JUST A LITTLE BIT OF YOUR HEART | TO [2]

IV • A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

four | une promenade sur le côté sauvage

St. Anne's Catholic Church

Elijah Mikaelson is in the middle of his own workout at the brand new local gymnasium Marcel has set up at the local Catholic church, in which he is vigorously punching and kicking a heavy punching bag. After a moment, he gets so heated in his vigorous exercise that he punches the bag clear across the excessively spacious, unoccupied room, where it knocks over a bench press and hand-weights. When he turns around, he sees that Monique Deveraux has walked into the room with a small black card in her hands.

"What did that punching bag ever do to you?"

Elijah pulls out a dry white towel and uses it to blot the sweat from his face. When he doesn't respond to her playful remark, Monique decided to read the small black card-- being a formal invitation in her hands aloud to him.

"Okay. Got your mail. 'I do hope that you can come, old chum. Signed, Tristan'. You never told me you're chummy with that guy. Are you?" She doesn't even recognise Tristan de Martel, apart from him being the very first person the Original before her has ever turned, or even Aya, for that matter, considering how secretive her sweetheart can be once he's truly protective.

A cute smile comes upon her face as she raises her brows at him and Elijah walks over to pluck the invitation out of her hands to read it for himself.

"Some vampire dropped it off. Most likely an associate for your old 'chum'." Although she doubts that Tristan would be a real friend to Elijah, actually.

A small smile comes upon Elijah's face at her words, by the way she said it, as he continues to skim the invitation, which reads in full 'You are cordially invited to an evening of exquisite excess. The Davilla Estate, 7041 St. Charles Avenue. Midnight', along with Tristan de Martel's personal note at the end that Monique read aloud as she patiently waits for him to speak.

The small smile quickly drops from his face, "This isn't your concern."

"Uh, why?" Although she's simply ignored as Elijah only walks past her, which truly offends her, "You know that the more you're going to keep this away from me, the more I'm going to keep asking for it, right? Elijah."

He stops in his tracks, feeling guilty and honestly tired to push her away, with a genuinely tired sigh and turns back around to face her in sympathy.

"I know you're trying to protect me by keeping me out of it, and I love you for that. But it's because I love you that I'm concerned about you with your 'chums'. You can push me away whenever you want when it suits you, in the name of protecting me, but the least you can do is tell me. Tell me about it."

Elijah slowly walks closer to her with the small black card in his hands, guiltily, "If that is what you wish for, then what do you want to know?"

Although a familiar, feminine though husky voice answered him instead, which revealed to be Victoria Labonair, as she walks in through the main door of the local church, seemingly to exercise, "The Strix, obviously."

Elijah and Monique share a relatable look of utter confusion before they look over at the familiar young woman in true shock and utter disbelief.

"Do my eyes deceive me? Or are you able to see her too, dearest Monique?" The young woman being his brief former lover in the midst of the 1700's.

"None of you are halluccinating." Victoria assured them with a smug smile.

"But...you're dead." Monique widens her clear baby blue eyes in disbelief of the reminder that the woman's heart was ripped out weeks after she turned.