AN: I do not own TVD or TO.
This was the original version of events when Elena told Elijah she was pregnant in Dealing with the Hybrids. It is the only story that underwent a complete re-write. I like the version I put in the story, but this one introduced a few different elements that I might bring in later to the main story.
"Damn it!"
Elena jolted awake in her seat. She peered through the window with bleary eyes. They were pulled over on the side of the main road leading into New Orleans. If Elena had to guess she'd say they were only a fifteen minute drive from the compound. Judging by the way Caroline was bent over the open hood of the car it was going to take a lot longer than that.
She watched as Caroline came around the side of the car when she realized that Elena was awake. Caroline leaned inside the open window. She was still wearing the red dress from the formal; there was an oil stain across the skirt.
"We seem to be having some car trouble," Caroline's smile was tense. "Can you call an Original for a ride?"
"Sure," Elena nodded, "but didn't you just get the car tuned up?" She searched the car for her phone. She found it on the floor in the backseat. Elena had just looked up after hitting redial when Caroline shrieked.
Elena dropped the phone and scrambled out of the car.
Caroline was kneeling in the dirt clutching her hands to her head. A witch stood behind her, but turned away when she spotted Elena. Before Caroline could stand up she was being pinned down by a werewolf. The knowledge of the curse on the cities werewolves sent Elena running forward. Elena made it three feet before arms wrapped around her waist; a damp cloth came up to cover her screams.
The last thing she saw was the wolf taking a bite out of Caroline's shoulder.
Caroline stumbled along the street.
After the werewolf had bitten her, Caroline somehow managed to break its neck. She was too late though. Elena had already been shoved into the back of a non-descript car. Caroline attempted to follow the vehicle but the werewolf venom was already taking its toll.
Caroline now found herself half a block away from the Original's house. Her body burned with a fever. Every step sent pain shooting from the bit on her shoulder. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before running at vampire speed the rest of the way.
She came to an abrupt stop in front of a fountain. She could just make out the bewildered look on Klaus' face before her vision went black.
Disembodied voices echoed in the small space. Elena couldn't see or move, but she could hear. She suspected her limbs were made heavy by some kind of spell; she could only assume she had been taken by witches.
"Is everything ready?" The voice was young.
"Yes, in a few moments the she will be linked to Sophie."
"Good, we are going to need the insurance."
Caroline opened her eyes slowly to find Klaus' wrist in her mouth. Elijah and Kol were watching her intently. She pushed Klaus' arm away gently before standing up.
"Miss. Forbes – "
"Elena's in trouble," Caroline interrupted Elijah before he could finish whatever question he was going to ask. "I was attacked by a wolf and a witch on the way into town. They took her while I was occupied."
"I assume by they that you mean the witches." Kol had jumped to his feet to grab Elijah's arm before he could run off in search of the doppelgänger.
"Yes," Caroline rocked back on her heels quickly, "they gave me one nasty headache before sending in the wolf. Where would they take her?"
"The cemetery," Klaus supplied following after Elijah who had shaken off Kol and flashed off in that direction. "Why would the witches take Elena?"
"You'll have to ask her," Caroline flashed after them, "she'd stake me if she knew I told you first."
"This place is huge. How are we ever going to find her?" Caroline felt dread creep into her chest; she couldn't shake it. Would these witches think the same thing as Bonnie? Maybe they had just taken her because she was the doppelganger.
"The witches like to practice in some of the mausoleums," Elijah motioned ahead of them, "they're in the centre."
"Why would they take Elena?" Elijah spun around to face Caroline.
"I don't know," she cursed herself when she heard her heart skip a beat, "not for sure anyway."
"If you had to venture a guess, darling?" Kol stopped them outside of a crypt. The distant sound of chanting could be heard coming from within. Caroline pushed past him and descended the stairs with a glare.
They knew she was lying through her teeth.
She didn't feel the knife. She was unaware of the blood pouring from her hand. Whatever they had done to her had muted every sense but hearing. She knew they planned to bind her to someone in an attempt to manipulate the Originals. She could only assume the planned to blackmail Klaus.
"Are you sure this will work?" A raspy voice sounded near her feet.
"Yes," the young voice responded. "Elijah Mikaelson will do anything for family."
Elijah? Elena felt fear spread through her muted nerves. They know. If she hadn't been under the effects of paralysis she would have screamed in frustration.
Elena?
Great, she thought as the witches began chanting, now I'm hearing things.
What do the witches know Elena? His smooth voice filled her mind. She could almost fell him standing near.
"Are we sure these are the right witches?" Caroline murmured.
"She's in there," Elijah stared vacantly towards the interior.
"How do you know?" Klaus arched one eyebrow.
"I just do," he murmured before flashing into the room.
"Miss Deveraux," Elijah's smooth voice was polite, but there was no mistaking the authority in it, "I believe you have something of mine."
"You've no idea how accurate that statement is," a chuckle came from a young blond in the corner. She stood away from the rest of the coven. Something about the set of her shoulders betrayed her displeasure.
"We weren't expecting you so soon," Sophie rose from her position on the floor and shot a glare at the blond in the corner. When she was on her feet Elijah caught sight of Elena's prone body and the blood stained knife.
White rage raced through his veins. He became unaware of everything else in the room as his vision tunneled on the brunette's lifeless form. Elijah didn't hear the protests of his sibling, or the screams of the witches. He didn't become aware again until his hand closed around Sophie's throat.
He dropped to his knees and threaded his fingers through his hair as the blinding pain shot through his head.
It receded a moment later and Elijah saw the blond with holding out her hand to control the aneurysm.
"If you kill her you kill Elena."
Blood rushed in her ears pounding out a beat like a steel drum. By the time the beating faded away all Elena could hear was screaming. The screams were loaded with terror, but Elena couldn't bring herself to worry for her own well-being. It had a lot to do with the fact that she could hear what sounded like Klaus and Kol yelling.
"Don't kill them all, 'Lijah!"
"Elijah!"
Chaos seemed to rain down around her. Witches screamed, vampires shouted and bodies dropped with dull thumps. Elena felt an icy grip close around her throat before it dropped. The sound of a man falling to his knees could be heard in the silence.
"If you kill her you kill Elena." The new voice was soft and strangely calm after the events that must have transpired.
"What are you talking about?" Caroline demanded from several feet to the left.
"They are linked."
"Why would you do that?" Klaus roared. Elena thought he was somewhere near Caroline. "What could you possibly hope to gain from that?"
"Leverage." This voice was different. It was hard and full of anger.
"Why should I care what happens to the doppelganger?" Klaus growled.
"Not over you," the hard voice quipped, "over him." Elena imagined she was pointing to Elijah. "She's carrying his child."
"Shit," Caroline whispered harshly.
Elena felt her heart plummet before an all-consuming darkness took hold of her.
Chapter break
Elena stood at the window of the bedroom staring out. She was surprised to see a full moon high in the sky because the bedroom was bathed in the light of day. The moon shone down on Wickery Bridge illuminating the silhouette of a blond woman who stood in the centre. She blinked once only to find herself staring at a new scene.
The woman was still there, but the bridge was gone. She now stood facing a great white tree. Her arms were raised, palms up, to the sky as she chanted in Latin. She couldn't explain the fear that was spreading to her extremities. Every time she blinked the scene changed.
The Originals dressed in simple clothes lying dead.
Klaus and Elijah setting the tree on fire and watching it burn with Rebekah.
She blinked again to see another tree. And finally she saw the Wickery Bridge again; the woman had turned to stare in her direction.
"Elena?" Elijah's voice called softly from the direction of the bed. She turned towards only to find the room empty.
"Elena," his voice sounded again.
She spun on her heel to face the window and screamed when she saw the woman standing a foot in front of her.
"Elena," she felt his hand on her shoulder and backed up quickly into his embrace, "please wake up. Elena?"
Elena jerked upwards only to collide with something very solid. She leaned back to see what she had hit. Elijah sat on the edge of the mattress staring at her with evident concern. Choppy memories floated through her head.
Shit! Elena cursed when she remembered the last words she had heard before succumbing to the darkness. Oh please let it have been a dream.
"There is no call for foul language Elena," Elijah passed her a glass of water.
She stared at him with wide eyes as she accepted the glass. He waited until she took a sip to ask.
"How are you feeling?" Did she imagine the way his eyes flickered to her abdomen?
"Okay," Elena finished the glass, "a little nauseous." Something definitely flickered in his dark eyes.
"You said on the phone that you needed to talk to me about something," he took the glass and placed it on the bedside table. "What is it you wanted to tell me?"
"I-I…" Elena suddenly found herself wishing for the glass of water; wishing for something to fiddle with. Her original fears came rushing back. How could he possibly believe her? How could he believe this? She fumbled for the right words and realized and realized that she was lying in his bed still wearing the dress from the formal.
"Elena," her eyes snapped back to his when he cupped her cheek, "you can tell me anything."
Maybe it was his honest gaze. Maybe it was the sudden sense of déjà vu. Whatever it was Elena felt a calm settle over her shoulders.
"I'm pregnant."
Elijah nodded and waited for her to continue all the while listening to the steady 'ba-bump' of her heart. Hope flared in his chest; would she crush it now? Had she come to tell Klaus and wanted his help to negotiate terms?
"I don't know how," Elena's gaze was steady as she whispered, "but you're the father."
Her heart continued to beat steadily in her chest. Elena watched him carefully for a reaction. To her this was the moment that seemed as though it would never end. She brought one hand up to settle on the tiny swell between her hip bones.
Elijah's eyes tracked the movement; her actions quickly snapped him out of his silence. His hand came up to cover hers. A small smile crossed his features. He had doubted the words of Sophie Devereux, especially when she had been unable to explain how the pregnancy had occurred. It was not in Elena's nature to be deceitful, and she had delivered the truth to him now.
"We're having a baby?" Even though he believed her he felt like he needed to hear her say it again.
"Yes," Elena smiled when he said 'we're'. She didn't expect the kiss that followed. "Am I dreaming?" She asked after she regained her breath. "I didn't expect you to take the news this well."
"What were you expecting, Elena?" His hand stroked the smooth expanse of her abdomen.
"Honestly," Elena reached up to pull a pin from her hair, "shock, or at the very least disbelief."
"I do apologize if I've disappointed you," Elijah remarked drily, "you were asleep for that phase."
"Did Caroline tell you?" Elena guessed even as she knew this was not the case.
"No," Elijah shook his head, "it was Sophie Devereux." He locked eyes with her as he pushed a strand of hair from her face. "She was one of the witches who kidnapped you."
"It wasn't a dream?" Elena whispered. She covered her mouth with her right hand and fell back against the pillows. "I heard them say something about binding me to someone, and chanting," her eyes darted back and forth before settling on him, "and telling everyone I was pregnant."
"How did I get her Elijah?" She slowly sat back up. "What happened to the witches? Where's Caroline?"
Questions erupted from her mouth faster than he could answer them. He covered her mouth with his hand to stop the barrage.
"Caroline has gone with Niklaus and Kol to fetch your things from her car," Elijah lowered his hand when she nodded. "I carried you back here after dealing with the witches who took you."
"I heard screaming," Elena raised one eyebrow and waited for him to explain what she already knew had happened.
"They're dead," he sighed, "all but two of them." He knew why he couldn't lie to her. In all the time he had known this woman he had only ever told her one lie: that he would never make the mistake of carrying for another doppelganger. His feelings for her were in full swing by the time she had made the deal with Niklaus; the deal that sent him far away from Mystic Falls. He had thought his feelings were under control until he had seen her last month; he hadn't been able to keep himself from kissing her.
"I'm assuming one of them is the one that is bound to me."
"Yes," Elijah nodded. He had expected her to be upset over the massacre.
"And the other one? Why is she still alive?" Elena narrowed her eyes and glared.
"She is alive," he smoothed back her hair causing Elena's shoulders to loosen, "because she promised answers." He tilted his head to the side and asked the question he almost dreaded the answer to. "Do you think I should have killed them all?"
"No," Elena realized, "I don't. I've spent enough time in this city to understand why they would want leverage." She leaned into his hand. "If Sophie hadn't revealed I was pregnant," she watched him carefully, "if she had only told you she was bound to me, would you have killed them all?"
"No," he answered, "I wouldn't have. I would never knowingly harm you Elena."
"Okay," Elena brought her legs around to stand up, "I want to talk to that witch."
What do you think? Should I have gone with this version in the actual story?