"You can't stay in here all night." Elijah whispered, standing behind Elena and wrapping his arms around her waist.
Elena sighed, leaning her head back to rest on his shoulder as she continued to stare into the crib in front of her. "I feel like I've already missed so much." She said quietly, bringing up her hand to rest on Elijah's on her stomach. "I don't want to miss anything else."
"He's only sleeping, lovely," Elijah murmured, kissing Elena on the crown of her head lightly, "he'll still be right here in the morning."
Elena sighed again. "I just-"
"You feel you've missed him, and what could have been." Elijah interrupted. "But I have missed you, Elena, I thought you were gone."
Elena's body melted into his hold with a soft exhalation of breath. "I'm sorry," she breathed, "I know how hard it's been for you, having me here and not, and now I'm back and all I'm doing is fawning over Theo."
Elijah spun Elena to face him in a quick movement, cupping her face when she tried to look down, away from him. "Don't ever apologise for that." He said, his voice hard with conviction. "You're having a perfectly natural reaction to this situation. Of course, it was hard, but it was nothing compared to thinking I'd lost you forever, Elena."
"Elijah…"
"I love you." He kissed her on the forehead, lingering for a long moment with his eyes closed. "I know you're struggling right now; all I ask is that you let me be here for you." He murmured against her hair, pulling back to look into her eyes again. "Come to bed with me, I need you, Elena," he added when she looked about to protest, "we'll only be next door, we can hear if Theo needs anything."
Elena's eyes softened at his words, and she smiled at him gently, nodding her head. She turned back to cast one more glance at her baby before letting Elijah gently pull her from the nursery.
As soon as the door shut behind them, Elena found herself wrapped tightly in Elijah's embrace, so tightly that she was sure if she weren't a hybrid she would be in pain. As it was, she hugged him back just as eagerly, feeling his desperation to be close to her bleeding into the embrace.
Neither of them spoke for a few long minutes, both of them content to stay in their silent hug for as long as they felt necessary.
"I've missed you." Elijah said eventually. "I love you so much, Elena."
"I love you too, Elijah." Elena whispered, enjoying the feeling of him holding her close after so long.
"Don't leave me again," Elijah muttered, "I can't survive losing you again."
"I won't." She reassured him quickly. "I won't leave you or Theo ever again."
"Elena," Klaus smiled, pushing a cup of coffee in her direction, "how are you feeling?"
"Sore." She admitted, sitting in the seat across from Klaus at the kitchen island. "What are you doing up?"
"Waiting for you." He said easily, shrugging at Elena's curious look. "I'm not sure if you know this, but I've transitioned in the past, I'm aware of the sleepless nights that follow."
Elena quirked her lips slightly at his words, running a hand through her hair. "Nights?"
"The restlessness lasts until the moon enters the last quarter," Klaus explained gently, "it varies, but it normally lasts for a few nights."
Elena nodded slowly, letting out a soft sigh and dropping her head into her hands. "Everything is so intense. The memories returning and my new senses, I don't know how to balance it all, and that's without even touching on the magic."
"If you're agreeable, I can teach you how to cope with your newfound wolf side." Klaus offered, taking a sip of his own coffee. "I believe Bonnie will be the best place to turn for help with your powers; I imagine Kol will help however he can as well."
"Kol?" Elena asked, a frown marring her features as she took her head from her hands and looked at the hybrid in front of her.
"He was a warlock when we were human." Klaus explained. "He's always followed witchcraft since our transition, he may have found materials that can help."
"I think he's already helping." Elena admitted quietly. "I can feel him in my head," she elaborated at Klaus' confused look, "I think he's helping to dim the link between my emotions and my magic."
"That certainly sounds like Kol."
Elena let out a soft laugh, taking a sip of the coffee Klaus had made her. "Thank you for last night," she said after a moment, "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been here."
"We may not have always seen eye-to-eye, but you're family now, Elena, regardless of our history; you and Theo."
"What do you think will happen to Theo when he grows up?" Elena asked after a beat. "With Elijah and I for parents, what will he turn out to be?"
"Remarkable." Klaus grinned at her. "You and Elijah are the best parents a child could ask for, whatever abilities Theodore inherits from the two of you, he has the best people around him to teach him."
Elena smiled at him. "You're actually quite the softie, aren't you?"
Klaus narrowed his eyes at her, though the look held none of the malice she'd once expected from him.
"I know," she grinned, "you're still the big bad hybrid."
"You'd do well to remember it." Klaus smirked, finishing off the last of his coffee.
Elena let out a soft squeak of surprise, spluttering around the curly blonde hair that found it's way into her mouth as she struggled to regain her footing.
"Ohmygod, Elena!" Caroline squealed, her arms wrapped firmly around the brunette's neck.
"Easy, darling, she does still need to breathe." Kol remarked, coming to stand in the hallway behind Elena, a smile curving his lips.
"Shut up, Kol." Caroline muttered, giving Elena one more squeeze before releasing Elena from her hug, still grasping her upper arms as she looked into her eyes. "It's really you, isn't it?"
"It's really me." Elena grinned, accepting another elated hug from the blonde. "I understand I have you to thank for that."
"Well, Kol as well." Caroline shrugged. "He knew something more was going on."
"Caroline," Elena said firmly, looking the blonde in the eye, "thank you."
"I'm so glad you're back." Caroline breathed, pulling the brunette into another hug before relinquishing her to Jeremy and Alaric, both of whom pulled Elena into a tight hug as soon as Caroline moved.
"Don't ever do that to us again." Jeremy muttered, squeezing Elena tightly.
"I'm not planning on it, Jer." Elena laughed slightly, hugging him and Alaric back. "I'm here to stay."
"Good." Alaric sighed, relinquishing the brunette to Jeremy fully.
"Move over, Gilbert, it's my turn." Bonnie nudged Jeremy lightly, making the siblings laugh. "I may have let you all go first, but it's my go now."
"Okay, I surrender." Jeremy huffed, letting Bonnie steal Elena away from him with a soft laugh.
"Hi, Bon." Elena breathed, closing her eyes as she hugged her friend. Bonnie had always been a source of calmness and serenity in the midst of all the crazy that was Mystic Falls. She'd missed having such a solid presence around, with everything that had been and was now going on, she needed Bonnie around. "I need to talk to you later." She whispered softly, grateful that Caroline and Kol were chatting too intently to listen to her, although they'd both find out eventually she supposed, and Kol already knew.
"Yeah, of course." Bonnie agreed easily, squeezing Elena and pulling back to look her in the eyes. "Is everything okay?"
"It's complicated." Elena admitted, quirking her lips at her friend slightly.
Bonnie nodded, smiling at Elena as the sound of crying broke through the bubbly atmosphere in the hallway.
"I think someone wants my attention." Elena grinned, hugging Bonnie again quickly before flitting out of the hallways to relieve Elijah of Theodore's wails.
Elijah smiled at her gratefully as she took the baby from his arms, lightly bouncing him for a moment and trying to hide a smile as she saw Elijah's face marred with a frown, irritated at how quickly Theodore quieted for her.
"I told you he'd have a favourite." Elijah muttered, raising an eyebrow at Elena as though daring her to disagree with him.
"He doesn't have a favourite, Lijah." Elena sighed, rubbing Theo's back.
"He does," Jeremy disagreed, coming into the kitchen, "I'm definitely Bear's favourite, yes I am." He slipped into baby-talk alarmingly easily, grinning at the baby from behind Elena and making stupid faces.
Elena rolled her eyes, laughing at her brother and shaking her head slightly. "Bear?" She asked, turning and frowning at her brother. "Why Bear?"
"Theodore, Teddy, teddy-bear, bear." Jeremy shrugged, making a face at his sister as though it was obvious.
"You are not nicknaming my baby 'Bear'." Elena argued, narrowing her eyes at Jeremy.
"Too late!" He sung, reaching out for the baby, and nabbing him from Elena when he reached for Jeremy in return. "Isn't it, Bear? Yes it is, yes it is."
Elena found herself rolling her eyes again at Jeremy's antics, although she let out a soft laugh as she leant into Elijah, his arms wrapping around her waist securely. Things were finally back how they should be, she thought with a contented sigh.
This chapter feels a bit jumpy to me, I'm just trying to get through everyone's reactions without it being too much, if that makes any sense. This chapter is also shorter than I'd necessarily like it to be, I think perhaps it's the fact that this story is coming to it's end that they're becoming harder to write.
I'm toying with the idea of editing the beginning 40-odd chapters of this story to get them more on level with the standard of writing I'm at at the moment, would this interest anyone here? Please let me know if it's something you'd like to see, and what else you'd like to see in the end of this story!
~ I x