Chapter Text
Elijah had no idea what time he had finally fallen into a fitful sleep; the bruises he’d seen on Elena were playing on a loop in his mind constantly, never allowing him to fully relax. He hadn’t told Caroline or anyone else what he’d seen, or why Elena had suddenly fled the Gilbert house; she was clearly in some serious denial about what was happening to her and the last thing she needed was all of their well-meaning friends and siblings to descend on her. No, he needed to try and get her alone again, somewhere she couldn’t run out on him before he got through to her.
He did know that he hadn’t been asleep long when a banging at his apartment door roused him. Rolling over, he glanced at the clock on his bedside table: 02:47 it displayed in neon green. Who the hell would be at his door at this time in the morning?
Flinging his comforter off of himself, he spun his legs out the side of the bed, yawning as the banging at his door continued. Forgoing grabbing any clothes, he opted to answer the door in his boxers, wanting the banging to stop sooner rather than later. Really, they got what they got when they decided to wake him up at such a ridiculous time.
“Alright.” He called, making his way into the dark hallway, flipping on a small lamp as he went. “I’m coming.”
The frantic banging continued, what the hell was their problem?
“I’m coming.” He called again, pulling the latch off the door and turning the key in the lock; the banging finally subsiding as he made some noise at the door. “What is-” He wrenched the door open, soft emergency lighting illuminating a familiar silhouette lining the doorway; cutting him off mid-sentence. “Elena?”
“I’m sorry.” She whimpered, her voice catching as a sob escaped her. “I didn’t know where else to go, I’m sorry.” Another heaving sob tore from her small body as her legs gave way under her; Elijah catching her halfway down.
“Elena?” He prompted softly, holding onto the hysterical brunette carefully. Realising she wasn’t going to be able to move again on her own anytime soon, he redirected her arms around his neck, relieved when she had enough awareness to hold on tightly when he instructed her to. Gently, he hooked an arm under her knees, sweeping her up into his arms and carrying her into his apartment, kicking the door shut behind him and turning to lock it again with one hand. “I’ve got you.” He whispered, cradling her against him gently. “I’ve got you.”
Making his way carefully though the doorframe to his lounge, he crouched down, depositing Elena on the couch, releasing her as he stood back up and crossed the room to turn on the overhead light.
Turning back to face her, he found her curled up in a ball, the long jacket she wore pulled tightly around her body and covering her face from him.
“Turn it off.” She whispered. “Please.”
“Okay.” He replied, just as softly, flicking the light back off and walking a few short paces to turn on a lamp instead, a soft orange glow covering the room.
Crouching back in front of her, Elijah gently covered the hand holding her coat over her face with his own. Carefully and slowly, he coaxed her hand away from the lapel of her coat, keeping his soft hold on her with one hand as he straightened her coat back out with the other – revealing her face if she hadn’t immediately ducked it into her knees.
“Elena,” he whispered, letting go of her hand and reaching forward to gently cup her face, pausing for a moment when she flinched away from him, “look at me, sweetheart, what happened?”
She shook her head, taking in a shaky breath; her whole body shuddering as she tried to hold back more tears.
Elijah moved slightly, dropping from his crouch to sit on his knees before her as he bought his other hand up to reach around to the left side of her face. He paused in his motions as she flinched again, allowing her a moment to adjust to his presence before continuing.
As gently as possible, Elijah lifted her head from her knees, slowly turning her to face him. She fought him for a second, not allowing her head to turn until a slight insistence from him made her wince and she stopped resisting.
Freezing at her wince, he softened his touch even further, feather light fingers directing her until she was looking at him; the soft glow of the lamp illuminating her features in places and casting dark shadows in others.
Luckily, Elijah’s job often required him to keep quite the poker face as he found himself forcing his expression to remain neutral as he took in Elena’s features.
He wasn’t sure if he should be thankful for the limited light or not.
Her left eye was half swollen shut, surrounded by angry red bruising and a cut marring her cheekbone below it, dried blood staining the skin there. Her lower lip was split, swollen and bloody, and wavering slightly as she looked down at him.
Taking in a deep breath, Elijah forced himself to remain calm as he gently brushed a tangled piece of hair back out of her face.
“Did he do this to you?”
She looked away from him then, her eyes darting off somewhere behind him, completely unfocused for a moment before flicking back to meet his gaze, unable to hold it for more than a second before she looked away again. Attempting to take in a breath, it caught in her throat, resulting in somewhere between a hiccup and a soft choking sound.
Letting go of her face, Elijah sat up on his knees, pulling Elena forward into a soft hug, cradling her body against him.
“You’re safe now, Elena, I swear to you.” He held her more tightly as her arms slowly wrapped around him, her body shaking with fresh cries. “No one will hurt you ever again.” His lips pressed a light kiss to the crown of her head.
They remained like that until Elena’s tears finally dried up and her breathing began to slow to a more regular pace. She took in a deep breath, then a second, and a third before she found the ability to speak again.
“Do you think...” She trailed off, a frustrated sound escaping her throat before she took another deep breath. “Could I take a bath? I feel gross.”
It was Elijah’s turn to take a breath, the hardwired legal part of his brain working over time despite his shock and exhaustion. “Elena,” he said softly, “I need to ask you something first.”
She tensed in his hold instantly; his arms automatically running up and down her back lightly in an attempt to soothe her. He shushed her quietly as he continued rubbing her back, waiting until she relaxed against him ever so slightly before he continued.
“Did...” He trailed off, the caring friend in him warring with the harsh reality of what he needed to say. He closed his eyes, his jaw clenching as he forced himself to bite the bullet. “Did he rape you?”
She stiffened completely in his arms then, her entire body going rigid and immovable.
“If he did,” Elijah pressed on, “I need you to hear me now, Elena. I don’t ask to be cruel,” he continued gently rubbing her back, trying his utmost to calm her back down, “if you want to press charges there are steps that need to be taken first.”
She shook her head, wrenching back from him and out of his grasp abruptly. “No, no, I just want this to be over, I just want to get clean, please.”
“Elena.” He said firmly, cutting of her rambling before she could continue. “I understand that you feel that way now, but when the shock wears off, when you are able to face what happened, I want you to have all of your options available.”
She shook her head again, swinging her legs down to the floor and finally coming out of the ball she’d pulled herself into. “No I don’t- no.”
“We don’t have to go anywhere.” He reassured her. “Niklaus is a police officer, he-”
“No!” Elena shouted at him then, her hands coming up to cover her ears. “No, he’s not-” She cut off with a cry of pain as her ankle buckled under her attempt to stand up.
Having followed her movements to stand, Elijah caught her as she fell again, gently guiding her back onto the couch.
“Slow down.” He whispered, taking hold of her hands and lightly pulling them away from her ears. “Niklaus has a partner, Camille.” He continued. “She’s a friend of mine too. It’s a little unorthodox, but she would do me a favour and come out here if I asked.”
Shaking her head rapidly once more, Elena’s breaths started to come in small hyperventilating pants.
“Shhhh.” Elijah whispered, guiding her face up to look him in the eyes again. “Breathe, Elena, just breathe, its okay.” He took hold of her hand once more, lifting it and pressing it against his chest as he took in a slow, deep breath, letting it out just as slowly. He hadn’t done this since she was a teenager having a panic attack in the school corridor, but it came to him as naturally as if he’d never stopped.
He repeated his breathing, slowly and carefully until she calmed; her breathing slowing to match his.
“I will never make you do anything you don’t want to do, Elena, but I want you to have all your options before you decide.” He squeezed her hand softly. “If I call Camille, you don’t have to report this, the evidence can sit there until you decide you’re ready; if you’re ever ready. But if we do nothing now, and wash this away, you can never go after him, it will be your word against his, and that never gets a conviction in a court of law.”
Her eyes flitted across his face, seemingly searching his features for something before they returned to hold his gaze. “What hap...what would I need to do?”
“They will need to take photographs, scrapings, and evidence swabs. Camille may take a statement if you’re up for it, but you don’t have to do that tonight.”
Elena’s gaze dropped to where he still held her hand against his bare chest, she swallowed thickly, taking a moment to compose herself before she looked back up at him. “Will you stay with me?”
“As long as you want me to.”
By the time Camille and the doctor she had bought along with her had left, it was well gone four a.m.
Elijah suppressed a yawn as he turned back to Elena, having finally gotten used to the bruises adorning her body in the harsh brightness of the overhead light.
She sat on the couch, knees pulled back up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them.
“Would you still like a bath?” Elijah offered softly, crouching in front of her to draw her attention to him.
Her glazed eyes slowly wandered over to him, her head nodding slowing in agreement as his question registered.
He smiled at her. “Okay, I’ll go and get it running.”
As he stood, one of her hands darted out to grab his wrist, stopping him in his tracks. She didn’t say a word when he turned to face her, but the desperation was clearly written across her features. Her words from mere hours ago ringing in head, will you stay with me?
“Okay,” he nodded, “lets get you up.” He gently took her hand from his wrist, adjusting them so that he was holding onto her arm instead and reached for the other, allowing her to place her forearm in his hand as she lowered her legs.
He pulled her up from the couch slowly, taking her weight when she stood on her sprained ankle and gasped in pain.
“I’ve got you.” He whispered. “Put your arms around my neck.”
She stared at him for a moment before wrapping her arms around him, a soft gasp escaping her as he effortlessly picked her up again.
Taking a loop through the kitchen, he reached out and grabbed the back of one of his dining table chairs as he passed, carrying it, along with Elena, into the bathroom. Positioning the chair beside the tub, he gently sat Elena in it, releasing her when he was sure she was securely seated, and not going to fall in the dark, and turning to the cabinet under the sink.
Grateful he had a penchant for a relaxing bath himself, as well as a need to be prepared for any blackouts, he grabbed a handful of candles from the shelf and struck a match, lighting them one by one until they provided enough soft light that Elena would be able to make her way around.
He turned back to the tub, placing the plug in the drain and turning on the taps, the sound of crashing water suddenly filling the otherwise silent room. Sat on the edge of the tub as it filled, Elijah periodically dipped his hand in, checking the temperature wasn’t getting too hot or too cold.
After a few minutes, he reached around and turned off the taps, dipping his hand in one more time and swilling the water around. He shook the water from his hand, dabbing the rest off on a hand towel and laying out a bath towel for Elena on the heater. Grabbing a washcloth, he placed it on the sill of the bath, ready for her to use.
“Call me if you need anything.” He said softly, heading for the door.
“Stay.” She whispered behind him. “Please don’t leave me alone.”
Elijah turned back to look at Elena, she’d pulled her non injured leg up to rest on the chair and her arms were wrapped tightly around the limb. As he watched her, her hand fisted, nails digging into her palm.
He shut the bathroom door, walking back to Elena and pausing in front of her. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I don’t want to be alone. And I-I don’t think I can...”
She trailed off, but her pained grimace made it clear what she was trying to say.
He lowered himself to his knees in front of her, nodding slowly. “Okay. If you want me to stop or leave, you need only say so, or tap me.”
Elena nodded, offering him a weak smile in reply, a wince reminding him and her of her split lip.
Elijah took a deep breath, watching her closely for a moment before swallowing and nodding, more to himself than anything. “May I remove your clothes, Elena?”
It was her turn to swallow thickly, and she did so before nodding her consent and dropping her leg to the floor, pushing her good foot into the ground and hands into the base of the chair to push her bottom off the chair, allowing Elijah to untuck the slip dress from under her.
Slowly and carefully, he pulled the silk dress up, taking care to widen the head hole as much as he could to stop it from dragging against her bruised and battered face. He discarded the dress, standing and reaching his hands out for her to take.
She took his hands and allowed him to gently pull her up onto her feet, all of her weight shifting onto the one ankle that would hold her. He looked into her eyes the entire time, gaze not wandering for one moment as he got her up.
“Hold onto my shoulders.” He instructed quietly, crouching down in front of her to remove her panties.
Elena’s hands gripped onto his shoulders firmly, her fingers digging in and causing a light pain he had no intention of allowing her to see. He cautiously took hold of her bad ankle – a severe sprain the doctor – Jo – had said, not broken, but very painful nonetheless – and lifted it from the floor to slip one half of her underwear off.
“Put as much of your weight on me as you can.” He instructed her again, putting her sore ankle back down and picking up her other foot, slipping off her underwear as quickly as he dared.
He stood back up slowly, his eyes immediately returning to her face, stained once again by fresh tears. Gently he brushed them away, pausing there for a moment before wrapping her arm around his shoulders again and helping her limp to the tub.
“I’ve got you.” The reassurance fell from his lips easily. “I won’t let you fall.”
She took a deep breath, pressing all of her weight into his side as she lifted her uninjured leg, carefully stepping into the warm water.
Elijah wrapped his arm around her side, tightly but careful to avoid her bruised ribs as he held her up – bruised not broken, and no internal bleeding according to the portable ultrasound Jo had thankfully bought along – and letting her take her time in transferring her weight back to her submerged leg.
Elena slowly picked her other leg up and lifted it over the lip of the ceramic tub, a soft gasp escaping her when her foot came in contact with the water.
“Is it too hot?” Elijah worried immediately. “I can run some more cold.”
Elena shook her head. “The water's fine, it just stings.” She stood still for another moment, before lowering her foot the rest of the way to the bottom of the tub.
Moving his hold on her to under her arms, Elijah helped her slowly lower until she sat in the water completely. He kept hold of her until he was sure she was sat comfortably in the water, only then did he slowly rescind his arms.
Reaching over her, he picked up the washcloth he had left for her and dunked it in the water, adding a dollop of soap once it was soaked through. He started with her arms, dragging the soapy fabric down softly until any traces of blood and grime were gone, slowly working down her body, with soft prompts for her to sit up or lift a limb every so often.
Wringing the soap out of the cloth, he instructed her to shut her eyes, offering her a reassuring smile when she hesitated before closing her dark eyes.
Taking extra care, he gently worked the cloth over her face, cleaning up the left-over blood that Jo hadn’t wiped away when she’d cleaned Elena’s cuts.
He set the cloth aside when he was done, standing from where he knelt next to the tub and walking around behind her. “Lie all the way back.” He whispered, guiding her down until all of her dark hair was submerged under the water.
He worked his fingers into her hair, gently massaging her scalp to work loose the smattering of blood he had seen there – a minor concussion Jo had confirmed, hopefully nothing more serious but he needed to monitor her.
He sat her up again, this time pouring shampoo into his hands and gently working the soap into a lather in her hair. Repeating the process of laying her down, he rinsed her hair out, applying more shampoo, rinsing again and then a generous helping of conditioner, grateful for the first time that Rebekah liked to take advantage of his apartment and insisted on keeping her own haircare there.
When he’d rinsed her hair out for the last time, he removed his hands from the water, not bothering to dry them as he knew he’d be helping her out soon. He let her sit there for a few minutes before he became aware of the water cooling in the tub.
“Would you like to get out?” He asked, coming around the bath to look her in the eyes again. “Elena?” He prompted, her eyes darting to him in a tell-tale sign that she hadn’t heard anything he’d said before then. “The water is getting cold,” he explained, voice soft and patient, “would you like to get out?”
She heard him that time and nodded, watching as he fished the plug out of the drain, allowing the water to start draining and accepting his hands when he held them out to help her up.
He got her up and let go of her briefly to grab the towel from the warmer and wrap it around her carefully. It was much easier getting her out than in, with Elijah able to pick her up again this time. Once again, he carefully cradled her against him, ensuring the towel stayed wrapped tightly around her.
Opening the bathroom door, he allowed some of the light from the lamp in the hall to flood into the bathroom before he blew out the candles.
Elena turned her face into the crook of his neck as he carried her through the hall to his bedroom.
Depositing her on the end of his bed, Elijah turned to his dresser, fishing out and putting on a pair of cotton shorts before digging through for another pair for Elena. After a little search he had come up with an old pair of shorts and boxer briefs that he hoped wouldn’t be too big for her before turning his attention to his closet and pulling down one of the few t-shirts he owned.
“Here,” he said softly, drawing Elena’s attention back to him as he put the pile of clothes next to her, “they might be a little big, but we can get some of your clothes later.”
“Thank you.” Elena murmured, her lips curving into as much of smile as they would allow.
“May I help you?” Elijah offered, taking the step before she had to ask him for help; knowing he’d made the right choice when a soft breath escaped her and she nodded.
Grabbing a second towel, he gently wrapped it around her hair, carefully squeezing out as much water a possible before putting the towel aside. He reached back out to her, gently taking hold of the towel and using it to fully dry her upper body before quietly instructing her to lift her arms over her head.
She winced when she lifted her left arm, the motion pulling at the pain in her side, but it was short lived as Elijah quickly and efficiently pulled the top over her, lowering her arms for her as he gently tugged the fabric down around her torso.
Top half covered, he took the towel out from under her, gently drying her legs. He lifted one foot at a time, slotting on the boxers and the shorts in one go; gently instructing her to stand and hold onto his shoulders again as he pulled them the rest of the way up, carefully tying the waistband of the shorts as they tried to slip down her slender hips.
Instead of sitting her down, Elijah stood up, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and helping her walk around the bed, not needing to flip the comforter back from where he’d thrown it off of him what felt like days ago now, he sat her down, lifting her legs onto the bed and lying her down, covering her with the soft fabric.
“I’ll be right back.” He promised, reading the panic in her eyes before she could say or do anything. “I just need to turn the lights off and I’ll be right back.”
Slowly, reluctantly, Elena nodded, watching him leave the room quickly, the light illuminating the hallway dimming slowly until the only light that remained came from the lamp beside her head.
Elijah was back a second later, smiling reassuringly and walking round to the other side of the bed. “I can sleep on the floor.” He offered, stopping short of pulling back the comforter, he knew Elena wanted him in the room, but in the same bed was crossing another line ordinarily, let alone now.
She didn’t entertain his idea with any sort of verbal response, just turned over and pulled back the fabric for him, looking at him expectantly.
Letting a out a soft breath, a light parody of a laugh, Elijah shook his head fondly, slipping into the bed and allowing Elena to tuck him in as he had done for her.
She lay curled up on her side facing him, close, but not quite close enough for their bodies to touch, the only exception her fingers resting lightly on his bicep as her eyes finally drifted closed against her will, her exhausted body slipping into sleep finally.
Elijah didn’t sleep.