Disclaimer: the characters of The Vampire Diaries belong to L. J. Smith and the CW. Don't sue me. I am broke as hell.


Come home right now

Alaric couldn't get the short clipped text out of his mind as he moved cautiously beside Elijah and approached the house. Mason had the boys over, and the call he received a rough ten minutes before Bonnie's cryptic text said they were asleep now. He also knew that Jeremy was also sleeping soundly on his class trip at a posh hotel in New York. The girls had gone shopping in Richmond but Bonnie's text suggested they had returned. That left only his psychotic trio unaccounted for, but if he had to guess they were probably at some bar terrorizing some poor patrons. He wondered if they were going to have to pay some damages or compel some offended people by the time they deemed it fit to return. After going through all this in his head, he still couldn't come up with a vague idea of what the problem could be.

Elijah could see Alaric clearly going through scenes in his head. He was also wondering the meaning behind the abrupt text and silently bemoaning the equally abrupt end to their evening out. Dealing with teenagers and young adults in general was a chore but when that group involved vampires, originals, witches, werewolves, doppelgangers, hunters in training, an enhanced original and one sweet human-thank God for Matt- it was downright torture. So any reprieve he and Alaric got from being mom and dad and referee and bank and judge and jury and executioner, they welcomed with open arms. The sound of Alaric pushing the front door open brought Elijah back to the situation at hand. They crept stealthily into the dark house, using their ability to see clearly in the dark and hear from long distances to ascertain and confirm that the girls were home and so were the psychotic trio. They knew for certain now that there was no stranger in their home, so whatever threat Bonnie's text had insinuated, it was internal. Their stance changed from wary to casual instantly as Alaric called out.

"Bonnie, what's the matter?" he asked before almost immediately being shushed by Rebekah

"Quiet! You'll wake them" she admonished

Elijah frowned before walking further into the room, flicking the light switch as he did so. The scene before him put an involuntary smile across his face at the unbelievable normality of it. Klaus was curled up in one corner of the couch, his still booted feet folded under him. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he leaned forward a little; the very definition of the fetal position. Enzo was in the other corner of the couch. He had slid so far down, his head was hanging above the arm of the couch- not quite on the arm but below the headrest- and his mouth was very slightly open. One arm was slung over the arm of the couch, fingers barely grazing the game controller on the floor. Damon's position actually made Elijah laugh outright, though softly. He was sprawled on the couch in the space between Enzo and Klaus, arm in a similar position to Enzo's except he was still loosely holding on to the controller. His back was to the back of the couch, and with an arm hanging over the side of the couch and the other folded beneath his cheek, he looked vaguely like someone sucking his thumb. That, and the bangs falling into his face, made a very cute picture. The shutter sound, coupled with the soft chuckle beside him, told him Alaric also found it quite endearing.

"You notice how innocent they look when they sleep?" Alaric asked, phone flashing again as he took more pictures

Elijah winced at the light and put a hand on his arm. "I think the pictures are enough. You're going to wake them"

"Don't worry, Ric, we got more than enough pictures" Rebekah assured with a cheeky smile, waving her phone like a trophy

Elena laughed softly. "Well, good night Ric, Elijah, see you tomorrow. Let's go girls" she threw over her shoulder

It took Elijah and Alaric a second longer than necessary before they could comprehend what Elena just insinuated. "Wh-What? Where are you going at this time of the night?"

It was Caroline's turn to laugh. "Ric, seriously. You didn't think we were going to be here for the fallout of this …" she gestured to the sleeping trio. "… tomorrow, did you?"

"But…"

"Don't worry Elijah. We know you don't want us staying on our own without 'adult supervision'…" Rebekah said, her hand making the quotation marks in the air clearly stating what her opinions were on that.

"… and that's why we are staying at Caroline's for the night" Elena continues. "Her mom's home" she added before moving towards the door, Rebekah and Caroline hot on her heels

"You can call and confirm" Bonnie added over her shoulder as she followed her friends out the door, their giggles ringing in Alaric's ears even as their car disappeared in the distance.

Elijah looked at Alaric with a 'now what' expression, to which Alaric just shrugged and vamped off. He returned with two wine glasses and a bottle of red wine.


"Oh wine has never tasted so good" Alaric crooned, eyes closed in bliss.

Elijah chuckled at his antics. "We should get them in bed" he stated plainly, jerking his head toward the peacefully snoozing trio on the couch.

"Tell me Elijah, when was the last time we had this much peace and quiet?" Alaric asked as he opened his eyes. "For the first time in forever, I can actually hear the sounds of the night; crickets chirping, owls hooting, wind blowing through the trees. Ahh, Elijah, our unhinged triplets should fall asleep more"

"Unhinged triplets?" Elijah asked, amused

Alaric sat up a little straighter. "Psychotic trio, triple psychosis, maniacal threesome, the list goes on and on. I tell you Elijah, when these three are around, peace and quiet takes a nosedive out the window"

"Hmm"

"Don't get me wrong, I love them to death, but I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Ya take this tranquility while you can. 'Sides, they ruined our night at the grill. We can enjoy a bottle of wine without feeling guilty"

"I suppose you are right" Elijah concurred, laying back in his seat. "It is an amazing wine"

Two bottles of wine and a bottle of bourbon later- thank God for vampiric alcohol tolerance- they finally got around to tucking in their menaces. Alaric chuckled lightly at what they would think if they heard him talking about tucking them in like children. Oh well. They took off Klaus' and Damon's boots- as Enzo for some reason was only in socks- and all three of their jackets and belts, opting to leave them in their jeans and shirts rather than attempting to change them into sweats or pj's and risk waking them. They still needed a few more hours of peace and quiet thank you.

Three comforter-and-blanket pulls and night lights turn off later, Elijah and Alaric finally retired for the night, each preparing themselves for the blowout in the morning.


This is just a silly one shot that crossed my mind. So please, no flames. Oh, and review pls.