Her Name Was Abigail {Elijah Mikaelson}

[12] Parade

The sun crept across the floor of the darkened hardwood floors. The air flowing through the open window gently pushed the curtains up against the walls. I listened carefully to the sound of the birds chirping in the tree to the right of the window. I could hear their feet scraping against the bark of the tree, pieces of the bark falling to the ground beneath. I took in a gentle breath of air, careful not to move too much.

She stirred in my arms slightly, her fingers gently brushing against the skin of my wrists. I turned my eyes to the left to see if I had awakened her, but her face was turned from mine. I listened to her heartbeat silently. Her heartbeat for me was like a soothing blanket to a child. Her heartbeat kept me calm, it kept the monster inside of me partially human.

"Elijah?" Her rhythmic voice muttered in the light of the day. I smiled to myself regretfully. I had woken her from her sleep. "Yes?" I whispered back, tightening my arms around her. She nudged the back of her head further against my chest as she slightly turned her head in my direction. "What are your thoughts on my sister, Khaleesi?" I bit my bottom lip and pulled at the skin caught between my teeth.

I honestly wasn't sure of what to think about Khaleesi. I hadn't thought about her much. I had listened to her story in the early morning of the day but her story had been left behind as a history lesson. As soon as Abigail asked me to walk her and Khaleesi back to her home, my mind had been on Abigail's safety and security. Originally I imagined that Abigail would give me a goodnight kiss and then watch as I escaped back into the night, and into the tree to watch her from the outside.

But that morning had been different. When I followed Abigail and Khaleesi to her home, she didn't give me a goodnight kiss on her front porch. Instead, she carried my hand into the home with her as she wished Khaleesi a goodnight. She locked the door behind us and asked me to follow her up to her bed. Her hand still in mine, I followed her.

I sat at the edge of her bed, staring out of the window as she changed into her night clothes. I listened as every bit of clothing slipped from her body, falling to her feet. Her heartbeat quickened with every drop of clothing, turning her head to make sure that I still wasn't looking. Of course, she knew better than to guess that I would ever look at her in such a way without her approval.

She slipped a nightgown quickly over her head before clearing her throat, a sign to let me know that she was done and I could turn back around. I watched her as she walked around the room, the ends of her white nightgown skimming the ground along with her. Her long blonde hair cascaded down her nearly bare back. She looked like a real life angel.

She sat at the side of her bed, pulling back to quilts so that she could slip into bed next to me. I stayed still, not wanting to get beneath the covers without her permission. I never wanted to make her feel uncomfortable. I never wanted to get too close to her without her wanting to get close to me. I would listen to whatever she said. To whatever she was comfortable with.

It was now my job to protect her and to shield her from pain. I would never be the source of any pain to her. I continued sitting at the edge of the bed in silence before she yanked down the other side of the covers. A tender smile spread across her face before she spoke again, "You can lie down, Elijah." I nodded my head calmly before reaching down to untie my shoes.

I then pulled at the ends of my coat to release it from my arms. I stood up from the bed and walked to the edge of the room, lying my coat on the back of a chair. I slowly turned in the corner, my eyes cutting to Abigail. She was watching me, her tender smile still upon her face. She had one hand up near her head while the other lay beside her.

She patted the empty space on the bed next to her as she pulled at the quilts once again. I shuffled to the nightstand beside the empty side of the bed and turned the wick of the oil lamp down low before blowing the flame out. I once again sat at the edge of the bed before lying back down beside Abigail. I could still see the flicker in her eyes as she smiled at me only a foot or so away.