Broken Promises (An Elijah Mikaelson LS)

Fever Dreams

"Elijah? Elijah!" Lorelei called, rushing towards the hut his family lived in. Since the wedding, the two of them had their own small hut to call home. But Elijah had been off to see his mother that morning before Lorelei had come to a realization.

Excitement coursed through her veins as Lorelei burst into the Mikaelson family home. "Elijah?" she called out only to see three women staring back at her. Rebekah was sitting off to the side, a frown on her lovely face as she mended a pair of trousers. Esther and Fracilla were at the table, creating bundles of herbs to hang and dry.

"Mama? Esther? Where's Elijah?" Lorelei asked, only a flash of disappointment filling her. "Father took him out to teach Henrik to hunt," Rebekah grumbled from the corner. She so loathed household chores, almost as much as she loathed being left behind.

"What is it, darling? Is something wrong?" Fracilla asked, standing from the table, and approaching her daughter. Lorelei shook her head, a smile spreading over her lips. "No, mama, everything's wonderful. I just... I need to find Elijah," she stated, barely able to contain her excitement – or her newest and biggest secret.

"Well, they must be heading back by now. We should go find them," Rebekah offered, jumping to her feet. She was relishing in the chance to get some good gossip from her sister-in-law while also escaping chores. "Be careful!" Esther called as Rebekah caught Lorelei's arm and pulled her from the hut.

Lorelei gave a small gasp as she rejoined the conscious world. Eyelids heavy and body aching, she was reminded of the predicament she was in. And yet, leaning over her was the face of the man she loved most.

Elijah was careful, delicately dabbing what felt like a cold cloth to Lorelei's forehead. Even with the comfort of her husband's surprisingly close proximity, Lorelei still felt her chest ache. Yet the slight relief in Elijah's eyes at seeing her awake made her want to comfort him. Keep him from worrying or knowing how truly bad off she was.

"You put your shirt back on. What a shame," she attempted to tease in hopes of pushing away his worried frown. A surprised laugh escaped Elijah at her words. Glancing down, he looked over the half-buttoned shirt as more of an excuse to not meet her gaze. Her eyes were glassy and pale. He yearned to see them shine again.

"Are you flirting with me?" he managed to tease back, even though his heart wasn't in it. Her jovial mood meant one of two things. Either she was delirious, or she was all too aware of the situation. Lorelei giggled weakly at his return of her behavior. But the laughter turned to hacking, wet coughs.

Elijah gently pressed something soft into her hand as she raised it to her mouth. She coughed without looking, eyes closed against the pain jerking through her body. "You should rest, keep your strength." The softness in Elijah's voice shocked Lorelei as she slumped back into the duvet. His eyes didn't meet hers as he brushed her hair back from her face.

Casting her gaze down from him, she finally saw what was in her hand. A pale lavender handkerchief now stained with blood. "This is miserable. Vampires don't get sick," Lorelei grumbled, watching as Elijah dunked a cloth into a small bowl on the bedside table. "I haven't been sick in over a thousand years."

Elijah's movements faltered for only a moment before he rung out the cloth. Elijah remembered it well. Though Lorelei had been in and out of consciousness for a week, Elijah had rarely left her side. He had helped their mothers care for her at great personal risk. But for her, anything was worth the risk.

"And you needed your rest then as well," he half-heartedly chastised her. Dabbing the cloth to her forehead, he let himself focus whole-heartedly on that task to keep himself from showing his true level of concern. As he did so, Lorelei frowned, watching him intently. Though the cool cloth brough relief from the fever, it didn't do anything for the churning in her gut.