•
____________________
O youth in love, fall at her feet
Without your beloved, you are incomplete
God's fabric comes from Adam and Eve
As intertwined as threads of the weave
- Rumi, Surrender
__________•__________
Adelia opened her eyes as the sound of a clock ticking reached her ears. She turned her head to see Elijah sitting beside her, ready for the day.
"Good morning, what time is it?" The witch asked as he removed the silken tresses from her face.
"Almost six," the Original replied.
"Why are you dressed so early in the morning?" She sat up and pushed the comforter off her body.
"I had some errands to run," he told her and asked, "Are you alright?"
"I will be," Adelia smiled back. "Are you?"
"I have you," Elijah grinned and kissed her shoulder.
"I should go get ready," she said with a sigh.
"You can rest a little longer if you wish to. I will tell others you aren't feeling well," the Original insisted.
"No. I will be fine," she answered. "My bags are back at the apartment."
"I brought them a while ago, along with a menacing cargo," Elijah humoured.
"Cargo?" Her brows furrowed in confusion.
A bark echoed the room as Asher exited the walk-in with a leather shoe between his teeth. The couple looked at him in disbelief.
"Your menace is increasing my bills," Elijah rolled his eyes, a bit fondly.
"Asher! Put it down," Adelia commanded, and the dog instantly followed before jumping onto the bed in her arms.
"How many times have I told you to not get on the bed?" The vampire spoke to the dog.
"Do not scold him. Asher is a baby," she whined in disapproval and hugged her little pet. "Oh, you have become so cute!" The witch grabbed his furry face and kissed his mane.
Asher looked at the suited demon and huffed, enjoying all the attention from the sweet demon. He felt her squeeze his body in excitement, gushing over him and he let the discomfort not appear on his face as the vampire watched him heatedly. It was an ego thing.
He didn't have the pleasure of marking his territory unless he wanted to face the wrath of the demons so this game had to suffice for now. He howled in victory as the sweet demon laughed, making him preen in joy.
"Your pet is more intelligent than you give him credit for," Elijah stated, watching his wife pour her affections on a dog.
"Of course Asher is intelligent!" She tsked and grabbed his tie to pull him closer and cupped his jaw. "What's with these prickly little things under my fingers?" She asked with a frown.
The Original wrapped his arms around her suddenly and rubbed his stubble into her neck making her shriek. Adelia squirmed her shoulder with a chuckle and fell onto the bed as Elijah followed. Her fists clenched onto his lapels, trying to push him away as his prickly skin elicited giggles from the witch, his laughter joining them.
Asher wheezed at the scene and closed his eyes. He wished they would return to their home soon. This house was filled with demon creatures and all of them riled him up, especially the one that looked like his demon servant. That toddler plucked his tail for entertainment. How rude. But, oh what he wouldn't do for his favourite demons.
____________________
"We are leaving tonight," Sharel informed Angelique as they stood in the room adjacent to where her unconscious granddaughter was resting.
The Lorraine witch blew off the burning sage in her hands and kept it over the mantle, the crackling of the firewood drowning out the silence. "Avoiding a prophecy gets you closer to it. Whether you prefer it or not, it will happen," she said in a morose tone.
"How am I supposed to believe a smidgen of the curse you bestowed upon my girl," the Beauchêne witch said.
"I have seen it with my own eyes, Sharel," Angelique persuaded, softly touching the younger witch's shoulder as she stiffened instantly with various images flashing in front of her.
A breathy gasp filled the room as Elijah took Adelia's wrists in his hand to hold them against the wall. The vampire looked down and hooked his finger into the front strings of her gown and tugged at them hurriedly as the sleeves fell down her shoulders.
He moved her hair off her shoulder gently and grabbed her head to connect their mouths, lips moving fervently against each other. He gripped her waist to pull him forward as they blindly made their way across the room, hitting a lamp as it shattered onto the floor. She freed her hand to caress his jaw as they stared at each other, heavy breaths filling the place.
Sharel clenched her fist in her gown as her vision cleared, the extent of their hidden intimacy and affections rattling her to the core. She took a deep breath as the other witch's voice continued to drum in her ears.
"It had already been set in motion years before. We are nearing its end," the Lorraine witch finished.
"A child! You want to insinuate a child!"
"That child doesn't have to be a curse, Sharel. He is meant to bring balance."
"I would've accepted any prophecy of whatever child of any darn bloodline! But this concerns my granddaughter," Sharel seethed in rage, "with a man I will come to despise even more after this."
Angelique turned towards her, intrigued. "Do you know who the father is?"
The Beauchêne witch clipped her mouth. "I will not allow Adelia to bear a curse. There are people already after my granddaughter, I would never forsake her more by letting her carry a prophetic child."
"The child wouldn't get a better mother who would understand the pain and expectations," Angelique tried to make her understand.
"I have never forsaken my granddaughter for her abilities so why would I let people expect anything from a great-grandchild of mine? Who are you to burden my blood with those presumptions? As long as I am alive, my family will not bow down to those witches," the Beauchêne witch stated with steel in her voice.
"Who is the father, Sharel?"
Sharel turned to her with furious eyes. "Why is there even a mention of a father when there is no child?!"
"Sharel," Angelique looked at her with sad eyes as the realisation slowly dawned over her.
____________________
Elijah pulled Adelia's chair for her as she sat down for breakfast.
"Good morning, mother," the Original said and took the chair opposite his wife.
"Good morning," Esther said, smiling at her children. "The centuries have fared well for the delicacies." She glanced around the table excitedly.
"Mother, why does Klaus get to sit beside you?" Rebekah glared at her brother.
"You are seated where you should be, little sister," the Original hybrid smirked.
"Mother, I wish to take his place at dinner," she haughtily commanded.
"Good luck with that wonderful thought," Klaus replied and went back to crushing pepper over his egg.
Elijah sighed and poured milk over his wife's cereals. She gave him a little smile and passed the Nutella to Kol who perked up and put a dollop of it over his baguette.
"Leave something for me!" Rebekah screeched and tried to grab the jar from him across the table. "What an inconsiderate arse you are!"
Esther raised a brow at her language and the youngest Mikaelson froze in her seat before quietly buttering up her bread, a sheepish expression on her face.
"I cannot believe my fortune to have my children with me," the mother grinned.
"I should be thanked," Klaus perked up in his chair as the siblings turned to look at him.
"You are such a shameless bastard," Rebekah said with a glare.
"Bekah! Mother might take offence to that statement," Kol dug into his food with a smile as the table fell silent.
"Kol," Finn warned as they all looked at each other.
"I will be upstairs. Excuse me, mother," Klaus told them and got up immediately.
"Niklaus," the noble one insisted, "kindly sit down."
"The bastard isn't welcome clearly," the hybrid said cruelly at his mother. "Children do reap their parents' sins."
"Enough Klaus," Esther spoke up.
"Have a very good morning," Klaus said and left the room.
Adelia moved to follow him when Elijah grabbed her hand under the table. The witch looked at him as he shook his head. She looked upstairs to see the door shut with a bang and exhaled.
____________________
"This is awkward," Jenna said as they sat across from each other at the Grill.
Rafael looked up from his pancakes with a frown. "I was basking in my solace. You were the one to interrupt me and now you call this awkward. Wonderful, Jemma," he rolled his eyes.
"How many times have I told you its Jenna?" She whisper-yelled.
The other guy shrugged his shoulder and put the syrupy pancake in his mouth.
"Look who do we have here?" Damon slid into the booth beside Jenna with a smirk. "Is sweet Jenna going wild after Alaric?"
"Do I even want to know where my complicated ex-boyfriend is?" She rolled her eyes and continued, "No."
"Rafael, we have met before," the Salvatore turned his eyes on the vampire sitting across them.
"Well, I had the time of my life watching you jump invisible fences," Rafael smirked, remembering Damon's trip to Cloverville and then looked at the newbie vampire. "Did you know Jemma, your niece and her boyfriends were trying to trespass Lia's property? Down in Louisiana?"
"What?" Jenna glanced up in shock.
"It was nothing," Damon quipped and stole a bite out of her plate.
"Why was I not informed about this?" She asked the Salvatore. "I thought Elena took a trip to find Bonnie's mom! When did she go to Louisiana?!"
"Not surprised. When has your niece ever informed you about anything?" Rafael humoured, cutting into his pancake with delight.
"It's not a big deal," the Salvatore waved it off.
"Even as a vampire, I choose to have some moral obligations and ethics, Mr. Salvatore," the Desmond pursed his mouth, fishing into his pocket to put a hundred-dollar bill on the table. "My stomach is full," he got up, "and Ms. Sommers, choose your company wisely."
"Watch your back!" Damon yelled after him as the occupants turned to stare at the raven-haired vampire.
Rafael turned around with a flair and smirked. "You need to watch yours," he finished with a wink before exiting the place.
"You all are turning insufferable, you do know that right?" Jenna informed Damon.
"You are taking their side? Oh Christ," the Salvatore put his hands up in disbelief.
"Not everything is about taking sides, Damon. Not everything is about choosing you or the Mikaelsons!" She exclaimed.
"Its your niece," he rolled his eyes.
"I think she's my niece, but she has forgotten I am her aunt," explained Jenna. "We live under the same roof but I do not know anything!"
"There's a reason you are left out of things," he tried to reason with the frantic woman.
"I do not need reasons. I need Elena to talk to me, to speak to me about the things that I have the right to know," she said, her emotions getting the getter of her.
Damon glanced at her for a moment. "You know Alaric is seeing that doc?" He offhandedly informed her.
The newbie vampire narrowed her eyes and shook her head as a laugh spurted out of her. "That was low, Damon, but I should've expected this from you," Jenna said and stood up, collecting the papers hurriedly. "Distracting me from potential conflict with my niece by pushing me towards another conflict that does not even concern me anymore." She looked at him and put a little fake smile on her face. "Next time if anything happens, do not be surprised if I do not take Elena's side."
____________________
Adelia fixed the cloth onto the hanger and put it inside the wardrobe, brushing off the creases. She pulled her hair into a bun and sat down on the floor, pulling the unopened boxes towards herself.
"Have you had a talk with him?" Elijah's voice startled her as he walked inside, removing the cufflinks.
"He did not come out of his room all day," she answered, opening the flaps of the box closest to her. "Can I return these? I already have a full closet. I do not need anything more."
"Niklaus might feel otherwise," he said and started unbuttoning his shirt to retire for the night.
"Put the shirt elsewhere," Adelia told him and continued, "Your brother can gift us an entire autumn collection, but forgets to add a laundry basket." She rolled her eyes.
Elijah looked at her fondly with a smile. "I assume he's still not accustomed to doing things by himself."
"Very lethargic," she tsked and pushed the boxes into a corner.
"Mother wishes for us to have a feast," he informed her and put his head through the sweatshirt.
"I am sure I can coerce Niklaus to cook a delicacy for us," she snickered.
"My love, we need to reassess your definition of a feast," the Original gave her an apologetic smile making her frown.
____________________
Blood dribbled down Adelia's mouth as Elijah bit into his wrist and put it in again.
"Is she alright?" Arnold asked frantically.
"Her heart is working just fine," Klaus answered, standing at the foot of the word.
The noble Original tuned out the conversation and bit into his skin again. He looked at Adelia and rubbed her palm furiously as the clammy ones clung to the heat.
"Where is Sharel?" He asked, turning to look at the worried father.
As on cue, the matriarch entered as her eyes fell onto them slowly and she clenched her fist into her gown.
"Mother, what is happening?" Arnold inquired.
The witch ignored him and walked towards the bed slowly, her eyes not leaving her granddaughter's enclosed hand between the Original. She took the other hand and caressed the knuckles gently.
With a mumble, Sharel started chanting and Klaus took a step back as Rafael entered the room with a washcloth and looked at the proceedings curiously.
Sharel took a deep breath as images flooded her mind, the Original's hand intertwined with Adelia's started glowing red. The windows burst out as the occupants crouched immediately, Elijah shielding the siphon-witch from the shards.
A trail of blood flowed down their noses as Elijah rubbed it away with his sleeve, unable to comprehend the reason. Sharel met his eyes as a tear dribbled down her chin before she abruptly jerked away her hand, breaking all the connection.
"What sorcery is this?"Rafael asked, slowly getting up.
"What is it indeed," she mumbled to herself.
____________________
The sun peeked through the windows as Adelia sat in front of the vanity and quietly dabbed her perfumed fingers behind her ears, moving her hair to the other shoulder. Footsteps clicked on the tiled floor as her husband appeared behind her and she stared at him through the mirror.
His palm covered her fingers as he dragged them down her nape and shoulder before intertwining them to pull her up. His feet automatically pushed the stool aside and her back met his chest firmly.
"You make it so hard for me to guess your motives, Elijah," she sighed.
"Trust is a wonderful little weapon I like to implement when it comes to you," Elijah smiled while his hand undid the knot of her dressing gown and slid a sleeve down to bare her shoulder. He trailed his knuckles down her arm slowly, the flimsy gown precariously clinging to the other limb.
"We are living with your family, which now includes your mother. I would rather prefer getting hit by a truck than her giving us those suspicious eyes for your tardiness," the witch said as his knuckles touched the underside of her brassiere-clad breast.
"I am your husband. If I do not take advantage of you then who will," he reasoned with a smirk and continued, "Back in our days, it was acceptable for a man to keep his woman occupied behind closed doors."
"On my bad days, I tend to forget your woman-abducting Viking roots. I apologise," she clicked her tongue when she saw his hand disappearing inside his pocket to come out with a syringe and rolled her eyes. "And here I was under the impression that my husband was romancing me."
"I can only get to romance my wife when she is safe," he softly touched her arm and uncapped the filled tube.
"Mikael is not around. What is the need to inject vervain into me?" Adelia asked curiously.
"I trust nobody with you," he simply replied.
"I have lived with them for decades, Elijah. You never had to inject anything into me," she said as the thin needle pierced her skin and soon the burn of the vervain travelled up her arms. "Or do you not trust someone? Is everything alright?"
"I do not trust mother," he confessed. "While I appreciate a good bout of forgiveness, one coming from her is a bit too far-fetched."
"Is this not what you desired when you bargained with Damon?" She questioned her husband and continued, "You did not have to agree with him but you did."
"I did not know it was mother," he said as a matter of fact.
"But you were aware of it being a weapon to destroy Niklaus," she shook her head. "Do not contradict yourself."
"I may have granted others a bit of juvenile mischief, but nobody is allowed to touch him," Elijah told her with a sigh.
"And what has that got to do with vervain on me?" She enquired curiously.
"I am very familiar with her tricks and I will not allow you to be vulnerable," he remarked.
"You and Niklaus truly share this incessant paranoia," she said with a sigh.
"Times have changed," the Original met her eyes through the mirror before discarding the syringe into the bin. His thumb rubbed her arm gently before he placed a chaste kiss on her shoulder, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Other husbands undress their wives to make love, my husband does that to douse me in vervain," she chuckled, playing with his cufflinks.
He hummed against her skin. "As much as I would prefer to make love to you, mother won't appreciate it if I have you as a meal," he snickered into her ear as her eyes narrowed in disbelief. The Original removed his hand from her being and placed a chaste kiss on her hair. "Get dressed, Adelia and do try to get Niklaus out of that room."
____________________
"Klaus, Elijah needed your last input for the ball. He is downstairs," Adelia entered his art room, brushing a hand over the dried canvas.
"If he wishes to talk to me, tell him to come upstairs," the Original hybrid said while continuing to paint.
"You cannot hide behind your paintings. Esther was offended if you did not join us for lunch or dinner or even breakfast this morning," she relayed.
Klaus looked back at her and said, "She kept mum when I needed her. Nothing has changed."
"Nik," the witch stepped forward, "She has chosen to forgive you. You should forgive her as well."
"You are taking her side?" The Original questioned in a harsh tone.
"No, I am not taking a side, Niklaus."
He stepped forward slowly and cupped her cheek as she stared up at him. "Elijah and yourself better be on mine, little witch," he relayed with a threatening smile.
"Do you not trust us?" Adelia asked hesitantly.
"I trust nobody, sweetheart," he smirked and continued, "and after the latest stint by my noble brother, I am inclined to think I do right anyways."
She sighed and looked away as he retreated his hand.
"Do you need anything sent here?" Adelia asked him.
"A pint of blood will do," he answered and she tilted her head.
"I will have it sent upstairs," the witch nodded and closed the door behind her.
Elijah looked up at the sound and found his wife coming down the stairs. As their eyes met, she shook her head in negative and the Original let out a sigh in defeat.
____________________
Sharel climbed down from the bed hastily to glance at her son. "Get her into the carriage. Rafael, go with them," she urged, wiping her wet cheeks.
Rafael came forward and picked up Adelia gently and turned around when her hand brushed against Elijah's. He looked away and felt the rose essence leaving the crevices and his heart caved in.
"We are leaving tonight," the Beauchêne announced when she and the Originals were the only occupants in the room.
"Pardon me?" Klaus frowned as Elijah beside him stiffened.
"I request you do not approach us ever again. We helped you and you repaid it back during our stay here. There is no obligation henceforth."
"That's unfortunate to know, but I shall wait for Maeve to write to me," Klaus shrugged his shoulders.
"When I insisted you do not approach us, I also meant you never try to communicate with her," Sharel replied.
"You are scared of a mere child's play," the younger Original pointed out.
"I am scared of the implications if Adelia stays here," she suggested swiftly.
"She is under our protection. Nothing will happen to her," he said with a smile, trying to reassure the witch.
"This inopportune moment is the result of your implied protection," the witch stated, eyes moving to rest on Elijah. "You two are nobody to question my decision concerning my granddaughter."
Klaus turned to Elijah with suspicious eyes. "Brother, you have been silent."
"Let it be, Niklaus," the noble one stated in a low voice, eyes unfocused.
"Oh, definitely," the other brother smirked. "I should rejoice since here I was under the impression that my beloved brother had measly little affection for my Maeve."
"Affections. How appropriately you word it," taunted Sharel.
"He will grow out of his infatuation like he always does," he said with a bout of pride in his voice.
"Elijah," Sharel called, looking at the gleeful face of his brother and continued, "It seems your cowardice was for a noble cause after all."
The Original took a deep breath, not meeting her eyes. "Niklaus will not interrupt your proceedings. I shall take care of it."
"Are we really not going to discuss my brother's involvement in the prophecy?" Klaus suggested.
"I knew you better than to believe in a child's play," she narrowed her eyes. "It is a charade as you implied."
"I may take foolish decisions once in a while, but do not consider me a fool, dear Sharel. If it affects my brother, then it becomes a perilous cause to me," the blonde gave her an unceremonious grin.
"That's good to hear, Klaus," Sharel nodded with a defeated twinkle in her eyes. "You continue to make decisions for your brother that will favour you and let me make decisions for my granddaughter which will be in her favour. We can part ways amicably."
Klaus stared at the older witch for a moment before he smirked in agreement.
____________________
Adelia entered the living room and frowned when she noticed Kol admiring himself in the mirror.
"Oh don't give him too much attention, Lia. He would marry his reflection if it were possible," Rebekah said in a snarky tone while getting her nails done.
"Well little sister, unlike you, I actually like how I look," the youngest brother smirked as the sister threw a cushion at him.
The witch shook her head fondly and took off her stilettos, sighing in relief. She walked towards her husband who pulled her in to peck her lips.
"Was the writer handsome that you abandoned me with such herculean tasks?" Elijah asked.
"From when did talking about your vivid palette of plums and figs for a little arrangement of wine seem like a herculean task to you?" She raised her brows.
"When he realised his tricks in bed wouldn't suffice," Kol replied and Elijah turned his head to glare at him.
"Kol, that is inappropriate," Finn commented from the side, making the youngest brother roll his eyes.
"Rebekah? Tell me how handsome I am," the mischievous one continued, looking into the mirror.
"Ah, Kol, you know I can't be compelled," the sister replied with a sarcastic smile.
Finn grinned at them as Adelia snickered and laid her head on Elijah's chest. The door opened abruptly and Klaus strode in and up to Rebekah.
"You went after Elena? What is wrong with you?!" The Original hybrid shouted at her.
"Here we go," the youngest sibling let out a sigh.
"Do you want another dagger in your heart?" Klaus said, anger evident in his eyes.
"Again with the dagger threats? Don't you have any other tricks?" Kol jumped into his sister's defence.
Klaus turned around and replied. "Oh go back to staring at yourself."
"And who are you, my father?"
The witch looked up at her husband, waiting for him to intervene. Elijah glanced at her and breathed out before bending down to get her discarded stilettos.
"No, Kol, but you're in my house," the hybrid stated.
"Then perhaps we should go outside," Kol suggested and stared at his half-brother when Esther walked in.
"Enough!" The matriarch bellowed. "Niklaus, we have a lot to talk about. Come."
Elijah watched them leave before taking his wife's wrist in his to head back to their room.
____________________
Elijah exited the walk-in closet to see his wife dangling a pair of diamond earrings with one hand as the other clutched the gown to her chest, zipper open. He cleared his throat and walk up to her.
"We should've been gifted with a set of hands at the back as well," Adelia said, feeling her husband clutch the gown within his grip as she went to put on her earrings properly.
"How unfortunate that would've been, my love," he smiled at her through the mirror, slowly zipping up her dress and brushed off the red satin of invisible creases.
"How so?" She asked curiously, holding her hair up as his fingers found the untied sash to tug her backwards with it, her back colliding with his chest.
"It would starve me off the gloriousness that Mrs. Mikaelson is," he mumbled into her nape, suckling the patch of the skin making her breath hitch.
Adelia stepped forward to softly glare at him through the mirror. "Your mother is waiting for me to join her downstairs. Be hasty."
A knock came from the door as the pair looked sideways to see Klaus standing at the doorway.
"Nik, come in," the witch said as Elijah shook his head and went to tie the thin sash tightly.
The hybrid approached them with a small box and leaned against the wall beside the vanity.
"To what do we owe you this pleasure, Niklaus?" Elijah drawled, finishing the loop and deftly stepped away from his wife as she put her hair down.
"Intruding am I, brother?" Klaus smirked.
Adelia rolled her eyes and stepped toward the hybrid to place a chaste kiss on his cheek, swiftly wiping away the stain from the red lipstick. "Ignore him, he's just being his moody self."
"Thank you, darling," Elijah quipped and fixed his cufflinks in annoyance.
"I brought this for you," Klaus placed the box on the vanity and she opened it to see a hairpin.
"Oh I remember this one," she snickered. "It looked positively stunning embedded in your chest."
"It was a pain to remove," he smirked.
"You deserved it for daggering my husband," she sniped, moving to clip the pin onto her hair.
"Your husband is my brother. I get exclusive rights," the hybrid humoured.
"You Mikaelsons and your entitlement," Adelia pursed her mouth as the noble Original helped her with the pin.
"Well, you play wife to the most entitled, little witch," he snarkily replied as the witch glared at him.
"Why must you poke the tigress repeatedly?" Elijah echoed in humour, setting her hair atop her shoulders and started working on his bow tie.
Klaus picked up her palm and stared at it. "Never knew the kitten had claws," he said thoughtfully, getting his hand immediately smacked by her. The hybrid chuckled and moved to kiss Maeve's forehead. "I shall be downstairs," he finished before strutting out of the room.
Adelia rounded up to her husband with a hand on her hip and eyebrow raised.
"What is it?" Elijah asked playfully.
"You must implore your darling brother if you wish for me to remain sane," she punctuated making him snicker as he pulled her to him, capturing her lips between his.
____________________
Elijah stared out the window as he watched Rafael carrying Adelia towards the carriage. His hands twitched by his side and he gripped the frame tightly as it cracked under pressure with the realisation that he'll probably never see her again.
The elder brother turned around to rush out, hoping to try even if he were to fail when a voice stopped him.
"Where do you think you are going?" Klaus asked. "The night's not over yet. We have to keep appearances until I find myself a company tonight."
"I need to see her, brother," Elijah answered, his body restless with the thought of her leaving him indefinitely.
"There is no her, 'lijah," Klaus smirked as the noble one looked up at him. "How long were you two going behind my back? Betraying me?"
"Please, Niklaus."
"I intended to kill her tonight. Adelia," the younger brother confessed and Elijah stiffened. "I couldn't do it to Maeve. Any other girl and you would've been crying over her dead body by now. Remember Celeste? I do," he smirked.
"Why?" He asked in a morose tone.
"Justice has been served. Adelia is gone and you are here. But there is some sick satisfaction in watching you squirm. It brings me peace."
"If you care about her this much then why did you wish to hurt her?" The noble brother asked her.
"You are my brother; of course, I will choose you," Klaus stated firmly with a smile and continued, "And do I not know of your fascination with pretty faces? They always make you weak."
"You are pathetic," Elijah sneered at him.
"Thank you brother," the younger one said. "I am pathetic but you are more so, falling in love with a woman who had her heart set on another. Have you forgotten her beloved physician?" He reminded him. "Your little affair wouldn't have lasted anyways. I saved you from another heartbreak."
"She made me happy, Niklaus," he confessed, a tear slipping past his eye.
Klaus put his hand on his brother's shoulder and gestured to the crowd in front of them. "Look around Elijah. Find your happiness for the night. You will always have an abundance of it," he chuckled and walked away.
As the sound of the carriage moving on the cobblestone disappeared into the night, Elijah stared in front of him as the vivid colours slowly turned grey.
____________________
"Well, look who's here?" Rafael commented as Jenna walked up to the bar.
"Contrary to popular belief, I was invited by Elijah," she haughtily said, a hand on her hips.
"I was not accusing you of gatecrashing the party," he held his hands up in surrender.
"People in town think otherwise," she replied, narrowing her eyes.
"People or a ragtag group of people," the Desmond suggested, sliding a drink towards her.
"You are very perceptive."
Rafael smiled and continued, "Comes with experience when you have to tolerate the Mikaelsons every now and then."
Kol walked over and kissed Carol's hand while greeting her. "Mayor Lockwood. We haven't formally met. Kol Mikaelson. I hope your lovely town embraces us just as much as we plan to embrace it."
Damon beside her held out his hand towards the Mikaelson. "Damon Salvatore. Have we met?" He asked the Original.
Kol looked at the offered hand with distaste and ignored it. "I've met a lot of people. And you don't particularly stand out," he smirked before moving away.
Elijah watched Klaus leave his company as soon as Miss Forbes entered the room and felt amused and equally embarrassed at the expense of his brother's latest infatuation. His eyes wandered along the crowd and he spotted his wife talking to a bunch of people. He made his way towards her and kissed the side of her head.
"Excuse us, gentleman," the Original politely nodded and dragged her away. He whispered into her ear and Adelia looked at him before she climbed the stairs to disappear out of view.
A knock sounded on the door as Esther looked at his son's wife standing at the doorway.
"Elijah is about to giv-"
"Please come in," Esther interrupted her as Adelia hesitantly entered the study and approached the matriarch who was looking at the frames littered on the walls. "Where was this taken, dear?" She pointed at one of them.
The younger witch moved her gaze to the photograph of Elijah and Klaus with their arms around their sister and she smiled. "New Orleans," Adelia answered and touched the other frame with Kol and Rebekah. "They fought that morning, but Nik threatened to dagger them if they refused to sit together for this."
"This one?" The Original witch pointed to the one of Klaus twirling Adelia.
"Elijah threw a peacekeeping dinner for the factions. Nobody turned up and Nik got quite sad, so Elijah suggested we make the best of it," Adelia smiled as she softly touched her husband's face in the next frame.
"Oh dear, I absolutely lost track of time," the matriarch's voice broke her out of her reverie. "What were you here for, sweetheart?"
"Elijah is requesting your presence downstairs for the toast," she informed her mother-in-law.
"Let's not tally then, shall we?" Esther smiled and gestured for Adelia to lead.
The Laurentis heir nodded and turned around when a frame clattered on the floor. She looked back to see Esther staring at the same when she moved down to pick it up.
"Please, let me," Adelia stopped her mother-in-law and bent down herself, picking up the broken glass pieces.
She started stacking them over the frame when the Original witch took the entire frame from her daughter-in-law, startling the young witch. She didn't register when Esther pulled the shard from her fingers, the action making her wince. A few droplets of blood stained the floor as both of them stood up.
"I apologise," the Original witch said hastily looking at the cut. "I only meant for you to leave as it is. The help could've cleaned this up, Adelia," she frowned and pulled out tissues to wrap them around the other witch's fingers.
"It is fine, Esther. It'll heal in a minute," the heir answered and unwrapped the tissues to show no evidence of a wound.
The mother-in-law chuckled nervously, caressing Adelia's healed fingers softly and replied, "I happen to forget my children are indestructible."
"We should head downstairs," the younger witch reminded them. "I will send someone to clean this up."
"Darling, will you retrieve my shawl from my room?" Esther requested with a sweet smile.
"Of course. I will be outside," she said and left the room.
The Original witch watched Elijah's wife leave the room and her eyes went to the blood on the floor. She stared at it impassively and glanced at her own fingers covered in the witch's blood.
Elijah glanced up to see his wife accompanying his mother and looked at the crowd. "Uh, if everyone could gather, please," he said, clinking the glass in his hand.
All the Originals slowly made their way on the staircase as Esther walked down. She gave her son's wife standing beside her a stiff nod of dismissal and turned towards the crowd.
Adelia smiled as Kol climbed up to help her down the stairs beside Elijah who immediately wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Welcome, thank you for joining us," the noble Original started. "You know, whenever my mother brings our family together like this, it's tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance." Elijah smiled as he saw people gazing up to look at the matriarch of the Original family. "Tonight's pick is a centuries-old waltz," he continued, "so if all of you could please find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ballroom."
As the crowd began to disperse, Adelia glanced at her husband. "I hope you do not expect me to Galop in my stilettos," she whispered.
Elijah hummed, climbing down the stairs with her as he kept the flute on a passing tray. "Afraid of a little challenge, Mrs. Mikaelson?"
"It'll definitely be a challenge to fit that massive body of yours on a couch, dear husband of mine," Adelia pouted, patting his chest lovingly.
Kol snickered from behind them and hooked his arms around Adelia's. "Poor 'lijah. Should have thought of this beforehand," he said and pulled her ahead of the group as the witch gripped Klaus' hand and dragged him along.
Elijah rolled his eyes at the trio as he felt his sister wrapping her hands around his arm. "Did you see the doppel-bitch, brother? Her hideous gown and her heart have something in common I infer," Rebekah stated, narrowing her eyes at Elena and continued, "They both are black. Who sent the invitation to her place, brother?"
"Rebekah..." He stopped her further as the blonde glared and stalked away from him. The noble one started at her and took a deep breath.
"Come, brother," Finn tapped on his shoulder and Elijah nodded before they made their way to the ballroom.
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Jenna looked at everyone as her shoulders slumped, hands fidgeting with the bracelet. "I should've brought Alaric. At least this gown wouldn't have gone to waste then," she said, sipping the cocktail.
Rafael leaned against the counter and crossed his legs before he commented, "Much into toxic relationships, are you?"
The woman glared at him and stood up. "I want to dance," she demanded, chin up.
"And?" He frowned.
"Take me to dance," Jenna whisper-yelled.
"Do I have a choice?" Desmond rolled his eyes.
"No," she smiled, removing creases from her gown. "I want the full cliché ballroom experience."
Rafael huffed and walked up to her with a serious expression as her eyes gleamed with happiness.
"Ms. Sonners, will you do me the honour of dancing this set with me?" He extended his hand with a bow as she broke out in fits of laughter.
Jenna gladly accepted it. "That'd be a pleasure, Mr. Desmond," she smirked before dragging him into the crowd.
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"You look tired," Elijah commented as he swayed her in his arms.
"When you said a feast, I did not expect a ball," she replied, keeping her hand on his chest.
"Did you have the wine? I brought out the exclusive collection," he said with a raised brow and twirled her around.
Adelia closed her eyes at the rapid turn and welcomed herself in her husband's arms again. "Very peachy," she chuckled and looked up to her husband.
"Why must you continue to break my heart?" He said, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand. "Wife of Elijah Mikaelson and she doesn't appreciate her husband's tireless effort."
"Tireless indeed. When did drinking become an effort for a Mikaelson?"Adelia chuckled.
"Now she accuses me of alcoholism?" He wondered aloud and grabbed her fingers to twirl her again. He pulled her back in and gazed into her mirthful brown orbs.
"Only alcoholism?" She looked up at him innocently.
"A wise man once said a husband always desires to see a reflection of himself in his wife," he said and withheld a wince as she dug her stiletto into his shoes purposely.
"I presume that the wise man is either yourself or your darling brother?" She guessed and Niklaus beside them shot a glare their way.
"I will not refute your claims," the Original proposed and gave her a smile as the music changed. He kissed her forehead before moving on to the next partner.
Adelia grabbed the man's shoulders and straightened her posture before looking up and immediately sighed, finding herself in Damon's company.
"So we had quite a twosome, your husband and I?" The Salvatore started as she glanced at Elijah over his shoulder who looked at her.
"You do not have the appendages to satisfy my husband," the witch met the Original's eyes and replied to the Salvatore with a smirk. "Neither the brain nor you know..." She gestured down Damon's body to focus on a specific part as the raven-haired vampire followed her gaze only to roll his eyes. Elijah listening to the conversation smiled from a distance.
"Oh, he loves every bit of me, my gooey smart brain, this body and my wit," Damon smirked and pulled her closer, hands around her.
Adelia traced his lapel with her finger and leaned into him. "Hmm. The union must have been extraordinary. My dear Elijah likes control."
"I am not opposed to the idea of a threesome, Mrs. Smith," he grinned and nudged her closer.
"Mr. Smith might take offence. He loathes the concept of sharing," the witch said, eyeing her husband who smirked at her.
"With so many siblings, I thought he must have learned a thing or two," Damon suggested.
"Quite familiar with the concept, are you?" She feigned innocence. "Oh, I forgot the doppelganger? Doppelgangers?"
Rebekah smirked at Stefan and tangled her arms around his neck as he clenched his jaw in annoyance. Clearly, his brother was high on a conversation with a woman who could keep up with him.
"Did you forget the first one? Taita? Tiata?" The Salvatore curled his lips and continued, "Maybe dear Elijah does share after all."
"Tatia, Mr Salvatore. Do not insult the dead. She was your girlfriend's ancestor," Adelia admonished him playfully.
"Mrs. Smith, you are quite the tease," Damon commented as she swirled her in his arms.
"A tip for next time," she said. "Do not brag about your murderous plans to the Originals. They get ideas," the witch finished and he gave her a plastered smile when the door opened and his gaze moved towards it.
"Well, don't tell me there are more of you," he said in an exasperated tone. "The pompousness is eerily similar."
"Look who's talking," she rolled her eyes.
"There's one more jackass in town," the Salvatore said and Adelia turned her head to get a look at the new person and froze. Seeing her reaction, he almost whined. "You know him. Of course, you know him."
"Shut up Damon," she whispered as the music reached its crescendo before dying down as the room erupted into applause.
"Rude," the raven-haired vampire commented when she left him instantly.
The Mikaelson siblings looked at the new guest in surprise and approached him, Klaus and Elijah striding with a pace.
"Lucien," Adelia said in a surprised whisper as the first sireling greeted the witch with a smirk.
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