The Key

4

EDITED

"Niklaus hasn't answered you?" I ask Stefan, my voice weak sounding as I sit on the couch in the living room.

Stefan shakes his head and sits on the coffee table and looks at me with worry,

"It's been a few days since you've been back Debria. Give it time. Maybe he hasn't bothered listening to the voicemail."

My heart seems to ache thinking of Klaus not knowing I'm back.
And yet I don't know why I have all these tangled feelings for the hybrid.
It's like something is binding me to him.

"Can I call him again?" I ask Stefan as I pull my grey sweater sleeves down my arms.

Nodding, Stefan hands me his cell phone.
I go to the contacts and press call when I see Klaus's contact.

The line rings.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.

I'm about to hang up when the line stops ringing.

"Hello Stefan, did you need something?" Elijah's voice is clear as day through the line.

I open my mouth to say something but stay quiet, my breathing heavy through the receiver I'm sure.

"Look Stefan, I do not have all day I am busy dealing with problems of my own. What is it that you need?" Elijah's tone is unfriendly and cold.

Again. Nothing comes out of my mouth.

Stefan snatches the phone from me and speaks quickly to Elijah,

"Elijah, I was calling for Klaus. But we need you back in Mystic Falls. Something urgent.....has come up."

"Well Stefan, I cannot just simply up and leave everything I have going on here," Elijah says sternly through the phone,

"Niklaus is quite literally, tied up for the moment. He can't be of any help right now."

"Please, Elijah. I do not know how to handle who is here, she wants to speak to Klaus," Stefan says and looks at me apologetically.

I shrug and just continue to listen for Elijah's voice since it brings a sense of calm to me,

"Who wants to see Niklaus?" Elijah asks hesitantly, I can hear that he's holding his breath.

I take the phone back from Stefan speaking quickly into the receiver,

"Me, Elijah. It's me. I'm back, and I don't know how or why. I don't remember anything before I died, I have no memories of even coming to New Orleans. Please, tell me what happened to me." I'm practically begging into the phone.

Four heart beats of silence pass, and I thought he had hung up until he speaks.

"Debria?" He asks in a very low whisper now. As if he doesn't want to be overheard.

I sigh in relief at hearing my name from him,

"Yes, Elijah. It's me."

Another four heart beats of silence.

"I'll be there by tomorrow to collect you, be ready to leave, we have a lot of catching up to do," Elijah explains.

"Thank you, Elijah," I say to him softly, tears springing to my eyes in relief.

Elijah seems to sigh in relief through the phone as well,

"Anything for family, Debria." And then the line goes dead.

The word family visibly rocks me. And I hand Stefan his phone back silently, staring off into space.

Family? What could I have done in New Orleans for the Mikaelson family to consider me one of their own? I think to myself.