I walked until I was a safe distance away. Only then did I dare to look back at the hospital. Smoke was thick in the air, turning the early dawn sky grey as ash. Flames were eating the roof. I felt a sense of pride. I hoped that bitch burned.

I heard a twig crack behind me and I turned sharply, cradling my twins against me.

"Come out where I can see you," I called. Freya stepped out of the darkness and smiled shyly.

"Hi…"

"Hello."

"Is that offer to come with you still open?"

"Maybe. Depends if I can trust you or not." I narrowed my eyes. "You knew what she had planned."

"Yes. And I wanted to warn you but I couldn't."

"That's why you gave me the poison?"

"Yes… Dahlia was desperate for another generation to add to her power. I've been in your position and I had to make that choice." She looked at me and I sensed that she was being honest. "I want to help you. Please, let me."

I was hesitant but I nodded.

"Okay. You can come with me as long as you can keep up." I turned away from the hospital and continued, searching for the main road. I had no idea how far we were from the French Quarter but I figured since Dahlia had been working in the quarter and I'd been snatched from the bayou it had to be within a reasonable distance of both those places. Freya trailed behind, keeping up but also leaving some space between us. My arms ached from carrying the twins. At least they were quiet. I didn't want them crying and drawing… unwanted attention.

We reached the main road. There were trees either side, forming a wall. Each way looked identical.

"Do you have a plan?" Freya asked.

"Yep. Stick out your thumb." She did as I told her, looking confused by the action.

"What am I doing?"

"You're hitchhiking. When someone drives past, they'll stop and we'll get a ride."

"Is that your whole plan?"

"Do you know which way the French Quarter is?" I asked, glaring at her. I knew it wasn't a great plan but she wasn't coming up with anything better.

"No."

"Do you have a phone?"

"Not on me."

"Then we have to wait. And hope." I sat on the roadside. Blair began to fuss and squirm. I rocked her gently, unsure of what I was supposed to be doing. I had kind of expected to just be naturally imbued with maternal knowledge once they were born. How did first time parents do it? Fuck.

She broke into full on crying and I tried to calm her. Her crying grew louder and I felt myself getting frustrated.

"Can I help?" Freya asked.

"No!" It came out a little sharper than I intended and Blair fell quiet at the sudden loud noise. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, holding her close. "I… I have to prove to myself that I can do this. I thought… I thought I was going to lose them… and I don't want… to let them go."

"I get it. Someone tried to take them and now you're afraid that anyone who touches them might take them from you. It makes sense." She knelt down beside me. "But it's not a bad thing to ask for help."

I sighed and nodded. She carefully took Blair from my arms and held her. She managed to calm her fairly quickly. I felt useless in comparison.

"It'll be okay Elena. It'll just take some time for you to adjust."

"What if I'm a bad mom?"

"You burned down a building to save your children. No one can deny that you love your kids. The rest just takes practice. I mean, most new mothers don't have to deal with… this."

"True." She handed Blair back and sat down beside me. "Are you nervous about seeing your brothers?"

"A little. I was taken before most of them were born. Mother was pregnant with Elijah when Dahlia took me. I know them only by their reputations which…"

"Aren't stellar, I know. And most of what people say… is true. But that doesn't make them bad people. They've had a lot to deal with… but they're insanely loyal to their family. If you get to know them and treat them right they can be kind, respectful… you just have to earn it with them."

We lapsed into silence, staring out at the empty road. At that moment all I wanted was to be back home. Curled up in bed with Kol. Having breakfast with Elijah. Laughing and joking with Rebekah. Fighting with Klaus. Talking with Finn. I missed them all so much.

I wasn't sure how long we sat there. It felt like a few hours. I fed the girls and they fell asleep again. Freya and I mainly stayed silent, wrapped up in our own thoughts. I was terrified that Dahlia might appear at any moment.

Eventually we heard the sound of a car approaching and Freya jumped to her feet. She flagged down the car and I followed her over to the window.

"Is there any chance we can get a ride?" I asked, chewing my lip nervously.

"Where you girls heading?" asked the driver.

"The French Quarter?" He nodded.

"It's on my way. Hop in" Freya got the door for me and carefully helped me into the back seat before climbing in beside me. The driver craned his neck and took in my dishevelled form and the babies in my arms.

"What happened to you two?"

"It's a long story," I said, closing my eyes. He didn't ask any more questions but I could sense the tension in the car. He started to drive and I relaxed, exhausted from the previous night's activities. Freya took the twins from me so that I could rest without worrying about dropping them. I settled in the seat and felt myself beginning to doze off. I welcomed the escape from reality with open arms.

I didn't quite manage to sleep, instead I drifted into that warm limbo between awake and asleep. In my mind I found myself back in the house in the French Quarter. There was a party going on, music playing and everyone was wearing extravagant dresses and masks hiding their faces. I was dancing with a tall man, a stranger who spun me in his arms. A fresh pair of hands took hold of me and I found myself in the arms of another man. I recognized his jawline and smiled.

"Elijah!" He didn't respond, passing me off to yet another partner and disappearing into the crowd.

This continued for some time, being passed from man to man, and occasionally catching glimpses of faces that I knew. Kol, Finn, Klaus, Elijah again.

I found myself in the arms of yet another man and I looked up to see if it was face I recognized. This man was wearing a mask that covered half of his face and I pulled back sharply when I registered the exposed half.

"Mikael…"

"Hello Elena," he smiled and offered his hand. "Shall we dance?"

I looked around. No one had noticed. They were continuing with their regimented dance steps, completely ignoring us. I reluctantly took his hand, knowing there was nothing I could do.

"What are you doing here?"

"You tell me. This is your dream. Am I on your mind?"

"Not even a little." He dipped me before pulling me in close, his mouth close to my ear. His breath was cold rather than hot and sent a shiver down my spine.

"I beg to differ." He spun me. "Talk me to Elena. I told you before, I'm here if you need my help."

"I… I gave birth. And I'm afraid that my children are going to end up living the ways yours did. Afraid and running." I hadn't meant to say it but my mouth moved of its own accord.

"Your children not only inherit the power of their family but also the enemies. And my children have many enemies."

"I don't want that life for them."

"Would you rather you run from their enemies or from my children? Those are your choices."

"No other way?"

"Not anymore. You chose this life Elena. Now you have to embrace everything that comes with that."

"Great…"

"Remember… some enemies are worse than others. You have to choose your fights. The enemy of your enemy…"

"Is your friend?"

"No. They're still your enemy. But you deal with the largest threat first and put your feuds aside for a common cause."

The music faded away and the room became silent. A cold breeze wafted through the courtyard. I looked up. Everyone was gone, except for Mikael who was looking at something over my shoulder. I turned slowly. Dahlia was stood in the doorway, her skin stained with soot and ash. I stepped back.

"You have to face your fears Elena," Mikael said. "You can run or you can fight. It's up to you."

I catapulted up in my seat. Freya was watching me with concern.

"Are you alright Elena?" she asked, voice hushed.

"I'm… I'm fine. Where are we?"

"We're almost there."

I looked out of the window and recognized some of the buildings we passed. We were at the outskirts of the quarter. My heart leapt. Home. Almost there.

"Where do you want me to drop you off?" The driver asked. I looked around, working out how close we were.

"Just here is fine." I said. He pulled over. "Thank you so much."

"It's okay. I hate to see nice girls in trouble."

We got out of the car. I led the way through the familiar streets to the Mikaelson house. I let us in and stepped into the courtyard. Freya hung back in the alcove of the entranceway.

"Hello?" I called out. "Anyone home?"

I heard a bang from upstairs and suddenly Kol appeared in front of me. He threw his arms around me.

"Elena! Fuck, I've been so worried!"

The others appeared downstairs, making noises of delight at the sight of me.

"Wait! No hugs yet!" I said, detaching myself from Kol. "First, I want you all to meet some people."

I went over to where Freya was waiting and took the girls from her.

"Kol, Elijah, I want you to meet your daughters. Blair and Lilah." Kol's eyes widened as if he couldn't really believe that I was holding two tiny people. Elijah blinked and took a hesitant step forward. I smiled. "Do you… want to hold her?"

He nodded. I carefully passed Lilah over to Elijah who cradled her tenderly. I looked to Kol who was still staring. I laughed softly and gently pressed Blair into his arms. She opened her eyes and gurgled softly, cuddling close to him. Elijah went and sat down on a bench, transfixed by the baby. I didn't know officially which of the siblings was the father of which child but I just had a sense that Blair was Kol's and Lilah… well, she looked like a combination of Klaus and Elijah. I just hoped the Elijah in her might balance out Klaus' side.

Rebekah went over to Kol, smiling brightly. Finn stepped forward, squinting in the darkness where Freya was still lurking.

"Who is your friend?"

"Oh that's the other thing. This is… Freya. Your… sister." Elijah's head shot up and Finn darted to Freya's side, hands going to her cheek. He examined her face and he let out a noise that sounded similar to a sob before hugging her tight to him.

"I think you need to do some explaining," Elijah said. I nodded and sat down, letting out a sigh of relief as I sat down.

"As you probably guessed, I was kidnapped during my trip to the bayou."

"Yes, your friends told us," Rebekah said.

"Are they okay?" I asked. I'd almost forgotten about the others. I hoped Tyler and Bonnie hadn't been hurt.

"They're fine. We made them go home," Kol assured me. "We knew you wouldn't want them to get hurt."

"Much appreciated. So I got attacked and abducted and spent the past few days in some old creepy hospital."

"I assume Klaus did the abducting."

"Umm… technically yes but he's not completely to blame for all of this. He's being controlled. Or at least he is now, I don't know if he was the entire time."

"He was," Freya cut in. "The second they met, she was whispering in his ear... i can't truly tell you how much of what he did was him and what was her."

"What was who?" Finn asked.

"Dahlia," said Freya. Everyone exchanged glances.

"How is that possible?" Finn demanded. "She should be long dead."

"Well so should I, by that logic," said Freya. "She performed a spell so we would sleep for a century and then spend a single year awake. Its how we were able to stay young."

"And she wants the kids. Apparently she made some stupid deal with your mother that entitles her to the first born of each generation."

"And she was more than a bit pissed off when mother turned you and prevented that from happening. Which is why she's so determined to take the twins," Freya added.

"But surely she can only take one?" Kol said. "I mean, it's not going to happen but… why is she after both of them?"

"When I said they were both of your children, I wasn't being metaphorical. Apparently it's possible to have kids from two different dads. So one of them is yours, Kol, and the other one is a combination of Elijah and Klaus. Three guesses which one."

Elijah cuddled Lilah.

"We're not going to let Dahlia touch them Elena. They're safe here, I promise."

"Thanks Elijah… but I took care of it."

"How…?"

"I started a fire, pushed her in and locked the door." Kol blinked.

"Remind me not to get on Elena's bad side."

Rebekah came over.

"Well enough morbid talk. The important thing is we have Elena back and our sister returned to us, as well as these little ones. We should be celebrating."

"Our brother is missing, and potentially being controlled by an evil witch who might be alive… or might be burned to a crisp. And you want to have a party?" Elijah asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not a party. But I think we should stop all this 'what if' talk. We have no way of knowing the answers and it seems entirely pointless to dwell on things we have no control of. Let's take a few days to relax. I'm sure Elena could use it."

"Now that you mention it… I'm pretty sure most women spend time in bed after giving birth. Not burning down buildings and hitch hiking." I was quite tired. My little rest in the car hadn't done much.

"Then it is settled. Elena, go to bed. Kol, Freya, I want you to come with me. Finn, you can join us if you want. We have some shopping to do." Rebekah said, firmly. "Elijah, do you think you can manage these little ones?"

"It would be my pleasure."

Kol looked suddenly upset.

"Does this mean I have to stop holding her?"

"Just for a little bit Kol," Rebekah told him. Kol pouted and reluctantly handed Blair over to Elijah. I smiled slightly, pleased that he'd taken to her so quickly. Rebekah bounced on the balls of her feet until Kol followed her out of the courtyard. Freya offered Finn her hand and he smiled, taking it. They followed behind him.

"Where is she taking them?" I asked.

"I believe she's been working on something in one of the upstairs bedroom that she wanted to have done before they arrived. Her preparations got put on hold when you disappeared."

"Would this something possibly be nursery related?"

"Maybe." He smiled. "Do you need a hand getting up?"

"No. I'm fine. Besides, your hands are full." I got up awkwardly and headed for the stairs. Elijah followed me. "I'm not going to go missing between the courtyard and my bedroom."

"Well I didn't expect to go to sleep and wake up to find a werewolf bite on my throat and your bed empty."

"Fine, you can come and supervise me sleeping if it makes you feel better."

I let him trail me up to my bedroom. Elijah carefully built a nest of blankets in an armchair and settled the twins inside. I found a pair of clean pyjamas and started undressing. I heard the rush of air that usually accompanied vampire movement and felt Elijah's hands on my waist.

"I never thanked you Elena."

"For what?"

"For giving us a chance to be in your life again. For saving me from myself."

I turned and faced him.

"I may not always like your family Elijah. I don't think anyone could. But… I love each and every one of you. You're my family." I linked my fingers with his. "And family doesn't abandon family."

"I love you Elena. Always and forever." I looked into his eyes and I wondered what he meant by that. Did he love me as he did Rebekah? As a sister? Or was it… something else? I hesitated, unsure of how to respond, before answering with the simplest and purest truth that I knew.

"I love you too Elijah."