Bring Me To Life | The Originals (1)

The Big Uneasy

Change was said to be a good thing; it could either be defined as a fresh start or a second chance. The only way to build the life you want was to focus your energy, not on fighting the old, but sculpting the new. Second chances were not freely handed out to make things right, but were given as a chance to prove that you could be better even after we've fallen. Most of the time it wasn't about fixing something that was broken, it was about starting over and creating something better for yourself.

Imogen cringed to herself as she approached the entrance to the Abattoir, the loud clanging of construction work could be heard even from outside. She frowned in confusion as she quickened her pace towards the entrance, her high heels clicking loudly on the granite flooring. The smell of sawdust and sweat reached her moments before she entered the building, her eyes widening when she saw the construction workers milling around the courtyard. Several of them nodded at her in greeting as they walked pass but none of them paused in their assigned tasks and she narrowed her eyes at the scene as she glanced around from someone she recognised.

Exhaustion ebbed at the witch as she sighed to herself tiredly, rubbing her forehead with two fingers, and she mentally scolded herself for not taking the sleeping pill the night before when she couldn't fall to sleep. She had spent majority of the night studying her textbooks for an Advanced Adolescent Psychology exam, mainlining caffeine in order to stay awake and when she did attempt to go to sleep her dreams were plagued by nightmares of the past. Normally, she was able to suppress the memories that haunted her but she had no control over her subconscious mind. As a consequence she was wandering around on basically 'empty' and she couldn't wait until she could sit down at lunch with Elijah.

"Hello?!" she called out with a frown on her lips as she hiked her satchel higher up on her shoulder, attempting to be heard over the ruckus the construction caused. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she wandered further into the structure, carefully avoiding the workers that were carrying tools or lengths of wood across the courtyard.

"Hello, darling." Elijah called down from the balcony above and she immediately turned in the direction of his voice with a scowl, but any harsh words died on her lips the moment she laid eyes on him.

The Original stood in a causal black V-neck shirt and jeans, a sight that on its own caused her pulse to race, but he was also sporting a bright yellow construction helmet. Almost immediately images of him wearing only the construction helmet entered her mind, forcing any other coherent thought to stop in its tracks and she inhaled sharply as her blue eyes darkened with undisclosed desire. There was something so tempting about a man as perfectly put together as Elijah taking part in manual labour; of his muscles rippling as he moved and of the masculine scent of sweat as drops beaded on his forehead. She could easily imagine him covered in sweat for another purpose, a more desirable purpose.

Imogen's mouth suddenly felt dry as she tried to swallow but it felt like she had eaten a stick of chalk and all she could do was gape at him, her exhausted mind trying to play catch up with her libido. She was vaguely aware of the people surrounding her as she stood immobile in the middle of the courtyard but he was the only thing she could see. A flush spread across her cheeks as she shifted uncomfortably, attempting to relieve the tension building in her stomach and she bit the inside of her cheek harshly to clear her clouded thoughts.

It was obvious that her exhausted state was effecting her more than she thought because she was normally an expert at suppressing her hormonal urges. Imogen cleared her throat delicately as she adverted her gaze, folding her arms over her chest and shaking her head slightly to clear it of the images in her mind like some sort of dirty etch-a-sketch.

"Wha – what exactly is going on around here?" she asked in a hoarse voice as she pointedly turned away from the dashing man descending the stairs, gesturing wildly with her arm towards the construction taking place in an attempt to distract him from her current flushed state.