In the Dark: A Klaus x Eternity x Elijah Story

Part Twelve: Lost in This Madness

Author's Note: Wow! We're on chapter twelve! I also have chapter thirteen done and have started on fourteen. You know, I never intended this story to be this long. Originally, it had been intended to be a smaller no more than ten part tale. Yet, it seems it wants to be a full novel sized story instead. It's definitely one of, if not, my favorite WIP that I have. I do enjoy the intricacies and complexity of it. I'm very glad that many readers have been enjoying it too. Thank you so much for reading and putting up with my slow updates! I appreciate it! Now, onwards with the story!

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Oh my god, I'm in love with her!

That was the shocked, horrifying phrase that ran through Elijah's mind, over and over again, although he knew he shouldn't have been so surprised. After all, he was quite aware of his attraction to Eternity. Therefore, his inner admittance of love for the beauty shouldn't have caught him so off guard. Yet, it did.

For two weeks after the night of the party and in a small lapse in judgement, admitting the truth of his feelings for Eternity to himself, Elijah spent that time avoiding the ethereal beauty. Only if it was unavoidable did he allow himself to be near her. This only happened whenever she was in the company of Rebekah or Kol or both and he would only stay as long as necessary. Then Elijah would make his escape and hide himself away in the business of running the supernatural community of New Orleans.

Well, at least, Elijah would make the attempt to flee Eternity and more importantly, his forbidden feelings for her that chased after him night and day, no matter if he was near her or not.

Usually, he would get as far as the shadows before he found his feet glued to the floor in just the right place for him to look back and sneak longing gazes at her, hypnotized by her beauty, her smile, her kindness, her grace, her compassion. Even her leadership skills and her saintly service to the people whenever she dared to take on some of the responsibilities of looking after the supernatural community had Elijah's heart in such a flurry of warm, tender emotions that it only added to his terror over his attraction.

His need to see her was bad enough, but this inability to not gaze upon Eternity was made worse by the suspicion that she was sneaking longing glances back at him, as if she knew he was there lurking in the shadows and acknowledging she felt the same as him. Yet, he couldn't ever be sure if that was reality or if he was simply seeing something that wasn't there in the hope that he was not the only one suffering from this dark, powerful enthrallment that drew him closer and closer still into a sin that would surely end up ruining him and her and Niklaus too.

That was always how these sort of things went. Always.

He knew well this forbidden attraction and what chaos it could wreak upon one's world, seeing it first hand from time to time over the course of his long life with others — never himself. It always started as a small flame that grew, grew, and grew, becoming an uncontrollable inferno that eventually burned down everything in sight until there was nothing but ash left.

Elijah had always held himself to a higher standard in the past, having looked down his nose at such fools who engaged in such devastating wickedness and finding justice in their ruin, in the ashes left over from the destruction caused by their forbidden love. He had always believed in loyalty when it came to romantic entanglements, friendships, and family. He had always been a committed sort of man, especially when it came to love, whom found the lack of loyalty to one's significant other in others to be abhorrent, unforgivably so.

Now, however, he found himself in the buddings of that same wickedness that he had condemned. He could see the other side of the situation these days, seeing those affairs that had burned brightly until there was nothing in a different light. Some had done it out of lust disguised as love, a physical passion masked as something deeper, while others had engaged in this sin for true love, but were otherwise engaged.