The Vampire Diaries and The Originals Imagines and One-shots

Make Me Forget (Part 2a) - Elijah Mikaelson

A/N: The first of two possible endings. 

***

You grew weary of life in Mystic Falls. And then one day there came a knock on your door and an envelope on your doorstep. Upon opening it, you discovered the information for a bank account in your name with more zeros than you thought you'd ever see. Enjoy and live your life, the letter said.

So, you did. You traveled to all the places you wanted to see, hoping along the way you'd find somewhere new to settle down. But everywhere you stopped, you felt something missing. Despite all the beautiful things you'd seen, you were never happy anywhere for very long.

Currently, you were in Prague. As you walked, you had no agenda, simply taking in the beauty of the city around you. That's why it was so easy for you to spot the man that had been following you for most of the morning. Of course, the fact that he was gorgeous and wore a well-tailored suit made him stand out from those around him.

You rounded a corner and leaned against the wall as you waited for him to follow. When he stepped into view, you straightened and fell into step beside him. "Is there a reason you're stalking me?"

His steps faltered for the briefest of moments. "Pardon?"

"You've been following me all day. Want to tell me why?" you insisted. You weren't buying his innocent act in the least.

He stopped then and turned to face you as he moved to the side away from the foot traffic. "I assure you that you are mistaken. Any proximity to you was purely coincidental."

You placed your hands in your pockets and nodded once. "Oh, I see. I thought maybe you were here to compel my memory to return. My mistake," you said before resuming your walk down the street.

Elijah hesitated briefly before following. "You know who I am?"

The corner of your mouth curled up. "Elijah Mikaelson. The suited Original. The oldest surviving brother of the Mikaelson family. Asshole of the first order. Did I forget anything?"

"Several things in fact, but first I must know how your memory was restored. My siblings assured me that they had not seen you since you left New Orleans."

You hummed to let him know you heard. As you passed a small pub, you opened the door and gestured him inside. "I'm hungry."

He studied you for a moment then headed inside. The two of you claimed a table in the corner. You ordered guláš and a lager. Elijah followed suit. "I get the impression that you are avoiding answering my question concerning your memory."

You shrugged. "Honestly, as old as you are, I thought you'd be more observant."

His gaze ran over you again as you took a bite of your goulash. "You've turned." His voice was low but you caught his words along with the devastated undertone. "What happened?"

"I was in San Francisco, about a year after New Orleans. Met a guy at a bar. When we got out to the parking lot, he fed from me then gave me blood to heal me. He'd no sooner finished than some asshole with a gun tried to mug us. Luke attacked the guy but the gun went off. Right through the jugular." You leaned back in your seat ignoring the sheen in Elijah's eyes. "When I woke up, I was in transition and I remembered everything. And wasn't that a bitch?"

"Why did you not return to us? We would have helped you," he asked.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me." You pushed your plate away so you could lean on the table as you stared down the Original asshole. "I was so broken I asked my best friend to make me forget him and his entire family. And he loved me enough to do it. You did that, Elijah."

"It was never my intention to—"

You barked out a laugh. "I don't give a shit what your intention was, Elijah. I trusted you. I believed you when you told me you loved me. My entire life was wrapped up in yours then you left. And when I reached out, you told me I wasn't wanted. Maybe I was naïve but I had thought I would spend my forever with you."

"Of course, you were wanted," he snapped, drawing the attention of a nearby table. He took a beat to compose himself. "Let us discuss this elsewhere."

When you just stared at him without responding, his face softened. "Please. Just let me say what I need to say then I will leave you alone forever if you wish it."

"Fine. My hotel is around the corner." The two of you were silent as he followed you to your hotel and up to your expensive suite. You poured the two of you a glass of bourbon that you'd bought the day before. You handed him the glass and gestured toward the seating area. "Talk."

You sat on the sofa and he took the chair beside you, angling himself so he was facing you. "I meant every word I said to you during our relationship. I have never felt for anyone the way that I feel for you."

He paused, but if he was looking for a reaction, you weren't going to give him one. You didn't believe a word he was saying, but you'd let him say it so you could spend an eternity without him. Why did that thought hurt so bad?

"When you arrived in New Orleans, there was a brief moment where I felt whole for the first time since I'd left you behind. Then I saw your injury. To me it was only proof that knowing my family was dangerous. You would not have been in that city if not for us and you no sooner arrive then you are injured. By a vampire nonetheless." He stood and raked a hand through his hair as he began to pace the floor. It was unusual to see Elijah unsettled. You followed him with your eyes as you waited to see what else he had to say.

"Niklaus was furious with me when I turned you away. We fought worse than we had in centuries. Then Kol interrupted to tell us that he had compelled you. That you didn't remember any of us. My heartbreak was absolute." He knelt in front of you and took your hand in his as a tear ran down his cheek. "I had only intended to make you angry enough to want to leave because if you had given me the barest of resistance at that point I would have caved. I would have taken you in my arms and never let you go. But you needed to be safe. I needed you to live."

"How'd that work out for you?" You pulled your hand away from him and stood to walk over to the window. "You can't protect me from the world, Elijah. Maybe a witch casts a spell on me in New Orleans or some asshole with a gun shoots me in the throat in San Francisco. It's just the way it is. All I wanted was to love you and be loved in return. I'm sorry that didn't work out."

He came to stand behind you, but you kept your gaze out the window. "I don't expect you to forgive me. God knows I don't deserve it. But you need to know that there has never been a moment that I didn't want you. That I won't need you. I will love you with everything that I am for an eternity."

Oh, didn't that make your heart ache. You longed to be back in his arms. To sleep beside him. To see the world with him. To just be with him, regardless of anything else going on in the world. But this man had the power to utterly destroy you. He'd done it once and you weren't sure you'd survive it a second time. Could you trust him not to break you?

"I'll leave you." He moved away from you toward the door.

"Elijah," you said, stopping him.

"Yes?"

"I was thinking of going to the National Museum tomorrow. Ten-ish."

There was a beat of silence. "I'll call for you at nine. We'll get breakfast." His voice was rough and the emotion in it made you smile.

You hoped this didn't come back to bite you in the ass. "It's a date."