When Elena woke up, she found herself lying across Elijah in his bed. Had she actually slept so long they were able to make it all the way home without her ever waking up?

"Good morning," Elijah murmured against Elena's hair. "Or rather, good afternoon."

"How long have I been out?" Elena sat up and looked around.

"The better part of two days."

"Where's Ryan?"

Elijah tilted his head, listening, then said, "Library."

"We need to get clothes and everything else he'll need."

"A tailor came by the day before yesterday, and an interior designer was here yesterday." Elijah climbed out of bed and started straightening his clothes.

Elena's stomach growled.

"Perhaps I should make you something to eat," Elijah said with a smile.

"While you're cooking, I'm going to take a shower, then I'm going to talk to Ryan, and make sure he's adjusting to the new world he's in."

"Not to mention he may have some latent magical ability, now that he's bound to you instead of Malivore."

"I didn't even think of that. Then again, I wasn't really planning on binding him to me until I realized I had power to do one better than just freeing him from the pit. I could free him from Malivore completely."

Elena headed towards the bathroom and found a bag of clothing on the counter with a note from Caroline.

Elijah said you might need some things when you woke up. Congratulations on becoming a mother! I want to meet him, but Elijah says he's shy right now, so I'll wait until you say.

Elena smiled at the note from her friend, then stripped out of her clothing and turned the hot water on. Under the spray, the last few days washed away and she felt refreshed with the travel stains rinsing down the drain.

As much as she wanted to remain under the water, she knew that Ryan needed her. She'd made him into her son and he needed to know that she loved him as though she'd actually given birth to him. Her broken boy, who'd been through so much that he would need proof that she wasn't just using him for his knowledge.

After climbing out of the shower, Elena dressed quickly and threw her hair into a messy bun.

Just like Elijah had said, Ryan was in the library, with a book in his lap, though he was staring off at nothing, deep in thought.

"How are you feeling?" Elena asked as she sat down on the couch beside him.

Ryan set his book aside and studied his hands. Elena reached over and rubbed his arm gently.

"I feel different. Alive in a way I don't understand, and everything is so foreign. I've woken up in a new world that I don't understand."

Elena wrapped her arm around his shoulders and gave him a side squeeze. She wasn't sure what his boundaries were now that he was free of his father, but she wanted to comfort him however she could.

"Then there's you," Ryan whispered

"What about me?"

"You're most powerful witch I've ever met and you've literally turned yourself into my mother." Ryan sniffed, desperately trying to containe his emotions.

"Ryan, don't be afraid to cry. You've been through hell and no one in this house will mock you for whatever you're feeling." Elena ran her fingers through his dark curls, relishing the feeling of having a child to care for once more.

"Why didn't he love me?" Ryan choked out. "What did I do to make him hate me so much? I tried to be a good son."

"It wasn't your fault, sweetheart." Elena pulled him into a tight hug and rubbed his back. "It wasn't your fault. You are a good son, a good man."

This was all it took and Ryan started crying.

"I just wanted him to love me."

"I love you, Ryan. I love you. You're my son now and I love you."

"Why? I'm useless and- and- I'm disgusting."

"No, Ryan. Whatever Malivore said or did to you, or made you do, it doesn't make you useless or disgusting."

"You don't know what I've done."

"From what you've told me, I can figure at least some of it out." Elena ran her hand over his head and he tightened his grip on her arm, as if afraid she'd walk away once she voiced what she knew. "He wants to continue the species. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what he made you do in an effort to do that."

"I didn't understand what was going on. I just wanted my father to be happy with me," he whispered.

"Oh, Ryan. My poor boy." Elena pressed her cheek against his hair.

"I always felt filthy afterwards and him berating me for failing to father a child only made things worse."

"It's not your fault. It's not your fault. You were a child and you trusted him because he was your father and he abused that trust. It's not your fault, my sweet boy. You were not responsible for what he made you do." Elena kissed his curls, her heart breaking all over again for him.

Elijah joined them then and placed his hand on Ryan's shoulder.

"Elena's right, Ryan. It's not your fault. You are a good son and I couldn't be happier that Elena brought you into my life. Whatever reason Malivore had for withholding love from you, they're reasons that don't matter to us. He wanted you broken down to keep you under his control. Nothing more."

Finally, his sobs subsided, though he still clung to Elena.

"You're my son," Elena crooned softly.

"And that makes you my son as well." Elijah sat down beside Ryan.

"I'm sorry for breaking down. You've been nothing but good to me and I just-" Ryan sat up slowly and scrubbed his face with his sleeve.

"It will take time for your brain to adjust to its new normal." Elena reached up and brushed a stray tear away.

"Elena's right, Ryan. And before you ask, yes we knew what we would be getting into when we decided to adopt you into our family, that you would struggle at first with accepting that we want you because of you."

"Why? Why me? Was it because the spirits led you to me?"

"When the spirits led me to you, I don't think they intended for me to want to make you a part of the family. That was all me. But, when I met you, you triggered the mothering instinct in me, even though you've lived longer than I have, and I loved you like you were my biological child."

"You love me?" Ryan raked his hands through his hair.

"You're my son, Ryan, biologically now, since I used my blood to create your new body and yes, I love you. You're my son. My boy, my child in every way. You are blood of my blood, Ryan Clarke and I'd very much like it if you'd include my last name in your name somehow, proof to all the world that you're a part of it, even if people don't know how."

"I don't- I can't- I thought I-" Ryan drew a sharp breath in an effort to calm himself a bit. "I thought I knew how I'd react when you got me out. I had it all planned out. I'd be the sort of person you'd be proud to be seen with. Yet, here I am."

He waved his hand over his disheveled appearance, hanging his head in shame.

"I am proud to call you my son," Elijah said softly.

"How can you be? How can an Original vampire be proud to even be associated with someone as weak as I am?"

"Because you're choosing to rise above what your birth father drove into your skull from the moment you first drew breath. That takes tremendous strength. I'm a Viking by birth, and a strength like that is to be honored and respected. The strength your mother also possesses, which is what I think drew her to you."

Just then, Elena's stomach growled so loudly, reminding her that she still hadn't eaten, that even Ryan heard it and he glanced at her, his brows furrowing in concern.

"You haven't eaten yet?"

"No. It kinda slipped my mind," Elena admitted.

"You decided to talk to me instead of eating?"

"She came in here to speak to you while I put some food together," Elijah explained as he glanced at the clock on the wall. "I hope you don't mind homemade lasagna. It should be ready to come out of the oven in about an hour. There's also a salad and I'll put some breadsticks in the oven in about fifteen minutes."

"That sounds good."

"I'd like you to meet my aunt and brother," Elena said after a moment. "If you don't mind. They'll be respectful and not ask too many questions, especially if I stress that you'll talk when you're ready for them to know anything, not before. I understand if you're not ready though."

"When?"

"I'd like it to be some time today. The sooner the better, just so Jenna doesn't jump to conclusions when she sees you with me and we can come up with a convincing story to explain your presence to those not in the know."

"Your family is my family, so why not?" Ryan shrugged, though his expression remained uncertain.

"You don't have to say yes, just because it's what I want," Elena said quickly, worried that she was pushing her son too far in her desire to bring the two parts of her family together.

"I want to. Meeting them will help me focus on something other than my own thoughts for a while."

"And you've had enough of being stuck with your own thoughts for at least a few lifetimes," Elena said as she pulled out her cellphone.

She typed out a message, then waited a moment for the reply. She typed again and another messaged pinged a few seconds later, excitement flowing through her when she saw the reply.

"So, what did Jenna say?" Elijah asked when he saw the smile on Elena's face.

"Jenna will be bringing Jeremy over with the makings for ice cream sundaes after her last class this evening. She's curious about the secrecy and why just she and Jeremy are invited. I told her I'd explain when she got here."

"I don't suppose trying to explain how you ended up with a fully grown son who's centuries older than you are would make much sense, especially when it's just words on a screen." The corner of Ryan's mouth pulled up as he attempted to joke.

"No it wouldn't." Elena laughed. "Fortunately though, they know I'm a witch, and that prison worlds are a thing, so that should go a long way as far as explanations go. But yeah, it'd still be better if done face to face."

"You're not telling John?" Elijah asked.

"Jenna and Jeremy will be easier to talk to about this, and if the three of us are united, John will be less likely to try to talk me out of doing this." She loved her father, but she came by her stubborn nature honestly, which meant she had to handle it carefully if she wanted John to accept that he was a grandfather already.

Ryan chewed on the inside of his cheek for a long moment as he considered something.

"What's wrong?" Elena leaned forward, catching his eye.

"How old is your brother?"

"Sixteen, almost seventeen, going on twenty-seven and meeting him will be good for you, I think. He's a little younger than you are, physically speaking, but he's got a head on his shoulders and he'll help you learn the ropes of fitting in more in the human world."

"So, a friend?"

"Yeah, if you'd like."

"I've never had a friend before. At least not a real one."

That bashful smile was back, a fragile hope in his eyes that Elena wanted to help flourish in whatever way she could.

Squeezing his knee, she said, "Get ready, Ryan Gilbert-Clarke, because you're about to have at least most of my friends wanting to befriend you."