"i'm Always Ready To Bolt." Hayley Admitted Looking Around The Room As People Went About Their Night

"oh, okay, yeah so sorry to bother you." eleanor turned to see the empty table, realizing that the only person she saw in this giant place was charlie. once her gaze went back to the other, he was already sitting, looking just as confused as she was. flexing her hands, she placed the manuscript on the counter before giving the other a smile. "so umm, i've decided to just kinda be up front with people since my brain is moving so much faster than any other body part. anyways, it's not you making this whole thing awkward its very much me." giggling softly, she shook her head and took a seat. "my name is eleanor, have we met before?"

he looked familiar but it was impossible to put any names to faces. elle's memory was still fuzzy, each day she was alive brought something new. the name of a childhood friend or just something she once loved. the whole process made her feel as if she was insane and honestly who could blame her if she was?

Charlie sighed in frustration as he carefully dished up his plate of food, realizing that the girl in front of him seemed to have misunderstood. He could see the confusion on her face as she held the oversized plate that was clearly meant for more than just one person. "It's not for me," he explained, trying to sound patient despite his irritation. "It's probably for one of my cousins or my uncle. You can just leave it on the table over there." He gestured towards the empty table in the corner of the room, hoping she would understand and not cause any further confusion.

Charlie took a seat and silently cursed himself for not clarifying things sooner. He felt a pang of embarrassment at the awkward situation unfolding before him. Glancing at the abundant amount of food on his plate, he couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed by the thought of having to explain himself further.

And I burn for you And you don't even know my name If you asked me to I'd give you everything

she watched the emotions flash through his face, his eyes changing in the slightest way each time, but it was so easy for her to notice. shaking her head, eleanor wasn't sure how to explain any of it, still reeling from the journey to get to here. her fingers rubbed under his eyes, heat rising in her body from where his skin met hers. being near him brought all of her senses that were lacking back. shaking her head to his comment, elle smiled softly knowing that this all did seem like a dream. "it's real, i don't know how but it's real. i'm really here." grabbing his hands she placed them on her cheeks, hoping that he would feel the same way she had just moments ago. "see i'm warm."

eleanor wasn't sure if she was okay, every basic need such as water, food and some form of getting clean were required. looking down at her body and then back to nikolas she shrugged. "everything felt so dull until i found you...." she trailed off to see the apartment, realizing no one was actively living in it. there was no life or happiness, only dust and some boxes. ellie's eyes found his again. "nik, i'm so sorry." she admitted, even though there was nothing for her to be sorry for, she still felt a deep sense of guilt. "i just crawled out of a grave and i'm such a mess...."

all she wanted was for him to hold her and never let go. his touched solved so many problems in the past, but could it now? there was no tell of how long she'd been in that coffin. eleanor wasn't even sure if she remembered anything after her death. no heaven waited for her, just the feeling of that he was missing.

" how is this possible ? " he breathed . he had felt an unwavering amount of emotions . nikolas had felt happiness , joy , guilt , worry , love , and grief among other things as his piercing blue eyes searched for an explanation . the sandy blonde male wondered if turning off his emotions meant burying the thing he loved the most . " this can't be real . . this is just all in my head . " he breathed the words to himself , that or i've completely gone mad , he assumed before he felt her hands on his cheekbone .

the words whispered from her lips played on his ears like a symphony as she spoke his name ;; and in that moment he knew the truth . his fiance wasn't some hallucination or some vivid image he had conjured up in his mind . no , she was real , she was alive . " elle . " he whispered . all nikolas wanted to do was pull eleanor into him and hold her tight , but the fear of harming her stayed forefront . " oh , my god , are you okay ? " his questioned as they spoke at the same time , but he heard her question . how long has it been ? she had asked . " too long ?" he found himself staring into her haunting baby blue eyes , afraid more then anything that he would lose her again .

"oh i'm fine don't worry about me." she smiled brightly at the other. "i wasn't paying attention, been pretending they are playing much different songs than they are." josie admitted all this easily, something she wasn't able to do often, but with alcohol in her veins and lizzie smiling as she talked with as many people as possible, it was hard to not feel as if in a daze. "you okay? sometimes when i'm not paying attention, i can be like a bull in a china shop."

Maybe it was because he didn't like crowds - the noise affecting him - that or he was just an awkward mess but he found himself fairly uncomfortable in the sea of people. He felt that he stood out, that all eyes were on him, and it was something that hadn't really gone away as he got older. Sighing, he looked for an open corner, not realizing that he was in someone's way until they bumped into him. "Shit," he said as he quickly turned around. "Are you okay?" he asked, gently grabbing her arm so she didn't fall

charlie would like to think that his disappearances had gone unnoticed, that she didn't notice how nonchalant he had gotten since his transition began. the hybrid took a quieter approach, watching and waiting until she was time to swoop in. with him she had possibly waited too long and so she wanted to make it up to him. shaking her head softly, she did her best to smile. "when have you ever seen me let those two just handle it?" a smirk crept on her lips, before it faded when she noticed his stance.

he'd had a lot of drinks, so much that he lost count and she really didn't want anyone drinking from what was provided, let alone her own family. before she could even say anything about it, the room was sent into a panic and her instinct to protect charlie kicked in. "listen to me, these are hunters and they can hurt us, we need to find a way out of here. are you able to follow me?"

The younger Mikaelson, sensed the familial undercurrent of intrigue as unusual events unfolded. Since his transformation, he had distanced himself from his family's machinations. The recent killings had reached his ears, but they held little interest for him. He preferred to drown his sorrows and revel in his own reckless endeavors.

As his mother's voice reached him, Charlie sighed. "Do you have to fret about it? Dad or Uncle Klaus must be handling it," he muttered. He resented his family's propensity to take charge, particularly his mother. He longed to shield her from danger, even in his current state.

Charlie hung his head as his mother inquired about his alcohol consumption. In truth, he had lost track. A mask concealed his ravaged appearance. "I don't recall. I've lost count," he replied. Deceiving his mother was futile; she possessed an uncanny ability to discern his lies. He opted for partial honesty, knowing he couldn't evade her forever.

gabriela didn't want to worry her daughter, not until being sure there was actually something wrong. it was entirely possible, this weird feeling in her gut, didn't mean that something bad was going to happen. maybe it was just the symptom of her children leaving the nest. "i promise if there is anything to worry about, you will always know, but right now i think it's just not sleeping well." tyler was coming home tonight and he always helped her sleep more soundly. having him close in the night helped with the night terrors, that came from her past. "your dad will be home tonight so let's also get him something sweet."

linking arms with her daughter, the two began walking through the market. with summer approaching colorful fruits and veggies were in season. "what are you thinking for dinner? i could make burgers and hand-cut fries or we could do pasta. i only have a few more things on the shopping list for the b&b, the rest is all for us."

The younger Lockwood nodded as she smiled at the thought of her favorite pastry stall being at the market today. She did, after all, have a very sweet tooth. She enjoyed spending quality time with her mother, especially shopping, as she knew she would always get something out of it.

"If you're sure you're okay," Maddison replied, concern washing over her face as she hoped her mother would be alright. She didn't want her to overexert herself."Sure, I'll stay and help," Maddison said with a smile on her face. "I can't turn down that offer." She was excited at the prospect of spending more time with her mother, and the opportunity to indulge in some of her favorite treats.

Maddison followed alongside her mother, her steps light and her mood cheerful. She couldn't wait to see what the market had in store for them today, and she knew that whatever it was, she would be happy to be there with her mother by her side.

her body seemed to collapse, but never hit the ground thanks to caroline's abilities, of being both a concerned mother and vampire. the question ran through her head and eleanor wanted to answer it. she saw someone before becoming conscious but had no idea who it could be. "i saw someone, and they said something to me but i can't remember what." there was no telling how long it took to walk from the cemetery to here, but from the way her feet and legs felt it must've been a few hours. "i dug out of my own grave, so the world is spinning."

at first she thought she was hallucinating. that it was maybe some trick of the light or something because what her eyes were seeing did not seem possible. you'd think nothing would surprise her considering the path her life has taken. how many impossible things had happened to her ? but here stood someone that she knew died. someone her son had lost, someone that would have become her daughter in law. "oh my god, ellie, " shock evident in her voice. an arm quickly wrapping around the other in hopes to comfort her. " we'll figure it out, honey. " did she have a clue ? absolutely not. but she wasn't about to let eleanor wonder around confused and alone. " what's the last thing you remember ? "

it felt as if just moments ago, she was bracing for impact of a crash and then, she was lying in a coffin six feet under the ground. it took every ounce of her strength to get out of the situation and even though she managed to do it, it was obvious that eleanor had dissociated long ago. there was only one thing on her mind, nikolas. the walk was long and every inch of her body ached as she walked the streets of the french quarter. knowing each turn to make her way to their apartment. no questions went through her brain just yet, still using everything left in her to get back to him.

the door was open, something she didn't expect but it allowed her to breathe easier. as it swung forward, ellie wasn't actually sure what she expected. the whole time her mind hadn't processed what had just happened. the desperation as she clawed her way out of the ground. once she saw him that feeling seemed to vanish, her whole body grew white hot. cheeks flushing as her chest flooded with sadness and joy. "nikolas?" her voice was meek before she ran to him, placing her palms against his stubbly cheeks. "how long has it been?" it was all she could ask, but other questions ran through her mind. he looked so different, his eyes sadder and it caused an ache to ring through her bones.

↷ closed ╳ @iknowthvnd ( eleanor hildegard ) ↷ muse playing ╳ nikolas mikaelson ↷ location ╳ french quarters ( their old apartment) ↷ plot ╳ nikolas finds out that his fiance came back from the dead

nikolas had gone to the apartment he had shared with his fiance before she was killed in the car accidental . after speaking to his sister , faith , he had concluded that it was time for him to follow through with turning off his emotions . what good were feelings when he could no longer feel her , he thought . nikolas stood in their old apartment and took one last look at the place he had felt the most joy . he had left everything the way she had left it before she died . the tribrid braced himself before looking down at the engagement ring he had given eleanor . he closed the ring in his hand as he closed his eyes and started willing his emotions away . however , the process was interrupted by a noise . he had heard someone at the door of his apartment , the door moving slowly opened and there she was . nikolas had saw elle standing there in the doorway as if she had never left . the sandy blonde stood puzzled , assuming that he was hallucinating .

@chamxmuse @tribidscrsed @rumblcs @insidiousxhopes

@xfatalexit

+Bonus