A/N: Here be smut. Do not read if this offends you. Seriously. And language. 

**

It had been a hell of a day. It started as breakfast with your closest friends and ended with you marching into battle beside them. Okay, that was a bit dramatic, even for you. A vampire had come into Mikaelson territory with an army at their back ready to take down the Original family. Idiot. His numbers were nothing compared to their strength. You weren't a Mikaelson by blood, but they'd declared you family some 300 years ago.

You'd met Rebekah first, bonding over your shared hatred of the vast majority of your peers. Kol liked your penchant for trouble. Klaus fell in love with your artistic spirit. And Elijah...well, to be honest, you weren't entirely certain why he spent time with you. For your part, you'd been madly in love with the Original since roughly the first time you saw him but he kept his distance. Klaus had been the one to turn you, though you discovered later that Elijah and Kol had been the ones to kill the man that made it a necessity.

Elijah and you grew closer over the years, though you would often disappear for decades at a time when he became too wrapped up in some woman or another to notice you. It wasn't his fault as you'd never admitted to your feelings, but that didn't make it any less difficult to watch. Despite your tendency to take off at a moment's notice, they'd told you often enough that you were family that you believed it by now. And that meant when they had an enemy, you did as well.

Which was how you found yourself covered with blood that was not your own as you stepped through the door of your home. You tossed your relatively clean jacket in the direction of the couch, not checking to see if you hit the target or not. Pulling up your favorite playlist, you put your phone in the dock that would send the music throughout your entire home and cranked the volume.

Fortunately, the blood that thoroughly covered your arms up to your elbows, was mostly dry so you weren't leaving it on everything you touched. Though by this point in your life you certainly knew how to get blood out of just about anything. Ripping out hearts would never be a clean endeavor, but it was efficient. You swung your hips to the music as you made your way down the hall to your bedroom, unbuttoning your shirt as you went.

You shrugged out of the top and tossed it aside, aware that it would need to be disposed of later. Your jeans went next though they were harder to strip. They'd been tight to begin with but dried blood had them sticking to your skin. Finally, you wiggled them off and kicked them into the pile with your shirt. Your undergarments soon followed.

You stretched your arms above your head willing the lingering tension from the fight to leave your tight shoulders. Until the adrenaline subsided, that was unlikely to happen. It was then you heard it. There beneath the steady rhythm of the familiar song blasting through the speakers was the shuffle of a step followed by a low moan. You spun around only to find Elijah leaning in the doorway to your bedroom. His suit jacket had long since been discarded and the sleeves of his dress shirt were rolled up to just below the elbow. His arms were crossed, pulling the thin fabric tightly across his muscles and causing the vessels to stand out under the skin. Damn the man.

By sheer reflex you grabbed the throw off your bed and held it in front of you. You'd expected Elijah to apologize, to leave and shut the door but he did none of that. Instead, his gaze moved slowly over you, all the way down and back up leaving a trail of heat in its wake. You arched a brow as you cleared your throat. "Do you mind?"

The corners of his mouth curled up ever so slightly as his tongue darted out to trace his bottom lip. Heat pooled in your core. He straightened and moved toward you, closing the space between you with slow, casual strides. "I am a thousand years old, Y/N. I assure you that you possess nothing I have not seen before."

You swallowed past the lump in your throat. "Yeah, well, you haven't seen mine."

He stood so close now you could feel the heat of his breath whisper across your skin when he spoke. "Yes. That appears to be a rather tragic oversight on my part."

Your gaze searched his face for some indication of what he meant to do next. Before you could think about it too long, his lips found yours. The blanket slipped from your fingers and you pressed yourself against him. Elijah's hands ran down your back and over the curve of your ass. You thought about stepping back, giving yourself some space and asking him what the hell this was but centuries of wanting won out over being sensible.

With his lips still locked to yours, his hands slipped down to your thighs and lifted. You took the hint and jumped, wrapping your legs around his waist. His hardening length pressed against your slit and you all but panted. Long steps took you into the bathroom where his lips separated from yours only long enough for him to turn on the shower and adjust the temperature. You giggled as his mouth found yours once more.

He pulled back slightly to look at you, his eyes seeking answers to your sudden mirth.

"I know you're always in a suit, but you were planning on taking it off before the shower, weren't you?"

He gave you the same look he often gave Klaus. The one that said he was so done with your shit. It only made your grin bigger. "Down," he instructed with a slap to your ass. As soon as your feet hit the cool tile, he turned you toward the shower and pushed you gently in that direction. "In."

You'd no sooner gotten under the stream of water than he was there behind you, pressing against you while his lips followed the curve of your neck. He was either still clothed or had used his vampire speed to undress. Since you could feel the heat of his skin against yours, you were going with the latter. You started to turn toward him, wanting to see him. His fingers wrapped in your hair and pulled, lengthening the line of your neck. You weren't about to complain as his lips continued to worship your skin.

He pulled you against him so your back pressed to his front. There was no space between the two of you as his hands slid up to squeeze your breasts. You glanced down to take in the sight, wanting to memorize every bit of this moment with him in case the opportunity never came again. Reddish-brown blood still covered swaths of his milky white skin and your breath quickened at the contrast. You arched back against him, leaning your head on his shoulder. A twist of your head had your lips meeting once more.

One of his hands began a slow journey down your chest and over your stomach. He stopped just short of your folds and hissed in a breath. You moaned as his lips pulled away from you, mourning their loss. "I want to worship every inch of your body, but I fear I lack the control."

You were needy, empty and the only thing that could fix it was Elijah. "Worship later, 'lijah. Fuck me now." Your hand wrapped around his and guided it into your cunt. His fingers found easy passage in the moisture that had started gathering the moment you found him in your doorway.

"Thank fuck." The words were little more than a hiss as he maneuvered the two of you into the position he desired. He used his foot to spread your legs apart so your stance was sturdier. His hands ran up your sides then down your arms in unison and a shudder racked your body. He lifted your hands and braced them against the shower wall, flattening his own against them. The gesture brought his mouth next to your ear. "Brace yourself, sweetling."

His hands wrapped around your waist one moment and in the next, he drove into you. A scream made of pleasure and pain tore from your lips. It had been awhile for you and Elijah was larger than most of your previous partners but you had been wet and waiting for him. Once the haze cleared from your head, you realized he wasn't moving.

You pushed your ass against him, hoping it would get him to move. His fingers dug lightly into your hips, stilling you. "Did I hurt you?"

It took you a minute to find the breath to speak with him still buried deep inside you. "No, but I'd love it if you did."

A low chuckle rolled through him pulling another little tremor from you. "Oh, sweet Y/N, don't you know by now to be careful what you wish for?"

His fingers immediately pressed harder, dug deeper, leaving bruises in their wake though they'd heal as fast as he made them. He pulled back until only his tip remained inside before slamming back in. Each thrust, each rapid movement had you grunting beneath him as he echoed your sounds.

"Oh fuck," came from you like a mantra repeated over and over again. Your fingers curled against the tile looking for purchase that didn't exist. Just when you thought he couldn't get any deeper, his hands shifted position. One lay flat against your belly, the other found its way to your throat. He pulled you back against his chest as he continued to drive into you. "Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck," was the only sound you seemed capable of making.

Then those sinful lips found your ear. "Come for me, sweetling. I want to feel you gripping my cock. Come undone for me, Y/N."

The sound that came from you was inhuman, something between a desperate plea and a shout of triumph as you climbed toward that edge. A moment later, a piercing pain jolted through you at the curve of your neck. Elijah's bite pushed you over that precipice and you trembled and jerked against him as he held you tight. He grunted against your shoulder as his orgasm rode yours. Only when you were both finished, did he pull away and run his tongue over the bite.

He leaned against the back wall of the shower, cradling you against him. Vampire you may be but even your knees were weak after that. His were as well if his current position was any indication. Once you managed to pull yourself together, you chuckled. "That was so much better than I imagined."

Elijah echoed your laugh. "Imagined this often, have you?"

You pressed a soft kiss to his lips. When you leaned back, you were still close enough that your lips brushed as you spoke. "For longer than I care to admit it has been your face I saw when my fingers danced in my folds and your name on my lips when I came."

He groaned at the mental image that conjured up. "Why have you never said anything?"

You broke eye contact then, turning away from him and standing on unsteady legs. Hopefully the remaining wobble would be noticeable to no one but you. Grabbing your robe from its hook on the wall, you wrapped it around you and tied it tight. You weren't even close to clean but that hadn't really been the point of the shower anyway, had it?

Digging through your dresser, you found the clothes you were wanting and tossed them onto the bed.

"Y/N?" His voice was low, concerned. You glanced over your shoulder to find him in the doorway to the bathroom, still beautifully nude. Of course, his nudity didn't concern him, why should it? He was flawless.

You shook your head and focused on your fingers as you twisted them together. Now that the moment had cooled and your mind was clear, all your old worries and insecurities creeped back in.

"Why are you here?" you asked.

His brow furrowed. "I didn't get the chance to check on you after the fight. I wanted to be certain that you were all right."

You gazed at him through your lashes. "You never have before."

He scoffed at that. "Of course, I have."

"No. You haven't. It's always Klaus and Bekah. Even Kol on occasion. I think you might have sent me a thank you text once, but I don't recall." That was a lie. You could recall every detail of the words you spent hours analyzing as you cried in your bed. You'd been hung up on this man for far too long. "So, I'll ask again. Why now? Why tonight?"

He glanced down before meeting your gaze. "Because I couldn't take my eyes off of you. Even as I fought, it was you I sought out. The way you danced through our enemies, leaving them dead in your wake. The way you kept Niklaus from being staked though you knew very well it wouldn't kill him." His tongue darted out to moisten his lips and he stepped closer to you. "You were exquisite."

You'd never been called exquisite before. And to have this man using that word? Holy shit. You let out a long breath deciding you could be honest with him since he'd been honest with you. That didn't mean you could look at him while you did it. You turned your back and wrapped your arms around yourself. "I was in love with you before I ever became a vampire."

"But that was..." He trailed off and you were glad for it.

"Many, many years ago, yes. At first, I said nothing because I didn't want to risk losing what I had. Your family was my family. I couldn't imagine being sent away from them. From you. When I realized that wouldn't happen, it seemed every time I gathered the courage to tell you how I felt you had someone else. When I couldn't take seeing you together anymore, I'd leave and come back in a few decades."

One finger trailed down the side of your neck and along the curve onto your shoulder. You shivered in response, your nerves still on edge from your earlier love making. "And you've been in love with me all this time?"

You nodded once and leaned your head to the side as he traced the same path in reverse. "I didn't deserve you. I never have. There is darkness in my past I would have kept you from forever if I could."

"I don't fear the darkness, Elijah. I never have."

His mouth found the delicate skin at the curve of your throat and he sucked, nipping lightly before he pulled away. He made a sound of agreement as he moved your hair out of the way and kissed up the column of your throat. "I know. It is one of the things I love about you."

You sucked in a breath, your hands finding his to grasp them tightly. "What did you just say?"

His tongue flicked out to pull your earlobe into his talented mouth. He bit gently then pressed his lips against the curve of your ear. "I love you, sweet Y/N. Have for ages."

In an instant you turned to face him, your hands flat on his chest as you peered into his eyes, searching for any hint of deception. Elijah wasn't a cruel man, surely he wouldn't do that to you. His eyes were hooded with lust as he looked at you for a moment before capturing your lips with his. You melted against him, smiling when his growing erection pressed against your hip.

You untied your robe and shrugged it from your shoulders letting it pool on the floor. His gaze darkened as he ran his eyes over you once more. That wicked tongue traced the line of his bottom lip as his mouth curved into a grin. "I intend to spend several days showing you just how much I love you, Y/N. Do you mind?"

You mirrored his grin. "I thought you'd seen it all before, Mr. Mikaelson."

"On that, I was very much mistaken. As I said, you are exquisite." His arms wrapped around your waist as he fell onto the bed, taking you with him. And from that moment on, he spent every day of your eternity showing you just how much you were loved.