Black Castle 🖤 E. Mikaelson

Chapter Fifteen. Black Candles & Lavender Crystals

Chapter Fifteen. Black Candles & Lavender Crystals
ELIJAH
{Shapeshifters by Hands Like Houses}

🖤
To know your every detail is a lifetime
A story to tell with a touch
Every move is a reaction
Every kiss is a reason, a rush
You're my muse and you're my masterpiece
My canvas and my chemistry
Your magic and your mystery
My haven, you're my heaven, you're my heart
We will be unbreakable
🖤

Friday came quickly and Arabella was setting the food she had just made, out on the dining room table. She wanted everything to be perfect, she needed everything to be perfect. The Mikaelson family was going to arrive at any moment.
She had a quirk for cooking and baking recently, but for the life of her, she couldn't remember where and when she learned to bake. It was as if everything was freshly new to her, but she didn't fight against it. She enjoyed it. Baking kept her mind busy, and it was just what she needed.
She sat the last dish down, which happened to be a large bowl of salad, then she smoothed down her dress while taking a deep breath in. Everything was ready, including herself.
Arabella had spent her entire Thursday, being confined in the home. She dusted, she organized, and she kept busy. It was in her best interest to avoid contact with anyone, at least for the day. She couldn't help it; every person she came in contact with, showed her images of a different reality. A different era, clothing; it was almost familiar. Did she know this family or was she going completely insane? It wouldn't be possible if she'd known them in a past life, and that she'd remember them. She was only twenty years old, she wasn't capable of anything that unusual.
She still couldn't explain the creature she saw when she touched Niklaus though, that was odd beyond anything she ever witnessed before.
That, however, was a discussion for her therapist on Monday.
Everything will be fine. Arabella exhaled. She thought maybe she watched a scary movie a couple of days back, and it gave her weird and abnormal delusions.
The knocking on the front door brought her out of those thoughts. She found doorbells to be annoying and tacky. Especially for a brand new house, and strange enough, she was able to hear knocking far better than some dingy doorbell anyway.
She assumed it could only be the Mikaelson siblings since they were clearly the first and only family she invited to her new home. She had wished she didn't invite them over so quickly due to circumstances, but she had a liking toward Rebekah. She had a sisterly aura about her, and just for her, she would tolerate the rest of them. She decided she would tolerate the older brother who lived in expensive suits but only because he was so incredibly handsome. The brother who drowned himself in bourbon and lacked manners, was definitely charming enough to tolerate. And of course, the anti-social, judgmental sister. Arabella knew she could handle it, just as long no one touched her.
Eli was elsewhere in the home, so he wouldn't make his appearance where there would be food, but she knew she would feel more comfortable if he were present. She also knew she could handle a couple of hours alone without him. She wasn't entirely dependent on the pup.
Arabella inhaled deeply before she opened the front door, and the first person she stood closest to was Rebekah, but her eyes immediately connected with Elijah's. They stood there for a moment until she collected herself long enough to stand to the side so they could walk in. But they didn't budge.
Freya was the first to move, but the other three stayed where they stood.
"You are all welcomed to come inside," Arabella assured them all, her eyebrows furrowing with confusion. And as soon as her lips mentioned their invitation, Rebekah stepped in with a gift bag and handed it to Arabella with a hug followed behind that. That was short-lived. Arabella cringed. Images flashed behind her eyelids, but she talked herself into not reacting to it. Arabella squeezed her eyes shut as it happened and Elijah noticed what she was doing right away.
She assumed from the lack of sleep, her mind was playing tricks on her, that Arabella and Rebekah were something short of best friends and sisters from another time. She was sure once she slept, the delusions and the images would stop.
But she saw him again, just before Rebekah released her; it was Finn standing right behind Elijah. He happened to be another abnormal piece to the Mikaelson puzzle, so why was she surprised?  And the other one, the one who stood behind Niklaus, who was he?
The final image that flashed behind her eyelids, however, confirmed their closeness. Which seemed to feel incredibly overwhelming.
     Having a brand new house built, moving to a whole new state. It was new, and Arabella thought maybe the excitement hadn't died down just yet. Which was causing her to see things she normally wouldn't. She had no friends, no family that she knew of or remembered. It was terrifying to know she may have known Rebekah prior to New Orleans.
Rebekah might not have reacted to it either, but she was flipping out on the inside. When her brothers walked into Arabella's home, she confirmed through eye contact and a slight nod of her head that she experienced what happened. That Elijah and Niklaus were not in fact crazy, but it gave her an idea.
Though, she knew Elijah wouldn't agree to it. So she dropped it almost immediately.
Rebekah would go along with the plan, get Arabella to Davina in the crypt at the Lafayette Cemetery, have Freya cast a spell to get into Arabella's mind, and find the witch who was responsible. They needed to take advantage of her weak state while Davina worked on getting Arabella's memories restored. Then let Niklaus and Elijah do the rest. Just, none of them were exactly clear on how to persuade her to go to see a witch when she clearly didn't believe in the supernatural world. Rebekah sighed.
"I thought maybe we could enjoy some lunch, and then after I can take you all on a tour. I hope that's okay?" Arabella smiled as she closed the door behind Elijah, setting down the gift bag on the nearest end table by the door.
"Why of course darling, we're looking forward to it," Niklaus responded for them all, and when he did, a sigh of relief escaped her throat. Elijah noticed her nervousness, and all he wanted to do was calm her by placing his hands on her shoulders. But that was out of the question, Arabella didn't know him, and he swore before he made the trip over he was going to be a gentleman.
"Great," she clapped her hands together and then directed the lot to the dining room. "If you go straight past the stairs and turn left where the table and chairs are, the dining room would be right there. Help yourselves to all and anything. I'll join you in a moment."
Her entire life of being a princess, and the many years she spent as a queen molded and shaped Arabella into the perfect hostess. Of course, before that, she wasn't concerned about lunch parties, she was more worried about tearing Niklaus' head from his shoulders with all the bickering back and forth, before and after she found out about them being vampires, and long after they found out about her being a werewolf. But now, she was trying her hardest to impress the Mikaelsons, and Elijah wished she wouldn't.
Elijah took a step in the direction of where Arabella pointed until she stopped him. Her hand automatically went to touch his, but she stopped abruptly before they connected. "Elijah?"
He stopped but he didn't turn quickly. He didn't want to seem desperate in wanting her attention, but he couldn't help but feel the tension between the both of them as he settled his footing and gave her a smirk. She now had his undivided attention, and she couldn't help but feel a little special about it. He seemed like the person who wouldn't give his time to just anyone, and she was right.
"I wanted to apologize to you about my behavior on Wednesday. That's not who I am, and I am truly sorry if I ever made you feel any type of way." She bit her bottom lip.
She played with her hands, her perfectly done nails on her perfectly small fingers as they laced each other so effortlessly. It had been forever since he saw her do that; be nervous, and he couldn't help but feel a little patter in his chest. It was literally the littlest of her actions that got a rise out of Elijah. And Arabella was the only person to do that.
He smiled and looked Arabella in her eyes, and opened his mouth for a second before he said anything. He made sure to choose his words carefully. "You should never apologize for how you feel. You felt that way for a reason."
And she was taken aback by what he said. She wasn't sure she wanted to thank him, or simply hug him for being such a gentleman. But instead, she smiled lightly, bounced a little bit, and then slowly started walking towards the area she said the dining room would be. She stopped for only a second, so she could see if he would walk with her, and he did. But when they walked together, they walked in silence.
Upon reaching the dining room, Niklaus already helped himself to the Merlot and was already going to town on the salad. Freya was eating steak, and a baked potato, and even had a bowl of fresh fruit next to it. Rebekah was eating and checking her phone in case Davina needed something. Elijah was sure she didn't, all she needed was Arabella. And he was going to get Arabella to her, one way or another.
Arabella beamed at the sight of them eating what she prepped for hours. As long as the food was disappearing she had nothing bad to say about anything. The sight of the Mikaelsons eating put her in a happy mood, so she joined them around the table. She and Elijah sat across from one another, and before she sat down, she grabbed a wine glass just as Niklaus handed her the Merlot. He was already sure that was what she wanted. She smiled lightly and poured her glass to the rim, which caused Elijah to instantly furrow his eyebrows.
He was aware she already knew how to pour her wine, but the amount in her glass told him something entirely different. She looked up towards the ceiling as she sipped at the drink. One sip turned to another, and then she started to drink it as if it were water.
Arabella was trying to calm her nerves. That was clear as day. She was sure no one was noticing as she did so, she calmly placed the glass down once it was empty. And she stared at it for only a moment, and then she glanced up to see what Elijah was doing. He was staring at her. So she hurriedly looked away as she tried to find another distraction by piling salad into her bowl.
"So, are there any more siblings to the Mikaelson family, or is it just the four of you?" She didn't make eye contact until she picked up the bottle of Merlot again. When she did, she directed her attention to Niklaus, who then leaned back as he chewed his food. Only then was it Rebekah who'd been the one to answer for them all?
"We have three other brothers; Henrik died when we were all but children, Kol is on a bit of a hiatus. And our brother Finn passed away recently." Rebekah smiled lightly sipping at the chilled white wine in her glass. Arabella noticed the sadness in her smile, and Elijah noticed the familiarity in the light of Arabella's eyes when Finn's name was mentioned.
It was as if Arabella was expecting to hear his name, and that raised questions in Elijah's mind. One along the lines of; how much does she know, and does she know more than what she was letting on? Was Elijah missing something, was he doing everything right regarding Arabella's safety? He needed to know those things. And he felt he was getting nowhere when it came to gaining information.
"It must be nice, having such a big family." She stared into a blank space as she spoke. She thought of what it would be like to have a little sister, or a big brother. And nothing came to mind, it seemed she would never know. She didn't even know where her own parents were. She didn't know whether it was intentional or not, and she didn't dwell on it either. So she snapped out of it and gave her full attention back to the family who sat around her. For a second, it almost felt like home. Though that was sort of impossible. "Sadly I have nothing like that. But I have Eli, so that's okay."
She smiled at Rebekah, and they shared similar half-smiles as Arabella went to grab her wine. And as she did so, she paid no mind to the glass until it was falling from her hands and into her lap, causing her black and white dress to be stained with red.
Freya gasped just as Elijah alertly sat up. Arabella stood to her feet quickly, feeling the drink drip down her legs, but she didn't show any form of embarrassment. She laughed it off and glanced over to Elijah.
"It's not the first time this has happened. If you will excuse me I'm just going to change into something more comfortable."
And just like that, she walked off, disappearing up the stairs.
After Elijah heard she was upstairs, he sat his fork down and brought his fist up to his chin, and then looked at his younger brother, who had been casually eating. Not saying a word to anyone. Minding his business, as Niklaus felt he should. Which was also not like Niklaus. Elijah wanted to know why that was. Although, before he could ask, Rebekah had a moment with one of her many outbursts.
"How in the bloody hell do we convince her to go and see Davina?" Rebekah turned to her brothers as she proclaimed the plan they were supposed to go through with, was in fact idiotic and just a bad plan altogether. "Asking Arabella to go see a witch, is like asking an atheist to attend church and join the gospel choir. It is a bad plan."
"Rebekah, language," Elijah mentioned while looking up at her for a split second before looking back at Niklaus.
"Well how else do we explain to her why she needs to go see her Elijah? Tell her: 'Hey Arabella; we're going to need you to come with us to help get your vacant memories back. Oh, you didn't know they were gone? Well of course they are, otherwise you would know you turn into a ginormous beast when a vampire bites into your flesh, which then makes you go on these monstrous rampages. Or that you have been missing for the last year and some months. And Oh! You would have obviously known we're your family. And have been for over a thousand years!' Yeah, she will totally buy that." Freya sarcastically interjected while rolling her eyes.
"I don't care how we do it, we just need to get her there. I say we snap her neck." With that being said, Rebekah seemed desperate. She needed her sister back. She felt that way for a long time because, without her, she felt alone. Arabella had been the only one who understood Rebekah and without her, Rebekah was just another moody Original. Just like Niklaus. At least Arabella saw her as so much more.
"I say we don't." Niklaus sat forward. He looked at Elijah and then stared deeply at Rebekah. "She's lost her memories, who's to say it goes further beyond that? Say, her powers? Immortality?"
"I can assure you brother, her powers are there. I've seen the flashes of amber and violet. The beast still resides in her and so does her immortality. I just don't think doing such an act would place her in a forgiving mood." Elijah added. He was standing by that. In the back of his mind however, he kept that idea and saved it in case he needed another Plan B. 
"Then what do you suppose we do 'Lijah. She's not going to come with us for the simple fact she doesn't believe in witches. She doesn't believe in anything!" A sigh exaggeratedly escaped Rebekah's mouth. She was frustrated, and she had every right. She was thinking helping Ara would be simple. But her brothers were making it anything but.
"We make her believe. We tell her the truth, with a little insight on the matter and situation at hand, she might be understanding." Elijah shrugged his left shoulder. He might have thought it was a good idea, but the other three Mikaelson siblings thought it was the worst. The long stares they each gave him, confirmed it.
"Although I do like such a plan brother, Arabella is rather much like a ticking bomb, the last time we spoke about this, it didn't end well. How do you think she'll react to the news?" Niklaus became smug when he smirked and sipped at his drink.
"We'll have to find out, won't we?" Elijah replied dryly.
"What are we finding out?" Arabella entered the dining room after only a few minutes. She started to look more comfortable, rather than dressy and Elijah silently approved. Not that he had a say.
"Uh, the seasoning you used for your steaks, these are superb." Niklaus lied. He hid his smugness behind the glass of wine. Although, the steak was phenomenonal, he never knew Arabella to be such a great cook, especially since Arabella would never cook for Niklaus if she had any recollection of who he was.
The man who had stolen a thousand years from her, and that was what Niklaus was reduced to. Yes, that was him.
"Oh, that's simple. I use-."
"Actually we wanted to know more about you. Where you and your family are from." Rebekah asked as soon as she took her seat again. Arabella came in with a wet cloth to get up the wine on the table and floor. And although she was confused by the sudden interest in her personal life. In the short five minutes she was gone, she wondered why they even cared. But she shrugged it off and gave them the best of her manners.
What was so special about little Ara Michaels?
"Well, I'm from Paris. I think the accent is a clear giveaway. I wish I could tell more about my childhood, but I'm not even sure I remember." She concentrated as she piled dishes on top of one another and then wiped down the table. Elijah could tell by the crease in her forehead and the furrowing of her eyebrows that she was trying so hard to remember even the littlest of details about that time so long ago. And nothing was emerging. That seemed to have frustrated her a little bit.
"Do you know why that is?" Freya asked once she realized the table fell silent. Anyone could tell she was attempting at gathering information. And Niklaus was seeing she was trying to help but she was indeed coming off as pushy.
"Before I moved here, my therapist mentioned after what so tragically happened in my life a little over five months ago, it's basically like my brain is trying to block off all of the bad. Like a barrier was set in place. Which is why I was diagnosed with severe PTSD and assigned Eli. So as much as I would like to remember, my brain isn't letting me."
"Is there anything you do remember?" Curiosity etched across Rebekah's face then, but by that question Arabella began to feel uneasy about answering it.
"I- I don't think it's appropriate to talk about it. It's sort of gruesome." She replied shyly. But in the back of her mind, she was being triggered. Only people who would have something to do with that particular situation, would ask about it.
"We ask because Rebekah has a friend who lives here in New Orleans and is studying psychology. And she's looking for someone who would allow her to pick their brain. Strictly for study." Niklaus mentioned swiftly, he could see the strain in her eyes, and he needed to find words that would quickly help her soothe her meandering mind.
"Ri-right, and you seem like the perfect candidate," Freya added. "Not that I'm calling you crazy."
Elijah, who was going to open his mouth to speak, closed his mouth and turned his head to his sister. Obviously telling her without words that what she said wasn't necessary.
Arabella paused as she looked from Rebekah to Elijah. When her eyes landed on him she held her gaze for a moment, as if she were trying to think on whether it was a good idea to say what she desperately wanted to say in front of him without thinking she was completely and utterly insane. When their eye contact broke, she inhaled deeply and threw the now red cloth down on the table and leaned forward on her hands before she opened her mouth to speak.
"The only thing I remember is waking up in an extremely large parking lot. In front of me were trees, mostly evergreens, covered in snow. I could see footprints imbedded into the snow on the ground. So I knew people were running. And obviously I didn't know at the time, from what."
Elijah leaned forward at the same time Niklaus did.
"Behind me, the building was so large it had to be impossible to miss. There was a huge gaping hole ripped out of the side of it. And there wasn't a single vehicle outside the entire place. I was there alone. Completely naked, and covered in someone else's blood. My mind was blank, my throat was dry, and although I was nude and there was snow everywhere. I wasn't cold. Though I do remember feeling feverish."
She swallowed hard, then she looked down at her hands which were clenching the edge of the table. Her knuckles were white. The Mikaelson's clearly thought she was crazy, they had to think that. If they didn't then they were just as crazy. It was reason number one as to why she didn't even tell her therapist. She knew if she were to be truthful, she wouldn't be sitting in her big house eating lunch with strangers.
"I couldn't figure out how I'd gotten there. All I know is whatever came out of that building, came out fighting. There was blood covering the walls and the claw marks. They were ginormous, the biggest I'd ever seen. The bodies, the doors torn out of the walls. For an odd reason, I wasn't focused on any of that. I was looking for any indication as to why I was there, and who I was. And then I saw the office on the right side of the hallway."
The first person she made eye contact with was Niklaus, then her eyes trailed from him to Elijah.
"Compared to everything else, the office was the one part of the building that wasn't completely destroyed. There were body parts all over the inside of that place, and the only damage done to that office was the one-sided tinted window. It was cracked. And there was blood smeared across it. That was the first time I saw my reflection."
Her voice shook as she remembered. And she tried her hardest to not lose her cool.
"It didn't take me long to find my name because the front of each file I found had a picture, and when I saw mine, the name Ara Mi. had been written sloppily across the top. So I became Ara Michaels. It made sense."
"And as much as I wanted to know why I was there in the first place, there was no one alive to tell me. The file wasn't any help either. So I scoured every inch of that place. About two hours later I found a room, it was filled with money and old, stylish fancy cars. There were new, expensive foreign ones too. So I did what I had to, I went to go find some clothes, I picked a car to take, packed it with as much as I could. And I left. I tried to steer clear of small towns so I wouldn't draw attention. I stopped a couple of times, once by a lake in a state where it was nice and sunny and I washed myself clean of blood. I had to stop again after so I could purchase a change of clothes. The third time I arrived in New Orleans. Where I stopped and demanded I speak to someone who wasn't so judgemental. Who, no matter what, didn't think I was crazy. I met a sweet but old psychiatrist after that, and it led me here. The French Quarter." She tried to keep her eyes dry as she remembered all the disgusted looks she received everywhere she went. But she had to know it was different now, she wasn't the same woman she was five months ago.
"I met Lucien Castle who was planning on using this land to build something tacky, no doubt until I asked if I could buy it. At first, there was no changing his mind until I offered cash. He looked to be the type who didn't need the money or really cared for it at all. But he didn't really hesitate to accept it either. So I met with a construction company later in the day, and we discussed numbers. Then they were preparing to build this place after I told them what I wanted. Four months later and my castle was built."
The room was quiet, they all processed the information given to them. The last five months have been explained. But that didn't go over well with Elijah. She could explain the last five months, but not the ten before that. It was easy to accept she may have been abducted and tortured, but only for those other few months. What if she willingly left on her own and then found herself in some trouble, and she couldn't find a way of getting out of it? He needed to know. He needed to know the search for her for the last fifteen months wasn't a complete waste of his time. So far, it was exactly how it sounded.
"And what about the ten months before then?" Elijah asked. The rise in his tone was noticed by Rebekah first and then Niklaus. He was upset, and no one knew what triggered him. He completely disregarded the part where she wouldn't know anything about the ten months on top of that as well. It was why he closed his eyes momentarily because he knew he messed up, but there was no going back now. He had to figure everything out somehow. This was a start.
"'Lijah, don't," Rebekah warned.
"I just told you all that I remember, Elijah." Arabella clarified, her head tilting to the right. She had no idea the reason why Elijah was so upset, she was the one who woke up one day not knowing who she was, in someone else's blood and completely naked. Arabella was the one traumatized, so why was Elijah mad? "Am I missing something?"
On top of that, it seemed like Elijah knew more than Arabella, and that sort of terrified her. Confirming the way she felt about him. Like something was off the entire time.
"Are you missing som- you've been gone for a year and three months! And I have been looking for you every day for the last year and three months, and all you could do is stand there and look me in my eyes and not know who I am?!" Elijah snapped. His eyes were watering and as far as Freya and Rebekah could see, his heart was breaking far more now she was in front of him. It hurt, it burned. Niklaus was next to him, gripping Elijah's shoulder with his hand, as he strongly pulled him back but Elijah easily slipped out of his grasp by pushing his shoulder forward. He fixed the jacket to his suit as he attempted to calm down, trying to avoid eye contact with her as best he could. It really did take a lot to get Elijah to behave that way, and needless to say, now the whole family knew Arabella was indeed his weak spot.
Elijah, the brother who held the family together. The only one searching for his family's redemption, the only one who puts everyone before himself, had been unraveling for the one simple fact that he was tired of his ex-wife, looking at him like he was a complete stranger. It was only a matter of time before he would be fed up with it all. And that moment came. Arabella, stared at him in awe as she tried to wrap her head around what was unfolding before her. She was lost, and she highly doubted Elijah knew what she was going through. And Elijah, he could handle his brother shoving a dagger deep into his chest, he could handle being rejected by Hayley when Elijah wasn't the type of man to let women into his heart like he did with Arabella and Celeste. But what he couldn't handle was losing the one person he made a life with, the only woman he married, and refused to marry anyone else after losing her. He couldn't handle the time apart after losing her the first time. He couldn't handle the choices he had to make when she was there and when she was gone. He couldn't handle her not knowing him, he couldn't take it anymore. Together or not, he'd rather her have her memories and hate him over not knowing him and looking at him like she was doing now.
"I apologized for my behavior, but I was right when I told you I wasn't who you said I was. I don't know you, Elijah." Arabella stated calmly. But anyone could tell she was getting worked up over something so little. But it wasn't little. And they all knew this. And to Elijah, it definitely was not so little. It was a tidal wave, ready to capsize the itty bitty sailboat that was Arabella's staged reality.
"But I know you, Arabella Sophia Bonavich. I know you. You were born and raised in Cannes, France. That French accent is authentic compared to those who actually live in Paris. That, I know that much." his fist came up close to his face as he tightened it with frustration.
"Elijah that is enough!" Freya demanded. But the burning look in Elijah's eyes told them all he was only getting started.
"No, this isn't enough. She says I don't know her. Let's see," He took the jacket off of his shoulders and carelessly laid it on the back of the seat he was seated in. The only thing between Arabella and Elijah now was the long table. And for that, Arabella was terrified and grateful. "You were a princess when we met you. It was the day of your coronation when you and I locked eyes for the very first time. The very next year we were married."
"Stop! France doesn't even have a queen." Arabella yelled as her hands went up palms open in defense. Tears were not yet brimming her eyes, but the anger she was feeling would soon call for them. "You're lying."
"How do you know that?" Niklaus raised his eyebrow, looking away from his brother to stare at Arabella.
"I have an accent, so I did some research. France never had a queen." Her response was immediate.
"There's one thing about me that I take pride in, and it's that I do not lie. And back in the tenth century, France did have a queen. And you were it. We were all there when your father placed an extremely beautiful and rather rare crown upon your head. Rebekah, Kol, Finn, Niklaus, and I watched it happen."
"That's impossible." She shook her head violently as she whispered. She couldn't believe any of it. She refused to believe any of it as she mindlessly took a step back.
"Oh, but is it? Your favorite color Arabella has always been lavender, although you did go through a phase from 1003 to 1004 where you had this total fascination with the yellow on the sunflowers that bloomed on the far west side of the castle."
Arabella wouldn't have remembered that, but Elijah felt the need to prove his point anyway.
Niklaus was at a loss for words. There was nothing to say about how immaculate Elijah was with remembering every little detail Arabella did in the past. He couldn't compete for Arabella's heart knowing Elijah took the time and energy to know all these things about her. Niklaus didn't even know her favorite color.
"After 1005 you saw azaleas and lilies for the first time when we walked into town, from then on out you demanded fresh flowers would be on every inch of the castle because you said they would brighten up the place with a hint of a woman's touch. That it would then look like a queen lived there. You were the kindest soul, you were fair to everyone. There wasn't a mean bone in your body then. Oh, and your love for reading was astounding, poetry for the most part. Shakespeare was way after our time, but for all of the books that were in that castle, every book you read, you would turn it outward so that you would know you read it. I guarantee it's something you still do, even now."
"How would you even know I do that?" She choked as she raised her head. She stood there paralyzed but her emotions were clouding violently over her eyes. Elijah remembered everything because back then it was easy for them to love each other without obstacles, without someone standing in their way. When Niklaus' feelings were silent.
It was easy to know she had a love for poetry, who wouldn't? But no one could have guessed the way she arranged her books on her bookshelf. That was one thing she was sure no one knew. Even if she didn't know why she did it, it was something that obviously stuck with her, and that couldn't have been a coincidence if Elijah hasn't had the chance to look at her library.
"Because I'm trying so hard to show you, you are this person. That what you've been seeing are memories of us. There has to be some sort of familiarity there." He sounded desperate at that point. He needed Arabella to know him. He needed her to remember so badly.
"None of this is possible. In the tenth century, there is no way any of us could live that long! It's impossible!" She yelled.
"It actually is possible darling," Rebekah intervened. She gave Elijah a hard look and then looked back at Arabella. Who looked like she was seconds away from exploding, and that was something she didn't want to see happen. But Elijah had his reasons for why he was taking the approach he did and he could answer to that later. "We're the Original family. We're vampires, darling."
"You're, vampires?" Arabella paused as her hand went up to stop her from speaking any further. "You're all vampires?"
"Actually, I'm a witch." Freya corrected. She held up a finger to clarify she wasn't like the others.
"I'm the first-ever hybrid." Niklaus shrugged as he pulled a flask from his leather jacket and chugged its whiskey contents. He knew none of what was happening was a good idea, but for the first time, it wasn't Niklaus messing anything up. So he was going to bask in Elijah's outbursts for a moment, or maybe even two.
"So what, I guess that makes me the first, what? Werewolf?" Her eyes rolled as she tried to fight the tears again. She was being sarcastic because she didn't believe a single word coming from their mouths. They were all insane. Her face was getting hot, and her arms were shaking with nerves. All Arabella wondered was why this particular family had to be the complete basket cases out of the entire French Quarter. All she wanted was to make friends, and this was what she was dealing with.
The siblings looked at her for a long minute and then looked away. Elijah didn't break eye contact as she looked at each of them.
She laughed mirthlessly and it only lasted for eight seconds before she stopped. The tears didn't stop that time as they made their way past her eyelids and down her rosy cheeks. "Get. Out."
"Arabel-." Freya started.
"Don't make me say it again." She threatened. And that time, the siblings followed her wishes and they started making their way toward the door. Arabella should think the Mikaelsons should feel embarrassed but none of them were when they walked themselves around the table. When Rebekah made eye contact with Arabella as she was leaving she saw the anger flash in her eyes, and all she needed was that moment. Because when she did, she too saw amber and violet colors. Those weren't Arabella's normal shades, but it was enough to prove her powers were not dormant.
Arabella remained in place. Frozen to the information she just received. She couldn't believe the people in that town, all of them were so caught up in wanting to believe in the supernatural. That the insane Mikaelson family believed well enough that they were an Original vampire family. And that she, was an Original herself.
What a complete joke. Arabella sighed. And that only made more tears flow down her cheeks.
She gathered her bearings as she followed them to the front door, also wiping her cheeks in the process. They were already outside about to get into the dark vehicle in the driveway, when they all looked up and stared at her.
She grabbed the edge of the door and slammed it shut.
Outside, Rebekah looked over the hood of the car and glared at Elijah through slitted eyes. "Are you happy now? Now she completely hates us."
"No, she doesn't, besides. I'm not finished yet." Elijah fixed his cuffs, looking up at the sun. It was well past two.
"What are you about to do?" Freya asked. Although she was kind of afraid of finding out.
"Rebekah you will accompany Freya in getting the spell ready. Freya calls Davina and tell her we'll be on our way. Niklaus, you will come with me, but wait in the garage. It'll only take me a minute."
"Are we really reducing ourselves to kidnapping?" Asked Rebekah.
"It was your idea after all to snap her neck and take her to the little witch." Niklaus smiled. He was all for a little roughhousing. And having Arabella involved made it so much better, even though he knew it wouldn't be as fun if Arabella didn't know the history behind hers and Niklaus' hatred for one another.
Behind the door, Arabella was taking deep breaths, and when she heard the car drive off, she straightened her back as if she felt the comfort she was so desperately searching for, return to her bones. When she felt that, she wanted to put all the weirdness behind her, but she couldn't. She couldn't let what was said go. She couldn't just wave it off like it wasn't important, because it was. Elijah felt frustrated with her for a reason, but what he was saying sounded ridiculous.
It was impossible to live for a thousand years, immortality was a fiction that lived in story books. A figment of imagination written down on paper for enjoyment. And to believe the Mikaelson family was the Original family, well that was absurd. There was no such thing as an Original family.
Arabella took a chance in trying to make friends, but it didn't bode well when she realized maybe they were a little crazy themselves. Her? Married? She would think she'd remember her own wedding, and marrying Elijah if it were all true. It was Elijah, the man was basically a masterpiece. He was completely out of her league.
"No more Merlot today," she shook her head slowly. When she looked up, the gift bag she received from Rebekah had been metaphorically staring at her, begging her to open it. At first, Arabella opposed to even thinking about opening it, but the whole afternoon had been beyond crazy, she was pretty sure there was nothing wrong with opening the gift.
Unless Rebekah had a sick sense of humor and something was about ready to jump out at her.
The approach was slow when she picked it up. She thought briefly about what it could be underneath all the violet and pink tissue paper. And as she thought about it she looked at the black candles and the crystals with bits of lavender in them that she made herself, as she noted the truthfulness behind her love for the flowers. The process was lengthy but overall it was fun. Elijah could have seen them as soon as he walked through the door. But her focus wasn't on that. She began to take out the paper until there was none left, till she was seeing nothing but a book with a specific crest on it. Her eyebrow went up at the sight of it.
Ha, I could always use a new journal. She thought with a microscopic shrug of her shoulder. And the fact that Rebekah was kind enough to get her one, made her grateful. But it didn't change her mind about the Mikaelson family. Arabella picked it up and sat the empty gift bag on the floor as she looked at the leather and the binding. It was old school, most journals weren't made like that anymore, and Arabella knew that because she tried so hard to find one, like the one she was holding, and it was like trying to find a diamond in the ocean. Nearly impossible. She also didn't know about using the internet. But Arabella was in awe, and she couldn't contain her excitement as she opened the book to see what the pages looked like. Once opened, she stopped precipitously when she came across pictures.
They were pictures of Elijah and Arabella, she was smiling, and he was kissing her. And she didn't remember any of it. The words underneath had been her handwriting, and for the life of her, she couldn't remember writing anything. She swore over and over again she would never want to forget something so precious as what she was looking at, and yet she had. She had no idea what tricks her mind was playing on her, but she no longer wanted to play along.
"I never knew love could feel even more alive, well after a thousand years. It feels riveting and new every single day. And I fall even more in love than the day before."
Arabella let out an exasperated sigh, reading her own words made her heart begin to constrict. Her breath then caught in her throat as she choked back tears. If those pictures proved Arabella knew Elijah, then exactly how much more truth was he telling?
"Arabella?" She could hear him behind her.
There wasn't time for her to lose her mind, but she sped around and came face to face with Elijah, first her eyebrows went up and her mouth opened, but she didn't have time to ask him how he found his way into her house. His hands wrapped around her head and forcefully twisted her neck hard enough and snapped it. He caught her as soon as her body went limp. Never giving her body the chance to touch the floor.
He inhaled deeply to take in the scent of her perfume and then proceeded to take her toward the garage after he grabbed her up and held her in a bridal-like style.
Elijah stopped as he felt a memory surge through his body. But it wasn't their memory, it was hers. He was seeing Arabella looking at her reflection, the one she told him about. There was a tear waiting to roll down her cheek as she stared at herself long and hard. She hated what she was seeing, and she didn't even know why.
After the memory passed he found the door to the garage, and Niklaus was casually leaning against one of her three black matte vehicles.
"I hate to admit it, but she has taste." Niklaus joked.
Elijah gave him a hard glare before he swiftly opened the back door and was sure to lay her across the back seats carefully. When he closed the door, the look he gave his brother was a stressed one.
"We have to hurry and get her across town before she wakes up." He urged. Niklaus moved out of his way and walked around to get into the passenger seat. Elijah opened the driver's side door and stepped in. He already grabbed the key to the SUV before he ever thought about snapping Arabella's neck, so it was simple to turn it on with a click of a button.
"Seriously Elijah, Kol would be impressed." Niklaus looked around, he was well aquatinted with the fancy vehicles. He had tons over the course of a millennium. But the fact that Arabella owned something so high-end, he was intrigued. He thought her to be more of a convertible type of girl. He had been wrong about so many things before.
Elijah glanced and adjusted the rearview mirror before he scanned over her lifeless body, as soon as he realized she wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, he pressed the button on her visor and then the garage door effortlessly opened.
It was time to get her back.