Bring Me To Life | The Originals (1)

Le Grand Guignol

The morning sunlight spilled in through the window, illuminating the brunette hair of the witch sitting on the couch with a mug of steaming hot coffee in her hand. The atmosphere in the study was stilted from the events of the past night, not a sound could be heard other than the occasional muffled groan coming from the bedroom upstairs. It should have disturbed her, but she just leisurely sipped her coffee and nibbled on the artisanal raspberry and white chocolate muffin that she'd found in the kitchen earlier that morning.

It seemed as though the world was paused, but Imogen knew that wasn't the case.

The events of the last day filtered through her mind as she leaned back against the comfortable couch with her legs tucked underneath her body, her hands curled around the mug to keep it balanced on her knee. She had attempted to stay awake until everyone arrived back at the compound but she'd ended up surrendering to her exhaustion, curling up like a slumbering cat in the comfortable armchair in Elijah's office. She had woken up to the aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafting in from the kitchen and the sensation of somebody gently stroking her cheek with the back of their fingers, a feeling she thought she could've gotten used to if given the chance. Elijah had gone on to explain that he had saved Rebekah and Marcel from Klaus' wrath by stabbing him in the chest with the bone blade that was spelled by the witch Papa Tunde, who enchanted it using sacrificial magic gained by killing dozens of vampires.

"You seem to be at ease in my office. Are you acquisitioning it for yourself, darling?" Elijah asked teasingly as he strolled into the study with a faint smirk on his lips and Imogen lifted her head with a smile, loving the way the moniker flowed off of his tongue.

"Hm. Well, this couch is very comfy." She replied in the same light-hearted tone as she caressed the seat next to her fondly and he chuckled lowly as he came to a stop on the opposite side of the coffee table with his hands stuffed in his pants pockets. "Do you have a problem sharing with me?"

"Not at all. In fact, your presence seems to have brightened an otherwise dreary room."

The compliment caused a blush to spread across the witch's cheeks as she ducked her head in embarrassment with a small grin on her lips, not used to someone showing her genuine affection. She was used to people making outrageous declarations in hopes of gaining something from her, in hopes of taking advantage of her, thinking that a few kind words would manipulate her enough to give in to their demands. But the spark in Elijah's brown eyes or the faint upturn of his lips like he wasn't even aware that he was smiling, it made her believe in the sincerity of his words.

Elijah watched the slight reddening of her cheeks as she avoided his gaze with an adorable twitch of her lips and he tilted his head to the side in fascination as she tucked a strand of brunette hair behind her ear. He could remember running his fingers through the silky tresses when he kissed her other morning in the kitchen and he ached to be able to do it whenever he desired, to be able to express his feelings without censoring himself. The taste of her lips was lingering, a sweet torture he'd endure for the better part of a day, and he found his gaze drifting down to her mouth as she took a sip from the porcelain mug in her hand. Never before in his existence had he been envious of an inanimate object, but a severe envy built inside of him when he saw the way her lips curved around the edge of the coffee cup. Her expressive blue eyes lifted to meet his gaze, captivating his full attention as she tilted her head to the side curiously and he instantly diverted his gaze away from her when he realised he had been staring at her a moment too long to be considered polite. He cleared his throat discreetly as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly with a small downturn of his lips, feeling awkward under her questioning gaze and he knew that they'd have to discuss their kiss at some point in time but he wanted to live in a state of hope instead of facing reality.