𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧- 𝐄.𝐌

30. Family

Music played softly in the background on the stereo. The Mikaelson siblings, Maeve and Caroline enjoyed the small party-like arrangement Caroline had put together. Everyone held a flute glass of champagne in hand.

"This is amazing, Care! Thanks." said Maeve pulling the girl into a tight hug.

"You're welcome." She beamed back a smile.

Maeve looked around her small living room space seeing Klaus and Kol in a deep conversation while Rebekah sat on an arm chair silently. Elijah was by the window at the far end, overlooking the empty street outside.

"Go talk to him." said Caroline looking at Elijah. "He was on edge the entire time you were unconscious." she revealed to Maeve.

"What?"

"Yeah. Didn't let go of your hand until you sat up. Go talk to him." insisted Caroline pushing Maeve off the couch. Maeve made her way over to him across the room.

"Hey." she smiled standing next to him. Elijah turned his head slightly to look at her.

"Hi." he responded with a smile.

"Are you okay?" Maeve asked feeling tensed and awkward trying to initiate small talk with the original. Elijah could only smile at her question and shake his head as he hung it low.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

Maeve chuckled awkwardly hiding an embarrassed grin from coming up. "Yes...you should but it isn't my mother that wants me dead or is making me believe I am a monster."

"No, but it is my mother who is after your life and almost did manage to get to you."

"But she didn't."

"You could have died."

"But I didn't." said Maeve, her voice a bit stern than she intended. "I understand you're worried about me, I am thankful but please Elijah, don't worry about me so much. I can take care of myself."

"Clearly." he sassed. Maeve's mouth opened wide hearing the sass in his voice.

"I──I'm sorry...is that sass I detect?" she asked Elijah. He only shrugged his shoulders and finished his champagne. Maeve slapped his arm shaking her head with a beaming smile.

Her smile faltered slowly. She rubbed the back of her neck pressing on the nerves with the tip of her fingers. Elijah noticed this and asked, "are you okay?"

"Yeah...just feel a slight body ache...that's all. It's cool though, right? Got a hip story to tell in the future. Let's see, born an abomination, treated like vermin, betrayed by my friends, used for those powers, found family──sort of, you guys...almost killed by the old timer old man like the villain of the story and now the wicked witch of the west."

"Yes you are the protagonist of the story." smirked Elijah.

"I bet I can fit it to the beat of Fresh prince of Bel-Air." she joked cackling loudly. Elijah noticed the dull look in her eyes. He could see he wanted to talk about anything but the day.

"You talked about the book Hunger games yesterday. What is that about?"

"Oh it's a classic. Like the Brave New World." She paused eyeing him scrutinizingly, "you know what that novel is about, right?"

"I'm not as uncultured as you think of me." remarked Elijah with a lopsided smirk.

"You don't know the beauty that is Sirius Black or Remus Lupin so yes, I firmly agree you are uncultured and in desperate need for an education." Maeve countered with a firm nod of her head, "as I was saying..." Elijah watched Maeve explain the story and significance to the characters passionately. She related it to Harry Potter every other moment. If only Maeve could realise Elijah was only doing it to get her mind off of the awful way she had spent the majority of her birthday.