TVD: confession

A/N: All usual disclaimers. She finally braced herself to confess her feelings for Elijah in order to move forward. I guess I simply wanted to give them a chance to become actual friends

Also, this is my version of Elijah (whom I adore) so please don't sue me!

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Elijah came back several weeks later. He indeed was too busy sorting out where his stubborn brother might have been as well as making sure Freyja recovered thanks to Asma's potion. Asma did as he suggested and went to see more of Mystic Falls. Bonnie already visited her several times for counseling and training, therefore she was able to spend some more time with Elena Gilbert as well. Elena seemed to take pretty easily the presence of supernatural creatures along with witches since she was aware of Bonnie's true nature and powers. It intrigued the witch. Could you be friends with someone who knew about your true identity? She was skeptical and had every reason to be.

Throughout centuries, the witch witnessed how far Mankind cruelty could go. Slavery was the hardest on her because it was her time period. She literally spent every day of her life as if it was her last. When the Mikaelsons freed her and some of the slaves who lived with her, she still was scared of being taken back by other slaves owners and sold again. Meeting her coven truly saved her life and having them watch her helped Asma sleep on her own two ears. Until that very day when she met Klaus and Elijah and was cursed to eternal life by her supreme. You couldn't befriend a supernatural creature, especially not when said creature was a vampire. You couldn't work with any of these because they were evil creatures and natural born enemies. Or so she was told. Or maybe that truly was.

It cost her a lot. Her friends turned their backs on her and she ended up being alone. Years after years, centuries after centuries had her live a very lonely and secluded life. A life she spent mostly being afraid. If it wasn't of being hung or lynched because of her skin color, it soon became of being outed as a witch in the modern world. Bigotry and racism were still part of the country but at least, she could handle it better in this day and age. Mystic Falls was a good city. People were open-minded and welcoming, so opening her shop was the easiest thing she ever had to do. Caroline Forbes' mother always made sure she was fine, looking after her like she was her own daughter and although Asma complained, she appreciated the attention.

Then Elijah asked her to go out and meet people because living a recluse life didn't help her soul. So she went. The pink haired witch met Willa, a woman she couldn't place just yet but who mesmerized her with her sincerity and genuine care. The first contact was pleasant so it encouraged Asma to keep going and meet Willa more often at the bar. She opened-up to new adventures and felt more at ease as time went by so when Elijah came back to her shop, Asma welcomed him with a joyful smile on her face. She closed the door behind him and leaned against it for a while. He noticed something had changed about her. Was it the tight short white cotton dress she was wearing or the fact she didn't bother with the sunglasses at all? He could smell she was relaxed and even more so as she twirled and danced forward her desk. He glanced at her with a lifted brow and gently chuckled as he was pleased with her genuine happiness and he leaned against the desk.

« What? » She asked with a grin.

« You seem to be very happy.  Did you follow my advice? »

« Yes, I did. » She nodded at him and quietly leaned against the table. « I think I made a friend. »

« Who is she? » He genuinely asked as she bent a bit forward.

« Barmaid at the Mystic Grill. I think she's a werewolf but I don't have anything to confirm it. »She shrugged and ran her hand through her hair. Her eyes glanced at Elijah who was curious about this female werewolf he never heard of before. « Elijah. I think we should talk. »

« That certainly doesn't sound ominous. » He tried to joke a little in order to defuse the tension that had started to build up. Asma looked calm and she shrugged her shoulders.

« It's not really... I mean, it depends on what will follow after I dropped my bomb. » She nervously looked at him and then clenched her fists. « Elijah. I think it's not really a surprise if I say that... » She looked into his brown eyes and swallowed a lump. « if I say that I am.. /was/ in love with you. » She took a deep breath and then looked away so she wouldn't be embarrassed by his gaze on her.

« …... » Elijah's hard gaze settled on her as he sincerely took her confession like a slap in the face. Never in the last 800 years did he think that she was growing feelings towards him. They only had small talks, and usually only about what he needed when he came to her. She never gave a hint after all these centuries and he dismissed all the signs. Dumbfounded, the original stared at her with a questioning look on his face. « Was? »

« Yes. » She nodded and gently put her hand over his. « I know this is.... you and I aren't meant to be. I came to terms with that since you left last time. »

« I never knew. » He said in an apologetic tone. She smiled at him and nodded quietly. « You never.. we never talked about it. I mean, How... when? » She shrugged and held his hand tighter.

« It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter when or for how long I had these feelings for you, Elijah. I have them but I realized it would lead us nowhere. Your heart belongs to someone else... I can't fight that. But I want.. I want to be your friend and I hope we could do more than small talks. »The white witch finally admitted. He furrowed his brows, unable to say anything eloquent for a while and then nodded as she made sense.

« I have always been your friend. I owed you my brother's life the day I came to you. I owe you a couple more life-saving moments. » Asma shook her head and squeezed his hand harder.

« It's not about what you owe or what I owe you. I thought we paid our debts already. I am helping you because I care about you. I've been caring about you for centuries now Elijah. »

« I know. I help you for the very same reasons. »

« Then we should spend the rest of our lives to get to know each other better. » The witch suggested, tucking some pink locks behind her ears.

« How do you suggest we do that? » He asked, bemused and less tense than he was a few minutes before.

« No more small talks when you come over for a spell or a potion.  Come back to me whenever you have time to share a meal... It could be a great start. » She said hopefully. The original nodded and gave her a smile of his own.

« That could be a great start. »

« Why did you come over? » She asked, releasing his hand and leaning both her hands on the counter. Her heart was beating faster than usual, which informed the original that she was not at ease. He wanted to ask about her feelings for him but Elijah wasn't the type of person to be nosey. She might not want to answer his questions and might even feel upset so he decided to opt out and offered her his most gracious smile.

« To tell you that my sister is doing better. I wanted to give you an update and thank you personally. Besides, I told you that we could share a cup of coffee so I bought the finest beans I could find. »

He smiled again and then noticed she was shivering. Truth be told, it was easy to say that your feelings were gone and you took a decision but the truth was that they weren't gone. Every time she looked at him, Asma saw unfinished possibilities that could never be explored. At least, the witch confessed her feelings for the vampire, which would make it easier for her to move forward. It was something she did for her own mental safety and it was a complete relief. It hurt, but she finally could breathe next to him. The vampire gently pulled her over his frame to give her a hug.

« There beautiful. I think you needed this. »

She did, indeed.