"Elena," Klaus opened the door and grinned. "What a pleasant surprise." He stepped aside so she could enter the house.
"You called me and told me to get my 'ass over here'," she rolled her eyes. "When I refused you sent a hybrid to physically drag me. What do you want Klaus? I'm sure you have more than enough of my blood."
"None of that, love," Klaus took hold of her elbow, "I just have a few questions for you." He tightened his grip when she tried to pull away.
"You're hurting me," Elena grumbled and hurried to keep up with his pace. Truth be told it didn't hurt that much.
She froze when she saw Kol sitting on a couch. He was calling out a list of names to Elijah who was pacing back and forth in front of the window with something in his arms. What surprised her most was Caroline sitting on a chair watching her with a look somewhere between disappointment and betrayal.
"What's going on?" Elena stepped down into the sitting room.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Caroline gripped the edges of her chair and hissed. One of her hands extended in Elijah's general direction. "How did I not know about this?"
"What are you talking about Caroline?" Did she figure out that I like Elijah? How could she have possibly learned that? Why would she bring it up here of all places?
"The baby," Caroline stated matter-of-factly.
"What baby?"
"Your baby love," Klaus released her arm.
"I don't have a baby," Elena looked at Klaus and Caroline as if they had each grown a second head.
"A witch confirmed it Elena," Elijah finally turned around from the window.
Elena's eyes dropped to the child sleeping on his chest. She tilted her head and watched the small baby sleep; she had her tiny fist curled around his silk tie. She refocused when she heard Elijah continue explaining how a witch had used a spell to identify her as the baby's mother.
Elena walked forward until she was in front of him. Her eyes roamed over the infant critically before she spoke.
"You know I have all of you pegged as many things," she pointed in turn to Klaus, Caroline and Elijah: "paranoid psychopath, compulsive control freak, and the noble one prone to acts of betrayal. Among many other things, but I never thought of any of you as stupid."
"Oi," Kol cried in mock outrage.
"I'll forgive you for this one Kol, but these three should know better."
"Elena…"
"No, Elijah," she cut him off. "How old do you think this child is?"
He looked down at the baby sleeping on his chest. Elijah had spent very little time around children. The last infant he had held was Henrik over a thousand years before. Looking at the little girl he was struck with the sudden realization that he had no idea how old she was.
"She's about 6 months old," Elena gave Elijah a pointed look. She could see when the lightbulb lit up over his head.
"I'm afraid I'm still not understanding," Klaus growled from the couch.
"The sacrifice you idiot," Caroline supplied. "The sacrifice was nearly 8 months ago. Somebody would have noticed if she was about to pop out a baby."
"Then the spell was wrong," Klaus tossed his head back against the couch. "And here I thought I could do away with the doppelganger at last."
"Niklaus," Elijah warned. He looked down when the child squirmed against his chest. She opened her eyes and pouted.
"The spell was fine." Kol watched as the baby lifted her head and blinked. "Elena Gilbert is that child's mother. I can see the resemblance from here."
"I think I'd remember having a baby," Elena rolled her eyes. She turned her head back towards Elijah when she felt something brush against her breast.
Elena looked to see that the baby had made a move to lunge for Elena. Elijah was trying to hold the child steady, but she was bound and determined to switch arms. Elena was too surprised to do anything but stand there and stare at the baby who had wrapped her little arms around Elena's neck. As a result of Elena's sudden immobilization Elijah had to support the baby; his arm pressed against her stomach.
"Let's not be too hasty, darling," Kol sat forward.
"Don't call me 'darling'."
"She appeared magically in the house," Kol continued as if he hadn't heard her. "You might not remember having her because you have not had her yet."
"What?" Elena snapped out of her reverie. She slid her arm around to support the baby; her hand grazed Elijah's chest when she took the child and pulled her tightly to her own body.
"It could be some kind of spell on the baby," Kol suggested. "Somehow the baby got sent back in time and wound up with Elijah; which is a good thing because she seems to like him."
"You're saying some day I'm going to have a baby, and that baby is going to be ripped through space and time?" Elena felt her heart clench at the future pain she would endure. "That's got to be every mother's worst nightmare."
"I don't think most woman would consider that a possibility," Caroline watched Elena bounce the baby gently before sitting down. Elijah joined her on the couch when the girl started fussing; she calmed when she could see him again.
"What are we to do with the child then?" Klaus watched her reach out and sleepily take hold of Elijah's tie again.
"Find a witch who can do a spell to send her home," Kol suggested. "In the meantime she'll have to stay with Elena."
"What exactly am I supposed to do with a baby?" Elena protested.
"I don't want her leaving with the baby either," Klaus leaned forward to glare at Elena. "She might pull a Katerina and run off. I want her right where I can see her. You can stay here until the child goes home."
"She has a life Klaus," Caroline glared at the hybrid.
"I'm not going to stay in a house, indefinitely, with three vampires who have tried to kill me," Elena's eyes flickered from Klaus to Kol.
"Last I checked Elijah's never harmed you love."
"I was not referring to Elijah," Elena gritted her teeth. She was mildly surprised when Kol appeared to be chagrined.
"Kol?" Klaus turned to his baby brother.
"I didn't kill her," he held up his hands defensively, "and I apologized for it immediately."
"When did this happen?" Caroline looked to her friend.
"Last night," Elena said.
In the end they decided to call Bonnie to try and find a way to send the baby home; hopefully without Elena having to remain in the mansion for the foreseeable future.