SHE PROMISED ( the originals )

0008. TATTOOED NAMES OF YOUR EXES... KIND OF

SHE PROMISED
( part one, chapter eight )

DESPITE THE FACT SHE'D never met Rebekah Mikaelson, she had a feeling she'd like the blonde Original. From what Niklaus had told her, Rebekah was a "love-sick fool," but Elle could tell she was much more than that. The way Niklaus had described her, she could tell that Rebekah was protective and kind and supportive of her siblings (sometimes, at least), and yet she could be vindictive and aggressive. Still, Elle knew that if she met Rebekah Mikaelson, they'd get on like a house on fire.

Marcel and Elijah had both called her to come to the Abattoir immediately to help with some situation with the blonde Original and Niklaus, and she had agreed. She had quickly slipped by Cordelia without her noticing and she was glad her ninja skills were improving.

"All right," Elle said as she entered one of the many studies, rubbing her hands together, "who needs my expertise and why? Not that I'm surprised, I am amazing."

Elijah stood by one of the desks, his jacket and tie already discarded. "Elle, thank you for coming," he said and started unbuttoning his shirt. He turned his head to call out, "Hayley!"

With wide eyes, Elle continued watching the vampire strip off his shirt. She wouldn't deny he wasn't attractive, but there was something about him that told her to not gawk at the vampire (besides the fact he was much, much older than her). Still, she was confused and held a blank look on her face as he pulled his shirt and tie off, lips pressed tightly together.

"Elijah, you're back!" Hayley said, walking into the study. "Did you find any..." She trailed off, her eyes catching wind of Elijah's bare chest and now at the black ink words decorating his body, and she gaped awkwardly.

The witch looked at Hayley. "Oh, good, I'm not the only one confused," Elle said. "You mind telling us what's going on?"

"I need you to make a list of these names," Elijah dictated.

Elle and Hayley awkwardly walked closer to him, reading off the many names tattooed on his body. "'Sabine'?" Hayley read aloud. "Elijah, what is this?"

"I believe they represent the names of the woman Celeste inhabited for the past two centuries." Elle knew to ask later about the whole inhabiting bodies part; now clearly wasn't the time

"Oh, it's a Devinette," Elle remembered. "I don't know much about it, but I know it's pretty old."

"It's old school," Marcel said, coming in with paper and a pen. "Kind of a riddle. Witches use them to teach their kids; solve it, and it disappears."

"Why, what's the point?" Hayley asked.

"Celeste forced me to make a choice between yourself and my siblings," Elijah explained, "and now she means to mock that choice, taunting me with a childish game. The longer the game, the more they suffer. To find Niklaus and Rebekah, we need to solve this riddle. The solution lies somewhere in these names."

"The name next to Sabine," Marcel said, reading off the black ink, "Annie La Fleur, she's the witch that was shunned from her coven just over a year ago. Never knew why, but I can find out why."

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"She killed herself?" Hayley asked, holding the phone up so Elle could hear. Currently, she was doing her best to research all the women whose names Elijah had on his body. They'd looked up plenty of them, but Annie La Fleur was different.

"Yes, drowned herself in the Mississippi, to be precise," Elijah answered. "Celeste was clearly tired of the body and ready to take Sabine's."

"How do you know that?" Hayley asked.

"Because she leaped to her death from the very location Celeste and I had our first kiss."

"That's pretty... morbid," Elle said, scrunching her brows, "and poetic, in a way, I guess." At the look Hayley gave her, Elle held her hands up in surrender. "I said 'I guess', I don't know! I'm a kid, sue me!"

"All these names, these lives, stolen that Celeste might take her revenge. I suppose we have no choice but to see where they take us." He was quiet for a brief moment. "Hayley, Elle, I have to go. I'll call you back."

"Elijah, wait!" Hayley called. Elijah held back a second, listening to Hayley. "Ask Marcel if he knows anything about a name on that list: Brynne Devereaux. Sophie said that it was her family's bloodline that put the curse on the Crescent wolves, but Celeste said that she was the only one that could break it. If Brynne Devereaux was actually Celeste when she cast the spell, then maybe Celeste can still break it."

"I'll see what he knows."

"Elijah, I'm really sorry that you're going through this. If I had known Celeste made you choose who to help 一"

"You were going to die in that fire, Hayley, along with my brother's child. There was no choice." Elijah then quickly hung up the phone before Hayley could say no.

Elle, from her spot at the desk, said, "Sounds like you and Elijah are going through some things." Couple things, Elle mused to herself.

Hayley sighed. "I kind of did a bad thing."

"I assumed since Nik mentioned it last time I saw you," Elle said. "I may not really know you or Elijah, but I can tell that he likes you. And whatever crappy thing you did, he'll forgive you."

The pregnant werewolf smiled. "Thanks, Elle."