The Girl in the Woods

Chapter 20: Memories

Disclaimer: One of the scenes here is inspired by the webtoon "I tamed a tyrant and ran away". And I do not own The Vampire Diaries or The Originals. This is purely a work of Fanfiction.

~Recap from Chapter 19~

Love wasn't meant to be easy. She had chosen Elijah and damn it all, she wasn't just going to give up. She couldn't just accept the destiny written out in the show! Faith was going to keep fighting for him. She was going to keep choosing him. Even when it's hard, she was going to choose him.

"Hello?? Earth to Faith." Noticing that Faith had gone still, Katherine waved her hand in Faith's face in an attempt to draw her out from her thoughts.

Without warning, Faith stood up, startling Katherine. Faith grabbed her bag and notebook from her then started racing back to the house.

True love is not true unless it has been tested.

She couldn't give up. She couldn't give up on her Elijah.

~TGITW~

Chapter 20: Memories

MYSTIC FALLS. 1000 A.D.

Faith's POV

It was one of the rare moments when he smiled.

When he smiled truly.

The other times his face would show indifference or pain, but this time he smiled.

And I loved that I was the reason for it.

That's when the dream ended and I woke up in the middle of the night. I dreamt about Elijah again. A different Elijah. A clean-shaven man dressed in a suit. Not only did he looked different, he felt different. He was more stoic and serious with a heaviness to him. This man was different from my Elijah but was also the same.

The Elijah I had come to know was happier. He smiled more. He was more playful and had less worries. My Elijah was a free-spirit. But there were times that I also sense an uncertainty coming from him. He was an adolescent with the responsibility of being an older brother. It was natural that he would feel insecure in his role, wondering if he could live up to the expectations of his family.

It was very much like the Elijah in my dreams. A man who was so fixated on his family. A man who was trying to live up to the expectations that had been placed on him.

My heart ached at the thought.

I still had a hard time deciphering my dreams. I couldn't quite distinguish what was real and what was not. Often, the two would interlap.

But knowing what awaits the Mikaelsons was a heavy burden.

I had already decided to help the Mikaelsons but random thoughts still plagued me. Things like: This world wasn't real. This was stupid. I won't be able to change anything.

When those thoughts overwhelm me, I would find myself wallowing in self-pity. And I would often cry myself to sleep.

Tonight was different. It seems that I was not the only one awake in the middle of the night. Elijah had come inside with a worried expression.

Seeing him was like an invitation. I allowed myself to be vulnerable and burst into tears.

~TGITW~

MYSTIC FALLS. 1000 A.D.

Elijah's POV

She was crying.