Bring Me To Life | The Originals (1)

On This Night, And In This Light

The events of the day had only illustrated the fragility of the human condition, reminding him that he could lose Imogen, or Hayley, or his niece at any given moment. He could remember the deathly pallor of her complexion as she lay motionless on the table, her eyes closed in what could be mistaken for a peaceful sleep. It was a sight that would forever haunt his memory.

The memory of her lifeless body reminded him of the anger that had coursed through his veins when he saw her collapse onto the ground. Once he was positive that both women were out of immediate danger and Imogen had excused herself to take a shower while Klaus had taken Hayley to the hospital to compel a doctor to check the health of their child, he thought back on the events of the day. It was one of those intense scenarios that happened both much too quickly and far too slowly, until it was nothing but a blurred memory. The one thing that he could remember with picture perfect clarity was the moment the determined glint in Imogen's blue eyes, the moment she lit up with knowledge and realisation. It was the moment that she decided to risk her life for something she believed in.

"What you did today was reckless." he told her softly as he straightened the cuffs of his jacket sleeve, a nervous habit he had developed over the centuries.

Imogen immediately spun around to face him in shock, her lips parted in disbelief and her blue eyes burned with fierce indignation as she corrected him firmly, "What I did today saved the life of Hayley and her daughter."

"You did not know if it would work. You took a risk with your life." he said sternly as he meet her gaze evenly, not allowing her obvious anger to derail him from making his point and she shook her head slightly incredulously as she folded her arms over her chest while looking away from him.

"Living is a risk. Every decision, every interaction, every step, every time you get out of bed in the morning, you take a risk. There are very few people in the world I would willingly put my life on the line for, and it just so happens that Hayley and her child are near the very top of that list. If I can do something to help them, I'm going to do it." she reiterated passionately as she took a step towards him until she was only a foot away from him and she poked her finger against the centre of his sternum as she lowered her voice to a soft whisper, "This won't be the last time my life is in danger. And I'm okay with that, Elijah."

"In a thousand years, I can't recall a time I felt so... frightened." he admitted quietly as he slowly placed his hands on her waist, slowly drawing her closer to him in case she wasn't receptive of his forward behaviour given the tone of their previous conversation. After a moment's hesitation as she slid her hands up his chest, looking up at him with a soft expression and he closed his eyes for a moment as he leaned down to lean his forehead against hers, breathing in her intoxicating scent of vanilla. He opened his eyes with a heavy sigh as he lifted his head so he was able to look into her enchanting blue eyes and he swore his hand was shaking slightly as he reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, leaving his hand resting against her cheek. Her eyes fluttered closed as she leaned into his touch with a pleasant smile on her lips and he rubbed his thumb over the bloom of her cheek as he murmured almost absently, "I've never been so scared of losing something in my entire life."

The breath caught in her throat at the declaration as she gazed up at him, searching his eyes for any sign of deceit but the thoughtful expression on his face made it seem like the words had come out before he could stop them. She waited patiently for the panic to set in, for him to regret his sudden admission but when he lifted his head to meet her eyes, he was looking at with a light in his oak brown eyes she had never seen before. He was looking at her like she was everything that he had been searching for in life, like she was some precious gem and for a moment she couldn't breathe.