Grace - Elijah Mikaelson -

Chapter 44

What have you imagined doing in the last hour of your life? 

When it was sure that you would die and everyone knows that they'll never see you again? 

When you realize that there are so many things you haven't done. 

Have you said 'I love you' to everyone that you care for? Will you have the chance to say 'Good bye' to your loved ones? 

It was the second time in Grace's life that she would die. But the first time was different. Then, when Klaus snapped her neck, all those choices were taken away from her. It was easier that way. 

The first time, she wasn't needed that much. Jeremy and Elena would've grieved, but they still had Alaric. It would've been ok to stay dead. She would've moved to the place where human souls went. 

Now it was slightly different. 

At first, Grace didn't even realize what it meant. The only thing she could think of was that Nik died. Her best friend, her partner in crime, Elijah's brother, the man that she pulled out of the downward spiral was dead. It wasn't fair. Grace broke through to him. She was so close to help him, to let him see that he wasn't alone, that there were people he could trust. 

He was alone now. Nik died without his family. Rebekah probably had the honor of watching her brother burning. 

When she looked up into Elijah's face, her heart shattered into pieces. She never had seen him like that. The carefully crafted mask of arrogance and honor had completely vanished. His eyes had an amount of grief and complete destruction in them, it felt like her heart being ripped out from her chest. He was deathly pale, from one second to the other he looked like he'd been awake for a year. His hands clutched around her arms. 

It was then when Grace realized that it wasn't just the grief for his brother that had him in an iron grip. Elijah also knew that she, the woman he loved, would die soon after. 

"No." 

He whispered. His grip around her arms tightened, as if it would keep her here. As if he could simply pull her out of her certain death. At this moment he was sure that he would never let go of her. Elijah would simply hold her and she would be fine. 

A thousand years of lifetime. There had been multiple occasion where he wanted to end it. He sometimes drowned in the pathetic imagination of himself with his own little family, even tough he knew that he could never have it. 

But since Grace Gilbert stepped into his life, he never wasted a thought about dying again. She brought a light to his life, that eliminated nearly all the shadows. A hope that made him urge for another thousand years, if he could spent them with her. 

He violently shook his head, not ready to accept the thought of her dying. Grace cupped his cheeks with her hands, she wanted to say something, but she was interrupted by her brother showing up behind her. 

"Grace..." 

The boy's voice was equally broken, threatened to be disturbed by sobs. His older sister turned around to face Jeremy, she was again at a loss of words. 

"Please, you can't die. Gracie, I can't do this again..." 

In this moment, Jeremy was the insecure, frightened teenager that lost his parents too early again. It was nearly relieving that this person was still there. He grew up too fast. 

Grace managed to pull herself together and be strong for her little brother. She didn't dare to look at Elijah again, she knew that she would fall apart again if she did.