𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 - the magical hands

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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐖𝐀𝐒 reaching boiling point, even after Ophelia had perched the door open. Small and barely noticeable warm breezes brushed through the small building but it certainly didn't help the thick air. Elijah was panting and gasping with every breath and there was nothing Ophelia could do except sit there with him and hope it didn't escalate any further.

The man resting on her couldn't even get any words out, and if he tried, they came out as strangled chokes, he wouldn't keep any water down and it seemed as though he was progressing into the worst stage of the fever. Every now and then as he looked up to the face that stared down in worry, confusion would cloud his hypnotic gaze as if he couldn't recognize who she was.

Once again, Ophelia pressed the back of her hand to Elijah's forehead, it was soaked entirely and burning like a growing fire. Her hand rested on his head for less than a few seconds before Elijah began to murmur beneath his breath; he was apologizing to Celeste, asking for her to forgive him and Ophelia furrowed her brows. Before she could question the man on his words, the scene before her shifted once again as she was dragged into yet another memory.

The memory depicted Klaus this time; dressed in clothes similar to the ones Elijah had been wearing in the previous memory. He and another man were stood back to back with revolvers in their hands as they prepared for what seemed to be a duel. Klaus began to count down in French as he and the man walked away from one another. The moment he reached one, the pair spun around and fired their guns. Klaus remained entirely unharmed but the man he opposed was not so lucky. There was a gaping hole in the middle of his forehead and blood trickled down before the man fell to the ground, dead.

Klaus's face showed how unimpressed he was with his opponents as the man was dragged away and tossed on a growing pile of bodies. "Is that it? Is this the best New Orleans has to offer?"

It was then that Elijah joined the scene, his boots trudging through the grassy field as the men surrounding darted their eyes between the brothers. Elijah's face became furious as he caught sight of the mass of corpses littering the field. "Brother! Please, this is high folly. Is it not enough you have slaughtered dozens in just these past several weeks? Word of a city littered with bodies will surely travel the oceans. Do you want to bring our father upon us?"

"Relax, brother." Klaus chuckled without a care in the world, "I've sent rumor that the bodies are result of the witches seeking blood sacrifice for their rituals."

Elijah's face fell, "You did what? Have you forgotten? Celeste is one of those that you recklessly point your finger at?"

Klaus feigned ignorance, his face scrunching up in mock confusion, "Who's Celeste? Wait..." He grinned as his big brother glared at him, pure rage filling his dark eyes, "Oh, yes! The witch you've been knocking around with. Well, fear not. Harlots are like rats in the Quarter. You trip over one every step you take."

Elijah had turned his back on his brother, his chest visibly heaved in his rage at the rude words his brother had uttered. The older original snatched a revolver from one of the nearby men and swiftly spun to shoot Klaus in the chest.

Klaus's winced before looking down at the bullet wound with a sigh of annoyance as blood marred his previously pristine white shirt. "You care about her. Well, that is unfortunate. I hear they're rounding up the town's witches as we speak."

Ophelia almost felt like she had been kicked out of the memory and less than a moment after the decrepit shack filled her sight, Elijah's awoke with a start, a strangled yell escaping his lips.

Ophelia stared down at his clouded eyes with slight worry, her hands slowly moving towards his cheeks, "Elijah?"

Before her hands could rest on his face, his latched around her wrists. His eyes were wide and filled with rage, "Niklaus, I'll kill you, you bastard."

Ophelia's eyes widened as the man turned with his full speed to rest on his knees and before the siphon could even try to get through to the deranged man, a strong hand grabbed her in a choke-hold, pinning her against the wall she had been leaning on.

Her throat contracted and only a sliver of air could pass through as his grip tightened. Ophelia could already feel the bruise that would be there the next day, but as his eyes darkened further, as rage rolled off him in waves and as his chest heaved, she brought her hands to grip at his arm.

Elijah gasped in pain as Ophelia's hands began to shine a vibrant red and absorbed the magic from his supernatural body. Ophelia's eyes widened as her eyes slowly moved to where the puncture wounds of the bite Klaus had left him with were, it was closing, ever so slowly... was she siphoning the bite?

Slowly but surely, the mixture of the venom from the bite and the siphoning drained the originals remaining energy and he slumped forward, his grip on Ophelia's throat falling as he toppled on top of her lap.

"God, I want to take a picture of this." The siphon muttered to herself, her throat aching with each word as her hand massaged the red skin. With a small cough and a deep inhale, she moved to grab ahold of the original vampire, as she did, the door to the shack flew open.

Ophelia looked up as Hayley strolled in with a small smile, an unknown woman following behind her. The brunette wolf's smile faded into a look of pure confusion as she looked at the rather... odd position Elijah was in, and the way Ophelia still massaged at her neck with one of her hands, wincing as she did.

"What happened?"

"Elijah-" Ophelia coughed to clear her throat once her voice broke, "Elijah hallucinated and uh, tried to choke me. Guess it's a good job I'm a neck person, huh?"

Hayley, despite the concern in her hazel eyes, let out a bark of laughter at the woman's rude comment, as the chortle settled, the white-haired woman that stood behind her cleared her throat, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good... who are you?"

"Oh!" Hayley exclaimed in realization, mentally slapping herself as she realized that she had just brought a random woman inside the shack from the woods, "This is Eve, we've been talking. She's been telling me about the wolves that lived here... Marcel killed them, the ones that survived have been cursed..."

"Why don't you go and chat outside, I'll take care of this one." Ophelia suggested as she used every ounce of her strength to put the original back onto his back and a small huff escaped her.

"Are you sure?"

"Hayley, this is your family, you deserve to learn more about where you came from. Go."

"Be careful," Hayley spoke as she eyes the passed out original vampire. It amazed her that the small brunette was able to take him down, but then again, she still didn't know all that much about siphoning... she'd have to ask. "We'll be right outside."

The siphon nodded at the two and watched as they both took their leave, talking without a care in the world as if they knew each other already.

It was good for the young wolf. Hayley never had the chance to experience a real family with unconditional love, and Ophelia was certain that even just hearing about the wolves, about her brethren, was helping her. Wolves hated witches too, well everybody hated witches apart from the witches, but Ophelia hoped that perhaps, under Klaus's inevitable rule of the city, the wolves could be freed from their curse, that Hayley would be able to find her family.

Once again, the siphon's whiskey-brown gaze fell upon the half-healed puncture wounds on Elijah's neck and curiosity clawed at her. Had she managed to siphon some of the bite away?

The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. A wolf bite had wolf venom inside, which is exactly what had Elijah in such a state. But wolf venom must have had magic inside, magic that caused it to eat away at the vampire.

It couldn't hurt to try and siphon the bite further, could it? Her hand slowly drifted towards his neck and she placed it on the wound with a light touch.

The moment her hand began to glow, Elijah gasped himself awake and a hand of his own flew to grab hers. "What are you doing?"

"Just wait," Ophelia muttered as she continued on, trying her best to ignore the pained grunts that left the original. To her surprise, it only took a few seconds until the bite was gone, flawlessly healed skin left in its wake.

Elijah's chest still heaved from the heavy breaths he had sucked in and as Ophelia drew her hand away, the light touch of her fingers lingering, his body shuddered. "What- what did you do?"

"It seems that I can cure werewolf bites..." Ophelia spoke in mild awe of herself as she looked over her hands before looking down at his sweat ridden face with an apologetic stare, "I could have saved you a whole load of trouble."

Elijah blinked, "You siphoned the bite?" and upon seeing the woman give a hesitant nod he smiled up at her, "You surprise me more every day."

For the first time in a long time, the woman felt rather bashful, her eyes darting away from his as a small amount of heat erupted within her high cheeks. They blossomed a light shade of pink that went entirely unseen in the darkness of the cabin. It wasn't often that she ever got compliments for her abilities, but when she did, she never knew what to say.

Ophelia was a confident woman, she believed herself to be a beautiful woman. She had been blessed with angelic features as well as long and healthy hair, she had to work out to keep her figure the way she wanted it, especially due to the copious amounts of food and alcohol she often consumed. Don't get her wrong, she believed that she would look good no matter her weight, but she had an entire closet full of clothes that she was just not willing to part with.

She was confident in her appearance, but she had never been all too confident in her abilities; it was to be expected. She had been one of the black sheep of the family, seen as nothing more than a disgusting burden who needed to be locked away from all eyes. Everyone feared her powers, found her to be a vile woman because of what she was born with, and so, when Elijah looked up to her with that smile and eyes full of absolute awe and wonder, she couldn't keep back her relatively out of place reaction.

As she looked away, his eyes narrowed in on the red mark around her neck, you could see the imprint of each individual finger.

He let out a defeated sigh as he shifted to sit up, legs hanging over the bed as her attention snapped back to him, "I hurt you."

Her fingers subconsciously stroked the red that marred the skin of her neck, it still hurt to the touch and her throat still felt tight, but she had suffered far worse. Ophelia could see the shame in his face as his stare stayed on her neck and she shook her head.

She joined the original's side at the edge of the rickety bed, one leg crossed over the other as she placed a hand on his arm. "Hey, I'm okay. You weren't in your right mind."

"That doesn't excuse what I did."

Ophelia shrugged as she hopped to her feet and picked up her previously discarded jacket. "Well I don't hold it against you... I got my revenge by siphoning you. Let's say we're even."

The corners of Elijah's lips pulled upwards as he shook his head at the brunette's nonchalant attitude towards being hurt by his hand. He couldn't understand how she could be so calm and unbothered by the danger she always seemed to either put herself in or be called to.

"Oh-" Ophelia chimed as she spun to face him. She hauled her lighter backpack onto her shoulder and held her jacket over the other shoulder, her finger holding onto the coat loop, "-If you say sorry, I might have to cover your mouth again."

Ophelia brought her bottom lip between her teeth as the original ducked his head with a chuckle before he tilted his head up at her with a single brow raised in challenge, "You have my apologies."

"Huh, so you want me to shut you up? Who'd of thought." The siphon grinned at him with a spark in her eye. Teasing an original vampire? Very Ophelia.

The woman laughed once more at the look on Elijah's face before proceeding out the door, leaving him with no choice but to follow after her.

Hayley's head snapped up at the sound of the shack door opening. She and Eve had been sat around the warm fair, oranges and yellows flickering in the dark of the night as Eve told her everything about the wolves that once thrived in the area. Her eyes widened once Elijah stepped out after the woman with a small smile on his face as his jacket covered shoulders brushed against Ophelia's bare ones.

"How're you feeling?" The wolf directed towards Elijah as she readjusted herself on the log she was perched on.

"Perfectly fine now, thank you." he spoke with a nod towards the mother to be before his oak-brown eyes looked down to the woman whose head barely reached the top of his shoulder, "It seems that Ophelia is quite skilled in the healing department."

Hayley blinked as she tried to understand what the man meant before her eyes lit up and an almost... proud smile reached her lips, "You siphoned the bite?"

Ophelia's voice was low and teasing as she winked at the wolf, her steps echoing on the wooden floor as she made her way from the shack before begrudgingly stepping into the mud to make her way towards the wolf, "I have magical hands."

"Oh, I bet."

Ophelia let out a snort as she sat beside the wolf, her eyes flickering between Hayley and the white-haired woman, Eve. "So, how's the bonding coming along?"

The light in Hayley's eyes burned brighter than the flickering fire in front of them as she proceeded to rattle off what Eve had told her about the pack. They had stayed behind for another couple of minutes before Hayley finally said goodbye to the untriggered wolf, promising that she'd soon be back to learn more about her newfound family.

Ophelia led the original vampire and the wolf towards her car, Klaus had also apparently left them without any transportation, which she supposed wasn't all that bad. Elijah could get from A to B within minutes with his speed. But Hayley climbed into the back of the car, Elijah in the passenger seat and Ophelia hopped into the driver's seat; the strong scent of artificial cherry invading their senses as the siphon started the car.

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The drive back to the plantation was filled with Hayley telling the two in the front seats everything she had learned, everything from her family's curse to whatever she had found in the bible. Ophelia listened intently as she kept her eyes on the road, the sound of One Direction lowly playing in the background- something Hayley had chastised her about whilst Elijah rose a brow at her choice of artist.

The car slowly came to a stop once Ophelia had gotten close to the home. She could see the apprehension in Elijah's eyes as he stared at his family's home; he had to face Niklaus, apologize for the awful accusations he had made. Whereas Hayley stared with hesitance, this was her home now, no matter what she thought of Klaus. Elijah and Rebekah had made her stay bearable and she was thankful that the suited original was back to offer some form of company. She held a glimmer of bashful hope that Ophelia would join her from time to time, whether it was in the house or not.

The girls, though it hadn't been in the best of circumstances, had grown fond of one another. Ophelia was blunt, strong and knew how to make people laugh and Hayley most definitely appreciated that, she also felt safer with the woman around. Ophelia knew the right words to say and wouldn't sugarcoat something just to make someone feel better, and that was exactly what the wolf needed. She needed reassurance that she could be a good mother.

"Well, I'm starving and I need something more filling than some Poptart's." Hayley announced as she opened the car door whilst Ophelia chuckled at the wolf, "Thank you, by the way, for coming. And uh... can we, I don't know, meet up or something?"

"Of course we can, I told you, I don't have many friends so you'll probably get sick of seeing me."

"I doubt it-" Before Hayley could finish her sentence, her stomached rumbled loudly making her look down at in mild surprise, "She's not even born yet and already she's telling me what to do, I'll see you later!" The wolf hastily grumbled as she jumped out of the small car, the door slamming behind her.

The two left behind in the car watched as the wolf practically sprinted towards the house, each smiling in amusement.

"Thank you for coming to help us, Ophelia," Elijah spoke in a soft voice, one that caused Ophelia to turn to him as she leaned the back of her head against the headrest. "Before you argue with me, please allow me to apologize, I'm sorry I tried to hurt you. I would never want that."

Ophelia stayed silent as he spoke, she knew he was a man who wished to live up to whatever bad deeds he may have committed, and so, for once, she let him speak his apology without interruption. "Well, I accept your apology, and you can repay me by taking me to that café you mentioned. But I'm warning you, when I said I could eat for eight people... I wasn't lying, it's a talent."

"We'll arrange it, I give you my word-" he promptly ignored her as her deep brown eyes rolled, "If that's the case, you'll have your fill in whatever you'd like."

Now that was practically flirting to Ophelia, someone offering to keep food coming until she was full was very close to being a proposal for marriage in her books. "You shouldn't say that to me, Elijah."

"No?"

She shook her head with a hum as he eyed her in amusement. They fell into a comfortable silence as they each continued to gaze at one another with a certain softness in their eyes. Though it was none of her business, there was a tugging feeling inside of her stomach that made her want to question the original on what happened to Celeste. The last vision she had been sucked into was where Klaus had blamed the witches for the killings, and by the way Elijah had brokenly called her name, she could only assume that something terrible happened to the beautiful witch.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Elijah's soft tone broke her out of her thoughts and the dazed look in her eyes cleared like clouds parting on a summer day.

He had watched the siphon slowly drift away, her eyes growing less focused on him and more on whatever was happening inside of her wonderous mind. He couldn't help the curiosity that begged for him to ask.

"What happened to Celeste? I mean, I can put two and two together so I only assume..."

Shame and guilt gnawed at his heart as the face of the beautiful Celeste flickered inside of his head. Of all the things to break through the fever and it was her. Oddly enough, as he returned his downcast eyes to the siphon who waited patiently, he knew he could tell her without judgment. Ophelia Parker had proven time and time again that she was a trusted ally- friend, a trusted friend. No. That word didn't quite sit right either. Nonetheless, she was someone who he felt compelled to spill his secrets to.

"May I?" He nodded towards her manicured hand that rested on her own jean-clad thigh, and upon seeing her nod of consent, he placed his own on top, his fingers wrapping around the delicate, yet tough skin.

He was in control of his dark and blood-ridden mind, the doors inside his head were tightly bolted, no cracks or holes to allow his torturous memories to leak through and with control at his fingers, one of the doors opened and allowed the siphon to see the ending of Celeste's story.

The scene showed the bathroom once again, the ornate décor, the beautiful structure of the room; it was a complete contrast to the tragedy that Elijah rushed in to find. His steps were rushed as he ran to the tub.

His eyes widened and became glossy in an instant, there was Celeste underwater with her back touching the very bottom of the golden tub. Elijah's movements became frantic as he pulled her from the now cold water. Tear's freely dripped down his cheeks and merged with the water below as he did everything he could to wake her. Sobs wracked his body and a guttural scream was released from his lips. Nothing worked, he was too late. She was dead.

Ophelia blinked slowly as she returned to reality, the warmth of Elijah's hand resting on her own. The pained yell he had emitted reminded her of the one she had released upon her arrival in the prison world. It was from the very pit of his stomach, love and anger being released simultaneously as he held his dead lover.

"It was a cruel and bloody time to be a witch, courtesy of my wonderful brother," Elijah muttered without retracting his hand. His thumb subconsciously swiped against her knuckles as he stared out the car window, his gaze unfocused. "She died because of me. Because I cared too deeply for her. I had allowed my brother to slip through my grasp. I loosened the reigns while Celeste consumed my every moment. I had abandoned him in the name of my own happiness. Celeste paid the price."

"You're so devoted to your little brother that you'd blame the suffering he inflicted upon yourself." It wasn't a question; it was a statement. Because she understood it. Kai Parker was practically a reincarnation of Klaus Mikaelson. He was angry, and arrogant and dangerous. And yet Ophelia couldn't help but love her brother, just as Elijah loved Niklaus.

What Klaus did was wrong, bringing suffering to the witches. Yes, Ophelia hated them all with every ounce of her being, but Klaus knew that his brother's lover was one of the witches he'd condemned and yet he did it anyway, it was awful, even if he did it to protect your family.

A small smile tugged at her lips, "You'll never give up on him, will you?"

"Many say that he is broken, that I shouldn't waste my time... but to me, the very definition of the word 'broken' suggests that something can be fixed. I have a whole eternity to accomplish one single task: my brother's salvation. If I surrender this, what value would I be to my family? To myself? To my niece?"

"You're valued by your family no matter what you do. Rebekah would walk through fire for you... and Klaus would too, I can see it." Ophelia spoke quietly, "That was the whole reason I agreed to help in the first place, the pure love and devotion I saw in Rebekah's eyes when she tried to remove the dagger from you..."

Elijah could see the understanding in her eyes, and despite the situation with Klaus, he knew nothing would stop his brother from helping him. Whether or not they were on the outs. But her eyes blazed as she spoke, her voice small and almost... longing as she spoke of Rebekah's desire to save him. "Because of your own love for your brother?"

"Yes..." she brought her lower lip between her pearly white teeth, Elijah's eyes latching on to the action as she lowered her stare to their connected hands.

He caught the gaze and he sighed to himself once again as he remembered that the woman flinched away at almost any touch. He scolded himself once again for his vicious actions back in the bayou and bit back the urge to ask the woman why her body would jolt and beg for her to run with even the lightest and softest of touches.

"A penny for your thoughts?" her mildly teasing voice snapped him back and he gave the beautiful brunette a sheepish look.

"I don't believe it's a question I should be asking."

Ophelia scoffed, her free hand landing on top of their already connected hands as she narrowed her eyes at the man, "Just ask me."

"Why do stray from another's touch?" He spoke with utmost reluctance, his head shaking immediately after, "Please, don't feel the need to answer."

Ophelia shifted in her seat, a burning sensation clawing up her throat as her mind sifted through the vast array of reasons why she hated people even laying a single finger on her skin. "You can look into my mind too, can't you?"

"If you allow me to... yes."

"So if I think of something... remember something, you'll see it?"

The man nodded in response as he watched the conflict on her face finally fade into a slightly nervous look, one that he hadn't ever imagined he'd see. Showing was so much easier than telling. The words would have gotten caught on her tongue and would have refused to tell the story, part of it anyway. But with.

"Let me show you."

He prevented himself from reeling back. The woman before him, the one basking in the small glare of the sunlight that bypassed the window of her car was one of the most private people he had met. The most open she had been was with Davina Claire. And yet the young witch herself knew next to nothing about the siphon.

"Are you certain?" He murmured, he didn't want her to regret showing him anything, and he knew what he would see wouldn't be pleasant for either of them, especially the siphon.

"Yes."

With her agreement, he closed his eyes, eyelashes brushing against his high cheekbones as he allowed himself to rifle through her mind; oddly enough, it was much like his. The woman outwardly wore bright colors, pastel pinks and blues, vibrant reds and pristine whites. Yet her mind was black. Everything was clouded and impossible to make out, but as the woman relaxed and thought of what he wanted to see, it overtook his vision.

A younger Ophelia was sat cross-legged inside a very crowded living room. Children bustled about as toys and stuffed animals were tossed around. Laughter filled the air as Ophelia swiftly brought one of the younger children into her arms and before she could utter a single word to the chubby blonde toddler that toothlessly grinned up at her, singing erupted.

And older woman and man walked into the room with a rainbow-colored cake, the top was decorated with icing, sprinkles and the number 'sixteen' was displayed with white glittery candles that held small flames. They were the parents, that much was certain. Their grins matched those of the children's and as Ophelia moved her head to the side, a boy came into view.

He was about her age and the pair grinned at one another before another girl, one with black hair joined them. The parents continued to sing happy birthday before eventually setting the cake down on the table and the blonde-haired mother rushed over to her children with a loving smile as she plucked the toddler from Ophelia's arms.

The mother placed a peck on Ophelia's forehead before she moved to do the same to the boy and the girl by her side, "Blow out your candles!" she urged with a laugh.

The three older children sat down by the table, each of them holding hands as they closed their eyes to make a wish.

"Ready?" The boy almost yelled, excitement evident on his face.

The girls nodded in unison and the three of them simultaneously sucked in a deep breath before blowing out their candles together.

Ophelia was pulled into the boy's side as he slung an arm over her shoulder, "Happy birthday Lia!" He gazed over the top of her head, towards the black-haired girl, "You too Jo!"

Ophelia grinned up at her brother, love evident in her honey-colored eyes, "Happy birthday, Kai." she grinned before their gazes snapped towards their father as he approached them, three envelopes in hand.

Josette happily took her card and tore into it immediately and pulled out her birthday card, a smile on her lips as she read the sweet message her parents had written for her.

Ophelia was next, her dainty hand reached out, brushing her father's as she grabbed ahold of the card, excited to read it. But as her hand brushed her fathers, it glowed. A vibrant red surrounded her skin and her father hissed in pain as he snatched his hand back.

His eyes were something no child should ever have seen. Pure rage and a burning hatred dripped from them; his face contorted as he ripped the envelope from his daughters' hand, unbothered by her frightened expression. His hands tore at the envelope, ripping it to shred before the paper was thrown at her.

Ophelia recoiled backwards, terror written within her expression, as she stuttered to speak, "Dad?"

"You're a siphon." He hissed. He grabbed her by the back of her shirt and tugged her along without warning. She stumbled and screamed as he dragged her away from the rest of the family. Josette looked down, ever the studious child knew exactly what a siphon was.

Kai, however. His eyes filled with tears at the sight of his little sister being pulled away like a dog on a leash. He couldn't stand it and without a second thought, he raced after them.

Ophelia was practically thrown into the sparse bedroom that she shared with Kai. Her forehead smacked the floor as she landed, a small cut and a dribble of blood appearing as she rose her head to face her father.

His gaze was that of a predator as he stalked forward and rose his hand in the air. Before his palm could connect with his daughter's tear-stained cheek, another hand clamped around his wrist, Kai, and just like what had happened with Ophelia, their father yelled in pain before he pushed his son to the floor.

His footsteps echoed throughout the entire house before he paused at the entrance of the bedroom, "You're both abominations."

The vision faded and Elijah hastily exited the siphon's mind, only to find her staring blankly out the window. She turned to him with a sad smile, "The moment they found out what we were..." She swallowed harshly, "Our father was always an angry man but finding out that we were siphons, that we were abominations... He hurt us, every day. I did whatever I could to protect my brother, took the hits for myself, and the flinching is a result."

"Ophelia..." Elijah whispered, his voice a gentle caress. What could he say? Nothing he said would erase it, as much as he wished he could.

The memory had shown just how happy and open the woman used to be, surrounded by family and celebrating. But it had been ripped away the moment her parents found out what she was.

The hurt her and her brother for something they couldn't control, something they were born with. It wasn't their fault and yet their parents, the ones who were supposed to love and cherish them cast them aside as if they were dirt. His mind couldn't help but conjure an image of his own father. The evil gaze was something their fathers shared.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Ophelia clutched his hand just a little tighter, "I trust you." she swallowed, the words felt like acid on her tongue and she wished she could spit it out, "I trust you, Elijah. That's why I showed you. Thank you."

"Whatever for?"

"You always ask before you touch me, even just the slightest, I know you wouldn't willingly hurt me, but thank you. You have no idea how much I appreciate it."

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28-10-2020

this was quite a long chapter, i hope you didn't mind but i really wanted to include that end bit in this one.