Hi everyone! It's been a while! Life happened and I kind of just fell away from the world of :(
Weirdly a dream bought me back here, and so I suppose it brought you guys this update too!
Looking through the reviews, I had someone ask me where Jeremy and Alaric fit into this story in regards to canon in the show, I can honestly say I have no idea where they fit into it when I originally created this story, so I'm just going to say that Jeremy was brought back to life out of the realm of this story, and I'm going to completely disregard Alaric being turned into an Original hunter in canon.
With that all said, I hope anyone who is sees this update enjoys!
•••
"How's my best guy doing?" Jeremy Gilbert grinned, tickling his nephew.
"He's behaving for once." Elijah quipped from his position in the corner of the living room.
"For once?" Jeremy scoffed, mocking outrage. "I'm sure your dad tells lies about you," he whispered conspiratorially to Theodore, "you're my nephew, you can't possibly misbehave."
Caroline, Elijah and Alaric scoffed at the same time before the room slowly fell into silence, Elena hadn't yet joined them, and the new additions to the house hadn't yet worked up the courage to ask where she was and how she was doing. Although it hadn't failed to escape their notice that Caroline was spending a lot of time at the mansion, and that she appeared to be wearing the same clothes as they had seen her in the day before.
"How is she?" Alaric broached finally as he took the baby from Jeremy.
"She is right here, and I'm fine, Alaric."
The older man jumped when Elena spoke, a guilty look taking over his face as the brunette entered the room, sitting next to Elijah on the sofa.
"And no, I don't have my memories back yet." Elena answered the unasked question, seeing the way both of the men perked up when she chose to sit next to the Original.
"I'm sorry, I just-"
"You miss her, I know, I'm not trying to keep her from you." She sighed, watching the baby in Alaric's arms cooing and gurgling.
"No one thinks that you are, Elena." Elijah interjected before anyone else in the room could, taking one of her hands in both of his. "No one is blaming you."
Elena met his eyes for a few moments before sighing and nodding. "I think I'm going to get a drink." She murmured, standing again and leaving the room, removing her hand from Elijah's being the last thing she did.
Elijah watched her leave with a heavy heart, he had known she wasn't up to visitors, whatever had been in her dream the night before had bothered her too much.
"Should we?" Caroline trailed off, but the intent behind her question was clear and Elijah shook his head with a sigh.
"Kol is out there, he'll talk to her."
•
•
"Elijah mentioned that you didn't sleep well last night." Kol murmured softly, placing a mug of hot chocolate in front of the despondent doppelganger, tear tracks stained her face and her eyes still glistened with their remnants.
"He says a lot of things, doesn't he?"
Kol laughed softly, sitting opposite her. "Yet he still doesn't give away all that much, especially when you're involved."
"He's a good man." Elena smiled softly, wrapping her hands around the warm mug in front of her and staring down at the hot drink.
"The best," Kol agreed, "so why are you so afraid?"
Elena's head shot up to look at the man in front of her in confusion.
"Just because you don't know me doesn't mean I don't know you, Elena."
"I don't think I'll ever understand you, Kol." Elena laughed softly, tucking a piece of her dark hair behind her ear.
"No one ever will, but you're still avoiding my question."
"I'm sure Elijah told you, I had a bad dream, Kol. That's all."
"And that's not what I meant, and you know it."
"What do you want me to say, Kol?" Elena sighed, exasperated with the Original sat opposite her. "If I loved him, we'd all know."
"I'm not expecting you to love him." Kol scoffed. "I just want to know why you're afraid of loving him."
Elena sighed, shaking her head softly. "What if I don't like who I am? I don't know much about me or my life, but none of it seems good. Everyone seems so…broken. Am I like that?"
Kol looked at Elena in a stunned silence, that was what she was worried about?
"Elena, you are the least broken of all of us. You've been through so much, I will not lie to you, but you only ever get stronger as a result. I don't expect you to understand this now, but you will."
•
•
"You look better." Elijah murmured, leaning against the doorframe to the library. Elena was curled up in an armchair, a book balanced on her knee and his record player turning softly next to her, she looked around when he spoke, smiling lightly.
"I guess you were right earlier, I really wasn't up for company." She grimaced, closing her book.
Elijah quirked his lips in response, walking over and taking a seat next to her. "They understood, Elena. They just want the best for you."
"I feel like I'm letting everyone down." Elena sighed, avoiding eye contact with the man next to her.
"Never think that." He replied so quickly that she was almost convinced he'd started talking before she'd finished. "You are not letting anyone down, Elena."
"I'm not Elena." She muttered, staring at her hands. "I'm not."
Elijah let out a soft breath and ran a hand through his hair lightly, contemplating the woman beside him. After a few moments of sitting without talking, Elijah stood and changed the vinyl that was playing beside them before offering Elena his hand.
She looked up at him with glossy eyes, staring at him for a few moments before taking his hand and unfurling her legs from under her, allowing him to help her to her feet.
Elijah twirled Elena into his arms, pulling her into a classic waltz position and leading her in circles around the room.
"I know you're not her, Elena. Forgive me if I have pressured you into believing you have to behave otherwise."
"I'm not who you want, Elijah, I can't be her."
"I know." Elijah murmured, taking his hand from her waist and tilting her face up to meet her eyes. "I'm not asking you to be her, I swear to you. I never would."
Elena frowned. "I thought you wanted her back?"
"Of course I do," Elijah smiled softly, "but I know what it is like to…struggle with who you are, and for others to try and force you into being something you're not. I would never wish that pain upon anyone."
"You're a good man, Elijah. Truly."
Elijah laughed softly. "I try my best."
"For Theo?" Elena asked quietly, noticing Elijah stiffen slightly at the mention of his son. "I'm sorry, we don't have to-"
"It's okay." Elijah sighed. "You would be correct. Theodore is incredibly important to me, and I would like for him to one day have a father he can be proud of."
"Does he…" Elena trailed off with a soft sigh, shaking her head. "Don't worry." She murmured at Elijah's inquisitive eyebrow.
"You can ask me anything, Elena, I swear to you." Elijah whispered, meeting her eyes.
Elena dropped her head to Elijah's chest, taking a long breath in to steady herself.
"Theodore, what happened to his mother?"
Elijah shut his eyes harshly, keeping them shut for a moment as he composed himself. It wasn't that he hadn't expected the question; they hadn't told Elena much about Theodore, they'd hoped that there wouldn't be any need to put that sort of pressure on her before she remembered everything.
He opened his eyes again with a soft exhale of breath, only then realising that his grip on the girl in front of him had tightened slightly.
"I'm sorry." Elena muttered. "I shouldn't have asked, it's none of my business."
"It is." Elijah's voice was just as soft as Elena's. "I should have told you sooner."
"Is he mine?"
Somehow, Elena's voice had gotten even quieter, and Elijah could've sworn he felt his breath catch in his throat.
"Yes."
Surprisingly, Elijah felt the tension bleed from Elena's small form as she relaxed into his arms.
"You knew?"
Elena sighed slightly. "I…suspected. He's not very old." She continued, feeling Elijah's silent questioning of her. "The way that you look at me, her, I found it difficult to believe that you would have a child with someone else and fall so in love with her so quickly after."
Elijah smiled to himself. "You always were very astute."
Elena pulled back from their embrace to look up at him, realising then that they had stopped dancing some time ago. "It's silly really."
Elijah smiled again. "Not at all, Elena."
"I feel…him." She said softly, unsure of how else to sum up her feelings, trying to find another way to elaborate when Elijah cocked an inquisitive eyebrow at her. "It's like, I'm drawn to him, I feel this…urge to protect him. Care for him."
She looked away from Elijah's gaze, almost embarrassed at putting words to the sensation she'd been feeling for several weeks.
"I think Theodore feels much the same." Elijah said, startling Elena's gaze back to him. "He…calms much faster when you are around him. I thought I was imagining it, projecting my own desires."
Elena felt the need to look away again, sure that if she could she would be blushing, but something about Elijah's gaze held her captive.
"If you feel the same way, then perhaps it was not a figment of my imagination." He murmured softly, taking his hand from hers and brushing a piece of hair behind Elena's ear, his hand lingering there as hers found itself around his neck with her other.
"You're a good dad, Elijah." She was whispering again, as Elijah's forehead came down to rest against hers. "Theo's really lucky to have you."
Elijah let out a soft breath, releasing tension he hadn't realised he was holding at Elena's reassurance of him.
"So am I." Elena murmured softly, connecting their lips, almost instinctually.