A Thing of the Past

Evangeline, as usual, woke with the rising sun. Despite the amount of activity from the day prior she was filled with energy, although she had a suspicion it was due to the jitters from her morning coffee. As she straightened the books on her shelves she could cast occasional glances Ian's way, who had moved to her bed to rest from his wound. It was a miracle he hadn't developed an infection, meaning there was plenty to be thankful for.

Just as she dusted off an antique snow globe, paying more attention to the magical flurry inside than the actual dust, she heard a soft sigh from Ian. Immediately, she glimpsed over to see he was finally waking. The sight of him brought a soft smile to her lips. Naturally, she was still cross with him in the part he played for deceiving her.

"How do you feel?" she asked in a soft voice, walking towards his bedside. She did her best not to allow her eyes linger on the curves and accents of his body. When he started to sit up she placed a cool hand against his chest and set him back again. "Careful" she murmured as she ran her fingers nimbly over where a nearly soaked through white bandage was taped. It wasn't just his exposed body she was trying to avoid. His eyes were bolts of blue lightning begging for her attention, but she knew all too well the moment she'd send a glance their way she'd be through. Darn those eyes.

"Thank you, Eve…" Ian started, but she quickly cut him off, forcing herself to meet his eyes.

"You are not to call me that," she said, tone becoming firm, "What you've done…everything that you've done is inexcusable. I don't want to hear excuses. The only thing I should be hearing from your mouth is the sincerest apology ever to be told in the history of mankind."

"That's a tall order…" he said trying to crack a smile, which she quickly crossed her arms in response to. He pursed his lips into a thin line "Whatever I say won't be enough. We both know that. But I suppose I should start by saying how incredibly selfish I've been. Offering another life in place of my own is…" he shook his head, dark brows furrowing with emotion "Evangeline, I'd gladly die a thousand deaths than let harm ever come to you again."

Eve pulled a small stool up to his bed and took a careful seat next to his bed. She was quiet for a long moment before simply stating "I need to change your bandages…" As she reached to lift the tape off his fair skin his hand gently caught her wrist.

"Where are we?" he asked.

She paused for a moment "I suppose you don't mean our location." They were both quiet for an agonizingly long moment. She was then the first to speak.

"Still, we will let all this be a thing of the past, though it hurts us, and beat down by constraint the anger that rises inside us. Now I am making an end of my anger. It does not become me, unrelentingly to rage on…" Eve trailed off softly deep in thought.

"Homer?" he asked softly.

She could now feel his eyes on her as she nodded "It doesn't do me any favors to fill my heart with hate and resentment towards you, but just as I forgive you, forgetting is simply not an option."

Her hand suddenly felt warm as he took her hand in his and pressed his lips to her knuckles "I know, and every day I will prove my worth to you because I now know life without you is like…like-trying to breathe underwater." He tried to press a kiss to her wrist, but she removed her arm before he could. Evangeline knew that this would be like starting over for them, but maybe that's what they needed right now. To start over.

"Ian," she sighed, "You're dying. I don't know if I can handle that heartbreak." Tears suddenly sprouted in her eyes, how humiliating. "I don't want to watch you die. I can't watch you die." She took a deep breath and sat back in her chair watching him, ignoring the tears that ran freely down her cheeks. She took his hand then and shook her head "Ian, I always thought that I was nothing. That all I was good for was baking bread and my only weapons of defense were needle and thread. Now I know that isn't true. I am Mikaelson; I am a fighter. I will fight side by side with you for until the end…Oh, Ian" she murmured softly, seeing tears running down his own cheeks. "You're a fighter too and we shall fight together." She leaned forward and let her lips brush lovingly over his, the caress emerging into a deep kiss. Their kiss, although passionate, had little time to lead to anything else.

"There is another way you know…" her sisters' voice spoke up behind her. Eve turned around to look at her, finding her smiling apologetically.

"What do you mean?" Ian asked, appearing confused.

Evangeline didn't need to ask to know where her sisters' mind had gone "Not now, Rebekah. Please."

"You already know the ending of this fairytale, Eve. He will die. If not by cancer, then by old age. A traffic accident. An enemy of ours. The list goes on."

"Not now, Rebekah," she said more firmly than before.

"I have a feeling I should be in in the loop with this" Ian said a little frustrated.

Rebekah, before she could be stopped, said "A vampire, lovely. He deserves to know all his options," her tone turned soft then as she continued, "Forever doesn't last very long for a relationship like this."

"It is none of your concern, Rebekah. Your intentions perhaps are meant well, but misguided- "

"I'll do it" Ian said.

His quick response took Eve by surprise "Ian this isn't a decision to be made impulsively. You need to understand the consequences of what this life entails. The constant thirst and hunger for blood…"

Rebekah interjected then "The acute senses. The rapid healing processes. The increased strength, speed, and stamina."

"The lost ability to have children of your own" Eve said then, locking eyes with her sister. They stayed in the position for a long, tense minute before Rebekah turned and left without another word. She knew she had gone too far. She'd have to apologize to her later for being so sharp.

After taking a deep breath, she turned to Ian and started to remove his bandage, checking over and redress the wound. What she saw, or rather, what she didn't see, took her by surprise. The bullet wound that had been there was no longer there at all. Not even a scratch remained, and Eve blinked rapidly, thinking perhaps she'd only imagined it.

"Ian, did anyone give you something to drink in the night, do you know?" she asked. Surely, someone in her family had slipped him a bit of blood to heal him. She then smiled as she realized who. "It seems Niklaus is doing his best make up for nearly letting you die." Perhaps her brother wasn't lost after all.