Rising from the ashes (Gia & Elijah Mikaelson Fanfiction - The Originals)

10. Starting Over

Gia was on top of him, looking deep into his eyes and wondering what the hell was wrong with him. What was he thinking of? He was obviously distracted.

He had arrived to Algiers a couple of weeks back and they had only shared a few fleeting moments since then. He was mostly keeping it to himself. There was something that kept him distracted, distant. His body was here but his mind elsewhere. That was why she had made the suggestion. She was hoping that a training session could help ease his mind a little bit. Take away the problems that were concerning him. She was wrong. Elijah could not concentrate. It was easy to predict his moves. She took him down like he was nothing.

"Ok." She said getting up. "Spill. What is it? Something is definitely bothering you and I want to know what."

"Nothing is bothering me Gia."

"Like hell it isn't. I've barely seen you these past few weeks and you've barely said anything when I did. If you don't want to talk about it fine but don't lie to me."

"Alright, I do not want to talk about it."

"Yes, because thinking about it is so much better. You can't keep it all inside Elijah. It will tear you apart. Talk to me. Let me help you."

"There is nothing you can do to help me, Gia. Nothing at all."

"Was it your mother? Did she do this to you?"

"No, I did this, a long time ago."

"I don't understand."

"You do not have to."

"How am I supposed to help you if I don't even know what's wrong?"

"As I have already told you, you cannot help me Gia. No one can."

"I don't believe that. Whatever this is, it can't be that bad."

Elijah gave her a sad smile.

"It is worse than you think. Worse than you can even imagine. And it cannot be undone." he walked closer to her, cupping her face with his hand.

"There is nothing you can do to help me. There is nothing anyone can do and I ask you, no, I beg you to stop. Stop trying, stop talking about it, just stop. This is my burden to bear not yours."

He left her alone and returned to his apartment. Took a bottle of scotch from a shelf nearby and poured himself a drink.

She did not understand. How could she? She saw him as her instructor, her mentor, her savior. What could she know of his pain? How could he confide in her? The truth was so different from what she knew. So far from what she believed him to be. Kind, gentle, caring, maybe a little arrogant as she put it. What would she think of him if she ever learned the truth? That he was as much of a monster as Niklaus had always been. Maybe even worse. Niklaus had never pretended to be anything else than what he truly was. Never concealed himself. Not like he did. The noble one. The righteous. That was the sham he lived upon his entire immortal life. He was nothing more than a murderous, bloodthirsty animal like his brother. And he had killed the woman he once loved. He had ruthlessly murdered her. Feasted upon her flesh and drowned in her blood. And he had enjoyed every single second of it. How could he tell her any of this? He could not and he would not. Just the thought of her seeing him as a monster was enough to drive him insane. That secret would die with him. No one could ever know the truth.

The sun was blazing above the marble tombstone. The sign carefully concealed of those unaware of what to look for. After Elijah's departure Gia had spent the entire day trying to decipher the drawings in the castle. The pictures she had taken was of the highest quality so all there was left to do was decipher their meaning, something much easier said than done. The binary code was pretty easy to solve though. Just another set of coordinates like the last ones. This time to New Orleans. The coordinates sent her to Lafayette cemetery, straight into the witches' home. She just hoped she wouldn't run into any of them. There was absolutely no way she could explain her presence there. It's not like she could tell them the truth that she was after an ancient relic that could give her leverage over her worst enemy.