Jenny-Elijah Mikaelson

04

A week had gone by since Jenna's incident with running into a kitchen knife and Jenna was much better, even being able to go back to her old routine. Over the school week, it was odd because Elena missed a couple of days, but she was never able to say anything about it like her mouth was glued shut. But there was also a new kid that joined one of her classes named Luka Martin.

But it was the weekend and she was having lunch with Jenna at the Mystic Grill. When they arrived there, Jenny smiled at every one they passed as a greeting while listening to Jenna. They sat down at a booth before their eyes caught onto Mayor Lockwood with a stranger, a well-dressed stranger.

"He's handsome," Jenna leaned across the table to speak quietly to her. "No. He's more than handsome, he's sexy. If I wasn't with Alaric..."

"Jenna!" she scolded her.

"What? You know it's true," Jenna said, making her shake her head.

Jenny talked with Jenna about unimportant things while they ate lunch. Jenna would occasionally turn her head to the side to look at something, making her want to turn her head and see what grabbed her friend's attention.

Elijah's eyes gravitated to her smile in the crowded room while he held a discussion with Mayor Lockwood. Her smile was sweet and delicate; its genuineness was something he had long ago thought that he would never see again. Its image of purity had no rival. She smiled at everyone and everyone smiled back.

As he spoke, he found himself glancing at her often trying to piece together what made her so happy and he could find no answer. But she was not just a puzzle but also a rarity that had him staring in awe. If there was hope for that kind of happiness, then there was hope for everything else.

Even though he hadn't met her, she filled him with questions about what was right and what was wrong. Maybe it was wrong to be here seeking an end to his vendetta against Niklaus; maybe there was hope for his brother. He thought of her as a sign that there was.

"Someone keeps glancing at you," Jenna said as she turned her head for the millionth time.

Jenny rested a cheek against her palm and she turned her head to the side to see what Jenna was talking about. Her eyes flitted to the handsome stranger. His smile was charming and his brown hair was beautifully groomed, looking so soft she wanted to touch it. Everything about him seemed charming, but the way he held himself and the guarded look in his chocolate brown eyes told her he kept a secret, maybe many secrets. His eyes glanced in her direction and she looked away quickly.

"I told you so," Jenna said. "He likes you."

"That hardly means he likes me," Jenny replied in disbelief.

Jenna turned her head to the side again, "Look, they're coming over here."

"It's so wonderful to see you two," Mayor Lockwood greeted. "This is Elijah Smith. He's here to write a book about the town."

"I'm Jenna," she held out her hand and shook hands with Elijah. "I have a whole bunch of founding family records and journals. I'd be more than happy to loan them to you for your book."

"That'd be wonderful," Elijah said before his eyes looked to Jenny.

"I'm Jenny Stevens," Jenny held out her hand to him with a wide smile on her face before looking at Jenna. "And no, she and I are not twins."

Jenny. Her name sounded as sweet as she was. It filled him with a certain joy to know her name; that he knew something about her felt as if he shared a piece of the joy she shared with everyone.

Elijah took her hand and brought it to his lips, laying a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. Jenny's mouth opened a bit, her breath being stolen away. His eyes stayed locked with hers and she smiled a bit wider.

"It's lovely to meet you, Jenny," Elijah released her hand and she slowly brought it back to her side. A blush covered her cheeks.

He didn't want to stop staring at her when he met her; it wouldn't have satisfied him to look away. He couldn't comprehend how someone ever looked away from her when her very presence was like that of a sunflower; absorbing all that light and letting the world know what it felt like: bright, pure, happy. She was all of these things and she had him in awe.

The Mayor pulled out her phone, looking at her text, "I would love to show you around the town, Elijah. But it seems I'm needed elsewhere. I do apologize."

"No apologies are necessary," Elijah finally looked away from Jenny to smile at the Mayor.

"You know, we just finished lunch and I have somewhere to be, but Jenny is free all day," Jenna said, smiling. "Jenny, why don't you give Elijah a tour of the town?"

Everyone looked at her and she softly glared at Jenna before she looked at Elijah with a genuine smile on her face like always. There were no signs of annoyance from her and there wouldn't be. Elijah did nothing to earn any such negativity, "It'd be my pleasure."

"Oh, thank you, Jenny. You're a lifesaver," Carol thanked her before turning to Elijah. "I'll see you at the Historical Society meeting soon."

"Yes, of course," Elijah said and Carol left the restaurant.

"Shall we?" Elijah held his arm out for her.

Jenny looked at her best friend, "I will see you later, Jenna."

Jenny stood from the table and smiled softly up at him before wrapping her arm around his. She met his eyes for a moment and she didn't know why, but she felt like she just took the first step into an awfully big adventure.

AN: I don't know how I feel about this. I'm not sure it's good.