Rebekah was humming to herself in the kitchen, swaying gracefully from the oven, kicking the door shut with a bare foot, while holding two fresh trays; a dozen cooling racks laden with chocolate chip cookies lining the granite expanse of the island counter.
She had hoped to distract her mind and make Bonnie one of her favorite comfort foods. Her usually impeccable fashion sense was in casual mode; powder blue yoga pants, white tank top, and messy bun, sans make-up. And it warmed Klaus's spirit when he entered the space, having snuck out of his shared suite with his little witch, her having passed out on him.
It was frightening to realize how much he stood to lose. It was even more staggering to admit how much he loved them. He cleared his throat and snatched a handful of the still warm morsels; grinning when Bekah yelled, "Nik…" in a whiny voice.
"How sweet of you to think of me," He teased, popping one in his mouth with a wink.
She scowled, making a show of shooing him off with an oven mitt, "You know damn well, you ill-mannered heathen, these treats are not for you."
Klaus shrugged and half perched on a bar stool, one leg propped, the other still straight in support of his frame, "It isn't the first time I've stolen from the cookie jar, bets to the highest, it won't be my last," he became serious then, "we have important plans to iron out dear sister, and to be honest, I am worried…Bonnie seems soon to deliver."
Rebekah matched his grimness with a frown of her own, sighing heavily, quickly tossing the mitt aside to be forgotten, "I know and I hate it," She leaned forward on her elbows next to him and cradled her face thoughtfully, "I wish we had more time, but we don't, so what now?"
Before Klaus could even so much as share an idea, a familiar voice boomed from the entranceway. One that at first had both siblings at attention and ready for attack. That is, of course, until they realized.
"For starters Nicklaus, how is it that I tracked your whereabouts and breached this sanctuary so easily? Quite sloppy of you brother, and quite deadly."
"Elijah," They exclaimed in unison.
Rebekah wasted no time and speeded over to their older brother in order to embrace him warmly in a fierce bear hug, feeling relieved and giddy; littering his stiff face with kisses, chanting "I knew you would come." While Klaus hung back grinning, waiting for his turn to greet the impeccably dressed devil, "Well old chap, I can hardly shoulder the blame, you being so damn cunning and resourceful."
The much taller Original flattened his lips into a grim line, gently prying his sister off of his person, ever serious, as was his way. But, as to not offend poor Bekah's esteem, he placed a chaste kiss to her forehead, his brown eyes warm, softly murmuring "my sunshine", before addressing the hybrid gravely.
"The hunter has been distracted with a false sense of security, him having been given information of the mode in which I traveled, and the time of my arrival, which of course was most inaccurate, having been supplied by those in my employ. However, this threat posed by our mother's minion to our family is imminent. We must take advantage of any element of surprise we may still possess in order to defeat him."
Klaus nodded, crossing his arms in front of him while taking a wide stance. Accepting this criticism well, as he trusted his brother, "I too was distracted, thanks to the bastard. He detonated a bomb at the beach of the hotel we were staying at…I lost control, fearing the worst, and in so doing, I also lost my strategy. My intentions were to draw him out; stalling time for the Salvatore brothers to turn or kill the doppelgänger. Instead, we were forced to flee in haste." He hung his head slightly in shame, "Forgive me."
Elijah's expression became less severe, him always having a paternal air towards his younger, more passionate, and hot headed (at times petulant) powerful brother. He felt the need to soothe as well as educate the lessons of his misconduct. Again, as was his way.
"One must never lose sight of logic Nicklaus, especially in the face of adversity. Our emotions must be in check, however difficult, if we are to preserve what we hold most dear," he took two strides to be directly in front of Klaus, gripping his shoulders with a slight shake, forcing him to look up, "do not despair or doubt yourself into failure just yet, we will fix this."
Rebekah looked at the two fondly, realizing the only thing missing was Kol. She missed the togetherness and the bond of having a complete family, one that now included her soul sister and unborn nephew. Her voice was as hard as steel, "Yes Nik, we will."
The hybrid smiled, showing off two deceptively cute as a button and non-threatening dimples, contradicting his murderous tone, "With you all by my side in battle, I- doubt- nothing… there will be victory!"
"That's a good man," his brother praised, releasing his hold on him while removing his suit jacket to hang over a counter stool, "how lovely sister, you baked."
Before Elijah could even reach out to grab a cookie, or Klaus could warn him; Bekah flashed beside him, using a spatula to swat his hand, causing the older vamp to recoil the limb in shock.
"Those are for Bonnie," she ranted in a high pitched squeal, "and I'll not have the lot of you gobbling them up into extinction, before she even gets one."
And as if summoned, the witch in question, waddled into the room wearing only what could be described as a flowery moo-moo, all confused, "What is for me?"
Instantly the three straightened up to beam at the very pregnant girl.
Rebekah swept an arm out, yelling "surprise", as Klaus shook with laughter, and Elijah went forward with a hand extended, "Miss Bennett I presume," he took her much smaller one into his own and kissed her knuckles, "you have my fealty."
Bonnie blushed through the confusing interaction, looking to Bekah and Klaus for answers, mumbling "thanks…" to him, more to herself "I think."
"This is my brother Elijah my love," Klaus supplied easily, instantly putting her at ease, "he is here to help."
She evaluated the tall, dark, and handsome stranger, finding it a curiosity how different from the other two he was. As where they were easy going, this man seemed formal; wearing expensive looking tailored black dress slacks, stiff collared white dress shirt, and royal blue silk tie. Even his posture was perfect. His face controlled. But, the eyes, well, they expressed a different story. They were deep, the color of Godiva chocolate, and held reverence... for her?
Bonnie blushed again, carefully extracting her hand from his grasp, "Pleased to make your acquaintance Elijah, I'm very happy you are here. Lord knows we could use all the help we can get right now." She motioned for him to sit and went over to Klaus, kissing his cheek, and then Bekah, doing the same; rubbing her tummy in wide circular protective motions. "Gideon is active and impatient…"
Klaus instantly looked worried, "Are you in labor?"
She absentmindedly picked up a cookie, took a bite, moaning to Bekah that they were divine, answering him in between chews, "I have been…" another bite, "for some time now…" more chewing, "five minutes apart now."
"Shit," Rebekah cried, "and you just now tell us!"
The witch shrugged, Klaus appeared to sway and almost lose his balance from shock; Elijah steadying him with an arm and casual smile of humor at his brother's show of weakness, as Bekah continued to rant, barking out orders like a general.
"Get off your feet, you poor daft girl…Elijah, boil a pot of water…Klaus, stop acting the fainting twit, and get me some rags…now…move…"
They all went into a blur of whizzing motions, making Bonnie dizzy and laugh hysterically, eating another cookie casually, leaning her weight against the center island…feeling like the luckiest and most loved witch in the world.
Her son was coming.
And despite their dire situation, she somehow felt at peace.
A/N: My muse has returned to me thankfully, after a drought of writer's block. This story WILL be finished. Thanks be to all who have hung in there, so to speak, and stuck around for its completion. Another chapter should be posted in a few days :)