Enigmatic Finales: A Klaus Mikaelson Story {8}

Chapter 5: From Two White People

~Elijah POV~

"You know the rules, Elijah." Fiore told him; the warmth she had turning impossibly cold. Every now and then when keeping her secret required more assistance, Elijah had been meeting with Fiore. He had been sworn to secrecy and Fiore never let him know anything about her situation. But she didn't have to tell him it was terrible—her entire demeanour had changed. She was no longer friendly and inviting but distant and with a hardened heart. She did not ask about the welfare of their family and sometimes Elijah thought that was to keep herself safe from further hurt...other times he wondered if it was because she truly did not care. Even when she did indulge him in conversation, it still felt like just as much of a mask as her illusory body did. And every time he saw her, Elijah saw more and more that her mask was having to work a lot harder to keep back the darkness within.

"Sorry." He muttered glumly. "It's just...it doesn't matter anyhow."

Fiore nodded in agreement and turned back to the peaceful park, clearly enjoying the feel of the sun beating down on her. She indulged for a moment longer before turning to Elijah with a serious gaze.

"I don't have much time, so out with it." She instructed.

"Grace remembers you." He explained, causing her every inch of her body to react in alarm.

"What? How?"

"She went to see Silas." Elijah continued sighing heavily.

"How could you allow that?" She asked angrily.

"She tricked us." He rebuffed. "Direct your anger at him. He is the one that was secretly communicating with her for who knows how long. She went there and when she came back she said she remembered her real mother. You."

Fiore released an angry breath, her body still taut with rage. "Did they believe her?"

"No." Elijah told her, watching as the worry slowly left her body. "But Grace is unlikely to give up so easily. And if she manages to convince Klaus or Hayley to dig any further...it's only a matter of time."

"It most certainly isn't." Fiore refuted dismissively. "The only way for them to truly remember is to undo my compulsion—something very difficult to do."

"And yet Grace did it."

"And you will stop Klaus, Hayley and anyone else for following in her footsteps." Fiore got to her feet, clearly done entertaining Elijah any further. "I know Klaus and Hayley and they will chalk this up to some defect within themselves. All you have to do is get a 15-year-old girl to realise that a creepy stranger sold her a lie."

"You want me to gaslight your daughter?" Elijah asked, shocked by how little of her was left in there.

"It's no different to what you were doing before." She answered with a shrug. "It's what you agreed to do."

"It's what you forced me to do."

Fiore paused, clearly seething with anger and took a deep breath in an attempt to control said rage. She sat down once more and turned to Elijah with a steely gaze that caused a dull ache to ring in his head.

"If this pains you so much Elijah, then tell them the truth. Tell them all the truth." She spoke so calmly yet every ounce of her body language told the truth of her anger. "Let them know I gave myself up to keep them safe from Anastasia. And let them come and attack her half-cocked and die painful deaths at her hands."

"I don't want that to happen." He murmured quietly.

"No, I didn't think you did." The anger once again washed away, and a sinister smile wound its way onto her lips. "I suppose we shall continue to go with my way of doing things, hm?"