Petrichor - e.mikaelson

23

While Hayley explained what had happened, Frankie sunk to the ground, sitting on a tree stump with her hands on her throbbing head. Though they were safe, she still couldn't relax, needing to push the bubble of anxiety threatening to return as she worried about how to explain to Elijah why she'd left him all those months ago.

"I should take you home," Elijah said softly, his face furrowed with concern as they flickered between Frankie and Hayley and the ordeal they'd just endured.

"Are you serious?" Hayley spat, "Home to what?"

"Look, regardless of my brothers intentions, mine remain the same. I said that I would protect you, even, if need be, from Klaus himself."

"I can take care of myself," Hayley snapped, "I've done it for a long time."

Hayley stormed off in frustration and Elijah turned to Frankie his brows furrowing, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she sighed, taking his outstretched hand as he pulled her to her feet and they turned to follow Hayley, "I think Tyler hit my head pretty bad when he knocked me out, I keep getting dizzy."

She tried to continue walking after her new friend, concerned by her exploring the woods alone lest Klaus still hadn't killed Tyler but Elijah grabbed her arm gently, pulling her to a stop and turning her towards him. As his fingers reached up to her face, she squeezed her eyes shut, feeling his fingers graze against the cheek Tyler had hit and then slowly moving around to the back of her head. When his hand grazed the wound, she flinched away, jolting her face towards him as she escaped the probing of his hand that even with the gentlest of touch caused a wave of pain to shoot through her.

"Let me heal you," Elijah offered, biting into his wrist and holding it up to her.

Though she didn't want it, she really didn't want the metallic taste invading her mouth nor the feeling of it pulling from his wrist, she did want the relief she knew it would bring and so reluctantly her hands landed on his arm and she pulled it to her mouth.

"Thanks," she said, gratefully taking the handkerchief he tugged out as she pulled away, using it to wipe the blood from her mouth, "Ugh I wish I could heal like you, my head's been hurting since I woke up. Let's catch up to Hayley, I don't want her alone in the woods."

"Are you alright?" he asked again, his arm catching and holding her in place though with none of the pain nor fear coursing through her body that she'd felt when Tyler held her still, "It's been months and when I saw your skateboard laying on the porch, I-."

"I'm okay," she nodded, "Come on, Elijah."

It was clear Elijah didn't believe her, not in the slightest, but with a short nod he took her arm again, quickly speeding them to Hayley who was very nearly at the hut they'd been held at, a victorious Klaus standing with a malicious grin outside.

"There you are," Klaus called, "I see you've found our wandering stray and your lost puppy, what a relief. Perhaps you could shed some light on the situation. This," here he paused to kick Dwayne's corpse over, "appears to be a hybrid."