is due,” he spoke softly as he took the cup from her hands and placed it on the coffee table. “ What do you mean?” Katherine asked with a raised eyebrow. “ I’ve noticed you taking a liking to it, so I’ve been wearing it for you,” he admitted. Katherine watched the man she loved for a moment before a cheeky grin took hold of her features. “ So what are we saying, that Gucci brought me back from the dead?” “ Armani, actually,” Elijah chuckled and pulled her into his arms, her face going to rest against his chest, and she breathed him in as had become her custom. The scent of home, the scent of him. The scent he wore for her. “ Thank you for bringing me home,” Katherine whispered into his chest and closed her eyes. “ No, love, I could never take credit for that. You did all of that yourself, I merely reminded you of it,” he spoke softly as his hand went to stroke her hair. “ As far as having a home goes, you are mine,” he whispered and kissed the top of her head. Katherine sighed feeling content. “ I cannot express it in words of how sorry I am that you had to endure all that you did in the spirit world,” he murmured, his voice dropping to a more somber note. Katherine sighed and moved to look him in the eyes. “ I appreciate it, I do. And now that I’ve told you, I never want to speak of it again,” her voice was serious. “ I understand,” Elijah said softly as he took her hand in his and brought it up to his lips, kissing the top of it lightly.

ㅤ

She rarely had trouble sleeping nowadays, Elijah’s arms wrapped around her had always provided her with a sense of safety, a sense of belonging. But that night, she had slept more soundly than ever. Upon her waking, she decided it was due to the fact that she had told Elijah about her recent experiences of dying and her brief visit in the spirit world. Diana had been right, dying had been nothing compared to what she had to go through in the spirit realm. She hadn’t realized how burdened she had been with the experience until she had shared it with Elijah. She could swear later on, that it had made her feel lighter, like talking about a nightmare made it slowly leave your memory. She was still pained at the thought of her mother and daughter, but she finally felt like it would no longer cripple her. The mark they had made would never fully heal, but it wouldn’t keep her from moving on with her life. Which is what they were doing the next morning. Elijah had tempted her with a nice and relaxing bath, insisting that she should be treated like royalty for all the days to come. Katherine was naturally pleased and decided she could easily get used to being pampered like this. “ Have you thought about of how you want to go about it?” Elijah asked her as his hands proceeded to massage her shoulders. “ About my turning, you mean?” “ Yes, any specific place you want to do it, specific time, that sort of thing,” he mused softly. “ I haven’t really thought about it, other than wanting you to be the one to turn me,” Katherine breathed out, leaning her head back against his chest. “ I would never allow anyone else take that honor from me,” his voice took a turn and appeared to be lower, almost serious. “ It’s an honor now, is it?” Katherine couldn’t help but feel amused at this sudden change in him. “ It is an honor, you permitting me to call you mine, but an honor greater still to be the one whose blood grants you immortal life,” Elijah murmured in her ear, sending pleasant shivers down her spine. “ Sounds like you’ve been blessed,” Katherine teased him lightly. “ You have no idea,” he whispered as his teeth nibbled on her earlobe gently. “ I want to do it tonight, I guess there’s no point in waiting,” she spoke slowly, her mind being distracted by Elijah trailing kisses down her neck towards her shoulder. “ If that’s what you wish,” he mumbled against her skin between kisses. “ Elijah,” she breathed out, his touch feeling intoxicating. “ Yes, my love,” he purred softly as his lips nibbled on her shoulder, his arms pulling her closer to his chest. “ You’re distracting me,” Katherine attempted to complain. “ Do you want me to stop?” he asked her before his lips found her sensitive spot on her neck and sucked on it gently. “ Is this what you had in mind when you suggested we take a bath together?” Katherine breathed out heavily, her eyes closed, savoring the feel of his lips on her skin. “ Perhaps.” “ You know, we will have an eternity of this,” Katherine reminded him quietly, all the while enjoying herself. “ Is it wrong to fear that not even an eternity with you would be long enough?” he murmured as his lips left her shoulder and he leaned his head to rest against hers. “ Well, it’s good for starters,” Katherine chuckled softly. “ In which case I say we continue this later and go see about granting my darling with the immortality she deserves,” he purred in her ear, prompting a smile to grace her features.

ㅤ

“ Now that we’re alone, I thought I’d give this to you,” Diana spoke quietly, her hands taking Katherine’s. Katherine glanced down and saw that the old witch had placed a tiny vial in her hands. “ What’s that?” Katherine asked as she inspected the vial closer. “ You and I both know, baby, that your knight in shining armor will struggle with the actual deed,” Diana spoke plainly prompting Katherine to raise an eyebrow. “ What do you mean?” “ Elijah wanting to turn you is all fine and sweet, but can you honestly tell me the man won’t face difficulties when it comes down to actually having to kill you?” it was Diana’s turn now to raise her eyebrow at Katherine. The brunette paused. The old woman’s words made sense to her. She knew Elijah well enough to know that when push came to shove, he would kill her, but she also knew that it would be extremely hard on him, even given the fact that she would come back as a vampire. Katherine knew that the thought of him having to hurt her or lay his hands on her like that, would be torture for his soul. “ And let me guess, this vial contains the answer to that particular problem?” Katherine asked as she carefully shoved the vial into her pocket. “ It’s the same brew I used to stop your heart yesterday,” the witch nodded.

ㅤ

Katherine could feel the fluttering within her, she was growing more excited by the second. They were finally going to do it. She would no longer remain a frail human being. She was going to become a vampire tonight, immune to disease and age, forever young and desirable. It almost felt like she was about to receive the life she had always dreamed of. Her fresh start, her new beginning. Her happiness. “ Are you ready, my love?” Elijah’s soft voice interrupted her thoughts and Katherine blinked to find him studying her face. “ Yes, but before we do, there’s something I need to tell you,” she paused, not knowing how to tell him that Diana doubted his ability to do the deed from start to finish. That Diana’s doubts had made sense to her and that on some level, she found herself sharing the witch’s doubts. “ Tell me what?” Elijah raised an eyebrow, his eyes searching her face for any clues. “ Diana said something to me,” she started, still struggling to find the right words. “ What did she say? Don’t tell me there’s going to be another problem,” he looked concerned now, almost afraid.  “ No, nothing like that,” Katherine shook her head and offered him a lame and weak smile.  “ Then what?” “ She gave me this,” Katherine opened her hand which had been clutching the small vial and showed it to Elijah. His eyes went to the vial before finding hers again, looking even more puzzled now. “ What is it?” he asked quietly. “ It’s the same substance that stopped my heart the night we did the ritual,” Katherine said quietly as she fought the need to lower her eyes. “ Why did she give it to you?” the quiet tone of his voice told her he had an idea of why the old witch might have given it to her. “ She feared that your love for me would prevent you from being able to, you know, kill me,” as the words left her lips, she could no longer hold his gaze and dropped hers to her shoes. “ And you share her fear?” she heard him move closer to her. Katherine felt herself swallow hard and forced herself to look up at the man she had indirectly accused of being too weak to see the deed through.  “ Would you be able to do it?” she whispered as her eyes were the ones to search his face for clues now. Elijah sighed and brought his hands to cup her face.  “ What kind of man would I be if I didn’t do my very best to see this through from start to finish?” he asked her softly, his expression gentle. No matter how hard Katherine tried to look, she found no signs of his feelings, or worse, his pride having been hurt.  “ So you’ll do it then? ” she whispered. “ I won’t like it but yes, darling, I will do it for you,” he murmured as he leaned his forehead against hers.  “ And now it’s my turn to tell you something,” he whispered before he leaned back, and their eyes found each other’s again. “ Tell me what?” Katherine asked quietly as her fingers deftly shoved Diana’s deathly vial into the back pocket of her jeans. “ Why don’t I show you, if you’ll permit me?” Elijah asked her, his hand going to cup the side of her face. Katherine nodded and closed her eyes, all the while relaxing her mind and opening it to him.

ㅤ

“ I don’t suppose you need me to tell you how lucky you are,” Diana spoke as she took a seat at the kitchen table.  “ You are absolutely right, I don’t need you to know that I am,” Elijah sounded somewhat tense. “ If you mess this up again, sonny, you will lose her forever,” the old witch was watching Elijah with her piercing blue eyes. Silence followed as Elijah averted his eyes. “ Call me a sucker for happy endings but I thought I would give this to you, so you can pass it along to your girl when the time comes,” Diana’s tone had changed some, appearing to be lighter now, less threatening. Elijah’s eyes found the older witch again and saw that she was holding something in her hand. “ What is it?” he asked as his eyes went to the vial in her hands.  “ A gift,” the witch shrugged and extended her hand towards Elijah. He took the vial from her outstretched hand and examined it closer. “ You may recall me asking for a minor blood donation from you earlier, it was for this,” Diana explained as she watched the Original vampire turn the vial with his fingers. “ I don’t understand, what is this for?” Elijah asked. “ To spare you from having to listen to a lot of witchy terms and processes, I’ll tell you this. You know your girl well enough to know she can be vain and somewhat easily seduced by power,” Diana started, “ So I’ve made something that will prevent her from longing for the good ‘ol days,” the witch shrugged. Elijah appeared to still not quite understand what it was that he was holding in his hand, so the witch offered an easier explanation.  “ You give her this to drink after she’s had your blood and before she dies, and she will come back with the same strength she had prior to ingesting the cure for vampirism.” “ So, this will age her,” Elijah still sounded somewhat puzzled and unbelieving. “ Only in vampire years. It will provide her with her old vampire caliber and abilities,” Diana explained.  “ But how,” Elijah started but was cut off by the old woman. “ Don’t ask how, you wouldn’t understand anyway. Just trust me that it will work, and it will definitely make her happy.”

ㅤ

Katherine opened her eyes and saw that Elijah was holding the vial. Katherine knew that Elijah would never have shared this with her, if he had so much as suspected this to be untrue. She knew that since Diana had been true to her word in bringing her back from the dead, that she would also be true to her word that this potion or whatever it was, would restore her old vampire abilities. Elijah must have felt the same way since he had chosen to share this with her. The fluttering that she had felt in her stomach earlier, was now becoming more intense. Not only will she become a vampire tonight, but she’ll literally go back to how she was before Elena Gilbert bested her with the cure. Diana had been right, Katherine couldn’t be any happier if she had tried. “ Shall we then?” Elijah’s lips were curled up in a smirk as he offered her his hand. Katherine took his offered hand and nodded. It was time.

He led her over to the couch and sat down, pulling her down with him and onto his lap. Katherine couldn’t help herself but feel almost giddy. It was finally happening. After all the agonizing months of her having been forced to be human, forced to feel fear and dread, and hopelessness. After having been nearly killed by Damon and Co., and then again by time catching up to her, it was finally going to happen. All of that will soon be in the past. None of it will matter anymore. She was finally going to be free. Katherine was nearly being suffocated by anticipation as she watched Elijah roll up the sleeve of his shirt to expose the wrist that would offer her the red substance within, the very key to her immortal life. Elijah didn’t ask her whether she was sure or whether she was ready or not, instead Katherine watched as his eyes darkened and his features became laced with the dark veiny pattern. She caught a glimpse of his fangs before he buried them into his own wrist. As he pulled back, his face had gone back to normal, and he used his tongue to lick off the blood from the corners of his mouth. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her breathing was heavy. It dawned on her then that this act of him turning her into a vampire felt so intimate and sensual, that it reminded her of their lovemaking. As her brown eyes watched the blood swell from the bitemark on his wrist, she felt herself biting her lower lip in anticipation. And when Elijah moved his wrist closer to her, she knew she was only seconds away from tasting the sweetness of his blood, from tasting the very essence of him. Katherine glanced up at him and saw that his lips were slightly parted, and his eyes were dark, and knew instantly that whatever it was that she was feeling, he was feeling it too. Her hand took his as she leaned over and closer to his bleeding wrist, when it was only inches away from her lips, she felt herself hold her breath. During the moment before her lips felt and tasted the red substance, it was like time itself had stopped. Everything was still, as if completely frozen. It lasted until Katherine parted her lips and brought his wrist to her mouth. Her eyes closed the moment she tasted his blood.

Even though Katherine had had his blood before and was more than familiar with how it tasted, she could swear it was somehow different this time. The moment her eyes had closed, it was like something was exploding inside her. His blood tasted sweeter than before, she could almost taste the very essence of him, the very thing that was Elijah. It wasn’t just the blood she was tasting, it was him. All of him. The sweetness of it brought on a form of a different kind of delirium and ecstasy, one she wasn’t capable of fighting. Instead, she found herself giving into it, reveling in it and letting it consume her. Nothing else existed for her but the sweetness of this moment, the future promise it held. That was until she heard him. “ This is how our forever starts,” his voice sounded husky and somewhat out of breath. She felt him pull her closer to his chest with his arm that was wrapped around her frame.  “ My blood is yours, my heart is yours and my soul is yours,” he breathed out hot against the top of her head. His words only amplifying the bloodied bliss that she was currently bathing in. “ I love you, my Katerina, my Katherine, my saving grace,” he purred close to her ear. His breath was heavy and hot on her skin. Katherine opened her eyes and swallowed the last of his blood, before an equally heavy breath escaped her parted lips. Katherine had never been one to allow her emotions to spin out of control and take over, but something about what they were doing and the effects it was having on her, made her chose differently this time. She let go of his wrist and moved to cup his face in her hands, her blood covered lips crashing against his. Elijah’s own lips parted and welcomed hers with the same intensity that she was currently feeling. She kissed him deeper than she ever had before, the echo of their kiss going all the way to the deepest pits of her stomach where each kiss culminated into a wave of pure heat and desire. Their lips devoured each other until she had to come up for air, and it was only then that her bliss gave way to her rational mind, and she remembered what it was they were supposed to do. The both of them were panting, trying to catch their breaths while pressing their foreheads together.  “ I love you too,” Katherine breathed out and offered his lips a gentle kiss before pulling away entirely. Elijah moved and planted one last kiss on her forehead. Their desires would have to wait for now. As fitting as it might have felt to give in and add even more pleasure to this act, she knew they would have plenty of time for that later.

ㅤ

Katherine took his offered handkerchief and wiped the remnants of his blood from her mouth. Elijah did the same to his now healed wrist. One would think that they would have plenty to talk about, especially given what had happened just moments ago, yet there was silence between them. Katherine knew why both of them had grown so quiet. She had ingested his blood, so the next step now was to ingest the contents of the vial Diana had given as a gift. And then.... “ Elijah?” Katherine spoke his name softly, quietly. The Original’s eyes met hers and she could see that he was trying to hide the dread he must have been feeling.  “ Of course, it’s time for Diana’s potion,” he sounded like he had forgotten about something important and was just now realizing it. He fished the vial from the pocket of his slacks and walked over to Katherine.  “ You don’t have to do this, you know,” Katherine reminded him reassuringly, her hand reaching out to stroke his features.  “ We both know that I do, I owe it to you,” his voice was soft, but she could hear the discomfort beneath.  “ Owe it to me?” Katherine raised her eyebrows in question. “ After all that you have been through and endured, this is the least I can do for you,” Elijah explained as his hands took hers and gave her the small vial containing Diana’s magically crafted serum. Katherine appreciated that he was trying, that he wasn’t going to take the easy way out even though they had one thanks to Diana. She admired his courage and the fact that she could count on him to do the deed when the time came. She didn’t have to ask how he planned on doing it, she knew that whichever way he chose to do it, would be pain free. Knowing there was no point in trying to delay the inevitable, Katherine removed the tiny cork from the vial and without having any second thoughts, threw her head back and downed the contents within. The brunette was expecting for it to taste as bitter as the previous potion Diana had given her, but to her surprise, it tasted sweet. Her pleasant surprise and relief only lasted for a short moment before she realized what was about to come next. The anticipation she had felt earlier tonight had been sweet and full of promise, so she had to admit that whatever she was feeling now, was far from it. She wasn’t afraid of temporarily dying because she knew she would come back as a vampire. It was more the not knowing. She wasn’t going to ask him when and how, it wouldn’t do any good if he told her. When she finally allowed her eyes to meet with his, she saw that he was smiling softly, reassuringly. She took a breath and closed the small distance between them. It was her way of saying that she was ready for the grand finale. He took the empty vial from her hand and placed it back into his pocket. And just when Katherine thought he was going to go for the kill, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into an embrace. She wrapped her arms around him as she breathed him in, the very scent that had saved her life a couple of days ago. She felt herself tense a little when she felt him pulling away, but he only moved to be able to kiss her. His kiss was caring and sweet, as was his touch when his fingers lightly stroked her delicate features.  “ I will see you soon, my darling,” Elijah spoke softly and offered her a gentle smile. “ Will you miss me?” Katherine asked with a smirk, trying her best to hide her unease.  “ I always miss you,” Elijah whispered as he leaned in and gave her lips a gentle peck before pulling her back into his embrace. The last thing Katherine could remember before everything went dark, was closing her eyes and smiling to herself. _________________________________________________

#kalijah #kalijah fanfiction #kalijah au #katherine x elijah #katherine pierce #katerina petrova #elijah x katherine #elijah mikaelson #the vampire diaries #tvd #tvd fanfiction #burning lights

[umaficwriter]

afflictions eclipsed by glory moodboard 

you can read it either on ffnet or ao3 

fanfiction written by the incredible @passionesque

#kalijah moodboard #kalijah #kelijah #afflictions eclipsed by glory #kalijah fanfic #kalijah fanfiction #kalijah au #the vampire diaries #vampire diaries #kalijah tvd #katherine pierce #elijah mikaelson #katerina petrova #katherine x elijah #elijah x katerina #his katerina #ao3 #ffnet #kalijah fanfics #elijah x katherine #katherine pierce and elijah mikaelson

[finnicks]

i'm a survivor

the vampire diaries | katherine pierce | part three pg, 300. Elijah and Katerina play a game of chase.

When Katerina deduces the coast is clear, she picks up the skirts of her dress and lifts her other foot, boot pressing down against soft earth. The moment she presses weight against it, arms wrap warmly and solidly around her waist.

Tugged to his chest, she laughs loudly. His hands flatten against her belly as he holds her tightly to him, picking her feet off the ground.

"Got you," he whispers against her ear. Katerina hates the way she shivers against him, hoping that he’ll believe it to be the slight chill in the air.

[ a katherine pierce drabble and ficlet collection | read at ff.net ]

#tvd fic #kalijah #kalijah shippers club #kalijah fic #kalijah fanfic #kalijah fanfiction #katherine x elijah #elijah x katherine #katherine stan club #elijah stan club #tvd fanfic #tvd fanfiction #the vampire diaries fic #the vampire diaries fanfic #the vampire diaries fanfiction #i'm a survivor #my fic

[elejahfanfic]

kalijah_au

@beautyandwords

*

Divination

_fanfic

*

"You know that you can always call me if you need anything. I am just a phone call away." Katherine said pouting charmingly.

"Really? Last time I saw you, in Paris, you left me without any explanation. No note. Nothing." Elijah was slightly miffed.

"I'll make it up to you, detective." Katherine moved closer to the Original, swaying her hips in a cat-like manner.

"I'm sorry" the Original moved aside as his phone suddenly rang. Seeing it was Stefan on the display, he picked the call up.

#kalijah #katherine pierce #elijah mikaelson #alternative universe #fanfiction #divination #elena gilbert

[thememoriesofaqueen]

In Another Life - Part 10

Masterlist (x)    

A/N:  [Chapter updated in August 2022] Hello :) I hope you have a great summer (or winter, depending on where you are). I know it's been a while since the last update but I hope this chapter kinda makes it up to you for the long wait. As always I want to thank you for your continuous support and feedback. It means a lot to me <3 I hope you enjoy it and please make sure to leave feedback <3 Edit September 2022: Repost cause it didn’t show up in the tags.

English is not my first language    

→ I do not own anything of the TVD - Universe and I’m not affiliated or associated with the writers etc. This is only a headcanon/fanfiction.

Pairing: Kalijah ( Katherine / Elijah )

TW: drunkness, blood

Word Count: 9.691

Please read also: AO3 and FFnet

▬▬ xx ▬▬ ▬▬ xx ▬▬ ▬▬ xx ▬▬ ▬▬ xx ▬▬ ▬▬ xx ▬▬ ▬▬ xx ▬▬

▬▬ xx ▬▬ ▬▬ xx ▬▬ ▬▬ xx ▬▬ ▬▬ xx ▬▬ ▬▬ xx ▬▬ ▬▬ xx ▬▬

The conversation with Eleanor was quite revealing. Maisie Williams is 20 years old and was born in Boston. She studied business administration in Boston and recently moved to Columbia, although the reasons for her move seem mysterious to him. Eleanor said that she had quarreled with her parents and wanted to be near her grandmother, who seemed to finance her studies in part.

Admittedly, these facts did not really excite Elijah. His conversation with Eleanor raised no doubt that the person of Maisie actually existed.

But if Maisie Williams actually existed, how could she look like Katerina? Eleanor had without hesitation identified the image of Katerina as Maisie.

Could it be that there was another doppelganger?

This question occupied Elijah secretly while he listened to Eleanor and maintained his facade of an insurance agent.

Actually, the existence of another doppelganger should be impossible, especially if it is a doppelganger who is human and had about the same age as Elena Gilbert.

Elijah put down his empty teacup and put on a friendly smile.

"Thank you for the insights and the information, Mrs. Williams, you have really helped me a lot. I will get the missing documents as soon as possible."

He stood up and let Eleanor accompany him to the door without arousing any suspicion. However, before he said goodbye and left, he turned to the elderly lady again, his gaze resting on hers.

"There is one more thing." His voice is still friendly and neutral, not giving away what he’s about to be requesting. "I want you to cackle like a chicken," he calmly told her while his pupils widened as he made an attempt to compel her. If this Maisie is actually Maisie, no one should have knowledge of both vampires or vervain, so Eleanor had no choice but to do what he said.

The elderly lady seemed to be confused for a moment before she actually started clucking.

"Thank you, that’s enough. It occurred to me that I still need some information."

With these words, he entered the house again and told Eleanor to follow him.

"I want you to answer all my questions truthfully," he compelled her as he stopped in the living room area and Eleanor sat down.

"Do you know a person named Katerina Petrova or Katherine Pierce?" he asked while he was looking at the pictures in the room, especially the baby photos that attracted his attention.

"No, I’ve never heard those names."

He narrowed his eyes slightly when he heard Eleanor’s answer and tried to discover any similarities with Katerina in the baby photos. Some features did not change too much over the years hence his interest.

"When was the last time you saw Maisie?"

"The weekend before last."

"Does Maisie come to visit you often?"

"Yes, she comes often and stays with me all weekend."

In his opinion, the baby photos had no similarities with Katerina, which is why they did not seem to be useful to him.

"Where does she live if she’s not with you?"

"She lives in a dorm on the campus of the University in Columbia." Well, at least that was insightful information he could use. Maybe his doubts will vanish when he visits this Maisie Williams.

"Do you remember when Maisie moved to Columbia?"

"Yes, that was quite surprising. I didn’t know she had a falling out with her parents and wanted to continue her studies at Columbia. It was a few months ago."

This information came as a surprise, and he raised an eyebrow because the time frame might fit. Maybe Maisie isn’t as real as she seems. Even if he really wonders how Katerina could have managed to create and maintain such a deception. After all, she could no longer use compulsion.

"Where does she sleep when she’s here?"

"Oh, Maisie has her own room. They used to stay here often when she was little. Unfortunately, my daughter had to go to Boston because of a new job, which is why the visits have decreased and eventually stopped altogether."

That was another thing that’s quite interesting. If Maisie really slept at her grandmother’s so often, then she had to have personal belongings here. Personal stuff he might be able to match with things that belong to Katerina. He is aware that Katerina usually did not surround herself with many things. The possibility of escape is still very strongly anchored in her head and it's easier to flee without a trace if there's nothing that could lead to her or tell someone that it had been her who has lived there.

"Can you show me her room, please?" he requested kindly, although Eleanor was still under his compulsion. And as was to be expected, Eleanor could not refuse his plea and led him up the stairs to show him the room of her granddaughter.

"Please don't be surprised, Mr. Smith. As I have already mentioned, the visits have eventually decreased and stopped in the past few years and I hadn't had the time to start renovating. Maisie says she doesn't mind but I know it's no longer fitting for her age."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Williams. Could you please leave me alone and wait for me downstairs?"

"Of course, Mr. Smith," a gentle nod followed her words before she turned around and found her way back downstairs. He waited for a moment until he could hear her working in the kitchen before he carefully opened the door to Maisie's room.

Despite Eleanor’s 'warning', he was admittedly surprised when he stepped into the room because this room really did not fit a twenty-year-old woman.

The walls were painted in a pastel pink tone and all furniture was white. A large, white canopy was stretched over the bed and as far as he could see, even delicate chains of lights were integrated into it.

Books and horse figures were on the shelves, and he could also discover a snow globe. The whole room did not seem to correspond to his Katerina, because it was very girlish. In a way, the time has actually stopped here, which only confirmed the existence of this Maisie Williams - much to his displeasure.

He walked through the room, careful not to step on the fluffy white little carpets, looking for any clue. At first glance, however, he could not see anything noticeable.

He finally examined the wardrobe and opened a door. Elijah was well aware that it was an invasion of another person’s privacy, but he needed certainty. In contrast to the very detailed bedroom, however, the contents of this closet were rather sparse but at least corresponded to the clothing style and nature of an adult woman.

The few garments had been neatly folded and placed in the closet. They were neutral colors, both dark, and light. Without wasting another thought, Elijah reached for the first top in his field of vision and examined it. It was a black top. A style that he knew Katerina liked to wear and even though it was not unusual for an adult woman, he wondered if Maisie wasn’t Katerina after all. Perhaps he really lost himself in wishful thinking and a sigh left his lips as he put the top back in the closet.

He didn’t seem to be able to find any definite clues which did frustrate him because he had believed - or at least hoped - that he'd finally have certainly about Katerina's whereabouts.

With one last glance into the room, Elijah left Maisie's bedroom and went downstairs to go and find Eleanor.

There were not many open questions left, at least none that could give him the necessary answers. Somehow, his quest always seemed to end in dead ends.

"I beg your pardon, Mrs. Williams, but allow me a few last questions so I can process your application for health insurance." Of course, he was intent on maintaining his role, even though he had already decided to let Eleanor forget this encounter.

"Did you have the impression that Maisie was sick when she came to visit you unexpectedly?"

Eleanor frowned as she thought about the question.

"She did have a little cold when she arrived, nothing that you can’t handle with a good soup and enough tea. She also mentioned that she had been under a lot of stress lately, precisely because of the quarrel with her parents."

Unfortunately, this was again not a clear indication of Katerina, because in the case that Katerina had visited Eleanor immediately after her escape from the hospital, she should have been in a much worse state of health. It would not have been a 'little cold'.

Even if Katerina had managed to cover up her illnesses and weaknesses at the first moment, it should not have been possible to maintain this facade longer. The hospital report left no doubt that her state of health required more intensive treatment. Under no circumstances would a soup have been sufficient.

On the other hand, Elijah was also aware that she had stolen medication from the hospital that might have alleviated her symptoms.

This topic will therefore need further clarification.

For now, however, he should focus on the next step. Even though he had not expected to be confronted with a mysterious person, he had to involve this Maisie in his planning and meet her. He would preferably have to watch her first before meeting her.

Even if he very much wished to have Katerina with him again, he did not want to stand in her way. It is hard for him to believe that Katerina, if she were actually Maisie, would find fulfillment in a life as a student, but if she had, he would not want to hinder her. She deserved to finally lead a normal life without having to fear being threatened or killed in the next moment.

Nonetheless, he had to admit that he was selfish because even if this scenario happens to turn out as true, he wanted to see her, even if it was just from afar.

"Is she still studying business administration?" Elijah finally asked, assuming the university was big so he could at least make limits for his search.

"As far as I know, yes, but she also told me about additional courses she took. Maisie is a young woman who is very interested in many different things."

He wrote down this information mentally before nodding.

"Thank you, Mrs. Williams. I will make sure that your insurance request is processed as soon as possible, and I wish you a good day."

He said goodbye with a polite smile, compelled her to forget about their encounter, and left the house – this time for real. Although he had no knowledge of insurance, he would ensure that Maisie got the necessary health insurance, even if she was not Katerina. A small thank you from his side because at least his search has now been narrowed down a bit.

...

"Do you really think you will find this one person at the university? As far as I know, there are over 30,000 people enrolled there", George seemed to have honest concerns about the success of his search. Elijah, however, was not discouraged.

"I’ve spent years searching for Katherine or at least learning her approximate location. I’ve been spending weeks, even months trying to find her now. 30,000 students will certainly not stop me from reaching my goal. Even if I have to look at each of them individually," Elijah replied objectively before laying a map of the university on the table. Fortunately, the Internet offered an astonishing amount of information, so it was not necessary for him to be on-site for the time being.

He thinks it makes more sense to first make a good plan before putting it into practice. However, he was also aware that not everyone acted as he or considered his approach appropriate. Fortunately, this was not a family meeting.

"Here we have the housing units of the university," he pointed to several buildings on the map. Most of the housing units were located on the eastern side of the campus. "In the west, we have housing units that are grouped in a so-called 'Village'. I doubt, however, that Katherine lives here, as far as I could find out it requires membership in a fraternity or sororities on campus." He could not imagine that Katerina would join a sorority, but he could not exclude it with certainty.

"We know that Maisie lives in a student flat on campus, which is why we just have to ask the university administration." That would be his first approach. "The business school is here," Elijah explained, pointing to a building west of the university’s residential units. It is located just north of a Coliseum. "Unfortunately, we don’t know which additional courses Maisie takes, but I think she should be there most of the time. At least if she takes her studies seriously." Although Elijah couldn’t say that for sure either. Especially because he couldn’t imagine that  Katherine would revive in her role as a student. "There is also a cafeteria in the same building, and other dining options are near the parks in the east." Elijah pointed again to several places on the map.

"Is that a Starbucks in a library?" asked George, which made Elijah blink in surprise.

"In my opinion, a cafeteria has nothing to do near a library."

"Starbucks is not a cafeteria, Sir, it is an international retail company specializing in coffee products."

"Should that be common knowledge, George?" He couldn’t remember ever hearing from Starbucks. However, he also didn’t really drink coffee.

"Starbucks is the company that asks you for your name to write on the coffee cups, but always misspells those names. You can put together any kind of coffee-like drinks and as far as I know, they are also a popular photo motif." George looked at him almost expectantly, as if his description helped him to find enlightenment. Elijah, however, raised only one eyebrow.

"I can’t remember hearing about it. Apart from that, I still find it inappropriate to offer hot drinks in a library."

The whole concept sounded very questionable to him. However, this was really not an important topic, even if he should probably keep the popularity of this company in mind.

"In any case, to return to the main topic, it is necessary that a few people take a position at this university and keep their eyes open. You know what Katherine looks like. Should she or Maisie be spotted, she is to be  inconspicuously observed  and immediately reported to me." Elijah took a pen and circled the areas around the living areas, the business school, and the park with numerous food options.

"I assume she’s probably somewhere around here. I don’t want any vampires at the university grounds, so if you encounter a vampire, he is to be killed  – inconspicuously." Elijah will definitely not take any risks. "Do you have any information about where my brother is right now?"

"He’s still in New Orleans, Sir, so far it has not been established that he left the city."

"Good, the last thing I need right now is Niklaus to be here somewhere." Another concern, of course, that he always had to keep in mind, because he is aware that his brother would sooner or later try to get him back to New Orleans. If Niklaus found out that all this was related to Katerina, it would be very dangerous for her. "I’ll check the administration for a Maisie Williams." With these words, Elijah locked the pen and memorized the card exactly before he left it to George. His people needed reference points so they could coordinate better. "I want five people sent to the university immediately, and they should leave tonight at the latest."

"Got it, sir."

▬ University/Columbia, South Carolina, Three days later ▬

As expected, the campus area was huge. It was like its own small town in the middle of a big city. People were everywhere when Elijah got out of his car and it was almost fortunate that he had found a parking space at all. Especially considering the fact that it seemed like they were preparing some kind of event. Despite it being only noon, there was a fair amount of people wearing sparkly dresses as if they planned to go to a party. Some buildings even had balloons attached to their main entrances. He remembered reading in the newspaper a few days (or was it already weeks) ago that there was an event planned at the university but he had only flown over the headline and didn't bother with the content since he hadn't been interested in university stuff at that time.

Maybe he should have.

It is far from the first time he has been on a university campus. No, on the contrary, Elijah appreciated the contents of the university libraries very much, although his interest was more in the elite universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, or Yale. Nevertheless, it was the first time that he searched for someone in the midst of these masses without knowing exactly where this person was.

Of course, he could have hired one of his people to collect data on Maisie Williams. However, he preferred that no private or personal data be read by others. This was also the reason why Elijah would look at her file to find out who this ‘Maisie Williams’ really was. Although he trusted his minions in principle, Elijah preferred to act with foresight, especially with regard to Niklaus. Compulsion is something no vampire could elude forever, even if they were on vervain, and his family certainly had the necessary skills to get all the information they desired out of people.

If Niklaus found out about Katerina or even about the possibility of an unknown doppelgänger, then the whole mission would be in danger hence why Elijah preferred to be the only one to know about such valuable information. At least he hoped that Maisie's file would contain some valuable information. It would be a small disaster if there was no further information about Maisie.

Luckily - even if this information admittedly made him a bit nervous - Savannah believed that she had already spotted 'Maisie Williams' after two days of posting. This was faster than expected, as more than 30,000 people studied on this campus. Of course, his henchmen knew who to look for and what this person looked like visually. However, Elijah did not expect such quick results, it was a lucky strike.

Knowing that Katerina could be here on campus, that his search had finally come to an end, made him almost euphoric. Of course, the worries and nervousness remained, but by and large, he was very optimistic at the moment.

According to Savannah’s information, Maisie’s/Katerina’s current location was on a south-facing terrace that belonged to a canteen. This was not surprising, as it was already after 12 o'clock and thus his arrival fell at noon.

However, the closer he got to the location named by Savannah, the more nervous he became.

Was he nervous because he was afraid that this person turned out to be neither Maisie nor Katerina?

Was he nervous that the found person was the real Maisie?

Was he nervous about how Katerina would react?

He just didn’t know. He paused and smoothed his jacket and straightened his already impeccably fitting cufflinks before taking a deep breath. He’s overthinking again and that’s something that wasn’t good at all. It made him restless. Anxious. He needs to keep a cool head so he consciously inhaled and exhaled again to calm down before he proceeded. He shouldn’t make such a fuss. It’s completely unlike him.

After the terrace came into sight, he stopped. He had no interest in confronting Maisie/Katerina right now, although it was difficult to reconcile with his impatience. By no means did he just want to burst into her life. He had already decided long ago that he would first observe the situation before deciding to take further steps. By no means did he want his arrival to aggravate her current situation. Several weeks had already passed since her hospitalization, so he hoped that her health had improved and that she wasn’t in imminent danger which required immediate intervention. Apart from that, he could not predict with certainty how she dealt with this new human life.

Of course, he assumed, simply because he knew her, that she did not like this human life. It didn’t happen often, but Katerina was the epitome of a person made for vampirism. He would be very surprised if she had taken a liking to a human life.

However, if, contrary to expectations, she actually enjoyed human existence, he would stay away. He would not interfere with her life or her life choices. If she found happiness in whatever role she currently chose to play, in whatever she was currently doing, he would not interfere. He would make sure she finally had a peaceful life as it should have always been. A life without supernatural beings – even if that decision of staying away would hurt him.

What more could you want than to see the person you loved happy and content?

Elijah breathed deeply before his attentive eyes crossed the numerous seats and tables. The cafeteria was well attended at this time, numerous guests had gathered on the terrace to enjoy not only lunch but also the midday sun.

Despite his extraordinary sense of hearing, he was not able to filter out a certain voice. There were too many different sounds and voices that mixed and mingled together, making it impossible to separate one voice from another. At least his good sense of sight allowed him to make the necessary observations from a great distance.

A group of blondes sat at one table, a young man at another. At one table, people sat together discussing something, on another table were people who had to belong to the sports students according to their clothing, while yet at another table apparently different types of ice cream were compared.

Numerous people and yet he only wanted to find one person.

His gaze continued to wander through the ever-moving crowd. While some people seemed to have finished their meal, others arrived.

Then, however, his gaze caught on a high, wavy braid and his breath hitched in his throat.

Even if the hairstyle was unusual, it could not fool him over the fact that he had finally found the person he was looking for for months.

The oval face with the fine bone structure, the wealth of brown curly hair, and the almond-shaped, deep brown eyes with thick dark lashes undoubtedly belonged to Katerina (or the person he hoped to be Katerina).

Unconsciously, he walked two steps in her direction before abruptly slowing down, remembering his vow of not getting involved in her life before he didn't make sure that a) this was indeed Katerina, b) she was looking for a way to reconnect with her previous supernatural life, and c) that she needed (his) help.

He could not allow his exuberant joy of having finally found her to break through his plans now.

Right now, much to his great ease, she looked healthy, although different. The ponytail was uncommon for her as was her choice of clothes that he'd describe as too light for her usual taste. It made him almost uncertain if this was indeed Katerina and not some other doppelgänger although he wanted to believe that Maisie was not another one of them. An empty plate stood in front of her, which meant that she had already finished her meal, and she was surrounded by different people. They seemed to not be complete strangers, at least judging by their mimics and gestures. He would even say, based purely on his observations, that she was socially integrated into this group.

To his great displeasure, one of her interlocutors stood up - a young tall man with black hair - and put an arm around her shoulders for quite some time and kissed her on the cheek, whereupon she laughed and seemed to say goodbye.

Elijah wanted to say that he was not a jealous man and above such feelings. Nevertheless, he could not deny that this sight - despite the distance - gave him a sting. That there was a feeling deep inside of him that envied this man.

He knew that he had no right to develop any feelings like jealousy when it comes to Katerina. Still, this subliminal feeling was there and he couldn’t help but detest this puny creature, even if he couldn’t even say for sure in what kind of relationship they were or how they were connected.

He breathed deeply again and tried to suppress this painful feeling. His feelings stood in the background in this situation, all that should count -what it did- was that Katerina was well. If this person was, of course, Katerina.

This was for him to find out.

Not that he wanted to do it right now. No, it was especially difficult for him to turn on his heels and leave Katerina behind. Although his concern was unfounded, he was afraid of losing sight of her. He was afraid of losing her again even though he had people monitoring her.

He, therefore, remained to stay there undecided, his eyes fixed on Katerina all the time, and leaving now seemed to him a mistake. He could observe that Katerina - or just Maisie - was laughing and seemed to be having fun. In contrast to the people who had already crossed his path, no one was festively dressed at this table. It seemed as if they were not attending the event, even though it seemed so big.

Of course, he wondered why, and of course, he was annoyed that he had not studied the article in the paper. Once again, he realized that little things were crucial.

The group at this table stood up together, the tablets with the empty plates in their hands, apparently the lunch break was over. His eyes narrowed as he considered postponing the search in the personnel archives and instead following Katerina/Maisie to find out more. But that would not be expedient, after all, he had thought about a certain approach for good reason. Moreover, and he saw this concern as very justified at the moment, he would be too tempted to contact her, try to talk to her. An act he wanted to keep his distance from, at least for the moment.

He, therefore, decided with a heavy heart (and very reluctantly) to give Savannah the instruction to keep an eye on Katerina/ Maisie and to follow her. One task he wanted to take on himself, but hiring Savannah was the better solution, at least for now.

It was only after Savannah had confirmed her new task to him that he was able to continue his way to the administration building. Though his thoughts were always with Katerina and he wondered if he could focus on his future task at all.

...

It was already late and dark when Elijah left the administration building. A glance at his watch revealed that it was already past midnight. He had not been aware that so much time had already passed. A fact that was not new to him, as it actually happened quite often when he was immersed in files or books.

Cool spring air received him as he stood on the landing in front of the main entrance. The event that he had first noticed when he had arrived, seemed to be in full swing, but it looked as if the official event had turned into a party already. The young people, who occasionally roamed around in this particular area, laughed and talked while they either headed towards the music or seemed to be already on their way home - most likely to party somewhere else privately.

He couldn’t stop thinking about Katerina again and wondered if she was part of the festivities. Whether she was with that dark-haired man.

But he quickly suppressed these thoughts.

He should better concentrate and think about other things, although it was admittedly difficult. Despite the fact that he was used to reading many things that might seem boring or even soporific to others, he felt somehow drained. In his defense, it has to be added that it made a difference, of course, whether he read in his study in good light and with possibly quiet background music, or in a basement without windows in bright and unnatural light. It had admittedly tired his eyes. To make matters worse, there seemed to be several departments in the archive whose sorting had not seemed conclusive to him at first glance. It had therefore already taken some time to find the right places for his research.

His head was throbbing, but he could not say clearly whether this fact was due to his stay in the cellar, or to the results. Whatever it was, he desperately needed rest and relaxation because unfortunately, the cool air didn't help.

Elijah let his gaze linger over the otherwise peaceful landscape before he finally started to move past the large water basin with a fountain, which was switched off at night, towards the parking lot. He noticed that some astonishing glances were directed at him, but this was probably due to his clothing - very few people wore formal suits during that time of the day (or rather night). The wardrobe of the evening seemed to be a casual, and sometimes a very scarce style of clothing.

To get to the parking lot where his Porsche was waiting for him, Elijah had to cross a smaller park. Although small was perhaps not the right expression, because one would approx. need 5 minutes with fast steps to cross it. In this park, there were also some young, mostly already drunk people, who were staggering around in small groups.

Elijah once stopped to make way for one of these groups, as he did not want to risk being bumped into. In addition, in such a state, there was also a risk that people spontaneously vomited, and he really did not want to experience this tonight. He preferred to stay away from these people and the issues they brought. And with his current headache, it really was better to not provoke him in any form.

In the middle of the park stood a stone fountain whose water he surprisingly could still hear splashing. Unlike the fountain in front of the administration building, this fountain did not seem to be turned off at night. He stopped briefly to look at the fountain from a distance, as the path to the parking lot branched off to the left so that he would not reach the fountain if he continued his path as planned.

The fountain was estimated to have a diameter of five meters, which was not very large. Unlike the fountain in front of the administration building, the basin of this fountain was elevated and surrounded by a wall. Around the fountain stood street lamps at regular intervals, which, like the paths, enveloped the fountain in subdued light.

On a bench opposite the fountain, he could recognize two people who, however, just got up and left the square. Elijah was about to turn away to finally continue his way to the parking lot when a subtle sparkle in the dark caught his attention. The faint light seemed to be reflected in glittering sequins, which seemed to belong to a dress. He didn’t know why but somehow he found himself immobilized as if he was drawn to that subtle sparkle.

At first, he could only see outlines of the person, because the light of the street lights did not reach her yet. This person seemed to want to avoid using the paved paths at all costs, which he could not really explain. He thought it unwise to walk over the park floor, which would be very uneven, especially in the area of old trees, due to protruding roots. But the closer she can get to the well, the clearer became the slender person who seemed to have captivated him without her even realizing.

His eyes barely widened as he saw the familiar long brown curls surrounding her face openly, and his breath hitched in his throat.

It was her.

Katerina!

Or at least the person he thought was Katerina. Unfortunately, his research was still unclear as there was no doubt that Maisie existed. Besides, he wasn’t sure if his tired eyes weren’t deceiving him. Perhaps he was making up a connection that wasn’t really there. Though that would be rather shameful to have such a desperate reaction.

Like last time, he had to control himself not to rush to her. She did not seem to see him as he was far too far away and the light was too dim. He, on the other hand, could see her very clearly, even though he soon began to frown as he watched her.

It couldn’t be overlooked that she wavered in her walk. She was alone and seemed to have the well as her target, often dangerously close to falling, and he had pressed one hand - for whatever reason - to her side.

He knew he should stay away until her identity was clear, and he knew he shouldn’t interfere like he had vowed although he started to worry about her wellbeing. Drunk or tipsy people shouldn't be alone in the dark, they should not walk over uneven ground without being really able to see anything, and certainly not in such high shoes as she is wearing without a doubt.

He bit down on his tongue as he seriously considered offering her his help to at least get her home safely but that would mean revealing his presence and he didn't know if she nor he was ready for that.

Then, however, she twisted her ankle and fell.

Although he knew better and had sworn not to reveal his presence, he could not help but rush to her within a fraction of a second and catch her from behind, and prevented her from hitting the ground. He did it before he could even really think about it, all he knew was that he just couldn’t watch her hurt herself.

He was, in a way, shocked by himself about his ill-considered action, without even realizing what he was doing.

That, and the fact that she immediately reacted defensively.

"Let go of me! Hands off!" she demanded furiously, whereas she slurred a little, trying to wriggle out of his grip. Her loud, accelerated heartbeat pounded in his ears, indicating that she was indeed scared, and before he could even react, she repeated her demand before the back of her head unexpectedly collided with his nose.

Elijah staggered back and could hear his nose crack. For a brief moment, a dazzling pain ran through his skull before his body recovered itself within the next three seconds. It had, however, intensified his already existing headache. Fortunately, his nose had not started to bleed, even though the sudden and unexpected attack had actually caused him to let her go.

"It’s good to see that you remained forceful," he muttered more to himself, still slightly befuddled while Katerina - or the person he thought was Katerina - had moved backward away from him.

Elijah wiped his face with one hand, mainly to make sure that really no blood had actually flown before he straightened his upper body, all the while feeling her hostile gaze on him.

Their eyes met and for the first time, he saw her close up again - although there was still some distance between them.

If he did not know about this Maisie, there would be no doubt for him that he had found his Katerina again. It's the fire in her eyes, her fierce spirit to protect herself. To his shame, he had to confess that she had caught him cold. The only reason why she hasn't crushed his nose is the fact that he's an Original who heals incredibly fast before he could even notice possible damage. This all can only belong to one person alone.

His gaze immediately softened as he looked at her, but he did not move. He was well aware that for whatever reason, he was a danger to her. He could hear it from her still raging heartbeat, a loud drum echoing in his ears.

Surprisingly, however, her attitude also changed after she took notice of him. Her eyes narrowed slightly before she tilted her head to the side.

"Oh, that’s new," she said, still slightly babbling before pressing her fingertips into her temples and starting to massage them while he furrowed his eyebrows.

Admittedly, he couldn't really make out her reaction, or her behavior. However, he supposed that she was quite tipsy if not even drunk. Perhaps it doesn't need to make sense.

"Are you alright?", he carefully asked, without actually using a name although he was sure this is his Katerina. It's in her eyes. Katerina always had a darker hue than Elena albeit it's admittedly hard to witness because of the dim light. But then there's also her scent he had noted when he caught her from falling. It's different and more intense than he remembered, but still similar to Katerina's. No doppelgänger can be that similar, can't be?

The brunette seemed to consider his words before the corners of her lips tilted upwards and she continued to stagger back while keeping her eyes on him the entire time. Admittedly, this troubled him as he feared she might fall again. At least her ankle seemed to be alright.

"That's a strange question after having attacked someone," she mused before she came to a halt and leaned against the wall of the fountain, her entire movements still wobbly.

"My apologies, I didn't mean to come over as an attacker. I merely wanted to help," he retorted calmly, deciding to play along while keeping his gaze on her attentively but stopping himself from watching her too closely to look for any more hints that this is indeed Katerina.

"It's not polite to grab a lady from behind," she reproved before she started to frown. "But thank you. I guess ... I guess I would have fallen otherwise - in retrospect." She didn't sound too sure about it, as if she wasn't even sure what has happened. Her hands grabbed the edge of the wall behind her as she continued to muster him. He could see how the lights that surrounded them reflected in her eyes, making them sparkle along with her black spaghetti straps dress. "It's very gentlemanly. Somehow you remind me of someone...", she then started to giggle, a sound that is very uncommon to her. At least for the person that she is now. That, and the fact she doesn't seem to recognize him insecure him in his belief that she is Katerina. Surely she can't just have forgotten him?

Elijah pressed his lips together in an attempt to think, to decide what was wise.

Put everything on one card?

Directly ask her if she's Katerina?

Suddenly he wasn’t sure what the better choice was. Because this encounter at almost 1 am wasn't what he had planned. Wasn't what he was preparing for because he isn't sure if this was Katerina or Maisie. But his feeling couldn’t lie to him like that, could it? Even if she had forgotten about him.

He cleared his throat and then carefully moved a little nearer to her.

"I know it’s not the most appropriate moment and it’s by far not enough but I'm sorry, Katerina. For everything," he whispered loud enough for her to hear.

He figured an apology is what needed to be said first, no matter if this was Katerina or not because it is what he owed Katerina first and foremost.

The brunette raised her eyebrows in confusion before she sighed, making him confused in return.

"Geez, you really don't only remind me of someone, you even talk like him. I guess I should stop drinking sooner. My tolerance really does seem like a joke," she rolled her eyes in annoyance before crossing her arms over her chest.

"I beg your pardon?" is all he could stammer because he currently didn't know what else to answer.

"Don't act surprised. I had a tiiiiny little bit too much to drink and then suddenly you turn up and play knight in shining armor although I probably broke your nose? Hardly sounds real. It is common for people to be hunted by ghosts from the past when they're drunk. It’s the reason why some are stupid enough to text their ex at 4 am because they felt like emptying a bottle of whiskey by themselves." She started to wave at him, "That's what you are. A Ghost. Although admittedly a pretty convincing ghost. Didn't believe I'm capable to remember him as detailed although it's hard to forget the way he pronounced 'Katerina'. He always did it so well." The corners of her lips tilted upwards into her signature smirk.

If there was any doubt left that this was Katerina, then it was wiped away. Although she acted as if he wasn't existent right now, she did remember him. There's no way Maisie would have any connection to him but Katerina has. He knew it was completely misplaced right now but he felt a huge burden falling from his shoulders.

He had finally found her.

She was alive and seemed to be well at the first glance if one ignores her drunken state. He wanted to reach out and hold her close, wanted to tell her that everything is going to be alright now. That he missed her and continue to tell her how sorry he was about everything, that he was so relieved to have finally found her. But he knew it would be too much right now, especially because she was convinced he was a result of her intoxication.

"I assure you that I'm real, Katerina," he insured but was quickly dismissed by her.

"I sincerely hope you're not. There's no way Elijah Mikaelson, that's his name by the way, happened to have suddenly found me. Why should he?" she inhaled and gave him a sharp glance, "which means that if you happen to be an actual person, I'm currently talking nonsense to a stranger and that would be hella embarrassing."

Elijah raised his eyebrows in surprise because that truly was an original way to see it. Although he can't say that he can comprehend it because he doesn't believe he has ever been as drunk as to invent a whole person even though his family regularly gives him reasons to empty a full bottle.

"Sounds as if you don't think there's any reason why he should come and search for you..." he stated quietly. He spoke about himself in the third person because it looked like she really doesn't believe he was truly present. Perhaps that way, it's easier for her to interact with him.

Without wanting to, his words caused Katherine to break eye contact and look to the ground. Her expression looked strangely vulnerable.

Had he chosen the wrong words? He certainly didn't want to hurt her.

"I don't think ... I don't think he likes me anymore", she whispered, causing his heart to drop and break a little. He had already feared that it must have looked like he doesn't care about her anymore but that was never the case. It pained her to see that that's indeed what she thought had occurred.

"I'm sure he has no reason to see you any differently than he had seen you before," he replied softly and stepped a little closer to reduce the distance between them.

She carefully peeked up through her lashes and mustered him. "You think so?"

"I'm actually quite sure", he replied with a careful smile, wanting to ensure her that his feelings have never changed.

"Then why has he left?" she questioned, "Why did he break up with me and left? Why didn't he answer my calls when I needed him? I accepted his choice, although I couldn't understand it. He should have known I'd never try to contact him again if it weren't an absolute emergency... he seems to despise me...." she sounded absolutely crushed with pained him even more. Not once had he witnessed her like this. She is usually - like him in that aspect - careful with her feelings. But right now, it all poured out of her making him feel absolutely horrible because she truly seemed to have believed he simply disregarded her like she doesn't mean anything at all to him anymore. And it was all his fault.

How much he would like to take her in his arms and comfort her, reassuring her that her beliefs are not true. But he feared he would overstep a boundary right now so he stayed away although it physically pained him.

Instead, he carefully took her hand and interlaced his fingers with hers to give her hand a reassuring press.

"He doesn't dislike you, Katerina. The opposite is the case. In fact, he still likes you very much," he deliberately didn't choose the word 'love' because he didn't want to pressure her in case she shall remember this conversation once she sobered up. "For a man who is usually very gifted with words, he unknowingly has picked the wrong words. Or in this case, none at all. He should have explained more, he shouldn't have left the way he did. He has been quite the coward in this situation," he mused while meaning every word.

How often had he regretted the way he left after he had realized what it must have looked like for her? How many times had he despised himself for having been too weak to stay a little longer, explain a little more? At that time it had taken every bit of strength for him to leave in order to protect her, but in the end, he should have done more, said more. He shouldn’t have been afraid to show emotions, he shouldn’t have been afraid of the pain.

Seeing to have her caused so much pain up to this day made him feel absolutely horrific.

At least his words seemed to cheer her up a little bit. Her gaze was focused on their hands and the corners of her lips curled up slightly before she raised her gaze.

"A coward indeed. Perhaps even an idiot, an asshole. But I'm an idiot myself, I should have never given him that much power over me," she snorted, her attitude doing a 180 turn.

Of course, he doesn’t appreciate being insulted. To his shame, however, he had to admit that it was deserved in this case. He had been an incredible idiot.

Katerina slipped her hand out of his and pushed herself up the fountain wall where she took a seat - much to his dislike. He really had to hold himself back from not grabbing her wrist in order to stop her from possibly falling into the cold water.

"So, why are you still here?", she questioned and arched an eyebrow at him, "why don't you just pooof?"

"Why do you expect me to 'poof'?" he countered, again confused by her sudden leaps of thought.

"Well, ghost of Elijah. I have dealt with my past and come to a realization. That's usually what ghosts want, right? And then they poof."

"I see. But perhaps this ghost's mission is not yet finished." Although he's very relieved to have calmed her and of course have finally found her in and saw that she’s in an acceptable state, he certainly won't leave her alone right now when she was in such an intoxicated state that she believed to see ghosts. No, he won’t be able to leave until he gets her home safely. He is very surprised that she is not cold with her short dress, although she was probably warmed by the alcohol. Nonetheless, he won't risk her falling into the fountain, twisting her ankle, or being involved in other accidents.

"So you're saying that you poof once the sun goes up?", she seemed genuinely amused by the thought of it.

"We'll see. Do you want me to poof?" he asked after a small pause, almost fearing her answer. What if she despises him so much that she couldn't bear looking at him once she realizes he's indeed real? He knows he has to accept it without complaint, albeit he was already very happy to have any certainty about her condition. He mustn't ask for more.

"I don't know." She sounded honest while she considered her reply. "Part of me wants to watch you burn when you finally poof in the morning. Part of me is ... I don't know ... I suppose a part of me is happy that you're here. Even if it's just a result of my own stupidness because I couldn't resist the damn cocktails but ... I really wished Elijah would search for me. Show me that he cares. That what we had was real. But maybe that's just wishful thinking."

This revelation was again very unexpected because he could feel it coming from the bottom of her heart. And once again he realized how much he had hurt her, what an idiot he was. How could he ever fix what he had broken? Elijah swallowed hard and lowered his gaze.

"What he’s done probably can’t be fixed, he knows that. But once he got your message, he was looking for you. And he didn’t intend to give up or stop until he found you safe. He would never forget or stop caring for you, Katerina, that much is certain."

He meant every word he said, even if he still spoke of himself in the third person, he would never forget it as long as he lived. He wasn’t capable of that.

Katerina hummed at his response, seeming to consider his words. Then, however, she shrugged, followed by an "If you think so,".

Once again her thoughts seemed to jump around wildly and he couldn’t understand what was going on in her head.

She leaned even further back and, to his concern, detached a hand from the wall of the well to plunge it into the cold water.

"Are you also feeling so hot?" she suddenly asked, her eyes turning to the surface of the water. "Somehow I would like to swim. This isn’t as glamorous as a pool, but it certainly serves its purpose."

"I don’t think this is a good idea," he replied with increasing concern, not really understanding how quickly her moods and thoughts could change. Although he could understand that she was feeling hot, a side effect of the alcohol, it was quite cool outside. So cool that he was afraid she would catch a cold if she stayed out here even longer.

"Geeez, why? Even your hallucination somehow has a stick up its ass. Do not dare to think that you can forbid me anything!" Now she was visibly annoyed by him, but at least let go of the water surface, in order to let herself slide from the well wall and then march away from him. Or rather to stumble away, even if her steps were very decisive.

He lost no time following her, this time choosing the path to his relief and not making a cross-country run through the park.

"Forgive me, Katerina, it was not my intention to tell you anything." It didn’t take long for him to catch up with her and run next to her. "You said yourself you are feeling hot. Let me get you a drink or an ice cream". Maybe these were not his best suggestions, but still better than risking that she went swimming somewhere.

She stopped abruptly and turned to him, whereby he could notice that she was considering his offer. "Even though I appreciate the offer, I don’t think it’s a good idea to buy ice cream with you somewhere here. What should people think when I speak with air? I have a reputation to lose. Besides, I’m not hot anymore." Her hands brushed over her bare upper arms and now he could see that she started to freeze. Goose bumps covered her skin.

Without hesitation, he unbuttoned his suit jacket to put it over her shoulders.

"Here, I hope that helps you something."

She seemed touched by this gesture. She murmured a soft thank you and her fingertips lightly brushed the fabric of his jacket, even revealing a hint of a smile on her lips. He could also see that she seemed to relax. The tension receded from her limbs and he could see that her eyelids began to flutter, even if she apparently wanted to fight it.

"Do you want me to take you home?" he asked because it was probably the best thing if she lay down and dozed off her intoxication. There was no need for an expert to realize that she was overwound and very vulnerable at the moment, and she was exhausted.

"Hmmm, the great gentleman who offers to take me home? How can I say no?", she whispered, again a smile on her lips.

"It will be an honor for me," he replied before asking her for directions, as he did not know where she lived. He also offered her his arm, just in case.

Some time later they stood in front of a four-story building, which was built in a U-shape. In the middle was an impressive entrance hall with four columns, to which a symmetrical staircase led left and right to the entrance. He could see why she had chosen this building, as far as one can, of course, choose an accommodation. It had a certain old European flair, as it was built in Neoclassical architecture.

Surprisingly, there weren't a lot of people around, although the party still seemed to be going on. Perhaps (or most likely) it's still too early for people to go home. Whatever it was, it didn't bother him. On the contrary, he enjoyed having some more time alone with her.

"There we are," she stated in a still slightly slurred tone as she detached herself from his arm.

"Are you certain you can make it safely to your quarters?", he asked, his eyes quickly scanning the number of stairs that led up to the entrance. Who knows if this building has an elevator inside? Is it wise to let her climb all the stairs alone?

"Are you starting to become a worrier?" she asked, her eyebrows raising in amusement. "So concerned about my safety, I almost feel flattered." She peeled his jacket off her shoulders and handed it to him, saying that she wants to give it back to him since she doesn't need it anymore.

"I'm not someone who repeats mistakes, Katerina, and would it be so wrong if I worry about you?", he asked as he took his jacket and folded it in half to lay it over his arm. All the while, he didn't move his eyes away from the brunette.

"Hmm, you just confirmed that you're a mere illusion." This was all that she said and she seemed to be sad about it, despite the teasing tone in her words.

Elijah inhaled because she still seemed to be convinced he was the result of her intoxication. What would he give to ensure her that he's real? But perhaps it's for the best. At least he made sure she found home safe and protected, and perhaps she'll wake up with a good memory of him. That's the best thing he can hope for because he is aware that he doesn't deserve to hope for more.

"I wish you a good night, Katerina." He reluctantly said, his smile only half-heartedly, not wanting to let her go. But deep inside, he knows it's the right thing to do at this particular moment and in her current state. He didn’t want to harass her or deprive her of her feeling of safety. Katerina has to do the first step if she wishes to invite him or spend more time with him. At least as it is now.

"Good Night, Elijah," she returned and moved towards the entrance, carefully climbing the first stairs.

He waited until she was at the entrance gate of the building when she unexpectedly stopped and turned around, looking down at him. He meet her gaze, and he could see the slight confusion in her eyes. Her brows were slightly knitted, and he was under the impression that she reassessed the situation, perhaps deciding what was real and what wasn't. However, before he could set it, she had turned around and vanished into the building.

Elijah stood still on the same spot for a little while, immobilized by their unexpected encounter and interaction. Now that she was gone, he wasn't sure himself if it had been real.

His fingertips smoothed over the jacket over his arm that had already lost the warmth of her overheated skin, and although he tried to make out her scent, he wasn't capable of detecting it.

Of course, he could try to follow her, but that would violate his principles. Besides, he wasn't even sure if he was capable of entering the building.

So he stood there, like something that was ordered, but not picked up, with a frown on his features as he tried to evaluate the past situation.

Had it been real?

Or, as Katerina had proclaimed about herself, a result of his wishful thinking, a result of being way too overworked?

He hoped that the future (or rather: the next day) will show it.

▬▬ xx ▬▬ ▬▬ xx ▬▬ ▬▬ xx ▬▬ ▬▬ xx ▬▬ ▬▬ xx ▬▬ ▬▬ xx ▬▬

▬▬ xx ▬▬ ▬▬ xx ▬▬ ▬▬ xx ▬▬ ▬▬ xx ▬▬ ▬▬ xx ▬▬ ▬▬ xx ▬▬

A/N: I hope you've liked this chapter and are excited for the next one (most likely not published until next year).Would you wish for Elijah to pooof in the morning? What do you think is Katherine's/Maisie's favorite drink? Who's the mysterious guy Katherine/Maisie seems to be involved with? Please consider leaving feedback (or a like) as it keeps my muse for writing alive.♥

#Kalijah #Katherine x Elijah #Elijah x Katherine #Kalijah ff #tvd #vampire diaries #tvd family #tvd fanfiction #katherine stan club #elijah stan club #kalijah stan club