Black Castle 🖤 E. Mikaelson

Chapter Seventeen. Live & Let Die

Chapter Seventeen. Live & Let Die
ELIJAH
{Patience Is A Virtue by Slaves}

🖤
Never done it the way I should
So impatient, misunderstood
I've always let a girl dictate my feelings, yeah
Too distracted, too direct
Too numb, so I neglect
The things I should protect
I'm ready for what is next
🖤

Arabella and Niklaus traveled outside of New Orleans for what they were calling their late-night snacks. Arabella effortlessly tore three hearts from three vampires in a matter of three minutes while Niklaus drained six humans of their blood. When they were finished they piled them all on top of one another and set them on fire. For the five hours, they hung out with one another, all they managed to do was smile their devious grins at one another and then moved on to their next victims. There was comfort in their silence. But Niklaus had to remember, Arabella wasn't comfortable with sharing anything with him. So if they hunted their prey in silence, then so be it.
The very same day, several hours later, Arabella walked the streets of the Quarter with a chilled iced tea with lemon, while Eli was trotting alongside her.
Arabella didn't really have anything to do on that particular Saturday but she found things to do to keep her busy.
With the lack of sleep, she spent the morning running to keep her mind off of Elijah, and she even decided she wanted to join a self-made gym Marcel had been throwing together. She saw several people do that as a way to blow off steam, and perhaps make her a bit tired so she'd actually have a chance to sleep. For the most part, it did help.
The old church Kieran ran happened to be condemned recently due to no one wanting to step foot inside of it. So Marcel thought it was best to make it into something more useful, like a gym for vampires. At some point Arabella did care there was yet another place where she wouldn't be welcomed. But she had an agenda of her own, and she needed a gym where she could do what she needed, and she couldn't do anything of the sort in a regular establishment.
That was second on her list of things to do for the day. The first was to grab a couple of her things because although she found Ara Michaels' wardrobe to be utterly adorable, she found comfort in the clothing Rebekah picked out for her. And she needed to talk to Elijah anyway.
So when she rounded the corner and walked in through the gates, she sipped at her drink as a red-headed woman-not the one she saw the night before- walk down the stairs. She was Niklaus' guest no doubt.
"Is there something I can help you with?" She asked. Her hand glided down the banister as she didn't break eye contact with Arabella. She stopped on the last step and crossed her arms under her chest as her red locks fell behind her shoulders. Arabella wondered if she'd entered an alternate universe, or if someone was playing some sort of joke on her. Because with an attitude like that, Arabella wanted to knock her head clean off her pretty little shoulders.
In what world, was a harlot asking Arabella any sort of questions? As if the wench had any sort of authority in the compound or in Niklaus' life for that matter.
Arabella looked behind her because maybe there was someone else there she wasn't paying attention to. It was when Arabella found no one there, she raised her eyebrow in confusion and turned back to the woman while pushing her sunglasses away from her eyes and up into her hair. Who was this woman, and why was she acting like she wasn't one of Niklaus' little harlots?
"No, you cannot help me. But I can help show you the way out." Arabella sassed. She brought the straw up to her lips and sipped at her iced tea slowly. Eli sat cautiously at her side and bowed his head slowly as he kept his eyes on the woman.
Aurora De Martel didn't like to be talked to in that manner. Nor did she like the dog. People who spoke to her like that always ended up having their throats ripped out and completely drained of blood. She couldn't wait to make an example out of Arabella. So Aurora swiftly sped in front of Arabella and stared into her eyes as she was prepping to compel her. Her pupils dilated as she stared. "You are going to turn around and never come back. You are not going to remember who Niklaus is. Or his family for that matter."
Arabella stared back at her as her expression fell. Arabella couldn't be compelled, but obviously, Aurora didn't know that. So when Arabella burst into a fit of laughter, Aurora took an abrupt step back.
"I'm sorry, I saw the opportunity so I took it!" Arabella continued to laugh. Her hands were resting on her chest as uncontrollable laughter came from a place that didn't feel amusement in so long. It was the first time in an extremely long time since Arabella laughed like that, and she missed it dearly. And Aurora was so used to having her compulsion work, she didn't think of the one time it wouldn't. "You should see your face!"
By then Niklaus heard what was going on, even the part where Arabella sassed Aurora. So he decided to end whatever it was going on down in the courtyard and send Aurora on her way. As much as he enjoyed her company, he'd rather deal with Arabella than deal with Aurora. He could almost guarantee Arabella wasn't there for him anyway. But her presence was obviously more light than one of a red-headed temptress.
While Niklaus leaned on his hands against the railing on the second floor, he looked down at Arabella with a smirk of his own. When she looked up at him from her continuous laughing, she stopped and sipped casually at her drink again. Niklaus shook his head playfully, and while he did so, Eli began to yelp in his direction.
Arabella looked down at her companion and raised an eyebrow at Eli's sudden interest in the hybrid. It didn't take her long to realize Niklaus might have had a part in taking care of him while she was indisposed for the day. So she looked down at Eli again and smiled, she couldn't help but find the two's relationship, adorable. "Well go on, he's not going to wait forever."
With that being said, Eli darted from his seated position and raced passed Aurora, and went up the stairs. Arabella could see Eli's tail wag ferociously as Niklaus started rubbing him all over. That was a sight that actually made her heart warm.
"Aurora was just leaving," Niklaus mentioned as he was sharing an almost friendly moment with the Goldie, who was now laying on his back while Niklaus gave his belly a rub. "You can show yourself out."
"You're going to make me leave, over this frizzed hair, short, little hobbit?" Aurora gaped, clearly appalled Niklaus would make her leave over Arabella. She obviously didn't know who Arabella was and what her place was in the Mikaelson family, but it was great Arabella was there to let her know personally just how important she was. But that didn't stop Arabella from being over-exaggerating as she gasped and dramatically placed her hand on her chest. Yes, she was short. But in no way like a hobbit, whatever that was. And her hair was hardly frizzed, at least she thought so. The heat in New Orleans was far worse than the heat in Cannes.
"Well that is what happens when family has jurisdiction over one-night stands," Arabella sat her drink down on a nearby table and walked up to Aurora casually. That remark made Arabella casually smile cheekily at Aurora.  "And to be clear, compulsion does not work on me. So I'm only going to tell you this once. If you try and pull another stunt like that again, I'll rip your throat out so fast, your hands won't have time to cover it before you hit the floor."
"I'm a vampire, I can't die." She took a step forward. She was so sure, which was rather dumb of her. And all Arabella did was stand her ground and keep her chin up.
"Well if you're dealing with me, sure you can." Arabella smiled softly with a nonchalant shrug of her left shoulder. Aurora was confused. But when she saw Arabella's eyes flash the famous amber and maroon colors, that struck fear in her no doubt.
Aurora's nose flared. She didn't move from where she was standing, so Arabella being who she was, started waving her hand toward the gates to get her going on her way. Aurora rolled her eyes and left without another word. When she was no longer in earshot, Arabella looked up to her ex-brother-in-law, who looked pleased to see his ex-sister-in-law stand her ground without an ounce of violence. Although, he did secretly wish to see Arabella show Aurora a lesson or two.
"So what pleasure do I have in your visit today?" He asked. He stood up when Eli rolled over onto his paws and lay at Niklaus' feet.
"Who said I was here for you?" Arabella cocked her head back, clearly joking with him. It was weird they were actually getting along, especially since they didn't share many words while they were feeding together in the early hours of dawn. But Arabella wasn't trying when it came to being nice to him. That's what caught her off guard. "I'm actually here for Elijah. Have you seen him?"
Almost immediately after she asked, Elijah emerged from the direction of the kitchen. He was wiping his hands with a white cloth, but he also had his suit jacket on too. So he must have been getting ready to head out. But not before he stopped and looked up and saw Arabella standing there. He looked at her the same way, every time he saw her. Like a rare gem, a sight of pure beauty. A genuine smile arose on his lips. He looked at her as if they were still a couple, he looked at her as if they were still married. So much love in his eyes, and all hers revealed was pure adoration. They were crazy for one another no matter the turmoil and drama.
"Found him," Niklaus called. Arabella turned her head up to him and smirked as she got the gist of his joke. But she wanted to throw something at his head for being so generic.
She turned back around and returned a small smile of her own. Why was it so hard to stay away from Elijah? She knew she needed to talk to him, but every other time where she tried to avoid him, she found herself only inches away. She didn't get it, but she had the idea. She just had to look at him, he was a sight with godly proportions.
"Can I speak with you for a moment?" Arabella asked softly and with hope. She wasn't sure with all the pushing away she was doing, that he would even want to hear from her. But it didn't take Elijah more than three seconds to nod his head and turn to the side and wait for her to walk ahead towards the kitchen. Before Arabella did so, she turned her head up and smirked again.
"Keep an eye on him for me?" She asked. She was clearly talking to Eli. But she meant that as a joke also. Niklaus however, didn't catch it.
"Sure thing," Niklaus replied with a small shrug of his shoulder and Arabella chuckled as her eyebrows went up.
"I was talking to Eli." She shook her head as she still laughed at him, and then she walked off, Elijah following shortly after.
When she made it to the door of the kitchen, Elijah turned and planted his feet firmly on the ground, he threw the cloth down on the island and then stuffed his hands in his pants' pockets. He raised his head and looked at her expectingly. "What can I do fo-."
"I wanted to apologize." She cut him off. Arabella felt if she didn't get it out, then she would have never said it. So although she didn't mean to interrupt him, she was glad that she did. Elijah however, looked confused. He didn't know what she was apologizing for.
"Can I ask what you're apologizing for?" He squinted slowly. Arabella already looked like she didn't want to have a conversation with him, but he was the reason why she couldn't sleep. So she had to say what she was thinking.
"For my behavior, for treating you less than what you deserve. I was hurt because you didn't choose me over Niklaus, and ever since I've been holding it against you. I was hurt and I was treating you like your feelings weren't valid. You've proved yourself more than once that you've always cared for me even when I've been less than accepting of it. It wasn't fair for me to give you a choice, Elijah. And I'm sorry."
"Why are you telling me this?" Slowly, Elijah's eyes were watering, he even looked away momentarily to try and hide it but Arabella hadn't noticed them yet. She only thought he looked away because he didn't want to speak with her.
"Because I am so tired of fighting my feelings for you, Elijah. I can't help but love you. And it's literally driving me mad trying to be upset with you." Arabella confessed. They were both at a safe distance from one another, but all Elijah wanted to do was wrap his arms around her. He obviously controlled the urge to do so. "And that is why I wanted to tell you first, that you were right."
She lightly shook her head as tears were brimming her eyes also. She blinked slowly and looked away so that he wouldn't notice. But he did notice.
She really didn't want to have the conversation with him, but the constant guilt ate away at her conscience. She might have done things out of spite to annoy and upset Elijah. But every word she said was true. She loved Elijah with every single part of her heart and she couldn't bring it to herself to continue to be so cruel to him. She had no right to give him a choice, and she had no right to treat him so horribly just because he made one. She couldn't believe it took her that long to notice. And she realized if Bête still had a say, Arabella and Elijah would have not been discussing any of it.
Elijah tilted his head a bit in confusion because he didn't know what he was right about. The look he was giving her, told her she needed to elaborate on what she meant.
"You asked me if I was really going to spend the next thousand years trying to plot and kill Niklaus. And at first, without hesitation, my answer was yes. But now? That isn't what I want. I was upset because a thousand years were wasted, and taken from me. From us. But as I live and breathe, I do not wish to find myself living and plotting my ex-brother-in-law's demise while trying to be happy. I'm done with being angry, spiteful, and sad. Now, I just want to truly feel peace. And I can't truly move on with my life and feel this peace if I don't apologize. If I don't make this, right." Her hands motioned in a slow gesture towards the both of them.
Elijah was at a loss for words. He felt Arabella was sincere, and he assumed Arabella really put a lot of thought into it. Her words meant the world to Elijah, just hearing how Arabella no longer had a vendetta against Niklaus, had been a sigh of relief. Redemption was in the far future for Niklaus, but it was a one-step-at-a-time, type of scenario. As of that moment, all was well.
A smile gradually lit up Elijah's face. And it was a smile Arabella hadn't seen in so long. So when she saw those gleaming teeth her stomach felt light, producing butterflies and her chest felt heavy.
Neither noticed their closeness when Elijah brought his hand up to Arabella's chin and held her face between his index finger and his thumb. For once, everything felt right. Elijah was elated that the circumstances between him and Arabella could finally be fixed. And he planned to gently place a kiss on her cheek. Just to show that he'd accepted her apology. But as he got closer, her eyebrows furrowed as she realized something so suddenly.
"What is a hobbit? And why was I called one?" She asked as Elijah's lips were only two centimeters from her face. When he stopped, he processed what she said and when he thought about it, his smile returned as he chuckled.
"You, were called a hobbit?" He squinted just as he again processed what she said. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to laugh or really answer her question. So he decided to laugh. "Who's bright idea was to do that?"
"Redhead, clearly a vampire. Apparently has an unhealthy relationship with your brother." Arabella stuck up three fingers one by one into the air as she named off none other than Aurora de Martel. She rolled her eyes to Niklaus' taste in women.
"Ah, that would be Aurora de Martel. Rebekah sires her; and between you and me, the girl is similar to what we call a 'basket case'. She's nothing like her brother, he on the other hand is somewhat of a brilliant nuisance." He described the two siblings as he placed air quotes around Aurora De Martel's mental state. Arabella normally didn't judge, but the vampire annoyed Arabella. Now she knew the woman wasn't right in the head.
"Oh, so you sire her brother then?" She asked with a sort of knowing. Brilliance radiated out of Elijah's pores. That much, Arabella did know. And whoever Elijah sired had to be one of his own reflections. He didn't care less about who he turned. She could tell.
"Yes, Tristan de Martel. He's sort of someone I left in the past, but somehow, he, his sister, and an organization that I created had decided to make an unexpected reappearance." Elijah explained while sticking a hand in his pocket. A gesture Arabella knew too well. But little did she know, Elijah did it because he wanted to hold Arabella's ring in his hand. Sort of giving him that feeling of holding her hand. He had done it every day since she gave it to him, and he continued to do it. In that little piece of jewelry, he found comfort.
"So if you sire this Tristan, and Rebekah sires Aurora. Then who does Niklaus sire?" Curiosity got the best of her. She needed to know. She missed out on so much while she lay in a box for a thousand years, she didn't know anything about being a sire since wolves didn't have that type of power. Wolves couldn't turn anyone of their choosing, the curse had to be passed down.
She would never know anyone like her anyway because Arabella didn't have a lengthy family tree, and with a thought like that, she felt lonely. Being immortal like the Mikaelsons, she assumed she couldn't reproduce, so that was why she never gave it a second thought about having children. And besides, she wouldn't want children if they couldn't be Elijah's, and he couldn't procreate because he didn't share Niklaus' bloodline. He was just a vampire, and that was enough for her.
"Lucien Castle. And he happens to be brilliant as much as he is psychotic." Elijah sighed. It made sense to Arabella though. It brought her out of her thoughts because meeting someone like Lucien, he shared Niklaus' smugness. And she wondered why it irritated her at some point. Not recently, but when she first met him.
"This just proves to me once again Niklaus sure knows how to pick them." She laughed as she shook her head and leaned back against the island.
"They showed up a little after you were abducted, but they haven't given me a reason to question their intentions. At least not yet." He explained.
"When did you all start to turn people?" She turned her head slightly. She only asked because there was no way they were turning anyone when she was around a thousand years ago. Niklaus And Kol were wooing the pretty little servant girls of the castle, Rebekah was being tailored for various gowns and chatting it up with the older ladies who made those gowns. And Finn had a knack for being alone, he did however spend a lot of time with Arabella's father before he passed. And Elijah, he was always with Ara, they were inseparable.
"It was shortly after hearing you were killed. I had a rather dark period because of it. With you being gone and Mikael on our trail, we had to blend in for a while, but of course, every turn we took Mikael was three steps behind us. So we decided to sire these three because we thought it might help to throw Mikael off and into a different direction, at least for a little while. So we turned them, and we compelled them to take on our lives, live as we lived and that lasted for a while also. A hundred years or so. Then slowly they began to remember who they were but not who they were running from. Ever since they've been searching for us." he bowed his head, and with Elijah explaining what happened, he realized just how horrible it sounded. He didn't want to meet Arabella's eyes because of it.
"Well, it seems like this Aurora can be persuaded into forgiveness." Arabella joked. Which caused her to burst out in laughter. The whole ordeal seemed to fly right over her head. But of course, it would, at the end of the day, she would always forgive Elijah.
Elijah had been the one to shake his head and laugh. It felt amazing to have a decent conversation with Arabella where they weren't arguing, but he wondered how long it was going to last. It was only yesterday when he accused her of having feelings for his brother, and somehow she was there, standing with him, apologizing for how she acted towards him. He didn't want to look forward to anything that involved her hating him and him arguing with her, but lately very little made Arabella want to explode. And he didn't want to be the one to light the fuse.
When the laughter between the two died down and it became quiet again, Arabella looked about the kitchen, where there was another question she needed to ask so she thought it was best to get it out there before the moment passed.
"Where is Rebekah? I haven't seen her since before you snapped my neck." her head tilted slightly and her eyebrows furrowed while remembering the events that happened the day before.
"It's a long story, but she's with Hope. Maybe I can tell you about it over lunch or perhaps dinner?" He asked, that time he was the one who was hopeful.
Arabella squinted, but she understood. Hope was the one person in the Mikaelson family who deserved to be protected. Especially since she was only a child. And from what little Arabella remembered of the little girl, every enemy the Mikaelson family had ever known would come for that special baby. So it was imperative that Rebekah watched over her. No person better to watch over her than Bex. Hope was the family's hope, and she was Niklaus' road to redemption. Again, Arabella understood.
"Is the Elijah Mikaelson asking me out on a date?" Arabella cocked her head back as if almost surprised and smiled widely.
"Is there something wrong with that?" He lifted his head and met her eyes while taking a mindless step forward. He returned her smile with one of his own.
"Besides the fact that we're divorced and I'm sort of convinced that you don't like me. Of course not." Arabella laughed at her own sarcasm and Elijah joined her. Her smile ran a mile when she looked at him, it grew at the thought that he was already looking at her.
"So?" Elijah asked, he grew hopeful again that she'd say yes.
"I -." Arabella began, but as soon as she wanted to accept, she was cut off.
Arabella's phone started to ring. She took it upon herself to purchase a new phone while her recent one had been destroyed the day she was abducted. She had completely forgotten she had it in her pocket, as it made some annoying jingle. She still wasn't fond of it, but she had to agree it did make her life just a smidge less complicated.
She looked at it and saw Camille's name pop up across the screen. She looked up at Elijah, somehow apologizing to him with her eyes. He just nodded his head and gave her the space she needed to go ahead and answer.
Arabella turned away and slid her finger across the screen and pushed the device to her ear. On the other end was a breathless Camille who was explaining Francesca was spotted outside of Rousseau's and how she overheard she just bought the place. So she was definitely up to no good, and to Arabella, that clearly wasn't something she was okay with. Camille was ready to go and figure out what that key belonged to. And Arabella agreed.
"Okay, meet me at the church. I've been meaning to talk with Marcel anyway. From there we'll figure it out together." Arabella became furious. She sounded like she was in a rush and it was important that she get to that church.
Arabella hung up the phone and almost didn't recognize she was walking out of the kitchen. Elijah was trailing behind with a curious look on his face. He heard the entire conversation but he thought it'd be more appropriate if Arabella told him herself. He continued to remind himself he didn't want to do anything to upset her.
She turned to him and smiled lightly. "I have to go help, Camille. Apparently, Francesca just bought Rousseau's so she's moving in closer to the compound." Arabella mentioned.
"You think that's a bad thing?" Elijah squinted. He couldn't hide his smile though, and it was the most he's done it in a long time. Arabella could tell.
"Of course, the closer she is to you, the more damage she could do to this family. And I'll be damned if I let her hurt any of you." Arabella ranted as she walked a little further until she reached the opening to the courtyard.
"And what about Marcel? How does he come into the equation?"
"Marcel has the key that Camille needs, she has this need to find out why Francesca is so needy of it. If we find out what it is first, we can maybe use it against her." Arabella answered.
"You do know that Francesca and her brothers haven't shown any signs of being werewolves." He mentioned a small smirk appeared on his face. He was somehow trying to let Arabella down gently because maybe she was wrong about Francesca and her brothers.
"Oh, they are werewolves. They just haven't triggered their curse yet. But they will, with the right motivation." Arabella walked up to him after looking away from her phone. She needed to get to the church, and she had very little time to get there before Camille showed up. And the last thing Arabella needed was to have a human walking into a gym full of vampires, alone. So she needed to hurry. "And yes, I would love to have lunch or dinner with you. But may I take a rain check?"
Arabella playfully rolled her eyes and bit her lower lip. Just that face alone made Elijah weak. So he nodded his head, and instantly a smile beamed across her face. She stretched out on her legs, reached up and kissed Elijah's cheek in excitement, and bounced lightly on her feet as she backed away slowly. When she went to turn around and disappear, Hayley happened to be walking in. The sight of the werewolf made her shoulders drop and her eyes begin to narrow.
Hayley on the other hand didn't like to see Arabella and Elijah in the same room with each other. Call it jealousy, but she believed the two were too toxic for one another. Just like she was toxic to Elijah. Stringing him along knowing he didn't fall for women easily.
"Hayley, I assume you've come to speak with Elijah on the many bad decisions he seems to be making on being involved with the likes of me?" Arabella smiled. Now Arabella had reasons to believe that she was picking up Niklaus' habits and snide remarks.
"Not everything is about you, Arabella." Hayley rolled her eyes and Arabella crossed her arms as she became smug.
"Eh, I disagree. But, I-uh- heard you were getting married here in the next few days. Congratulations." Arabella shrugged her left shoulder.
"Thanks." Hayley pursed her lips. Then she looked past Arabella and eyed Elijah. Arabella however, stepped to her left and blocked Hayley's view. They weren't together, but Arabella would forever be protective over the man she once called her husband.
"You're welcome. Clearly, I was surprised poor Jackson wanted to be married to you in the first place. Seeing as you're obsessively in love with my ex-husband and all. Does he know- Jackson I mean- that you're here to see the man you're still in love with, just days before your wedding?" Arabella furrowed her eyebrows and pursed her lips also. Somewhat mocking the look on Hayley's face.
"Is that any of your business?" Hayley flipped her hair over her shoulders and her eyebrows arched.
"I like to make it my business when it comes to who speaks to my family," Arabella replied dryly.
"If you haven't gotten the memo, you're not a Mikaelson anymore." Hayley shot back. Clearly below the belt, but Arabella was quick to brush it off.
"And you never were a Mikaelson." Arabella flared as her eyes shifted into their red bloody-molasses color. "So if that's all. Then you may go."
"If I wasn't clear, you're obviously not invited to my wedding." Hayley rolled her eyes as she made a beeline for the gates.
"Oh, shoot." Arabella snapped her fingers, dramatically showing that she was hurt. But she really didn't care. Her eyes faded back to her icy blues with a calm blink.
With that, Hayley parted ways by glaring at Arabella and glancing at Elijah. Once her presence was no longer felt. Arabella turned to Elijah, shrugged her shoulder, and winked. Then she was gone.
It was something with the way Arabella took charge without Elijah saying a word to Hayley, that got him in a type of mood. He didn't have anything to say to Hayley anyway with what she said about Arabella at the party. He didn't want to hold that against Hayley because she was entitled to her wrong opinion. But really, there was nothing else to say. So for Arabella being there at the right time, he was grateful, and most definitely amused.
            Upstairs, Eli was napping on the edge of Niklaus' bed while NiKlaus took his time and showered. And downstairs, Elijah was alone, also wrapping his head around what just happened. Arabella's assertiveness didn't even make him question why Hayley was coming to see him.
But it did make him think of Gia, and his heart sank. She was who he was aiming to see before Arabella walked into the courtyard with her workout gear and her furry sidekick. For if Arabella knew of her, Gia would suffer. And by suffering, Arabella would most likely tear Gia's heart out and make Elijah watch. Elijah couldn't let another person perish because of him. He couldn't allow Arabella to let that happen. He knew he had to end whatever it was he thought he had with Gia.