Soft kisses against her neck woke her up and Elena blinked.

"Hi." She smiled when she saw Elijah lying beside her.

"I missed you." Elijah traced his thumb across her lips.

"I missed you too." Elena kissed him softly.

Elijah caress her sides, running his fingers lightly over her ribs..

The feel of his hands on her body ignited a fire low in her belly and she slung her leg over his waist as she tugged him to lie across her body.

Cupping her cheek, Elijah kissed her slowly, catching her lower lip between his teeth.

It had been too long since they'd been together like this. She ached for him, needed him.

"I love you," Elena whispered as she worked at the buttons of his shirt.

Elijah pulled her shirt over her head and kissed from her throat, along her clavicle, to the top of her breasts. Then, he unhooked her bra and tossed both garments to the floor, leaving her bared to the waist.

Him cupping her sensitive breasts, his thumbs circling her nipples lightly, had her reaching for his shirt once more, but in her rising desire, she became clumsy. Elijah took pity on her and his shirt was on the floor in a matter of seconds.

Elena raked her nails lightly across his chest and he kissed her deeply, his tongue sliding hers. Elena dug her nails into his back, moaning as he pressed her deeper into the mattress and opened her mouth to his kiss even more deeply.

As they kissed, they unbuttoned each other's pants and pushed them as far down as they could until they couldn't anymore in their current positions. Leaning back on his heels, he slid her jeans down her legs and then she helped him shove his own pants off.

"When will you start to show?" Elijah kissed her belly as he spoke.

He lifted his head, but continued to caress her stomach with his fingertips.

"Anytime now honestly, since it's twins." Elena carded her fingers through his hair. "My pants are already starting to feel tight."

Nipping at her lightly with his teeth drew a moan from her and she bucked against him. He grinned against her skin and trailed his lips back up her torso.

As Elijah kissed her mouth again, Elena flipped them over and pinned his hands above his head.

"You know I love it when you do this," he groaned, his head falling back against the pillow.

"I know."

Elena traced her tongue around one nipple then the other, drawing a soft sigh from him. As she scraped her teeth over his nipples, she looked up at him. Elijah's eyes were closed and his lips parted.

Grinning, she started kissing down his torso, drawing a moan from him.

As she trailed a path of opened mouth kisses across his stomach, he carded his fingers through her hair, pulling her up so that they were face to face.

"It's been too long, Elena. Please."

Elijah wrapped his hands around her hips and guided her to take him inside her, throwing his head back and gritting his teeth as he entered her. A cry fell from her lips as she stretched around him, drawing an answering groan from him.

She braced her hands on his chest and started to rock against him as hard as she could, riding him. Elijah bucked up, grinding against her, and Elena leaned forward to kiss him, her hair forming a curtain around them.

"I love you," Elena breathed against his lips.

Finally, he couldn't take not being in control anymore and he flipped her onto her back. Elena gasped and dug her nails into his back as he pounded into her. Every thrust brought a whimper from the back of her throat as she writhed beneath him, desperate now.

"Elijah, please," she whined.

Fire raced through her, tightening her lower belly, and she drew her leg up his side, pulling him closer. She was climbing higher and higher, nearing the precipice of release. Just a little more, that was all she needed.

Grinning savagely, he shifted the angle of his thrusts, his eyes rolling back into his head. That was all it took for her to fall off the edge and she sank her teeth into his throat, causing him to release with a snarl.

As they caught their breath, he rolled onto his side and they lay there, face to face, simply taking each other in.

"You've been busy, taking care " he said finally."

"We have."

"You've take care of everything so far?"

"Everything that can be. Ryan will be taking care of one thing that's not exactly connected to the Mikaelsons, then he and Caroline will be joining us in the bayou for Hayley's family reunion."

"Do you think the wolves will allow us to join in? We are family through Hope."

"Bring food and beer, and I'm sure they'll let you stay." Elena grinned.

Elijah's smile faded suddenly and his brows furrowed.

"What's wrong?"

"Is Ryan upset with me?"

"No. Why?"

"When I arrived, he looked like he wanted to say something to me, but he decided against it and then he kept staring at me."

"Something happened earlier, that I'll let him tell you about when he's ready, and it's left him feeling insecure because of how Malivore treated him his entire life. So, having you truly be a proper father instead of his friend, will go a long way to help him heal."

"I'll start working on that. But he's not a child, even if sometimes he has childlike emotions."

"You'll find a way. He's so sweet, and desperate to please and to love. As long as sex and romance don't come into play in any way in anything you do or say, it shouldn't be too difficult to find something. He's very smart and I think he'd appreciate having someone to debate and discuss things with."

"I think I can manage that."

Elijah shifted onto his back and pulled Elena across his chest.

"Just make the first move. Offer to help him with a project, express interest in things he enjoys, and share your knowledge of magic that would suit both things."

"I'll speak to him in a moment, but for now, I just want to lie here with you." He sighed. "I'll have to take a shower first. I don't think he'd appreciate me coming to see him fresh from having sex. He's no fool. He'd know pretty quickly."

"Yeah. Malivore screwed him up royally when it comes to intimacy that's not strictly platonic. Caroline and I are the only ones who can touch him, probably because he knows Caroline is with Klaus and when she touches him, it's not because she wants more than he wants to give."

"Perhaps I can help with that." Elijah kissed the top of her head. "I do know a bit about psychology and healing from trauma."

"Opening up about your own struggles will go a long way to making him see that he's not broken beyond repair."

"And that he's equally a part of this family as the children you're carrying. He's my son, regardless of whether he has my blood or not."

Shouting from downstairs made Elijah shift out from under her and sit up. With a sigh, he grabbed his pants and headed to the bathroom.

"Sibling drama?" Elena asked.

"Yes. And it seems like I may have to play peacemaker." Elijah turned on the water.

"What's going on?"

Elena joined him in the shower.

"Klaus just found out about Dahlia and the curse of the first born of each generation and he suggested killing Freya."

"And Finn's not having it?" Elena guessed, running the sponge lightly over his chest.

"Yes."

"Sounds like I might want to step in too."

They rinsed off the soap and dressed quickly. Elena could arguing now and if they didn't get down there soon, it could turn violent.

When they reached the courtyard, they found Kol and Caroline holding Klaus back as best as they could while Sage held onto Finn's arm. Rebekah stood in between them. Hayley stood off to one side, her arms wrapped tightly around her middle and Ryan near enough that he could protect her if something happened. Various members of Marcel's household watched from the balcony.

"If you're talking about harming Freya, you'll have to go through me," Elena said loud enough to draw the attention of the squabbling vampires.

"Freya is family," Elijah added. "She's been separated from us for far too long and she's been at the mercy of a tyrant not much different from our father for centuries, and she went through it alone."

"Dahlia means to harm my child and she will do it through Freya!"

"You might not have any memories of her, but Finn does. Would you punish him by murdering his childhood best friend? He's already been robbed of enough. Don't do this to him. He'll never forgive you."

"If you want me to not find a way to kill her, tell me you have a plan."

"I do. Get the Bennet witches to open Esther's coffin so we can get some of her blood before her body starts to decompose, get earth from Norway, and ash from her oppressors, possibly a weapon of some sort, or even see if there's a way to collect Mikael's ashes. Then, we will have what we need to kill Dahlia and keep your daughter safe."

"You swear it will work?" Klaus's expression twisted from rage to desperation.

"It will. We'll need to separate Freya from Dahlia first, so it doesn't harm her too. But we have until 2014 before Dahlia becomes a danger to anyone." Elena assured him. "Your daughter will be safe, I promise."

"Just keep your word."

"You know I will."

Klaus stopped fighting and the other vampires let him go.

"It will work." Kol wrapped his hand around the back of his brother's neck, forcing Klaus to look him in the eye.

"This is Elena we're talking about," Caroline whispered as she linked her fingers through Klaus's. "She would never put your baby in danger. Between her and Ryan, they're powerful, some of the most powerful witches around. Trust them."

Finally, the tension drained from him and Finn relaxed as well.

Elena met Sage's eye and the red head nodded once, a faint smile playing across her lips.

Seeing that his favorite sister was safe, Finn smiled at Sage and brought her hand to his lips to press a kiss to the back of her hand.

Once the atmosphere calmed, Elijah made his way over to Ryan and Elena found herself crossing her fingers. She trusted Elijah would find a way to become the father Ryan needed, but sometimes Ryan didn't feel he deserved good things.

It took everything she had not to cast a spell to eavesdrop. The only thing that stopped her was that this was their private moment, her son finally growing closer to the father he should have had all along. She had to let go, to allow them to develop a relationship.

To distract herself, she walked over to Hayley. She had her own business to deal with, without staring at Elijah and Ryan. They were grown men and she needed to let them handle this on their own.

"Crazy family reunion, huh?" Hayley said wryly.

"Yeah." Elena chuckled. "Speaking of reunions, Elijah was wondering if at least a few of the Mikaelsons could go to the wolf party tomorrow night. Since your baby binds the pack and the Mikaelsons together. He thinks it might be a good idea for us all to get to know each other."

"If they bring food and beer, I think the pack wouldn't have any problem, provided people behave."

"I said something like that to him," Elena laughed.

"You think they'll do it?"

"We'll be in wolf territory, so I'll make sure of it."

"Thank you."

A few moments later, Elijah clapped Ryan on the back and from where she was standing, Elena could see Ryan's tentative smile. Then the two men disappeared inside, and Elena knew that her beautiful boy would be okay.

"He's changed so much since I first met him."

"He's learning to accept love and to accept that he deserves it," Elena replied.

"Maybe I'll get lucky like that with the wolves."

"No matter what happens, you've got us. We might not be wolves, but we take care of our family."

"Thanks. I think I'm gonna try to figure out what to wear to this party. I want to make a good impression."

Hayley smiled, then walked towards her room.

Speaking about family reminded Elena of her own brother. She'd been so focused on saving lives and making things better that her brother got pushed to the background. Pulling out her phone, she sent him a text.

How's it going?

A few moments later, she received a reply.

Finally remember that you have human family too? Lol

It's been busy and I'm sorry I haven't checked on you sooner. How's it going

It's all good. I think I'm gonna study art after high school.

That's awesome!

Maybe come to New Orleans for a while if y'all don't mind me hanging around.

Just stay away from guys with weird tattoos that only you can see.

Sure? I guess something happened to make you say that, but thanks for the heads up.

Love you, Jer.

Love you too. Hey, talk to Bonnie. She asked about you yesterday.

Elena smiled. She couldn't wait for her brother to rejoin her. She wanted nothing more than for him to have the life he deserved and the selfish part of her wanted to witness it.

"Elena," Klaus called. "Jane-Anne wants to meet with you at Rousseaus's as soon as we can get there."

"Should I come along?" Caroline asked, looking from Elena, to Hayley, to Klaus.

"It would probably be best if only one vampire went along," Klaus said to her. "I'll be going with her, so she'll be safe."

Caroline nodded reluctantly.

"Alright. Let's get going." Elena gestured towards the door.

Elena followed Klaus to a car and he opened the door for her.

"Any idea what she wants?"

"Marcel said that she wants to meet you to make sure you mean what you say about helping them."

"If she tries anything, like binding me to someone, I'll break her hands."

"Not if I crush her windpipe first."

"We need her to be able to perform the spell." Elena elbowed him lightly.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Klaus marched up to the bar where a blonde woman who bore a passing resemblance to Caroline served drinks.

"Excuse me, we're looking for Jane-Anne."

The blonde woman, Camille, her nametag said, did a double take when she saw Klaus.

"Could you give me a moment?" Camille called.

"Now, what can I get you?" she offered with a smile.

"Jane-Anne's location."

"It's kind of important," Elena said, coming up to stand at Klaus's elbow.

"Oh." Camille blinked and glanced down at Elena's left hand, disappointment registering.

"Jane-Anne?" Klaus prompted.

"She's in the back. Do you want me to get her?" Camille still smiled a little too widely.

"No. We'll find her."

Klaus spun around and wrapped his hand around Elena's elbow so they didn't lose each other in the bustle.

"You're here," Jane-Anne greeted them when they walked through the door.

"You try anything against Elena, I'll tear you apart."

A younger witch entered the room, carrying a bunch of vegetables.

"My sister, Sophie."

"Pleasure," Klaus said through gritted teeth.

"She's the one who's carrying your child?" Jane-Anne guessed.

"No. But she is family."

"And the one who unearthed Celeste's plot against the Harvest?"

"Yes," Elena spoke up. "And if you're worried that I'm going to stab you in the back, Davina will die anyway if she doesn't go through with the ritual and she'll take the city with her, neither of which are options."

"Good. When will it take place?"

"Closer to the time of the Reaping, if that's alright with you. The ancestors might listen to me, but they won't be so kind to her and I don't want her to suffer for trying to stay alive after not being properly prepared for what was actually going to happen to her." Elena raised an eyebrow in judgment. "A slice across the palm and going to sleep is very different from having your throat ripped open."

"Elena would know. I killed her," Klaus murmured.

Jane-Anne had the grace to lower her head in shame.

"You should have been honest from the beginning and maybe the vampires wouldn't have felt the need to step in. Murdering kids isn't something I like either."

"She's not much younger than you are."

"I had to grow up fast after my parents died. She trusted her coven and that trust was betrayed when she was forced to watch her friends bleed out in front of her when she'd probably never seen much in the way of death before."

Camille entered the room, staring at Klaus for as long as she could.

"I think we should take a step back before you break the bottles," Klaus murmured.

"Please, Cami doesn't know about the supernatural," Sophie informed them.

"As long as you help us with completing the Harvest and Reaping, can we find a common ground?" Sophie asked.

"Monique will come back the same night Davina does."

"And if you try to do any insurance policies, I will have your heads," Klaus promised, his voice soft and lethal.

Cami had entered the room just in time to hear that last comment, a slip of paper in her hands and they all looked at her.

"Um, got an order of gumbo," Cami said, though she never looked away from Klaus.

Did the woman find danger attractive? If so, she was playing with fire and Klaus wasn't one to be trifled with.

"Coming right up." Sophie took the slip from Cami and turned her attention to the stove.

"As long as we have an understanding, I believe my brother would very much like his fiancee to be safely at home where he knows she's not likely to overexert herself."

Klaus offered Elena his arm and she took it with a laugh.

"I'm assuming you and Elijah hope that I join the party tomorrow night?" he asked when they were finally in the car.

"You are the father of Hayley's baby and it would help to have things ironed out before she's born."

"You call her my Hope."

"She is."

"I know it's a little early, but-"

"It's never too early to discuss baby names and I think Hope would be the perfect name for her."

"I wonder if Hayley would mind if we named her that."

"Let Hayley give her her middle name and she'll probably go for it."

"Hope Mikaelson."