manof_myword | And I blame this world for making a good man evil (for Ric)

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And I blame this world for making a good man evil (for Ric)

Elijah sat inside his car staring at his phone blankly. Clearly none of the others in town had thought to run their plan by Ric who could, at least, have told them what they were doing, who they were searching for, after what Elijah had told him. He might not have known to tell them it was a bad idea, though--Elijah had only shared so much.

It wasn't visible, but he was trembling. What was visible was that he was shaken. He tried to push it back, closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to settle before he got out and moved into Ric's building, heading up to his apartment.

They'd made plans to go into the city for the Central Virginia Celtic Festival which amused Elijah after many years spent in Scotland and Ireland, but for which the actual appeal was a whisky tasting that Elijah had heard was going to have some rare vintages which weren't being advertised.

All things considered, he could use the drink, though that really hadn't been his intention in suggesting it. Now he had to wonder if it wouldn't be a farewell. Not that he wanted it to be, but neither did he want to be here with any of his siblings when Mikael got to town.

Shaking his head, he moved up the stairs to Ric's apartment, knocking lightly and trying to not look as bothered--and scared--as he was.

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There was no real way for Ric to deny that he hadn't become friends with Elijah and had a sexual encounter. They were dating. This was a date. He really couldn't wrap his head around it, yet, but he wasn't trying. There was too much else going on. Easier to accept the invitations as they came, do what he did (including that flower delivery) and move on.

Doing was easier than analyzing and thinking: what was new?

He was ready when Elijah showed up at the door, and maybe he didn't know how unsettled Elijah was, but something was clearly wrong. He had a good poker face, of course, but the poker face was part of the problem. He inclined his head at him a little and immediately asked, "Is everything all right?"

Elijah smiled slightly in greeting, one shoulder lifting in a shrug. "Have I really gotten that transparent? I must be slipping..."

He'd go with unsettled; that was okay. He just was trying not to descend into outright terror, honestly. That so wasn't a good look for any of them.

"I spend a lot of time with Damon...." Like that explained it. It kind of did, actually. It explained that he was used to, and able to, look past the obvious. That didn't mean he was seeing terrified, or even scared, though. He stepped back and put his hand on Elijah's shoulder to lead him inside. "Come on. Tell me what's going on, before we go somewhere else to get drunk."

His apartment felt safe somehow, and he transferred that feeling onto Elijah without even meaning to. Maybe it was actually just the assumption that Elijah would prefer privacy. Or that Ric didn't trust an emotional vampire driving.

Elijah gave him a look as if to ask what spending time with Damon had to do with it, but that was as much proof that he wasn't thinking so well as anything. Still, he came in at Ric's urging--not because he wouldn't be able to drive, but perhaps going wasn't something they should do...especially if he was going to have to disappear, possibly for the rest of Ric's life.

He really didn't like that option, but he wasn't going to try to sort out why right now. It had been a while since he'd...connected with anyone on any level. That was just something he didn't want to lose to go on the run with warring siblings again.

"Did Damon talk to you before heading off with Katerina and Jeremy?" Surely not, he hoped, more than he wanted to admit, but the thought that Ric might have known they were trying to find his father and not told him...stung.

Elijah's questioning look was telling - if only of not being completely clear headed. He started to move toward the bottle of whiskey once they were inside and the door was closed, but was drawn up short by Elijah's question. He shook his head, slightly. "No.... What's going on?"

He suddenly wondered, from Elijah's reaction, if this was something he would have known anyfuckingthing about, if he hadn't been spending so much time with Elijah. And if Damon knew more than Ric thought he did. He suspected that was the least of his issues, from the way Elijah was behaving and, you know, Damon, Jeremy and Katherine doing something that troubled him that much, but it was not a nice feeling.

Elijah paused a moment to breathe a soft sigh of grateful relief that Ric hadn't known, but then the faint frown was back as he moved to pace the living room. Given his usual level of stillness...but he couldn't quite find it in him to be still right now.

"Jeremy has apparently been communing with the spirits of the dead in an effort to find a way to kill my brother." No need to say which one--no one had any reason to go after Kol. "They stumbled on a name and, apparently a location, which, had they run it by you, perhaps you could have warned them off." Since he figured Ric hadn't shared his family history with anyone.

He paused and closed his eyes briefly, pushing back the well of fear just trying to form the next sentence sent rioting through him. He wasn't a boy anymore, to tremble at the idea of facing his father's ire. He was a thousand year old Original vampire, for fuck's sake. That didn't stop the faint tremble he hid by resuming pacing for a moment to shake it off before turning back to Ric. "They've gone to wake our father."

Ric watched Elijah pacing around, and stayed still so that he didn't have to risk crashing into him or being in the way. It also let him observe, and listen, though the more Elijah paced, the more Elijah said, and particularly with Elijah's eyes closing for that moment, the more agitated and worried Ric got.

When Elijah finally got to the point he froze, and stared hard at Elijah. Then he cursed under his breath, and rubbed a hand over his face. "Where?"

"Charlotte." It hadn't surprised Elijah. That they were waking Mikael terrified him. "They don't know what they're doing. Yes, if he catches him, he will kill Niklaus--but he'll kill the rest of us, as well, and as many other vampires he can, along with anyone who stands in his way."

He kept his voice calm, matter-of-fact. Or he tried. The agitation was still there, taking him around Ric's living room, touching things but finding no comfort in the straightening.

Ric watched Elijah pace for another moment or two, then went to him and deliberately stepped in the path he was taking around the living room. "Okay. Let's figure out what we need to do to stop them - if we can. When did they leave?" He should know that, he thought, but he didn't. Not with any degree of certainty. He should also really call them, but Elijah was in front of him now.

Elijah stopped short as Alaric appeared in his way. He shook his head a little at the question. "I'm not certain. Elena told Rebekah they'd gone and she called me in a panic, but that's all I know." And he hadn't felt comfortable calling Elena. Apparently Rebekah's freak-out hadn't impressed her enough to do anything about it. "If we can't stop them...we'll have to leave. My family and I." He frowned a little, and the flicker of fear slid over his face, a little lost, almost. "Every time we think we've found a home we have to run."

"You don't have to leave," Ric said, more firmly than he felt, even while he walked to grab at his phone. "You just have to be prepared to stay and fight." IT was Elijah's father, he got that, but a thousand years of being chased? No. Not him, not on his watch, not people he cared about -or a person he cared about, since Klaus was still... Klaus. "Let's just take it one step at a time... and let me get that call to Damon in."

Elijah was going to argue, to point out they couldn't stay and fight, couldn't risk it. He shook his head a little, like there was no way. Fighting Mikael had never occurred to them--he was, well. The man they'd lived in fear of their entire lives.

"You don't understand..." He started, before breaking off, shaking his head. "Call him. Maybe you can stop him."

Ric shot Elijah a worried look, thinking that he thought maybe he did understand. He didn't say that, though. He sat down and called Damon, hoping like hell the vampire picked the hell up.

Elijah paced to the window, leaning against it and looking out, either in the semblance of giving Ric privacy, or to keep watch. Maybe both.

Damon did, in fact, pick up, though he sounded slightly distracted. "Did Elena call you?"

"No, she didn't, and you need to get back here right now." Because what else was he going to say? He's not exactly Mr. Subtle.

"Not really the best time for that, Ric. Something go down? If this is about Little Gilbert, he's fine."

Elijah was trying very hard not to listen, but it was pretty impossible.

"Have you found Mikael, yet?" he asked, direct and...sharpish. Worried. Scared, even.

Damon paused and clearly was trying to sort out how Ric knew if Elena hadn't called. "Yes. Anna told Jer where he was, under a bit of duress. Katherine's trying to wake him up."

Elijah tensed at the words, all but stopping breathing.

"Stop her, now, or you are all dead. I'm not joking, Damon. Whatever it takes, stop her and get the fuck out of htere."

"What?" Damon sounded bemused, but there were also sounds of him moving. He trusted Ric, but he was also not sure where his info was coming from.

"This is the one guy we know can kill Klaus, Ric. I get that makes him dangerous, but if he's not fond of Klaus, either, and we know where he is, uh...enemy of my enemy and such?"

"Yeah, I get it," he said, voice still terse, "unfortunately, he's the enemy of all of them, with a hate on for vampires, period. He's not going to kill Klaus and go away, he's going to wipe vampires out. Get out of there." He was being firm, but was still a little frantic, and making some leaps, but anything to get Damon to listen.

That was kind of what Anna had implied and Damon growled softly. "Hold on."

Katherine clearly didn't want to leave. Damon wasn't strong enough to force her, but he got her to stop trying to feed the vampire in the coffin mice. Together they put the lid back on, leaving the guy in there, chained, though Damon didn't know if he were roused at all or not.

"Ok, we're out, and he's still in his box. What the hell is going on?"

"I will tell you anything you want to know, and probably more, when you get home." But not while Katherine could hear. He also really needed to figure out a way for them to get that coffin moved, to somewhere Katherine couldn't get back to it, but one step at a time, right? Right. "You have my word." He'd keep it, but please god, come home, Damon.

"And I'll hold you to it." Damon sighed. Getting Katherine away was going to be difficult, since she was glaring already. "I'll call you when we're back."

He hung up and turned to deal with the other vampire.

Elijah, in the meantime, finally turned back from the window giving Ric a look that was still faintly worried, but a little calmer. "Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me. I would have done something about it sooner, if I'd known sooner. I don't want Damon dead, and I certainly don't want you to have to leave. When they get back, I'll give Damon a run down, and then we can get together and plan something to get your father moved. We don't need Katherine going back there and causing trouble."

He would have suggested killing the guy, or encasing him in cement and tossing him into the ocean, but he didn't think now was really the time. He took a couple of steps toward Elijah, and then inclined his head a bit. "Come here."

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