Strangely, this started as a funny Klaroline story. Then Elijah showed up, grieving for Kol. He took over, Caroline left and here's what was left.
Elijah sat in the rental car he'd acquired at the airport, staring at his brother's house. He'd been there for what seemed like hours, questioning whether to actually knock on the door or just call from the hotel. He'd had time to take note of the signs of spring amongst the landscaping, in particular the Tulips he knew Rebekah had planted in the fall when his family had briefly been reunited and not yet participants in his mother's insane version of all for one, one for all. As he shifted in the uncomfortable seat of the sub-standard, American-made automobile they considered "luxury" at the car rental booth of the local airport, he had no doubt that Niklaus knew he had arrived; he'd seen movement in a window and caught the sound of a sad, mournful sigh from his brother as a bottle of wine was uncorked. He recognized the sound of wine being poured and surmised that the decanter he heard slide along the table contained blood, which would, he was sure, be mixed in with the wine.
He'd come to collect Kol's body. Days ago, while finally enjoying some peace in the small apartment he kept in Paris, he'd received a phone call from Rebekah, who sobbing, declared that their brother was dead.
"Niklaus-?" he'd choked out before Rebekah interrupted with a sobbing "No, not Nik." If not Nik, who? Elijah frowned in lack of comprehension. Niklaus was constantly under-siege by the do-gooders of Mystic Falls. Certainly one day they would get lucky...if not Nik...
"Rebekah, certainly, not," Elijah stumbled on his words, at a loss as his heart caught up with what his brain was telling him, "not Kol..."
"Come, Elijah," his mother whispered, "come see your new brother." The twelve-year-old had entered his parents' room, his back straight and tall, trying to hide his fear. Nik had come running for him and Finn, yelling that they had a new brother. He had been put out at being bothered by Nik while they were playing a game with other boys from the village. Nik had been forbidden to play with them as he played too rough and aggressively, always trying to prove his superiority amongst the other boys. This play time had become for Elijah his only moments without responsibility or Nik's constant annoyance.
"Mother wants you both to come at this instant," Nik said, pushing his way past the other boys in his excitement. He'd been asking Mother for months now if they would have a brother or sister, confiding in him as they lay in their small bed at night that he longed for a brother, one he could teach things to as Elijah had done for him and Finn. Though he didn't say so, Elijah knew that Nik really hoped that another boy would attract some of the attention of their father away from him, allowing him to breathe easier on the days Father was at home and not out with a hunting party.
Elijah left his friends with a wave and followed Nik and Finn back to their hut. He didn't share Nik's excitement about a younger sibling. Nor did he share in Finn's indifference. Quite honestly, he was terrified. He'd already lost one brother to sickness and had no desire to add another person to his list of those he needed to protect. He already had his hands full defending Niklaus from their father's wrath, asking Nik every morning as they rose to not provoke him. Truthfully, Elijah did not see what it was that drew their father's unwanted attention to Nik, but he knew that another sibling would only add to his burden. He himself spent untold energy avoiding their father's disapproving stare, all the while attempting to prove that he was a worthy son.
He only followed his brothers now to confirm that their mother faired well. While Nik had carried on about a younger sibling to boss around and play with, Elijah had worried for his mother. Just this year two women from the village had died giving birth. Elijah had stayed awake many a night as his brothers lay asleep next to him, worrying that his mother would share the fate of those other women and they would be left alone. Mother was truly the only person Elijah could be the boy that he was. Every morning they sat together as his brothers ran off to play, her strong voice teaching him about the world they lived in. Some days, he would accompany her in search of her healing herbs and then assist her in setting them to dry. He found comfort in her arms when Niklaus was beaten, her hand stroking his hair as he tried to not hear his brother's cries. Would she die, Elijah would be lost.
Finally they reached the hut and his mother beckoned for him to enter. "Come, Elijah," his mother whispered, "come see your new brother." As he reached the bed, he saw the blanket he had watched her sew by the fire, now wrapped around a squirming baby. She pulled it back slightly, revealing the face of his new sibling.
"Elijah," she exhaled, "he will not bite, come closer." Elijah looked up at his mother quickly, and then moved closer to the bed. Looking down, he caught his first glimpse of his newest brother and felt his heart skip a beat. The babe looked back at him, his eyes the same dark brown as his own. Elijah thought it odd that this newborn would hold his stare, but he did so, almost daringly, which caused Elijah to laugh. His mother smiled at the unusual sound from her eldest and most serious child. "His name is Kol, named for your grandfather. What do you think of this Elijah?"
Elijah looked away from Kol to his mother, a smile still on his face, surprised that she would seek his approval. He considered the name for a moment, looking back down at the baby, who continued to stare up at him, the dark eyes focused solely on his own.
"The name means 'darkness', does it not Mother?" he asked intently. She nodded, her face portraying her pride in his knowledge. Elijah thought briefly that this seemed an odd name for one so small, but taking in the babe's eyes and head full of dark hair, much like his own, it appeared fitting.
He reached down and gently grabbed Kol's hand, surprised when the baby grasped his finger. He smiled down at his newest brother, silently promising to protect him, always and forever.
Always and forever. Elijah grabbed his head as if to shake loose the cobwebs of time that threatened to cripple him with grief. He had failed his youngest brother, much as he had Henrik and Finn before him. Yet, Niklaus rose each morning to live another day, despite his part in the deaths of all three. A part in all three, yes, but Kol's appeared to hurt the most. He had called Elijah, frantic to the point that even with his superior hearing he had struggled to make out the words Kol cried over the phone, across the Atlantic. Finally, he had settled him down enough to understand that Niklaus and Rebekah both desired to raise Silas, who, it appeared, held the cure to vampirism. Elijah had shuddered with a leftover fear from childhood. Their father had told him horrifying tales of Silas, which he had passed on to his siblings, usually as part of a veiled threat to get them to behave. Kol, alone among his siblings, had taken those tales to heart and was now terrified that the end of the world was imminent. Elijah had placated him, reverting to his role as big brother, telling him that all would be well. In the end, Kol was correct; the end of the world had been imminent, for him at least. Now, a part of Elijah longed to rip the heart out of his remaining brother, but he knew he could not. His anger with him would last a century. His desire to bury him beside their brothers in the family plot, not far outside of Mystic Falls, would consume his nights for years to come. But, just as on the night that Niklaus finally broke the curse put upon him by their mother, Elijah knew he could and would not kill his brother. He would bury Kol, and then return here, to this house which Nik had built for all of them, to be a family, and stand by the side of his brother and sister.
Waiting no longer, Elijah exited the car, standing and pulling at his suit jacket in one fluid motion. Looking towards the house, he saw Niklaus standing in the doorway, wine glasses in hand. Taking a deep breath, Elijah started towards the door, reminding himself, always and forever.
Thanks so much for reading, especially after this turned all angsty. Reviews are always welcome!