Previously in "A Soldier's Coming Home", Jenna announces to Alaric that she's pregnant again, Bonnie's grandmother passes away, and a new baby is born for Jonas Martin and his wife.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Mikaelson Family Mansion – That Same Moment…
Eleanor hummed happily as she did some needlepoint. She was proud of herself, and for good reason. Thanks to her, Kol and Lexi no longer had to worry about the obstacle known as Daphne, and she was looking forward to the New Year's nuptials. Not only that, but she was excited to learn that Lexi was pregnant, meaning that another new Mikaelson was going to be making an appearance soon.
"What is that smile for, Mrs. Mikaelson?" she heard a voice say from behind her and she turned to look at her husband, grinning even more.
"I'm happy, Mr. Mikaelson. Our family is finally complete, and your sons and daughter are all adding more children to the growing family," she replied.
Mikael sat down next to her and kissed her softly. "That's definitely something to be happy about."
"It is. They all also told me that they wanted us to baby-sit for them while they go out for New Year's Eve, except for Finn and Sage. He told me that she's been having difficulty with the pregnancy and wants to stay home with her so she can 'rest easy'," Eleanor told him with a concerned look.
Mikael got concerned as well. "That doesn't sound good at all."
"Definitely not," she replied. "I just hope nothing happens to her or the baby."
Meanwhile…
"Sage, love, will you please unlock the door?" Finn called out to his wife as his hand continued to jiggle the doorknob, which was locked.
Sage sobbed as she heard the doorknob jiggle. "No, Finn! I'm not letting you see me like this!"
"Come on, love, you know that I don't care about that," Finn said. "I only care about you. Now, come on and let me in."
Reluctantly, and on shaky legs, Sage moved out of bed and went over to unlock the door. Then she went back and snuggled back under the covers. Finn gave her a concerned look as he walked over to join her. "I look like crap, Finn," she said in a soft voice and he almost didn't hear it, but he reached over and grasped one of her hands between his, kissing the knuckles then the inner palm.
"You're my beautiful Irish Rose, Sage, that's what you are," he said softly, his brown eyes meeting her green ones.
Sage forced a smile at what he said. "You always know the right thing to say."
"I should, since you're my one and only love," he replied. "If I didn't know the right thing to say, I would've failed at my duties as a husband."
In response, Sage nestled closer and rested her head below his chin on his chest. Finn wrapped his arms around her one hand drifting upward into her red hair as he gently kissed her forehead.
Sage sighed and then kissed him softly. "I love you, Finn."
"I love you too, Sage," he replied. "I'll always love you."
"Even when you have to see me puking my guts out?" she asked as she left the circle of his arms and rushed tiredly toward the bathroom, where she knelt down in front of the toilet and began throwing up her entire stomach's contents.
Finn followed her to the bathroom and knelt down next to her, holding her hair back and rubbing her back gently as she vomited. "It's all right, love, I'm right here."
When Sage was finished, Finn carried her back to bed then settled her under the covers.
Sage sighed as he placed her in bed. "Thank you, Finn. I don't know what I'd do without you."
Finn smiled at her as he knelt beside her place in the bed. He reached out and gently caressed her still-flat stomach then pressed a soft kiss to the material covering it. "Our little boy deserves all the love he can get, and so does his beautiful mother," he told his wife with another smile before gently easing her back into his arms, cradling her within his embrace.
Sage smiled. "I know he does, and there's no doubt that he's going to get it, especially since he's got a father like you."
Finn gave her another smile then moved his lips over hers without actually kissing her and Sage pouted then pulled him to her, kissing him softly and passionately. "Sage, love, you need to rest for right now," he said, attempting to roll away from her, even though the temptation of seeing her like this was overwhelming him and consuming his desires.
Sage smiled at him. "Come on, Finn, you know you want to."
Finn bit his lip. "Oh, hell…" He then pulled her close and kissed her passionately.
Her fingers began to unbutton his shirt and he shifted a little to shed it then resumed kissing her as his hands ripped her blouse open straight down the middle, groaning into the kiss as his fingers found her bare skin beneath.
Sage moaned as she felt his fingers on her skin. "Finn, please don't…"
"Don't what?"
"Don't tease me," she replied. "I want all of you!"
Sitting her up, Finn removed the rest of her clothes then helped her remove the rest of his before using one hand to stroke over her inner thighs while his mouth began marking a trail of kisses down the column of her neck. "You want all of me, hmm? Are you prepared for this?" He didn't give her a chance to reply before rolling her onto her side and thrusting into her from behind.
Feeling him thrust into her from behind, Sage let out a scream of pleasure, letting the desire and passion she had for him envelope them. Finn turned her chin toward him and kissed her to muffle the screams so they didn't wake the kids and used his other hand to move down her body until it was stroking over her inner thighs again.
Sighing into the kiss, Sage placed one hand on top of his cheek, stroking it gently with her thumb. Finn placed his hand over hers then pulled out of her before rolling her until they were face to face and thrusting gently into her while he said hoarsely, "I love you, Sage Victoria O'Reilly Mikaelson."
Sage smiled at his words. "I love you too, Finnegan Cooper Mikaelson, always and forever."
He smiled back then continued to thrust more, his hands stroking down her arms and linking his fingers through hers before lifting them above her head and trapping them there.
Sage smirked when she saw what her husband was doing. "Ooh, Finn, you never did this before."
"There's a first time for everything, love."
She shut her mouth after that as he continued to thrust in and out of her.
Two Hours Later…
Sage sighed happily as she and Finn lay in each other's arms, sweat pouring down their faces and bodies. "That was amazing."
Finn smiled. "Yes, it was." He kissed her forehead. "You were amazing yourself, Irish Rose."
His wife nodded and snuggles more against him.
Finn smiled as he placed a strand of her hair behind her ear, marveling at her features, the very same features that had captured his attention all those years ago, when he had applied for the bartender job at the Grill. He found it hard to believe that it had been that long, since it didn't seem that long ago to him. Of course, he probably didn't even pay attention to that detail, since he was enjoying himself too much.
"What are you thinking about so heavily up there?" he heard her ask him softly. He turned his head a little to smile down at her.
"I was thinking about the first day we met, at the Grill," he replied.
Sage smiled. "I think about that day too. I consider it one of the best days of my life."
"Really?" he replied. "And what were the other best days?"
"The day you proposed to me, our wedding day, and when I had Ruby and Bridget," Sage said. "And, when I have our son, it'll be another to add to the list."
Her husband smiled then leaned down to brush his lips gently over hers. "Those are and will be some of my best days as well," he replied.
Sage smiled. "I should imagine so, since you were there."
Finn smirked. "Oh, that's cute, Mrs. Mikaelson. I think that calls for the Tickle Torture."
Before Sage could say anything, she found herself getting tickled by her husband, laughing hysterically.
Meanwhile…
Elijah scooped Maria up then carried her toward Katherine as his wife rested on the bed.
Katherine smiled as she saw her husband bringing her daughter to her, taking her from him as she said, "Hello, sweetheart." She kissed the little girl's forehead. "I love you, my angel."
Maria smiled as she felt her mother kissing her. "I love you too, Mummy." She looked over at Elijah as he sat down next to Katherine. "I love you too, Daddy."
Elijah smiled at his daughter and kissed her forehead. "I love you too, princess."
Over at the Mansion…
Mikael scooped up Sabrina and blew a raspberry onto her cheek, smiling over at his wife as she did a jigsaw puzzle with Olivier in her lap.
Eleanor smiled as she watched what her husband was doing and kissed Olivier on the top of his head. "Daddy loves you and your sister very much."
"And so does Mommy," Mikael said as he put Sabrina down then followed her over to the other side of the table, scooping her up again and putting her on his lap so he could help her with putting the pieces together.
Eleanor put her arm around her husband's waist and snuggled up against him, sighing happily.
"I love you, Mikael," she whispered in his ear.
Mikael smiled and whispered back, "I love you too, Eleanor."
Eleanor gives Mikael a quick peck on the lips then turns her attention back to Olivier before he can put a puzzle piece into his mouth.
"It doesn't go in your mouth, silly," she said. "It goes with the rest of the pieces." She helped him put the piece with the others. "See?" Olivier's bottom lip stuck out into a pout but Eleanor only tapped her son's lips with her index finger. "You know you can't eat the pieces, Olivier. They're not edible." Olivier pouted again, but then nodded, earning him a kiss from his mother. "That's my good boy."
"Love you, Mommy," Olivier said with an almost-toothless grin at Eleanor.
Eleanor smiled and kissed him. "Mommy loves you too, sweetheart." She saw that Sabrina was pouting and kissed her as well. "Mommy loves you too, Sabrina."
Her daughter gave a big grin as well then turned the grin up to her father. "Love you too, Daddy," she said to Mikael as she clapped her hands over his.
Mikael smiled at his daughter and kissed her. "Daddy loves you too, princess, with all my heart and soul."
Over at Klaus and Caroline's…
"Liam, where do you think you're going?" Klaus asked as he scooped up his son, who was starting to scoot away from his father.
Liam smiled at his father. "I wasn't going anywhere, Daddy."
Klaus raised an eyebrow at the boy in his arms. "You can't fool me, you little scamp. You have that glint in your eyes, and that tells me that you were about to get up into some mischief. I know; I used to get that glint in my eyes all the time at your age." He blew a raspberry into his son's cheek, earning him a giggle. "Come on, let's go see what your mother is doing, shall we?" Meanwhile, Caroline was making cookies in the kitchen with Anastasia's very helpful assistance, smiling at her husband and son when they came into the room. Klaus returned his wife's smile. "Our son was about to get into mischief, but I caught him."
"I figured that because he was a little too quiet," she replied. "Good thing you stopped him before he broke anything."
Klaus kisses Caroline briefly then reaches out and tweaks Anastasia's nose, making her giggle and swat at his hand. Klaus laughed as his daughter playfully swatted at him and then said to his wife, "Do you need us to help you with anything, love?"
Caroline shook her head. "I'm just putting the last batch in after the one that is in the oven is done," she replied.
Klaus nodded. "I only asked because I want to keep this little rascal from getting into trouble."
Caroline nodded as well. She then got an idea. "I think it's time we get him a pet. It'll teach him to have responsibility." She saw the skeptical look on his face. "Oh, don't give me that look, Nik, I'm serious here. Elijah and Katherine gave Colin and Maria their own pets, so why not let Liam have his own? What harm could it do?"
"A small dog, Caroline, and that's my final offer," Klaus said with a firm look on his face.
Caroline nodded. "Okay, a small dog it is." She kissed him softly. "Thank you, Nik." She smiled at Liam. "Guess what, buddy? You're going to get a puppy."
Liam squirmed in his father's arms and clapped his hands happily.
Caroline smiled at his reaction and kissed his cheek. "We love you, sweetie."
She heard the oven ding, which indicated that the batch of cookies in the oven were ready. She took them out and placed the batch she and Anastasia were working on into the oven, setting the timer, after which she felt a kick in her belly, giggling as she placed her hand on it.
Klaus noticed it and said, "Caroline, are you all right, love?"
Caroline nodded. "I'm fine. I just felt the baby kick."
"I want to feel, Mommy!" Anastasia said excitedly, holding out her hands.
Caroline nodded and placed her daughter's hand on her belly, the kicks getting harder. "Feel that? That's your little brother or sister in there."
Liam saw what was going on and said, "Can I feel too, Mommy?"
When his mother nodded, Klaus released the boy from his hold and he went over, placing his hand on her belly, feeling the kicks. Not wanting to be left out, Klaus placed his hand on his wife's belly, smiling at the kicks he was feeling.
"We're a family, Klaus," Caroline said happily to him as he leaned over to brush his lips over hers quickly.
Klaus smiled at her. "Yes, we are and I love you and our family."
Over at Lexi's and Kol's House…
"Xavier Isaac Mikaelson, you better not do this to Mommy, she's not in a good mood right now," Lexi said as she waddled around the house trying to find her son.
Xavier heard his mother and came out of where he had been hiding. "Here I am, Mommy."
Lexi sighed and approached him. "You're a little troublemaker, aren't you? I can definitely see why you and your cousin, Liam get along so well."
"Liam is fun, Mommy!" Xavier said excitedly as he allowed his mother to lift him up, despite her pregnant state then carried him into the living room.
Kol was just coming into the living room and saw Lexi carrying Xavier, taking him from her instantly. "Here, Alexia; let me take him. You shouldn't be handling heavy things in your condition."
"Thank you, Kol," she replied. "And you're right, Xavier is getting too heavy for me to pick him up anymore, pregnant or not."
"And with Nadia on her way, she'll soon be getting spoiled," Kol said as he leaned over, brushing his lips over hers, using one hand to carry Xavier while the other reached out and touched the small mound of her stomach.
Lexi smiled as she felt his hand on her belly. "Yes, our little Nadia is going to be spoiled, not only by her parents, but also by her grandparents, aunts and uncles."
"Yes, she will and I know that her godmother will spoil her a little more," Kol said as he took her hand then placed it under his at her belly.
Lexi giggled as she felt Nadia kick her. "My, but she's active today. I guess she's sensing the love we have for her."
Putting his son down on his feet but keeping his arm wrapped around Xavier's waist, he looked at Xavier then pointed to Lexi's stomach as he asked, "Want to see if your sister is listening to us?"
Xavier nodded and Kol placed his son's hand on Lexi's stomach and the little boy laughed as he felt something kick him. "She kicked me, Daddy! She was listening!"
"She was saying 'hi, big brother'," Lexi said with a smile.
Xavier smiled and kissed his mother's belly while he said, "Hi, little sister."
"You're going to be a great big brother, Xavier," Kol said as he ran a hand through his son's hair.
Xavier smiled at what his father said. "I'll be better than great, Daddy. I'm going to be the best big brother Nadia has ever known."
Both of his parents chuckled at that sentence then turned to see Hannah enter the room, picking up Xavier in her arms. "I heard a little boy say that he was going to be the 'best big brother' in the world. What about his other sister? Is she going to be the best too?" she said as she began tickling him.
Xavier giggled as Hannah tickled him. "Yes, Hannah, you'll be great too!"
Over at the Lockwood Mansion…
"Camilla Taylor Lockwood, this isn't funny, young lady!" Meghan called out, turning when she saw her uncle-in-law, Mason.
"Maybe I can help find her for you, Meghan. You should be resting," Mason tells her.
Meghan nodded. "Thank you, Mason. You're a lifesaver."
Mason smiled and nodded then went in search of his great-niece, following her muffled giggles until he found her hiding.
Mason found Camilla hiding in the linen closet and smiled at her. "Camilla, what are you doing in there?"
Camilla giggled at him. "Hiding, Uncle Mason."
"I see that, but you really shouldn't hide in here," Mason said. "This isn't for children to hide in."
Camilla pouted up at him then allowed Mason to pick her up and carry her out to where her mother still stood. "I'm sorry, Momma," she says as she squirms down from Mason's loose embrace before gently hugging her pregnant mother.
Meghan forced a smile and took her daughter into her arms. "Mommy isn't mad, Cam. She can't be on her feet very long because the doctor wants her to be in bed. Promise me that you'll stay where I can see you, okay?"
"I promise, Momma," Camilla said before glancing over her mom's shoulder and grinning big. "Hi, Daddy, welcome home!"
Tyler smiled at Camilla. "Hello, princess." He looked at Meghan. "Honey, what are you doing up? You're supposed to be in bed."
"Your daughter decided it would be funny to hide from Mommy," Meghan said, turning around with Camilla in her arms.
Tyler looked at Camilla. "Oh, Cam, why did you do that to Mommy? You know she can't be on her feet because of the baby."
Camilla pouted and looked as if she was about to cry. Wiggling out of her mother's arms, she scrambled immediately for the stairs and stomped up them. Tyler glanced at Meghan then his uncle, who nodded and guided Meghan toward the living room while Tyler headed upstairs after his daughter.
Tyler found Camilla in her room, sitting on her bed, tears flowing down her cheeks. Feeling guilty, he entered the room and sat down next to her. "Cam, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. You know I love you."
"I know, Daddy," she whispered as she moved over to him and snuggled in his arms.
Tyler hugged his daughter and kissed her forehead. "You're a good girl, Cam; don't ever let anyone tell you differently."
Author's Note: Time for an update, lovelies! I hope you all enjoy seeing the bond Tyler has with his daughter, because you'll see more of the Lockwood family in the next chapter, including an appearance from Dean and Adrianna!