Eternal || Elijah Mikaelson

XCVI - The Gift

MERRY CHRISTMAS.

I think you'll like this one. ;)

(IT IS UNEDITED, I'M IN A RUSH. SORRY.)

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Chapter Ninety-Six

I looked from the balcony in my room, watching the people dance happily through the streets. In a short time, they would come back to the compound and Hayley and Jackson would have their first dance.

"She will be happy with him," I heard Elijah say from the doorway. "You were right about that."

"How do you know?" I asked, moving away from the balcony and further into the room so that I was closer to him.

He shrugged his shoulders, giving me a lopsided smile. "I just do."

"Come with me," I said, walking over to him and smiling before taking his hand in mine. "I have something for you."

I led him to the study, and I let go of his hand once we were inside. I went over to the desk, where an old grimoire and multiple ingredients to a familiar spell were laid out on the table top. It seemed that he recognized the spell, because he didn't seem all that susprised when I picked up the ring from the desk and held it out to him.

"I wanted to give this to you," I told him, holding out the ring that I had created just a few minutes before. "The other one was just a spare. This one is more similar to the ring you wore before. I figured that, if you have to wear a ring for the rest of your life to avoid bursting into flames, you should at least wear one that you actually like," I said.

He glanced at the ring, then back at my eyes and a soft smile formed on his face. The kind where a person seems almost non-chalant, but you can tell that that one act means the world to them.

"Thank you, Roseia," he said, and I handed the ring to him.

He removed the other ring and set it on the table for a moment, then put on the new black one. He held out the spare one to me, but I shook my head.

"Keep it," I said, smirking a little. "Let it serve as a reminder of the time that you bested your oh-so-intelligent brother."

He chuckled, and nodded. "Once again, thank you."

I grinned, and shrugged. "Don't mention it. Just a little bit of dust and a stone, and-"

"I don't just mean for the ring, Roseia," he said.

I looked him in the eyes, and I saw that all too familiar expression. There was a deeper meaning to his words.

"Thank you for standing by me..." He swallowed. "After all I put you through in Arkansas, and even before that, I-" he sighed. "You should have left with Cami and Hope the very second I showed signs of my true nature. But you didn't. And I need to thank you for that."

He swallowed again, and then he moved slightly closer to me.

"Roseia, you..." He licked his lips. "I would be lying if I said you aren't my salvation."

My heartbeat was erratic. I didn't know what to say, so I took his advice. I didn't say a word. I let my actions speak louder than my words.

I went forwards and I kissed him. It barely took him a second to adjust and put his hands on my body, holding me close to him like I was the only thing that kept him strong. And I guess that, in a way, I was. He had said so himself.

It was gentle and loving, and even though it only lasted a moment, I knew that it meant the world to the two of us.

We both pulled away, but stayed close to each other. I leaned my forehead against his, and spoke to him. My eyes stayed closed, but I knew that he was looking right at me.

"I know you, Elijah," I whispered. "That wasn't your true nature. That was only a part of you that we hadn't seen yet," I told him. I bit my bottom lip, then continued. "And despite what you may think, I admire that part of you because it has made you into the man that you are today."

We both pulled away completely, but he didn't take his hands off me and I didn't take my hands off him.

Having my skin touching his was a remarkable feeling. It was like I felt tiny sparks underneath my skin everywhere that he touched me. That was the only way I could truly describe it.

I bit my bottom lip, feeling my heart beat even more quickly than before. "It... Uh... It would appear that they're coming back," I said, after listening to the sounds outside. Hayley and Jackson were returning with the rest of the guests. "We should go."

His lips parted, but then he nodded slowly.

We disconnected, and we walked back out into the hallway. We watched from the balcony in silence, but a comfortable one. The couples danced the night away without a care in the world, and for a moment, I thought that Elijah and I were the same.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please?" Klaus said, coming down the stairs and holding Hope in his arms. "Hayley, if you would join me, I'd like to propose a toast."

Hayley looked over at Jackson with uncertainty, then walked over to Klaus. She took Hope from him, bouncing her a little as she babbled.

"I want to welcome you all. As you know, last spring, Hayley and I had a daughter. Due to tragic circumstance, she was lost. Now, she has returned home," he said, gesturing to his daughter. "Her name is Hope," he paused as the guests all gasped in surprise. "And she will live here among you, her pack, her family. We implore you, protect our daughter. Teach her, love her as one of your own," he said.

Klaus turned around and took a glass off of a tray that a waiter had held out to him. It was filled halfway with champagne. He looked up at us with that familiar devilish smile of his, and I knew that he was about to do something terrible.

"Oh, god," I whispered.

"Jackson," Klaus said, causing the groom to look at him. "I invite you and your bride to live here, uniting your proud and noble people to live here in peace. Welcome to the family, mate!" he said, then raised the glass. "To Jackson, and Hayley!"

I pursed my lips. "He wants to keep Jackson close."

"He may not kill him," Elijah sighed. "But he will make that poor man's life as difficult as he possibly can."

"He just made that decision even harder," I sighed, shaking my head.

"What decision?" Elijah asked.

I gestured down to Marcel, who was drinking champagne and talking with Gia. "Marcel has asked me to join him in Algiers. And not just me, you as well. So, we have a choice here: help the vampires to prosper and create yet another army for that child... Or keep Klaus on a leash."

He nodded slowly, taking in what I just told him. "Well... We could still keep Klaus under control, it would just be from afar. If he acts out, we show him he is wrong, just as we always have."

I sighed. "We talk about that man like he's a child."

Elijah smiled a little. "In some ways, he is," he said.

"Elijah," I heard someone say, and I immediately recognized the voice.

"Rebekah," I whispered, grinning. But the smile quickly faded when I realized that she was frightened and saddened.

She frowned. "It's Kol..."