Status: New and Active!
Always & Forever
four - you left
An hour later, Elijah was completely filled in on the situation and looked more concerned than Octavia thought she'd ever seen someone look.
"Elijah?"
Octavia said his name quietly, looking at his back as he stared out a window. She and Kol were sitting at the giant dining table and Elijah had wandered through to the sitting room.
"Go."
Kol whispered to her, shooing her with his hand. She smiled at him lightly and did as he instructed.
"Elijah? Are you okay?" she asked him, coming up behind him and putting her hand on his shoulder. He leaned his head down so that his face was on her hand and held it there for a moment before straightening and nodding.
"Yes. I'm okay. We're going to to figure this out."
She was surprised that the years hadn't changed him at all. He still spoke in clipped off and tense sentences when he was upset about something.
"Do you know what this is?"
She asked the question even though she was pretty sure he didn't. He would have told her right away if he did.
"No. But we're going to figure it out."
He turned to her and studied her intensely. Had it been anyone else looking at her in that way, she would have been uncomfortable, but with Elijah it had the complete opposite effect. It made her feel safe.
"Elijah, we should talk..."
She trailed off and he shook his head slightly.
"Not right now. Now we have to find a solution."
"Elijah."
She said his name again, more gently. She moved to stand in front of him and look into his eyes. He studied her, his full lips pursed into an expression she couldn't quite read.
"Talk to me."
She whispered the words at him, almost pleading. She didn't know what she wanted him to say. Maybe that he'd missed her, maybe that he hated her. Either way, she mostly just wanted to know how he was feeling.
"You left."
His eyes bore into hers and she was sure she saw something in them that resembled the rage that he always tried so hard to push deep inside himself.
"I didn't know what else to do."
He nodded as she spoke.
"I know. Niklaus would have killed you. He still might if we're being honest."
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Elijah."
She'd been waiting a long time to say those words to him, and when she did she was surprised at what she saw in his face. It seemed to be some sort of mixture of anger and hurt and confusion and lust and it made her heart ache. She would have given anything to go back to the time when she only saw his lustfulness when she looked at him.
"I knew you'd kept in touch with Kol. He'd be gone sometimes and would come back reeking of werewolf that wasn't anything I immediately recognized, and then one day I did recognize it. It hit me like a train and I wondered why you'd never made an effort to see me as well."
Elijah sounded wounded and she shook her head.
"I figured that seeing you would probably lead to seeing Nik and I didn't fancy the idea of ending up with my head on a spike in the dining room."
"I understand."
He nodded and his eyes broke contact with hers to stare back out the window. She wished she could reach out and touch his face. She wished she could kiss his lips. She wished she could lay in bed and put her head in the crook of his neck and never let him go. But she didn't do any of those things. Instead, she left him and went back to sit with Kol at the dining table.
"I'm going to go speak with Niklaus. It's probably best that I brief him on the situation before you speak to him."
Elijah stood in front of Octavia and Kol as he spoke, and Octavia could almost feel her heart continuing to break. There was so much emotion in his eyes that she was sure he was about a second away from exploding. She and Kol nodded and then Elijah was gone.
"That went... well?"
Kol asked her the question a moment later, obviously trying to diffuse the tension. She looked at him with tears in her eyes and he pulled her close. She nestled her head into his chest and he kissed the top of it.
"Much too nice of a head to end up on a spike, don't you think?"
He nuzzled his nose into her hair, making her giggle despite herself.
"Elijah?"
Octavia said his name quietly, looking at his back as he stared out a window. She and Kol were sitting at the giant dining table and Elijah had wandered through to the sitting room.
"Go."
Kol whispered to her, shooing her with his hand. She smiled at him lightly and did as he instructed.
"Elijah? Are you okay?" she asked him, coming up behind him and putting her hand on his shoulder. He leaned his head down so that his face was on her hand and held it there for a moment before straightening and nodding.
"Yes. I'm okay. We're going to to figure this out."
She was surprised that the years hadn't changed him at all. He still spoke in clipped off and tense sentences when he was upset about something.
"Do you know what this is?"
She asked the question even though she was pretty sure he didn't. He would have told her right away if he did.
"No. But we're going to figure it out."
He turned to her and studied her intensely. Had it been anyone else looking at her in that way, she would have been uncomfortable, but with Elijah it had the complete opposite effect. It made her feel safe.
"Elijah, we should talk..."
She trailed off and he shook his head slightly.
"Not right now. Now we have to find a solution."
"Elijah."
She said his name again, more gently. She moved to stand in front of him and look into his eyes. He studied her, his full lips pursed into an expression she couldn't quite read.
"Talk to me."
She whispered the words at him, almost pleading. She didn't know what she wanted him to say. Maybe that he'd missed her, maybe that he hated her. Either way, she mostly just wanted to know how he was feeling.
"You left."
His eyes bore into hers and she was sure she saw something in them that resembled the rage that he always tried so hard to push deep inside himself.
"I didn't know what else to do."
He nodded as she spoke.
"I know. Niklaus would have killed you. He still might if we're being honest."
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Elijah."
She'd been waiting a long time to say those words to him, and when she did she was surprised at what she saw in his face. It seemed to be some sort of mixture of anger and hurt and confusion and lust and it made her heart ache. She would have given anything to go back to the time when she only saw his lustfulness when she looked at him.
"I knew you'd kept in touch with Kol. He'd be gone sometimes and would come back reeking of werewolf that wasn't anything I immediately recognized, and then one day I did recognize it. It hit me like a train and I wondered why you'd never made an effort to see me as well."
Elijah sounded wounded and she shook her head.
"I figured that seeing you would probably lead to seeing Nik and I didn't fancy the idea of ending up with my head on a spike in the dining room."
"I understand."
He nodded and his eyes broke contact with hers to stare back out the window. She wished she could reach out and touch his face. She wished she could kiss his lips. She wished she could lay in bed and put her head in the crook of his neck and never let him go. But she didn't do any of those things. Instead, she left him and went back to sit with Kol at the dining table.
"I'm going to go speak with Niklaus. It's probably best that I brief him on the situation before you speak to him."
Elijah stood in front of Octavia and Kol as he spoke, and Octavia could almost feel her heart continuing to break. There was so much emotion in his eyes that she was sure he was about a second away from exploding. She and Kol nodded and then Elijah was gone.
"That went... well?"
Kol asked her the question a moment later, obviously trying to diffuse the tension. She looked at him with tears in her eyes and he pulled her close. She nestled her head into his chest and he kissed the top of it.
"Much too nice of a head to end up on a spike, don't you think?"
He nuzzled his nose into her hair, making her giggle despite herself.