◤ 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖗𝖙𝖞: ❛ a dance of
desire ❜ ◢

✧

ELIJAH'S EYES MOVED CONFLICTEDLY FROM MARISOL TO THE STILL KLAUS. His breath hitched as he hesitated, helping Marisol to her feet again but not answering her previously imposed question. She still felt a little shaky – a hybrid slamming you into a wall with all their strength and breaking your bones would do that to you, even with vampire blood to heal.

          She stumbled a little but Elijah was there to ground her, and muttered out a little thanks for the effort. Once she found her footing, she looked to meet his eyes again, but he was trained towards his brother who he incapacitated. Any sighting of Marcel or Rebekah was long gone by now, and Marisol hoped they just kept running. A vengeful Klaus was not a friendly one by any means.

          "We'll get Klaus back to the Compound," Elijah began, "And decide the rest from there."

          "You're not really gonna leave him in this state?" Marisol eyed Klaus' figure suspiciously. On one hand, he could go on a warpath for his sister and Marcel, but on the other...

          What had even subdued him? Elijah plunged a dagger through him, but daggers don't normally work like that. Confusion meddled in her head and she felt utterly clueless to what happened, only that Klaus was down for the count and she didn't know why. Didn't know what was holding his body hostage.

          Elijah hesitated again as she turned her gaze back to him. "I want to be certain that Rebekah has time to run."

          "And so you'll leave him like this?" Marisol questioned again, demanding an answer, not simply asking.

          "He has left us in worst states for long periods of time before," Elijah avoided answering the question and she scoffed. This family – they aggravated her because they hurt each other, complained about it, and did it again.

          She couldn't imagine ever harming Magnus, and yet the Mikaelsons had no qualms in destroying each other. It was strange, though not unfound, and even if she didn't agree with much of what Klaus did, he didn't deserve this. None of them deserved to be daggered in any way shape or form.

          "Elijah," her tone was soft, because even though she was angry, she remembered how Klaus used him as a bargaining chip with Davina, "I know that Klaus has done this to you, but that doesn't justify you doing it to him. It's...if you want this cycle to end, don't perpetuate it. And would you really keep him like this when his baby is being born?"

          "Don't use that against me," Elijah eyed her, his tone sharp. Marisol reeled back for a moment, because never had Elijah used such a tone towards her. She had heard it before, plenty of times now, but it had never been directed to her. It had never been him harsh with her. Disappointed, sure, but not sharp. Not cold.

          "Marisol –"

          His eyes filled with guilt when he saw her take a step back, as if he had burned her, but she moved further. He stood, as if frozen in place. "I didn't mean to be so cruel."

          "No, maybe I did go too far, but you have to admit that I made a point. A good one," Marisol crossed her arms.

          "But that doesn't excuse my tone. I didn't mean to snap at you, I shouldn't have, and I apologize."

          His eyes were sincere, so terribly sincere, and they made her want to melt, but she couldn't. She swallowed and turned away. "I understand," she cleared her throat, "We should get Klaus back to the Compound, like you said. There's no use keeping him here, especially when we don't know who could be coming."

          "Right," Elijah didn't seem pleased by her topic change, but he didn't fight against it. He moved towards Klaus, easily picking him up and slinging his brother across his back. Then, he offered his hand, "You coming?"

          This time, there was no hesitation on either end. She moved to him, taking his hand, and allowing him to lift her up so that they could speed across New Orleans back to the Compound. He let her go when they entered the courtyard.

          "I'll place Klaus in bed, but then I'll be back," his eyes seemed like a promise, and she wanted to keep it for him.

          She nodded and he moved away in a blink. There was no way she would ever get used to that. Even with Magnus, it was still strange, but at least he had the courtesy not to use it much around her. Being there in a blink and gone the next gave her whiplash.

          She moved around the courtyard, but not to any other room in the building, waiting for Elijah. She heard him walk down the stairs, and soon he was near her again. "So, what exactly was that blade?" she asked him, and it felt like dancing around him.

          They had danced many times. Metaphorically, as she felt they often did now. So close to a truth but so determined to keep it a secret. But she also remembered the balls, how he spun her, how he held her, how intimately close they used to be as if she was bearing her soul to him. In many ways, she was. Oh, how young she had been.

          But now, with his eyes trained on her, just the two of them – it felt like another dance. She tried to ease her heartbeat, realizing that this was the first time they had been alone since he admitted he cared for her. Completely alone.

          "If you would please, I would like to end any discussion about Niklaus. I wish...to talk to you about other matters," he asked formally, and she swallowed again.

          "Humor me with just this one, if you will," she smiled, a little crude and not politely.

          He nodded in her direction. "Camille was given a blade from a witch – every moment he has it inside him he is being caused untold suffering."

          Her head turned sharply towards him. "And you still want to keep this inside of him?"

          "I'm aware it is cruel, but is not unfounded. I promise that I won't keep it in him forever, I already have a plan for after," Elijah assured her.

          She gave him a look of apprehension before breaking eye contact, moving away from him and continuing the dance around him. "Well, I used my one question – two, actually. You let me get away with another."

          "It needed to be answered," Elijah said before moving closer, "But yes...I admit seeing you thrown by Klaus terrified me. I have never seen you harmed like that."

          "It's happened before," she shrugged, "But I've been good lately about not getting harmed. I do have some self-preservation skills, Elijah."

          He gave her a little smile. "Still, I told you before that I don't like seeing you hurt."

          "You healed me," she countered, "And if you hadn't, I would've healed quickly anyway. It was just some broken bones."

          It was more than that, but she was determined to keep that to herself. Elijah was already bearing enough of his soul, and didn't need him to worry about her. She was fine, she could take care of herself – she had for a long time.

          "Perhaps, but in the moment, it felt like more than just some 'broken bones'." Elijah inched closer, "I care about you, Marisol, that was not a lie. I don't enjoy seeing those I care about be harmed."

          "I know you care about me, but I don't exactly know how to interpret that," Marisol admitted, because what she wanted it to mean didn't always correlate to what it actually meant, "Because I know you care about Hayley, and your siblings, and you care about me – but it feels different. Maybe I'm seeing it wrong, but it feels like that caring is different."

          Elijah let out a small laugh, and some joy took over his features for a second as he took another step closer. "You're correct. My care for Hayley and my siblings is different from my feelings towards you. Marisol, from the moment I met you, I knew you were an incredible woman. You have inspired me, and made me realize that there is much more outside of my duty towards Niklaus."

          Her eyes went downcast, because there were so many words to argue his claim, but none of them wanted to spring from her tongue. Her mouth willed her to be silent and let him continue.

          "I hold such adoration towards you that it is difficult to see you harmed, which is why I wish to protect you. I hope that this adoration is not unwelcome."

          And then his eyes were on her, waiting for an answer. Her mouth felt dry suddenly because he was waiting for her to respond, waiting to see if she adored him, and she wanted to laugh, because how could she not adore him? How could he not notice how much she adored him?

          He made it so easy to love him, to fall for him, to want him. Even when she pushed him away, he weaseled back in and she wanted him to stay. She wanted a forever and always so badly her heart bled for it.

          "Elijah...of course I adore you. Even when I didn't want to, I did," and it felt like no words could ever represent the feelings she had towards him, because they were failing her more than ever now, "You were the first person who allowed me to be free."

          And as he moved towards her again, the distance between them was almost none, and it was that intimate closeness of a dance at a ball. He was right there, the only person in her sightline, and he grasped her head and pulled her into a kiss which she reciprocated without hesitation. With him, there was no reason to hesitate, so she let herself be overwhelmed by it. By him.

          And in that moment, nothing else mattered. As her heart beat rapidly in her chest, as she let everything fall away, it was just him and her. Him overwhelming her, him grasping her, him kissing her.

          When they broke away, her eyes locked to him, and a smile coated her features. He cared for her, and she cared for him. In that moment, nothing else mattered.

✧

          BUT THEY WEREN'T the only people in the world. That was the tragic part of it, in the end, and they were torn away by duties to others. Elijah couldn't leave Klaus in this state of internal torture through the blade, and Marisol had to let him go. While he believed there was a world outside of his brother, Klaus was still a central part of his, and he couldn't leave him yet.

          Marisol frowned as she searched the Compound in pursuit of Hayley, only finding no trace of the pregnant werewolf. She didn't wonder aloud as to not alert Elijah of her growing concern, but something didn't sit right inside of her, unable to find the girl. And as she worried for Hayley, it mixed with her fear for Marcel.

          She had never seen Klaus so murderous before last night, eyes snapping to his sister and Marcel, destroying anything in his path. She liked to think that Klaus didn't want to hurt her on a normal day, but that was not certainly not a normal day. Her saving grace was that she wasn't the one he wanted dead; Marcel was.

          She called Marcel's phone but received no answer. She called Hayley's phone and nothing. Her heart began to race at all the possibilities that neither of them were able to be reached. Marcel she could excuse with him running, but Hayley...

          Her phone rang. She raced to pick it up, seeing Marcel's name on the screen, and didn't hesitate to accept the call.

          "Please tell me that you and Rebekah are far, far away from New Orleans by now," she said in lieu of a greeting. Those were less important, and she was hoping that there would be the chance of greeting each other at a different point in time.

          "Not exactly," Marcel trailed off.

          She raised an eyebrow, though he couldn't see it. "Not exactly? This isn't a free response question; it's yes or no. It's, yes we are far away and we're safe or no we didn't run for our lives because we want to die. There's no in-between."

          "Well, there is when you need a cloaking spell," Marcel interjected, "The worst part about running away from Klaus Mikaelson is that we won't stop searching for you. So, cloaking spell."

          "...So you're still here. In the city," Marisol concluded, "You better be glad that Elijah hasn't undaggered Klaus yet, but he's about to."

          "Thank you."

          "Don't thank me, Marcel. It's Elijah's decision and I'm not interfering with it. The only reason he hasn't done it yet is to buy Rebekah time, and by extension you, which you haven't used," Marisol said a bit sharp. When she ran from Klaus, she didn't hesitate. She ran and she kept running, never stopping until he found her. All she could think about was how foolish Marcel was being by staying for a cloaking spell in New Orleans.

          "We won't stay here forever. We just need to kill the resurrected witches until Davina comes back, then she'll do the cloaking spell and the three of us will leave forever," Marcel said as if it was simple. Not murder, not resurrection, just an afternoon tea together.

          "What makes you think the first thing Davina will want to do after coming back from the dead is help you with a cloaking spell? Marcel, she died. She's dead right now. You can't just expect her to be back and running again," Marisol shook her head.

          "She's the best shot we have. I have to believe," Marcel finished and she sighed.

          "I won't tell on you, but I'm not going to help you either. You're on your own for this, but I won't try and stop you. Understand?"

          "Understand. Thank you, Mars."

          A part of her softened with the nickname, because life was so much easier when she was just Mars – the human who knew too much. Not the werewolf, not the protector, not the one involved with the Mikaelsons fighting a war with the witches and trying to protect a baby. When it was just her, Marcel, and Amelia.

          "Just...try and live, okay?"

          "I have no intention of dying."

          "Good. Good luck, Marcel."

          She ended the call, not waiting for him to have a final response, and rounded the corner of the Compound to where Klaus' room was. Elijah looked at her but didn't mention the phone call, "I called Camille here. She'll keep Niklaus company when I take the dagger out."

          "Camille?" she raised an eyebrow, because the name didn't ring a bell to her.

          "She's a human who he seems at least a little infatuated with," Elijah supplied.

          "Ah," Marisol nodded, but there was still confusion about who this human was.

          Elijah took her hand, enveloping it in her own and she had never noticed before the difference between them. He practically engulfed her. "After Niklaus awakes, I'm going to the witches for a tracking spell on Sabine. Join me?"

          "Of course," she confirmed. She looked at him, and how close they were, and it seemed to dawn on her that she could kiss him whenever she wanted. There was no more dancing around each other, because he was holding her hand and he cared for her, she for him, and there was no reason to hide her desires and bottle them.

          So, she did. She gave him a kiss and he didn't hesitate to return it, and when it break, they stood staring at each other for a moment before someone entered the Compound asking for Elijah.

          He cleared his throat, taking his hand from Marisol's, which left her with a sense of emptiness. "That would be Camille. Excuse me for a moment," and he disappeared from her eyes.

          She took a hair tie and put her hair up while she waited, peering into Klaus' room and to his incapacitated figure. She had never seem him like this; taken down. He was always the one standing victorious over others. It might've been jarring if she didn't think some part of him needed to be put down.

          She watched as Elijah lead a blonde woman to Klaus' room, explain to her the situation and what he wanted before leaving her behind, joining Marisol. "Ready?" he asked, offering his hand towards her.

          "Ready," she nodded, taking his hand and allowing herself to be picked up and rushed to the cemetery.

          Elijah didn't let go of her hand when they stopped running, holding her at his side as they entered the cemetery to where Monique Deveraux was chanting and conducting a ritual.

          "When order is restored, your kind won't be allowed in here," the teenager said, peering to Elijah, when she heard them enter.

          "Well, fortunately, that day has not yet come. I need to find Sabine," Elijah informed her, "I believe she's taken someone very important to me."

          Ah, so he also knew about the missing Hayley. Well, that explained why he wanted to Sabine/Celeste.

          Monique scoffed at the implication. "And you thought I'd help you?" she stood up, and the way she conducted herself was much more powerful than just a sixteen-year-old, "Sabine is one of us, committed to the rise of the witches."

          "The only thing Sabine is committed to is the destruction of my family," Elijah countered.

          "And that would be a bad thing why?" Monique raised an eyebrow, and Marisol tightened her grip on Elijah's hand. She couldn't let the Mikaelsons be destroyed when she finally got to kiss Elijah.

          "Like your mother, my mother was also a witch, a very powerful witch. In fact, because of my family, her power now flows through your veins. Now, once Sabine manipulates those around her, she will do what she has always done. She will jump into another body and disappear, leaving your witches powerless."

          It was now she felt incredibly foolish for ever considering the fact that Elijah and Celeste would ever reconvene and love each other again. Knowing Celeste now, that would never be possible.

          "No," Monique disagreed, shaking her head like she could never believe that Sabine would be a liar, "She has the faith. She will see our power restored."

          "There's a way of guaranteeing this. I'll also secure the safety of yourself and your kind. Here," he broke away from Marisol to fish a spell out of his pocket, "This is from my mother's grimoire. Celeste used a similar spell to body jump. If what Sabine says is true, when she sacrifices herself, all of her power will flow back into the earth. However, if she has lied and tries to take another body, this spell will deliver her to a very different destination. Now, please locate Sabine."

          Monique stared him down, searching his face for any sign of deception before nodding. "Alright. I agree."

          Elijah nodded, interlocking his hand with Marisol's again, and they watched as Monique performed the locator spell on Sabine. When it was done and her coordinates were for the bayou, Elijah thanked her and whisked Marisol away.

          "I thought we were done with the bayou," she complained when she opened her eyes again and they were in the swamp, "Well, I was hoping anyway."

          "I admit that I did not consider this as a place we would return to either, but I suppose I should have, considering Hayley's love for it," Elijah agreed with a simple shrug, "Shall we?"

          "I guess," Marisol sighed, walking with Elijah deeper into the bayou, and then she felt herself being picked up again and rushed deeper in.

          Then, again, she opened her eyes and before her was Hayley, Celeste, and Eve. "Whatever she's promised you, it's a lie," Elijah told Hayley, and Marisol blinked. She definitely missed something.

          "Elijah, it's okay. I'm okay," Hayley assured him.

          But Elijah didn't look to her, his eyes trained on the bound witch. "She cannot be trusted."

          "She's the only one that can help my pack."

          "Do you have any idea what she has done to our family?" Elijah questioned, but Hayley didn't have any intention on answering, only deflecting with, "I know you want revenge, and come the next full moon, when I'm sure her cure works, she's all yours."

          "Okay wait – hold up, cure?" Marisol broke in.

          Hayley hesitated before nodding. "Celeste cursed the werewolves as Brynne Devereaux before, and now she has the curse to reverse it."

          "And you trust her?" Marisol asked, talking to Hayley as if explaining something to a child.

          "I have to."

          "That's not a yes," Marisol shook her head, "And-And a month? For the next full moon?"

          "Are you suggesting that we hold her – her – captive for an entire month? It would take an army," Elijah said.

          "And I've got one," Hayley motioned the wolves behind her, and they howled in agreement, "So help me or get out of my way."

          Elijah paused before his eyes reached Celeste, and then he and the witch were gone. Marisol blinked, but wasn't entirely surprised by that turn of events and gazed at Hayley.

          "It would take more than an army to hold her. She's a witch – an old and powerful one," Marisol said, "And I don't know how you got it in your head that you could trust her."

          "I do because I have to, because the wolves need me and her to break their curse," Hayley stared at her, not breaking down.

          Eve stared at Marisol, as if disappointed with her. "Wolves are supposed to stick together. We do."

          Marisol scoffed. "Oh, don't give me that pack bond shit. I'm doing what's best for my family, and what's best is not having wolves turn back human and then attack my family."

          "They won't," Hayley shook her head, "I'll make sure of it."

          "Even you can't control a pack of wolves," she looked to the pregnant woman, "They'll go after Marcel, and I won't let that happen."

          "So I'm supposed to let my family rot? To – To stay cursed because you're scared?" Hayley began turning red in anger.

          Marisol stared at her. "Family isn't blood. It isn't lineage and parentage. It's love. It's care. It's the people you want by your side forever. They're the people you trust and would die for. That's what you haven't figured out yet."

          "Maybe to you, that's family, but to me – it's different. The wolves are my family, and I won't let them continue to live like that," Hayley shook her head.

          "If you do this, it's your mess. I'm not going to get involved, I'm not going to help you, I'm not going to protect you. This will be your circus to run. I stayed to protect you against the wolves and the vampires, not the werewolves."

          "I don't need you to protect me."

          Marisol shrugged, "Maybe so. But you'll never know for certain."

          She let Hayley sit with that, not saying anything more and turning away from the pregnant woman to let her know that the conversation was over. And she waited. Until Elijah returned with Celeste and the mason jar with the supposed cure in hand.

          He handed the jar to Hayley, and Marisol watched. Not saying a word, she moved away looking out to the swamp, leaning on the cabin where Elijah suffered his werewolf bite in.

          She heard footsteps behind her but she didn't look to see what it was. "I know you think I'm doing the wrong thing, but I have to do this. Not just for me, but for them. I can't let doubts for what could go wrong stop me. I hope you'll forgive me."

          Of course it was Hayley. So sure, so determined. Marisol had never been like this in her youth, always taking whatever anyone gave her. She didn't have the privilege to stand up and fight back.

          "It's not a matter of forgiveness. You're not wronging me. I just don't trust them. I don't think I ever will," Marisol finally turned to her, "But I want one thing to be clear. If there ever comes a time when Marcel is still here and the wolves want him dead; I will kill the wolves. Every time. Without hesitation. Marcel is my family, and I will destroy your family for him."

          Hayley faltered for a second. Sadness filled her eyes for another before she nodded. "I understand. As long as you understand that I will stand with the wolves."

          This was the wedge. There always came a day where something wedged itself between Marisol and those she cared about, tearing them apart. She had a guess for Elijah and Marcel, but now Hayley's was confirmed.

          And nothing would ever be the same between them again. But that was the price Hayley had to pay, and she already decided that she would. There was no reconciling this now. What was done was done, and there was no turning back.

          Marisol moved past her, going in search for Elijah. She found him with the unconscious body of Sabine/Celeste, her with a bloody neck and him with a bloody mouth.

          "Well, I have to say I didn't imagine finding you like this," she blinked.

          "A moment of uncontrollable anger," Elijah said in lieu of an apology, "Care to join me in to the cemetery?"

          "Are we laying Celeste to rest?" Marisol asked, smiling slightly.

          "Something like that," he held out his hand, and in another second, they were at the cemetery again. And really, when did her life become so morbid that she had visited a cemetery much too often for her liking?

          Elijah propped Celeste's body against a grave and Marisol sat on top of another, waiting for the witch to wake up. When she did, she looked groggy but overly proud of something, smirking at the two, "Now, you didn't have to bite me to get me here. I wanted front-row seats to this show."

          "And what show would that be?"

          Celeste stood up, "The one where you see your 'Always and Forever' pact come crashing down around you. It's a myth, Elijah. A myth I died for."

          "And yet here you stand alive...for now."

          "Is that a threat?" Celeste raised an eyebrow, "Oh, there's always another pretty, young body for me to jump into. From now on, every time you feel a connection to a woman, you'll be forced to wonder if it's me. You'll trust no one and spend the rest of eternity alone."

          "I don't think that will be a problem," and he took Marisol's hand to show her. A surge of pride shot through Marisol, because he was claiming her against his psycho ex who wanted to watch him fall.

          Celeste looked a little surprised, as if Marisol wasn't part of the plan, but shook it off. She moved away, crossing the threshold of the cemetery, and Elijah moved to follow her before finding himself slammed into an invisible barrier.

          And then the witch laughed as he tried again. "I'm afraid you're trapped. Boundary spell. The Originals can enter, but they can't leave."

          "You wouldn't," Elijah dared her, nostrils flaring.

          She only smirked at him. "I would, and I did. Don't worry. It's a lunar spell. You'll be free by the next moonrise. My guess is, your sister won't last that long. Ah, while this body has been a hell of a lot of fun, I do think it's time I find someone else to play in, don't you?"

          Celeste picked up a candle in a glass jar on the ground, smashing it against a tree before taking a shard of glass and drawing it across her neck. She coughed, but fell pitifully dead. Before either could react, Monique appeared from the shadows, a look of disappoint coating her features.

          "You were right," and then pointed in another direction, showing them that Celeste was awakening in her original body, meaning Monique had in fact performed the ritual Elijah had given her.

          Elijah went to Celeste, but Marisol stayed behind. She watched for the distance, but allowed Elijah to have his goodbye. This was between him and an old lover turned foe, it wasn't for her.

          "Thank you," Marisol turned towards Monique, "For doing the spell."

          Monique looked to her but did not dignify her with a response, returning to the shadows in which she came from. Marisol didn't take it personally, waiting for Elijah to come back towards her as screams for Rebekah filled the air.

          Klaus.

          Panic shot through Marisol and she sat up, looking to Elijah. "Go," he ordered before she could get anything out, "I can't leave, but you can."

          "I'm not –"

          "Marisol," he stopped her, holding her tightly to where she knew bruises would form if she was human, "Please. Klaus would not hesitate to harm you again if you stand up against him, and I can't watch that. Please."

          She didn't want to leave him, not with a murderous Klaus, not through the night and day. But he was pleading with her, and she didn't want to distract him from stopping Klaus from killing Rebekah. He needed her to leave, and it felt more selfish to stay.

          So, she kissed him, and muttered, "don't die," before crossing the barrier. She gave him one last look before walking away, pointedly not trying to think about what could happen to him in there. She wouldn't be able to survive all the millions of possibilities swarming in her head.

          She didn't look back, just continued. Because that's all she could do. And she walked away.

authors note
they're finally together!!! it only took thirty chapters, well over a year of writing, but they're finally in a relationship! i cannot tell you how much i love marisol and elijah and how happy i am that they're finally together. writing the first scene where they confessed their feeling was so difficult because i just wanted it to be perfect after imagining it for so long and keeping you guys waiting.

but honestly, when i was planning this book, they weren't supposed to get together yet. i had planned for them to kiss later but as i was writing last chapter i was like yep, they're ready. i've built up this relationship long enough and it just makes sense, so now they're together and i can't be happier!!!

i hope you guys enjoyed it!