Elijah Mikaelson & The Dragon's Legacy

Chapter 29

"Nine months and no nightmares yet she has one on the first night Mason spends in this house after a long absence," thought Elijah, "could that just be a coincidence?" Elijah needed to have another chat with Mason, one without the faux father-in-law posturing that Mason pulled yesterday. Angelica's bloody workout clothes were on the floor of the bathroom and she was in the shower, the steam billowing out as she soaked under the scalding hot water. Elijah checked on her then quickly went to his bedroom to change clothes, leaving his blood-stained suit for Larrabee. "Larrabee has it work cut out for him this time," thought Elijah of his Valet, "he does perform miracles though." Elijah and Angelica shared her bedroom but he maintained his separate room as it seemed easier to coordinate with Larrabee that way: Old school Valet to go with the old school manner of royals maintaining separate bedrooms.

Elijah returned quickly in a fresh suit but forwent the tie and jacket for now. Angelica had just finished her shower, had dried off and donned a silk robe. She sat down at her vanity and looked in the mirror. Her hair was a tangled mess and she picked up her hairbrush to sort it all out. Elijah noticed her hand was shaking and he walked over and gently took the brush from her hand. He set it back on the vanity and kissed her hand, holding it in his hand as he spoke to her. "My darling, what is it?" Elijah could see she was holding in her emotions. He kissed her hand again then picked up the hairbrush and got to work on her hair. As she sat there, Elijah told her that this reminded him of when they first met, when she came out of that stream and he ended up brushing her hair to get the tangles out. "You know I was yours from that very moment," he said, glancing at her in the mirror. She smiled slightly at the thought and he said, "There she is," smiling as he continued smoothing out her hair.

Elijah continued, "You and I are birds of feather, you know, we have this incessant need to control everything around us but what we are really doing is hiding our true selves from the world because we don't believe the world can handle what we are. Truth be told, there are not many who can."

Elijah finished and set the hairbrush down on the vanity table, inspecting his work in the mirror. He took Angelica's hand, guided her to her feet and faced her, now holding both of her hands. "I need you to listen to what I have to tell you, my Darling, but first I need you to keep this robe of yours tied nice and tight," he grinned, "because you have a way of distracting me, my love, and it is important that you hear what I have to say." He grasped the lapels of her silk robe and pulled them closer together, tightening the sash himself. "That's better," he said, then continued, "there is something I should have said to you months ago and for that, I owe you an apology. I let myself enjoy this perfectly wonderful world you created for me and if I had not been so self-absorbed, I would have seen that it was too perfect. I failed to understand the fear that lies beneath that quest for perfection, a fear that we both share, a fear of being unworthy of love because of what we are and what we have done. The fear of losing control and the fear of losing everything we love as a result." He looked her directly in the eyes, and asked, "Are you afraid that I would leave you if things were somehow less than perfect?" The directness of the question not only took Angelica by surprise but it also gave her a sense of relief that he understood her so well. "Elijah, I," she paused, searching for the right words then she answered him simply, "yes."

"My sweet angel, you are my wife and I am your husband, for better or for worse, remember? It is important to me that from this point forward you tell me the good with the bad because together we will handle whatever destiny decides to throw in our path. Agreed?" She nodded her head. "I am not going anywhere, my place has been by your side for the last 400 years and it will continue to be by your side, always and forever. Do you understand?" She tried to answer him but words choked in her throat as tears ran down her cheeks. Elijah kissed her then pulled her into a long embrace as she cried softly into his chest.

They sat down on the edge of the bed and he wiped the tears from her face. For Angelica, a great weight had just been lifted from her shoulders as she had been living under a gauntlet, waiting for the day when Elijah would realize she was not worthy of his love and he would leave. She had been planning every moment of every day, to make everything perfect for him. And she had hidden the darkest part of herself away believing that if he saw what she had really become he would go running back to New Orleans or to Mystic Falls, or disappear into the arms of another woman. But she had forgotten that of all the people in the world, Elijah truly understood as he had struggled with his own demons, his own monster, and that monster inside had cost him dearly. They really were birds of a feather.

Elijah told her that he had to go change his shirt, again, and once she was dressed he would meet her in the dining room. She laughed about his shirt comment and he smiled, happy to see her smile. He kissed her again on the side of the head before heading for the doorway. He had more he wanted to ask her about but thought it best to speak later.