Title: I belong with you, you belong with me (You're my sweetheart)
Category: The Vampire Diaries
Genre: Romance/Angst/Drama
Ship: Caroline/Elijah
Chapter Rating: NC-17/Explicit
Overall Rating: NC-17/Explicit
Word Count: 8,446
Summary: [AU, set in 1492] Elijah has spent five centuries at Niklaus' side, doing everything in his power to help his brother find the doppelgänger. But when his chance to find happiness is found dancing in the forest, he has to decide whether love or loyalty will be his companion for eternity.

I belong with you, you belong with me (You're my sweetheart)
-Novel-

VI.

It was hours before Caroline woke, and when she did, it was with a startled, broken cry. She sat up quickly, her hand raised to her throat, and desperately sucked in air as tears filled her eyes.

"Caroline." Elijah crossed the room to her hurriedly, sitting beside her atop the bed she found herself lying upon. He reached for her, cupping her face delicately, and gazed at her. "You woke," he whispered, with such emotion that she knew he had not been certain she would.

The memories of what had happened were suddenly upon her, choking her with how horrific, how life-altering they were. Her brimming tears escaped, a flood that warmed her chilled cheeks. "Niklaus… H-He—" She shook her head, sucking in a shaky breath. "After I left you, when—when I returned home…"

His gaze fell, his shoulders following, and he swallowed thickly as he nodded. "Your parents…"

"He killed them. Elijah, he…" She closed her eyes tightly as her body throbbed from the ache of loss, as it spread through her bones and shook her. "Their h-heads…"

He pulled her to him, gathering her against his chest, and stroked his fingers through her hair. "He told me. I—I am so sorry, Caroline… If it were not for me, for my deception, he would not have lashed out at you, at your parents…"

She trembled in his arms, hugging him close. "He said such terrible things. He… He told me that you could not love me, that we could not be together, and he… He promised me that I would die this night. Why…" Her fingers gripped his tunic. "I felt it, as surely as I feel you in my arms. He killed me."

His hug tightened to nearly painful. "He fed you his blood, did he not?"

She flinched, squeezing her eyes shut. "Yes. He forced it down my throat until I was nearly choking on it… And he bit me, not until we arrived here though… We stood in the parlor and he— He did not bite me like you did. There— He did not warn me, nor did he linger. He simply bit into my neck and it—It hurt."

"A ruse," he murmured, his fingers running up and down her back soothingly. "To anger me, I am certain, but also to hide the blood he fed you as it must have wet your dress; he had to cover it so I would not know you would wake." He sighed, slumping against her, his resignation obvious. "This is my doing, you did not ask for this."

"I do not understand..." She shook her head in confusion. "Why did I not die?"

"You did die… As we all do before we change."

She went completely still against him, her eyes opening wide. "I… I am a vampire?" she whispered thickly.

"Not yet. Your transformation has yet to be completed."

She pulled away from him, pushing on his arms as he was hesitant to release her, but finally they were face to face, her hands braced on his shoulders as she searched his eyes. "And if I do not complete it?"

His jaw clenched. "You would die, and you would not wake this time."

Her breath hitched as she blinked rapidly, trying to understand the brevity of what he said. "And h-how…? How would I… complete this?"

He licked his lips as he raised a hand, his thumb tracing the curve of her cheek. "You must drink from someone…"

"You?" she wondered, though she was certain he would disagree, and the apologetic expression he gave her was all the answer she needed. "I cannot kill…" She shook her head. "It is not in me."

"You would not have to. You need only to feed; it does not have to kill them," he assured her.

Her eyes darted around the room as she struggled with what he was telling her. Caroline, for all her want of a future with Elijah, had not considered the complications very much. She understood that he would live forever and she would not, that he would drink blood and she would not, that she would age and he would not. But she had not considered the very real fact that she could become like him and their time together could stretch to an eternity. While she had been curious about his nature, about what he was, she could not honestly say that she had ever truly thought about being so herself. Now, however, she had no choice. It was either to be a vampire or not to be at all.

"If I never drink, then I simply die?" she asked, her brow wrinkled.

He nodded slowly, and she could tell by the firm purse of his lips that he wanted to tell her she must drink, that she could not die. But Elijah was a good man, he was devoted and honorable, and he would not take her choice from her, no matter how much it might hurt him. Truth be told, however, as much as Caroline detested the idea of drinking blood, she hated more the idea of not being with Elijah. So much had happened; Niklaus knew about her, he had killed both her and her parents, and yet… Here she sat, together with Elijah, one last opportunity for happiness and freedom.

"If I did… When I do…" She raised her eyes to meet his. "Please, do not let me kill them."

He sighed, relieved, and nodded. He reached up, burying his fingers in her hair, and drew her close, until their foreheads touched. "I thought I had lost you…" He let out a shaky breath. "At least before, when I thought you could not accept me, I could comfort myself with the thought that you would be alive and well, that you would marry and have children, but when he took you…" He swallowed thickly, gripping her hair tightly. "I could not bear it."

Caroline's heart lurched in her chest and she smiled softly. Everything that Niklaus had said, all of those terrible things he had spat at her, that Elijah could not and would not love her, faded entirely, no longer festering inside her. She knew Elijah, she knew his heart, and he loved her as dearly and desperately as she did him. "Fear not then… You have not, and will not, lose me."

He nodded faintly before his lips found hers, pressing, slanting, hard and heavy against her own. She hummed appreciatively and leaned into him, surprised when he fell back against the bed as if she had pushed him, seemingly pinned under her small frame.

He chuckled against her lips and opened his eyes. "You are much stronger than before."

"I… see that." Her lips pursed. "But how can that be if I have not yet drunk from anyone?"

"You are in transition; your body is already changing. When you are ready to drink, your teeth…" He flicked his tongue up and dragged the tip over her incisors. "They will grow longer, sharper, so that you can pierce the skin."

"Can I do the things you can do?" she teased lightly. "Can I run as swiftly as the wind? Fight as deftly as a seasoned knight?"

He grinned at her merriment and reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear, tracing the shell with his thumb. "You will be faster and stronger after you drink."

Her eyes fell and darted away momentarily. "When I do, will…" She frowned. "Will it feel as… good as it did when you bit me?"

He shook his head. "There are different ways to bite someone… When you and I were together, it was intimate. You will not feel the same rush. There will be satisfaction, but it will not be carnal. You are taking from them what is necessary; their blood gives you life."

"And when you and I are intimate…" Her cheeks warmed with a flush. "Can you still bite me?"

His lips curved at the corner in a suggestive smile she knew all too well, one that made heat coil in her belly.

He nipped at her lower lip playfully and raised an eyebrow. "As often as we please."

She shivered against him, the promise in his voice making her forget, for a moment, the situation they were facing. But the gravity of it soon returned and she pushed herself up, still seated in his lap. "Do I have very long?" she queried. "Until I must drink from someone."

"It would be best to do so as soon as possible."

Caroline chewed her lip uncertainly.

"We can have one of the servants come to our room," he told her, soothingly rubbing his hands up and down her forearms before he tangled their fingers together and squeezed.

"Would they not mind?" she worried.

He half-smiled. "Many here have offered their blood; some believe it to be an honor."

Her nose wrinkled; she thought that was quite an odd thing for anyone to believe.

In the blink of an eye, he managed to move from beneath her to stand beside the bed. "I will help you," he promised, "if this is what you truly want."

What did she truly want? she wondered. Just this morning, her only desire had been to run away with Elijah, to begin her life anew, far away from the village she had grown up in. She would see the world, her hand tucked in Elijah's; her partner, her love, forever. And now, her life seemed to have changed so drastically. She was not even certain of whether they would still leave, still flee from Niklaus. She only knew that she was alive, her parents were not, and Elijah was with her, offering to stand by her and guide her as she transformed from human to vampire.

It would seem that her wish for a new life had been honored, despite the tragedy that allowed it so. And truly, Caroline wanted to take hold of that chance, to grasp it tightly and allow herself the freedom she had so desperately craved. However, as the rush of hope for her future washed over her, it contrasted simultaneously with a flood of doubt. How could she be so happy when her own parents were slain? How dare she find happiness, find freedom, when it was her doing, her actions that cost them their lives? Uncertainty filled her heart to an overwhelming degree, leaving her conflicted. While it was true that the life she wanted was still possible, it was how it had come to be that made guilt sour the affair.

She turned her head and stared at Elijah a long moment, taking in every handsome plane of his face. Her Elijah. A man she had risked everything for; her heart, her future, she had even been willing to abandon her family, the only true constant she had ever known, to be with him. Only it was never meant to be like this.

Her eyes pricked with tears as sorrow chased away the happiness, the hope, she had felt just moments earlier. "Do you remember when I begged you to remove my parents' memories? I wanted them to be free. I did not want them to hurt…" Her voice caught in her throat, burning. "It would seem, however, that I caused them the gravest of pains… I caused their deaths, Elijah."

"No." He shook his head. "You must not think that way, Caroline. It was not you, it—"

"It was Niklaus who rendered them lifeless, but it was my choices, my actions that were the cause of their deaths."

"If our love is to blame for this tragedy, then it is I who should carry it. Niklaus was my responsibility. My deception, my want for independence, is what goaded him into this."

"My parents were my responsibility, Elijah. I made the selfish decision not to tell them anything I knew. I let them think they were safe, that there were not unseen enemies waiting for them, and they paid for my falsities." She squeezed her eyes closed. "And I will hold on to that all the days of my life. I will mourn for them, I will regret my part in their murders…"

He took her hands, squeezing them, and brought them to his lips to kiss.

"I miss them, Elijah," she murmured softly. "I want nothing more than to tell my mother my wrongdoings. I want her to pet my hair as she did when I was a young child and tell me that she does not blame me, that she forgives me and understands that I never meant for harm to come to her, nor my father. They were not meant to be the cost of my heart."

Caroline closed her eyes tight and imagined herself in her home, the hearth warm as she knelt at her mother's feet, her head cradled in her lap as Elizabeth gently stroked her hair. She remembered the smell of her, of spices, oils, and fire, familiar and comforting as they filled each breath. Her mother's soothing voice would tell her it was okay, that she understood. And her father would stand, strong and silent, as she told him she had no idea Niklaus would find out, that their lives would pay for her love, and that she had never wanted harm to come to them. His hand, large and rough with calluses, would touch the crown of her head, a silent sign of his forgiveness. She would find comfort there, in their embrace, their scents and sounds. The two people who had been beside her since she was born; her mother's steadying hand on her shoulder, her father's knowing voice of reason guiding her on her path.

As she opened her eyes, however, she found she was not at home, her parents were not there, and her fanciful hopes of making amends faded back to reality. Truth be told, her dream was exactly that; a farfetched delusion. Much as she wanted to believe that her parents would understand her and grant her forgiveness, it would not have been so easy anywhere except for in her dreams. In fact, she was fairly certain they would have some terrible words for her to hear. It did not matter, though; she loved her parents even when they had little encouragement to offer her. Even when she knew they would blame and ridicule her for her part in their deaths. Despite knowing this, knowing how her mother would yell and her father would look down at her for falling in love, Caroline found she still wished she could speak to them one last time.

"There is a part of me that believes I do not deserve this…" she admitted to Elijah, her voice distant. "Eternal life should not be given to those who have caused their parents' tragedy."

His fingers tightened around her, worrying that her mind had been changed. That her pain and her loss over her parents would still take her from him.

"My mother was a strong woman. She was brave… I have no doubt that she fought for her life, that she did not simply allow it to happen… When Niklaus sought to scare me, when I thought he would tear my heart from my chest, I thought of her, I wanted to be as strong as her. And I tried…" Her eyes filled with tears. "I tried to be as courageous as she must have been when he slayed her… I tried not to show him my fear."

He hushed her as she began to cry, her head falling in shame.

"I am not as strong as she was, Elijah. I feared Niklaus. I thought surely he would kill me and be done with it. The cruelty in his eyes, the dark promise that lay there…" She shuddered, biting her lip.

"There is good reason to fear him, Caroline. You would be remiss not to."

She raised her chin then and stared at him squarely, though her eyes were ringed in red and wet with tears. "He took my parents… He made me feel stupid, made me question whether I was good enough…" She shook her head. "I will not allow it to happen again. I will not cower from him."

"You were brave," he assured her. "In those last moments, when he tried to scare you, you did not cower."

She appreciated his words but refused to let them soothe her. "I may not ever be as strong as he is, but I will not let that… monster dictate my life. And I will live, as long as I can. For my parents, who ought never to have been hurt, for myself, and for you, Elijah…"

He let out a heavy, relieved sigh.

Her lips trembled as she tried to smile reassuringly at him. "Please, will you call for the servant, if they are willing…?"

He stared at her a moment longer, and she was sure he could see the uncertainty that plagued her expression. It was not that she wanted to drink from this servant, nor did she truly want to be a vampire; but Caroline understood surviving and this was how she would do so.

The servant that Elijah brought to their room was young, perhaps the same age as Caroline, and she was rather plain. She was nervous too; Caroline could see in the way her eyes darted and she shuffled her feet.

Caroline moved to the edge of the bed and climbed off of it, reaching hurriedly toward the girl and taking her hands. "Please do not be afraid of me," she urged. "I… I will not…" She wanted to say she would not harm her, but that was not the truth, as she would be biting her skin and drinking her blood in mere moments. Somehow, telling her that she would not kill her seemed a trivial distinction, as she had only just faced Niklaus in a situation that had shaken her to her very core.

"Elijah?" she murmured, turning to him for direction.

"You can compel her," he told her, standing just a few short feet away, his hands clasped at his back, giving her room to do as she pleased. "Tell her not to be afraid, to be quiet, whatever you wish, and she will obey."

She chewed her lip uncertainly. "Is that fair?"

"She can either be afraid and scream, or you can give her comfort… I understand that you do not want to take her decision from her, Caroline. It is up to you."

She turned her head and peered at the girl. "What would you like?"

The girl looked at her and then to Elijah and finally back to her. "I… I would not like to die this day."

Caroline nodded. "And I will not kill you!"

She blinked quickly, tears collecting in her eyes. "I do not want to be afraid… Lord Niklaus makes me feel p-pleasure, but I…" She hiccupped, dropping her gaze in shame.

Caroline's fingers caught her under the chin and raised it so they were eye to eye once more. "Do not feel pain," she said, her voice hesitant but compelling all the same. "Be calm and know that, when this is over, you will be all right."

Slowly, the girl blinked, and finally offered a small smile, content and relaxed.

Pleased, Caroline looked to Elijah for more guidance. He walked toward them and reached out to brush the girl's brown hair away from her neck and behind her shoulder. His teeth elongated and his eyes darkened while veins appeared beneath them, as he ducked down and pierced her skin. He did not drink from her as he did Caroline, and she appreciated that as, when she saw his mouth so close to the girl's skin, she felt a stab of irritation and jealousy run through her, stronger than she had ever felt.

Her attention was quickly drawn, however, as a red bead of blood pearled atop the girl's pale, white skin. Caroline cried out in surprise as she felt her teeth throb painfully before extending. Her hand raised to cover her quivering lips and she squeezed her eyes shut as she panted through the pain.

"It will pass, I promise you," Elijah assured. His fingers rose to stroke her hair. "You must drink, Caroline… Put your mouth over my bite and taste her."

She hesitated only a moment as, when she breathed in, she caught the coppery scent on the air and felt hunger fill her as never before. It made her ache with desperation, her stomach twisting up painfully. She licked her lips, her fingers twitching, and she reached for the girl, gripping her by the shoulders and drawing her close. She buried her face in the girl's shoulder and let her tongue lick up the drop that rolled down her neck. Immediately, she felt something inside of her snap and she pressed her teeth down hard enough to pierce completely through the skin. Blood filled her mouth, pooling beneath her tongue and coating her teeth. She sucked and lapped at the girl's neck, feeding the ferocious appetite burning inside her. She held on so tightly, she swore she could feel bruises forming beneath her fingertips. She drank and drank, taking comfort in the warm liquid that coated her throat as she swallowed. It was filling a need inside her, sating that clawing hunger with every drop that filled her mouth.

It was only as she felt the body against her begin to go limp that she drew her mouth back and panted, confused as she turned her eyes toward Elijah and called his name fearfully.

"You did fine." He reached for the girl and pulled her out of Caroline's grip. The girl stumbled, a dazed smile spreading her lips, and did not fight him. "She will live," he promised.

Caroline stared at the blood that soaked the front of the girl's dress and licked her lips. "Can I have more?" She licked her lips, sticky with warm blood.

"Not of her," he said, raising his own wrist and biting it open. He drained it into the girl's mouth so she would heal before he walked her to the door.

"Please, Elijah, just… Just one more taste," Caroline pleaded, following after him, reaching for his back, fingers gripping his tunic.

"It is for your own good that I do not let you."

Another servant stood on the other side of the door, this one older, plumper, and she accepted the waif-thin girl from Elijah, holding her up.

"Take her to her room to rest," Elijah ordered.

"Yes, Lord Elijah," she answered, before walking off with the sluggish girl.

Caroline began pacing, her fingers twitching. "I—I am still hungry."

"It will fade. You are new to this…" He reached for her, taking her hands and drawing her close. "Do you trust me?"

She stared up at him and swallowed tightly, the faint taste of blood still warm on her tongue. "I do."

He pressed his forehead to hers. "I will teach you control. If you want never to kill, then I will teach you, but you must trust me, you must do as I say in this matter."

"I will." She nodded. "I do not want to kill. I just… I—The hunger, it feels so… heavy."

He raised her hands up and he ducked his mouth to them, sucking the tips of her fingers between his lips. "And you will be fed."

She watched him and felt his tongue as it swirled around her fingers, lapping up every drop of blood that lingered. When her fingers were cleaned, he found her mouth and he sucked the blood from her lips, her tongue, and he licked it from her chin.

A new hunger replaced the old one and Caroline did not pause as they stumbled back toward the bed. He deftly removed her dress, ridding her of the fabric that was stained with her own dried blood and the warm, wet blood of the girl she had just drunk from. She reached for his tunic, dragging it up his body, wanting to feel his skin. However, she had not anticipated that her movements would be faster, stronger, than ever before, and the fabric ripped in her hands.

She blinked in surprise and held her hands up apologetically. "I cannot control this new-found strength," she worried. "What if I hurt you?"

Elijah merely smiled at her, shaking his head. He pulled his tunic free and tossed the ruined fabric away from him. "I am not so breakable," he assured her, with some arrogance. To assert this, he tore her underclothes from her with both hands, letting them fall to the floor in tatters before he lifted her by her hips and laid her back on the bed. Raising a brow, he told her, "And neither are you."

Caroline was only mildly surprised at the surge of lust she felt at seeing his show of power. She was well aware that Elijah was much stronger than any regular man. He had always been gentle with her though. His hands touched her like she was glass, like she was as delicate as lace, and he feared he might tarnish her somehow. Those moments when they were together in their clearing, when he held her tighter, plunging into her warmth depths, his body tensed with pleasure, she could see that thin thread of control tenuously keeping him at bay. A shiver of awareness went through her as she realized that he would not need to hold back now. Certainly, he was still stronger than her, but he would not have to hold back as much as he had.

Elijah had already shown her pleasure like she had never known; she wondered if there were lengths they hadn't yet reached. If there was any more that he could show her. As she watched him from where she lay on the bed, she bit her lip, enjoying the touch of his fingers as they circled her ankles, her feet braced at the edge of the bed. He traced his way up the backs of her legs, drawing soothing circles firmly across her skin. She felt a swooping sensation in her belly, of need and want and promise that all would be known soon enough.

He tapped the backs of her knees before he parted them, spreading her open for him. She swallowed thickly, watching his eyes darken with hunger, not for blood but for her. He always looked upon her with such reverence, such awe, at her skin, her body, even simple things like her smile. Love for him warmed her from the inside out.

And then he licked his lips and that heat settled low in her belly and spread along her thighs. She let out a heavy breath, her chest heaving, and clenched her hands on the blanket beneath her, feeling the fabric twist in her fingers, threads stretched under the pressure she applied, just short of snapping and tearing. She tried to calm down, to understand her body's reaction, but it was far more overwhelming than it had been before. Every emotion, every feeling, was heightened. She felt simultaneously weightless and heavy.

Elijah's hands ran down the insides of her thighs and all she knew was him. Her mind seemed to stop, to stutter, and then focus entirely on the touch of his fingertips as they spread out and slid to the tops of legs, following them until they reached her hips. His hands held her firmly, his fingers flexed, and he dragged her body down the bed a few inches closer to him.

He was ravenous; she could see it plainly in his face. His fear for her, his sadness that she might have been lost, was mixing with his desperate lust. His hair was loose, tangled, and it made him appear wild, unlike the controlled man he often was. She had seen him free, unburdened, honestly happy, and now she was seeing another side of him. She wondered what had happened during the time that she had been gone. How long had it been since Niklaus had killed her and what did Elijah do in that time? If he sincerely thought her dead, then did Niklaus convince him so? Did he make his own brother believe that he has lost the woman he loved just to spite him?

She wanted to ask these questions, to understand, but Elijah kissed her knee. Her stomach twisted into tight knots as she watched his lips, so smooth against her skin, press delicate kisses down her leg. As he went, he lowered himself to his knees, and she realized where he intended to go. Her thighs shook and she swallowed thickly as his eyes met hers, dark and promising. His hands spread her thighs further apart while his head ducked down, his tongue pressing flat against her and licking the length of her slit in a slow drag before flicking against her clit. He chuckled as she let out a strangled moan, her back arching as the spike of pleasure crashed through her. It was stronger than it had been before, the ecstasy coursing through her lit her up in small bursts, burning hot and deep.

As she lay panting, his lips and tongue devoured her, suckling her folds, his teeth faintly grazing sensitive, wet flesh. She bucked against him each time he passed across her clit, both loving and loathing that fleeting touch. His hand found her stomach and braced her, keeping her from moving too sharply. His free hand slid low beneath his chin and first one and then a second finger dipped inside her, thrusting slow and deep. She reached for him, burying a hand in his dark hair, her nails scraping the back of his neck. He teased her, his actions encouraged by her scratching and pulling of his hair.

"Elijah," she breathed, her toes curling. "Please. Please…"

He rose, drawing his mouth from her, his wet lips curled in a deliciously satisfied smile. She let out a whine of disapproval; she had been so close… But her complaints stopped as she watched him rid himself of the rest of his clothes, standing gloriously naked before her. She pushed up to her elbows, wanting to reach for him, to wrap her legs around his waist, press her face against his firm chest, and curl her fingers around his long, thick shaft, but he stayed her.

He first pressed a kiss to her lips, licking into her mouth, flicking her teeth, and then pulled away before she could reciprocate. His head ducked, lips finding the pebbled nipple of her breast, his hair dragging against her skin, tickling her. And his fingers, long and deft as they were, resumed their position inside her, his thumb cleverly rubbing circles over her clit. Her climax was upon her quickly, starting between the tense spread of her thighs and reaching up to where his teeth and tongue teased her breasts. She shook beneath him, her bones fairly rattling inside her from the feel of it all, her throat vibrating as she cried his name.

And then his lips were upon hers, hard and needy, as if he was searching for something in each kiss that passed between them. She understood as she wrapped her arms around him, as she felt him shaking; his formidable frame, the picture of strength, was trembling atop hers. It confused her, at first, the contrasting knowledge that he was one of the strongest men she had ever known and could, if necessary, kill any who oppose him, and yet, in that moment, he was vulnerable.

He buried a hand in her hair, tangling it around his fingers, and then cupped her face, his thumb stroking her cheek. He kissed down to her chin and nuzzled his face against her before burying it at her neck, panting against her skin. He wanted only for her to remind him that it was true, she was indeed alive and with him. He found her mouth once more and hugged her to him, squeezing tightly, drawing her closer even as there was nothing, not a hair's breath, separating them.

His forehead pressed to hers, his eyes squeezed shut, and she saw the pain there in the wrinkle of his brow, the tense set of his jaw, the clenching of his teeth. She could see the overwhelming uncertainty of what her possible death had caused him and she realized that the possibility had torn him apart. Elijah, whom she had unwittingly thought of as invincible, had a very real weakness, and it was her. A tear slipped from her eyes as she understood that this love between them, as much as forever had just been a word before, was truly a reality. Not because they were vampires, not because they could truly live forever, but because of the depth of their feelings.

"Elijah…" She cupped his face, stroking her thumbs over the arch of his cheeks. "I am with you."

He nodded jerkily, but still would not open his eyes.

She stroked her fingers through his hair soothingly, curling them around his ears and kneading his neck. "Will you dance with me?" she whispered.

He paused, his hands releasing their tight hold on her, and a trembling breath left him. Finally, he opened his eyes to look at her, searching her face, her gaze, with tearful brown eyes. In an instant, his expression hardened; it became fiercer than she had ever seen it. "I will not lose you. Not for anything, not to anyone."

She tipped her chin up and kissed him softly, just a sweet press of her lips. "You will always have me."

His body relaxed slowly, resting against hers, hard and heavy but familiar and welcomed. She slid her knees high and wrapped her legs around him, enjoying the feel of him cradled in her hips.

They came together easily, and it was not as hurried as it had begun. He sunk inside of her gently, kissing his way up her neck, suckling at her skin. Their hands found each other, fingers twined, arms arched over her head. Elijah showed his adoration with his mouth as it reached for every available plane of her body, tasting and kissing it all. From the tips of her fingers to the tops of her shoulders, the hollows of her neck to the valley of her breasts. He laid her on her stomach and pressed into her from behind, holding her hands on the bed as he smoothed his lips down her neck, biting and sucking his way across her back.

She released his hands to grip the blanket tightly as his hips sped up. He rubbed his hands over her hips, squeezing as she clenched around the length of his cock. His fingers roamed higher, stroking everywhere they reached until finally he was cupping her breasts, his thumbs circling her nipples. And just as she was on the edge of climaxing, she felt it, his sharp teeth sunk into her shoulder. She cried out, squeezing tightly, and felt pleasure crash over her, shattering her into sharp fragments only to bring them all back together. Her entire body tightened with resplendent ecstasy before it released, flowing through her from head to toe. She went limp with it, her every nerve buzzing, and she smiled dizzily at the way her body seemed to hum.

When she could breathe again, her body beginning to calm down, she could feel him licking the healing bite on her shoulder affectionately, lapping at the blood and nuzzling her skin.

"Is it… always that intense?" she panted. "It wasn't quite like that before, when I was… human."

"For me, it is always intense with you…" He delicately brushed her hair off her back and kissed his way up her neck. "But yes, you will feel things more as a vampire. Pleasure and pain. Some will pass quickly, others will linger."

He turned to lay on his side, drawing her with him, her back against his chest, and she shivered as she felt him still hard inside her. He filled her so completely that she could still feel ribbons of her orgasm ricocheting as they moved.

"Are you sensitive?" he asked, dragging his fingers up her front, lightly tracing circles over her stomach.

She wrapped her hand around his forearm. "I feel everything… I feel you everywhere."

His hand rose up her body and curled around a breast, kneading her firmly. She fluttered around the length of him, her hips arching back against him. He teased the peak, circling his way closer and closer to the center. She bit her lip as she whimpered his name pleadingly.

"My sweet, insatiable love," he murmured at her ear, his lips brushing the shell.

Sliding out from behind her, he turned her onto her back once more and knelt between her legs, drawing one up around his waist while his hands continued their dedicated exploration of her body, from the flare of her hips to the tops of her shoulders and every soft inch of her in between. She could feel him against her thigh and she wiggled her hips, wanting more. As he continued to deny her, she reached for one of his hands and brought it to her mouth. It took her a moment, but the scent of her own blood still wetting her skin allowed her to lengthen her teeth as she had before, to feed, though the pain was far duller this time. She pricked the end of one of his fingers and watched the blood bead for a moment before she used his finger to draw on her skin, creating small swirling symbols. She looked up at him, appreciating the way his jaw flexed, his eyes flashing as he watched his blood spread over her pale skin. Veins appeared beneath his eyes and his hunger made him look darker, dangerous, like the man who had saved her, tearing the hearts from her enemies as they sought to ruin her in the forest.

But Elijah, even hungry, would never harm her. His wound healed quickly but he only tucked his finger between her lips for her to prick again. She tasted him, warm on her tongue, and let him linger, let his taste set in. It was not like the girl earlier, different somehow. His blood was richer, heavier than the servant's had been. She loved it. He let some of it trail over her lips before he resumed drawing on her skin, writing symbols she could not understand but that he seemed to, each one seeming more important than the last, like an ancient language of some kind. He did not lick up the blood trails immediately, instead he sat back on his haunches and surveyed his work with a keen, content eye.

"Language has changed so much since I was human. Many would look back on our writing and call it crude, but I see familiarity there. I see home..." He pointed to the jagged writing across her ribs. "Here, this is my name."

She looked down at herself, pushing up to rest on her elbows, and reached for it, careful not to smudge it. It felt, for a moment, like a stamp, as if he were making it clear that she was his.

"And this, here…" He trailed his fingers over the writing that arched over her stomach, "this was the symbol we used for 'wife.'"

She smiled then, a flood of warmth in her chest. "Do vampires get married, Elijah?"

"We can, of course. Most, I believe, simply call one another husband and wife. Some ceremonies seem unnecessary when you are no longer human, when certain religions or deities no longer hold true."

"I would like to marry… I had always planned to have a beautiful wedding. I imagined it many times, though I had never known what my husband would look like then."

"If you want a wedding, I will give you one. The grandest wedding to ever be thrown if that is your wish."

She smiled, and teased, "You spoil me, kind sir. If you are not careful, it will set a precedent."

He laughed, a deep chuckle that made her shiver.

"I have promised you the world, if you will remember." He leaned over her, his hands pressing into the mattress on either side of her chest. He ducked his head to hers, his hair falling, brushing her cheeks, as he bent for a kiss, sucking her bottom lip before he nipped it just hard enough to break her skin, a sliver of blood forming. He licked it up with the tip of his tongue before he moved down her body. He kissed the writing that crested her left breast and traced it with his tongue. "This is 'life,' and this…" He moved to her other breast and licked the blood from it. "This one means 'love.'" He dragged his mouth down the valley of breasts. "And this… is 'eternity.'"

Caroline buried a hand at the nape of his neck, her fingers wrapped in his hair, urging him on as he licked up every spare drop of blood, his tongue doing wonderful things to her skin, his sharp teeth grazing but not quite biting. He kissed his way down her stomach and, when he rose, he licked his lips, his chin wet with her blood. He bit his own lip, letting it bleed freely, and then he bent to kiss her. She tasted the mixture of it, his and her blood, warm and intoxicating, his tongue stroking against hers. She could feel her teeth as they lengthened, this time without the pain. She could feel hunger stirring inside of her, mixing quickly with her desire.

His hands ran down her sides, sliding beneath her hips to lift her to him. She let out a breathless cry against his lips as he thrust inside of her, hard and quick. His palms slid low, cupping her bottom, kneading either cheek before they moved to the underside of her thighs and lifted them, spreading them far apart. She arched her back, her chest pressed tight to his, and a strangled moan escaped her as he moved so deeply, filled her so completely, every inward thrust rubbing against something inside of her that sent exceedingly pleasurable waves through her, rocking her whole frame. Her hands found his shoulders and slid down to his chest, her nails digging in, scoring his skin.

She could feel herself, so very close to euphoria, but his hips were slowing, stirring, and she shook her head. He was teasing her again, drawing it out. Without thinking, she leaned up abruptly and, suddenly, found herself on top, Elijah beneath her, his hands pinned to the bed as hers wrapped around his wrists. Her eyes widened in shock, but he was neither discouraged nor angry that she had taken control. Instead he rolled his hips, pressing up into her, encouraging her to move, to take her pleasure. Her mouth fell open on an appreciative sigh and she rose to her knees.

She had done this before with him, as a human, but she had not forcibly turned him over, she had not the strength then. It felt good, it felt empowering, to not be weak, to not be silly or breakable. After her father, constantly telling her that she was just a silly girl, after Niklaus and his terrible words and actions, it meant everything to her that she could be strong, she could be powerful.

From her perch on Elijah's lap, she let her hands roam from his stomach to his chest, tracing the hard lines and tensed muscles. She found a pace she enjoyed, moving her hips whichever way she felt, searching for that flash of fire that made everything inside of her sing. She bent to kiss his skin, licking him as he had her, lightly biting his nipples and following the lines that defined him with her teeth and tongue, tracing the ridges of his abdomen. She dragged her nails down his sides and rubbed her thumbs over his hipbones as she started moving faster, finding the angle she liked best.

His hand settled on her belly and moved up, fingers spread out, pausing at her heaving chest a moment as she panted, her head thrown back, long hair trailing and swaying with each move she made. And then her eyes squeezed shut as she felt it, a flood that knew no end. Her mouth fell open on a silent scream as it consumed her, like flames licking across her. She squeezed around him, quaking from the inside out, and felt as he pressed himself deeper inside her, his hands gripping her hips almost painfully tight as he moved hard and quick to find his climax.

Boneless, she fell forward. He caught her easily and turned them onto their sides to face one another, her head falling softly to a feather pillow. As she tried to catch her breath, he brushed her hair from her face, stroking his fingers through her long, tangled curls.

She smiled up at him sweetly. "This is the first time we have made love in a bed," she told him.

He pressed a kiss to her lips and then another. "I regret that we did not know its comfort sooner."

She shook her head, covering his hand as it laid against her cheek. "I treasure every moment in our clearing."

His lips curled faintly at the corners and he pulled her in closer, drawing her head to his chest. They lay in silence for a few moments, wrapped in each other, her fingers lightly running up and down his side, from his chest to his hip, while his were busy combing through her hair.

"Am I to expect you will always distract me from my hunger in such a way?" she queried, her voice teasing.

"It would be my pleasure," he answered, smiling.

"Then I look forward to your lessons in control."

He chuckled under his breath, kissing her forehead.

"It will not be easy, will it?"

"Being a vampire, or learning control?"

"Either… Both."

He sighed. "In the beginning, it will take time, but eventually, it will become natural to you… You will make a fine vampire, Caroline."

She hummed, nodding thoughtfully. "I hope so."

It did not take long for Elijah to succumb to sleep, but Caroline stayed awake, resting comfortably against him, their arms and legs tangled. She raised her head to look at him, and could see the exhaustion plain on his face, not just from their lovemaking but from the turmoil of the night; her heart ached for it. His brother had killed her. Yes, he had fed her his blood to change her, but he had killed her all the same. What must Elijah have felt in that moment? Anger? Hatred? Betrayal?

She stroked her fingers through his hair before she let them trace the angles of his face reverently, watching as he leaned into her touch, even deep in his slumber. Niklaus had been selfish this night; he had hurt her and Elijah for his own ends. Perhaps to prove to her that she was disposable, or to show Elijah that he was the stronger of the two. Whatever his reasons, Caroline knew one thing… He had hurt Elijah, his flesh and blood, and while fear of Niklaus still lived inside her, it did not change the fact that if she ever had the chance, she would kill him for what he did.

It was a terrifying thought for Caroline, as she had always believed that she could not hurt a soul. Just this night, she had feared being the cause of an innocent girl's death. But a part of her wanted nothing more than to do to Niklaus as he had done to her. To show him that while he was willing to kill her to keep his brother for himself, she was willing to kill him to keep Elijah safe from harm. Of course, it was a silly notion, as she knew that she would never be as strong as Niklaus, and the opportunity would likely never come, but the seeds were planted. Niklaus had wasted his chance to gain her confidence and one day, she knew, he would regret that. Until that day came, however, she would comfort herself with the fact that he may have taken much from her, but she still had Elijah. And she would not let him go, not for anything or anyone.

Resting her head against him once more, she closed her eyes, and willed the morning to bring with it a better beginning.

Given all that had happened, Caroline slept far more soundly than she anticipated. She expected nightmares of her death, her parents' murders, perhaps a mocking Niklaus to draw on her fear. But with Elijah wrapped around her, she found a dreamless peace like she had not known before. At home, sleep often had to contend with the noise of the many animals her neighbors kept and her father waking early to join Stephen for hunting. Here, the only sounds that filled the chamber were of the crackling fire and Elijah's even breathing, both of which soothed her.

She had only woken once, startled when Elijah shifted in his sleep, drawing her to him and squeezing so tightly it nearly hurt. Were it not for her body's new-found strength, she was fairly certain his grip would have pained her greatly. Instead, she sleepily stroked the fingers he pressed over her stomach, rubbing back and forth gently until he relaxed, letting out a soft sigh as he buried his face in her hair. Only when she was certain that he was calm did she return to her slumber, smiling faintly as she drifted away.

Come morning, her smile faded, however, as she found the bed otherwise empty. It took her a moment to realize that Elijah was still in the room; he merely stood by the door, closing it on whomever had decided to interrupt their sleep.

"'Lijah?" she murmured tiredly, her eyes fluttering to half-mast.

"It is Niklaus…" His lips pursed in a frown. "He has summoned us to join him in this morning's meal."

Caroline's eyes opened widely, suddenly no longer tired.

The devil had called upon them and they would answer.

[Next: Part VII.]

Author's Note: Whew! I'm really happy to finally be posting this! I got a surge of inspiration after I watched The Originals pilot episode, which I still think is kind of funny since Caroline wasn't even in the episode and it mostly centered on Klaus (not to mention it gave me unexpected Klaroline feels), but thems is the breaks. So! Here you have it, the latest chapters of one of my favorite stories I've written. You all have Shannon (arkfall) to thank for the coherency of this chapter, because there were a few times I lost my flow and didn't transition well. She's a peach! Also, a shout out to Mel (dhfreak) for making all of the beautiful art that goes along with this story.

I'm writing the next chapter now and ironing out the finer details, so I hope to update again soon. I'd like to get back to my once a week schedule of updating this story until it's finished. I hope you enjoyed this installment, it's one of my favorites, and I'd love to get some feedback on what you like and where you think it's headed, so please leave a review before you go! They are the lifeblood of all writers and they certainly encourage me to write more and often.

Thank you for reading!

- Lee | Fina