Beast of Burden

Mystic Falls, Virginia, June 2020

Finn explains to Elena during their third round of chess how Kol skipped town with a note detailing how he'll be undiscoverable until the entire Silas business has blown over. He confides in her how scared his brother was in the caves and how, after experiencing Silas's power, he is also nervous to face the immortal again.

"Do you think we stand a chance?"

"To think anything else, would certainly doom us all." He corners her queen again and she huffs. "You are getting better."

"I haven't won yet."

"It's not about winning, Elena. It's about learning your opponent and applying those lessons to the next game. Again?"

While he's setting up the board for another game, Elijah walks in balancing a large, oblong box and a few books. She laughs at the sight. It's rare for him to look so awkward that it makes him look nearly human. Elena and Finn watch as Elijah sets the box down on the coffee table, the books cascading out of his arms and onto the floor.

"Oh no, thank you. I don't need help. Please, sit back down."

"I'm pregnant."

"I'm busy re-setting our board." Elena and Finn exchange smiles, widening as Elijah makes an annoyed noise with the back of his throat.

"What's with the package, Elijah?"

"A gift. For you." This piques her attention and she abandons her fourth game with Finn to sit on the couch, waiting to open her present.

"It's nothing special, Elena. You had been complaining about the quality of your sleep so I did some research and found that this particular pregnancy pillow to be highly rated." With the box open, he splits open the plastic and pulls out the u-shaped pillow. "Here. You lay in between and let it support your legs and back at night."

"You really did look into this."

"Of course I did. You need to rest. It's important for you. And the baby."

"Thanks." She leans down off the couch to help Elijah pick up the books. "Wait, are these pregnancy books?"

"Yes, those are the ones I've read through and consider worthwhile."

"I'm touched." She reaches her hand up to her collarbone and tilts her head slightly, an affected gesture that seems playful, but Elijah is familiar enough with her to know she is being earnest.

"It doesn't take us very long to read. Vampires absorb and retain information at a faster pace than humans."

"Still, Elijah. Thank you." Elena sits back on the couch with the books in her lap and the pillow wrapped around shoulders. "Which one should I start on?"

"Any of them will do." She hands Finn a book when he comes to sit next to her on the couch, Elijah taking a seat on an adjacent chair from them. "I've been curious, Elena. Why did you snap at poor Kol the other day? In regards to Amara."

"I didn't snap." She's defensive until she sees a look on Finn's face. "Okay, fine. I did snap. But it bothers me to hear her story with Silas as some kind of ill-fated love story."

"Was it not?" Finn asks, innocently enough but it still bothers her.

"When Markos spelled Stefan and me, some of them were dreams and others were visions. I saw Amara and Silas in one of them and it was more complicated than the histories make it out to be."

"How so?"

"Come on, Elijah. Think about it. The power imbalance between the two of them? He's essentially the co-leader of a powerful and influential coven, regardless of what they liked to be called. Amara was a handmaiden. She served his fiancée. What was she supposed to do when he showed interest in her? Say no? It all began with a powerful man and woman with no agency. Why else do you think he wanted her?" The vein in Elena's forehead stops any reply Elijah can think to offer, but it is his older brother who breaks the silence.

"She was a beautiful woman." Finn looks mortified when Elena and Elijah look at him, realizing the implications of his statement and blushing deeply.

"Sure, but by all accounts so was Qetsiyah and powerful as well. She would have been an impressive woman and his equal, but I think Silas just wanted someone he could control and who better than a woman used to it? That's why I want to protect her. I can feel her fear on my skin, even more so now that she's back in the house. I don't want him to have her again."

"You believe all that?"

"I'm not changing the facts of the story, Elijah. This is just how I interpret them. That and this nagging feeling in the back of my head. The doppelgängers we know about didn't have great luck with each other. Katherine was beyond obsessed with Stefan. It wasn't healthy."

"Are you implying something, Elena?"

"About Stefan? No! I don't know. Maybe all doppelgänger love is destined to be a little obsessive because of how Silas viewed Amara? Stefan is good, through and through, but even he stalked me that summer getting to know me before orchestrating our meeting. That's a little obsessive."

"She might be able to hear us," Finn speaks up and she's startled by that faraway look in his eyes. "I could. Hear that is. When I was daggered. Not, not right away but eventually. Perhaps Amara can hear us as well?"

"Maybe it's time to wake her up?" Elijah vetoes that idea though Finn looks like he wants to disagree. She can wait, but eventually she'll wake up Amara, with or without his help.

Early the next morning, Elena drives to the boarding house to call on a favor from Bonnie after they helped subdue Damon. Bonnie meets her outside, handing her one of the coffee mugs they made in a pottery class when they were in high school.

"Oh wow, you kept these."

"Of course. So, what warrants the early morning visit?"

"Did you find the cure? On Damon? Did he have it?"

"Yeah, we found it in his jacket pocket. Why?" Bonnie's eyes narrow in a way that have nothing to do with the sun in her face.

"Could I have it? We have Amara and I think Silas will come for her. If he does, I think it's best if we keep the cure with us since it is the only thing that will affect him."

"Sure, yeah that makes sense. I'll go get it." Elena finishes her coffee waiting for Bonnie to come back with the cure. When she comes back out, they trade cup for cure and Elena holds the pull up to the morning light. "Wow. This is it? This is what Jeremy died for? It looks so…insignificant."

"Elena."

"That was. Right. Anyway. How are you doing, Bonnie?"

"Nothing has worked. Damon is still being plagued by visions. He keeps trying to kill himself. Stefan has him locked away in the basement to protect him from himself. I'm sorry. Is this too much?"

"I don't know. You were so good about trying with Klaus. I mean, after we came back the second time. I feel like I need to try too. Maybe just don't say his name too much?"

"I get it. Klaus's name still tastes like battery acid in my mouth." They smile, relieved at the joke. Bonnie bites the inside of her cheek, steadying her trembling lip. "We don't know what to do, Elena. Stefan and I have talked it over every night this week. For now, we are going to spell the tomb shut like Emily Bennett did. It's not ideal, but if desiccating in a locked tomb keeps him safe then it's the best option for now."

"How are you feeling about that?"

"I'm sad. Angry. Lost. Devastated. This isn't how this was all supposed to turn out. This wasn't what my life was supposed to be." Elena reaches out for Bonnie, holding her close, because no matter what happened she's still her friend. Letting that change would be another blow. "We are sealing him away tonight. I know you probably won't, but do you want to come?"

"Maybe? I don't know, Bonnie. I want to support you, but being there feels like a lot. Could I come over afterward?"

"Yeah. No, I get it. It was weird of me to ask." The strain in their friendship fissures out in spider web cracks and Elena can't see how it could ever be repaired. Bonnie could barely tolerate Klaus and Elena couldn't imagine ever being able to look at Damon again. Their relationship only flourished in the space between the men who loved them. It made her sad, but if Bonnie was willing then Elena would meet her there too.

She hides the cure away in a jewelry box on her nightstand when she gets back home and falls into her unmade bed. Elena lays her arm out to her side and imagines what it would be like to cradle an imaginary toddler. She can't stop picturing what their child will look like.

Blonde? Maybe. Brunette? Possibly. Curls? Definitely.

She dials his number and doesn't react anymore when his voicemail goes off. "What do you think our kid will look like?" she asks, not bothering with ifs anymore at this point. "More like you or me? I was thinking we should do some research. Ask a witch? I mean, obviously this won't be a normal pregnancy so we should take precautions. How can it be with you as the father? I guess I count too." She pauses over the thought that she is technically a supernatural occurrence though she doubts very little it will affect their kid the same way Klaus's genes will. "You are going to kick yourself over all the pregnancy stuff you are missing. I already am. I'd say I feel bad for you, but I don't. All of this? On you."

After what she has started to think of as her daily check-in with Klaus, she kicks at the blanket until it's up and over her and she settles into a mid-morning nap. In the afternoon, it's Rebekah's hand on her shoulder that gently wakes her up for lunch.

With her hand on her forehead to block out the sun, she follows Rebekah out to the back porch. Finn and Elijah are standing at a grille that Elena couldn't remember being out here a week ago. Rebekah pours two glasses of lemonade and they enjoy them underneath the shade of an oversized hanging umbrella.

"People cook outside now, for pleasure?" Finn asks, stunned.

"What was once a necessity has become a pastime," Elijah responds, turning around with a plate full of chicken and takes a seat next to Elena. "Sometimes pastimes become necessities in times of immense stress. Speaking of which, how was your visit to Bonnie Bennett this morning?"

"I didn't think anyone noticed I'd left," she answers and they all look at her like she's ridiculous for thinking that she could sneak past them. "It was good. Sort of. I got the cure if that's what you are asking. And I talked to Bonnie. I'm going to swing by her place again tonight."

"Excellent." Elijah stabs a piece of chicken and sets one on each of their plates.

"What would happen if say, I wanted to take the cure?" Rebekah's light tone dances over the words the way Elena imagines a cat would ask about the consequences of intentionally knocking over a vase; light and a little mischievous.

"If it wasn't the only thing standing between the world and Silas's impending doom?"

"Right. That. Of course."

"When is Kol coming back?"

"Well, actually, I've sent Kol on a little errand for me. Something that might help with Silas, but it's only a hunch as of now so I'd rather not share too early." Elijah is smiling, but Elena sees the look Rebekah is giving him.

"Your stomach is protruding out more than it has been," Finn blurts out and it's enough of a distraction for her not to question that look. "Which is an incredibly thoughtless comment of me to make. My sincerest apologies, Elena."

"No, seriously? You can tell?" Elena stands up and pulls the fabric of her dress tight against her stomach, modeling a side profile for the family. Finn, a flush creeping up his neck, can hardly look at her. Rebekah teases him relentlessly and Elena begs for confirmation that her baby bump is noticeable to anyone else.

Elijah leans back and watches his family enjoy one of the few truly normal moments they've all shared together in a long while. He can only hope that Klaus doesn't see their happiness and comfort with each other as a betrayal when he should let their love welcome him back.

His dark blonde hair and green eyes are familiar enough to the residents of Mystic Falls, but his gregarious smile is new, not that any of the women are complaining as he nods and winks his way down the block. He weaves through the streets, pulling information from their unguarded minds flawlessly like a skilled pickpocket. He's most disappointed that his pale imitation has garnered such a depressing reputation. The eternally brooding teenager doesn't fit his image. A man that looks like this, he reasons, doesn't have a reason to agonize himself.

None of them seem to know Amara, but he can see her shadow in their minds. Nature's reproduction to correct his hubris. She's mostly fuzzy, in the edges of their memories. He'd expected her to be more memorable.

"Stefan!"

"Tyler. The wolf boy. You weren't on the island?"

"Ah, no. I already apologized to Elena. I should have been there. I'm sorry about Damon, man. I mean, total dick move on his part, but I know you love him."

"Right, my brother. Rotting away in the tombs. It's tearing me up. I was hoping I'd run into Elena. Talk to her about everything I'm going through." He tries to replicate Stefan's emotions, but they fall flat out of his mouth.

"You're not going to find her out here. Elijah has her holed up in that house. She doesn't leave now unless she's with one of them."

"Interesting. Show me this Elijah."

"What?"

Silas digs his finger into the sides of Tyler's head, tiny rivulets of blood run down his face. When he opens his mouth to scream, nothing comes out. He looks around frantically at the people walking past, seeking out help from people that watched him grow up.

"Oh, they can't help you. No, to them it looks like we are just having a good time catching up."

"I won't help you," he spits out.

"Tyler, buddy, you don't have a choice." Silas grins widely as Tyler falls hard to his knees on the pavement, wincing with pain shooting up from his kneecaps. Flashes of Elena play out in front of him. Moments of her swimming with Tyler and getting drunk in the woods. Hangovers on the couch and harsh words exchanged after breaking up with his best friend. She's lived here before and he can't explain why she's so faded in the other citizens' memories. He has to sift through years without Elena. Years of falling out of love with one blonde only to fall in love with another. Finally, he gets to the last few delicious months.

Tyler's eyes roll back in his head with the strain of Silas plundering his head and his arms hang limply at his side. Finally, the immortal gets to the kind of information that will actually help. Elena and the new blonde witch discussing a cloaking spell. Liv explaining to Tyler, later in bed, how she agreed to hide his Amara away from him. It's insulting to have such weak women conspiring against him and he takes out his anger on Tyler.

His skull cracks on the pavement when Silas shoves him to the ground. To everyone stepping over his head, tracking his blood across the sidewalk, it still looks like Tyler and Stefan are having a friendly conversation. For hours.

Appalachian Mountains, June 2020

Another day, another bloody mess he's surrounded himself in. Klaus screams, low and guttural, at the full moon. He's had the same results with the last two packs of werewolves and yet he continues trying. Human blood didn't work so he tried feeding them his own. When that didn't work, he tried turning them on a full mon. Admitting defeat would mean that not only had he failed another time to build a family, but that he had left Elena for no reason.

He slumps down the base of the tree and leans his arms over his knees, exhausted as the energy of his rage dissipates and he's left with just his lonely thoughts. He plays her newest message, smiling to himself at the dream of their kid, preferably a little blonde nightmare that would keep his mother running in circles. If it were possible he reminds himself, but those reminders become weaker by the day.

Worry over what she has planned makes him sit up straight against the tree. He's sure that his mother had never predicated a Petrova doppelgänger would survive through the sacrifice and especially not that he'd sleep with her.

If the child was his, what kind of supernatural by-product would their union have made?

"You know, Niklaus, you could always call her back? In my experience, women appreciate conversations where the men respond." Kol steps over the splayed body of Klaus's failed hybrid experimentation. "Besides the longer you shut her out the more time Rebekah has to try playing matchmaker to keep Elena in the family."

"How the hell are you here? And what are you talking about?"

"Elijah sent me and you are painfully predictable brother. Witches talk especially when the Hybrid is attempting to re-make poor werewolves in his own image."

"What's the nonsense about Elena?"

"Rebekah is so determined to keep her in our family. If we were back in the old days, she'd arrange a marriage with Elijah. Maybe even Finn or I if she thought Elena would go for it." Kol assesses Klaus carefully. "Of course, Elijah is ever dutiful. Taking her to her doctor's appointment. Buying her baby related gifts. Attending that mommy-and-daddy yoga class with her. All to save her the embarrassment of explaining your absence. Certainly that and nothing more."

His rage seeps back, awakening his fingers and toes. Klaus is on Kol before he has a chance to react. "Tell. Me. Everything!" His seething does nothing, but elicit laughter from his younger brother. Elijah had been right, teasing the jealousy out of him might actually be what brings him back home.

A/N: I have absolutely dropped my little "location/time" notes when those things change and I figured it would be good for keeping up with the time in chapters. The passage of time definitely varies. Also, the subtext of the Silas/Amara/Qetsiyah arc is one that I read as much more sinister than it was portrayed in the show. A man in power pursuing a woman with none? I just see it as a man afraid of a woman (Qetsiyah) who is his equal in power and agency choosing to pursue a woman (Amara) who can't really stand up to him or contradict him. But that could just be me. To each their own. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter!