{1.14 | Let's Just Finish the Dance | part three}
Laying on Elara's bed, the roommates dove into the stacks of information that Lizzie had given Hope. The research was extensive-- a little obsessive-- but extensive. The first binder Elara looked at was just filled with comparisons of different color dresses that each contestant won throughout the years, and the next was only about the pattern of questions throughout the years.
They reviewed quietly, the only sounds coming from the page protectors and stray papers, for nearly an hour before Elara broke the silence.
"You know I never thought I'd say this, but oh, my god Lizzie is a nerd," she said. "She did the math of the odds of each winner. I didn't know she could do probability."
"How does probability make her a nerd? It's really not that hard." Hope propped herself up on her elbows, watching Elara as she rolled onto her back, grabbing a binder on the way.
"I can barely do simple multiplication." Elara let go of the binder with one hand and gently flicked Hope's forehead. "Not all of us can be geniuses like you, Miss Mikaelson."
She lifted the binder above her head, staring at the cramped words on the page. Despite her many hours researching monsters and the Hellhound (which she was still questioning if they were different), she'd never thought of it as something as intense as... this.
"I'm not a genius."
Elara's brows raised in disbelief. "Right, because the most powerful being in the world can't also be a genius. I've seen your grades, Hope."
"Whatever."
"I'm serious. You'd put Einstein to shame."
Hope let out a small laugh and shook her head. No matter how much Elara put herself down, she always found a way to compliment Hope. eyes shifted towards the binder in Elara's hands-- or rather, her hands.
Elara's hands answered more of Hope's questions than Elara herself. She knew it wasn't because the wolf wanted to keep her secrets. Elara still had issues talking about her past in general, so Hope found other methods to learn about her roommate. Her hands were worn out, at least the callouses along the bottoms of her fingers said so, and the faded scar along the back of her left hand said that Elara had another story to tell. Another moment in her life that had left its permanent mark on her.
There was still so much about Elara that she wanted to know, but there was still so much that had to be done before she could.
"Hope," Elara called. She dropped the binder onto her chest. "You're staring."
Feeling her face flush, Hope turned it to the side. "Oh! Sorry."
She heard the bed sheets moving as Elara assumedly sat up. "I... didn't say it was a bad thing." A pause filled the room as they realized just how flirtatious what Elara said was.
Hope cleared her throat before sitting up fully and looking back at Elara, who was already watching Hope's movements. Sitting down their heights weren't as drastic, and Hope came eye to eye with the blonde.
"I-I mean that it's fine, y'know?" Elara stuttered, and it was her turn to blush. "Nothing weird about staring at me...it's a nice view, after all."
A grin reached Elara's lips, and Hope flicked her in the forehead. Elara's confidence came in waves, she noticed. Honestly, Hope found it endearing. One minute Elara acted boldly and without hesitation, the next she was flustered by even her own words.
"So, dance practice is coming up. You ready to bust some moves?"
Hope chuckled. "How old are you? 80? Nobody says, 'bust some moves.'"
"Yeah, well, the question still stands."
"I don't know. I guess I'm just looking forward to getting it over with. The distraction's nice but..."
"You've got a lot of other things on your mind," Elara finished for her.
Her auburn hair fell into her face as she nodded. "It's... hard to focus on the distraction when the distraction involves being forced to dance with my 'boyfriend' while my ex riles him up simply by being here." Her eyes shifted back onto Elara, having drifted towards the door a moment prior. "And you'll be there, too. Watching me dance."
"You'll do just fine, Hope, and who said I'd just be watching?" Elara's brow lifted daringly. "I'll be waiting for some action. This pageant is frankly getting boring, and I'm hoping that maybe I'll get to hit someone. Either Landon or Dr. Saltzman. Or both."
Hope tried her best not to laugh at that, but the sincerity in Elara's voice at the idea was a little funny.
"What, not interested in being Josie's date?"
There was a shift. A shift in Elara's demeanor that Hope couldn't explain. Elara leaned towards her, and her voice came out in a whisper. "I can't dance, remember?"
"Not really," Hope responded, pressing herself towards Elara. The space between them had lessened. All she had to do was push forward a little more to close the gap. "I was sort of slug-drunk."
Elara smirked. Hope wasn't sure when Elara had decided to be bold, but she certainly wasn't going to complain.
"Right. You kept asking me to be your partner for the talent show, and I kept... refusing. Today, Lizzie kept asking me to be Josie's escort to help sabotage the competition. I'd probably have ended up sabotaging the dance with my own moves naturally." Her hand reached up, carefully brushing the hair from Hope's face. Her breath hitched at the burning touch. "I never learned how to dance. Not like that anyhow." Her fingers traced the line from Hope's hair to her jaw and stopped. A gleam in Elara's blue eyes aimed a question towards her.
"But I'm sure I could be convinced to."
Hope Mikaelson, daughter of Klaus Mikaelson and Hayley Marshall, the legendary tri-brid, the strongest supernatural being in the world, was stunned by a simple sentence.
And when her sense finally returned to her, she registered exactly the question Elara was silently asking her. She leaned forward just as Elara did, closing her eyes in anticipation for the warmth of Elara's lips against hers.
"Okay! Showtime people--"
The door to their room swung open, and Lizzie stepped through, a thin stack of papers in her hands. She looked up from them, brows drawing together in confusion at the sight of Elara suddenly at her desk, leaning against it with her hands behind her back, and Hope, who looked as if she'd been caught stealing a sweet from the kitchen.
Lizzie looked at Hope. She looked at Elara. Back at Hope... then she nodded.
"ANYWAYS." She cleared her throat as her attention returned to the pageant and Hope suddenly liked Lizzie a little more. "We've got to get you ready for rehearsal. Elara, will you head downstairs and help them finish--"
"Yup, on it," Elara answered within a second, already heading towards the door. "See y'all there!"
As soon as the door closed behind the blonde wolf, Lizzie's brows lifted.
"Was Elara being weird or was that just me?" Lizzie questioned. Before Hope could even answered, Lizzie shrugged her shoulders. "It's not just me, but we've got more important things to focus on right now. So.."
Hope was no longer listening to Lizzie as she jumped into a briefing on the dance rehearsal they were going to. The sound of her heart in her ears didn't let her, and the traffic through the halls on the way there drowned Lizzie's voice out entirely.
They made it to the dance hall in record time. When they walked in, the two spotted Elara off towards the refreshments table, helping on of the chaperones empty the bottles from one of the boxes. There was a quickness to her movements, like she'd been fully recharged after a long day.
Her efforts didn't go unnoticed as the chaperone hummed in approval.
"Oh! Nice work, young lady. It's kids like you that give me hope for the future."
Elara just nodded-- politely, although her instincts to ruin the expectation were fighting back. "Thanks... ma'am."
The chaperone smiled then walked away from the table. Seemingly finishing her briefing with Hope, Lizzie made her way over to the pink table, arms crossed.
"You are in trouble, 'young lady,'" she accused.
Elara sighed, moving around the table to stand next to Lizzie as the music started. "What did I do this time?"
"When did you and Hope Mikaelson become a thing? It seems you forgot to tell me."
"Oh, how unfortunate," Elara simply muttered. Her eyes were on a pair of dancers, half-listening to Lizzie and half-listening to Vera Lillien as she instructed each movement.
"This is serious! Had I known I would've put you down as the escort. The two of you would've showcased a lot more chemistry then... that." Lizzie subtly gestured towards the mentioned couple, who were dancing in a way unlike any of the other contestants. "Instead, we're stuck with a stiff Muppet as Hope's dance partner."
"To be fair, he is her boyfriend, and it's not like we're sharing it with the world, Lizzie. So, please, for the sake of the Muppet and company, keep your voice down."
Lizzie just huffed. Knowing Lizzie, she wasn't upset by the news but instead by the fact that she didn't know about it. She was supposed to know about everything that happened around her. Plus, Elara knew that Lizzie wanted to optimize her plan.
And speaking of her plan, Elara watched as Lizzie nodded to Josie, who, as if on command, pretended to trip. Penelope caught her, dipping the twin towards the floor, and Elara couldn't help but be a little impressed at Penelope's quick thinking.
"...You wouldn't have agreed, anyways."
Elara swallowed softly, flicking her eyes towards Landon and Hope. Landon was talking quietly, quiet enough for Elara to be unable to hear it over the music and chatter in the hall. Hope was talking back to him, her expression shifting from frustration to anger.
"Who knows," Elara began, watching as Hope shoved a finger towards Landon's chest and separating from their dance, "maybe I would've."
The room itself felt as if it were shaking. The table next to them fell victim first as the glasses on top it shook. Hope's chest rose and fell with a deep breath as she glared at Landon. The shaking grew more violent-- at least to Elara as a ringing pierced into her mind.
She wasn't alone in noticing the impending danger as Lizzie's gaze passed over the rattling bottles. Elara barely caught the end of their conversation, grabbing onto Hope's voice like an anchor. Quickly, the two decided to step in, crossing the floor as quickly as possible, and within seconds, they were on Landon and Hope, each of them grabbing one of their shoulders. Lizzie had Hope's, and Elara had Landon's.
"Stop," Elara echoed. She glanced back at Hope as the ringing in her head began to settle, but Hope's emotions were like an open book. Frustration. Anger. Exhaustion, even. "Outside, now."
Landon didn't have time for a retort as Elara was already pushing him towards the patio doors. Elara felt that Lizzie would be able to help Hope better than she could, and the feeling was mutual, she realized, when Lizzie was already leading Hope towards the other exit. Hope shot Elara a small nod, letting her know that she'd be okay.
Lizzie knew how to help Hope through her emotions better than Elara did. She would help Hope, so, in the meantime, the Hellhound was going to have a chat with their local Phoenix.
~-~-~
"What the hell is your problem?" Elara snapped as she finally let go off Landon's shoulder.
Landon spun towards her, words of venom sitting on his tongue, but the harsh glare of her glowing, golden eyes pushed him back. They were alone, away from any normie or supernatural student, and if Landon didn't know better, he would've thought Elara was about to kill him with the way she was looking at him.
"My problem?" Landon questioned, holding back his tone. Just because he knew Elara wasn't going to kill him didn't mean he was going to test her limits. He'd reached his, after all. "I don't really think that's your business."
Elara stepped towards Landon, hands at her sides. "It's my business when it involves Hope. She's my best friend, and I'll be damned if I allow you to speak to her that way."
The gentle chill of the air finally caught up to the heated teens as a shiver ran down Landon's spine, but Elara didn't flinch despite her lack of a coat.
Landon shoved his hands into his pockets. "You know how much hell I was given for stealing a knife-- which I didn't do on purpose?" Elara nodded, brows raised as she waited for his response. "The guy who is actually responsible for the death of her mother is here, and she acts like it's a normal thing."
"Which she's allowed to do."
"He killed her mom, Elara!"
Elara took a deep breath, placing her hands together as she pushed back her temper. "He played a part in Hayley's death, yes, but mind you, he was brainwashed by his Nazi mother."
"He's still responsible," Landon tried to reason. "So what if he does 'good' work for the school and brings new recruits? He still tricked Hope. He lied to her."
"And so did you. So did I, but Hope has chosen to put it in the past. Hope has decided that she doesn't hold Roman responsible. Do you know how much she's gone through simply accepting it?"
"Which doesn't mean that I have to--"
"It means exactly that!" Elara snapped. The blaze beneath her skin was threatening to burst through, wanting to wrap itself around her and push at Landon. "This might surprise you Landon, but not everything is about you. Your jealousy isn't going to change the fact that Hope has made her choice. You can't and won't change her mind about her own feelings."
Landon's eyes slightly narrowed, growing pointed. "...We're still talking about Roman, right?"
There was a pause, so brief that it was nearly impossible to notice, yet to Elara it felt like an eternity.
She knew that Landon was going to find out eventually, that the truth about her feelings for Hope and Hope's feelings for her would be revealed to the world and shatter his heart, but Elara cared about Landon despite their brewing rivalry. He was her friend.
And, in that moment, Elara didn't have very many of those.
"Of course, we are, Lan," Elara said, softening her voice a little. "We are talking about how you're afraid of Roman taking Hope from you, and the fact that you're upset about how differently she's treating him now compared to when you lied to her."
Elara's sudden gentleness seemed to catch him off guard. He pulled his hands from his pockets, using them to talk. "He killed her mom, Elara," Landon repeated. "He played a massive part in taking her mother away from her. I accidentally stole a knife. It's not fair."
"Well, you and I know better than anyone that life isn't fair. We were raised in unfair situations but so was Hope. I get that the one time you feel like you finally have a grasp on your circumstances that you want them to play out different, but this... this isn't your choice." Elara extended a hand, cautiously and lightly placing it on his shoulder. His shoulders sagged. "Hope has chosen to not hold that against him, and it's incredibly insensitive of you to try and change her opinion on it. You're allowed to feel differently than her about it, but you shouldn't try and change her mind. You can't take it out on her."
Landon let out a long sigh. "You're right... and you're weirdly wise."
"Thanks. I've gained a lot of wisdom in the long time of three-ish months," she joked, attempting to lighten the mood. Her own anger had waned, but she was unsure if Landon's had.
A scream-- a deafening, powerful scream reached her ears, bouncing around her skull like a massive, spiked tennis ball. Elara clamped her hands over her ears, ducking her head, but it didn't stop the rattling. The voice was loud, louder than any ringing she'd ever heard.
"Elara!" Landon yelled, but she didn't hear it, drowning in the raw power of the wail. He was at her side quickly, one hand on her back.
The pain only lasted for a few seconds, and her hearing returned afterwards.
"Elara, are you okay? Something wrong? Lara, what is it?" He questioned her rapidly.
She shook her head. "I'm fine, Landon."
"What was it?"
"I don't know, but it's not a problem. My guess is a witch just letting off some steam." At that, he nodded shortly. "I know it all feels unfair, but sometimes it's just better to accept it."
He blinked, then nodded again.
"Now, get your head out of your ass and let's go apologize to your friend."
"Girlfriend," Landon corrected. "My girlfriend."
Slowly, Elara inhaled. "Right. Let's- let's just go."
The two made their way back towards the school, maintaining the simplest small talk before they found Lizzie and Hope. It seemed that whatever Lizzie and Hope did helped the tri-brid, and the mood on her face had become more positive. When they reached talking distance, Elara shot Lizzie an appreciative smile.
"I'm so sorry," Landon began. He reached for Hope's hands, but she held them back, instead tucking them into the pockets of her coat. "I was totally insensitive, and I just, I..." He trailed off.
Elara lifted a brow, following his gaze. He was supposed to be apologizing, so whatever had drawn his attention better have been more important--
"Where did this statue come from?"
Hope blinked, turning her head to the side. She nor Elara had ever seen the statue before, and Elara especially hadn't seen it, seeing as she was one of the main people to move all of the incredibly heavy statues around campus.
Landon's brows drew together. "Is- is that MG's mom?"
"I think it is MG's mom," Hope confirmed, stepping towards the statue.
Elara looked at the statue. She wouldn't have been able to confirm or deny Hope's answer, anyways, but whoever it was hadn't been a statue for long.
Which meant they had another monster on their hands.
The trio of girls waited for Landon to return with Alaric, keeping small talk, but Elara wasn't participating. Instead, she was staring at MG's mom. It was impossible, she thought. Whether she was basing her idea off of the fact that Landon couldn't have possibly activated another artifact because it was nearly impossible for them to have had two or that she herself hadn't felt any pulls towards the items in the Salvatore School's possession, she couldn't believe that another monster was attacking them.
Landon and Alaric returned to the scene, and Alaric nearly stumbled over himself as it registered just what he was looking at. MG followed shortly behind them. Elara assumed he must've been summoned to the scene, too.
"Who would do this to my mom?" he questioned.
"Well, not just who would-- who could?" Hope asked. She crossed her arms across her chest.
Alaric offered his idea, suggesting it could've been a bad spell translation or a potion mishap.
"Or a monster."
"I'm with her on this one," Elara said, letting out a sigh. That day just couldn't have possibly gotten worse. "A monster seems more capable turning someone into stone without any of us realizing. We would've felt it if it was magic."
Alaric shook his head. "There's no reason a monster would be here."
"Unless this sentient jar of artisanal mayonnaise activated a new artifact," Lizzie accused, turning her attention towards Landon. "What did you touch?"
"Everything," he answered. "We cleaned the school from top to bottom, remember. But if we're just gonna throw out wild theories, here's one: what if the person who did this showed up today, out of nowhere, acting all buddy-buddy, manipulating romantic feelings to get someone's guard down?"
Elara breathed out, "oh, my god." She pinched the bridge of her nose with her right hand, her left placing itself on her hip. "Did you already forget what we talked about? Two minutes, Landon. It's been two minutes."
"No, but we should still suspect him. The timing is too convenient."
"We just resolved this--"
"I was sorry but now I feel vindicated," he argued back. The blonde wolf felt her tempering flaring, and she turned towards Landon with a clenched jaw.
Next to her, Alaric took a deep breath. "All right, Lizzie, Hope, Elara, keep an eye on the contestants. MG, we're gonna search the campus. Landon..."
Landon was already walking away from them. "I'm gonna ask Roman some questions."
Hope let out a frustrated breath. "Yeah, super helpful. Ask the vampire how he turned a woman to stone!"
Sensing the... tension amongst the teenagers, Alaric cleared his throat. "All right then, everyone stay alert and be careful out there."
The remaining supernaturals dispersed themselves. MG went with Alaric, Lizzie made her way back towards the building, and Elara and Hope followed not far behind the twin.
"...Landon looked about the same as before," Hope quietly commented to her roommate. The two were walking close enough for their arms to brush every other step. "Unless the bruises were in places I couldn't see."
"He was left-- mostly-- unharmed," Elara confirmed. She shoved her hands into her pockets to stop herself from fiddling with her ring. "All that was raised were voices, and I'm disappointed that he didn't give me a reason to swing. Would've been one less problem to deal with."
Hope shook her head. "You can't just swing at all of your problems, Elara."
"Well, my problems can't confront me if they're unconscious."
Fair. She hadn't thought about it that way before.
"Let's go, lovebirds!" Lizzie suddenly called, having made it back to the school first. "We've got work to do."
With a chuckle, Elara nudged Hope with her shoulder, silently appreciating the gentle flush across Hope's face. "C'mon, then. Wouldn't want to keep her waiting."
~-~-~
Staring at herself in the mirror, Elara scoffed in frustration. Alaric hadn't returned yet with any news about the monster, and MG was M.I.A, but that wasn't what had Elara wanting to punch her mirror.
Repeatedly.
"Stupid tie," she grumbled, wrapping the damned thing around the collar of her white button-up once more. "I watched like three YouTube videos on how to do this. It should not be this hard."
Lizzie had felt generous that night, lending Elara a black suit-jacket for her to use, and the older girl luckily fit it perfectly. It shaped her lean figure nicely, and she didn't feel like she was about to burst out of it if she moved her shoulders recklessly. For her, that was a necessity.
She knew the reason for her attendance at the dance in the first place: watch out for monsters, but she couldn't help but want to be there for another reason, which she knew she'd have to process later.
With a jerk, Elara removed the awful attempt at tying her dress tie from her neck. The black fabric was soft and was more expensive than half of the clothes she wore growing up. She tossed it onto her desk, letting out another groan.
God, what he she been thinking?! The entire day she'd been going back and forth on her decisions. One minute she was keeping a bit of distance from her feelings for Hope until her relationship with Landon was over and the next, she was inches away from kissing her. Adding on to that, she had been teetering the line between her anger with Josie and her care for her throughout the day, and she'd been debating her own opinion about Landon-- considering his similarities to her dead foster brother and the fact that he was dating the girl she had feelings for.
Back and forth. Back and forth. Why couldn't Elara just make up her damn mind?
She took a deep breath, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Elara had to make a decision.
But first she had to fix her stupid tie.
She adjusted her appearance in the mirror first, pushing pieces of her hair out of her face and fixing the collar of her white button up. She grabbed her jacket from the chair and put it on as she was walking out of the door.
It closed behind her with a soft thud, and she didn't make it far before bumping into one of the Saltzman twins literally. One of them had been coming out of their room; Elara bumped into her, causing both of them to stumble.
"Sorry! Hey, aren't you supposed to be--" Elara started, but when her eyes finally locked onto flowery pattern at the base of the dress, her voice caught in her throat. She lifted her eyes, locking surprised gazes with Josie Saltzman.
"At the hall?" Josie finished. "I was- I was just heading there."
"Great. See you there then-."
"Elara, wait."
Josie caught Elara's wrist as she tried to walk past the twin.
The blonde tensed at the contact. Sudden physical contact always threw her off, especially when she didn't expect it, but she'd gotten better at hiding it. She stopped in her step, turning her head towards the twin.
Josie held out her other hand, a black-tie dangling from it. "You, uh, dropped this."
Elara blinked. In her haste, she'd forgotten the entire reason she'd been heading out of the dorms.
"Oh, thanks," she said quietly, taking the tie from Josie's hand.
The span of silence afterwards was... awkward, to put it lightly. Their relationship had been shattered and the pieces jostled around in a shape neither of them recognized.
But it was Josie. Josie who had been there for Elara in the weeks she'd spent silently suffering through her wolfish tendencies. Josie, who had gone through so much effort to help Elara become more comfortable at the school. Josie, who had encouraged Elara to stick to her instincts.
Josie, who had learned what she could about her to tell her father.
Josie's red lips fell into a small line as she offered Elara a smile. The sight was almost bittersweet.
Elara cared about Josie--a lot-- but the pain of her betrayal still stung, and she knew that Josie needed to explain everything before any progress could even start to be made.
"I... wanted to thank you," Josie said. "For suggesting me as the replacement. It- it means a lot to me that you considered me as an option."
Elara just nodded, unsure of what words would fall from her lips.
The entire day had been conflicting. She doubted every thought, every feeling that went through her head. Elara wasn't sure who she was, what she was, but she knew she was figuring it out. One step at a time.
"Are you okay?"
Josie's question was exactly what Elara had been asking herself.
She didn't answer, instead, she asked a question that surprised both of them.
"Do you know how to tie a tie?"
~-~-~
Elara had a few minutes before the dance started. Her fingers traced the straight edges of her tie, which had been tied securely around her neck but with enough space for her to be comfortable.
Instead of just doing it for Elara and calling it quits, Josie had shown her how to properly do it, helping her figure it out step by step. Any other attempts at conversation during that had been cut short. The tensity of their broken bond still strung loudly.
But it was progress.
The chill night air blew past Elara as she walked quickly towards the dance hall, having taken the long route to the place. Anxiety plagued her thoughts about the competition, knowing how Lizzie would react if they lost the crown, and she worried about having to see the girl she really, really liked dance with her friend-- if she could even call him that.
As she made it to the back entrance to the hall, she let her mind wander. She could already picture it: Hope, standing at the top of the stairs looking absolutely beautiful in her light blue dress with Landon at her side, looking... like Landon in a suit, but she was jerked from her imagination at the burning scent of alcohol in the air.
Grimacing, her eyes traced the path to the source. Landon stood several feet from the door, walking away from it and shaking.
"Landon?" Elara called. "What are you doing out-"
"How could you?" he spat. He marched up to her, pointing a finger into her face. He smelt like a bar. "How- how could you?"
She sputtered. This was it. This was the moment she'd been dreading. "I-I.."
"You knew about meeting my mom? You lied to me about it?!"
There wasn't a point in lying. "Yes. I was trying to protect you."
"I trusted you. Trusted Hope, but the both of you are goddamn liars!"
She had to deescalate the situation, she realized. The competition was starting soon, and Landon was supposed to escort Hope. "Well, we already knew I was a liar, so I'm not sure why you're surprised-"
Landon let out a sound that could only be described as a humorless laugh and a scoff, and his brows furrowed.
That had clearly been the wrong thing to say, Elara.
"I thought we were friends, Elara! And then- and then I find out you and Hope have been lying to me about my MOTHER, and you've been lying about your feelings for her. I had to find out from Penelope of all people." He closed the distance, getting into Elara's personal space. He was angry-- rightfully so, Elara knew-- and drunk. He was just taking it out on her. "We both know you're not even worth the effort, but hey, at least I'm not a murderer."
Elara's eyes flicked towards the door. At this rate, they were going to be late, and Landon was going to miss his entrance, but she knew he needed to let off some steam. She knew that she deserved every word he said.
"You're just another two-faced bitch, Elara. No wonder all your friends have left you."
That one stung a little.
He scoffed at the lack of reaction from her. "God, you too are perfect for each other. I should've dumped her earlier. She's a hypocrite and a bi-"
He pulled back from her at the sudden heat radiating off of her, but it wasn't fast enough to avoid the fist into his jaw.
He hadn't even seen her move. His head knocked backwards as he felt himself hit off the ground. His back hit the pavement beneath him. Above him, Elara's head tilted downwards as she locked eyes with Landon. Blue eyes bore into his as if they were trying to silence him. Her jaw set, and a hand raised as she pointed her finger at Landon.
He swallowed. Silence filled the air, and Landon suddenly felt a lot more sober.
"I think you've said enough, Landon," Elara said, her voice as sharp as a steel sword. He flinched, again. He'd seen her angry before, heard her loud voice and seen her violent tendencies, but he'd never seen her anger like this. "And I suggest you shut it  before we find out if there's a limit to how many times you can die."
His jaw snapped shut as Elara's eyes flashed a bright gold and a growl threatened to escape her.
"I completely understand that we've put you through a lot of pain, but you will not talk about Hope that way. You will not call her names, nor will you even think about insulting her. Do I make myself clear?"
Slowly, Landon nodded. He regretted the words as soon as they came out, but the liquor in his system was like a raging flood breaking through a fragile dam.
"Good. Now seeing as you clearly aren't capable of holding in a single thought or emotion, you need to get some air," she muttered the last part as she pushed past Landon. She'd taken a few steps before she called out behind her, "and you owe Hope an apology!"
Taking a deep, shaky breath, Elara pushed her way into the building.
It was over. Landon knew. Landon had been hurt, again, and it was Elara's fault, again.
But Landon wasn't the one Elara was rushing to help as if her life depended on it.
Hope stood behind the pair about to be called next, her breathing frantic. Tears threatened to spill over, but she couldn't. She couldn't do this. She couldn't do the competition. She couldn't protect Landon-- protect Elara.
She knew the truth would come to the surface eventually, but happening right before the final dance wasn't ideal. It wasn't the fact that Landon broke up with her moments before they were supposed to dance that hurt, no. It was the look on his face. The look of betrayal and hurt that consumed him, and it had been Hope's fault.
Landon had been her friend, and she hurt him. All she'd been trying to do was protect him, care for him, but the conflict of her heart had another plan.
Her breathing grew more frantic as the pair before her were announced, and she was told she was next. She looked down towards the crowd, catching sight of an expectant Lizzie, and everything felt as if it were about to come crashing down. It was building, and building, and building, and Hope couldn't--
A pair of hands suddenly caught her own. Warm hands that she'd grown accustomed to feeling over the past few weeks.
"Hey, hey," Elara breathed out. Her presence alone helped hold Hope's overwhelming feelings at bay. "You can do this. You're almost done."
She used a hand to wipe away any stray tears on her face. A lot was happening in a short few minutes, and Hope was struggling to process all of it. Landon had been late, then he broke up with her after revealing that he'd learned about meeting his mom from Penelope Park and that Hope and Elara had a brewing relationship. He didn't go into details about what he knew about them, but Hope knew it would've been impossible for him to find out everything on his own.
Landon had abandoned her after she'd hurt him, yet Elara was there despite how many times Hope had hurt her.
"What are you doing?" she whispered as Elara slipped her arm around Hope's, placing her hand against her own stomach. She wasn't against it by any means. Just...just confused.
"What I should've done in the first place."
The feedback from the microphone hit her ears before the announcer's words did, but she focused her attention. She had to do this. For Hope.
"Miss Hope Mikaelson, escorted by... Miss Elara Davenport."
The two descended down the stairs. Hope kept her head forward, careful not to trip on any of the steps, and Elara kept her eyes on Hope.
"You're beautiful, Hope," Elara said softly. There was a slight quiver in her voice, but she held herself up, trying to seem as tall-- as strong-- as possible. "Just one step at a time, then we're there."
They made it to the floor, and Hope couldn't ignore the blaring feeling of Lizzie staring at them. This wasn't the plan, but the plan went out the window the moment Lizzie signed up her boy-- ex-boyfriend up as her escort. She caught sight of the twin, her expression unreadable. Lizzie was watching Elara, and Hope couldn't tell what she was thinking.
The roommates faced each other, eyes meeting. Elara's expression had softened, but she was nervous. The subtle shake of her hand as it released its grip on Hope's hands earlier had given that away.
They bowed just as the music started. Unable to think of anything else to say, Hope mumbled, "I thought you couldn't dance."
Elara murmured something unintelligible to herself before she responded as they both raised their other hand, walking in the other direction, and the movement was more confident than the previous. "I just need to long enough for this." They then switched to both hands, walking clock-wise once more. "Are you okay?"
"Just fine," she answered. Elara was watching her, now-- just her-- anchoring her back to the moment, and the softness in her gaze almost hurt. She glanced over Elara's shoulder, catching sight of the Saltzman twins reuniting at the side of stairs. Elara took her hand in hers, firmly holding it as she initiated the next dance step. "They're fighting, again."
Elara exhaled shakily. The steps were simple, but Elara's focus was on everything else. She was trying her best not to ruin the dance any further. "No surprise there."
"What are they saying? I know you can hear them."
The blonde turned her head slightly, allowing her ears to push through the excess sounds and find the familiar pitch of Josie's voice, and she-- weirdly-- felt a sense of Deja vu.
"Do you know how good it would feel to actually be competing?" she heard Josie ask. "In Mom's dress?"
"Sounds like Josie's reached her limit," Elara muttered.
"She looks fantastic," Lizzie said. "She should feel amazing."
Elara couldn't disagree with the first statement even if she wanted to.
"Will she still feel amazing when she learns where it came from?"
"And the dress was it, I'm guessing."
Hope's brows knitted together, and her voice caught in her throat. "What about it?"
Elara tuned back into the twins' conversation. "What do you mean, where it came from? It was just a gift from some guy who used to crush on Mom," Lizzie responded.
And Josie sighed. "From Klaus Mikaelson, Lizzie."
As the dance was slowing down and the music became quieter, Elara heard the rapidness of Hope's heart. She heard the wavering of her breathing, and she hesitated in answering.
But she had to tell Hope.
"Klaus gave it to Caroline," she mumbled.
Hope's eyes widened, and she paused ever so briefly. "My dad chose this dress?"
"He did."
The dance came to a stop. Hope began to hyperventilate. Her hands shook as they pressed against her dress, and tears threatened to fall down her face. Elara couldn't pay her full attention to Vera as she announced the winner.
Everything moved in slow motion. A spotlight turned on, aimed right at Hope, and a drowning applause filled the room, yet all Elara could hear was the pounding of Hope's heart.
Tears had begun to fall down her face. Her breathing worsened as it grew short and harsh. She was panicking, now, and a fallout was coming.
A low rumble pushed its way into the room, as if the room itself had started to shake. The chandelier rattled above them, threatening to fall at the lightest touch. Bystanders looked on with mixed celebration and confusion, but all Hope could hear was the water in her ears. The silence of the revelations made moments before.
Hope glanced back at Lizzie, and a ringing filled Elara's ears.
Without a second thought, she threw herself at the Mikaelson, wrapping her arms around her tightly. Before she didn't know how to help Hope, but she remembered the night when she had been struggling, overwhelmed with her emotions, and Hope had been there. She'd been there for every second of it.
Elara owed Hope to be there for her at the very least.
"Congrats, Miss Mikaelson," Elara whispered. Hope's arms quickly latched onto her, pulling her as close as possible. "Just let- let it out."
And Hope did. She let it out the way she had been needing to all along.
~-~-~
Elara hadn't even finished unbuttoning her shirt by the time a knock sounded at her door. The guests had left a while before, allowing Elara time to escort Hope back to the twins' room to drop off the dress.
She was expecting Hope, but when she opened it and saw the other Saltzman twin at her door, Elara realized she'd forgotten about her luck with expectations.
Josie had taken off her makeup by then, and her round eyes were a slightly swollen. She'd been crying.
Elara leaned her arm against the door, partially blocking it off but also stabilizing herself. She'd never seen Josie cry, never seen her bare her vulnerability openly.
She hesitated before she spoke, as if afraid her voice would betray her. "Penelope left."
"Oh," Elara breathed out. That was news to her. Penelope hadn't mentioned that she was leaving the school, and Elara wasn't entirely certain how to feel about it in that moment. They'd been friends before, back when Elara was still adjusting to the school, but they drifted apart after the breakup.
She wasn't sure how to respond, but Josie didn't give her a chance to. "And-and I didn't come here to whine or cry about that." She took a deep breath. "I... came here because I miss my friend. I know- I know I hurt you, and I know I made a big mistake."
Elara swallowed, rubbing the back of her neck. Her expression hid whatever she was thinking.
Josie reached into her pajama pants pocket. "And I thought now might be a good time to redeem one of these." She held out her hand, and in it was a small, pink piece of paper. One of the raffle tickets Elara had gotten her for her birthday.
A ticket to redeem one no-questions asked favor.
Hesitantly, Elara extended her hand, plucking the paper from Josie's palm. It was folded and crumpled, as if it could physically display the worry and debate that had been done over it.
"Okay," Elara answered, tearing the ticket in half. "What do you need me to do?"
A relieved smile graced Josie's face. "I need your help researching something called the 'Merge.'"
"Well, two eyes are better than one, I guess."
"I will make this up to you, Elara. I promise."
Promises. Promises were something Elara had given up on years ago, but the determination from Josie-- from Hope-- made her want to believe otherwise.
"We'll see, Saltzman," Elara muttered as Josie began to walk off. Down the hall, Hope turned a corner in her robe, her arms held firmly at her sides. The two said nothing to each other, but Elara noted the shift in dynamic. She couldn't describe what it was exactly, but something was brewing. "We'll see."
Whether it was for the better or for worse would show itself. Maybe before Elara realized the consequences of her actions and how dangerous attachments could be, or maybe it would be after when those same attachments came back to haunt her.
Either way, the blooming smile on Hope's face as she approached her roommate, friend, and sort-of-girlfriend, made every risk worth it.
And Elara would do anything to protect it.
Even die for it.
{a.n. howdy. I'm alive! Updates have been hard to get out with school, but we're here. I'm going to start releasing longer chapters instead of the ~2000-ish ones. This one was a little over 7,000 words. (crazy right)
Thank all of y'all for your patience and support. I do read every comment I get and appreciate every single one of them (some of y'all are funny and make me cackle)
Elara's story is nowhere near being done and I have no plans to abandon her before it's been told.
~NYM]