CHAPTER 25 – THE GROWING PAINS

„Elena's dead," Rhiannon muttered hanging up on Stefan and walking towards the bed, her eyes wide with shock as she was stopped mid-way by Elijah placing his hands on her shoulders with a very concerned look on his face.

"What happened?" he asked in a whisper looking down at the distressed woman in his arms.

"Rebekah," Rhiannon choked out. "She ran them off the Wickery Bridge."

"Oh god," Elijah muttered and enveloped her in a crushing hug, whispering "I'm sorry" into her hair. He finally felt the strangled sobs escape her mouth as she finally gave into her grief. He walked them slowly towards the sofa by the window, sitting down and dragging Rhiannon down onto his lap, cradling her and letting her cry herself to sleep.

Couple hours passed and Rhiannon was still sleeping in his arms, when her phone rang once again. He laid her down on the sofa as quietly as he could and grabbing her phone, he ran out into the hallway.

"Yes?" Elijah announced himself picking up her phone.

"Elijah?" he heard Stefan ask confused. "Where's Rhiannon?"

"Sleeping," he retorted. "Before you say anything, let me please apologize for my sister's actions. We were back at the house, packing and getting ready to draw Alaric away when you called. I am genuinely sorry for your loss. I know all to well how terrible it is to lose a loved one."

"Thank you," Stefan muttered into the phone. "But Elena's not dead."

"What do you mean?" Elijah asked utterly confused.

"Earlier when Jeremy brought her to the hospital, her injuries were worse than Meredith has led on. She used Damon's blood to heal her," Stefan said, pausing to either give Elijah time to process, or for himself to gather his thoughts.

"When Bekah, ran them off the bridge, she had Damon's blood in her system, didn't she?" Elijah asked incredulously.

"Yea.." Stefan agreed. "She's in transition."

"Oh dear," Elijah muttered. "How is she?"

"Don't know yet," Stefan retorted. "She's been in and out all night. I just thought Rhiannon should know."

"Yes, thank you for letting us know," Elijah said. "If there's anything we can help you with, just let us know."

"No, I think your family's done enough for one night," Stefan bit back with an edge to his voice.

"Right," Elijah retorted, not really surprised by his reaction. "Take care."

The young vampire hung up without a word and Elijah propped himself against the wall, sighing loudly with relief. He was glad Elena was alive…ish. He briefly contemplated whether to go tell Rhiannon now, or to tell her after she wakes up. He decided against the latter, because knowing her, she'd give him so much crap for not telling her right away.

He walked into the room to find her curled up at the sofa, just as he left her before answering the phone. He crouched beside her and caressed her tear-stained cheek softly.

"Rhiannon, darling, wake up," he murmured, softly rubbing her shoulder to bring her back into reality, but the only response he got from her was a soft whimper as she desperately clung to her dreamless sleep. "C'mon sweetheart, I need to tell you something."

Finally, she very reluctantly opened her eyes. "What is it Elijah?"

"C'mon sweetheart, sit up," he said helping her up, then sat down next to her, grabbing one of her hand. "Stefan called. Elena is not dead. She's in transition."

"What?! How?! When?!" she blurted out crushing Elijah's hand.

"Earlier when Jeremy rushed her to the hospital, her injuries were much worse than anyone of us thought. Meredith used Damon's blood to heal her and when Rebekah ran them off the bridge, his blood was still in her system."

"Oh wow," Rhiannon muttered, clearly undergoing another shock. "I don't know what to think. I mean… I'm glad she's alive… well sort of… but she never wanted to be a vampire. Honestly, I don't know how she's gonna cope with that."

"She has Salvatores to help her with that," Elijah retorted, snaking his arm around her shoulders. "Even you, if you want to help her out, which I'm sure you do. Now, how about we get some food in you and then we'll get some sleep. It's been one hell of a day."

Elijah woke up really early the next day, letting Rhiannon rest. The hunter was dead, so there was no need for running anymore. However, there was still one thing left unresolved and that was Klaus's mysterious death. He was hundred percent sure, Klaus sired the bloodline of the Mystic Falls supernatural gang. They should've all been dead. He thanked all the deities that came to mind that it didn't happen, but that could only mean one thing. Klaus was alive, and Elijah was pretty sure where he'd find him.

When Rhiannon woke up, it was almost two in the afternoon. She found a note from Elijah saying he had some urgent matter to attend to. She had a vague idea what that might be since the feeling that Klaus wasn't dead at all was nagging her ever since they found out that everybody except Tyler had survived.

She showered and was about to go down to fetch something to eat when she heard sounds of struggle coming from downstairs and when she got there, whoever attacked Rebekah was gone and she was laying on the ground with several shot wounds and a huge wooden stake lodged in her heart. Before she could do anything to help, she heard more shots and felt several needles prick the skin on her back and then everything turned black.

When Rhiannon came to her senses again, she realized she was tied to a steel bench in a moving van. The sirens of police cars accompanying them were making her head throb in pain. She tried to pry her hands free but to no avail.

"Vervain ropes…" Caroline muttered solemnely. "Looks like Alaric outed us all to the council."

"Well shit," Rhiannon muttered, seriously pissed.

"The council," Rebekah muttered drowsily. "What exactly do they think they can do to me?"

"Where the hell is Eli-" Rhiannon asked but was interrupted by something crashing into he van and knocking it over, making Rhiannon bang her head against the wall which didn't help her migraine at all.

When the van stopped moving, all three girls started to look around, panting heavily.

"What the hell happened?" Rebekah breathed out. Then the van door opened revealing Tyler. Rhiannon was too dumbstruck to see him alive that she didn't even realize that he was only freeing Caroline.

"Wait what about us?" Rebekah cried out.

"Keep 'em busy little sister," Tyler retorted winking at Rebekah. Now it all made sense. That sneaky bastard! Well she should be thankful that Klaus was alive because otherwise, her and her friends would've kicked the bucket too. Her thoughts were interrupted by the police officers barging into the van and shooting them with more vervain bullets to keep them weak. She was vaguely aware of being dragged somewhere where it smelled like cattle and then someone plopped her unceremoniously on a dusty ground.

After Elijah found Klaus' lifeless body hidden in the Lockwood cellar, just as he assume d, he returned to the mansion just to find it abandoned. The blood and vervain bullets on the ground made him panic momentarily. This was bad.

With poorly contained fury he dialed Damon's cell phone, but he wasn't picking up, so he decided to swing by the Gilbert house. Just as he was stepping up to the front porch he overheard signs of struggle and Damon hissing: "In what world are you the one who gets to live."

Sheriff and Meredith Fell were trying to stop him from squeezing the life out of Matt Donovan. Great, everybody's here. That will make finding out what happened whole lot easier. He barged in and peeled Damon off the poor quarterback, shoving him away and readjusting his suit.

"Care to tell me what is going on here?" Elijah asked in a tone of voice that suggested against trying his patience.

"The council," Meredith said. "They took Stefan and Elena. They got Caroline and Rebekah too. I bet they took Rhiannon as well."

"Do you have any idea where they might've taken them?" Elijah asked. He was livid now. He knew they wouldn't hurt them. They needed them as bait. But still, he couldn't help but worry.

"With Damon's vervain and Alaric's weapons, they could be anywhere," Sheriff retorted.

"C'mon guys think," Damon pleaded. "It takes a lot to hold a vampire. Reinforced steel, iron doors."

"Pastor has a cattle ranch," Matt suggested. "Those pens could be easily modified.

"It's remote, it's secluded," Meredith followed up.

"That must be it," Elijah agreed.

"Well guess what," Damon chimed in. "Looks like you'll get the chance to prove how sorry you really are. Let's go." He said and walked straight out of the house, closely followed by Elijah and Matt.

Minutes later they were parking down the road from the ranch. Getting out of the car, Elijah instructed: "You two distract the pastor and his men, I'm going to free them."

"And why should I take orders from you?" Damon barked with his typical attitude making it really hard for Elijah not to roll his eyes. A habit he seemed to adapt from the young hybrid who had been occupying most of his free time recently.

"I thought we established this long ago," Elijah retorted in an icy cold voice. "Don't make me repeat myself," he rebutted walking away, not wasting any more time with pointless discussion about "who's the boss".

He managed to sneak inside the barn covering his mouth with his handkerchief to hinder the effects of vervain, but his eyes were still burning. He almost tripped over one of the Pastor's guys, who had his head bashed in, and saw Elena licking her bloody fingers.

"Elijah?" Rebekah asked in choked voice.

"Rebekah," he sighed in relief, tearing open the pen she was in. "Where's Rhiannon?"

"Right next to Elena," Rebekah rasped out. "She's still unconscious, or too weak to talk. Elijah, we have to get out of here."

"I'm working on it," Elijah retorted freeing Stefan and Elena, then hurrying to Rhiannon's pen. She was leaning against the wall with her eyes closed, breathing heavily. He tore open the iron door and whisked her up, vamp-speeding to the fresh air with her in his arms.

"Rhiannon, sweetheart," he whispered smoothing the hair out of her face. "It's me. You're safe."

"Elijah?" she muttered weakly, grabbing onto his jacket. "Where are we?"

"Doesn't matter," He retorted kissing her forehead lightly. "I'm gonna take you home."

Before he could get away he heard a shot and felt a wooden bullet prick his shoulder causing him to drop Rhiannon on the ground. He turned around and came up face to face with one of the Pastor's men. His patience was gone and barring his fangs at the bloody fool, he ran up to him and snapped his neck like a twig.

"What a fucking moron," Rhiannon muttered trying to get up on her own as he was walking back towards her, helping her up.

"Indeed," he muttered wrapping his arm around her waist and walking her towards his car, where he had some blood bags ready.

Minutes later they were pulling up in front of the mansion and walking up to their room. As soon as they got into their room, they started to shed their clothing.

"Where do you keep the first aid kit?" Rhiannon asked taking off her jeans. She only had black boy shorts and white wife-beater on, which was extremely distracting.

"Elijah!" Rhiannon called out snapping her fingers in front of his face.

"Huh? What?" he muttered shaken out of his daze.

"The first aid kit!" Rhiannon insisted. "I need to dig out that bullet that's still in your shoulder."

"Ah, right," Elijah murmured. "In the bathroom, underneath the sink."

"I'll be right back," she retorted.

Seconds later he was stripped to his slacks and shoes and seated on a chair behind his writing desk with Rhiannon spreading out various tools to make the bullet extraction easier.

"The wound has already healed, but the bullet is still inside," Elijah muttered. "I can feel it scraping against my collarbone:"

"Sit tight," she instructed kissing the top of his head lightly, then sitting onto his lap, she started feeling around for the bullet. "This is gonna hurt like bitch."

"I know," he retorted trying to focus on her presence rather than on the throbbing pain in his shoulder. "I've been through worse— son of a bitch!" he cursed under his breath, bucking underneath her as she cut into his shoulder.

"You were sayin'?" she joked sticking a pair of forceps into the freshly cut wound. "Hold still baby, I'm almost done."

He couldn't help but admire her as she made a quick work of his bloody shoulder. She wasn't aware of how distracting she was, biting her lip like that – something she did often when she focused on something.

"Almost done," she murmured and seconds later, she managed to pull the bullet out. "There we go," she said triumphantly. "Not bad for my first surgery, huh? What do you think?"

"I think you don't realize how exquisite you are," Elijah said darkly, making her shiver. That was all she needed to hear, the instant arousal caused by his words and the smell of his blood making the veins under her eyes darken. Before she could stop herself, she licked the blood that made its way from his shoulder down his stomach.

"You have no idea what you're doing to me right now," Elijah muttered grabbing her by her arms, making her sit up straight in his lap. She involuntarily grinded against him, feeling the effect her actions had on him.

"I think I get the gist," she whispered against his mouth before kissing him hard, making him grab onto her, growling in response. He licked her lips asking for an access and she happily obliged.

"How are you feeling?" he asked after they broke the kiss, coming up for air.

"A little migrainish," she retorted stroking his hair lightly.

"I know just the cure for that," he said playfully standing up with her in his arms and started walking towards the bathroom.

"I'm all ears," she giggled in response.

Soon she was standing in front of the tub that was being filled with hot water and bubbles. The smell of sandal wood was intoxicating, making her relax against Elijah's body that was pressed tightly against her as he started to strip her of her remaining clothes.

As soon she was completely naked, she turned around making a little sound of disapproval at the fact that her lover was still more-less dressed. He started to work on his belt. She pulled his hands away, murmuring: "No, let me."

He dropped his hands beside his body and watched her working on his belt, pulling it out of his pants with one swift movement. The confidence behind her actions made him so hard, it almost hurt, knowing that he was the one who took that innocence and turned into this carnal insatiable lust. She was his. More importantly, she was his because she had chosen to be his.

He must have been lost in his thoughts for quite a while because soon he was completely naked and pushed against the bathroom wall with Rhiannon kissing, nipping and licking everywhere she could reach.

"Careful darling, the bathtub is about to overflow," he muttered breathlessly. She stopped and jumped towards the tub, shutting the water down. Elijah joined her, testing the water with his hand, then stepping in and submerging his naked form into the fragrant water, muttering: "Care to join me?"

"Like you have to ask," she retorted and stepped into the bath while holding onto his hand. Soon she was laying comfortably against his chest, enjoying the sensation of hot water caressing her body. He reached for a small cup and wetting her hair before lathering it up with her favorite shampoo.

"Mhhhmmm, that feels so good," she purred leaning against him. After he rinsed her hair out, it was time to pay attention to the rest of her body. He started to run the soapy wash cloth down her shoulders, then across her heaving chest, not leaving a single inch of her body unattended. The sensation of his hands running across her body made her entire body hum with anticipation.

After he was done, it was her turn to tend to him. She took the washcloth from him and straddling him, she started to wash away the dried blood and dirt from his body, kissing along his neck and collarbone. The sounds he was eliciting went straight to her gut. He grabbed her by her arms and pulled her down flush against his body, making her hum in approval. He didn´t wait for permission and started kissing her neck hungrily.

She ran her fingers down his chest and under the water, caressing along his impressive length, making him growl, biting her neck playfully.

"I need you baby," she moaned breathlessly into his mouth. "Now," her voice turned into a low growl. He didn't need to hear any more from her and with one powerful thrust that made her back arch, he was inside her and started moving slowly, torturously. She certainly didn't feel like complaining.

"You're pure perfection," he breathed out shivering from the utter pleasure. She was riding him, moving her pelvis in a circular motion and watching for his reaction. He tilted his head backwards, his mouth open in that perfect o-shape. Her eyes turned dark with lust, making her want to taste all of him. He looked deeply into her eyes and knew right away what was on her mind. He reached for one of his razors and made a cut on his throat.

"What are you doing?" she gasped watching the blood trickle down his neck and chest.

"I want you to taste all of me," he murmured, his eyes hooded with lust. "Go on, I know you want to."

"But what about the werewolf venom?" she objected.

"Unless you actually bite me, we're safe," he said caressing her back along her spine. "Have at it, before it heals."

She couldn't control the bloodlust anymore and with a low throaty growl, she enveloped the cut on his throat with her mouth, sucking at the dark liquid that was still seeping out of the small wound as she continued riding him relentlessly. After couple of moments she came up for the air, hissing with pleasure, the veins under her eyes dark, making her golden-amber eyes stand out.

"Your turn," she mumbled grabbing his hair and gently guiding his face towards the crook of her neck. She didn't have to tell him twice and soon he was enveloping her in a crushing embrace, biting her neck and sucking on her sweet, delicious blood while pounding into her vigorously. The sensation of it all felt so intimate, it was almost impossible to bear and soon, they were coming together, letting out a string of curses and moans.

Absolutely exhausted and drained, he collapsed against the tub with her on top of him, breathing heavily.

"That was amazing," she stated, chuckling drowsily.

"Indeed," he agreed. "We should get out of the water though."

"You're right," she said and started to get up, reaching for the fluffy towels, closely followed by Elijah. He wrapped the towel around her, then, with her still pressed against her, he put one around his hips. She felt too drowsy to move, so Elijah picked her up as if she weighted nothing, and carried her to the bed. He pulled the towel off of her before pulling up the covers over them, and soon they were drifting into a blissful sleep.