Gods & Monsters ✧ Elijah Mikaelson

XXI ✧ Kingdom Come

Chapter Twenty-One

When Avarice had woken up, she still had Elijah's arm around her. He had held her closer through the night. She had wanted to stay and speak with him, or at least explain herself as to why she practically attacked him, but she needed to check in on Hayley. She had not gone to see her or Hope in a little less than a week.

She left him a note on the bed thanking him, and that she would be back later on in the day.

The day before had been the anniversary of their deaths. She didn't know if Kaige remembered that it was that day, seeing how he had planned to throw the ball so very close to it.

Knowing him, he had enough darkness in his heart to know exactly what he was doing, and when he was doing it.

Hayley opened the door the moment she knocked, and pulled her into a tight embrace. Avarice almost laughed, but hugged her back. She had never seen Hayley so happy to see her.

"You looked like hell when you showed up with Klaus last time!" Hayley exclaimed, pulling away with an expression of relief on her face. "I wasn't sure if you would make it back okay."

Avarice smiled and nodded. "I did, not to worry. And I got Klaus there safely as well. He is perfectly fine now."

She grinned. "Does he like it there?"

Avarice nodded again. "Yes, He is with his family."

"Does he know that you come to visit us?"

Avarice's smile faded a little. "Actually, no. None of them do. Only Elijah knows that I have cured Freya and Rebekah, so only he knows that I am even aware of the location of their bodies."

"They don't know that you leave and come here?"

She shook her head. "No. They don't. I'm not planning on telling them, either."

"Why not?"

"Because that will make them wish to see you even more. I want them to stay calm until I find a cure for Elijah and Kol," Avarice explained.

Hayley nodded. They left the foyer and went into the living room, where Hayley poured Avarice a cup to coffee. Avarice never drank coffee in her world, so it was almost a treat to have it in the human one.

"Hope is outside playing with Mary, by the way," Hayley explained, then watched Avarice for a few moments.

"You want to know how far away I am from figuring it out, don't you?" Avarice asked, but didn't wait for Hayley's reply. "Every day is a little closer, but I do have a long way to go."

Hayley bit her lip and crossed her arms over her chest. "I have faith in you, Avarice."

Avarice smiled. "Thank you. I want you to know, Hayley, that I will make sure Hope will have her family back. As will you."

Hayley blinked a few times, but then looked a little uncertain.

"What is it?" Avarice asked.

"It's just... You talk about them like they're your friends now."

"They are."

"Exactly. So what will you do when they're back here? Won't you miss them?"

Her smile turned from a happy to a sad one.

"I may be able to visit, but... I would never be able to stay in the human world permanently. In all honesty, I would likely die if I did. Either that, or I would lose all of my power. And, anyway, the Mikaelson's will not need me once they are cured. They will be able to live their lives contently, as will you and your daughter."

"That's not true, you know," Hayley insisted. "After everything you have done for us and for our family in these past few months, we will need you."

She continued with her saddened smile. "Then I will come and visit as much as I can. I swear it."

She lied.

Avarice felt more and more stress as the day went on. She went out to see Hope, but she could not help but keep on remembering what was about to happen that night. It seemed that Hayley had noticed, because as the sun began to set and her time in the human world began to run out, Hayley pulled Avarice to the side.

"You've been distracted all day. What's wrong?" she asked.

Avarice couldn't help but be very happy that Hayley was so worried. When she came to the mortal world to help Hayley and Hope, she had had no idea how close she would become with them. However, that brief moment of happiness faded rather quickly. Avarice sighed and looked at her feet before crossing her arms over her chest.

"Tonight, I have to go to a ball that someone I used to know is throwing. He, along with the other Reapers, wish to meet the Mikaelson's."

Hayley nodded, her brow furrowed. "What do you mean 'used to know'?"

Avarice frowned a little. "Well, this man... We have a complicated past. And he did something that I will never forgive him for. I do not wish to be anywhere near him, but... The more I think about it, the more I believe our conversation about the Mikaelson's - who he seems to dislike greatly from what others have told me - is long overdue."

"I hope it goes well for you," Hayley said, then smirked. "You're strong, Avarice. You can kick his ass to kingdom come if he makes one wrong move."

Avarice couldn't help but laugh.

*

When Avarice arrived home, the very first thing she did was pour a glass of bourbon. Then, when she was no longer content with just a glass, she stared down at the half-empty bottle and decided she despised how full it still was. She had just finished downing the entire thing when Klaus and Elijah came into the room.

Avarice's eyes met Elijah's for a moment, before she quickly looked away and over at Klaus.

"Rough day?" he asked, snickering and gesturing to the bottle she had just finished in one try.

"Oh, it's about to get rougher," she said, though it came out like more of a growl. She panted a little, still catching her breath from the long drink.

"You really aren't looking forward to this, are you?" Klaus asked, and the smile faded. His brow furrowed. "The others told me that you don't like Kaige, but don't know why. What exactly did this man do?"

She looked up at Elijah, whose eyes darted to the other side of the room. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized why.

He knows.