░▒ tell me ; was the high worth the pain? ░▒

private + independent Gia Desai canon divergent au continuation (please read guidelines and bio ) mun & muse 18+ ╳ written by emily ╳ "Too bad I don't play guessing games."

[thoranda]

 This premonition, if that’s what it is, makes me fear myself. I fear I’m capable of burning it all to the ground. - Elena Michaels

[changethekey]

methodtomymxdness replied to your post:When she pictured her death, she’d always thought...

HOW DARE YOU

I knnnoooowww but I warned you D:

[changethekey]

Literally me after writing that head canon. I mean I fucking hate myself but it had to happen. 

[changethekey]

When she pictured her death, she’d always thought it would be quick. Not painless. Gia had never been nearly optimistic enough to believe that suffering would somehow evade her in her final moments. But she had believed it would be fast.  The first time she imagined herself dying was only a few months before. It wasn’t long after her transition and she realized that in accepting immortality, she’d also inadvertently put the armor to fight in a war. The Mikaelsons, whether they had good intentions or gave into the fierce desire to watch the world burn, had created a new world in New Orleans; one riddled with the endless possibility for death. It seemed the people near them had a habit of either becoming tragedies of circumstance or unwitting tools in wicked schemes.  Unknown as she was in the city, as weak as she was compared to the threats looming around them, Gia assumed she would pass without incident. Cut down in the midst of the war, her body cleared away with dozens of others, her name forgotten before the next battle broke out. Oddly, there had been a comfort in her anonymity. The only people who would have missed her thought she was dead anyway.  Gia Desai would be no huge LOSS to the world.  That thought remained in the back of her mind in the months that followed. Even when she’d been bitten, even when Finn’s spell ravaged her mind, tearing her sanity apart piece by piece. It still seemed a safe assumption that it would be quick. The inglorious death the world’s unknowns are guaranteed.  It wasn’t until she heard the click of a door, one of the most mundane sounds the world could offer, that she realized how wrong she’d been.  When Klaus Mikaelson appeared in Marcel’s living room, she knew her death would not be quick.  The hybrid’s attack was a blur. It all happened so fast it was nearly as unreal as her realization. When the dull thud of Marcel’s broken body hitting the floor echoed across the room and his attacker came to stand before her, she almost welcomed the escape of her snapped neck.  Her eyes opened too soon. When the first breath of life filled her lungs again, she prayed it was a dream. All of it. Some kind of moment of peace before she slipped away, a simple quiet to relive what few precious memories she had before she came nothing. But her wish was never granted. As soon as her dark eyes opened, Klaus’s hands seized either side of her face, forcing her to meet his piercing gaze. He spoke in a voice so riddled with quiet MALICE she shivered under his touch. The smile quirking his lips had her desperate to turn away, but his compulsion held her, his plan echoing through her thoughts...dooming her to the fate she never even considered.  Tears must have begun to fall from her eyes because she felt his thumbs wiping them away with a deceivingly gentle touch. He bent and placed a traitorous kiss against her forehead, his whispered promise chilling her nearly as much as his plan had; “Don’t fret, love. Soon this will all be over. I assure you, your part in my plan will be SHORT.” In that moment she knew she should have offered some kind of heroic last words. A protest. A feeble promise that he would never succeed. But her jaw stayed locked; silence prevailed. Rebuking him would only waste whatever air she had left. he would succeed. There was no preventing it. There was no saving her.  There would be no QUICK death.  She was spared the debate over fighting him; he compelled her into unwavering obedience. There would be no resistance. No end all fight that might change things. Instead, when he turned to obliterate his family, she followed behind him without a word.  Gia never spoke another word to Klaus. Her existence spanned exactly twenty seven minutes after that moment, and not so much as a sound passed her lips for him. Not in the car on the way to the compound. Not when he compelled her to stay out of sight until he called for her. Not when she walked out into the courtyard like a condemned man walking to the gallows. The only words she spoke in the final minutes of her life were to Elijah.  Elijah.  It wasn’t until she moved to stand in front of him, watching him struggle with his brother as he desperately fought to change the fate she had already been sentenced to that she realized she’d been wrong again.  Her death would not be quick; and there would be a loss.  She’d known for weeks that she loved him. There would never be a doubt in her mind that she loved Elijah Mikaelson more than life itself, and her greatest regret in life would always be that she hadn’t met him sooner. But it never made sense for him to love her in return. Even when he’d promised nothing stood in their way only a few hours before, a part of her remained doubtful. How could the mundane make an impression upon a GOD? But she knew the moment she watched the tears fill his eyes; the second she heard his grief stricken pleas. Her death would not be quick...and she would be a loss to Elijah Mikaelson.  She didn’t even hear Klaus’s words; her body merely reacted. Agony would soon be her only companion, and she wouldn’t give her last moment to him. She would give it to Elijah.  In her final moments, she had enough time to give them both two things. The first, she got to taste his name on her lips one last time, with flashes of so many nights tangled beneath the sheets dancing before her eyes to accompany it.  The second...the second she thought at first that she would tell him she loved him. She could have, Klaus had allowed just enough time for that last confession. But she didn’t. Somehow, a part of hew new that Elijah didn’t need to be reminded of that. He knew. As she finally knew now that he felt the same. What Elijah needed, and maybe what she needed as well, was to be reminded that it never should have ended that way.  “I can’t stop myself.” The final words she spoke in her life, she hoped, would forever remind him that it wasn’t her choice to LEAVE him.  She had been wrong. Her death was not quick. There are many who say that fire cleanses, and perhaps it does. While it brought untold agony, a kind of pain that would have made her crawl across broken glass for anything that could offer RELIEF ...it also cleansed her of the idea that she could be so easily forgotten. 

[chloe-blog-blog-blog]

[changethekey]

Ｔｈｅ   Ｅｄｇｅ   Ｏｆ                       Ｐａｒａｄｉｓｅ

[changethekey]

With the constant shift in his emotions, it had been weeks since Elijah had been balanced on his axis. Who wouldn’t be out of their mind after giving a man a thousand years of unyielding loyalty only to get a slap in the face at the end of it? There were things that Niklaus could not be exonerated from, and Elijah could no longer deny it.

It wasn’t just about Gia. It was the simple fact that Niklaus did not stop to consider the permanent damage of his actions, but more than that, Elijah had been forced to accept one final judgment. His brother was not fit to be a parent. Hope had not changed him. Her existence had amplified his nature, make him more depraved and maniacal than ever before. Destroying your family was no example to set for your daughter, and in that, Elijah could not leave her here.

“No, it isn’t - Gia, he - he compelled you to commit suicide! There! Before my eyes!” He pointed across the courtyard, eyes flickering with that intense wrath. “He is not a soldier nor a king. He is a psychopath! I - my mother held me in her hands and FORCED me to face my sins. I wept for what I was, but Niklaus? No, Niklaus has bitten the hand that has fed him for far too long. He is an animal, and if it had not been for me, he would have died long ago! Had I kept my promise to his last victims, he never would have…”

But then Elijah never would have met Gia, and for a moment, he was selfish enough to be glad that he had let Niklaus lived. Perhaps Gia would have still found Marcel, but she never would have incurred the curse of Elijah Mikaelson.

Only when mention of Hayley was made did Elijah’s eyes lose the glaze they had adopted, looking away in remembrance of what had been done in the wake of it all. Grasping his composure, he met her gaze with something fierce in his own.

“He has cursed her. She is to remain within the confines of her wolf form at all times save for on the full moon. It is the curse with which the Crescents were originally taken with by Marcel. Niklaus stole the spell, and Dahlia enacted it… And, although my heart may not rest there, Gia, I know that Hope’s only chance is her mother. Yes, she has made some reckless mistakes, and she is not perfect, but as Hope’s mother, I know she would never do anything more than what she thinks is best. And when she was prepared to leave us, she was right in believing it was best. Hope does not deserve to be burdened by this family and its afflictions. So I have to help free her, and then I have to save my niece because this - ghost hunt for Niklaus’s humanity has been in vein, and I will no longer be the fool who chases smoke.”

“Stop.” It came out sharper than she intended, but she couldn’t stand to hear him take responsibility for anything else that wasn’t his fault. That seemed to be Elijah’s greatest downfall; when he encountered someone who felt nothing, his response always seemed to be to feel everything. To take responsibility when they were too remorseless to care. To drown in the guilt that should have washed over someone else. Watching him take those bullets had been painful enough before, but now...now she just couldn’t stomach it. “You loved your brother. That’s not a sin, and it’s never going to be. You tried to save him like any other man on the face of the earth would. But even if you don’t believe that, then believe this. It’s over. It’s all in the past, and you can’t change it. You’re not doing anyone any good by beating yourself up over it. All you can do is change things now; make the future better for Hope.” Her words were quiet, rushed. As if the mention of Klaus had her nervous over his sudden appearance. But all the same, they burned with sincerity.  Mercifully, intermingled with the guilt, she could also hear his resolve to finally separate himself from Klaus. And that was what he needed to hang on to, not his guilt over having stood by his brother’s side in the past. Elijah had suffered enough because of his brother, she wasn’t going to stand by and watch it continue. There were more important things to focus on. Like putting Klaus down like the sick dog he was.  What he’d done to Hayley was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Granted, before Gia had never thought much of Klaus. At best, she’d seen him as a grasping tyrant insecure in his supposed rule over the city; at worst, she’d thought he was a psychopath fooling his family into believing there was something human in him while he systematically destroyed their lives. Maybe she would have lived longer if she’d let herself remain cynical.  Gia nodded slowly, still shifting her weight from foot to foot near the main doors of the compound. There was no arguing Elijah’s resolve, Hope was the priority. But that definitely changed things for them. It meant they weren’t going anywhere...and they needed a plan. Fast. “Okay, so we need to find out how to reverse the spell on Hayley. Didn’t Celeste do the spell for the Crescents? Someone else from her coven must know it, right? And once Hayley’s back I’m sure she’d be on board with taking Klaus down. She’d have to be. If someone took me away from my daughter, I’d tear them apart.”  So now the problem was making it all happen. Klaus was as dangerous an enemy as they came...and if he knew Elijah was done protecting him, how long would it be before he was hunting for a dagger and a coffin? The thought made her stomach drop. Blood, it seemed, meant little to Klaus when he was angry enough. Putting him down was - realistically - near impossible. They’d need a hell of a plan.  Nodding to herself again, she turned her gaze back to Elijah’s a few moments later, feeling the need to make her intentions clear now, “And yeah, I do mean we. I’m helping. And before you try and stop me,” Dropping his hand, she moved a step closer to him, her hand reaching up to twist around his tie, pulling him closer until mere inches separated them, “remember when I said I’d rip someone to shreds for taking my kid away? I feel the same way about anyone hurting you. I’m not going to watch from the sidelines while Klaus comes after you. I don’t give a shit what he tried to do to me; but he sealed his fate when he tried to destroy you. You need to protect Hope and Hayley, and I understand that. But I need to protect you.”  Leaning up on her toes, she softly pressed her lips against his, letting the world melt away for those few precious moments before she pulled back, her eyes like liquid fire, “We’re in this together. Hope’s gonna have the life she deserves, and we’ll make sure that she - and we - don’t have to spend the rest of our lives looking over our shoulders.”

[dear-indies]

Reblog if you're an indie TVD/TO RP account.

[changethekey]

We are creating a masterlist for every TVD/TO roleplayer.

The list is here. 

[changethekey]

Ｔｈｅ   Ｅｄｇｅ   Ｏｆ                       Ｐａｒａｄｉｓｅ

[changethekey]

methodtomymxdness:

“I’m - not complaining. I assure you.” It was in Elijah’s nature to be concerned, to be cool and calculated, but he had to be. If not him then who? Still, having her handle him with such fervent elegance, an equal mixture of disarray and delicacy, felt like home. He had missed her far more than he had ever imagined he would. It wasn’t just her touch. It was something that called to him when she was near, that he yearned for when she was far, something in depths of the void that once held a soul where the remnants now acknowledged her. 

He would have to thank Davina when he got a chance, right around the time he offered her his aid if she did in fact plan to put the tyrant back to sleep. Hope deserved to have a father, but not at the expense of her mother and the possibility of Niklaus’s very nature tainting her. He simply wasn’t fit, and Elijah was through believing he would be any time soon. Still, deep down, he held hope that one day, that would change. He just didn’t know how to move it along anymore.

“There are, or there can be. I can make it so. We’ll find a place, but you’re right of course. Apologies. I wasn’t thinking.” The fear of messing up again, of putting her directly in the line of fire, grated on his nerves without mercy or reluctance. He couldn’t lose her again, and with her admission came the reinforcement, his vow fortified by the revelation. 

“Gia, I would do anything to keep you safe, but I failed. I failed, and I have to live with that. You’re here now, but that guilt. It doesn’t simply dissipate. You know that, so I - I need you to be strong for the both of us. That is so much to ask, but if I could leave right now, I would. I would leave and never return. However, I cannot leave my niece with her father, without her mother. I owe her more than that. For Hope. No one else but Hope, so until I can figure this out, until I can end this, you have to promise not to let me allow you to become a target again.”

Despite the happiness of their reunion, and admittedly the radiating relief of knowing that nothing stood between them now, Gia knew things had changed. They had to. New Orleans was not the same place it had been when she met Elijah. They weren’t just two oddly matched vampires traipsing the city together to try and end an impossible war. The day when the Mikaelson siblings decided not to play by Klaus’s rules anymore, it tipped the scales. It wasn’t a matter of placating a pissed off hybrid and dodging the threats of both the witches and Finn anymore...now it was a matter of surviving the new war that had been bred in this supernatural power struggle. Under other circumstances, she wouldn’t have wasted time with saying screw laying low. Getting the hell away from Louisiana was probably their best chance at not inferring Klaus’s wrath again. With the hybrid’s unique determination to rule the city, out of site out of mind might have actually worked this time. At least, long enough for his fury to cool off a little. But these weren’t normal circumstances. This was (unfortunately or fortunately, however one cared to see it) where Elijah’s entire family, crazy and crazier, had decided to settle. And no matter how bad things got, Elijah wasn’t the kind of man to abandon his family. The members who weren’t trying to kill him or destroy his life, that is. Namely, Hope. Rebekah was more than capable of fending for herself, especially with Freya’s help, but Hope wasn’t so lucky. She was at the mercy of whoever’s roof she slept under, and she could see by the gleam in Elijah’s eyes that he wouldn’t risk his niece that way, no matter the threat to his own life.  However, before she could assure him that she understood that he had more than one priority here, he was going on again, seemingly convinced that he owed her some sort of apology for the way that things played out. For the fact that he loved his niece too much to leave her life up to chance.  Almost as soon as he cut off his urgent plea for her to prevent the past from repeating itself, she was shaking her head. A wrinkle formed between her brows as she squeezed his hand, trying to capture his full attention, “I’m not going to let you feel guilty because of who your brother is, Elijah. What he does, then and now, is out of your control. You don’t need to apologize for it. And you sure as hell don’t need to apologize for loving Hope. She’s your family. I’d be pretty disgusted with you if you were okay with leaving her.” She just hoped she was conveying the sincerity of her words in this new body the way she had always done before.  Would it make it harder for Elijah to stop blaming himself when he was staring into a stranger’s eyes? Shaking her head again, she turned on her heel and led the way towards the doors of the compound, her hand still tightly wrapped around Elijah’s. “We’ll find a way to make things safe for Hope. Dahlia’s gone, right? It can’t be that hard to...” she trailed off, Elijah’s earlier words playing through her head again as she tried to fashion out some sort of plan that might reassure him. But in doing that, she realized she had overlooked one of the most important details. Pausing in her tracks, hesitating just outside the main doors, she turned back to Elijah with a quizzical expression, “What happened to Hayley?”

In her rush to get back to Elijah, she hadn’t exactly hung around for Davina to give her an update about what had been going on in the weeks she’d been gone. What else had happened after her part in Klaus’s revenge scheme had ended?

[theniklaus-blog]

[changethekey]

theniklaus:

so i reached a milestone like idk — last week?? — && wanted to do something about it && decided the best way to do that was with niklaus’ seducing you into reblogging this. either way, i reached 300+ followers recently so i mean, what better way to show some kind of appreciation other than giving people free shit? so yeah, free stuff!! yay!!

RULES:

must be following me. this is for my followers. it doesn’t matter if it’s old or new so i mean everyone has a chance. reblogs && likes count. i hate having to go over likes so y’know. do i prefer if you reblog? definitely. do i care? not really. it’s really up to you so i mean?? these icons will be posted on my icon blog && reblogged here. you don’t need to follow my icon blog but it would be really nice && i would appreciate it greatly. you need to tell me what you want. i’m not a mind reader. i don’t know how you’d want your icons so you need to tell me. this needs to get at least 30 notes. i just wish to make sure that there are enough to people who could win.

PRIZES:

first prize:

two icons packs (150+ icons) of their choosing. a promo made by me with a quote of their choosing. online && offline banners (if not wanted i can easily make more icons for the pack)

there will be one winner.

second prize:

one icon pack of their choosing. a promo made by me with a quote of their choosing.

there will be three winners

third prize:

an icon pack or a promo.

there will be six winners.

EXAMPLES:

so this is really me thanking you guys for sticking with me these last few months. i really wish i could give all of you so much more but i suck at coding && i’m broke as a mother fucker. i’m really sorry that this is the best i could give all of you.

also i forgot about an end date so i’m going with 8/31. have fun reblogging.

[acalculatedchaos]

Spectre ( haha fuck everything :X )

It started as a NIGHTMARE…

He would awaken in the narrow passage between reality and subconscious fantasy, absent of breath and shaken to his core. Shadows cast along the walls danced around him, but he could never identify them by name. His own left him alone in the darkest of times, and he wished to call out, but something hindered his ability. He believed it may have been PRIDE.

Time would progress slow and then all at once, fire catching until SCORCHED his skin, lungs struggling to fill and throat dry. It was almost like inhaling white oak ash all over again, the dosage bringing him to his knees clawing at his throat. He was FIGHTING to live. She had never been given the chance.

She would appear when he least expected it, long after he began to anticipate it, moments before he began PLEADING for it. Gradually, she became more vivid until he could trace along her most intricate details, remembering every curvature and contour long after he awoke. Chocolate orbs would illuminate the tunnel, dusted with something so uncanny that it TERRIFIED him. She would reach out, her voice permeating the air around them, but it were as though he were trapped inside of a bubble, that melodic voice diluted. It cleared over time.

A violin would play in the background, dissonant intervals looming over the edges of his darkened soul, teasing what little humanity he held left. The irony was never lost on the man when he awakened. As the nightmares progressed, sleep came easier until at last, it was no longer sleep. They were no longer nightmares. And the ability to differentiate between a dream and a reality became NONEXISTENT.

                                           POOR DEVIL…

Tonight was different. Chestnut hues fluttered open accompanied by a deep breath that coaxed his heart rate to a slow rhythm. He didn’t jolt up in a cold sweat gasping for her. He wasn’t racing through a tunnel that never ended. There was no fear or torment at all. There was only peace, and had he been in his right mind, he would have been afraid. Perhaps he even would have realized that each time he disappeared into that netherworld, he left pieces of himself behind. However, he WASN’T in his right mind, was he?

His gaze fell upon his chest where slender digits worked through the knot of his tie, loosening the fabric from around his neck. The action was soon joined by a light ’tsk’, the provider grasping his attention so that his eyes flickered over to the side. Bright brown eyes framed by chocolate tresses and a coy smirk was the sight that met him, and rather than bolt upright and stumble away, he only offered a crooked smile. This was real. She was here.

                                           ♫ A ghost of you, is all that I have left.

                                              It’s all that I have left of you to hold

                                I wake in the night to find there’s no one there but me

                                          And nothing left of what we were at all… ♫

“Lijah…” Her voice was one of tender warning, a pointed look now flourishing across her face. “What did I tell you about falling asleep with this tie on? I mean, I get it. Usually I’m here to take it off you, but there’s a difference between reckless and self-destructive.”

And that was all that it took. One playful comment to remind him that there was no peace. There would never be peace. He was cursed to live FOREVER, and no noose could lay him to rest. His face fell, lip trembling and bloodshot eyes filling with tears. She was here even when she never would be. “I’m sorry.” The words rattled from his lips without clearance, and the girl now tilted her head with a light sucking of her teeth. Reaching up, she ruffled his disheveled hair playfully.

“Lijah… it wasn’t your fault. I told you about all that guilt stuff. What happened to me wasn’t your fault. What happened to Hayley is NOT your fault, and what’s happening to Hope and her having to live with her psycho pops? That is NOT your fault either. Don’t give me those eyes…”

Even as she said it, a tear streamed down his face, and a swift thumb swept it away. The feeling. It was almost COLD, a GHOST of what her touch once felt like upon his skin. How could it be real? No, it could never be REAL again.

“I do love those eyes.”

A sob tore from his lips upon registering her comment, looking away with haste. It wasn’t long before she steered his gaze back, and a firm hand came up to grasp hers. All he felt was COLD. “Come back to me. My Gia, pl-please come back to me. Just - just come back. Come back to me please! I beg of you!” She tried to shush him, a gentle hum, but it did nothing to quell him. “Please come back! I never - I never told you! I never told you that I - I love you. You - you are - everything. Everything, and Niklaus took that from me. Just - Gia, I beg of you. I - please don’t - don’t leave me again. I never told you. Please don’t-”

                                  She was already fading.

“GIA, PLEASE! PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU!”

“It’s okay, Lijah. I’ll visit you. I’ll keep visiting you until you can let go. And you WILL let go.”

“I - I don’t want to let go.”

“You HAVE to.”

“I DON’T WANT TO LET GO! NO! NO!”

Like a petulant child, he screamed and shouted until lights were flipped on and a distraught Freya was at his side, an arm around his chest, chanting a spell that would bring him down from the thrashing fit he was currently consumed by. Rebekah was there not moments after, terror in her eyes. In the weeks following Gia’s death, never had he broken. Never had he showed his hand and allowed Klaus to see just how BROKEN the younger’s most ruthless deed had left him. Yet now he was breaking at last, vulnerable and open for all the world to see, for all the French Quarter to hear.

“Please - don’t leave me.”

                                          She already had.

[moonhopedreams]

Reincarnation AU cantplaywithoutaheartbeat

Before Josephine died she cast a reincarnation spell on Gia. She didn’t entirely trust the Mikaelson family after reading Hayley’s future. All she could see was dark and gloomy things. So she protected Gia the only way she knew how. But neither Gia or Elijah knew Jospehine had done this. So when Gia went up into flames and Elijah watched the spell was enacted.

It has been fifty years now since Elijah had watched Gia burn in the flames because of the sun. It was the anniversary of that day and he had never taken that day well. He always went to a bar to get drunk. He didn’t want to feel anything on that day. All he wanted to do was be numb. He was on his fifth drink when he heard a familiar song. He felt his jaw go slack as he looked up at the stage and saw Gia preforming. And after she was done, she locked eyes with him and remembered everything from the years prior. She smiled and walked over to him drinking his drink before planting one on him.

[changethekey]

| The Edge Of Paradise |                                Closed RP

[acalculatedchaos]

The touches and assurances were all so simple that Elijah was tentative to start. How could he not be? When had his life, his existence, his duty to his family ever been simple? Yet that had been where Gia had come in. She had sworn to mess up his life, but that was exactly what he had needed. Someone to throw his logic out the window for him, someone to toss his clothes haphazardly across the floor as they rolled around in sheets that were no longer absent of creases, someone to allow him to blur the line between order and chaos, wild and composed. She had not been anything he had thought he wanted, but she had been everything he needed.

A laugh left his lips now, such a rare sound so colorful, so powerful. He loved her. There was no way to deny it. He loved her, and it was the most organic thing he had known in a very long time. His emotions for Hayley had been a mixture of so many things. He had been on the rebound from Katerina, and Hayley had been pregnant with the child that was to bring their family back together. She had been so many things for him, but it had been him sacrificing everything for her. In the end, Hayley had given up on him because his actions somehow were not enough, because words failed him. And yet Gia had never demanded anything of him. She had always simply been there, always held him up without him asking, always giving him something he didn’t know he needed. He wouldn’t make the same mistake. Not again.

“Gia.” He wet his lips, smile faltering only slightly. “I do not take my emotions lightly. I know that they are dangerous in great capacity, that those who I give my heart to become targets quite easily, and I become so blinded by those emotions that I am unable to save them. Had I allowed you to stay, I could have protected you. I had a better chance of protecting you here, and I had underestimated not only you but my feelings for you. I will not again. I - my heart is yours, and you do not have to compete. Ever.”

Somewhere in the very depths of his soul, something clicked into place. Perhaps it was the healing process, whether beginning or ending, and he embraced it. He stood now, holding her in his arms and reveling in the simply sensation of having her close. Having her here. “That is by far the best news that I have heard all day.” Speaking of which… His features fell, eyes darting around the compound in a show of subtle paranoia. “We should go elsewhere. The loft perhaps. Away from here before Niklaus returns.”

[changethekey]

It was crazy to think that they’d come this far. That anything had transpired between them at all, considering how it all began. With the way Marcel shoved them together like a playdate between two cranky toddlers, it was a wonder it didn’t end with him snapping her neck and heading back across the river to take his chances with his family again. Who could have ever imagined that the broken girl with nothing in life but a violin and a war that wasn’t hers and the boy with a shattered heart and no true home would find anything, least of all belonging, in each other? But despite the odds - and the damn python he sent her after that tried to kill her not once, but twice - they had. He had let her in, he’d shown her the good and the bad in his heart. He’d trusted her with more than anyone else ever had. Elijah had done exactly what Marcel said he would; he’d fixed her. He gave her hope. A reason to fight. And more than anything else...he made her feel wanted.  And she realized that day when he told her she didn’t need to guess with him that she loved him for it.  So when he told her that his heart was hers - and hers alone - it was only a handful of seconds before her hands were eagerly recapturing his cheeks, her lips drawing back to his to claim them in a passionate kiss. She had never been the most gifted with words. More often than not she ended up butchering whatever she was trying to say. But actions? Those had always been a talent. After several long and breathless moments, she finally pulled back, a flush settling over her fair cheeks when she realized how rash that probably seemed in response to his confession. A sheepish smile tugged at her lips as she moved one hand to tuck her hair behind her ear, “Sorry, I just...”  She paused for a few moments, trying to put the emotions rushing through her into words. This moment was one they would never get back, and she wanted it to count. She wanted him to know that this wasn’t another one sided love. Sucking in a deep breath, she met those warm hues again and went on in a quiet tone, “No one has ever made me feel the way you do. No one’s ever cared like you do. You’ve had my heart from the moment you gave me your trust, and I promise you, your heart will always be safe with me.” Now all that remained was finding a way to be safe from everything else. Or rather, everyone else. Dahlia. Finn, if he ever resurfaced....Klaus. For now her identity was a secret, but Elijah’s wasn’t...and how long would it be before one of his family members posed yet another threat to their lives? Clearly thinking along the same lines, Elijah finally voiced the same concerns as they stood from their place on the floor. As much as she wanted to take him up on his plan to head to the loft...not only were her memories of that place tainted with his brother’s attack, it wasn’t safe. Klaus knew it too well. And he may come looking for Elijah there. “Maybe we should find somewhere else? Just in case Klaus comes looking for you?” She was beating around the bush, but she didn’t want to rehash what had taken place at the loft. It would only serve to make Elijah feel guilty and it wasn’t his cross to bear. “There are a couple of foreclosures by the river...or, there were a few weeks ago, at least then we’d be out of sight long enough to come up with a plan?” 

[changethekey]

| The Edge Of Paradise |                                Closed RP

[acalculatedchaos]

He had been so beyond guilt that what was left of that which he had carried for a thousand years no longer felt relevant. The utter shock that this could happen again, so many times in the span of his existence, remained heavy upon his mind because despite all else, Niklaus was his brother. Brothers were not supposed to do this to one another. Niklaus claimed that Elijah had broken their vow, but Niklaus had broken it the day he had daggered Elijah, daggered all of their siblings and toted them around like luggage. And still, Rebekah and Elijah had maintained their vows, only ever doing what was for the good of the family. How could he be punished so frequently for being happy? It was that day, for only a few minutes, that Elijah had been jealous. For the first time, he had been jealous of Niklaus. Niklaus would have Camille and he would have Hope and he would have his family, but Elijah would have NOTHING.

Yet here she was.

Marcel had been right to label her a warrior, to give her such a valiant and relentless title because Gia would come back from the grave to fight for him in a way no one else ever had. The last time one came back from the grave, it was to punish him. Before that, it had been Katherine to seek out her freedom, and although she had wanted the same for him, she did not fight for him. But here was little warrior, and he knew it the moment their lips melded together, his hands moving to her waist where his fingers curled into the fabric there. Perhaps he didn’t recognize the body, but he most definitely recognized the spirit, that fire inside of her that fed his own. She was here.

“You came back.”

Looking up, he wondered if this were not a dream, if perhaps Klaus was inside of his head, but when she demanded he not give him that privilege, he couldn’t help but wave off that particular idea. She had always been so firm in her ways, stubborn to a fault, a pillar that did not sway in the eye of the storm. She had been HIS pillar. “I never got to say thank you.” It was the first thought that came to mind. The first one he could verbalize anyway. “I never got to say thank you, but I can say it now. Thank you for fighting for me because-” Looking up, he met her gaze, and even if this was a dream, he had to say it. He had to admit it aloud. Cupping her cheeks, he bit down hard on his lip to stop its trembling before he spoke. “It was you. There was no one else besides you, not then, not anymore. It was you, Gia. It was you, and I - I am sorry that I cursed you to die on my behalf. I am sorry, but I cannot lose you again. I can’t.”

[changethekey]

She’d never felt such an overwhelming wave of relief the way she did when she felt his hands at her waist. That kiss had finally allowed him to break through his guilt, his grief, and his anger to see the truth. And now there was no reason not to completely surrender themselves to the moment. They had been so close to never having this again. To being left with nothing but memories and separation. There had never been a better reason to throw caution to the wind, shove everything else aside, and just find joy in being in each other’s arms again.  A breathless laugh emitted from her lips at his words. There wasn’t much humor to found in a simple statement, but there was no containing her happiness. Even if she hadn’t returned in the most conventional way, who was she to complain at having her life back? Once she had pulled back, she gave a slight nod, her lips still curved in a smile, “I had to, someone has to remind you to pick the suit on the right every now and then.” she teased in a murmur, her fingers tracing along the nape of his neck. God it felt good to touch him. To feel the warmth of his skin and hear the beating of his heart and know that he wasn’t going to be torn away from her again.  Or at least that she was going to do everything in her power to prevent that from happening again.  When he finally pulled back and met her gaze, it was all she could do not to pull him right back into her arms, There was a brokenness in his eyes that she’d seen more than once before. A vulnerability that he rarely exposed to anyone but his family; the hurt that came with fighting a battle alone. He had stuck by his brother through seven shades of hell and the only thanks he ever seemed to get in return was sacrifice and heartbreak. She knew the mistakes weren’t on all on Klaus’s side...but what she hated was that it seemed to her that Elijah was the only one who ever fought for a loving relationship...and he’d finally run out of the desire to keep pushing for it when his brother wouldn’t meet him halfway. She couldn’t imagine the sting of feeling that rejection come from a sibling; she just hoped Klaus had enough sense to do something to fix it.  But, like she’d told Elijah, Klaus wouldn’t be taking this moment from them. In this moment, it was just about the two of them. About the joy of being back together...and the shock of his almost hurried confession.  She found it impossible not to lean into his touch when he brought his hands up to cup her cheeks. Slowly she moved her hands down so they rested on his thighs, unable to keep from touching some part of him...like it or not, some part of her feared this was all too good to be true. Feeling his presence just made it that much more real. As did his assurances that there hadn’t been anyone else. Her eyes widened slightly with surprise...it was something she didn’t ever think she’d hear from him. She’d never begrudged him his love for Hayley, or the other women in his past, but there was no denying how much his words meant to her. “You don’t need to thank me for that, Elijah. I wouldn’t have it any other way. But...” It was her turn to bite down on her own lip, only to give her a moment to build up the nerve to expose her own vulnerability to him as she went on in a murmur, “that means a lot to me. I’ve never been...well, I’ve never really been anyone’s only anything. I’m kind of glad you’re the first, though. Don’t tell anyone, but I sort of like you,” she teased softly, trying to pull him out of feeling guilty for any of what happened.  What happened...the blame lie solely with Klaus. He’d made his choices. And no matter the hurt or anger that had pushed him there, he was a grown man. Whatever he did was on him. Gia shook her head as much as their positions would allow and she rose her hands to catch his cheeks between her hands again, her icy blue orbs piercing as she said firmly, “Don’t ever apologize for what he’s done. It’s not your fault. It doesn’t matter what went down before all that, you’re not to blame for your brother’s actions. And as for losing me,” Slowly, she leaned forward and kissed him again. It was short lived, and she was tempted to draw it out, to push the boundaries as they had done so many times before, but she knew now wasn’t the time for that. So she pulled back after several long moments, her lips hovering only inches from his as she went on, a promising gleam in her gaze, “That’s never going to happen again. You’re stuck with me for good, Mikaelson.”

[changethekey]

| The Edge Of Paradise |                                Closed RP

[acalculatedchaos]

HAUNTED.

Although the Mikaelsons as a collective unit were the definition of cursed, Elijah himself was the embodiment of a haunting. It had once been a single face, and now, it may have just been two. Doe eyes, chocolate locks, an independence that shone like a beacon, an attitude. The women in his life had that in common, but he had always assumed that he would forever be the victim of his own vices, reaped by the Petrova doppelgangers for an eternity twice over. However now, it was no doppelganger that plagued his every thought. It was the woman who had messed his life up far more than a little bit.

Lip trembling, sweat decorating his brow, his hand began to slip from her slender neck. Had she uttered any other words, a name or a plea, he would have snapped her neck without further investigation. He would have ripped through her jugular with his teeth before smearing the blood across this godforsaken courtyard, but the words she uttered were something more than a mere claim.They were not just a desired identity. They were a landmark, a milestone, a remnant of what could have been. They were HER.

“Who are you?”

The words were but a whisper, but they seemed to shake the ground beneath them. His vision was blurred with unshed sorrow, the madness in his gaze shrouded by tears. This could not be. He could not endure this again. He had only just recovered from Tatia. The nightmares had at last departed, and it had been due to Gia and her fearless stance against them, her will to remain beside him even when he woke up screaming, her stubborn need to hold him when he wanted nothing more than for her to leave him to suffer in silence. His family allowed him to. She would never.

“WHO ARE YOU! What kind of - blasphemy is this!” Turning, he faced the open courtyard, searching for his brother’s wicked gaze. “What is your affliction, Niklaus! What do you want from me! You already took her from me! What else do you want! What is it! Take it! Take it! Just - leave me - BE! Leave…”

It was the sound of his name that gave him pause. It was more than a ring this time, more defined, more pronounced. Her words had been so firm, so like Gia to utilize sass on the man who wielded it like a sword. Yet how could it be? How could she have returned to him? He was cursed. He was haunted, but never, under any circumstances, was he HAPPY.

Falling to his knees before her, he slumped in defeat, hanging his head in shame. “Please do not do this to me. I cannot spend the rest of my days losing you.”

[changethekey]

Before Elijah, Gia had never fought to have something with another person before. She’d never cared enough about someone else to in the past. When it had come to her siblings, she’d given them all she had, but that had always been a one sided ordeal. With them being as young as they were and still under their mother’s roof, there was only so much they could do. And once her mom threw her out, there wasn’t anything to fight for. But even if there had been, this would have been different. Because this wasn’t one sided. This wasn’t one person fighting for another; this was two people standing together to fight the battle. And she knew then and there that she would have fought for them with her dying breath.  The intensity of the thought startled her, but she did nothing to fight it as she continued to hold his gaze, begging him to believe her. She knew it was impossible...but she hoped his history in that department would at least leave him willing to listen. As his hand slid from her neck, she still held on to his fingers, so reluctant to let go. It reminded her a little too painfully of when...it happened. As she’d looked up at him, all she could think was that she just wanted to feel his touch one last time. This was far from what she’d pictured in that moment, but she’d take it all the same. 

“Elijah I know it’s im-” His cries cut her off, and she just couldn’t bring herself to try again. She winced at the agony in his voice, at the brokenness his brother had caused. She knew she was powerless against the man who had caused her death, but she would have gladly used whatever strength this body muster to rip his throat out with her bare hands for doing this to Elijah.  She swallowed hard against the rise of emotion in her throat, watching as he sunk to his knees in front of her. His grief was like a knife in her heart and it was only a few heartbeats before she was following him, her knees brushing against his as she settled on the stone floor. Releasing his hand, she captured his cheeks between her hands, drawing his gaze up to meet hers. He was so lost in pain she doubted much she said right now would really resonate with him. So she didn’t speak. She kissed him.  It was gentle at first, just an attempt to snap him out of his pain so he could see the truth. But gentle had never exactly been their thing. No matter the circumstances, only a few seconds passed before she could feel that spark crackling in the air around them, and suddenly she just didn’t give a damn about formalities. They’d been so close to never having this again; wasting a moment to convince him this moment wasn’t a lie was a sin she wasn’t willing to commit.  Their lips molded together in a familiar melody, and though it was different, there was no denying it was them. Her touch may have come from different her hands, her kiss from a strangers lips, but the outpouring of passion could have never belonged to anyone else. Her hands slid from his cheeks to weave behind his neck, her fingers lacing through his hair, holding on to him as if afraid he would fade away. Though she never said it out loud, maybe she was.  It was only after several long and breathless moments before she finally pulled back, her forehead resting against his. Her breath remained somewhat short, reminding her of how long it had been since she needed that pause...ow how sweet the anticipation could be. “This has nothing to do with him. Don’t let him take this moment from you.”  If she was sure of anything, it was that Klaus had robbed Elijah of enough joy in his life. This moment was theirs and theirs alone, she wouldn’t let Klaus poison it. Her lips curved in that same smile once more as she bent to press her lips softly against his once more, “This isn’t a trick; I’m alive, Elijah. I don’t know how she did it, but Davina found a way to bring me back...just in a different body.” She doubted he needed an explanation as to why. But that wasn’t what was important. What mattered was that Davina had found a way to reverse what Klaus had done...and now the future before them wasn’t painted in death and grief.

[kaja-nora-arrendale]

[changethekey]

| The Edge Of Paradise |                                Closed RP

[acalculatedchaos]

The dagger through the heart had come shortly prior to Papa Tunde’s blade seeping into his chest, that pain dulling in comparison to the sheer agony that had crippled the eldest Original’s body when Niklaus did the most sadistic and unforgivable thing a brother, a human being, could do. But he wasn’t human, was he?

Of all of the things that he had done from daggering his siblings countless times to having Celeste and her witches slaughtered to running Katerina to the ends of the earth and back to everything in between, this was by far the worst. At first, Elijah believed it was simply the straw that broke the camel’s back, but he soon realized that it was no straw. This was so much heavier than that.

“We are beyond redemption.”

He had never foreseen himself saying it, but more so, he had never foreseen himself MEANING it. And oh, did he mean it. Gia had caught him by surprise. She had been the rose that grew through the concrete, that which bloomed in a dark room with unbridled beauty. She was the abandoned cabin in the middle of the woods during the storm, a bit broken and battered and in need of some restoration. So was he. And they fit perfectly with each other amongst broken pieces and shattered glass. She never saw the Original or the noble stag or the monster within. She only saw Elijah. And he would have carried the world on his shoulders if it would mean she would only ever have to carry that violin upon hers.

“You broke - a family.”

Because it was Niklaus who had broken their vow long before Elijah daggered him. Niklaus had only ever cared for his brother when it was convenient, and he had been quick to destroy his brother just as easily when it was convenient. Elijah had allowed him to do so for far too long. He had held on. He had believed in his ability to salvage some semblance of his brother’s humanity, and he had been wrong. Not for Hope, not for their family, for Niklaus. “Niklaus would do what was best for Niklaus.” And after one thousand years, Elijah admitted it aloud, but more importantly, to himself.

“IS THIS IS IT, BROTHER! IS THIS THE HOME THAT WE HAVE BUILT TOGETHER HERE! IS THIS IT! IS IT, NIKLAUS! ALWAYS AND FOREVER! NO! MY FOREVER HAS BEEN PAID! I AM DONE WITH YOU!”

Niklaus had stood speechless as Elijah began to tear down the fixtures of the compound, of their home, the home Elijah had promised to him. When he reached Klaus’s paintings, ripping them from their easels and the walls and the tables, shredding them to bits without blinking, the hybrid had made to stop him but knew it would be of no good. He left silently, off to meet Rebekah and baby Hope so as to allow Elijah to absolve his grief. Perhaps once he finished with this room.

He didn’t.

Skipping the nursery, everything else was in ruin, and soon, the courtyard became nothing more than ash and ruin. So alike Gia’s body. “This - is not a home! NOT. A. HOME! HOME IS FOR FAMILY! WE - ARE NOT - A FAMILY!” If one had believed that Elijah had been off his rocker the day he slaughtered a diner full of people, they had been wrong. If he himself had believed that Niklaus had broken him the day Hayley died, he had been so terribly wrong. Today. After weeks of holding it together and focusing on the matter at hand and bottling it up, today came. Today was the day Niklaus had broken him. Today was the day they would never recover from. That HE would never recover from. Far beyond redemption.

When an unfamiliar voice broke through his trance, causing the veins beneath his eyes to recede, his wrath was at its peak, prepared to destroy any and all that was in his way. Turning, his chest heaved with great exertion and his suit was in disarray. He looked like the epitome of a madman, and it was disconcerting in itself. Sweeping across the space, a firm hand wrapped around the slender blonde’s throat, slamming her against the wall despite the evident pulse beneath the skin. A fragile human. “Is this - that BASTARD’S idea of redemption! A meal!” He shrieked, voice breaking with such ease. He attempted to reign himself in, to offer even a sliver of the noble original he was known to be. Futile. “Now. Tell me - whose blood I will be ruining this suit with. Please.”

[changethekey]

In a perfect world, she might have called walking in to find Elijah like this a shock. In a different world, or even a different life, maybe. But not in this one. In this world, Elijah had been pushed to the ends of the earth already, and it didn’t take much to realize that his brother’s most recent string of actions had finally pushed him too far. It was too much pressure, too much pain, and it had always been bound to catch up to him.  Now it seemed it had. She just hoped this wasn’t a sign that something else had happened.  When he finally rounded on her, she felt her heart clench at the sight of the wild glint in his eyes. She’d never feared him, not even when they were total strangers and he was near desperate to avoid the burden of training her. He’d struck her as many things, but never a threat.  Not until now.  She opened her mouth to speak, to explain, but he was across the room before she could utter so much as a sound. The shock dulled the pain of being pressed into the stone wall, but it did nothing for the hand that was wrapped around her throat, nearly cutting off her air supply. On instinct her hands rose to claw at his, desperate for air, her eyes wide and frantic. It was hardly the time to think of what ifs, but she had to kick herself for not getting Davina to call him and explain before she came walking through the door.  Because he was in no mood to entertain a stranger. Not when he thought she was some kind of perverse peace offering from Klaus. She shook her head as much as his grip would allow, her gaze locked on his as she prayed he would listen before snapping her neck. Or...whatever it was he had planned that would stain his suit.  Knowing she probably only had a few seconds to change his mind, she shoved away her instinct to beg him to stop, or ask him to listen or hear her out. That could wait. For now, she just needed to stop him. She forced herself to relax as much as possible, reminding herself that he wouldn’t be doing this if he knew the truth. “It’d be a shame to do that; that looks like the suit from the middle.” she managed to get out, that unfamiliar voice still trembling. She hated seeing him like this...she could only hope knowing the truth might at least ease some of his pain. 

Slowly, she moved her hands so they rested over his, her lips turning up in a small smile that even in a different body was undeniably hers. “Elijah, it’s me.”

[changethekey]

| The Edge Of Paradise |                                Closed RP

{ methodtomymxdness​ } Resurrection wasn’t the overwhelming flood of joy that so many movies would have you believe. At least, not entirely. The movies always neglected the hard parts. They showed the happiness of reunions and the relief of having a lost loved one back in your arms...but they never lasted long enough to see what happened when the shock wore off. They never showed the vulnerability of suddenly finding yourself alive again, nor of having to fear the same thing that cut your life short could easily happen again.  And they really never touched on the complications that came with waking up in a new body, suddenly human again, with no explanation but a witch you’d met a handful of times telling you not to blow your second chance at life.  That had been a little over twelve hours ago, but it still felt just as fresh now. She felt like she was living in a dream, like if she pinched herself hard enough she’d wake up in that strange in between world to the harsh reality that she was still dead. This wasn’t supposed to be possible, yet somehow Davina had managed to pull it off. But it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Yeah, she was alive again, but she was human again. Humanity only added to that sense of vulnerability, and she found herself aching for the strength she’d grown used to running in her veins.  And...she wasn’t...herself. It shouldn’t have been a surprise. When Klaus compelled her to kill herself, her body had been reduced to ashes. There was no way she could have just gone back - but that didn’t make staring at a stranger’s face in the mirror any easier. Just as getting the ‘second chance at life’ didn’t erase the threat to her continued existence. If Klaus found out she was alive, what were the odds that he’d just let her live? She had been Elijah’s punishment; and somehow she doubted the Original hybrid would be too keen on just letting bygones go.  If she’d been smart, she would have run. She would have left New Orleans in her rearview and started a new life. She had a new face, and it wasn’t like anyone would come looking for her. Davina had assured her that she wouldn’t say a word to anyone about her resurrection if she decided to run.  All she would have had to do is get on a bus and never look back.  But she couldn’t. There was one reason she’d never be able to walk away so easily again; Elijah.  She knew it was crazy to let herself be so ruled by her emotions (especially since, arguably, her death had been a result of that), to risk what she knew was her only second chance just to go back for a man that she still wondered if his heart would always belong to someone else...but she didn’t have the will to do anything but. That last moment they shared when he told her she didn’t have to guess still played through her mind on a continuous loop...the image of his grief when she looked up at him through the balcony bars hadn’t stopped haunting her.  No matter how unconventional or ill timed their connection had been...it was real. They were real. And she cared about him too much not to go back, no matter the risks. Even if all that came of it was absolving him of the unwarranted guilt and grief she was sure he would let himself drown in.  So instead of fleeing New Orleans, she was walking back through the doors of the compound, trying to ignore her racing heart. The last time she’d been here...well, she didn’t need to go there. But being back was anything but comforting.  Especially when she was being greeted by the sounds of the courtyard being demolished.  She froze almost as soon as she moved through the doors, blue orbs widening with shock as she watched Elijah tear apart everything in his path. The metal chairs which usually sat in clusters around the room now lay in twisted scraps by the stone walls, mangled by his strength. Planters and statues lie in pieces around them. His anger...his fury was so palatable she could feel it in every nerve in her body. It took only a matter of seconds to come up with a list of things that could have pushed him this far, though her immediate fear was that something had happened to Hope. Davina hadn’t been kept in the loop for a while so she had no answers to her questions about the youngest Mikaelson and the psychotic witch that had been trying to take her. Had Dahlia made another move...had Klaus?  Scared for him, and for Hope, she finally managed to force her frozen limbs to move again, her steps echoing as she moved further into the room. She knew he would hear, if not her footsteps than her heart hammering in her chest. She only wished when he turned that he’d see her.  “Elijah?” Despite herself, her voice shook, and she winced at the sound. It wasn’t her voice. It was a different pitch and it still sounded strange in her ears. But she didn’t really have any choice in the matter but to get used to it. She’d much rather be alive in a stranger’s body than dead in her own.  She waited with baited breath for him to turn. It had been weeks since her death...but it felt like it had been a lifetime since she’d seen him. Since she’d felt his touch or seen that familiar glow in his eyes. She tried to prepare herself not to see the same joy in his eyes that she felt in her heart; when he finally turned he wouldn’t see the dark haired woman he’d once trained to fight.  There was so much standing in their way...so many risks, but she knew without a doubt that she’d do whatever she had to not to be away from him again.