You Don't Know What I'd Do For You (Love you like oxygen)

twelve

*A/N* Wow, sorry, this took even longer than the last chapter did. I have no good excuses for why this took actually forever, I was just lazy. My writer's block is super real right now so I apologize in advance for this chapter. Fair warning, it will probably be a train wreck, but, I mean, come on, it's tvdu, so honestly, at this point, who isn't? Anyway, please enjoy this extra long masterpiece that my sleep-deprived mind created at 2 AM, you're welcome.

Elijah POV

My entire body was screaming, it hurt to breathe, much less to move and attempt to make an escape. I could feel my blood clotting, seeming to turn into shards of broken glass, as it was slowly forced through my system with every beat of my heart, grating my veins to shreds. My heart still beat, though it slowed and faltered, it did not stop. That was the horrid, agonizing, sick beauty of the entire thing, the part that Mikael, no doubt, loved the most. I could almost feel the life slipping and draining away, almost feel myself dying, but was unable to do so.

Mikael came in and out constantly. Often, his visits were accompanied by strong, harsh blows that were then followed by the sickening noise of breaking bones. I lost count of how many tools and contraptions he used and gave up on the number of chemicals and concoctions. Vervain seemed to rain down in buckets, acid was doused over me in streams, and poisons were poured into IVs and dripped on open wounds. The shutter would be pulled open in flashes, allowing the rays of sunlight to bathe me in raw lava but never enough to burst into flames. My skin and clothes were left in tattered ribbons, barely clung together and often left gaping open to reveal bloody muscle and sometimes even bone underneath.

But sometimes no torture came at all, occasionally, he would just walk around me, trailing deceivingly gentle fingers over my skin as he circled. As much as I tried to drown it out, I was forced to listen to his cruel taunts and empty promises. "Just tell me where your siblings are Elijah, hmm? Whereabouts is your precious Klaus? Or sweet Rebekah? What about little Kol? Come on, Elijah, I only want to talk, just tell me. If you do, I'll let you go," he would say, over and over, his rough voice echoing off the walls.

But I wasn't stupid, I knew better, he had promised those things before, I didn't give in then, I wouldn't give in now. No matter what schemes or plans he came up with. No matter how tempting the promise was or how painful his treatment became. My mouth would stay shut, my guard would stay up, I would not give in. I could endure it, I had done it before, this was nothing new. Rebekah, Kol, Freya, Klaus, Hayley, they would all stay safe, I would not let Mikael get to them.

It almost hurt, that they didn't know, that they would keep thinking that I had simply left again. They thought that I had just disappeared and abandoned them, let them all down again. But, at the same time, I knew that it was best that they never find out. Even when I couldn't hold myself up any longer, even when I began to slowly dry and desiccate. Even when the world wouldn't stop spinning and the room wouldn't come into focus. Even when Mikael inevitably got bored of the conventional methods of torture, I hoped that they all remained blissfully unaware and far away.

Not taking the bait, not giving in and just spewing the information that was desired so that I might be set free, was difficult. But, I had a strong will, a grip on myself that I never let loosen, it was a tight hold and I did not slip from it. I reminded myself over and over that, whether my family knew it or not, all that I would go through here would be for them. After all, I had promised, I had vowed, to them and to myself, that they would not come to harm if I could prevent it. Family above all, always and forever.

The dreaded sound of those footsteps tore me out of my thoughts. I grit my teeth, pulled myself up, balled my fists, and steeled my nerves, trying as best I could to prepare for whatever was coming. Once Mikael was inside the room, he took his time approaching me, circling like a hunting predator. I could feel his eyes boring holes in me, searching for any point of weakness.