Petrichor - e.mikaelson

43

Elijah looked the same. No, he never looked exactly the same, he was the steadiest person she knew and yet she knew him so well she could pick out each detail in him that had shifted in their time apart. His hair was styled a little differently, he had a set of cufflinks on that she'd never seen before and he had a hint of stubble on his chin.

His eyes were the same, underneath the shock at her presence they contained all the unfettered affection they always did, staring at her as if she were holding up each star in the sky.

"Frankie," he stuttered out eventually, "What on earth are you doing here?"

She stepped back, his words hadn't been cruel but they felt like a slap in the face, every expectation she'd had for the evening shattering. Her expression fell and Frankie felt her chest clench with pain. She'd been an idiot, believing Klaus and Cami that Elijah didn't hate her for how she'd toyed with his heart. If she were a vampire blessed with supernatural speed she wouldn't have replied, instead now she would've flitted from the room and likely never have returned.

"Oh," she said softly, noting that Hayley was taking the opportunity to slide away, "Shit, sorry I shouldn't have-"

"No," Elijah protested quickly, his hand shooting out to grab her hand gently, "No, no. I didn't mean it like that. Please don't leave."

Frankie nodded tentatively. Even without supernatural hearing she was sure that Elijah's heart was racing almost as much as hers. She curled her fingers around his that gripped hers and he used their hands to tug her closer to him. His free hand rose gently, thumb brushing across her check tenderly while he studied her.

Even with everything so different in her she felt the most familiar thing in the world to him. He could smell the perfume she always wore, the woody musk that had dissipated from his bed far too soon after she left him.

Her hair was longer and darker now, where before her ends were tinted blonde with grown out roots, now it was all brown, glossy and shiny. The dress she wore was wonderful too. She'd always been the most beautiful woman he knew but she quite literally shone in what she wore this evening. It was long and red and he couldn't stop his eyes flicking between the red on her body and the red on her lips that matched.

"How are you," he asked at last, "Are you okay? You look- you look wonderful."

"I'm good," she replied, blush tinting her cheeks as a surprising amount of nerves enveloped her, "yeah. How are you?"

"Better now."

Frankie beamed. Every frightened nerve that Elijah would hate her was slowly being put to rest the longer he looked at her like that. Their hands were still clutching one another and she could feel his thumb brushing across the back of her hand. This was something she'd missed, how every second with Elijah settled her more and more, as though just by being beside her he absorbed each element of anxiety.