note: the return (s2e1) happened in january 26 and not february 26

"merlin, harry doesn't kiss me like that anymore"

—

Eden and Harry stood against the wall of the gymnasium, watching the students with similar looks of disbelief.

"Did we ever dance like that?" Harry asked with wide eyes.

Eden shook her head. "Minnie would've killed us."

Harry smiled softly. "I forgot you call her that."

"'Course," Eden nodded. "It was Sirius' name for her."

A fond look crossed Harry's eyes. "Are you ready for next week?" He asked her softly. "George said he's perfectly content coming to you."

Eden sighed heavily, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I don't know," she answered truthfully. "I can't believe it's been a year since Fred."

Harry nodded. "Teddy's birthday's coming up," he informed her softly. "Baby'll be born, but if you're interested."

"Of course," Eden nodded. Elena, Jeremy, Damon, and Stefan entered the gym and Eden moved her head from his shoulder, leaning her head back against the wall. "I thought things would be easier here."

"What," Harry grinned. "Don't tell me you miss Voldemort?"

Eden laughed. "No," she shook her head ."Just...I miss you. And Hermione and Ron. Draco. These people aren't like us."

"These people?" Harry asked in amusement.

"You know what I mean," Eden countered. "They're just...disloyal."

"No one's like you, bon," Harry glanced at her. "You're a badger in a lion's mane."

"That's strangely poetic," Eden smiled up at him. "Ten points to Gryffindor."

Harry laughed, but neither of them could say anything else before a student grabbed the microphone.

"This song's for Elena," she spoke clearly. "From Klaus."

"Oh, he's far more dramatic than Riddle," Harry commented. "Do you think he'd have dedicated a song to me?"

"He probably didn't like music," Eden grinned.

Alaric walked up to the pair with a soft smile. "So, you're Harry Potter, huh?" He asked, looking Harry over. "Nice meeting you. I've heard a lot about you."

"Who from?" Eden countered with a frown.

Alaric's eyes met hers. "Around," he shrugged.

Suspicion flooded Eden at his words. She'd hardly spoken of Harry to Alaric directly, nothing more than a few off-handed comments.

"Terrible things, I'm sure," Harry replied with a small smirk. "She secretly hates me."

"It's true," Eden nodded. "I've never once saved his life."

"Completely useless."

Alaric looked between the two, a strange look in his eyes. Eden frowned at it, eyebrows furrowing. "Ric, you okay?" She asked.

Alaric seemed to snap out of whatever was bothering him. He smiled — but it was wrong, somehow, it didn't look like Alaric — and nodded. "Of course, Eden, yeah, I'm — I'm good. I'm perfectly fine. I'm great."

Eden and Harry exchanged a glance out of the corner of their eyes.

"O-kay," Eden said slowly. "Sure. I believe you."

Alaric sighed, clenching his jaw. His eyes found Eden's, as though he were searching for something. "What — uh, have you — how long were you and Elijah together?"

Eden blinked, frowning at the question. He knew they'd been together since he'd come to Mystic Falls, even if they hadn't told anyone that they'd spent time together prior to that.

"For as long as he was here," Eden answered quietly, ignoring the pang in her heart at the memory of his voice. Merlin, she'd do anything to hear it again. "And, by the way, Jenna is pissed that you daggered him."

"But you and him weren't...serious, right?" Alaric cleared his throat, glancing away.

Eden watched him curiously, head tilting a fraction. "Why do you care, Ric?" She asked in confusion. "You killed him. Jenna is pissed at you for that and lying to Isobel."

"I don't care about —" Alaric cut himself off with a sigh. "Sorry. I—I gotta go."

He turned and walked off, leaving the friends in a state of disbelief.

"You're sure that's the one into Jenna?" Harry asked with a frown. "She can do better. He's weird. Antsy."

"Yeah, I don't..." Her eyes followed Alaric's body as he spoke to Damon and Elena. Something tugged in her chest, but she couldn't place it. Her body felt itchy. Like it didn't belong in her own skin. "Something weird is going on, Harry."

"When is it not?"

They were supposed to monitoring the situation in the gym, keeping an eye out for Klaus — not that anyone knew what he looked like — but so far, nothing had really happened. Damon had flirted with two high school girls, he'd talked to Alaric, and danced with Elena.

Elena had danced with Stefan, Stefan had danced with Caroline, and Caroline and Matt were still talking. Bonnie and Jeremy had danced together, Bonnie and Damon had danced together, and now Bonnie and Elena were walking out of the gym.

"No one's at the Boarding House," Harry murmured to Eden as they watched Stefan rush out the doors. "We could...go and get Elijah."

Eden's eyes snapped to Harry's, widening. "You think that's okay?"

"I think they owe you a lot, so, yeah." He slung an arm over her shoulders. "Let's go get your boyfriend, bon."

—

Eden squeezed Harry's hand tightly as they walked downstairs to the Salvatore basement. He gripped his wand tightly, eyes flickering around as they approached Elijah's cell.

"He looks a bit out of sorts," Harry frowned when Eden opened Elijah's cell door.

Black veins up his neck, burned and tattered suit, hair messy.

"Don't tell him you said that," Eden said softly, grabbing the dagger. "He's very particular about his appearance."

Eden gave Harry a sidelong look before slowly pulling the dagger out, wincing at the weight of it. She thought it would be lighter. The ache in her chest eased with every inch pulled, and she felt the familiar warmth rush over her when she pulled it out completely.

Handing it to Harry once it was out, he gripped it one hand, wand in the other, leaning against the wall.

"How long is this meant to take?" He asked curiously, watching Elijah.

Eden didn't answer, reaching her hand to Elijah's face and softly brushing her knuckles against his cheekbone. Her hand found her hair and she ran her hands through it gently. The veins were still running up his neck and face, but she could feel it.

He was alive.

He'd come back to her.

"He's going to need a new suit," Eden pointed out softly, her fingers still running through his hair. "He'll hate what's happened to this one."

"I'm sure the thousand-year-old vampire can shop for a new suit, bon," Harry teased lightly, "and we can get something for George, his birthday's coming up."

Guilt flooded her at the thought of George. How could she have been so absorbed in her own life she'd forgotten about George? When had she last spoken to him.

Harry must have noticed her face and leaned in front of her, on Elijah's other side.

"He'd be happy for you," he told her softly. "George just misses you, but he's doing better. He probably won't anything extravagant, if at all, for his birthday, but I know he'll want to see you."

"When is April?" She whispered. "I don't even know the days anymore. They all blend together."

"Three days, bon," he responded gently. "It's only been two months since you've met Elijah."

That couldn't be true.

"Has it?" She asked, looking down at him. Tears welled in her eyes. "That's not fair," she whispered. "How's it fair that I love him more than...and it's only been two months?"

Harry was quiet for a moment. "Fred loved you, bon, he did. And I know he'd want this for you. You've been so happy with Elijah; he only ever wanted you happy."

"I miss him," Eden confessed, sniffling. "I miss but it's the kind of missing I had before. I miss talking to him and laughing with him, but I don't...it's not like before."

Harry nodded. "And that's okay," he assured her softly. "He wouldn't want you to spend your whole life missing him. He'd want you to laugh about him. Talk about him. Fred was never someone who hid from anything."

Eden laughed softly in remembrance. "Yeah," she nodded, tears running down her cheeks. "Do you think he'd...do you think he'd like Elijah?"

"Elijah makes you smile," Harry answered. "There's nothing he liked more than that."

Elijah shifted between them, grunting, a grimace appearing on his face.

"'Lij," Eden's eyes filled with happiness, turning and looking down at him, cupping his face.

He grimaced, eyes wide, the veins disappearing from his skin. Still too pale, he sped to a standing position. "Something's wrong..." He clutched his chest, gasping for air.

Eden felt uncomfortable, wincing as Elijah disappeared from view.

Eden and Harry exchanged a shrug and stood quickly, tripping over each other as they rushed upstairs to find him. Cool, spring air filled through the front door and Eden spotted her soulmate, standing outside, taking slow breaths.

"Elijah," Eden breathed out, rushing across the living area and jumping into his arms.

He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing his face into her neck. "I'm here," he whispered, "I won't leave you again, Elskan, I promise. I'm here," he pressed a kiss to her temple, gently sliding her down. "I wasn't invited in," he glanced to the house. "Is anyone here?"

"No," Eden shook her head. "They're gone, they," her face fell. "Klaus is here."

Elijah's grip tightened on her, and he glanced around, as though Klaus would appear at any moment. "We should get you home." His eyes met Harry, who was leaning against the doorframe. "Harry Potter," he greeted with a polite nod. "Thank you for bringing me back to her."

"Gotta do well on our deal, yeah?" Harry grinned at him.

Eden looked between the pair in confusion, but Harry just ruffled her hair. "I'll meet you both at Eden's place. I'll have a word with MACUSA in the morning. Gin's been anxious to meet you," he nodded to Elijah. "I think she made shepherd's pie."

"How did she know he was coming?" Eden asked with a frown. "I didn't know we were undaggering him until an hour ago."

Harry gave her a blank look. "Who do you think came up with the plan to sneak in and get him out when everyone was gone?" He raised an eyebrow. "She's a Weasley, bon."

After Eden's nod, Harry smiled at the pair before turning on his heel and disappearing with a loud crack. Eden looked back to Elijah, reaching her hands to his face and cupping it softly.

"I'm so sorry," Elijah whispered, hands finding her wrists and tracing them with his thumbs. "I know, you..." Guilt flashed his face. "You were in so much pain, my darling, I am so sorry to have put you through that."

Eden shook her head. "It wasn't your fault, 'Lij."

Elijah pressed a kiss to her head, moving his hands from her wrists to her waist, pulling her into another embrace. Her hands moved to his neck, pulling him closer.

"I am your boyfriend," he whispered softly in her ear. "Just so we've established titles."

A blush filled Eden's cheeks and she grinned despite herself. His chest vibrated with a small laugh, and he pulled back from her entirely. "Come, Elskan, let's get us home."

—

Eden didn't leave Elijah the entire night. Freshly showered to remove the ash from his skin, he'd changed clothes — wearing a button down and slacks he'd tucked away in the back of her closet "why didn't you check the back, darling, it's been there since you moved in" — and introduced himself to Ginny, and now they sat on the edge of her bed as Ginny set plates for dinner.

"I haven't had dragon blood in decades," he confessed to her, taking a sip of the blood-filled glass. He pondered it for a moment, circling it around. At her curious gaze, his lips quirked up. "It's nothing like human blood, but it's rich. Probably the strongest animal. It burns, like a whiskey, almost."

"So, different bloods have different tastes?" She asked, lifting her leg up and resting her chin on it.

Elijah nodded, switching hands to hold the glass, his now free hand stroking her head softly. "Indeed," he nodded. "Human blood is...sweet. It's honeyed and thick and the burn in one's chest, here," he grabbed her hand and placed it just to the south of his heart, "is salved. It's an ailment, a cure to an incurable disease."

His phrasing made her frown. "Do you think of vampirism as a disease?" She asked softly.

He sighed, moving her hand from his chest and pressing it to his lips. "In a manner of speech," he admitted. "I am not one to complain about my...affliction," he kissed her knuckles softly. "And I remember little of being human. But attaining blood, the hunger, the..." he trailed off, jaw tightening. "Sometimes I do wonder if my family and I would have been better off as human. If the world would have been better."

Eden shook her head immediately, interlocking their fingers. "No," she refused immediately. "I wouldn't have met you. And as someone who lived without you, I would be far worse off never knowing you."

The softness in his gaze made her blush. "What?" She asked, fighting a smile.

Elijah shook his head, setting the glass down on her nightstand and turning to face her. "You are everything to me, Eden," he confessed softly. "There is nothing in this universe I will ever care for as deeply as I do for you."

Eden's blush deepened and her nose crinkled up, biting the smile from overtaking her face. He let go of her hands, bringing his own to her face and cradling it softly, his thumbs tracing her skin.

"I heard you," he admitted gently. "I heard everything. I know what Damon did," his eyes flickered, and she felt a surge of anger boil in her chest, but it simmered to a low rage a second later. "I know what Katerina did, and I know what you admitted to Harry. Elsku dúllan mín, I love you so much."

Eden's eyes watered at his words — and the new term of endearment — and she pressed a kiss to the bottom of his palm. "I love you," she whispered. "It hasn't been long and I'm scared of-of everything that comes from loving you, but I'm not scared of loving you. I love you."

Elijah's smile was gentle, and his hands were too — always so gentle, she missed, so much, how gentle he was — as he pulled her face to his, her leg falling to his thigh. He pressed his lips against hers tenderly, and she reveled in the warmth that purged away her pain and anxieties.

She reached her hand up to his face, moving it back to his hair, pulling him closer. He deepened the kiss, and she tasted his breath on her skin, a metal tang on his tongue from the blood. He smelled different — he wasn't wearing the Maison Francis — but the scent of her shampoo filled her lungs and his grip tightened, his fingers cupping her jaw.

"Merlin, Harry doesn't kiss me like that anymore."

Eden and Elijah pulled apart, Eden's face flushed from the kiss, a small smirk toying at Elijah's lips.

"You knew she was coming," Eden's eyes narrowed. He didn't respond, fighting a smile and pressing a kiss to her head, grabbing his glass from the nightstand.

"Dinner's ready, lovebirds," Ginny smiled at them, her hand resting on her stomach. "If you don't eat it all, I'm going to force-feed you."

Eden smiled, standing up and following Ginny's retreating figure from the bedroom, stopping only when Elijah gently tugged her back.

"I love you," he murmured, gazing down at her.

Eden smiled up at him, pulling him down for another kiss. "I love you."

"I will never let anything happen to you again, my darling," he promised softly, pressing another kiss to her head. "Do you understand me?"

Eden nodded, resting her head against his chest and letting out a deep sigh. "Are you going to kill my friends?"

Elijah hummed in response, his fingers brushing up and down her back. "I quite enjoy Harry and Ginny's company; it would be a shame to lose them."

Eden tapped his back playfully, squeezing him closer. He chuckled, pressing a kiss to her hair. "No, Elskan, I gave you my word. I do hope you no longer consider Damon a friend, though."

Eden didn't answer and he sighed, reading the silence. "Sweetheart, you can't be loyal to those that aren't loyal to you."

Rather than respond, she pulled away, moving his hand to her lips and pressing a kiss to it. She pulled him from the room and into hallway, venturing into the kitchen where Ginny and Harry sat at the table.

"So, Elijah," Ginny began as Elijah pulled a chair out for Eden and took the seat next to her. "Tell us about yourself."

Elijah's lips lifted and he glanced to Eden, then at her friends. "There is nothing I'll hide from either of you. I have five siblings," he started. Eden reached under the table with the hand not holding a fork and interlocked their fingers. He squeezed her hand softly. "I was born in 978 AD, in this state, though it was long before it looked as it does now. I was a Viking, like my father, and brothers. I enjoy the piano, lived in New Orleans for a good portion of my life, and I miss it. I have spent quite some time in Europe, and I enjoy the Wizarding World immensely."

"Right," Ginny nodded, taking a bite of her food. "But what about, you know, your favorite color?"

Elijah chuckled softly, taking a sip of his dragon blood — he needed so much to compensate for the lack of it during his time daggered, and Draco, of course, had left a chest full under Eden's bed with bags of it "in case anything happened" — looking kindly at Ginny.

"A deep blue," he responded after a moment.

"I thought it would be red," Harry took a bite of his food. "What, with all the blood."

Elijah smiled, but his hand tensed around Eden's. She glanced at him, feeling his guilt flood her.

"One would think," he replied lightly.

—

Elijah was warm.

Eden's head rested on his chest, her hand intertwined with one of his, their fingers dancing softly against one another's. His heart tapped steadily against her ear, his breath slow and even. He'd place a kiss to her hair or breathe or in, as if she mattered to him just as much as he did her, and his arm wrapped around her waist.

Elijah was holding her gently.

Tightly enough that she could feel it, that she was aware of his fingers brushing lazily under the bottom of her shirt, her skin igniting with each passing second. Tightly enough that she felt safe. Content.

Elijah was the missing piece in Eden's life that she hadn't even realized had been missing. He was the sun and moon and each shining star in between. His chin rested against the top of her head and her breathing slowed as comfortability befriended her.

The pain had dissipated, and in its place remained pleasure, steady and warm and gentle. In the place of her pain, was Elijah. His presence wrapped around her in a blanket, securing her in the cocoon of promises and whispers and kisses.

Elijah was hers.

"Eden Sommers' phone," Elijah's voice spoke quietly from above her. Her head tilted a fraction, watching his jaw clench as the other line spoke through. She didn't mind if he answered the phone. She didn't mind if everyone knew he was alive.

She had Elijah now. Elijah had her.

"That is one of his favorite tricks, yes," Elijah answered calmly. "Elena, you are alive because Eden deems it so. I cannot promise the same for your friends if they so much as look at her again." A pause. "Of course."

He held the phone to Eden's ear.

"Hey, what's up?"

"You undaggered Elijah?" Was the first question that Elena shot back. "How could you? Never mind, we — we have bigger problems."

"I was always going to save Elijah, 'Lena, but that doesn't mean I don't want you safe, too."

"Well, that's a lie," Elena snapped before sighing. "I'm sorry. Klaus was in Alaric's body."

Eden's eyes widened, exchanging a look with Elijah. He seemed unsurprised. That must have been what Elena had told him. Anxiety rushed through her as she thought back on Alaric's strange comments to her. Did he want something with her in particular?

"Is Alaric okay now?" Eden asked after a pause.

Elena was quiet for a moment, before she responded. "I don't...I don't know. Bonnie tried to take him down, but...he had a spell on him. She almost died."

"I'm so sorry, Lena," Eden replied softly. "Are you okay?"

Elena let out a shaky breath. "I will be," she answered weakly. "Just...I was going to get Elijah to see if he could help with the Klaus stuff. I won't lose Bonnie."

"I won't lose Elijah," the words tumbled from Eden's lips before she could stop them. "The dagger's gone, Lena, Harry hid it. Only he and Elijah know where."

Elena was quiet for a solid minute before she said softly. "Good. You...Eden, you need him. I'm sorry for taking him from you."

"Thank you," Eden cuddled closer to Elijah. "We'll come by in the morning, okay? Figure everything out. Oh, and Jenna's staying on campus for a bit, okay? Because of the whole Isobel thing. But she knows. About vampires, Elijah, all of it."

"Seriously?" Elena sighed. "Okay, yeah, that's — that's okay. We'll figure it out. You'll help, though, right? I..." she trailed off before adding in a smaller voice. "Eden, I'm scared."

"I won't let anything happen to you," Eden assured her, eyes meeting Elijah's.

"I promise."

—

heheheee okay skipped most of last dance BUTTTTT we have some liiiittle moments with klaus
AND i bet you all didn't expect there to be no dagger for s2-s3 sooooo hehe things are gonna be veerrrrrryyy different on the road trip:) but for now, elijah and eden still want klaus dead and just so you all know, elijah has been keeping a seeeeccrreeeettt i wonder what it iiiissssss
shorter chapter but I really missed elijah okay byyyeee